(photo from visiting Vironica's village about an hour from Mbale)

I most certainly like to talk about all of the fun things I do while I’m not working….But I’d hate to mislead you into thinking I never have to work. Fortunately, I find myself being constructive with my time here as well. So let me share a little bit more about the work we have been doing lately. My time is winding down here, that’s undeniable; but before I go, we MAPLE ladies are putting together a little extra curricular outreach to other young ladies in the community.

We would like to make our impact in Uganda as positive and productive as possible. There are many things to benefit from, personally and professionally, by creating positive relationships with the community that we live and work in. A majority of Ugandans never have the opportunity to leave the country, so as foreign visitors we don’t intend to assimilate young girls to our beliefs and culture, but we hope to offer a new perspective and friendship from a different part of the world. Traditionally in Uganda, women play a submissive role and are often victims to discrimination and violence. We hope to create an open forum where we can encourage family planning, female empowerment and higher self-esteem.
(I might have just copied and pasted that last part from the proposal I just wrote up...haha )

We are working with a high school that is located only a block away from our MAPLE house, and so far we have gotten nothing but positive feedback. This keeps us motivated and hopeful. The business education trainings with Mbale United Women’s Association have also continued and are going well. It has been really fun to see how much more active the women have become saving and improving their businesses. Only three more trainings with this group of women, but that won’t mean good-bye.



Ok, enough business talk….. Just a little tid bit about the fun I have been having: this last weekend I got to go on tour with six of Uganda’s top musicians. We made our long journey to Western Uganda, stopping in two towns called Mbarara and Fort Portal. Along the way we drove through Queen Elizabeth National Park where we got to see two herds of Elephants, lots of water buffalo, and even wart hogs running along side the road. But the most impressive part was definitely the views of towering mountains, tropical vegetation, and numerous lakes that made me feel like I was back in Oregon. They say that there are certain plants and animals that you can only find on the equator, and I can’t tell you what they are, but after being there I believe it.