My time here is slowly coming to an end and I am trying to soak up as much of the life and love here as I can. Recently we had a visitor at the Lukwago’s house, their young cousin Jessica came to visit for a few days, Jessica’s father is Mrs. Lukwagos brother, Sadly Jessica has lost her parents to AIDs and know lives with her guardian just outside of Mukono. She is four years old, incredibly shy and so small she could probably fit in a shoe box. The Lukwago family adores her, you can tell she is truly loved by them when you see them playing with her.
Tyler and I visited Ssezibwe falls, it’s a beautiful river/falls about 10 km east of Mukono. The falls are about 50 feet high and known throughout as a major traditional place of fertility. The man at the gate told us often people come and hurl goats, chickens or whatever they have over the falls as a sacrifice to the river. At the bottom of the falls the river splits into two and it’s said that the river will help you have twins or help with the health of twins if you have them.
There are a few witchcraft shrines around the forest too which were pretty cool, no witches around though. The shrines are there for people whom come and want to make a wish for something they need. It was a little creepy to tell you the truth, I was waiting for some witch to jump out and cut our heads off which is apparently what they do here. Freaky!
Growing up in Uganda
You’ve heard me numerous times preach about the beautiful children here in Uganda at times I am blown away with the creativity and resourcefulness of their playful habits. On Tuesday evening I was just finishing up some work in my room and headed out to play football with the kids, I could hear them calling me to come out and play and could not resist. By the time I got out there the kids were getting pretty rowdy and shouting at each other. I tried to start a game but it seemed the constant banter at each other was only a prelude into the all out war that was about to start. It all started when one young kid maybe the age of five walked over and just walloped another around his age, all the kids went absolutely ballistic and I had to hold the one five year old back from completely slaughtering the other. It wasn’t long and ended within 5 minutes with almost every kid going home crying. The kids here don’t cry very often but when they do they make you hear it, there were about 8 kids running back home just screaming.
I was talking to a neighbor after all this had happened, a friendly man named Joseph he was telling me that this kind of thing happens a lot, especially with kids around 5-10. He said they always ask themselves if they are strong enough, then they want to go find out. I have heard the kids fighting before but not like this, I wondered if it would be the end of our little football entourage. Nope, within a half hour they were all back laughing and playing together as if it had never happened, I couldn’t believe it.
Ugandans love music and they love it loud, very loud. Every time I hear music from somewhere it is cranked to the highest level, at times it doesn’t even sound like music rather it sounds like speakers on the verge of spontaneous combustion. Valentine’s day was full of this, what better way to tell your sweetheart you love her than to make her deaf by taking her out to a valentine’s day party. I was in Mukono this weekend for a local Valentines Day bash, I was accompanied by the girls from my host family. We attended a party at a local hotel whom we knew the owners, so we got in for free! Good Deal? The girls insisted that we sit in the front row, if I knew what was going to happen throughout the evening I probably would have protested the idea. The evening was filled with “great” “musicians,” mainly just local kids lip sinking various African pop hits, nonetheless I Was entertained and having a good time. There was one singer who was in attendance that actually used her voice and she was a legitimate star for the local people to see. While singing one of her songs four girls appeared behind her with roses, these girls then walked into the audience and gave a rose to someone, that someone then had to go up to the stage for a slow dance in front of about 800 people. Luck will have it that I was the only white person there and a blaring beacon of entertainment for these people. I got a rose, and was rushed on stage. The lights and music was blaring, I felt like I was at a grade 8 dance, the girls I came with were laughing, I could see it from the corner of my eye. The song seemed like it was going on for hours until a extremely drunk man stumbled onto the stage and tried to dance with the singer, I was saved, attention diverted away from me towards this guy. After it was all over and I went back to my chair the girls told me that it made their night, I was glad it happened they really seemed to enjoy it. That was not the end of it though, every dancer after that although they knew I didn’t want to go back on the stage came off the stage to dance in front of me. Finally the concert was over and we were ready to head home, it was 2am. I had promised that I would go to church the next morning at 7 with my host mom, she had kept asking and out of respect decided I should go with her this weekend. It was a good service, didn’t really understand a word they were saying but thoroughly enjoyed the singing, it was very peaceful. Halfway through the service though I was once again dragged up onto the stage to give a short introduction about myself and a prayer. I was extremely tired but could not refuse so I went up and talked for about 10 minutes, I kept it simple and respectful towards their beliefs and was very glad to sit back in my chair, I really didn’t want any more stage experience this weekend.
After the service Sunday morning I went home changed and took Jacob and Debra to a dirt bike and rally racing festival about 1km from their home. Mukono was bustling that morning, the Lukwago’s (my host family) had decided to use their lawn as a parking lot for the over abundance of cars invading the area, and it was a good idea too, I think they made around 30 dollars! It was too hot, above 30 degrees and the dust was everywhere, I remember licking my lips only to taste a thick layer of dirt from my moustache, yuck! The festival was interesting to say the least, personally I thought it was over crowded. The race track was a bit small than a one way street and there were more than a thousand people surrounding the entire circuit. I remember thinking to myself that if someone fell off their bike they could seriously hurt any of the onlookers who were in awe over the fast paced high flying dirt bikes. If I thought that was bad, the car races were even worse; they used the same small paths. As the cars kept racing by inches from the crowed I was constantly thinking the worst, then it happened, two people were run over, I turned to Jacob and Debra ad said ok, let’s go home! They did not want to leave so I added let’s get ice cream in with that sentence and it sealed the deal. I was so tired from the days events and the heat I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it back home, we walked slow but finally made it and found over 20 cars parked on the front lawn of the house, it was mayhem! I washed up and collapsed in my bed for an evening nap, when I woke up Jacob and Debra had passed out as well on the living room sofa, not even the hustle and bustle of outside disturbed them.
One of the greatest things about this weekend was the progress I made with Debra the second youngest in the family. I have never met someone so shy before. Often our conversations would consist of me asking her how she is only to get a short quick response as she peer’s one eye around a corner to talk to me, she then usually runs off giggling with embarrassment. This weekend she seemed more comfortable with me and even came up to hold my hand while we were walking back from the festival, she also usually only speaks in Luganda but I had heard her say a few things to me in English.
I thinks that’s all I have for now, Luke will be arriving this evening in Entebbe, a neighbor has offered to drive me and some of the family down to greet him at the airport, everyone seems very excited to meet yet another Montgomery.
Lots of love to you all,
Matt
Monday, February 16, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
The days are going by and there are a few worthy things to note…
Ok so I have discovered a fascinating fact about the Ugandan culture and the tooth fairy. Families that are able to afford it often leave money behind for their children whom have lost their teeth. Except there is one big difference there is no tooth fairy here, it’s believed that if you hide you tooth around the house somewhere rats will come and take it and leave you a small amount of money in exchange for your tooth. My host mom was asking me the other day if I liked rats, with an odd toned answer I replied, “no, not really”. Jacob came running around the corner and yelled, “I love rats!” Then they proceeded to tell me that it’s tradition to leave a child tooth and have rats come and leave money. Jacob loves them as long as they bring him some dough. I told them in Canada it’s a little different, I told them that there was a fairy that came and put money under your pillow. They laughed and thought it was sort of unrealistic, I couldn’t imagine telling a young child in Canada that a rat will visit him at night and take his tooth. If I was that child I wouldn’t really care if that rat left me a cheque, I wouldn’t want a rat in my room. Nonetheless either story is unrealistic, I just would have thought they would have picked one a little less creepy.
All of this occurred right before dinner was served and when they first asked me if I liked rats I had a sinking feeling I was going to be served one. I was quite relieved to find out it was not on the local menu, luckily for me no one else but the children really like them.
My host mom made Banana juice for me! She gets really long grass and folds bananas up into it then twists the grass squeezing the juice out of the banana’s, she adds water, boils and cools it before serving. There are bits of grass in it, I just look at it as pulp, it tastes really good.
My host family keeps bugging me to play guitar for them, finally I cracked and brought it out to the backyard while the girls were making dinner. The parents had gone to town for a bit so it was just me and the kids. It was actually pretty fun, the hired hand (john), Jacob and the girls all started dancing and laughing, they really liked it. I played just random chords to make up easy songs they could dance too, they kept asking me to play calypso music but I told them I had no idea how to play that kind of stuff, I should put it on my list to learn…dinner was late that evening…someone distracted the chef’s.
Susan one of the daughters of the Lukwago family brought home a dvd to watch, she had borrowed it from a friend. She asked me if they could watch it and I said yes they don’t get the chance very often to watch dvd’s so I felt like it would be a good treat for them. Unfortunately the movie she borrowed was Freaky Friday a Lindsey Lohan flick, the worst possible movie they could have picked, I am pretty sure they had no idea what was going on throughout the entire film. They loved watching it though, Jacob couldn’t take his eyes of the screen, haha.
Obama’s inauguration was pretty unbelievable; everyone in Mukono watched it at various restaurants and clubs around the town. The Lukwago’s had a TV they bring out from time to time, they can get one channel and who would have guessed that that one channel was playing CNN. I was sitting in my room when all the sudden I heard Anderson Cooper talking, I jumped up and ran into the sitting room to join them. The reaction I got from most people here was that it was amazing how easy Bush just handed over power. Mr. Lukwago fears that the current President of Uganda Museveni will not hand over power easily, in fact he believes that there is so much discontent with the government and their corrupt ways that the next election will be rigged and he believes the only way to get rid of him would be to have a bloody war. Sad to say, It’s true though, Museveni will not leave peacefully.
Work has been going slow, a rainy day cancelled our member meeting and prolonged the wait to start initiating some of our projects. I visited the new Orphan house that is about 1km east of Mukono, it’s old but big. We are hoping to bring about 25 orphans up soon to live there and we are going to have a big welcome party for them all. There is enough room on the land to have a garden, a pig pen and a chicken cage as well. In the next few weeks we are also going to initiate a beekeeping project close to the house in hopes to start a sustainable income generating project. Honey is expensive here and if we can start generating it at a decent pace I think they we could really benefit. Even the wax left over from the comb will be used in our candle making projects. I am excited to get the home up and running and we are really hoping that the orphans will like it and that we can make them feel as comfortable as possible. I am hoping here that they will have the chance to spread out and find themselves, life can be uncomfortable for them in the Kampala orphanage they are in now. I will be posting pictures and most likely write up a report about the events that occur within the next couple of weeks, they will be exciting to say the least.
Lots of Love,
Matt
All of this occurred right before dinner was served and when they first asked me if I liked rats I had a sinking feeling I was going to be served one. I was quite relieved to find out it was not on the local menu, luckily for me no one else but the children really like them.
My host mom made Banana juice for me! She gets really long grass and folds bananas up into it then twists the grass squeezing the juice out of the banana’s, she adds water, boils and cools it before serving. There are bits of grass in it, I just look at it as pulp, it tastes really good.
My host family keeps bugging me to play guitar for them, finally I cracked and brought it out to the backyard while the girls were making dinner. The parents had gone to town for a bit so it was just me and the kids. It was actually pretty fun, the hired hand (john), Jacob and the girls all started dancing and laughing, they really liked it. I played just random chords to make up easy songs they could dance too, they kept asking me to play calypso music but I told them I had no idea how to play that kind of stuff, I should put it on my list to learn…dinner was late that evening…someone distracted the chef’s.
Susan one of the daughters of the Lukwago family brought home a dvd to watch, she had borrowed it from a friend. She asked me if they could watch it and I said yes they don’t get the chance very often to watch dvd’s so I felt like it would be a good treat for them. Unfortunately the movie she borrowed was Freaky Friday a Lindsey Lohan flick, the worst possible movie they could have picked, I am pretty sure they had no idea what was going on throughout the entire film. They loved watching it though, Jacob couldn’t take his eyes of the screen, haha.
Obama’s inauguration was pretty unbelievable; everyone in Mukono watched it at various restaurants and clubs around the town. The Lukwago’s had a TV they bring out from time to time, they can get one channel and who would have guessed that that one channel was playing CNN. I was sitting in my room when all the sudden I heard Anderson Cooper talking, I jumped up and ran into the sitting room to join them. The reaction I got from most people here was that it was amazing how easy Bush just handed over power. Mr. Lukwago fears that the current President of Uganda Museveni will not hand over power easily, in fact he believes that there is so much discontent with the government and their corrupt ways that the next election will be rigged and he believes the only way to get rid of him would be to have a bloody war. Sad to say, It’s true though, Museveni will not leave peacefully.
Work has been going slow, a rainy day cancelled our member meeting and prolonged the wait to start initiating some of our projects. I visited the new Orphan house that is about 1km east of Mukono, it’s old but big. We are hoping to bring about 25 orphans up soon to live there and we are going to have a big welcome party for them all. There is enough room on the land to have a garden, a pig pen and a chicken cage as well. In the next few weeks we are also going to initiate a beekeeping project close to the house in hopes to start a sustainable income generating project. Honey is expensive here and if we can start generating it at a decent pace I think they we could really benefit. Even the wax left over from the comb will be used in our candle making projects. I am excited to get the home up and running and we are really hoping that the orphans will like it and that we can make them feel as comfortable as possible. I am hoping here that they will have the chance to spread out and find themselves, life can be uncomfortable for them in the Kampala orphanage they are in now. I will be posting pictures and most likely write up a report about the events that occur within the next couple of weeks, they will be exciting to say the least.
Lots of Love,
Matt
back in Mukono
Well it’s been a while since I have written a huge email, I bet some of you thought I would never write again. For those of you who don’t know I was surprised by friends of my family with a more than generous gift, plane ticket home for Christmas. The holidays were hard but I was grateful to see my family, it was a good boost for us all.
I am back in Uganda now and a few new things have come about. I have reconsidered my options here and due to financial recession around the globe I have had a very hard time finding a job, most organizations desperately need someone with my skills however cannot afford to hire anyone new. I have changed my flight and will be coming home early in March, but not shorthanded. Over the holidays I have with the help of my mom generated 1700 dollars for Beacon of Hope Uganda. With this amount, over the next two months I will be initiated several small income generating projects and workshops with orphans and disadvantaged families around Mukono. Most of these I have already be prepared and I am very excited to have the chance to finally initiate some of these activities that I have worked so hard to organize.
My brother Luke is coming to visit! In February Luke is going to be sponsored to come for about three weeks and volunteer with Beacon of Hope. I am really excited for him as this will be his first of many journeys outside of North America. Luke will be spending a lot of time with the children at the school and help to implement a few Beacon of Hope projects, get ready Luke!
Sadly the man who owns Victoria primary school the orphan school we work with in Mukono has decided that he needs the school for his own purposes. This is very unfortunate, however Mrs. Lukwago who was the director of the orphan school has decided to use some of her land to build her own school, that way no one can ever take back the land and she is dedicated to helping children in need for a long time. Beacon of Hope will be working very closely with her in raising funds to build this school. I have arranged a day for Luke and I to help with the building process, we will get the opportunity to experience the hard work most Ugandans face on a daily basis.
I arrived back in Mukono a few days ago and was greeted with open arms from my African family, the Lukwago’s who hosted me before in Mukono were more than happy to hear that I was coming back to stay with them. Mrs. Lukwago had told me that everyday little Jacob would ask her, “is Matthew coming today.” She said he heard a plane once and shouted to everyone that I was coming. All the children went ballistic when I arrived screaming my name and running for a big hug, it was very overwhelming to say the least. I was excited to go back, almost more excited than I was the first time I arrived. The excitement was fizzled that afternoon however when a large bowl of potatoes was put in front of me for lunch. I didn’t mind it that much though I was hungry and again grateful for the hard work they put into preparing such a meal for me. My meals since I have come back have been pretty good, I have had beans a few times and Maize at most meals, maize is practically corn but harder and much more bland than the corn on the cob we have back at home.
I have be playing a lot of soccer since I have been back, there is a new rule in town though, no shoes or sandals, my feet are then back to the old dirty standards they were before I came home for Christmas...I have already stepped in something’s poop, the kids got a good kick out of that, Jacob fell over laughing.
I brought the BBC planet Earth series back for my family to watch, Jacob and Debra love it. I think it’s great for them to watch they not only enjoy it but learn from them too. They constantly ask questions about what they see and were fascinated by the footage of the mountains and the snow. We had a really bad storm here the other day and it was hailing, Jacob came into my room screaming, “Ice, Ice, Ice!” Jacob and Debra were asking if this ice was like snow back in Canada, I explained to them but they did not seem to get it, they were confused that our snow which is frozen and falls from the sky is soft and harmless. I showed it to them on the planet earth series, I think it helped them to have a visual.
Despite one storm the weather has been pretty good here. It’s coming to the end of the dry season and often there is a nice cool breeze that comes around in the evening to cool everything off.
I am back in Uganda now and a few new things have come about. I have reconsidered my options here and due to financial recession around the globe I have had a very hard time finding a job, most organizations desperately need someone with my skills however cannot afford to hire anyone new. I have changed my flight and will be coming home early in March, but not shorthanded. Over the holidays I have with the help of my mom generated 1700 dollars for Beacon of Hope Uganda. With this amount, over the next two months I will be initiated several small income generating projects and workshops with orphans and disadvantaged families around Mukono. Most of these I have already be prepared and I am very excited to have the chance to finally initiate some of these activities that I have worked so hard to organize.
My brother Luke is coming to visit! In February Luke is going to be sponsored to come for about three weeks and volunteer with Beacon of Hope. I am really excited for him as this will be his first of many journeys outside of North America. Luke will be spending a lot of time with the children at the school and help to implement a few Beacon of Hope projects, get ready Luke!
Sadly the man who owns Victoria primary school the orphan school we work with in Mukono has decided that he needs the school for his own purposes. This is very unfortunate, however Mrs. Lukwago who was the director of the orphan school has decided to use some of her land to build her own school, that way no one can ever take back the land and she is dedicated to helping children in need for a long time. Beacon of Hope will be working very closely with her in raising funds to build this school. I have arranged a day for Luke and I to help with the building process, we will get the opportunity to experience the hard work most Ugandans face on a daily basis.
I arrived back in Mukono a few days ago and was greeted with open arms from my African family, the Lukwago’s who hosted me before in Mukono were more than happy to hear that I was coming back to stay with them. Mrs. Lukwago had told me that everyday little Jacob would ask her, “is Matthew coming today.” She said he heard a plane once and shouted to everyone that I was coming. All the children went ballistic when I arrived screaming my name and running for a big hug, it was very overwhelming to say the least. I was excited to go back, almost more excited than I was the first time I arrived. The excitement was fizzled that afternoon however when a large bowl of potatoes was put in front of me for lunch. I didn’t mind it that much though I was hungry and again grateful for the hard work they put into preparing such a meal for me. My meals since I have come back have been pretty good, I have had beans a few times and Maize at most meals, maize is practically corn but harder and much more bland than the corn on the cob we have back at home.
I have be playing a lot of soccer since I have been back, there is a new rule in town though, no shoes or sandals, my feet are then back to the old dirty standards they were before I came home for Christmas...I have already stepped in something’s poop, the kids got a good kick out of that, Jacob fell over laughing.
I brought the BBC planet Earth series back for my family to watch, Jacob and Debra love it. I think it’s great for them to watch they not only enjoy it but learn from them too. They constantly ask questions about what they see and were fascinated by the footage of the mountains and the snow. We had a really bad storm here the other day and it was hailing, Jacob came into my room screaming, “Ice, Ice, Ice!” Jacob and Debra were asking if this ice was like snow back in Canada, I explained to them but they did not seem to get it, they were confused that our snow which is frozen and falls from the sky is soft and harmless. I showed it to them on the planet earth series, I think it helped them to have a visual.
Despite one storm the weather has been pretty good here. It’s coming to the end of the dry season and often there is a nice cool breeze that comes around in the evening to cool everything off.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
JINJA & more pictures
More pictures can now bee seen at www.picasaweb.google.com/matthew.j.mont@gmail.com
My visit back to Mukono went well, I surprised Jacob and picked him up after school and we went to a local garden restaurant to have a soda. Conversation was small because he does not know much English but he told me about all the new words he has learnt since I left, they just finished a transportation section in school and he now knows words like car, plane, truck, boat, and bicycle.
The kids at the orphan school absolutely love the new desks, when they saw me coming they ran towards me yelling, Uncle Matthew, Uncle Matthew, thank you, thank you. Unfortunately we have created a war between the kids as they battle each day to sit on the new desks. The teacher informed me that each day she has to divide the kids up and tell them they need to share turns on the new desks, and they all take turns every day. The teacher also informed me that there is one stubborn boy that insists he will not move away from the desk, claiming the seat as his and his alone, oddly enough his name is Asman – pronounced Ass-man, I kid you not.
*Jinja for the weekend
*Boda Boda accident number two!
On the way to the lodge Tyler and I jumped on a boda boda in attempts to get to the lodge before the rain came and we got soaked. About halfway to the lodge the rain came down, we were soaked in seconds and wondering about the safety of riding as pairs on a motorcycle while in the rain, especially since it was on a mud road. Twice the driver hit a puddle and swerved and almost wiped out…we both knew at that point that we weren’t getting to our destination without a good tumble. With much anticipation it finally happened we hit a bump, puddle and slid out of control crashing in the ditch, it hurt a little bit, I got a small scratch on my leg from the muffler but we got up laughing our heads off standing in the pouring rain. WE gave each other a huge hug and helped the driver up with his bike and got back on the bike. We did arrive intact but soaking wet.
Jijna is a two hour ride east of Kampala and is one of the main tourist attractions in Uganda. We left mid day Friday to have a weekend of camping and relaxing. Rafting was no walk in the park, it was a 30 km cruise down the Nile River, most of the 12 major rapids they took you through were class 5 (6 being the highest) Several of the rapids had 6 foot drops before entering a myriad of colossal waves pounding in multiple directions, grim and glorious all in one pool and if you managed to get through all that you had to be wearing of the croc’s at the end of the rapids. If you are interested at all in seeing some of the rapids you could probably go to youtube and watch videos of the rafting trips this company does they are called Nile River Explorers + search grade 5 rapids. We stayed at a beautiful lodge on top of a hill overlooking the Nile, I have pictures that I will upload onto my flicker account of the view. The whole deal and accommodations for the trip were pretty good, if you go rafting they give you one nights stay for free, free transportation too and from Kampala and free food during the day that you raft. After rafting we had a great free BBQ and free beer.
We woke up around 7:30 to get ready for our day of rafting, by 10 we were in the water and getting instructions on what to do. The first few rapids that we went through were grade 3. Although grade 3 they still seemed pretty hairy. Then we got to one called 50/50 you could probably guess that the probability of flipping was 50/50 hence the name. We didn’t flip, our guide was very experienced and was able to direct us on how to raft through it without going overboard. We kept bugging him to make us flip over as we were eager to take a ride down the river in our life jackets, but as I should have remembered be careful what you wish for. The next rapid which was a class 5 called Silverback was the huge, we were paddling through calm water for about a kilometer before reaching it and could hear its roar from far away. As soon as we peaked at the crest of the rapid I knew were weren’t going to make it through this one without falling out. Within seconds I had no idea where I was, which way to swim and if I would ever breath again. From what I saw last several huge waves flipped the raft over and knocked everyone out. I felt like I was under water for ten minutes when really it was more like 10 seconds, when I finally reached the surface rather than gasping for air I found myself laughing hysterically, I had just experienced the most intense rush of my life and loved every second of it. I heard my guide who was about a good 20 feet away in the boat all yelling at us, “ok, ok, get back in the boat” he said, “there are crocodiles around here”, that’s when I stopped laughing and swam towards the boat. Throughout our trip on the river we saw a bunch of different species, Crocodiles, Monkeys and Bald Eagles were among the most notable. During the flat spots of the river everyone got to get out of the raft and float down the Nile, besides sucking back large amounts of water in the rapids this was one of my favorite experiences of the trip. The current was swift in a few spots and dragged us along, in several spots there were whirl pools that would spin you in circles and attempt to pull you under, most of them were not strong enough too but it was fun to float in them. The crocodiles stayed on the shore mostly and our guide was always on the watch. We went through a few more class 4 and 5’s until we hit this huge rapid called Chop Suey, a class 5 monster. Our guide claims Silverback was bigger but Chop Suey had a 6 foot drop and waves over 6 feet high all smashing around each other like a mammoth washing machine. You could probably guess that within seconds of entering this thing we had flipped over. The raft flipped over on my and I was stuck under it for a while but was able to breath for a few seconds in the air whole underneath the raft a wave then swept the raft away, the last thing I saw was another wave that sent me pretty far under. I have never felt so helpless before, swimming o flailing your arms wouldn’t do much at all in this situation, I just waited to resurface somewhere. It was really funny to finally get back to the surface everyone was very far from each other, Tyler and I got to the raft first and tried to help the guide flip it back over. As I was approaching the raft I heard the guide yell, ok ready to flip the raft, I replied no, no, no as I knew I was on the wrong side and that he would flip it over on top of me…too late, he did and I went back under to suck back some more of the tasty Nile. We got to have lunch on the raft which consisted of fresh pineapple and glucose cookies, it was actually really good, I probably would’ve eaten anything at that point as I was so tired from swimming and paddling for 15 km. The afternoon saw us paddling a lot over still water, it was great to actually have a chance to admire the scenery around us and look for animals, the last part of the day saw us through 4 class 5 rapids none of which we were flipped on.
Back at the lodge we were greeted by the staff and a huge BBQ and free beer we were all pretty tired from the day, it was a good 6 hours and 30 km on the river.
Sunday was relaxing we took our time packing up to head home and went for a hike to Bujigali falls a class 3 rapid that we went on the day before. We then headed into Jinja to catch a bus home but stopped off at a beautiful restaurant on the Nile for a bite to eat. While eating lunch we noticed a family of monkeys in the trees across from us, it was entertaining to watch them swing around, they seem like very playful creatures always ready to put on a show.
We made our way back to Kampala Sunday night, I felt like a zombie, completely exhausted from the weekend adventures.
I am having a lot of trouble adding people to the email list, the connection here seems to be getting slower and slower and super finicky. Please pass this along to those whom want it.
Lots of Love,
Matt
My visit back to Mukono went well, I surprised Jacob and picked him up after school and we went to a local garden restaurant to have a soda. Conversation was small because he does not know much English but he told me about all the new words he has learnt since I left, they just finished a transportation section in school and he now knows words like car, plane, truck, boat, and bicycle.
The kids at the orphan school absolutely love the new desks, when they saw me coming they ran towards me yelling, Uncle Matthew, Uncle Matthew, thank you, thank you. Unfortunately we have created a war between the kids as they battle each day to sit on the new desks. The teacher informed me that each day she has to divide the kids up and tell them they need to share turns on the new desks, and they all take turns every day. The teacher also informed me that there is one stubborn boy that insists he will not move away from the desk, claiming the seat as his and his alone, oddly enough his name is Asman – pronounced Ass-man, I kid you not.
*Jinja for the weekend
*Boda Boda accident number two!
On the way to the lodge Tyler and I jumped on a boda boda in attempts to get to the lodge before the rain came and we got soaked. About halfway to the lodge the rain came down, we were soaked in seconds and wondering about the safety of riding as pairs on a motorcycle while in the rain, especially since it was on a mud road. Twice the driver hit a puddle and swerved and almost wiped out…we both knew at that point that we weren’t getting to our destination without a good tumble. With much anticipation it finally happened we hit a bump, puddle and slid out of control crashing in the ditch, it hurt a little bit, I got a small scratch on my leg from the muffler but we got up laughing our heads off standing in the pouring rain. WE gave each other a huge hug and helped the driver up with his bike and got back on the bike. We did arrive intact but soaking wet.
Jijna is a two hour ride east of Kampala and is one of the main tourist attractions in Uganda. We left mid day Friday to have a weekend of camping and relaxing. Rafting was no walk in the park, it was a 30 km cruise down the Nile River, most of the 12 major rapids they took you through were class 5 (6 being the highest) Several of the rapids had 6 foot drops before entering a myriad of colossal waves pounding in multiple directions, grim and glorious all in one pool and if you managed to get through all that you had to be wearing of the croc’s at the end of the rapids. If you are interested at all in seeing some of the rapids you could probably go to youtube and watch videos of the rafting trips this company does they are called Nile River Explorers + search grade 5 rapids. We stayed at a beautiful lodge on top of a hill overlooking the Nile, I have pictures that I will upload onto my flicker account of the view. The whole deal and accommodations for the trip were pretty good, if you go rafting they give you one nights stay for free, free transportation too and from Kampala and free food during the day that you raft. After rafting we had a great free BBQ and free beer.
We woke up around 7:30 to get ready for our day of rafting, by 10 we were in the water and getting instructions on what to do. The first few rapids that we went through were grade 3. Although grade 3 they still seemed pretty hairy. Then we got to one called 50/50 you could probably guess that the probability of flipping was 50/50 hence the name. We didn’t flip, our guide was very experienced and was able to direct us on how to raft through it without going overboard. We kept bugging him to make us flip over as we were eager to take a ride down the river in our life jackets, but as I should have remembered be careful what you wish for. The next rapid which was a class 5 called Silverback was the huge, we were paddling through calm water for about a kilometer before reaching it and could hear its roar from far away. As soon as we peaked at the crest of the rapid I knew were weren’t going to make it through this one without falling out. Within seconds I had no idea where I was, which way to swim and if I would ever breath again. From what I saw last several huge waves flipped the raft over and knocked everyone out. I felt like I was under water for ten minutes when really it was more like 10 seconds, when I finally reached the surface rather than gasping for air I found myself laughing hysterically, I had just experienced the most intense rush of my life and loved every second of it. I heard my guide who was about a good 20 feet away in the boat all yelling at us, “ok, ok, get back in the boat” he said, “there are crocodiles around here”, that’s when I stopped laughing and swam towards the boat. Throughout our trip on the river we saw a bunch of different species, Crocodiles, Monkeys and Bald Eagles were among the most notable. During the flat spots of the river everyone got to get out of the raft and float down the Nile, besides sucking back large amounts of water in the rapids this was one of my favorite experiences of the trip. The current was swift in a few spots and dragged us along, in several spots there were whirl pools that would spin you in circles and attempt to pull you under, most of them were not strong enough too but it was fun to float in them. The crocodiles stayed on the shore mostly and our guide was always on the watch. We went through a few more class 4 and 5’s until we hit this huge rapid called Chop Suey, a class 5 monster. Our guide claims Silverback was bigger but Chop Suey had a 6 foot drop and waves over 6 feet high all smashing around each other like a mammoth washing machine. You could probably guess that within seconds of entering this thing we had flipped over. The raft flipped over on my and I was stuck under it for a while but was able to breath for a few seconds in the air whole underneath the raft a wave then swept the raft away, the last thing I saw was another wave that sent me pretty far under. I have never felt so helpless before, swimming o flailing your arms wouldn’t do much at all in this situation, I just waited to resurface somewhere. It was really funny to finally get back to the surface everyone was very far from each other, Tyler and I got to the raft first and tried to help the guide flip it back over. As I was approaching the raft I heard the guide yell, ok ready to flip the raft, I replied no, no, no as I knew I was on the wrong side and that he would flip it over on top of me…too late, he did and I went back under to suck back some more of the tasty Nile. We got to have lunch on the raft which consisted of fresh pineapple and glucose cookies, it was actually really good, I probably would’ve eaten anything at that point as I was so tired from swimming and paddling for 15 km. The afternoon saw us paddling a lot over still water, it was great to actually have a chance to admire the scenery around us and look for animals, the last part of the day saw us through 4 class 5 rapids none of which we were flipped on.
Back at the lodge we were greeted by the staff and a huge BBQ and free beer we were all pretty tired from the day, it was a good 6 hours and 30 km on the river.
Sunday was relaxing we took our time packing up to head home and went for a hike to Bujigali falls a class 3 rapid that we went on the day before. We then headed into Jinja to catch a bus home but stopped off at a beautiful restaurant on the Nile for a bite to eat. While eating lunch we noticed a family of monkeys in the trees across from us, it was entertaining to watch them swing around, they seem like very playful creatures always ready to put on a show.
We made our way back to Kampala Sunday night, I felt like a zombie, completely exhausted from the weekend adventures.
I am having a lot of trouble adding people to the email list, the connection here seems to be getting slower and slower and super finicky. Please pass this along to those whom want it.
Lots of Love,
Matt
JINJA & more pictures
More pictures can now bee seen at www.picasaweb.google.com/matthew.j.mont@gmail.com
My visit back to Mukono went well, I surprised Jacob and picked him up after school and we went to a local garden restaurant to have a soda. Conversation was small because he does not know much English but he told me about all the new words he has learnt since I left, they just finished a transportation section in school and he now knows words like car, plane, truck, boat, and bicycle.
The kids at the orphan school absolutely love the new desks, when they saw me coming they ran towards me yelling, Uncle Matthew, Uncle Matthew, thank you, thank you. Unfortunately we have created a war between the kids as they battle each day to sit on the new desks. The teacher informed me that each day she has to divide the kids up and tell them they need to share turns on the new desks, and they all take turns every day. The teacher also informed me that there is one stubborn boy that insists he will not move away from the desk, claiming the seat as his and his alone, oddly enough his name is Asman – pronounced Ass-man, I kid you not.
*Jinja for the weekend
*Boda Boda accident number two!
On the way to the lodge Tyler and I jumped on a boda boda in attempts to get to the lodge before the rain came and we got soaked. About halfway to the lodge the rain came down, we were soaked in seconds and wondering about the safety of riding as pairs on a motorcycle while in the rain, especially since it was on a mud road. Twice the driver hit a puddle and swerved and almost wiped out…we both knew at that point that we weren’t getting to our destination without a good tumble. With much anticipation it finally happened we hit a bump, puddle and slid out of control crashing in the ditch, it hurt a little bit, I got a small scratch on my leg from the muffler but we got up laughing our heads off standing in the pouring rain. WE gave each other a huge hug and helped the driver up with his bike and got back on the bike. We did arrive intact but soaking wet.
Jijna is a two hour ride east of Kampala and is one of the main tourist attractions in Uganda. We left mid day Friday to have a weekend of camping and relaxing. Rafting was no walk in the park, it was a 30 km cruise down the Nile River, most of the 12 major rapids they took you through were class 5 (6 being the highest) Several of the rapids had 6 foot drops before entering a myriad of colossal waves pounding in multiple directions, grim and glorious all in one pool and if you managed to get through all that you had to be wearing of the croc’s at the end of the rapids. If you are interested at all in seeing some of the rapids you could probably go to youtube and watch videos of the rafting trips this company does they are called Nile River Explorers + search grade 5 rapids. We stayed at a beautiful lodge on top of a hill overlooking the Nile, I have pictures that I will upload onto my flicker account of the view. The whole deal and accommodations for the trip were pretty good, if you go rafting they give you one nights stay for free, free transportation too and from Kampala and free food during the day that you raft. After rafting we had a great free BBQ and free beer.
We woke up around 7:30 to get ready for our day of rafting, by 10 we were in the water and getting instructions on what to do. The first few rapids that we went through were grade 3. Although grade 3 they still seemed pretty hairy. Then we got to one called 50/50 you could probably guess that the probability of flipping was 50/50 hence the name. We didn’t flip, our guide was very experienced and was able to direct us on how to raft through it without going overboard. We kept bugging him to make us flip over as we were eager to take a ride down the river in our life jackets, but as I should have remembered be careful what you wish for. The next rapid which was a class 5 called Silverback was the huge, we were paddling through calm water for about a kilometer before reaching it and could hear its roar from far away. As soon as we peaked at the crest of the rapid I knew were weren’t going to make it through this one without falling out. Within seconds I had no idea where I was, which way to swim and if I would ever breath again. From what I saw last several huge waves flipped the raft over and knocked everyone out. I felt like I was under water for ten minutes when really it was more like 10 seconds, when I finally reached the surface rather than gasping for air I found myself laughing hysterically, I had just experienced the most intense rush of my life and loved every second of it. I heard my guide who was about a good 20 feet away in the boat all yelling at us, “ok, ok, get back in the boat” he said, “there are crocodiles around here”, that’s when I stopped laughing and swam towards the boat. Throughout our trip on the river we saw a bunch of different species, Crocodiles, Monkeys and Bald Eagles were among the most notable. During the flat spots of the river everyone got to get out of the raft and float down the Nile, besides sucking back large amounts of water in the rapids this was one of my favorite experiences of the trip. The current was swift in a few spots and dragged us along, in several spots there were whirl pools that would spin you in circles and attempt to pull you under, most of them were not strong enough too but it was fun to float in them. The crocodiles stayed on the shore mostly and our guide was always on the watch. We went through a few more class 4 and 5’s until we hit this huge rapid called Chop Suey, a class 5 monster. Our guide claims Silverback was bigger but Chop Suey had a 6 foot drop and waves over 6 feet high all smashing around each other like a mammoth washing machine. You could probably guess that within seconds of entering this thing we had flipped over. The raft flipped over on my and I was stuck under it for a while but was able to breath for a few seconds in the air whole underneath the raft a wave then swept the raft away, the last thing I saw was another wave that sent me pretty far under. I have never felt so helpless before, swimming o flailing your arms wouldn’t do much at all in this situation, I just waited to resurface somewhere. It was really funny to finally get back to the surface everyone was very far from each other, Tyler and I got to the raft first and tried to help the guide flip it back over. As I was approaching the raft I heard the guide yell, ok ready to flip the raft, I replied no, no, no as I knew I was on the wrong side and that he would flip it over on top of me…too late, he did and I went back under to suck back some more of the tasty Nile. We got to have lunch on the raft which consisted of fresh pineapple and glucose cookies, it was actually really good, I probably would’ve eaten anything at that point as I was so tired from swimming and paddling for 15 km. The afternoon saw us paddling a lot over still water, it was great to actually have a chance to admire the scenery around us and look for animals, the last part of the day saw us through 4 class 5 rapids none of which we were flipped on.
Back at the lodge we were greeted by the staff and a huge BBQ and free beer we were all pretty tired from the day, it was a good 6 hours and 30 km on the river.
Sunday was relaxing we took our time packing up to head home and went for a hike to Bujigali falls a class 3 rapid that we went on the day before. We then headed into Jinja to catch a bus home but stopped off at a beautiful restaurant on the Nile for a bite to eat. While eating lunch we noticed a family of monkeys in the trees across from us, it was entertaining to watch them swing around, they seem like very playful creatures always ready to put on a show.
We made our way back to Kampala Sunday night, I felt like a zombie, completely exhausted from the weekend adventures.
I am having a lot of trouble adding people to the email list, the connection here seems to be getting slower and slower and super finicky. Please pass this along to those whom want it.
Lots of Love,
Matt
My visit back to Mukono went well, I surprised Jacob and picked him up after school and we went to a local garden restaurant to have a soda. Conversation was small because he does not know much English but he told me about all the new words he has learnt since I left, they just finished a transportation section in school and he now knows words like car, plane, truck, boat, and bicycle.
The kids at the orphan school absolutely love the new desks, when they saw me coming they ran towards me yelling, Uncle Matthew, Uncle Matthew, thank you, thank you. Unfortunately we have created a war between the kids as they battle each day to sit on the new desks. The teacher informed me that each day she has to divide the kids up and tell them they need to share turns on the new desks, and they all take turns every day. The teacher also informed me that there is one stubborn boy that insists he will not move away from the desk, claiming the seat as his and his alone, oddly enough his name is Asman – pronounced Ass-man, I kid you not.
*Jinja for the weekend
*Boda Boda accident number two!
On the way to the lodge Tyler and I jumped on a boda boda in attempts to get to the lodge before the rain came and we got soaked. About halfway to the lodge the rain came down, we were soaked in seconds and wondering about the safety of riding as pairs on a motorcycle while in the rain, especially since it was on a mud road. Twice the driver hit a puddle and swerved and almost wiped out…we both knew at that point that we weren’t getting to our destination without a good tumble. With much anticipation it finally happened we hit a bump, puddle and slid out of control crashing in the ditch, it hurt a little bit, I got a small scratch on my leg from the muffler but we got up laughing our heads off standing in the pouring rain. WE gave each other a huge hug and helped the driver up with his bike and got back on the bike. We did arrive intact but soaking wet.
Jijna is a two hour ride east of Kampala and is one of the main tourist attractions in Uganda. We left mid day Friday to have a weekend of camping and relaxing. Rafting was no walk in the park, it was a 30 km cruise down the Nile River, most of the 12 major rapids they took you through were class 5 (6 being the highest) Several of the rapids had 6 foot drops before entering a myriad of colossal waves pounding in multiple directions, grim and glorious all in one pool and if you managed to get through all that you had to be wearing of the croc’s at the end of the rapids. If you are interested at all in seeing some of the rapids you could probably go to youtube and watch videos of the rafting trips this company does they are called Nile River Explorers + search grade 5 rapids. We stayed at a beautiful lodge on top of a hill overlooking the Nile, I have pictures that I will upload onto my flicker account of the view. The whole deal and accommodations for the trip were pretty good, if you go rafting they give you one nights stay for free, free transportation too and from Kampala and free food during the day that you raft. After rafting we had a great free BBQ and free beer.
We woke up around 7:30 to get ready for our day of rafting, by 10 we were in the water and getting instructions on what to do. The first few rapids that we went through were grade 3. Although grade 3 they still seemed pretty hairy. Then we got to one called 50/50 you could probably guess that the probability of flipping was 50/50 hence the name. We didn’t flip, our guide was very experienced and was able to direct us on how to raft through it without going overboard. We kept bugging him to make us flip over as we were eager to take a ride down the river in our life jackets, but as I should have remembered be careful what you wish for. The next rapid which was a class 5 called Silverback was the huge, we were paddling through calm water for about a kilometer before reaching it and could hear its roar from far away. As soon as we peaked at the crest of the rapid I knew were weren’t going to make it through this one without falling out. Within seconds I had no idea where I was, which way to swim and if I would ever breath again. From what I saw last several huge waves flipped the raft over and knocked everyone out. I felt like I was under water for ten minutes when really it was more like 10 seconds, when I finally reached the surface rather than gasping for air I found myself laughing hysterically, I had just experienced the most intense rush of my life and loved every second of it. I heard my guide who was about a good 20 feet away in the boat all yelling at us, “ok, ok, get back in the boat” he said, “there are crocodiles around here”, that’s when I stopped laughing and swam towards the boat. Throughout our trip on the river we saw a bunch of different species, Crocodiles, Monkeys and Bald Eagles were among the most notable. During the flat spots of the river everyone got to get out of the raft and float down the Nile, besides sucking back large amounts of water in the rapids this was one of my favorite experiences of the trip. The current was swift in a few spots and dragged us along, in several spots there were whirl pools that would spin you in circles and attempt to pull you under, most of them were not strong enough too but it was fun to float in them. The crocodiles stayed on the shore mostly and our guide was always on the watch. We went through a few more class 4 and 5’s until we hit this huge rapid called Chop Suey, a class 5 monster. Our guide claims Silverback was bigger but Chop Suey had a 6 foot drop and waves over 6 feet high all smashing around each other like a mammoth washing machine. You could probably guess that within seconds of entering this thing we had flipped over. The raft flipped over on my and I was stuck under it for a while but was able to breath for a few seconds in the air whole underneath the raft a wave then swept the raft away, the last thing I saw was another wave that sent me pretty far under. I have never felt so helpless before, swimming o flailing your arms wouldn’t do much at all in this situation, I just waited to resurface somewhere. It was really funny to finally get back to the surface everyone was very far from each other, Tyler and I got to the raft first and tried to help the guide flip it back over. As I was approaching the raft I heard the guide yell, ok ready to flip the raft, I replied no, no, no as I knew I was on the wrong side and that he would flip it over on top of me…too late, he did and I went back under to suck back some more of the tasty Nile. We got to have lunch on the raft which consisted of fresh pineapple and glucose cookies, it was actually really good, I probably would’ve eaten anything at that point as I was so tired from swimming and paddling for 15 km. The afternoon saw us paddling a lot over still water, it was great to actually have a chance to admire the scenery around us and look for animals, the last part of the day saw us through 4 class 5 rapids none of which we were flipped on.
Back at the lodge we were greeted by the staff and a huge BBQ and free beer we were all pretty tired from the day, it was a good 6 hours and 30 km on the river.
Sunday was relaxing we took our time packing up to head home and went for a hike to Bujigali falls a class 3 rapid that we went on the day before. We then headed into Jinja to catch a bus home but stopped off at a beautiful restaurant on the Nile for a bite to eat. While eating lunch we noticed a family of monkeys in the trees across from us, it was entertaining to watch them swing around, they seem like very playful creatures always ready to put on a show.
We made our way back to Kampala Sunday night, I felt like a zombie, completely exhausted from the weekend adventures.
I am having a lot of trouble adding people to the email list, the connection here seems to be getting slower and slower and super finicky. Please pass this along to those whom want it.
Lots of Love,
Matt
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Golf & Article
Hello!
I have been super busy the last week or so as I am on the prowl for
another job, I have been getting down and dirty and very aggressive
with my search, so hopefully I will hear back from someone soon. Most
people like to invite me into their office talk for about half an hour
then tell me that they don't want to hire me but find me incredibly
interesting which is very frustrating. So I have been trudging through
the 'poop'(family rating) so to speak and still working diligently on
this mammoth proposal for Beacon of Hope, I have shown a few
colleagues of mine what I have done so far and they have had nothing
but good remarks about it, so things are looking good!
I went Golfing last weekend. There was a tourney for Gulu walk a cause
that is known world wide for raising money for the children that were
forced to leave their homes at night and walk miles for a safe place
to sleep in order to avoid being captured by rebel groups. The course
was beautiful, not sure if there was any actual grass on it though,
the greens, fairways were all crab grass which made the game very
interesting. I had tons of fun though, I hired a caddy, he sold me on
the fact that he was tryingto get through college so i figured I would
be doing him a good service to hire him and pay him well. Most people
hired caddy's they would walk way up in front and watch your ball like
a hawk, for some reason I played really well and didn't end up in the
rough that often, but it was the crab grass greens that got me, i
three putted most of them, the hole remineded me of when I was young
and dug out a hole in the backyard with a small spade, like I said
golf was interesting. The clubs were used and not all of them were in
the bag, I was missing halfof them, luckily I had a 5,7, and pitching
wedge. Swinging them felt like I was golfing with a led pipe, they
were very heavy. I will load some pictures from the golf tourney soon!
A few weeks ago I wrote a article for the Caledon Enterprise, I have
no idea when it will be published but I was promised it would be at
some point. I know they have changed it around a little so I figured I
would send my original copy for you all to read if you like. The idea
was to spread awareness about children living in poverty in hopes to
entice donors. I hope you are all doing well and you will get a much
larger email update from me in a few days. Can someone please give me
a accurate update on the current situation with the Leafs, I am
desperate!
The Caledon Enterprise
Know that although in the eternal scheme of things you are small, you are also unique and irreplaceable as are your fellow humans everywhere in the world.
- Margaret Laurence
I left Canada, eager, optimistic and content with my career choice. Still to this day I believe I could not be happier doing anything else. I was bound for Mukono Uganda, a small suburb of Kampala. Hired by a grassroots organization known as Beacon of Hope Uganda my job was to help increase their capacity to empower orphans and disadvantaged youth whom have been left to fend for themselves.
As a privileged child growing up in the Caledon area I have had easy access to quality education from various institutions across Ontario from Palgrave Public School to the University of Western Ontario. I am thankful for these educational experiences and the opportunities that will be presented to me because of them. I have also been the beneficiary of remarkable parents. The greatest gift of all is a parent who loves their child unconditionally and dedicates their life to their child’s development. Both my parents - John and Leslie Montgomery - have far exceeded this objective.
I cannot imagine a life without my parents, their unconditional love and devotion for me has been the greatest gift in my life and has given me the strength and ability to accomplish my educational achievements so far. It truly strikes a chord to hear the voices of children in Uganda pleading for an education, knowing that we have few resources to help them attain anything.
I have witnessed firsthand the devastation of children who have lost both parents. Now living in an orphanage, they have no money and must survive on one small meal a day. An invisible cloak has fallen silently over these children, suffocating their self esteem and muting their cries for help.
The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in Mukono is slightly higher than the national average falling at 6.5 per cent. The number of children who face the plight of raising themselves as a result of HIV/AIDS continues to grow. The likelihood for Mukono to grow to be a slum is unfortunately very high unless action is taken. The population density in Mukono is 175.7 people per km², 29.5 per cent higher than the national average and the rate of urbanization in Mukono is 25.3 compared the national average of 12.27. Many of the youths age 14-19 are out of school and unable to afford school fees. The local streets witness a flood of youths who scrape by for a means to live. Some youths often resort to illegal activities like joining gangs in order to retain a small income for food.
Beacon of Hope looks to provide these youths with the opportunity to earn some money part time and teaches them to utilize these funds for education either by way of traditional academics or vocational training. Our goal is to help alleviate them from poverty, empower their minds and boost their self confidence to help the children of Uganda see and create positives futures for themselves.
John Stewart Mills once stated, very few facts are able to tell their own story, without comments to bring out their meaning. I’ve stated the facts, this is my story and I sincerely hope that it resonates with you. Knowing is half the battle I urge you to reach out for someone in need. If not the children of Uganda, then the children suffering in other parts of Africa, South America and East Asia. There is an abundance of children quietly drowning in the whirlpool of poverty.
Lots of love to you all,
Matt
I have been super busy the last week or so as I am on the prowl for
another job, I have been getting down and dirty and very aggressive
with my search, so hopefully I will hear back from someone soon. Most
people like to invite me into their office talk for about half an hour
then tell me that they don't want to hire me but find me incredibly
interesting which is very frustrating. So I have been trudging through
the 'poop'(family rating) so to speak and still working diligently on
this mammoth proposal for Beacon of Hope, I have shown a few
colleagues of mine what I have done so far and they have had nothing
but good remarks about it, so things are looking good!
I went Golfing last weekend. There was a tourney for Gulu walk a cause
that is known world wide for raising money for the children that were
forced to leave their homes at night and walk miles for a safe place
to sleep in order to avoid being captured by rebel groups. The course
was beautiful, not sure if there was any actual grass on it though,
the greens, fairways were all crab grass which made the game very
interesting. I had tons of fun though, I hired a caddy, he sold me on
the fact that he was tryingto get through college so i figured I would
be doing him a good service to hire him and pay him well. Most people
hired caddy's they would walk way up in front and watch your ball like
a hawk, for some reason I played really well and didn't end up in the
rough that often, but it was the crab grass greens that got me, i
three putted most of them, the hole remineded me of when I was young
and dug out a hole in the backyard with a small spade, like I said
golf was interesting. The clubs were used and not all of them were in
the bag, I was missing halfof them, luckily I had a 5,7, and pitching
wedge. Swinging them felt like I was golfing with a led pipe, they
were very heavy. I will load some pictures from the golf tourney soon!
A few weeks ago I wrote a article for the Caledon Enterprise, I have
no idea when it will be published but I was promised it would be at
some point. I know they have changed it around a little so I figured I
would send my original copy for you all to read if you like. The idea
was to spread awareness about children living in poverty in hopes to
entice donors. I hope you are all doing well and you will get a much
larger email update from me in a few days. Can someone please give me
a accurate update on the current situation with the Leafs, I am
desperate!
The Caledon Enterprise
Know that although in the eternal scheme of things you are small, you are also unique and irreplaceable as are your fellow humans everywhere in the world.
- Margaret Laurence
I left Canada, eager, optimistic and content with my career choice. Still to this day I believe I could not be happier doing anything else. I was bound for Mukono Uganda, a small suburb of Kampala. Hired by a grassroots organization known as Beacon of Hope Uganda my job was to help increase their capacity to empower orphans and disadvantaged youth whom have been left to fend for themselves.
As a privileged child growing up in the Caledon area I have had easy access to quality education from various institutions across Ontario from Palgrave Public School to the University of Western Ontario. I am thankful for these educational experiences and the opportunities that will be presented to me because of them. I have also been the beneficiary of remarkable parents. The greatest gift of all is a parent who loves their child unconditionally and dedicates their life to their child’s development. Both my parents - John and Leslie Montgomery - have far exceeded this objective.
I cannot imagine a life without my parents, their unconditional love and devotion for me has been the greatest gift in my life and has given me the strength and ability to accomplish my educational achievements so far. It truly strikes a chord to hear the voices of children in Uganda pleading for an education, knowing that we have few resources to help them attain anything.
I have witnessed firsthand the devastation of children who have lost both parents. Now living in an orphanage, they have no money and must survive on one small meal a day. An invisible cloak has fallen silently over these children, suffocating their self esteem and muting their cries for help.
The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in Mukono is slightly higher than the national average falling at 6.5 per cent. The number of children who face the plight of raising themselves as a result of HIV/AIDS continues to grow. The likelihood for Mukono to grow to be a slum is unfortunately very high unless action is taken. The population density in Mukono is 175.7 people per km², 29.5 per cent higher than the national average and the rate of urbanization in Mukono is 25.3 compared the national average of 12.27. Many of the youths age 14-19 are out of school and unable to afford school fees. The local streets witness a flood of youths who scrape by for a means to live. Some youths often resort to illegal activities like joining gangs in order to retain a small income for food.
Beacon of Hope looks to provide these youths with the opportunity to earn some money part time and teaches them to utilize these funds for education either by way of traditional academics or vocational training. Our goal is to help alleviate them from poverty, empower their minds and boost their self confidence to help the children of Uganda see and create positives futures for themselves.
John Stewart Mills once stated, very few facts are able to tell their own story, without comments to bring out their meaning. I’ve stated the facts, this is my story and I sincerely hope that it resonates with you. Knowing is half the battle I urge you to reach out for someone in need. If not the children of Uganda, then the children suffering in other parts of Africa, South America and East Asia. There is an abundance of children quietly drowning in the whirlpool of poverty.
Lots of love to you all,
Matt
Friday, October 24, 2008
PICTURES
If any of you wanted to view some of my pictures you can find them on the Blacks photo website. To sign in you need to use my user name which is my email address - Matthew.J.Mont@gmail.com - the password is Uganda. Enjoy!!!
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