Greetings from Uganda!
I must make this posting brief as it took me 10 minutes to load up to this point, and i have only 10 minutes left to write to you all!
Uganda is beautiful. It is very humid and very warm here. My underarms are not happy and my fingers will be plump for days, I fear! I have just arrived in Mukono this morning after a brief night's stay in an Entebbe hostel after my 31+ hours of traveling to Uganda. Everything has been smooth and easy. The people are very polite (most of the time) and curious whenever we "muzungus" (white people) walk by. Everything I've talked to or come in contact with thus far have been very friendly and helpful. It is a grand start to my journey.
Tomorrow, we leave for Masaka and I will begin to see the areas I will be teaching in. I had my first meal in Uganda this afternoon: posho (think mashed potatoes) with a very nice purple-colored peanut sauce and some greens. Very delicious. I am happy and content to be here and having met my contacts. I haven't met all the other volunteers, and I don't think I will be able to until next weekend as I'm off again tomorrow!
I am staying at our GVN guesthouse tonight until my contact picks me up tomorrow. All is well. I will "perk up" after I get some more sleep (I think i've gotten around 10 hours in the past 3 days). I'm excited to be here!
Until next time...affectionately yours,
Jillian
4.15.2011
4.06.2011
Packing
Have you ever spent more than two days packing? And don't anticipate finishing for another four days? It's mentally exhausting!! "Will I really need this? Yes, I think so. No, on second thought...no. I will never need this over there. Well...but what if...?" I remind myself that this insignificant tribulation will be outweighed by the trials I am about to see in Uganda...The Pearl of Africa.
I feel a sense of calm before the storm. Like all the days and weeks of preparation have been a fun game. Is it real? Is it true: I'm really going to Uganda for 34 days? But I don't want the game to end. And when I settle in reality for a moment, I realize, the opening song hasn't even begun yet! And that makes me smile. Oh just a few more nights and I'll be on my merry way.
It has been very helpful to have Nick in Uganda these past few days. He's given me some great advice, and a hidden insight to what my life may be like for the next month. It sounds exciting, new, friendly, and very free.
I've continued to receive donations daily. It still brings me to tears how you all have rallied to support me and the kids at House of Hope. I am honored to be the face of your donations to these deserving kids. I'll do my best to capture their response and thanks. I'm constantly reminded of how much love is surrounding me as I journey to another end of the world. Thanks to you all.
Thanks to you all for your unconditional support and encouragement.
Jillian
I feel a sense of calm before the storm. Like all the days and weeks of preparation have been a fun game. Is it real? Is it true: I'm really going to Uganda for 34 days? But I don't want the game to end. And when I settle in reality for a moment, I realize, the opening song hasn't even begun yet! And that makes me smile. Oh just a few more nights and I'll be on my merry way.
It has been very helpful to have Nick in Uganda these past few days. He's given me some great advice, and a hidden insight to what my life may be like for the next month. It sounds exciting, new, friendly, and very free.
I've continued to receive donations daily. It still brings me to tears how you all have rallied to support me and the kids at House of Hope. I am honored to be the face of your donations to these deserving kids. I'll do my best to capture their response and thanks. I'm constantly reminded of how much love is surrounding me as I journey to another end of the world. Thanks to you all.
Thanks to you all for your unconditional support and encouragement.
Jillian
3.08.2011
Bodies as Battlefields
I recently read a few articles about the violence against women in Congo that caught my attention. Since March is Women's History Month, I thought this blog might be worth writing.
The Democratic Republic of Congo shares a border with west Uganda and is familiar with the Lord's Resistance Army's brutality. In the Congo, sexual violence is so common that it is often called the "ground zero of rape". In Congo and Uganda, it is often said that rape is a weapon of war.
Women were and are continuously raped by armies to annihilate a community, a tribe, a country. They are raped to displace countless lives, tear apart families, and make it impossible to continue blood lines.
In parts of Africa, women who are raped are not "fit" to be married or live in the communities they came from. It is these countless women that are left behind after the violent crimes committed against them. They are left, often by their own family and husbands, to find food, work, and a place in society that fails to openly discuss the violence. It is a societal stigma to acknowledge the rapes, thus leaving the victims embarrassed, ashamed, and lost in hopelessness to figure out their futures.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0308/On-International-Women-s-Day-honoring-a-woman-who-told-the-world-about-rape-in-Congo
These women who have endured the sexual violence thrust upon them by combatants are now falling victim to the civilians in their local communities as rape becomes less of a war reality and more of a societal acceptance. Especially among civilians who have taken off their war clothes but still live in the mindsets taught to them by armies.
Before the war conflicts, when rape occurred, community leadership would stand up to the perpetrator and enforce punishment. Wars have displaced such "paternal" leadership in most communities, leaving women with no advocate. Leaving civilians with no consequence to their violence against their women. Law enforcement of punishment in cases of rape is rarely enforced.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2010/0630/Congo-war-leaves-legacy-of-sexual-violence-against-women
Not to mention the emotional, painful and financial hardships that come hand in hand with pregnancies as a result of rape.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2010/0509/Mothers-in-Congo-get-help-in-raising-children-of-rape
I am again overwhelmed with the vastness of human rights violations in Africa. How could I possibly do anything to change a culture? A mindset? An opinion? Is that reason enough not to try?
Marie Curie changed a culture when she discovered radium and furthered x-ray technology. My 1st grade teacher changed my mind when she taught me that the smaller brown one was a "penny", not a "quarter". And Rosa Parks changed the opinion of millions of Americans when she refused to sit in the back of that bus, insisting that blacks should have the same rights as whites, and thus igniting a spark in the USA Civil Rights Movement.
Don't know about you, but I'm with these women. I'm not giving up on the abused and neglected women of Africa. There IS something we can do. Write to your House Representative. Read actor Don Cheadle's (Hotel Rwanda ring a bell?) book called "The Enough Moment" - written to instruct and inspire people like you and me to help. Learn more and take a stand publicly.
http://www.enoughproject.org/enough-moment
Are we really gonna just let these women go on living under the oppression we shamefully experienced in the USA during our slavery decades? Please tell me "no", and then hop on your computer to do something about it.
Here's a start:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
Jillian
The Democratic Republic of Congo shares a border with west Uganda and is familiar with the Lord's Resistance Army's brutality. In the Congo, sexual violence is so common that it is often called the "ground zero of rape". In Congo and Uganda, it is often said that rape is a weapon of war.
Women were and are continuously raped by armies to annihilate a community, a tribe, a country. They are raped to displace countless lives, tear apart families, and make it impossible to continue blood lines.
In parts of Africa, women who are raped are not "fit" to be married or live in the communities they came from. It is these countless women that are left behind after the violent crimes committed against them. They are left, often by their own family and husbands, to find food, work, and a place in society that fails to openly discuss the violence. It is a societal stigma to acknowledge the rapes, thus leaving the victims embarrassed, ashamed, and lost in hopelessness to figure out their futures.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0308/On-International-Women-s-Day-honoring-a-woman-who-told-the-world-about-rape-in-Congo
These women who have endured the sexual violence thrust upon them by combatants are now falling victim to the civilians in their local communities as rape becomes less of a war reality and more of a societal acceptance. Especially among civilians who have taken off their war clothes but still live in the mindsets taught to them by armies.
Before the war conflicts, when rape occurred, community leadership would stand up to the perpetrator and enforce punishment. Wars have displaced such "paternal" leadership in most communities, leaving women with no advocate. Leaving civilians with no consequence to their violence against their women. Law enforcement of punishment in cases of rape is rarely enforced.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2010/0630/Congo-war-leaves-legacy-of-sexual-violence-against-women
Not to mention the emotional, painful and financial hardships that come hand in hand with pregnancies as a result of rape.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2010/0509/Mothers-in-Congo-get-help-in-raising-children-of-rape
I am again overwhelmed with the vastness of human rights violations in Africa. How could I possibly do anything to change a culture? A mindset? An opinion? Is that reason enough not to try?
Marie Curie changed a culture when she discovered radium and furthered x-ray technology. My 1st grade teacher changed my mind when she taught me that the smaller brown one was a "penny", not a "quarter". And Rosa Parks changed the opinion of millions of Americans when she refused to sit in the back of that bus, insisting that blacks should have the same rights as whites, and thus igniting a spark in the USA Civil Rights Movement.
Don't know about you, but I'm with these women. I'm not giving up on the abused and neglected women of Africa. There IS something we can do. Write to your House Representative. Read actor Don Cheadle's (Hotel Rwanda ring a bell?) book called "The Enough Moment" - written to instruct and inspire people like you and me to help. Learn more and take a stand publicly.
http://www.enoughproject.org/enough-moment
Are we really gonna just let these women go on living under the oppression we shamefully experienced in the USA during our slavery decades? Please tell me "no", and then hop on your computer to do something about it.
Here's a start:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
Jillian
2.10.2011
Fundraisers
THANK YOU, those of you who made it to either of my Fundraiser last month! We raised a LOT of money for House of Hope! YAY! It was amazing to see how each and every one of you came out to support me and the children of Uganda. I poured out my heart, and you each met me halfway...and then took a few steps more!! You are all incredible human beings who inspire me and encourage me in my fight for these children. I felt so loved and supported when I looked out at all of you in the audience. I think you'd all agree that it is a powerful experience when a group of people join together for a common cause...what passion is ignited and spread! I'm truly blessed for friends and family like you...all I can say is "thank you".
Please keep remembering your commitments to "create a ripple for Uganda", however you decide to! And keep following my website for updates during my trip!
All I can say is "thank you" from the bottom of my heart. Your support and encouragement has touched me more than you know.
Sincerely,
Jillian
Please keep remembering your commitments to "create a ripple for Uganda", however you decide to! And keep following my website for updates during my trip!
All I can say is "thank you" from the bottom of my heart. Your support and encouragement has touched me more than you know.
Sincerely,
Jillian
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