Teaching something new to our tailoring girls

I was given this quilted and zipped bag in Rwanda as a gift in 2011. 

I brought it with me to Uganda and have been using it constantly to carry all my crochet bits and pieces around. I realised that the girls learning tailoring at YFC's Suubi Home would be quite capable of making something similar. It is quilted, lined, has difficult square corners and a zip across the top

Step 1: Ask the girls if they were interested. It was a unanimous 'YES'

Step 2: Find all the materials needed to make the bags.

 Rose, their tailoring teacher, was willing to take me shopping. That was a wonderful and colourful cultural experience with one gorgeous woman and, believe it or not, I only took this one photo. Sorry!

Step 3: Make a sample bag so that I knew what I was teaching the girls. That was interesting. I'm not a treadle sewing machine user by any stretch of the imagination, and when the machines are not in great working order its an even bigger challenge. But with plenty of help I was ready to go on Wednesday.

Step 4: Make bags with girls.

First cutting out the fabric, the lining and the foam wadding, 

then stitching,

pinning,

waiting for a machine, (only two in semi-working order)

sometimes needing a bit of help from Jajja (grandmother) Jane,

more sewing

until the beautiful bags are complete and its time to show them off.

What a great job these girls did. They were so proud of themselves and I was proud of them too!

Because the girls had enjoyed making the bags so much and were keen to make more, and because I thought these could be a good income earner, I asked Rose to purchase more lining, zips and wadding. They already had scraps they could use for the outer fabrics.

And so they went crazy

and look what they made!

 Even Rose was pleased to model one.

It was such a successful day and I think the girls now have another option for earning some money to support their little ones.

A wonderful Kampala day

Well, I just wanted to tell you about my special day earlier in the week so full and rich with Ugandan experiences. My apologies up front for this longer than usual post, but I just wanted to share my day with you and I hope you will enjoy. 

  I caught a taxi right outside my front gate and headed for the city, not the office first thing that day.

 

When I got off the taxi in town I went straight to a Christian Bookshop where I bought a Bible for my  beautiful 16 year old downstairs neighbour who left hers in South Sudan when she left there. Tick

From there to another Christian Bookshop (there are many in Kampala) to find the person to custom make a cover for my own Bible. It is common, easy and relatively inexpensive here.  Tick

On the way to that bookshop I passed an electronics shop and went in to see if I could buy a 2GB flash drive to put my photos on to have printed next time - don't want to take any chances with viruses and so use a new flash each time I want to take photos to printers. When I asked the price I was told 30,000/- (about $12 Australian). I told him that a young friend of mine had bought me one earlier and had paid 15,000/-. He told me 18,000/-. We chatted about Australia, Ugandan politics and how I am enjoying being in his country. I said that I had to walk along the street to have photos printed and if I was unable to find another flash for 15,000/- I would be back to buy his. He immediately said 'You can have it for 15,000/-'. (What do you think, Alan Wilkinson? Did I do well?) I was happy with that and very happy that I had successfully entered into their bargaining/relationship method of purchase and succeeded. Tick

From there to the photo printing place where I had been with my young friend previously. First price is usually 500/- per photo. I was not accompanied by a Ugandan this time and had to manage to get the right price on my own. I told the man that I had been another time and because I had printed many photos he had given me the price of 300/- per photo. When I said I had many again and asked if the price could be 300/- he agreed and charged me accordingly, plus one photo thrown in. Tick!

On to the shop where I can buy delicious vegetable samosas that I had eaten before and knew were reliable. I hadn't eaten breakfast and so I bought three. I sat outside that small shop and watched Kampala life while I ate them. Tick

As I was finishing, the optician who owned the shop next door to the samosa shop arrived to open up for the day. I asked him if he could fix my glasses that had been sitting on my nose crooked for a couple of weeks. He was very happy to do so free of charge. Tick

Off to the Craft Market to buy my last few things to take back home to family, supporters etc. I had made good contacts on my previous visit and was beginning to know the prices. I chatted with three stall holders as I sat on the stools they pulled out for me as I arrived, bought a few things and said my farewells to these 'new friends'. Tick

Walked back to the office where I showed my photos to some of the YFC staff. They don't print many pictures and most of these were for them. They were very happy to see them. I took some more while we were enjoying our time together. Tick

I drove with Luke to the Post Office to collect two parcels that had arrived for me. I was pretty excited but that was short-lived as I realised that I needed my passport for ID and hadn't brought it with me. Not tick. I had to go back the next day with my passport.

Back to the office in time for lunch. Miriam, our National Director in Uganda, has been really busy lately and we haven't had a lot of opportunity to catch up, and so I asked if she had time to stop to eat her lunch and could we sit and have it together. She said that would be good. We had SUCH a lovely time together catching up on and sharing many things. Tick

 

One of our young mums left with her little boy that day. I had my last cuddle of little Mukiza. 

 This mum and bub have gone to a good situation with an organisation that brought her to Mirembe House in the first place. What a beautiful mother she is. It was so good to see her leaving in good hands with her healthy little boy and knowing that she will be supported well and that her little Mukiza will be well loved and cared for. Tick

After I arrived home quite late I called in to see my Sudanese neighbour, Rachma, who

 had damaged her eye quite badly on Saturday. I am glad to see that she is improving. This family is Muslim and it is Ramadan and they fast until 7pm each day. It was almost 7pm when I arrived and her husband invited me to eat with them. I didn't think that I could refuse, and why would I? 

That invitation means that I eat in the kitchen, sitting on the floor with the women of the household, 

while the men eat in the dining room at the table. I also noticed that their food was a little more 'special' than ours. Learning all the time! It was traditional Sudanese food as I had eaten with them before. Conversation is improving as the weeks pass and we are becoming good friends. I often bring photos I have taken of them and their children and Rachma always gives me food when I visit. They welcome me with open arms. If the baby she is carrying is a girl she will call it the Sudanese version of Jane. How special is that!  Tick

What a very satisfactory, diverse and wonderful Kampala day. I am so thankful to God that He gives me the capacity to embrace and enjoy such diversity in a foreign country. Tick

Washing Day in Kampala

On Saturdays in Kampala I usually catch up on household chores and this includes my washing. 

The soap powder availalbe in the shops has instructions like this:
You can see there are only photos of hands and plastic tubs, not washing machines, unless you have a twin tub and I don't.

African women bend from the waist to ground level to do their washing, but I haven't grown up with that and my back isn't so comfy working that way.

 Wringing everything out by hand isn't as easy as letting the washing machine do it for me, but its the way it is here in Uganda.

Were you wondering how I took these pictures when I live on my own? Takes a bit of thinking through, but usually I can come up with something that works. Sorry I couldn't show you the camera perched on top of the suitcases and chair, but I was using it to take the photo!

I have one of those travel clotheslines strung tightly across my little back balcony. Its perfect for my weekly wash.

Washing hanging is a very common sight

when I look out from my second floor flat

including the downstairs neighbours, whose kids were having Saturday fun in the courtyard as I went out in the afternoon.

I had planned to wash my sheets and hang them out the front of my place, but by the time I was ready that space wasn't available because it also seemed to be washing day for my next door neighbour.

So I had to get up earlier to wash my sheets and mosquito net another day so that I would have space to hang some out the front.

Out the back I am the only one who has access, so that will always be available.

Don't think that all the houses in my neighbourhood are like the one you see here on the right.

The greater majority are like this.

Sounds like another post for another day.