73 Days!

Hello friends! Only 73 days until Uganda and I am more excited than ever. To help you get an idea of what my experience will be like, I've copied some general info about Uganda and stats on what HELP accomplished last summer.

"HELP International has been in Uganda for three years. We live in a village called Lugazi which is a small town of about 33,000 people. Lugazi is surrounded by sugar cane plantations, and many of the inhabitants are poor laborers. Just outside of the sugar cane fields are remote villages where we bring many of our projects. Projects in Uganda include: HIV/AIDS support group, business training, adobe stoves, square-foot gardening, public health campaigns, support for children with disability, and more.
Country Description: Uganda is in East Africa and is known as the "Pearl of Africa" because of its lush jungle and rolling hills. Though Uganda lays on the mouth of the Nile River and is replete with natural resources, the Ugandan people remain deeply impoverished. The official language is English, however in Lugazi, many people also speak a tribal language called Luganda. Translators are always readily avaible and most volunteeers end up learning a little Luganda."

"In 2009, 105 trained HELP International volunteers, with the help of 8 country directors, accomplished the following in Uganda, Fiji, El Salvador, and Guatemala:

4000 hours spent working in orphanages
1700 people received eye screenings, diagnoses, and medication; 102 received eye surgery
1650 hours spent providing hospital care
912 hours spent building homes with Habitat for Humanity
565 people (especially mothers) trained in public and family health and nutrition
574 hours spent starting medicinal plants business operations across 5 communities
350 books donated to a library
188 individuals trained in business
155 hours spent starting 4 mushroom producing businesses
132 adobe stoves constructed
125 chicken coops constructed for a school and orphanage
105 square foot gardens built
110 parents and community members trained in caring for the disabled
96 hand washing stations
35 at-risk youth for gang involvement mentored
54 young women and 45 street children recruited into soccer leagues
65 HIV positive orphans received art therapy and personal care
48 people served in starting 3 microcredit groups"

Visit HELP International's website to learn more about this awesome program!
http://www.help-international.org/
If you are interested in donating, go to the HELP website, click on "Donate Now" and place my name on the prompt line.
Thank you donors!!

Happy Birthday Blog!

Hey everyone! I've officially started a blog to keep people updated while I'm in Africa this summer. I don't know exactly how to use this but I'm sure I'll figure it out soon enough.

I'm so excited to meet the people in Uganda. I really can't wait until May 5th!!