Bus to Kamwenge

We left Kampala by 8am for Kamwenge. Mel was sick with a cold so we left her at home with the kids so that she could recooperate. It’s about a 6 hour drive. On the way, we drove thru the Kibali National Park. We got to see some wild baboons along the way. We got some awesome pics/footage as they approached the bus. Over the next 24 hrs., we saw baboons a couple more times. Ida, the new director of GFR, is from the Kamwenge area so she filled in for Melody. We arrived around 3ish and began meeting families right away. Kamwenge is much more rural and jungle-ish at times. Most of the families we visited were far into the hills and the roads were not more than hiking paths. Many times we were concerned that the bus would tip over or get stuck in the middle of the woods.

The first man we visited had Elephantitis, many people in this region are infected with this ailment. Since GFR talked about (and pics of) this elderly man on their blog, Dr. Mark brought meds. Apparently, this condition is basically worms of the limph nodes. It’s pretty nasty to look at and these people are often exiled in their communities. But this condition can be treated with antibiotics. However, in this man’s case, he had it since he was a young child so it may improve it slightly but it probably would not go away. JJ adopted this family on behalf of his family back home. We also stopped at the market where several other people with Elephantitis were waiting for the Dr. He gave them meds and we prayed for their healing…God can heal anything right?

While there, a young girl approached me and gave me a letter. Her name was Sabitina and she spoke proper English. Her letter asked “The Whites” if they would pay for her school fees because she was an orphan being taken care of by her extended family. I spoke to the community leader and he confirmed that she was an orphan. I took a picture of her and told her that I would take her letter and see what I could do. When I got on the bus, I was very conflicted. I gave the letter to the community leader so that she could be put on the list. Meanwhile, Dr. Mark was so impressed by the girl and her letter that He and Kevin decided they wanted to sponsor her if she meets the criteria. It’s so awesome.

Our day ended at the hotel Afreka in Kamwenge. We were a little unsure of what it would be like since most of the town was pretty run down but actually it was ok…maybe a 1/4 star on a scale of 4. Siliva and I shared a room. It had a full sized bed, a mosquito net, a small desk, and a bathroom with an actual toilet….however, the toilet and sink had brown water…yummy. There was a yellow Jeri Can in the bathroom with cleaner water to wash with. I washed my hair with it but used wipes for the rest of my body. Lisa said she saw little worms in her clean water…gross.

Before dinner, a group of widowed women sang to us to show their gratitude for coming so far. It was very moving. Even though we couldn’t understand the words, you could see the pain in their eyes as they cried when they sang. It was beautiful. Afterwards, we had dinner-potatoes, meat, cabbage, pineapple, and chabati bread. I wasn’t brave enough to eat the meat but ate everything else. It was a great day.