This is the first of several posts I (Helen, the Communications Director from the Seattle office) is posting from Soroti during a several week visit. The first stop of course was Beacon of Hope College, just a few minutes away from the hotel.
Director of Education Sam Ocen introduced me and several of the visiting team from Church of the Redeemer in Boston to the teachers of the science department. A science fair is being planned for this week (more on that in a later post). Then Sam showed me around the campus. We visited the just-completed rainwater harvest system, operational less than 3 weeks. The water level in the gauge, a clear plastic tube parallel to the side of a huge black tank, was too low to be seen. That meant the school had almost used up the water collected off the tin roofs of two sides of two long buildings. The city of Soroti had no water for 3 days, and this was day 3. The school survived on the water that had collected since May 31 in the two large (60,000 liters each) tanks. Over those 3 days they used about 40,000 liters total. The water came back on in Soroti, and the water was replenished during a thunderstorm on June 27. The harvesting system was finished just in time for a real life test, and it worked!
The CU-EWB team had to add gutters to the roof edges, ensuring that all were at angles for the water to collect into a main pipe that filled the tanks. They even had to hammer together their own ladders! The gutters emptied into piping that fills the storage tank; the water is filtered, and clean, free water is accessible at two spigots. The system even has an overflow system. With completion of this collection system, the school no longer has to rely exclusively on city water. The project was two years in the making. The team made assessments during the 2009 and 2010 visits, and swung into action in May 2011. The rainwater harvesting system saves the school significant operating costs, and provides solutions for other water-related problems. Water to the school goes out several times a week, which means the students must walk 5-6 k to get well water, or the school's administration must buy water in town. This takes a lot of time away from studies, and exposes the female students to potential danger. Women, especially young ones, simply are not safe to walk around town after school hours.
Read the CU-EWB team's great blog here. Thanks to Harrison, David, Allison, and all those other CE EWB folks who took part in this. More thanks to Julius, the determined, strong and ever-inventive handyman at Beacon of Hope School! Also thanks for great photos I stole off your blog!
"I could not even dream to have a peaceful education like this that you have provided for me. I was praying hard to see to it that I could go to school. God is not blind. May God bless you." These words are from a thank you letter that Juventine, a student at Beacon of Hope College, wrote recently showing her appreciation for the sponsorship Pilgrim has extended to her. Many students at Pilgrim's high school are totally sponsored, and these youth receive free education, room, board, medical care, spiritual care, and in many cases, counseling treatment for trauma sustained during civil conflict.
Here are more excerpts from the letter packet. Be blessed as you read these notes!
"The main reason I am writing this letter is that I thank you for what you have done to my life in this place. The organisation Pilgrim is very important in my life because now I am sponsored form this school and now I am enjoying a good standard of living. They are treating me without me paying any amount of shillings. I would like to conclude by saying may God bless you Pilgrim in all hands because you are taking care of my life from this school." — Misaki
"I really longed for this year, but at last, God answered my prayer and you accepted me as an orphan. Thank you for helping the orphans, poor, and street children." — Tino
" I am very happy and may God bless you. I hope I am going to do well at school becaues even there the teachers are good and we are eating food that makes me feel that I am not an orphan." — Francis
"I am very happy for what you have done to me and I know now that I will achieve my future. For God says "I have picked you from Egypt and now go and save me." That is why I thank Pilgrim for picking me form where I was." Spiritual services and better standards of education I have achieved are the reasons why I appreciate Pilgrim since I had a negative attitude toward life because of meaningless background." — Daniel
"I am so delighted with the sponsorship you offered for me. When I was at home I had no hope of education because my parents were poor and could even take me to school all of my relatives were proposing me to get married and by that time I lost confidence of education but now through the sponsorship you truly gave to me has made me to see my vision of a future. I pray you have made our family to be grateful and successful. Above all may God the Creator of all the universe bless you abundantly and may his grace continue to be revealed to you." — Moses
"I really appreciate you for the hands of support you stretched out to me. I am happy and joyous that I am at school because you gave me sponsoring. May the Almighty God bless you and add you more energy." — Nancy
You can help fund education for these Ugandan young people here. Currently the cost for 1 student at Beacon of Hope College is $600 a year.
There have been many happenings at school since my last update. Let me share a few.
The soccer team went to the quarter finals in the Soroti area soccer competi¬tion. It was an eight day competition with our boys playing daily at the soccer fields which are just down the road. Meanwhile, at school, students are dis¬tracted awaiting game time to cheer our team on to victory. It's basically a lost week to academics in all the schools in the area. The school is proud of our team!
Last Sunday held a second Prayer and Fasting Day of this term with the theme "Enemies of the Cross". The teachings were wonderful and worship was full of passion. Can you picture 90 students in one classroom singing with everything within them?? My ears are still ringing!
On the other side...life on the ground...after a wind and rain storm, the pit la¬trine (outhouse) at school collapsed. Not good...quick action opened an old latrine that had been sealed. Relief. (No pun intended...)
For 8 days there was low voltage or no electricity so we depended on the generator for stable electricity for the photocopier and computer.
A fact of life at a private school is school fees. Most of the students are spon¬sored by donors but we do have a few private students. This far into the term, fees of private students should be paid in full. Another fact of life here is all students are required to have uniforms and compound wear. Again, this far into the term, all students should have purchased their uniforms. Last week, many students were not compliant and were sent home to get money for school fees and uniforms. Needless to say, the office became busy with parents paying fees.
Meanwhile, the white rats (purchased for national exam practicals last October) in the lab are reproducing, breakfast, lunch and supper are being pre¬pared, daily, a few students are treated for malaria, daily lunch hour worship continues encouraging students, chalk is being used up as lessons are taught, and teachers are preparing final exams. Life at school continues.
Sunday was a day of fasting and prayer at school. It began with the morning service and for those who choose to participate continued till 4:30. The theme of the day was "God Will Restore Our Hope". The schedule was orderly with times of worship, teaching and prayer. About 130 students participated in the fasting and prayer program.
The first speaker shared how when we expose ourselves to sin and the lies of Satan our hope is lost.
The next speaker (me) shared the story of the Israelites worshipping the golden calf. They had lost hope when Moses did not return soon enough and in losing hope they looked back to life in Egypt...the life they didn't like but a life they knew. Moses interceded on behalf of the people and their hope was restored. I challenged them with Moses prayer in Exodus 33:13 "teach me your ways so I may know you" and from verse15 "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here". God is the restorer of our hope as we seek out His Presence and follow Him.
The third speaker read Genesis 12:1-2 where Abram was told to leave "your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." Then God would bless him. He challenged the students to spiri¬tually leave their land, their tribe and father's house. They need to leave the worship of idols, leave witchcraft practices of the Teso region, leave the tribal and family practices which do not please God and commit to follow God's way and receive His blessings. Teso region needs God.
Prayer time began with a powerful time of students forgiving each other of any offenses. There were many tears shed and hugs given. Next, they repented on behalf of themselves, the region and country of Uganda. Then, they prayed down their prayer list as follows: students, school and Pilgrim at large; families; prisoners, sick and those still in IDP camps; orphans, widows, etc; against temptations for both students and Pilgrim workers. It was an awesome day.
Aaron Ruud farms 30 acres at the Dakabela Farm, close to Soroti, Uganda. He raises crops for Beacon of Hope College, which as you can imagine has a large food budget for 500 people onsite. Watch a video of Aaron
"This has been a frustrating week. It started out poorly, got worse but finished well. Last Saturday, I was on my way back to town with a load of sweet potatoes for the school when I heard a load bang. I first thought it was a flat tire, but after seeing the trail of water I looked under the hood and found that the upper radiator hose had burst. Not just a short crack but actually split from end to end. On closer inspection, I saw the alternator belt broke too. The only thing I can figure out is, when the belt broke, the end came around and struck the hose which was weakened from age. I was fairly close to town so it didn't take too long to get another belt and a hose that wasn't an exact fit but was close enough to work. But then I saw that when the hose broke it also broke the short tube on the radiator the hose connects to. Here is where things start to get worse.
With the help of Julius, the engine room operator at the school, I got the hose on well enough to get the pickup to school. We got some 3-ton epoxy and reattached the tube to the radiator, waited a day for it to harden and drove home. Apparently, the hose exerts more than 3 tons of pressure because by the time I got home the tube was broken again. Now, the only option was a new top for the radiator. This is not easy to find because the pickup, a Mazda, is not a common vehicle in Uganda. There was nothing at all in Soroti. We tried for several days to locate something in Kampala, the capital, but the most common suggestion was, "go to Kenya."
(In the US, with the help of a phone book and the internet, it is easy to find almost anything. Here, there are no phone books and most businesses do not have websites. So, the solution usually is to take the broken part to Kampala and ask around until you run across someone who knows someone who might know where to find what you need.
If you know exactly what you want and know where to go it is also possible to buy it and have them put it on the bus. Usually this takes about 12-24 hours for delivery. There are two problems with this, first, I wouldn't want to ship anything obviously valuable and, second, someone still has to physically go to the store to pay cash for the item.)
Finally, we tracked down someone who would fabricate the part from scratch. In the US, having someone build a part like this would be pretty expensive but here even skilled labor is pretty cheap, so this turned out to be the best option. I questioned him carefully and he assured me he would do the whole job for 50,000USh (about $25) and that it would be done the next day. So, I gave him the radiator.
So far so good, but in typical Ugandan fashion, he called the next day to tell us he wouldn't be able to come until the following morning. When he did come, about 1:00pm, he had the repaired radiator, but, in typical Ugandan fashion, the price had changed. Instead of 50,000, it was now 60,000, plus 20,000 for cleaning the radiator, plus10,000 for 2 small bolts, plus 10,000 for his transportation.
Still, the week ended well. I got the pickup back. It took 6 days to find a part and 2 hours to install it, but I'm happy to be driving again instead of walking. This has been a frustrating week. It started out poorly, got worse but finished well. Last Saturday, I was on my way back to town with a load of sweet potatoes for the school when I heard a load bang. I first thought it was a flat tire, but after seeing the trail of water I looked under the hood and found that the upper radiator hose had burst. Not just a short crack but actually split from end to end. On closer inspection, I saw the alternator belt broke too. The only thing I can figure out is, when the belt broke, the end came around and struck the hose which was weakened from age. I was fairly close to town so it didn't take too long to get another belt and a hose that wasn't an exact fit but was close enough to work. But then I saw that when the hose broke it also broke the short tube on the radiator the hose connects to. Here is where things start to get worse.
With the help of Julius, the engine room operator at the school, I got the hose on well enough to get the pickup to school. We got some 3-ton epoxy and reattached the tube to the radiator, waited a day for it to harden and drove home. Apparently, the hose exerts more than 3 tons of pressure because by the time I got home the tube was broken again. Now, the only option was a new top for the radiator. This is not easy to find because the pickup, a Mazda, is not a common vehicle in Uganda. There was nothing at all in Soroti. We tried for several days to locate something in Kampala, the capital, but the most common suggestion was, "go to Kenya."
(In the US, with the help of a phone book and the internet, it is easy to find almost anything. Here, there are no phone books and most businesses do not have websites. So, the solution usually is to take the broken part to Kampala and ask around until you run across someone who knows someone who might know where to find what you need.
If you know exactly what you want and know where to go it is also possible to buy it and have them put it on the bus. Usually this takes about 12-24 hours for delivery. There are two problems with this, first, I wouldn't want to ship anything obviously valuable and, second, someone still has to physically go to the store to pay cash for the item.)
Finally, we tracked down someone who would fabricate the part from scratch. In the US, having someone build a part like this would be pretty expensive but here even skilled labor is pretty cheap, so this turned out to be the best option. I questioned him carefully and he assured me he would do the whole job for 50,000USh (about $25) and that it would be done the next day. So, I gave him the radiator.
So far so good, but in typical Ugandan fashion, he called the next day to tell us he wouldn't be able to come until the following morning. When he did come, about 1:00pm, he had the repaired radiator, but, in typical Ugandan fashion, the price had changed. Instead of 50,000, it was now 60,000, plus 20,000 for cleaning the radiator, plus10,000 for 2 small bolts, plus 10,000 for his transportation.
Still, the week ended well. I got the pickup back. It took 6 days to find a part and 2 hours to install it, but I'm happy to be driving again instead of walking.
We are proud to premiere a new video created for us by Gregory King - "Pilgrim In Uganda 2009" - that captures the people, work and successes that Pilgrim experienced in Uganda in 2009. Enjoy and spread the word!
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