Jinja {Uganda}

Stef and Jared's beautiful home was originally built by a Westerner who wanted to be comfortable during his five year commitment. Stefani's own creative touches make if feel warm and inviting. And then you have the lush backyard, which ends at the Nile River! After our busy week in Kenya, I was very happy to relax in their backyard, and watch birds from their deck. Did I mention this trip was the first time we've ever been away from our children? As a result, we spent quite a bit of time just looking out over the Nile while enjoying the silence! Over the course of the week, I identified over 60 species in their yard, plus we had sitings of Nile Monitors, River Otters and beautiful lizards.

I'm familiar with Belted Kingfishers in the US, which are predominately solitary birds. Here we were in Pied Kingfisher territory, and they live in small family groups. It wasn't unusual for me to spot 4 or 5 of these black and white birds perched on a single branch together. I could easily spot 20 at any given moment while looking out over the water! 

One evening as the light grew dark, I stood in the yard watching as hundreds of bats emerged from their daytime roost and went out in search of food. Suddenly I heard a light thud and at my feet was this little guy. I believe he hit the electrical wire above me and it knocked him right out of the sky. He was stunned but a short time later he had recovered and moved on. 

The Source of the Nile Bridge was under the final stages of construction 

while we were there, and is now open. It's a structure that begs you to look at it.

One morning we stopped at the Kombi Koffee VW bus on our way to pick up milk.

...and then we were off to buy milk from these gals! 

We watched as they separated the cream from the milk. (on table to left)

They also have these giant jackfruits growing in the yard! I found out jackfruit is the largest tree-growing fruit in the world. The fruit averages 25lbs, but can grow as large as 100lbs! 

This is the main street where the grocery and other stores are located. Picking up groceries isn't as easy as we're used to. Here, it's necessary to stop at two, sometimes three different stores to find what you need.

We took the scenic route to a farmer's market geared towards Westerners. We enjoyed burgers while the kids played in a bounce house. I was so impressed by all of the items they carved from cow horns, I ended up bringing home a pair of Africa-shaped earrings.

Walking thru the three-story Jinja Central Market is a sensory overloading experience! 7000 vendors compete for your business with tons of fresh food, clothing, really, just about anything you could need.  on the second floor are rows and rows of women sitting at antique sewing machines, some making new items from fabric, others are taking apart old clothing to create something new. It felt a bit like what I assume a "sweat shop" would look like. But when talking to Stefani about it, she was quick to tell me, those women are the success stories. It takes training to become a seamstress. These women have completed training and are now able to make money to support themselves and their family.

On Sunday we attended service at Arise Africa. As we stood outside, a tent shielding us from the sun, we worshipped God together. Then we listened as the pastor recounted an event in his life where we felt the most vulnerable to his circumstances. Throughout that desperate situation he still chose to fully depend on the One who made us and cares more than we can fathom.  

This was taken before the service, all seats were filled by starting time.

Jared gave us a tour of Ekisa Ministries, an organization that exists to improve the quality of life for children living with special needs in Uganda. Here, children with disabilities tend to be isolated and marginalized. Some even believe their disability to be a curse. Ekisa strives to help families and communities see the value of every person. They mainly serve children living with Hydrocephalus, Cerebral Palsy and brain damage resulting from malaria or meningitis. While Ekisa does care for 22 children in their residential care program, they have nearly 100 in their community care program. This provides services and training for the families so their child can remain at home with them. Those in the residential program are either working toward being reunited with a family member or adopted into a new family. Ekisa runs a school for children from both the residential and the community care group. Ekisa's empowerment programs provide business and financial training courses plus start-up loans for families who want to open a business to be able to afford medical care for their child. Jared has already begun to see a shift in the acceptance of these children in the community. They're now gearing up to participate in their 4th Night to Shine, a prom experience for people with special needs, created by the Tim Tebow Foundation.

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Uganda and One Notorious Stork

Our friends Stefani and Jared moved to Uganda nearly five years ago. I've always wondered what their life there was like. I had imagined life was difficult for them, that they've sacrificed so much to be there caring for those whom the local culture didn't value. Did they live in a hut?  Did they feel safe raising two young children there? Had they found friends?

We'd always thought it would be neat to visit them and see their life in Uganda. Since we would be so close in Kenya, we decided to spend a week with them before heading home.

Already exhausted from our late night flight from Nairobi, we arrived in Entebbe, Uganda at 2am and waited inside the airport until our birding guide and driver arrived to take us to Mabamba Swamp. I was in search of a very special and unusual bird, the Shoebill Stork. We boarded a ferry to cross an arm of Lake Victoria, the second largest freshwater lake in Africa and the source of the Nile River. Here you see the ferry unloading trucks and passengers. It's shocking how tight the trucks are packed together.

Once on the other side, we took a short drive to yet another boat. 

The red dirt roads contrasted with the lush green grass and palm trees. 

It was early morning, so lots of people were on their way to work and school.

My guide, making arrangements to board our next boat, this time a small wooden canoe, 

to navigate our narrow passage thru the swamp. 

We saw other birds like this African Jacana as we moved thru the water to a more open area.

And then we saw it, the Shoebill Stork! And not just one, but two Shoebills, which was amazingly good fortune, and so close to our boat!

This is how we "parked" to take photos and video of the storks.

What makes them so interesting? Well first of all, they're about 5 feet tall, gray and have the eyes of a cold-blooded crocodile killer. They use their giant Dutch shoe-shaped bill to capture prey, then slowly open their mouth just enough to allow the critter to stick it's head out thinking escape is possible, when suddenly the bill snaps shut and decapitates the prey before swallowing it whole. If that's not creepy enough, they generally lay two eggs, but only one baby will survive. The strongest will push the weaker baby out of the nest and the parent will reject it after that.

Found a sunbird in the parking lot. I consider this Africa's version of a hummingbird.

Cattle slowing down traffic.

It's not unusual to see boda bodas (motorcycles) hidden beneath large loads of produce, supplies, or belongings. I once saw complete sections of metal fencing being transported this way, held only by the passenger!

Boda Bodas are often used as taxis. I felt very uneasy seeing people ride "side saddle" and they don't even hold onto the driver. Our driver warned us that it is very dangerous to ride one in the city and as many as 10 people are killed by boda accident PER DAY in Kampala alone! 

Another popular mode of transportation is by tuk-tuk, 

a three-wheeled motorcycle with extra seating for passengers or items.

The landscape is very beautiful. The lush, green, tropical environment was very different from where we'd just been in Kenya. Here you find many sugar cane and tea fields.

Finally we arrived in Jinja, first to Ekisa, the home and school for children living with disabilities, which Jared runs and then to their home. Ok, now, remember the questions I had before our arrival? Did they live in a hut?  Did they feel safe raising two young children there?

Sometimes you just have to laugh at the pictures your mind creates.

Even by the first night it was clear, Stefani and Jared have created an absolutely beautiful life for themselves! Jinja is a hub for NGOs and adventure (rafting) companies, so there are many Westerners (Americans/Canadians/etc) in the area and therefore a variety of restaurants marketed to them. After two weeks of pretty much the same rice, meat and ugali everyday in Kenya, we were seriously craving a hamburger, and the first restaurant they took us to did not disappoint. They have a special sandwich that has a schnitzel (thin crusted chicken patty) on top of a hamburger. In addition to the great food, the restaurant overlooks the Nile River. It's hard to beat this view!

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