Keith Neal, former head of the biology department at Manchester Grammar School, and his wife Ruth, visited Uganda recently.
Keith Neal reports: Kampala is rapidly becoming one large building site! Four thousand additional hotel rooms are being constructed for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting due to be opened by the Queen in November 2007. Massive efforts are being made to improve the roads and other facilities in the city centre but it is clearly going to be a race against time.
Dorothy Tingu, National Co-ordinator of IofC-Uganda, accompanied us throughout our recent (2007) 17-day visit. The well-used, but reliable, IofC Toyota minibus, funded through UK friends in 2005, took us to Jinja and the Busoga region, Mbale (to the East), Kampala and Entebbe.
In a village in the hills some 23 miles from Mbale, Jennifer Wasieba, a local councillor, welcomed us to her home. Many members of the local community joined us in the beautiful garden at tea-time. Mrs Wasieba spoke about her involvement with IofC following a ‘Creators of Peace’ conference in 2005 and her decision to care for everyone in the community. We followed as best we could, with Dorothy acting as interpreter.
On other days we were given opportunities to speak at Entebbe Secondary School, Namasuba College of Commerce and at the YWCA, Kampala, where IofC has started a course for girls training to become nursery school teachers.
Arranging gatherings for those committed to the values of IofC is not easy because of difficulties with communication and lack of resources for transport, food and accommodation. Nevertheless, 17 of us were able to meet together and have lunch in peaceful surroundings on the outskirts of Kampala. Amongst those present was Irene Namwano who works for a prison ministry that counsels and supports women in prison and their families. We had met her last year at an Agenda for Reconciliation conference at the IofC Centre in Caux, Switzerland. She told us that she had tried to listen to every speaker at every meeting! ‘What was said there was so important for my ministry.’
Dorothy Tingu’s home in Kireka, about eight miles from Kampala city centre, is a hive of activity. It is also where IofC-Uganda has its registered office. We were given the most generous hospitality there and encouraged to come again. This we will certainly try to do.
English