Uganda visit comes to an end

 And so my time in Uganda, for this visit, is coming to an end. Next stop back to Kenya for another project visit.

It's been so lovely as always to be back here in the Pearl of Africa. Yes, there have been the undertones of Ebola that have put a bit of a downer on things, but I've had some wonderful project visits and meetings.

The Soroti visit I've talked about, so I'll not revisit that one, but suffice to say some of the participants from there are already in touch about doing the online training that is available as follow up to the in-person training.

And then there was the day with John up at the vocational college in Mityana. No students around as it is school break here at the moment, but it was good to see the structurally completed school, and to help John process thoughts that he is having about now moving on to focus on what happens inside the classroom - teaching methods, child behaviour (how much is that coming from the behavioural examples set by the parents?) and how to tackle it etc. 

We also went up to the new sports field that is being established and had a bit of 'blue sky thinking' under the big blue sky of rural Uganda. Big sky, big views, big space for ideas - perfect.

A couple of very good days in Acholi Quarters, chatting with the students who we support, and with many of the parents. We tackled issues that Harriet had raised around parents not always paying their top-up monies due to poor use of the savings scheme, around some of the students perhaps not trying as hard as they might, around some of the older students not wanting to continue beyond their version of GCSE's but wanting to deviate into vocational training instead. All very good conversations, and what I particularly liked was that the parents came up with the solutions to the problems, and just looked to me for my reflections on their solutions, rather than asking me to solve the problems in the first place. 

There were a few other challenges that needed to be worked through, and there were also some one-on-one conversations that I was asked to have with particular students who had discrete and unique needs. It was a privilege as always to be part of these conversations and to be able to have the chance to share in the process of exploring challenges and coming up with solutions that are contextually suitable and workable for those involved.

Alongside all of that I've been blessed with times spent with dear friends and I'm so very grateful to each and every one of them. Being in Uganda really is the closest that I feel to home from home when I'm away, and I always leave a bit of my heart behind when I depart.  

Until the next visit Uganda - love and prayers to you all.