In the pictures.... 'Family' outing - Eric and I have dinner with Kiti and her parents. Kiti and I at the monthly National Theatre open air Jam session.
My room-mate is a wonderful person. She's from Finland and is everything that we imagine Scandinavians to be - very pale with white blond her and very, very light, blue eyes.
She really enjoys her African experience. She works with children and adolescents in both urban and rural settings. Everywhere she goes little barefoot Ugandan children run behind her smiling, shouting and waving "Mzunguuuu, mzunguuuu, Hellooooo, Muzungooooo" or "Mzunguuuu, mzunguuuu, Byeeeee Mzungooooooo". Mzungu means foreigner, but is used mainly for white people. Many of them had never seen such a white person in real life. But she loves Uganda, Ugandan food, Ugandan music, Ugandan culture, her Ugandan friends.
This week she was really excited because her parents had decided to come and visit and see for themselves why she really liked Africa so much. She told them okay, you're coming to Africa to see how I live and understand the culture. You're coming from Europe, I want you to bring your luggage full of toys and things to help the Ugandan children who I work with, and I want you to contact all of our friends and encourage them to give you used toys so we can distribute them to a few foundations here.
So they emailed her to tell her of the progress, they had got so many donations from people, just like she had requested. They'd bring everything with them.
The day came and she went to the airport with a Ugandan boyfriend to collect her parents. They all came home and we waited very anxiously to see what they had brought with them for the African children.
First they apologised profusely, they didn't realise that their luggage allowance was only 20kgs each, so they had to leave lots of stuff at the airport, but they had chosen carefully, and thought they had brought the most useful items.
What we wondered had they chosen? Did they chose shoes? clothes? toys?
They opened the suitcases. Look! they exclaimed.
We looked but could not understand what they were showing us. What on earth had they brought??
"Look" they showed us excitedly. "We brought reflectors!"
Eric, a Ugandan, and I looked at each other blankly with big imaginary question marks in speech bubbles over our heads.
"Yes, reflectors are very useful. In Finland it is the law, young children have to wear reflectors!"
Then slowly I began to see the light (no pun intended). Mr and Mrs F. come from a part of the world where it is dark for 6 months in the year. Of course the children have to wear reflectors. They had no idea what the little Ugandan children might need, but surely they must need reflectors!
Good intentions but... they had brought about 30 kg of relectors to distribute to children all over Uganda!
Anyway I was still excited to get my reflector, as I'm sure the kids will be too.
Now those mad matatu drivers can see me in the night trying to walk along the side of the road, while dodging the cars and trying not to fall into the gully!
I imagine some little children in a village like Bugiri which might not have electricity, opening their packages of reflectors and wondering what to do with these plastic things, but as resourceful as African children are, I know they will become well appreciated toys.
Do you want to help African children?
Can I politely suggest that the children in rural Uganda who walk to school barefoot in threadbare school uniforms would greatly appreciate it if you donate shoes, clothes, books, toys, money to the local hospital, library, schools, etc. etc. not reflectors, even though they make a really great fashion statement.
This tiny episode illustrates just what happens with a lot of the foreign aid.
Thanks for my reflector Mr. and Mrs. F. You're great people.
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