Uganda Lodge

I have just delivered 2  cubic metres of clothes, shoes, books, tools and other items donated by  family and friends to  TWAM’s huge storage warehouse in Suffolk, ready to be shipped out to Uganda next week. I have also requested another 2cu m of computers, sewing machines and carpentry/mechanics/builders tool-kits to be added, and all are destined for Ruhanga at a shipping cost of £150 per cu m.

I am hoping to be out there when these arrive in November, so I can oversee the distribution of these goods.  I will give some out to the most needy families, and am planning to sell some items cheaply to help offset the shipping costs.

Our Craft Centre/workshop has almost been completed, thanks to the small profit taken from the weekly fee paid by recent volunteers, and also due to their enthusiasm and motivation.  I await photographs but Denis has said the plastering & flooring is finished,  the glass is in the windows and doors,  and some painting has been done.

Several computers up and running and the internet connection was enthusiastically welcomed by local students.  The ongoing cost for connection is £30 per month so we will have to charge volunteers and local people a  fee for useage.  We plan to have sewing & knitting machines up and running shortly.

I must give thanks to the six volunteers who stayed at Uganda Lodge in July – Emma and Luke, Vik and Mit, and Christy and Pete. After I left  they did some research in the local schools and then they clubbed together and bought over 120 mosquito nets for the children who board at  the schools, plus a generator, a TV & DVD player, cooking pots, crayons, and various footballs netballs etc. 

Now the local people can begin to see the effects of  Denis and my vision – that is – if we were able to provide somewhere for foreign visitors to stay in the heart of Ruhanga, then in turn these volunteers  would be able to help the village people in a more direct way than I have been able to do so far.