Let there be more dreams

Friends,

we have started a quest in last October, with the excuse of remembering the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and the ambition of being able to do something meaningfull.
And then came the Uganda... the conflict in the north of the country... Nasan and Plan-International.
And finally the orphanage. OGLM, Buwaiswa, Christopher and the children:
"The parents of most of these children died from HIV. Some of them are also infected.
And they are all orphans, with no near family able to watch for them.
They were lucky enough to find this orphanage. There they find the means for a living.
They get to go to school and they have a chance to escape the cycle of misery that affects so many African populations. But, on the other hand, they lack so many things… starting by the love and support of their mothers and fathers..."
Remember?

The mosquito nets... This "historical moment" achieved by Plan-International with so few.
And the perception that we CAN do something more.
Something that may have a larger meaning in the life of someone. In this case, in the life of 72 orphaned children.
And the challenge was born!

From the start, the idea was:
1 – to buy 10 to 12 rabbits, in Uganda (OGLM started making homes for them)
2 – to buy 5 goats and start a herd for the orphanage
3 – to send clothes (and shoes, if possible)
4 – to send toys for all the children
5 – to send didactic material
We didn’t knew, at that time, what the final costs would be, nor how many of these things would have to be bought.
We didn’t even knew how could we send this to Uganda and how much it would cost.
But we aimed to keep the overall expenses bellow 1200€, we were confident in the initial plan and we knew that with this, we could make a small miracle in a far away country.

This challenge was sent to some 70 persons and triggered and astonishing number of 45 (very) positive answers. We were in the right track!

Then we got the valuable support from Aerocarga (that made all the shipping work with no cost) and British Airways, and we gladly welcomed the schools that promptly joined us, "Palhacinho Vaidoso" and "Tutor Time". These schools were responsible for a big slice of the toys and didactic material sent, and they also added a deeper human and friendly dimension to the whole project with the participation, pictures, drawings and best wishes of our children.

In the end, we managed to collect most of the goods we wanted to sent, Christopher negotiated reduced prices for the animals in Uganda, the Good Samaritan Foundation helped with customs costs in Entebbe and with the help of Aerocarga we saved the money of the shipping and in the air fright too.

This allowed us to maximize the utility of the money we collected (1069,33 €) and:
- send a test packet (not forecasted from the start but that was important to build confidence and better prepare the main shipment)
- buy the rabbits and 13 goats (more than the double initially intended)
- send enough clothes and toys for all of the kids
- send a big pack of didactic material

But, because we collected more clothes and toys than we needed for the BCH, we were also able to extend our help to two other orphanages in Uganda ("Mama Jane’s" and "Welcome Home Ministries"). These have smaller children (0-6 years) at their care and can better benefit from some baby and nursing donations we sent.

In the total we have already sent more than 300kg of help to Uganda and we have more or less the same yet to send.

Our pack missed Christmas for a few days. It actually arrive Entebbe in the 22nd December, but it only finished customs procedures in the days between Christmas and New Year. If it had arrived on time for Christmas, there would have been newspaper coverage of the party in BCH by a local news agency (New Vision) that usually covers the OGLM’s initiatives.

I leave you with some comments I received from Christopher in the following days:
"We didn't have a big party like we had planned on Christmas, because the Press of the New Vision was disappointed so they didn’t come back again on the 1st/Jan.
We also had no time to make the Red Box, but we have kept it very well for future use on Christmas. Jesus's family was quite exciting to the Children. I also loved it.
Yah! I borrowed a digital Camera for those days from a friend.

The Shoes you sent were small to fit, so only a few pairs fit the Children at BCH. We are left with some pairs which we gone give out to other people.

All the Clothes were so pretty and quite fitting the Children. Tell all the people of Portugal that the School Materials they sent will help BCH and the different babies homes in their education system which begins in Uganda this Jan.
Actually I saved a lot from not buying the Books, pens, pencils, colours, etc…
My God, the toys are, such of their kind, the puzzles and the games and bags are so good.
One thing I liked from this shipment is that it was so organized and all seemed perfected less the small delay.

For sure this shipment has changed image at BCH and am sure it will also to the same at other babies homes, who got the gifts. Some kids were left in tears out of excitement.

Unless otherwise, we have no sick comments about this shipment, it was quite perfect and we loved it. Also the packing list eased everything.

I think, it was God who helped us get fair prices for the Goats. The rabbits and the goats are perfect. The grass isn't an issue because of the big land we have.
(…)
I will be sending a letter of thanks for all the donors and friends of the Children in Portugal

Thanks
Christopher Kalema (Program's Director)
Organization For Good Life of the Marginalized (OGLM)"

And now, our small miracle is complete with the pictures of the children getting the clothes, toys, animals and our best wishes for a brighter future.
You can also see copies of some drawings made by the children in BCH.
Please, check our share or visit this blog. They will be posted here shortly.

Chris will be sending more pictures, drawings and letters from his kids (as long as their internet connection allows). These are the best reward there is, and the proof that what we are doing is right.
Some weeks ago I learnt that my son told his friends in school that he had 200 cousins in Uganda. Well, the children in BCH are actually only 72 but, besides this small mismatch, this was my best present last Christmas.

We must all appreciate the result we have achieved this far. Together we have made an almost-impossible dream come true. In a matter of two months…

These children were being promised presents for years, and we made it happen.

Let there be more dreams, and may 2007 be a great year for all !!!