Friday 26 July 2013

MIXED FEELINGS THAT AREN'T MIXED AT ALL!

This might sound a complete contradiction - well, I suppose it is really! However it's a totally true statement. In eleven days time I'll be flying out from Manchester to Entebbe (via London Heathrow) for what most people are seeing as the start of the adventure of a lifetime yet I'm already in the middle of a great adventure. It's called life. 

Exactly a year ago today (Friday) I had been back in the UK for one day having been in Uganda for the first time. That Friday I jumped on another plane to attend the wedding of Patrice and Dany in Bernay, France, and by the Monday I was at our annual church holiday at Blaithwaite House in the Lake District. Most of last year's Blaithwaite was and is a blur because of the previous three weeks of pastors' conferences, teaching in schools, visiting other projects (including an embryonic vocational training centre on an island in Lake Victoria) and then going on safari - followed by the wedding in Normandy - yet that week was so significant to what was to happen during the following year in ways I couldn't possibly have imagined in a million years. My life was to take a complete new route with several new chapters about to open.

As I write this on the eve of Blaithwaite 2013 (called this year "In His Presence") I'm reflecting that this time last year if anyone had told me I'd be writing this BLOG now I'd have laughed at them. It wasn't until two weeks after Blaithwaite that God clearly told me I was to go to be part of the Maranatha Gateway Project - something that was confirmed later the same day when I threw a fleece out. I then went into a year beyond my wildest dreams - a year of preparation, networking and new relationships. Yesterday afternoon I lay on the grass on top of the Great Orme near Llandudno, having just walked round the town, truly feeling that I must be the most blessed man on earth. 

African Picture on the wall at Kingdom Krafts in Madoc Street, Llandudno

The Conwy estuary near Llandudno


On a practical note I now have my visa to cover me the first six months, I have my International Driving Licence, I have my tickets for the first period of my time in Uganda and I have return tickets to Johannesburg, South Africa, where I'll be for two weeks in the middle of August visiting Vaughn and Chiana Hutchinson in Krugersdorp where they have a ministry based around Joy Centre Church. I'm typing this BLOG on my new HP laptop presented to me by my wonderful church congregation at The Community Church Wrexham when I was prayed for last Sunday. 

In April I visited the Uganda High Commission in London with Sue Gasston where we were looked after by second secretary Innocent Opio and his colleague Moses Mukhooli. On 5th August I have an appointment with Ian Lucas, MP for Wrexham, who is also shadow secretary for Middle East and African affairs. 

Have I packed yet? Come off it - I'm a bloke! Mind you I'm away at Blaithwaite for the next week so there's really not much I can pack just yet. I'm going to Tesco this morning to buy stuff I need for the next few months (including toiletries) that are almost impossible to get hold of on the island. 

I have to publicly say a big big thank you to Phil, Mary and Daniel Arton who have made their home mine for over three months and so it will be whenever I'm back on furlough. They are a truly amazing family - loving, practical and wonderfully anointed. 

Also a really big "Thank You" to all my family and friends for supporting me in so many ways. Special love and thanks to my very close friends - you know who you are without me embarrassing you - for your love and support. I'd like to say I can't single out any one in particular but that isn't true. One of the words that came last Sunday was about me being on the end of a big piece of elastic - I'll always be attached to Wrexham and I now know that there's also a big rubber band that I'm actually on the inside of so I can't be separated.
So there we have it! A week at Blaithwaite then off to what is described on signs on the island as "The Land of Peace, Palm and Prosiperity" (and Posho and Pineapples). A land of beautiful people and children hungry to learn. A land of matooke, "meat on a stick", mangoes, Maranatha Gateway, monkeys and Mama Aisha's restaurant, Kabaka, cassava and Cabbages, solar panels, sunrises and sunsets. 

I have no doubt that in eleven days everything will be packed and sorted - and just in the Nick of time! Please pray for these next days of preparation, for the work, ministry and people I'm being sent to and for those I'll be apart from whilst in Uganda. Please also pray for John and Sue in Ross-on-Wye as they are now just over two month's off their BIG ADVENTURE!

Please stay in touch with my BLOG. The posts may be a little irregular (due to internet contact) but THEY WILL HAPPEN! God bless you all.

Mike


Thursday 11 July 2013

Food, Glorious Food

One thing I'm probably asked about more than anything else about what life will be like in Uganda is the food. Many people who have been to other parts of Africa seem to think it's all spice but not so. It is very unusual so get any spice or other flavourings in standard Ugandan meals. For part of this post I have pinched some material from the web site of Shem and Catherine Mabongor, missionaries near Mbale, adapted to suit Bugala Island.
What are some of the foods of Uganda?
The diet of Uganda is based on two dishes at each meal.  The first one is a starch and since the starch is usually dry the second dish consists of some kind of soup or stew.  Most things are boiled since oil is very expensive and also because people cook over an open fire.  When the goal is to serve many people and get full, repetition of foods is not really an issue.  People eat what is in season and what they can afford. 
Posho (po-show)
Winning the gold medal for all time most favourite food of the majority of Ugandans is posho.  It is similar to polenta in Italian cuisine.  It is not sweet or savoury but instead takes on the flavour of whatever soup it is served with (usually pinto bean soup).
Posho is made up of finely ground white corn flour mixed with boiling water until it becomes solid.  It is not easy to cook as it must be “mingled” thoroughly and becomes stiff while mixing. 
This heavy food is prized for its “fill you up” ability and it doesn’t have to be peeled, washed, sorted or soaked like some other things.  Maize (corn) is relatively easy to grow and there are grinding mills in most villages so people prefer to grow their own corn and then have it ground into flour as needed.  The flour can also be obtained in large quantities already milled; it is used by all boarding schools as their main staple food. 
If you visit Uganda beans and posho are definitely on the menu!
Chapati
There is no “fast food” in Uganda and actually it is very uncultural to eat on the go.  But chapati come close.  In almost every place where there are people, there is a guy selling chapati (with varying degrees of cleanliness) - even in Main Road, Kalangala.  A dinner plate sized chapati usually sells for about 400 Ugandan shillings (12p), half the price of a bottle of soda.  It takes two to even make a dent in the average hunger pains of most people here.
Chapati are made from wheat flour, water, salt and sometimes a little baking powder.  They are rolled out like a pastry crust but are more hardy and elastic in texture.  After frying in a cast iron skillet with a generous portion of oil they are thick and flaky.  They are sold wrapped in a bit of news paper so the person eating doesn’t have to wash their hands first.  They can be eaten alone or with pinto bean soup.  They are better hot but even cold are acceptable fare. 
Rice
Any special occasion demands rice.  People of Uganda prefer white rice simply boiled in salted water or fried with oil and onions then boiled in beef broth for a pilau type dish. 
Rice is difficult to grow and is harvested by hand; it is therefore too expensive to eat every day.  It is also very time consuming to sort. It is a delight to eat but rather labour intensive.
A few kilos of rice make the perfect gift for any Ugandan host!
Matooke (ma-tow-kay)
There are over 20 variety of bananas in Uganda.  Matooke is the type that is picked green and must be cooked.  It is usually steamed in its own leaves and must be eaten hot as it hardens quickly when cooled.  Left over matooke can be fried with onions and tomatoes for the next meal and is almost better that way. Be warned, however, that this is not a fruit! Most definitely veg!
In some parts of Uganda it is very expensive and is only grown in certain areas of the country. However in the roadside markets it is half the price of city markets.  It takes a special skill to peel the bananas and this tends to be an indicator of a woman’s skills in general.  It is mashed after steaming and served hot.
Cassava (known in South America as Yucca)
The king of starchiness; cassava definitely needs to be prepared properly. It can become bitter if not cooked immediately after harvesting.  It has limited nutritional value but can be dried and pounded into flour to make porridge more filling.
A root that takes several months to grow, cassava is easy to harvest and grows well even in drought.  Cassava is considered a poor man’s food.  It is usually boiled in huge chunks and served with soup or can be sliced thinly and deep fried in oil for an added extravagance.  When diced and boiled with beans it is called “Katogo” and is very nice for lunch and some people rely on it for a hardy breakfast!
Millet
This is the food of many local tribes.  It is cooked similar to posho but has a higher protein content and heavier taste.  It is dark brown in color and is called millet “bread” when mingled although the texture is sticking rather than bread like.  It is especially delicious served with peanut sauce containing smoked fish.  Millet flour can also be boiled in water for a nutritious porridge best served with milk and sugar.
Millet is a tiny bead shaped grain that must be husked then winnowed and finally stone ground after harvest; but first it is meticulously weeded.  The Bagisu tribe has a saying if a task is particularly difficult - it is said to be “like weeding millet.”  Since the grain is dried on the ground after reaping, good millet should be sand free when cooked.
Many a foreigner has mistaken millet bread for chocolate cake before tasting!
Sweet Potatoes
These come in various colours on the outside but are usually white inside.  They are more hardy that the European variety and do not fall apart or turn soggy when cooked. 
They are grown in mounds of soil and are eaten shortly after harvest.  For the most part, they are peeled and boiled whole in water.  They are also good served with peanut sauce.  Their sweet taste contrasts the saltiness of pinto bean soup for an excellent combination. 
Irish Potatoes - or just simply "Irish"!
This is what we just call potatoes.  They tend to be very expensive and do not keep long in this climate.  They usually are russet type and are served simply boiled or fried in tomatoes after boiling.  Mashed potatoes would be very expensive due to the butter and milk required plus they are considered baby food.  Chips are served in larger restaurants but cannot be found in small towns unless you have a friendly local restauranteuse (as we have in Kalangala - Thank You, Mama Aisha!) .  They are not considered food but rather they fall under the “snack” category.
 
Don’t serve an honoured guest mashed potatoes he will think it’s for babies!
SOUP
Ugandans believe that eating dry food is a trial not to be endured.  When I say soup we do not mean stew or gravy but watery soup. These can be made from a number of different ingredients:
Beans
There is any number of beans and similar ingredients available in a culture where meat is very expensive.  They are the main source of protein in the Ugandan diet. Although each variety is distinctive in taste and texture they are all prepared in the same way.  Here is a sample recipe for bean soup.  This one uses pinto beans but it could easily be navy beans, lentils, great northern, black eyed peas; or some that I only know the local name for such as chaloko.
            2 cups dry pinto beans
            12 - 15 cups water
            1 T cooking oil
            1 purple/red onion (thinly sliced)
            3 medium sized tomatoes (diced)
            1 medium green pepper (diced) - optional
Boil beans until soft adding plenty of liquid, cover and set aside. Place one tablespoon of cooking oil into large saucepan; add one red onion thinly sliced.  Fry until translucent then add three medium sized diced tomatoes.  Add diced green pepper if available.  Stir and cook until tomatoes are soft (about 5 minutes).  Then add beans with plenty of water they were cooked in.  Bring to a boil and serve over posho.  Serves 10 people.
Vegetables
Basically any vegetable can make a sauce to eat with the starchy food.  People eat what is available.  They eat better when the harvest is good or when things are in season. Often times, however, people will sell their harvest of peanuts or other expensive (and nutritious) crops because school fees for children come due about that time. So they eat vegetables and get cash for the sellable items.  If the rain was not enough during the growing season people eat less than they need.
Here are some examples of vegetables that are commonly used as sauce:


    • Cabbage  - I LOVE CABBAGE!     
    • Egg plant OR Aubergines (various types)
    • Spinach
    • Kale
Things like okra, green beans, zucchini are very expensive for some reason and not commonly used.  I have never seen any broccoli or cauliflower; mushrooms are gathered locally in the wild and are a delicacy very much enjoyed in this culture. It is said that the Ugandans don’t usually like carrots but I've certainly seen them and we've bought them. British children love to eat them raw (properly washed) something a Ugandan would NEVER do.  Uncooked food is not eaten and the government discourages it, to prevent diseases.  
In a culture without refrigeration, it is no wonder that chilled foods are loathed.  To serve a Ugandan potato salad or pasta salad or green salad or a relish tray would be very unkind to them because they would try to eat it to be polite but would hate every bite.
Peanuts
These are pounded into a dry mixture and boiled in water.  The peanut sauce eaten here in Ugandan does not have any other ingredients except salt.  So we are not talking about Thai peanut sauce with lime or Jamaican peanut sauce with jerk flavouring.  Ugandans do not like spicy or highly savoury foods.
This is what peanut sauce looks like on a meal...
 Fish
Uganda is home to the second largest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Victoria, and the source of the mighty River Nile.  The lake has been over fished, restocked by well meaning foreigners with fish that ate the other varieties, etc.  The lake is not polluted as such by chemicals but certainly not drinkable without being filtered. 
Fish is expensive.  There is Talapia, Nile Perch and another kind (very large) called Mputa locally.  Yes, there is also Mukini which are little silver fish similar to anchovies but not preserved in the same way.  Mukini is usually dried and is the most affordable of all types of fish sold.  It is also the most “fishy” tasting.
Fish is usually sold in three ways:
  1. Fresh  - available on the island - never far from the lake.  Prepared by boiling and adding fried tomatoes and onions.  The entire fish is eaten, nothing is wasted.
  2. Dried  - the drying is sufficient to preserve it during transport but must be eaten or re-dried shortly after purchasing.  This is how mukini is sold.  It must be washed two or three times then boiled with beans or vegetables.  Sometimes it is fried as a side dish.
  3. Smoked - this is the most flavourful and preferred way of buying fish.  This is added to the boiling water that will be used to make peanut sauce.

Pumpkin

Although this is a vegetable it is not usually prepared as soup.  It is usually cut into large pieces (unpeeled) and steamed.  It is served as a side dish.  Some are not true pumpkins but are a type of summer squash.  The seeds are soaked in salt water and roasted for a special treat.
CONCLUSION
Well, if you have made it this far in reading about foods of Uganda you are probably ready for a snack.  There are some yummy ones here in Uganda. 
Triangular samosa are thin pastry filled with savoury peas.

There are also mandazi which are doughnuts without the hole. 

Visitors to Uganda often are surprised by seeing signs advertising Rolex – wondering how the expensive Swiss Rolex Watch can be sold here in  roadside stands – it is not the watch but a rolled chapati filled with 2 scrambled eggs, often cabbage, onions, tomatoes and just like the Bigger Fast Food Giants you have choices and different prices – it is no different here in Uganda where the price goes up a bit as you might add minced meat, and added vegetables.
The famous Ugandan Rolex was introduced back in 2003 in the Wandegeya area and began to be consumed by many, especially by the nearby Makerere University Students – today you can find Rolex Vendors, Stands all over Kampala and it is even served in higher priced restaurants – road-side vendors offer them to travellers – it is simply an inexpensive meal and Ugandans rave about it – it has also provides a meaningful income for mostly young men who sell the tasty dish with little start-up capital needed.
The name  Rolex – alludes to the rolled chapati and of course the eggs – in Uganda most every person knows  what a Rolex is.  Here it is not only a breakfast food but is eaten as a dinner meal by many or as a snack – the price is low (50cents and upwards), it is tasty and filling and readily available.
Many a visitor to Uganda has developed a liking for the Ugandan Rolex Fast Food, especially the backpacker crowd as a way to keep their meal budget down and its popularity has now extended beyond Uganda’s borders and can even be found in Kigali, Rwanda in a restaurant there.  There are even videos you can find about how to make a Rolex, visitors to Uganda are consuming them and more.  The next thing you will find versions of it at various fast food outlets in the west.
Caution:  If you are visiting Uganda pick a clean-sanitary Rolex Stand otherwise you just might come down with a case of Idi Amin’s revenge which would certainly dampen your holiday in the Pearl of Africa.
And finally of course there's the FRUIT.
No need to go into any description of these but suffice to say that they're far fresher than anything one would get in the UK. One character (pictured above on the left) which you probably won't have come across previously has become one of my favourite fruits - Jack Fruit - so I'll add another photo below of children in a school eating Jack Fruit straight from a tree in the school grounds. By the way, Jack Fruit is actually the largest fruit in the world and can grow up to 36 inches long and 20 inches in diameter!

 Next time I'm going to tell you a little of my preparations for going to Uganda.
See you later! Tunaalabagana!

Saturday 6 July 2013

SCHOOLS IN KALANGALA

I did say in an earlier post that only about 30% of the children in the Ssese Islands are able to attend school compared with a national average of 65%  I am delighted to tell you that official statistics now show the Kalangala District to have 38% of children in education.

As far as I can ascertain the 54 populated islands of Ssese have between them:

18 government aided schools
1 privately owned school
3 community schools
Enrolment stands at 3,867 pupils (1,764 girls and 2,103 boys)
Pupil/teacher ratio is at 37:1
There are 3 secondary schools with an enrolment of 572
There are 2 tertiary institutions

The four schools we have any form of association with are all in Kalangala Town.

St Dunstan's Secondary School is where our "Pigs for Prosperity" project is based.
This shows the school grounds

Mum and Piglets - "Pigs for Prosperity" Project

During our July 2012 Trip
Josh (from Ross-on-Wye), Chris (from Yorkshire), Me, Jacky (from Milton Keynes), Bethany (from Ross-on-Wye), David Reiner (a Canadian who lives on the island), Sarah (from Hereford), Sue (from Ross-on-Wye), Isaac (the vet who looks after the pigs), Grace (head of the school)


Sserwanga Lwanga Memorial Secondary School is the school attended by Monica Kalungi, the pupil sponsored by The Community Church Wrexham.

The front of one of the school classroom blocks

Pupils at the recent funeral of one of their colleagues

Officially opened by the Ugandan President
Kibanga Church of Uganda State Primary School is one of the school we visit when on the island. It is situated on Main Road not far from Water World. Although spelt Kibanga the word is pronounced "Chibanga".
Whereas in UK schools computers have been the norm for many years this is not so in most Ugandan schools. Here at Kibanga Primary the school secretary is lucky enough to have a typewriter. Most schools have to hand write everything.

We arrive on an inter-school sports day so there aren't many uniforms around

Sue handing over welcome resources to David, the head teacher

Schools often use the sides of their buildings to get important messages over in Luganda....

....and English!

This notice, on one of the walls facing Main Road, may shock us here in the UK, particularly considering this is a primary school. However in Uganda there is no pussyfooting about when it comes to getting the message over! From a very early age children are taught facts necessary for them to live safely. There is a very high incidence of AIDS on the island and you must also realise that children stay at primary school until they are about 14 years old.

Bridge of Hope Infants and Primary Community School is the school that John and Sue first visited about 8 years ago. At that time there were only three classrooms built by school director Lawrence Lweera. Now, thanks to funding from the UK, the school caters from Nursery through to Primary 7 (14 years old) and has two dormitories for orphans and children who can't travel daily, a kitchen and latrines. They are also in the process of building a new nursery block.

Where there is little money it is used on education and food - not elaborate school signs

A reminder that all primary classes are taught solely in English. This is because English is the country's official language - the language not only of education but of form-filling, official notices, banking, commerce, business and tourism. It is essential that the pupils become bilingual to ensure decent career prospects. In the infants classes children are taught in Luganda but guided towards English ready for the transition to primary.

We are welcomed in song by some of the pupils of Bridge of Hope School

Showing the school playing field and some of the classrooms

You can see that the classrooms don't have windows or doors

In July we taught the children about the Queen's Jubilee and they made crowns

This is typical of what the children normally have for dinner (probably the only food they'll eat all day). The banana-looking vegetables are the matooke (you saw these in the market place in the previous post). This is served with beans and groundnut gravy! We got forks. The children eat with their right hands. That is because they use their left hands for wiping their bottoms when they go to the toilet. It is vital if you are eating with your hands in most third world countries that you only use your right hand. They find the use of the left hand for food disgusting!

The foundations for the new nursery block - with one of its future pupils!

When we visited in January 2013 we presented two complete football kits from Brierley Cubs Junior Football Club near Barnsley, Yorkshire, where my son James coaches. Here you can see the school director Lawrence Lweera, Sue Gasston and me with some of the pupils wearing the football tops.