CLD stories #1: Empowering mothers

Morgan is an intern with CLD right now & he recently sent through some stories of the women they're working alongside to create some sustainable businesses providing income to care for their families. I wanted to share these with you as they give a picture of everyday life in Kampala and with Come, Let's Dance:

I realize that I've been kind of quiet recently but we've been really busy lately. Some of you might remember our friend Fravia in the slums. We gave her a loan last year for about 80,000 shillings (about $50) to expand her food business and she payed it back in about a quarter of the time that we originally planned for her. She's great at managing her money and she makes the best samosas (fried bread pockets filled with meat or veggies) in the country. Well, Ricardo, one of the guys here, raised a bunch of money to build Fravia a new house outside of the slums. Right now Fravia does all her cooking for her and her daughters, and all the cooking for her business in her little house that's barely big enough for a bed, a mattress on the floor and a small cabinet. Plus, the money that she's spending on rent makes it very difficult for her to pay the school fees for her two daughters. She has enough, but just barely. So, this last week, we've been building Fravia's new house. It's not much bigger than her old one in Katanga, but she owns the land now, she is going to have a cemented veranda in front to cook on (we're building it tomorrow) and there's room for her to add on to her house in the future if she wants to. Also, this new location is perfect because she'll still be able to sell her samosas at Makerere University and at Mulago hospital where she has been selling them, but she'll be able to sell them in the town of Nabweru where she lives now as well. So it's been really exciting for us to see her move out of the slums. Her house isn't quite finished yet, but it should be completed by tomorrow.
We're also moving along with some of the other women in the slums too. We have several that we've been working with lately, building the friendship and trust that is essential in order for us to give out loans for businesses, and we should be ready to start a few of the businesses this week. The first one is Jjajja Florence. This woman is a rockstar and already has such a huge blessing. Her blessing is that she doesn't pay rent on her house as it was given to her by a friend who moved away & doesn't seem to be returning any time soon. Jjajja Florence doesn't have the title to the land, so it's not as solid as if it was actually owned by her, but it's still such a huge blessing that her and her family can be living there without paying rent. Florence's business is that she sells little banana pancakes called Kabalagalas and another bread treat called Mandazzi. But the issue is that she has AIDS so her business has almost collapsed. People with AIDS here are sick very frequently with other illnesses and they can only work when they're well. So, because Florence was sick so often, people started going elsewhere to buy stuff instead of her because her business was open so inconsistently. Now, however, she is on ARVs [Antiretroviral drugs] and is able to work everyday. She just needs a small loan to get back on her feet, so we're hopefully going to give her that soon.
Another woman that we've been working with a lot is a woman named Madina. Madina is the mother to a little boy named Sam who is about 2 years old. Madina cooks some casava and other stuff as full meals for people that want to come buy from her, but right now she works for another guy who provides all her capital like pots and pans and things like that. Which means that she does all the work of cooking and buying the ingredients to keep the business going, but only gets some of the money. So, we're going to give her a small loan, just enough for her to buy her own pots and pans and cooking materials so that the business can then be her own. Hopefully, we'll be able to give these loans out sometime this week, after Fravia's house is done. Once those loans are given out, we can start concentrating on spending more time with the next few people on our list, while still maintaining the relationships we have with these women and keeping an eye on the businesses they are running to make sure that they are doing well enough to support themselves and their families, and to have some money to set aside for the future.
Another woman in the slums that we've been visiting some this last week is this woman named Rose. Rose is doing fairly well financially, she owns her house (three rooms) and she owns her own salon. However, she is having troubles of another kind though. Rose has four kids of her own and she also takes care of some other family members, such as their cousin Brian. Total, she has eight people that she is supporting by herself, so even with owning her house and business, she's still just barely scraping by. But her main issues are not financial ones. Her neighbors, for some reason, are constantly ridiculing her and her family. I don't know why they do that, but that's hard for anyone, no matter where you live. Her daughter Aminah has been sick, for a year she couldn't see or hear and didn't have the strength to stand. Aminah is somehow better now. She can see and hear just fine but she still feels weak. But the biggest issue has been her son Jovan. Jovan was sitting in his exams to finish S6, which is the equivalent of our graduating high school when he started having psychological issues. He vandalized his mother's shop, attacked his cousin, and threatened to kill his mother multiple times. Because of this he was put into a mental hospital for two months & was just let out this past week. I didn't want Rose to go pick him up from the hospital by herself, so I went with her.
Jovan is now home though and he's doing well. We went to visit him on Friday and he's still somehow weak, but he's coherent and very happy to be home. He told us how grateful he is for his mother and the support of his loving family and he says that he's very honored to have so many new brothers and sisters in Christ that are praying for him and his family and that he will be praying for us as well.

I love these stories and can't wait to meet these amazing women! Hopefully in a couple months I'll be able to share more & their pictures as well.

Scootin' at the top of the world

Well, maybe not the top of the world, but near the top of Colorado anyways... My friend Constance planned a wonderful day for me last Saturday. We drove to Rocky Mountain National Park with two scooters in tow, had a fabulous picnic with the Elk frolicking nearby and then took a beautiful scenic tour on the scooters! It was so beautiful & a ton of fun!

(we brought our own bear to add to the wildlife experience!)

Royal Gorge

My parents visited Denver just as I arrived back from Uganda. It was wonderful to see them & spend some time touring a bit. We went to Canon City & experienced the Royal Gorge - what a beautiful site! Here are some pics...

The Congo problem - infrastructure

One of my colleagues in the DR congo was recently on a field trip, for a construction project. Some of the photos above show you some of the challenges the team faced as they tried to drive across the Congolese roads.

Immediately you can see some of the problems faced by the DR Congo, particularly the Eastern Congo. The infrastructure is just devastated. Kemal Saiki, a United Nations spokesman, said recently that the Democratic Republic of the Congo does not "even have 2,000 miles of roads" . That is staggering, for a country the size of Western Europe.

For a distance of 210km, from Isiro to Dungu, it can take 2 days to travel one way when its been raining. You may think I exaggerate, but as you look at the photos above, you can see what the reality looks like for most people here in the DRC.

Infact, most people who do travel domestically in the Congo travel by air. Its by far the quickest way to get around, though not an always very safe way to travel. The domestic airlines here have an appaling safety record.

For wealthy `mizungus` like myself this doesnt really present a problem, as Medair, my organisation can pay for flights with international carriers, such as MAF or we can get access to donor flights. For the majority of Congolese though, it presents massive challenges. Conflict ongoing for the last 12/13 years has exacerbated the problem. As you can imagine, it can be very difficult to reach people in rural, remote communities, especially when you have cargo such as medical aid to deliver. Also, when there is an emergency what do these people do? its not always that easy for them to get the help they need.

Private and commercial road transport is almost non-existent and traffic is scarce. The few vehicles in use are run by the UN, aid agencies, the DRC government, and a few larger companies such as those in the mining and energy sectors. It makes it very difficult for thousands of people to get access to clinics, hospitals and sometimes shelter. Most people travel by bike, or just walk.

I hope to be going on a field trip of my own in the next couple of weeks so I will have some stories of my own. But i would recommend Tim Butchers Blood River - a pretty vivid account of what it can be like travelling across the Congo

Leap of Faith

I'm off to Uganda again, but this time with a small organization called Come, Let's Dance! Named for a scripture that says 'he turned their mourning into dancing', CLD is all about bringing Hope and Light to a group of street kids, their family, and community just outside of Kampala, Uganda.

Will you join with me as I take a leap of faith and follow where God is asking me to go?

On September 1st I’ll be stepping off a plane in Uganda again, but this time to dive into a new adventure with Come, Let’s Dance (CLD). Over the past six months I’ve been seeking to discover where to head next and my heart continues to point to Uganda. My past investment in my Ugandan friends and God’s work there again draws me to physically join in, to continue to invest in their lives and hearts!

Come Let’s Dance is a non-profit, grassroots organization dedicated to empower African youth to initiate positive social and economic change in their own lives and communities. Orphans and street kids in Uganda are the future mothers, fathers, leaders and role models of African society and our hope is to play our small part in breaking the poverty and orphan cycle. CLD partners with the Ugandan-led Mercy Childcare Ministries in this endeavor:

“For years mass orphanages have been breaking down the family unit by enticing parents to give up their children rather than encouraging them to try to survive as a family. Family empowerment means getting to the root of the orphan cycle and providing families with the support and tools they need to PREVENT the next generation from abandoning their children to the streets.”
~ Come, Let’s Dance website

In talking over the possibilities with Julie and Shane at CLD, we’ve agreed that my skills and especially my previous experience working in Uganda are assets to the leadership team. Specifically, I’ll be serving as administrative support for day-to-day needs, compiling a ‘manual’ of history and daily workings for the various CLD projects going on, helping to host volunteer groups in our guesthouse and providing care and support for the young leadership team. My heart is really excited to come alongside these huge hearts and help them process their ministry, their giftings and God’s character through the challenging experiences they face daily.

Would you partner with me in this new endeavor? My commitment with CLD is until Christmas of this year, 2009. Perhaps I’ll catch a more long-term vision while there – but until then, I’m satisfied with taking small steps of faith and allowing God to pave the way forward in His timing. For these four months I will need a total of $6,500 to cover all expenses. I’ve been saving all year and am able to put $2,000 towards the cost personally. Would you be willing to give towards the remaining balance?

Specifically, this money will go toward the following:

• My room/board expenses ($650 per month) to help cover the team’s total cost for keeping our volunteer guesthouse;
• Daily expenses ($300 per month);
• My plane tickets ($1,600 total);
• CLD projects (another $300 per month)
• Anything above and beyond – (!!! This is the goal !!!) – goes straight into the budgets for the kids’ medical expenses, school fees, etc!

THANK YOU for even considering this opportunity – a small monthly gift really goes a long way!

I look forward to continuing to share stories of hope and love with you as I enter into the CLD team. Of course, finances are only the visceral side of support needed for this endeavor. Spiritually, I’m entering into an organization that experiences opposition because they are about God’s work of Love in a dark and loveless place. Please would you pray with and for me through this fall? I’ll be updating my blog as often as I can, but will also email specifically with prayer points. Please email jennieo330@gmail.com if you’d like to receive these emails from me.

The work of compassion and love is not only in Africa, but in each of your lives as well. I would love to hear how the Lord is working in your lives to heal, restore and redeem. Please keep in touch!

In His Love,
Jennie

For a tax-deductible donation, please write a check to: Come, Let’s Dance and be sure to put my name, Jennie Otte, clearly in the memo! Send your donations to:

Jennie Otte
c/o Natalie Grillo
{to protect this information, please email jennieo330@gmail.com for the address so I do not need to publish this personal address to the web, thank you!}

and Natalie will forward your gift on to CLD in Steamboat Springs, CO to be processed.

***If you’d like to donate using an automatic monthly withdrawal, please email jennieo330@gmail.com and the correct forms will be sent to you.***

Love Hard.

Watch out...every time I watch this it makes me want to go to Africa! Oh wait...

Love Hard. from Nick Anderson on Vimeo.

Welcome to the jungle - Pictures of the Congo

One of the main streets in Isiro. For all you Mancunians reading, this is our equivalent to Princess Parkway.

A visit to a local school to present some gifts a colleague had brought from Canada. They even sang the Congolese national anthem for us.

This guy was carrying a coffin on his bike. He told us building coffins was how he made his living. Sadly, he also said it was a lucrative business in the Congo.

Isiro. the edge of town. The jungle is pretty thick already. Very beautiful. However, as you head north of Dungu, the LRA hides out in the forest. The miltary can`t find the rebels there its too dense.

The colour of a Congolese wedding!!!


Can you see that there is a guy riding a bike here..carrying the rack of clothes. Guys like this are a common sight in the Congo...carrying all sorts, bananas, cement, you name it. They are traders - and can sometimes travel for up to 2 week periods to sell their parcticular goods.


The view from the MAF flight. Down below you can see the dense jungle and Lac albert in the distance. i understand the Congo/uganda border splits the lake.


Beautiful Isiro - the forest of North East congo, Haut Uele Province

My team at work. Isaac and Baya repairing the Medair vehicle after a field trip. This is what the roads in the DR Congo do to your car. More on that later.

Joking around with some of the local kids. Pretty cute!!!

The garden in front of our house and the volleyball court. We even have a net..impressive!!!

Me and the volleyball crew. We try to play 2/3 times a week with some of the kids and teenagers from the local community. Its a great laugh and good excercise in the heat and humidity.

The lounge. Where the team comes together in the evenings and for our devotions. And where i spend most Sundays resting on the sofa after a tough 6 day week. Im only half joking!!!

The special bucket shower we use in Isiro. In fairness, it works very well

My new home above. The base in isiro. Welcome to the jungle - North Eastern Congo

My Ugandan friends

Stella & her family

Christine with her niece Esther & their new puppy

Stella's baby - Joanna! She's so big, her birthday was while I was there, 1 year!

The best part of being back in Kaabong was visiting with friends! Christine & Stella told me they wanted to take me to eat lunch in town - they've never eaten at a restaurant before in Kaabong, so they wanted to go with me. It was one of the sweetest offers I've ever received. One Saturday afternoon we strolled together into town & ended up at JRS Restaurant, where I was also able to see John Lonya & Sarah, both old friends. We had a great lunch of beans & rice & sodas and enjoying conversation and laughs.

Sarah & I

I'm adding in this video of Sarah - just for all those who know her...her laugh is contagious & so unique!

Cash for Work - road construction

Another main project going on in Kaabong is cash for work road construction. We identified communities that are most vulnerable and then chose a stretch of road that is most in need of rehabilitation. Medair then enlists people from the local villages, both men & women, to do the labor and be paid. This lends dignity instead of dependency and a hope of ownership and partnership with the community. It is hard labor, and yet the people were lined up - ready to work for their wages!

My last night in Kaabong - WARNING...creepy crawly post ahead

I have many posts to share soon about more of my experiences the last week or so of being in Kaabong. But first, here is an update of why I'm thankful I left when I did...


Yep - that's him...on our counter in our kitchen!!! I was not amused, but also not going to miss this photo opp.


Colin saved the day by trapping it & throwing it into the sink...

The Relief world

Before I arrived in the Congo, I was warned by some people about the effectiveness of the humanitarian aid sector in responding to crises in this part of Africa. I was warned about the reputation of the UN and just how badly organised they can be, and even about some of the donors and NGO`s, about the approaches they take and the benefits for the locals.

Needless to say I was pretty shocked by the response of one of our donors this week. Although Medair are a Christian aid agency, some of the donors we deal with are not, they are certainly more secular. I won`t say who the donor was, but we had arranged to transport some medical aid with them this week. They cancelled the flight with a days notice, because instead of transporting the cargo, they wanted to transport some diplomats to a meeting. Can you imagine that? Rather than save lives, they preferred to send some high ranking officials for a meeting.

Thankfully, I chose to work for Medair, who like I say, are very much a Christian agency. It means, or at least I hope so, that we do and what we say stands out. The fact that we spend time as a team praying and studying the word together really matters. We are motivated by the love of Christ, our standards are that much higher, and we are here to genuinely serve the local people. What am I trying to say? Well im trying to say that it really matters that Christ is at the centre of what we do.

These are my thoughts anyway as I see some of the pros and cons of working at the sharp end of the humanitarian field. I had thought about this a lot before coming out to the field, so was fully prepared for it. I am already asking myself does humanatrian aid really give the DR congo what it needs? I don`t have an answer for you yet I came here to find out for myself.

However I am convinced that Medair does have something different to offer in this line of work. Im convinced that it makes a difference when you move forward with prayer, courage and obedience to Jesus, that he will work through you and his transforming power will change hearts and lives.

In the words of Martin Luther King, `if you can`t fly then run, if you can`t run then walk, If you can`t walk then crawl, but by all means keep moving forward.`