This is post one of two, describing a recent program we began implementing with some Ugandan teacher friends. Post #2 will be more about lessons learned through the experiment and experience of partnering with these teachers in this context. My good friend, Byamuntura Vincent, escorted me from the head teacher’s office across the school’s courtyard … More Coming Alongside for Literacy (Part 1 of 2)
By Alexis McClure Author’s note: If you haven’t seen The Princess Bride, stop reading this and go buy it on iTunes now! Then you’ll better understand this post, and your life will finally be complete. ———————————– Since we live on the Equator, the sun rises around 7am and sets about 7pm each day. During these … More Bundibugyo and The Princess Bride
I woke up last Friday morning, grabbed my mug of black coffee, and watched videos of Minneapolis burning to the ground. I read, viewed news clips, reeled at the devastation that was wreaking havoc across America – the devastation of black lives at the hands, and knees, of white people. I finished my coffee and … More Made for Community, not Hostility
Are you hungry right now? Maybe you’re reading this in the morning and haven’t eaten breakfast yet. Or perhaps it’s mid-afternoon and lunch is in the rearview mirror but you can’t quite see the light of dinner out ahead. You might grab a few handfuls of trail mix, or drive out and buy a blended … More COVID-19 and Hungry People
A few weeks ago, a team of CSB staff and myself interviewed 19 students. It was unlike any interviews I had conducted before, with either adults or children. These were 19 of the 109 S.1 students who were going to be joining Christ School Bundibugyo this year. And these students had made it … More Supporting the ‘vulnerable’
The day after we arrived on the ground in Uganda, I went on my most important errand – not to get groceries, not to pick up my work visa, not to purchase malaria pills. No, I went to the phone store called Africell and bought data. This might as well be a basic … More Give us this day our daily … wifi
Written by Alexis Tragedy. Landslides. Death. Loss. Natural disaster. Rain – endless rain. Displaced people. And then no water. No water for four days, four very long days. Having camped for many years, I was used to filling up a water jug, and skipping a shower or laundry for stretches of time – but I … More On Landslides and Hassles
It doesn’t take much in Bundibugyo to make us aware that this is not like back home. The size of the cockroaches – not like back home. The cold showers, filtering our water, hang drying our clothes – not like back home. The being stared at and called names on the road, … More The Power of Thankfulness
Chaos. This word conjures up images for me of emergencies, people running and screaming, sirens blaring. I think of buildings burning or natural disasters or gunshots being fired. Yet, when we were at our month-long training in Colorado and they described the 5 stages of transition, we identified ourselves in stage 3 – CHAOS! That’s … More Following Into the Storm
Last year I totally botched Alexis’ birthday. It was an epic failure, one that I didn’t plan well for, and executed even more poorly. I’ll spare you all the details, but let’s just say it started with nothing (as in no card, no flowers, nothing) and ended with Taco Bell and tears. An all-time low … More How to Eat Your Food in the Dark
