Hi Everybody,

As I write this the sun is streaming through the windows of the internet café, it’s been a gloriously sunny week in Jinja and so nice to have a break from the torrential rain. It has also been quite a strange week for me adjusting to not having my partner in crime, Alice, here any longer; she’s being missed terribly by everyone including myself!

I began my week by visiting Victoria at the bead project to collect some white seed earrings that had been completed and to provide them with some more coloured manila to produce the paper beads. However, over the weekend Victoria sourced a new supplier for the manila and although they are slightly more expensive the colours are more vibrant and will not fade as easily. So Victoria can now just use the papers I brought for her learning aids at school, so nothing goes to waste. After sorting my visa at immigration (a long process due to the queues) I completed my community education research, writing up the profiles and summarizing the findings which I hope will be of use to SALVE when we set up the community education programme.
On Tuesday with the help of Harriet as translator I interviewed Robert, one of the street children Alice and I had been working closely with, for an article in November’s newsletter. It was great to here his version of things and I hope it makes interesting reading. Actually apart from a meeting with Mike in the afternoon to discuss communication from the UK team I spent the rest of the day working on the newsletter, writing articles and choosing suitable images.

(Me and the boys looking very smart in their new clothes from CRO)

(Harriet and the boys after helpign me translate Robert's interview)

On Wednesday I headed to the SALVE house and met up with Harriet. At the moment there are only a few children at the house (just Hassan, Richard, Moreen and Helena) as the rest have gone to visit relatives but they should all be returning by the 10th December. So whilst the children finished their daily chores Harriet and I discussed the children’s profiles, comparing notes and information. We then spent some time doing some drawing and colouring in and playing with the inflatable globe that I had brought from the UK for them before we headed back to town. I then spent a lovely couple of hours with Harriet exploring the market and sampling some of the very tasty local food before heading back to my second home, the internet café, to put the finishing touches to the monthly newsletter.

(Blessing and Richard helping around the house)

I visited the house again on Thursday, where now on Richard and Helena remain and spent some time chatting with them and Rubina and they watched a DVD. Unfortunately Mike is quite unwell at the moment with malaria but we had a short meeting about the possibility of SALVE registering as an NGO instead of a CBO. After which I visited our friend, Henry, at JIDNET (the Jinja District NGO Network) who provided me with some documents about the requirements and rules and regulations and advised me to visit the NGO desk on Friday (it only open Monday and Friday). It’s great that we have developed such useful contacts in Jinja who are so keen to help us in developing SALVE and achieving our aims.

On Friday Harriet and I visited the NGO desk but sadly the Chief Administrative Officer for Jinja had died suddenly so the whole office was shut to attend his burial. Instead we went to the SALVE house and spoke with Mike and all three of us plan to return on Monday. We spent the rest of the morning and afternoon with the SALVE family. Helen made us a wonderful lunch of cabbage in g-nut sauce (groundnut), okra and posho; if she doesn’t become a police officer like she hopes she can always fall back on her cooking and become a chef! This week I have also been very busy with lots of rehearsals for the Jinja pantomime, it’s all beginning to come together and I finally got my costume, a very fetching bright orange and blue outfit.

So there you have it another week in Jinja and only two more to go, I really need to find some way to slow down time……

Lots of love,

Esther xxx