Apologies

Dear dissappointed blog readers...

Please accept my apologies for all the times you have visited this page
only to find nothing to read. Sorry.

I'd like to say that this situation will improve but I can't promise.
I've lots of photos to show you as soon as we have internet working at
our office.

Life is good but if anything busier than when I was in the uk(!). Today
we are taking in the first batch of kids, so as I write a minibus is
arriving in Lira (4-5 hours north of kampala in the area affected by the
rebel army) to pick up around 8 kids from a displaced people camp and an
orphanage. We visited both of these places last week & while conditions
aren't absolutely desperate, they also aren't good. The last rebel
attack near the camps was 2 months ago. The camps are relatively clean
but contain row upon row of mud huts to house people.

In one camp (population 8000 people) we were handed a list of 750
orphans.

In the orphanage/school we visited 150 kids sleep in a dormitory 3 times
the size of your living room. They can't afford matresses so they sleep
on the mud floor.

Today is a big milestone as the first 2 houses are now just about ready
& we can take in the first kids. Within the next week we will take
another 16 kids from the north & a slum in kampala.

In the last couple of days I've spent millions (of shillings) buying
lights, a generator and 26 beds & matresses. My bartering is improving
so mostly they were bargains. Loading 26 beds & matresses onto the back
of an open top lorry & driving with them for 40 mins was obviously
exactly the kind of thing I love & would never get to do in the uk!

More to follow. Feel free to send your prayers or your money. Both are
needed.

S
--
Steve Watters
stevewatters@mailcan.com