Happy New Year

Happy New Year! Hope you had a great Christmas.

We’ve done loads of different things this month (December) with a good work/rest balance.

The panto went really well with the exception of one awful night full of power cuts (pretty normal in Kampala but still very frustrating) and the CHOGM theme went down a treat with a very sympathetic audience. In the same week, Nathan stood in for the director of Tigers who was attending training in Nairobi. This proved to be a great training time for Nathan who faced some huge challenges inc. lack of money at the end of the year, many staff on leave or training and a few cases of Meningitis to top it all off. He handled every situation brilliantly in his usual calm way.

A perfectly timed break followed this hectic time and we headed to Rwanda for 4 nights. This is an impressive country, both in terms of its natural beauty, the smooth roads (amazing what you appreciate) and the gentle strength of the people. We visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre which depicted the terrible events of 1994, the catalysts and the effects. It is impossible to fully understand the devastating effect on the people of Rwanda but it’s undoubtedly important to learn from the simple mistakes which lead to such atrocities. The way that the country has recovered is incredible and the Rwandan people are a shining example of how it is possible to re-build a country after disaster without falling into the trap of corruption. We had a great time of relaxation on the beautiful shores of Lake Kivu followed by a dip at the pool at Hotel Des Milles Colline (AKA Hotel Rwanda).

We spent Christmas at Tudabujja with the boys and 5 of our friends who came to stay. We had a BBQ and played water games, not very traditional but a lot of fun. We then took some time off, house sitting at a place with internet and a washing machine- our idea of heaven these days!

We celebrated New Year with a big group of friends at the stunning location on Sipi Falls, near the Kenyan border. There are 5 water falls in the area, we visited 2 and swam at the bottom of one. We have a new respect for the girl in the Timotei adverts- it was freezing!

There’s always something going on around here. After surviving CHOGM, Ebola hit the headlines. Now, as you’ve no doubt heard, the disputed validity of the elections in Kenya has been an excuse for tribal violence and pointless killings with parts of the country living in terror. In Eldoret, where we have a RETRAK project, hundreds of people sought safety in a church, only for it to be burned down killing over 30 people. Our colleagues, friends and the street children we work with in Eldoret, Nairobi and the rest of Kenya desperately need our prayers of protection. Please pray for the 2 leaders battling over power to look beyond themselves and do what is best for the people.

The rest of East Africa depends on goods such as fuel coming through Kenya but this isn’t possible right now. Of course, this is a minor disruption compared to what’s happening there but it makes life and work tricky when you can’t travel. With scarce resources come high prices; the cost of transport has doubled and food prices will rise too. This can have a crippling effect on families, especially after the expensive festive season and just before school fees are due. So please also pray for Uganda, Rwanda and DRC.

Finally, thank you to everyone who sent cards, texts and gifts for us and the boys. We really appreciate your thoughtfulness and it’s so lovely to know that out of sight doesn’t mean out of mind.