Lets make a plan!

Hello from Ugandaaa!! Back in an internet cafe with dodgy keys so sorry for any typo's!!

I can't believe I'm actually here!! It feels very surreal, especially considering I only booked the flights a week ago!

The plane journey went very smoothly.. the flight was full of either Wealthy Ugandans or Christian 'Muzumgu's' and I was picked up by Immaculate, Josh and her friend so there were no problems. It actually feels like home here.. although its sooo much hotter! The air temperature shown in the plane when flying into Uganda, kilometers high was even warmer than England! I bopped out the plane in two coats and boots and felt like a right numpty!

I stayed at Immaculate's house that night which was lovely.. Rapha is so grown up now! I then moved into the same hotel as last time, opposite Mengo slums and was met by Redondo who took me to the home.

I was pleased to see the home tidy (although they did know I was coming!) and still being managed well. The decker beds are still standing strong but the big double bed in the front room which they were sharing had to be returned to it's owner (they didn't steal it, it was given to them to borrow for a while!) so the mattress' in the front room where being laid on concrete, which is slowly getting broken and dusty, therefore damaging the mattress'. The walls are extremely dirty/dusty and there was no electricity due to the whole street losing power for some unknown but common reason!

The boys were very welcoming and they came in one by one after school. It was lovely to see them smile again. Redondo explained that since starting the home 90% of the boys have really grown and changed their mindset and personal discipline from ways of the hopeless slums to more positive and productive thoughts and behaviours. Great news! The Mydel Boys have earned the title of 'The Best Football Academy in Kampala District' and considering they are competing against well established wealthier teams that's fantastic! 70% are now in school and I will be getting a list of the boys which are not so that I can find sponsors for them. It costs 50pounds a term to sponsor a boys to go to school and there are three terms in a year.. thats 150 a year so please consider sponsoring if you are able!

I also visited the other home for the younger children; Nansana Home. This home was donated by a caring English man and his school in the UK. 22 boys and 18 girls who are orphaned or from critically vulnerable backgrounds now live there and two teachers come in to school them. They have a big water tank but no land to grow food on. It was interesting to see how the home is running. Mydel were given the building so it is in their name which means that they have to cater for all the bills and food. They are supported by the UK school but they are still struggling to stay afloat each month. The boys in Mengo Mydel Home are also struggling with food because although we send out money for food and water, the prices have doubled/almost tripled this year so they are living without breakfast and on very simple plain food. Both houses would really benefit from some land where they can produce their own food.

All the Mydel team sat down and had a very honest meeting about the needs in Nansana and in the Mengo Mydel Home and we discussed future plans. It costs 1000 pounds (I can't find the pound sign!) to buy just under 1 acre of land. Thanks to your kind donations there are some funds already building up to the 5000 target for the new build. I have been debating whether to use what we have already to buy a small patch of land to start growing food. This would tackle the main problem straight away but may bring problems when buying more land as ideally we would like a biiig patch of land in own area so we can have the building and food in one area. So the team decided to wait until we have enough saved to buy everything at once. This means that for the next 6months or so, until we get the funds up, we must consider the boys in our food donations.

I went food shopping with Redondo and did notice the price increase. I brought with me three months pay for food but it only catered for two months. We bought a variety of foods; rice, pocho, beans, g-nuts , tomatoes and cabbage. The boys were jumping for joy when they saw rice! Redondo said that they have been so bored with pocho (flour mixed with water) that some days they have chosen to not take the meal and drink porridge instead! We also bought some necessities such as soap and toothpaste. This is proving to be a problem because there is no kitty for such things, or medication. A small kitty of money which can be used for necessities would benefit the house hugely.

I also sat down and spoke with the boys about recruitment in the home. Every boys must be an orphan or from critically vulnerable situations in need of care. The boys start at Mydel Home at age 11 and will leave when they finish school at the age of 16. Some of the boys finish school this year so I will be sitting down with them to discuss their future. Redondo would like some of the older boys to take on more responsibility of helping out with the home so we will discuss this also. The boys expressed their struggle to store their belongings, lack of clothes and particularly shoes. Some of the boys are struggling with boredom and Redo is concerned about them turning to playing with trouble on the streets if they get bored. The TV is broken so they have requested a new one. I personally dont see this as a priority however I can see Redondo's point.

I have suggested that the boys spend their spare time being productive, learning skills which can help them make their own money and support them in the future. The boys said that they would love to learn carpentry/wood carving so I am meeting with a guy, Mr Emma, who is talented in this to discuss the possibilities of him helping them learn. I told the boys I dont mind paying for their first batch of wood and equipment but after that it is up to them to create something good enough to sell and buy new materials with.

Today I am sorting the house out. Although it is a temporary house, there are small things which could really help such as paint, carpet, fixing the holes in the roof and putting up mosquito nets. Gerrald, Kevin and Alex are going to pick me up and walk me to the home... so I'm staying safe and thinking wisely for all you lot who worry!

It was chucking it down this morning (its rainy season) and I was worried that it would affect the work we needed to do today so as I woke up to the sound of hammering rain I said a quick prayer to plead the rain to stop in time for the work on the house.. thinking there were still a few hours to go until I was at the house... and it stopped immediately! Awesooooooome!

I then attempted a shower and forgot just how freeezing the water is.. was quite amusing jumping in and out, using my hands to cup the small amount of water which I could bare! Entertaining!

Anyways I'm off to paint and fix! Thank you for all your support! The boys loved all their gifts from their sponsors by the way! Check out the smiles!

Lots of Love xxx