Visit to Masese Slums

Fiona and her Mum

So today Ivan took four of the older girls from the Village of Hope (Jane, Fiona, Christine and Joan) and I to the slums where they originally came from, so that hey could visit relatives and I could see the place where they grew up.

It was how I expected, lots of poverty and a lot of need. There were SO many children everywhere and they all wanted to shake my hand or hold it and walk with me (apart from one baby who I though was cute so picked her up and she just started screaming and crying because a strange white skinned monster had just uprooted her from the ground)

Jane's Mum - she is HIV positive
and is struggling to support the
family and keep up with
medication

It was lovely seeing Fiona see her Mum, she was a lovely woman. We walked through more places, and it did get a bit difficult when women were coming up to me and handing me their babies and asking me to take them with me because they had no food for them.

Another hard part was when a lady came up to me with a hand full of necklaces to sell. Unfortunately I can't afford to buy something from every person who tries to sell things to make a living, as much as I'd love to help. So when I said that I was sorry but I wouldn't be buying a necklace today, the woman pulled the most angry expression and just kept telling me to buy them. I politely kept saying no, and she just looked absolutely disgusted. It felt awful. It's really hard because a lot of African people expect white people to just all be rich and give them money. As much as I want to help, there has to be some kind of line because I can't give my money to every person in need. It's at these times when poverty is directly in front of you that you realise how lucky you are and how minute our "problems" and worries are in comparison.

They children were extremely excited to see us and were all smiling which was lovely to see. It was also great to see our four girls be with their relatives and see people from where they grew up, as they are in a better and more stable environment now and therefore don't get to see people they knew very often.

I then took them into town and bought them some ice



cream / a drink which they were extremely grateful for... such lovely girls!

SHORT VIDEO SUMMARY