Today was my last day in Kabale and unfortunately I had spent the previous night with an upset tummy and felt really rough. However, I managed to make a visit to the family home of Clinton, one of our children and take a bag of maize flour for them. The family lives high up in the hills of Kabale. Clinton’s dad is elderly and has high blood pressure and failing eyesight along with some paralysis in one arm. Consequently he is not able to work. Clinton’s mum has no permanent employment but digs in the fields for 7,000 shillings a day, that’s equivalent to £1.50. With this money she has to take care of all her family’s basic needs.
Before BLI started supporting Clinton he had already lost interest in school having missed the preschool classes, joining school in the Primary 1 class. He was beginning to skip school and as his parents could not afford to pay for school lunches he would come home at lunch time and often not return for afternoon lessons.
Clinton is now supported in partnership between BLI and a local young man who saw the work that Ian was doing and wanted to help. He pays Clinton’s school fees and BLI pays for his school resources and lunches. His teacher reports that his attendance is now good and he is studying well.
We would love Clinton to attend the same school as the rest of the children as he is far behind them in his learning so we are looking for a U.K. sponsor to join the team in supporting him. If you think you can help, please get in touch.
My final activity was to facilitate a video call between Joel and his sponsor so Ian and I headed off at the end of the school day to do that and bid the boarders goodbye. I was so sad to leave them but promised to return!
Tomorrow Ian and I will travel to Mbarara beginning the journey back to Kampala and finally to the airport on Saturday. It is true to say that it will be a very difficult departure, but I have had a truly amazing time and there will be many more exciting times ahead when I return!
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