Extra Ordinary - Significant Women of Uganda.
"I love to catch the sunrise. I love the multifaceted aspect of being feminine. I love God. He inspires me to see the best in life, people, myself and my work."
Jennifer Mypisi. Designer/Architect
"If I could speak to my younger self, I'd say; "Baby girl you can be all that and then some. Give life time. Give yourself time."
Dr Paula Mundari. Physician.
"While in exile I had to carry my child on my back and walk to the market. I'd learnt that the high status I'd enjoyed before was - an addition to me and not who I truly am."
Florence Nakyoni. Human Rights Activist.
"My day of courage dawned when I met President Amin. I didn't know whether I would come back alive or dead. I know who I am because of the commitments I have made in my life."
Juliana Bezuidenhout. Girl Guide/Presidential Advisor.
"Every day is unique and when it is gone, it is gone forever."
Maria Kiwanuka. Entrepreneur.
"I come from a strong line of women. I look at my grandmother, my aunts and my mum, and I know that I too can make it. I am emotional and intuitive."
Gloria Wavumono. Fashion Designer.
"God comes first. Fear Him and have integrity."
Leticia Kikonyogo. Deputy Chief Justice.
Geelong to Uganda
Google image of trip from Geelong (my home) in Australia to Karamoja, Uganda!
Friday, 28 September 2012
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Karamoja Wedding
Back in August Summer and I went to an interesting cultural experience, a Catholic Karamajong wedding. The women in the animal skins are relatives of the bride's mother, who danced for most of the ceremony in the traditional Karamojong way, moving their whole bodies from side to side swinging the skins too. The place was packed, the whole town wanting to be part of the celebration. including us! A very fun day.
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Fun Vet Story I Meant to Post a While Ago...
So right now I am not in Karamoja, but in fact in Zanzibar, on the coast of Tanzania. However, that doesn't mean I should deprive my blog from a post/s I wanted to post when I was in Karamoja, but because it is Karamoja, I couldn't.
So... 'Treating & Trainings.' For the animal health side of the ministry we have continued our weekly program of vet treatments Mon to Fri, tick spraying on Wednesday and animal health trainings on Thursdays. One Wednesday we were spraying in Kasiapus, where we now also have a bible study in the village, and there was a cow that had been speared by the 'enemy'. I should explain that anyone who is not part of the person's family, village (extended family) or even tribe at large, is an enemy. Of course they have much more reason to call them so, as any stranger is likely to have a motive to or actually will steal /raid your animals and possibly kill or injure a family member in the process.
Every night here 'enemies' are attacking someone else. It makes me think of the question 'who is your neighbour', the answer is much easier to come to grips with back home in the west, than for people here. Your 'neighbour' here that Christ was talking of (i.e. not your literal neighbour but anyone and everyone) could be someone who has killed your father. Or your neighbour is the woman who is your co-wife, whom you share your husband with. The same goes for Jesus' radical statement, 'love your enemy', again much easier to come to terms with back home. I dunno 'bout you but I don't really have any 'enemies'... (that I know of ;)
So anyway back to the bleeding cow. Symptoms: obvious wound, inappetant, anaemic, grinding teeth and 'pain posture', refusal to stand, not drinking, etc. I talked to Emmy and Olum (local animal health workers) about what we should do and we came up with
#1 full history and examination,
#2 discuss treatment and cost with owner,
# 3 treat symptoms; iron for anaemia, pen/strep for wound and infection, multivitamins (mostly A & Es) to get the rumen moving again and the animal eating.
#4 Advise the owner on antibiotic treatment course & the issue of resistance, get owner to wash wound with clean salt water. When we came back the week after for our weekly Bible group there, the cow was standing and eating and the wound was healing by secondary intention and best of all, happy cow happy owner, as they say here!
It reminded me a bit of my first case in Karamoja, you may remember, when Dr Jean and Dr Michelle Beville were here and there was a cow that had been attacked by a hyena :)
When holidays are over we are beginning a new chicken project in October with brand new baby chicks and though not set, there is possibilities of doing another goat project and even starting a rabbit-keeping project where the people will be given the start-up bunnies, they will build an off-the-ground cage for them, and will breed with them to both sell and as a source of protein in their own diets too. Let's see what the future holds in my less than three months left here!
Love to you, Mel
So... 'Treating & Trainings.' For the animal health side of the ministry we have continued our weekly program of vet treatments Mon to Fri, tick spraying on Wednesday and animal health trainings on Thursdays. One Wednesday we were spraying in Kasiapus, where we now also have a bible study in the village, and there was a cow that had been speared by the 'enemy'. I should explain that anyone who is not part of the person's family, village (extended family) or even tribe at large, is an enemy. Of course they have much more reason to call them so, as any stranger is likely to have a motive to or actually will steal /raid your animals and possibly kill or injure a family member in the process.
Every night here 'enemies' are attacking someone else. It makes me think of the question 'who is your neighbour', the answer is much easier to come to grips with back home in the west, than for people here. Your 'neighbour' here that Christ was talking of (i.e. not your literal neighbour but anyone and everyone) could be someone who has killed your father. Or your neighbour is the woman who is your co-wife, whom you share your husband with. The same goes for Jesus' radical statement, 'love your enemy', again much easier to come to terms with back home. I dunno 'bout you but I don't really have any 'enemies'... (that I know of ;)
So anyway back to the bleeding cow. Symptoms: obvious wound, inappetant, anaemic, grinding teeth and 'pain posture', refusal to stand, not drinking, etc. I talked to Emmy and Olum (local animal health workers) about what we should do and we came up with
#1 full history and examination,
#2 discuss treatment and cost with owner,
# 3 treat symptoms; iron for anaemia, pen/strep for wound and infection, multivitamins (mostly A & Es) to get the rumen moving again and the animal eating.
#4 Advise the owner on antibiotic treatment course & the issue of resistance, get owner to wash wound with clean salt water. When we came back the week after for our weekly Bible group there, the cow was standing and eating and the wound was healing by secondary intention and best of all, happy cow happy owner, as they say here!
It reminded me a bit of my first case in Karamoja, you may remember, when Dr Jean and Dr Michelle Beville were here and there was a cow that had been attacked by a hyena :)
When holidays are over we are beginning a new chicken project in October with brand new baby chicks and though not set, there is possibilities of doing another goat project and even starting a rabbit-keeping project where the people will be given the start-up bunnies, they will build an off-the-ground cage for them, and will breed with them to both sell and as a source of protein in their own diets too. Let's see what the future holds in my less than three months left here!
Love to you, Mel
Monday, 10 September 2012
Beautiful Zanzibar
Arrived safely in the land of Zanzibar!
Beach, coffee, spices, palaces & sultans, good food - like something from a fairytale...
An island in the Indian ocean, loosely part of Tanzania.
I wanted to hear a really good sermon on Sunday morning in Zanzibar and God provided!!!
There's a new missionary family from the USA (only been here 3 months) at at the Anglican church in Stone Town! The sermon was on Luke 6:27-38 :) And they invited me for vollyball and dinner at their place, yay friends!
Beach, coffee, spices, palaces & sultans, good food - like something from a fairytale...
An island in the Indian ocean, loosely part of Tanzania.
Evening food market by the waterfront;
authentic Zanzibarian dessert pizza... yumm
I wanted to hear a really good sermon on Sunday morning in Zanzibar and God provided!!!
There's a new missionary family from the USA (only been here 3 months) at at the Anglican church in Stone Town! The sermon was on Luke 6:27-38 :) And they invited me for vollyball and dinner at their place, yay friends!
A Zanzibarian palace for Sultans, turned museum: fascinating.
The drive to Jinja (the 'big smoke' 2nd to Kampala in smokiness)
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| Summer & Me near Seretiyo, Kapchorwa District, Uganda. |
Thursday, 6 September 2012
Daily Life photos ;)
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| Beauty & hard work |
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| Cute kids |
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| Edula making |
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| Cows - every individual is so special there is no Karamojan word for herd |
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| Dikdik I wanted to rescue |
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| Harvest time - sorghum |
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| Joy comes with age too |
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| Kids of Karamoja |
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| Mt Hyena |
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| Old man wants his photo taken too |
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| Neem oil group |
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| Our house - sunflowers! |
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| Sheep - they look like goats! |
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| Vet studies with an audience! |
What I wanted to say when I couldn't
August 2012
Mixing Animal Work With Bible Work
I can't believe it is August! Where has the year gone?! I only have 4.5 months left here in Karamoja Uganda. Since my last post about the neem oil production, we have gotten over sicknesses.
I have spent time running chicken and goat trainings for the KACHEP recipient women (5 women who each recieved 10 chickens and 3 lots of 10 women who each recieved a goat) which were more reflections/feedback on how they found the projects rather than actual trainings and were very insightful as to the way forward for these projects. All of the chicken recipient women appreciated the income generating aspect (selling eggs) for buying food for their families and helping to cover costs of school fees, or for some even just being able to send their children to school, where otherwise they wouldn't have been able to do.
They glowed over the success of the project and were eager to hear our decision to start another chicken project in October because of its success!
On these training days Summer told the story of Lydia in the 1st century church (Acts 16), a women who opened her house to Paul and the gospel and became a place people could come to, to worship and pray together. We encouraged these women that they, as women of influence in their communities, could also be women like Lydia in their own homes and villages. Through this we have begun 4 bible studies in 4 different villages, with 4 of the 5 chicken recipient women leading & hosting them. It has been really great to see, but much prayer is needed for them to continue as it really needs to be something they take on and continue for themselves, even when life happens and they are distracted by other things, e.g. sorghum harvest or working in the gardens. We want to encourage them to make time for God in their lives if He is to be their Lord while understanding the pressures of life in Karamoja.
On Mondays we travel about an hour to a village called Okutoot that we have a relationship with through tick spraying their animals. Anna Moru is the woman in charge of this group and is learning the bible stories from us orally and then is sharing them with her community. Along with prayer and the story, there are three questions that help us learn more from each story; what does this passage teach us of God (1), of people (2) and if we believe this story and its teachings to be true, what can we learn from this passage to put into practise and obey in our lives? Every week we aim to go and share a different story with her and her family, for her then to pass the story and 3 questions with other families in her village.
On Tuesdays we go to a village about half an hours drive away (or 2 hours walk) called Kassiapus, whom again we have a friendship with through the cattle spraying as well as the chicken project, and we have storied and prayed with them for a long time already. Now that they are interested in going deeper with the Bible we have started this same group there, the main woman leading is Toto Joyce.
Hugs Melissa
"God wants to bless us where we are." Joel Osteen
Mixing Animal Work With Bible Work
I can't believe it is August! Where has the year gone?! I only have 4.5 months left here in Karamoja Uganda. Since my last post about the neem oil production, we have gotten over sicknesses.
I have spent time running chicken and goat trainings for the KACHEP recipient women (5 women who each recieved 10 chickens and 3 lots of 10 women who each recieved a goat) which were more reflections/feedback on how they found the projects rather than actual trainings and were very insightful as to the way forward for these projects. All of the chicken recipient women appreciated the income generating aspect (selling eggs) for buying food for their families and helping to cover costs of school fees, or for some even just being able to send their children to school, where otherwise they wouldn't have been able to do.
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| Goat Training song time |
On these training days Summer told the story of Lydia in the 1st century church (Acts 16), a women who opened her house to Paul and the gospel and became a place people could come to, to worship and pray together. We encouraged these women that they, as women of influence in their communities, could also be women like Lydia in their own homes and villages. Through this we have begun 4 bible studies in 4 different villages, with 4 of the 5 chicken recipient women leading & hosting them. It has been really great to see, but much prayer is needed for them to continue as it really needs to be something they take on and continue for themselves, even when life happens and they are distracted by other things, e.g. sorghum harvest or working in the gardens. We want to encourage them to make time for God in their lives if He is to be their Lord while understanding the pressures of life in Karamoja.
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| Tick Spraying Day |
On Tuesdays we go to a village about half an hours drive away (or 2 hours walk) called Kassiapus, whom again we have a friendship with through the cattle spraying as well as the chicken project, and we have storied and prayed with them for a long time already. Now that they are interested in going deeper with the Bible we have started this same group there, the main woman leading is Toto Joyce.
The third is of course our own with KACHEP at our house and the fourth is in a more local village (within easy walking distance) with a woman called Anna Aisu who is a strong believer herself. We hope to kick start them off this month and then see what God does with them when they have the tools to continue it themselves, in a 'pay it forward' kind of philosophy :) Hugs Melissa
"God wants to bless us where we are." Joel Osteen
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