Birthday celebrations and stories

Heyho, this last week has again been very busy. It was my birthday on Monday so we spent the whole weekend celebrating which was ace. We went to Kampala for the first time which I loved. We visited the craft markets (one of the reasons why I loved it!) and also sat and drank coffee and ate really good cake. We also had a HOT running shower and toilet! We went along to a hotel to see some Ugandan dancing which blew me away, these people can shake their ass!

As for work, I have been compiling an HIV resource file for The Youth League for when we go into the villages to do workshops. The workshops are good but I feel we are not offering enough information on how to stay healthy. So i now am in the middle of producing food charts and all sorts so its good fun. Yesterday we also spent the day in Kampala (this time not just for fun). We were going round the embassy’s asking for funding for The Youth League. The British Embassy were like…. “What you want money… from us?? We do not do that type of thing I can tell you now”. We were like, nice thanks! The Belgium and French embassies were a little friendlier, so were in the process (well James is) in the process of writing some funding proposals for them. We also visited The British Council which were friendly but said no, and DFID (Department for International Development) who said mmmmm we’ll see. This, from my experience means no! It was a very busy day and I was covered in head to toe red dust by the end of it!

Today we have put on another HIV workshop. This generally happens twice a week now and each time I feel there getting better so that’s good. On our way back from the Village about 3 police cars speeded past and then another one came and stopped the taxi, at first I was pretty scared. Then about 4 army trucks came past with soldiers holding the biggest guns you’ve ever seen. I was like “what the hell’s going on?” Kayiira laughed at me and was like “chill out nyabo (madam) it’s the president!”… And it was, with a huge entourage of about 20 army trucks, 2 ambulances, a caravan, 10 police cars and then him in the middle waving! It was mad. The whole of Mukono stopped for at least half an hour. James was like.. “Do you think he’s paranoid?” . The feeling we get here is that he’s not liked much.

We have been without power for most of the nights this week which means being sat with a candle and not really doing a lot. I have been reading an amazing book called 28 stories of AIDS in Africa. It is one story for every one million people living with HIV in Africa. (Or so they have estimated). The stories are about individuals and their life. Last night I was reading about a truck driver who drives from Mombassa in Kenya through Uganda to Rwanda. This journey takes him a long time and every night he stops and sleeps with a prostitute (without protection). He is now HIV+. The reason I am telling this story is that we live on Jinja road which is the main road through Uganda, every night when we are sat in the dark we can see flashing lights from the convoy of trucks that pass through. It has made me realise just how real this story is. Also the estimated number of 28 million is so high but when we meet people in the villages so many have not been tested, so that number could be so much higher, and its weird to think just 30-40 years ago people had never even heard of HIV or AIDS.

Anyway I didn’t mean to write for so long, it’s just so full on here and nice to talk about it! Me and James are heading home now, we will probably play some cards and I will avoid going to the latrine until I really have too! Hope every one is well. Amy xxx