Acholi visit – always a joy

 

I’ve been fortunate to get down to Acholi Quarters twice on this Uganda visit, and both were an absolute joy as always. On my last visit to Uganda I was managing with a broken ankle and (undiagnosed) broken elbow – so the uneven terrain of AQ was just too much, and I had to miss out on the visits. I was bitterly disappointed, and so to be able to have such lovely visits this time was an extra bonus.

To share all the conversations and outcomes in one blog would be too much. Certainly there was enough material to create a number of CRED blogs, which I will do over the coming weeks, but for now I just want to share a flavour of the visits as examples of how God is at work in the community and answering prayers in beautiful ways.

On some previous visits in the past year, I have sat with some of the Acholi women as they have shared their hopes and dreams for setting up small businesses to earn a bit of income in a way that doesn’t include things like breaking up rocks, or collecting plastic bottles from trash heaps. One thought was to set up a soap making business between a small group of them, another pair wanted to make samosas to sell, and another wanted to set up a food stall selling a few different items that together make up the components for a standard meal. Having discussed business plans with the women and been assured that the ideas were sound, and thanks to some generous donations, I was able to hand over the start up capital to enable these women to embark on their new ventures.

On this visit I gained some really good feedback about how they are all doing. The soap makers are selling the bars of soap as fast as they can make them, and they are savvy enough to have two prices – a lower price for sales within the AQ community, and a higher price for sales outside to passers by. The profit that they are making is going into savings, and they are really encouraged by how well things have started. An additional note on this one is that Agnes, who was the driving force behind the venture and who lived on the edge of AQ, had her home bulldozed by city developers just days before they were due to start the soap-making. Not surprisingly she was devastated, as no warning had been given so she had no time to save many belongings. However, the community came together and helped her pick up her life again, and she says that the focus of the soap project really helped her to move forwards. A beautiful example of good coming from a really difficult situation.

The samosas are selling well, and some new women are now involved in the venture after one of the original pair got permanent work in a nearby hotel. So that’s a prayer answered for expansion of the business to support more women. And the food stall is doing good business selling beef (from cows heads and hooves rather than the finer cuts), little silver fish, and cassava. Every day they sell most if not all of their stock, and gain enough profit to be able to put into savings to help with school fees etc. So lots of positives there, and some prayers being answered.

On this visit I also met with two who are hoping to start university very soon – this is huge for this community. Very few get to the end of senior school let alone embark on university, and so the goodwill and community pride emanating around this is palpable. It was lovely to sit and chat with the two about their dreams, as well as get a better understanding of the application process – makes UCAS sound like a dream!!!

Other bits and pieces included meeting a little baby just 3 weeks old who had been given some baby clothes knitted by one of the elderly ladies who I know through the domicillary care work that I do in Thornbury. I was able to send photos back to the knitter of the baby in the outfit, and his young mum – apparently the knitter was thrilled beyond words to actually see the outfit being worn! I suspect I might have more outfits being knitted in the future!

I got to judge a Christmas card competition that the Acholi children took part in, to design a Christmas card that can be used for CRED donors later this year. It was a bit surreal looking at Christmas designs in the heat of an African July day, but it was great to do, and the children were all so excited to be taking part. They added to the joy of the occasion by treating me to a little, impromptu song and dance show – the space was small, the sound system was minimal, but the dancing was great and the enthusiasm and smiles.

I got to sit with my friends there, sharing family news, catching up on community happenings, just being together, even though our homes are so far apart in so many ways. I got to have that lovely experience of walking through the community and knowing where I was going. And of being stopped by people who knew me to say hello and ask how I was. That feeling you get when you realise that you’re not a total 100% outsider anymore!

I came away from Acholi Quarters with my heart full. Full of love for this wonderful community that I am so honoured to be able to call my friends. Full of joy at all the various examples of life seeming to be moving in a more positive direction for some of them after all this time. Full of a sense of thankfulness to God that I am able to be involved in His kingdom work in this community. Full of awe for all that I learn every time that I am with the community, about grace, hope, generosity, resilience, and community spirit. Full of yearning to be able to do more.

I am so aware of the massive gulf between my life and theirs, but I thank God for giving me the opportunity to bridge that gap and demonstrate to the Acholi members in practical ways, that they are not alone, and not forgotten. And I look forward to more such opportunities in the future.