Fantastic feedback!

God put us here to prepare this place for the next generation. That's our job. Raising children and helping the community, that's preparing for the next generation. [Dikembe Mutombo]. 

Mutombo may have written that, but it’s true for all of us parents (whether our children are biological, adopted, or spiritual)! And raise children we will… starting one child at a time. So how do we know if we’re getting it right?

The White Eagles - full of beans after visiting week

Well, we were definitely encouraged to hear the feedback from one of the White Eagles’ relatives. She hadn’t seen her for a long time, and was astounded to see how much her behaviour and character had changed for the better. Just one more step towards “Seeing the Glory of God cover Uganda and the whole world through Church revival and community transformation”. Because community transformation happens one person at a time.

Annet, showing the servant heart we love to see in our young people

Come and see what we do… we’d love to show you! Or if you’d like to be a part of transforming, not only the lives of our children, but also the communities that they come from, then get in touch and find out how you can partner with us!

And who wouldn't want to hang out with these gorgeous human beings?

White Eagles - always willing to help a friend!! ;)

Few of us revel in exams, and some of us really break out in a sweat at the prospect. So spare a thought for Kellen, who is seen here, getting ready to sit her mock exams. These exams are usually held in the second term of the important “exam years” to prepare students for taking their finals in the third term.

You may already know that one of Kellen’s favourite subjects, not to mention an area of particular talent for her, is Food and Nutrition. She mentioned to Auntie Sarah that she really needed to practise some baking, ahead of her practical sessions in the week ahead.

Well… you should know that Auntie Sarah has a very sweet tooth (as well as a sweet heart, mind you!) and so “kindly” and “sacrificially” (haha!) offered to let Kellen revise her baking skills, and practice on her and the White Eagles. Ah the hardship!!!

Along with the cakes were pies and samosas…. And they were mmm-mmm-mmmmmm! Do you want some samosas? Better put your orders in early! You may have some competition!

Baptism Bonanza for River of Life!

Baptism. What does it mean to you? We say it's a chance for people to publicly display their decision to follow Jesus. Being immersed in water, and coming back up again, represents people leaving behind a life that's self-focused, and instead entering into a life where Jesus is your compass.

And it was a baptism bonanza recently at Lake Nabugabo, with nine members of River of Life Church getting baptised, including every one of the new White Eagle Home girls!

It was a wonderful day, starting with a stonking praise and worship session lead by Julius and finished off with a soda each. Lake Nab is a special place to River of Life, and to be honest, to most people in Masaka: a great place to have a splash, maybe a relax, and possibly a bit of fish and chips (don’t mind if we do!), but this was a different level of special.

The Day of the African Child has been celebrated on June 16th every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the OAU (Organisation of African Unity). It honours those who participated in the 1976 Soweto Uprising. It also raises awareness of the continuing need for improvement in the education provided to African children.

Hard to ignore these enthusiastic young people, STILL marching for their right to quality education

Want some backstory? It’s more than a wee bit depressing! In Soweto, South Africa, on June 16, 1976, about ten thousand black school children marched in a column more than half a mile long, protesting the poor quality of their education, and demanding their right to be taught in their own language. It didn’t go peacefully. Hundreds of young students were shot, the most famous of which was Hector Pieterson, and more than a hundred people were killed in protests during the two weeks that followed, with more than a thousand injured.

Marching to remember our fallen brothers

On June 16th every year, government officials within each participating country, NGOs, international organisations and other stakeholders gather to commemorate the Uprising. The theme this year was “PROTECTING CHILDREN’S RIGHTS”

Exercising the right to dance!

We marched around the busy streets of Masaka with two bands, as well as some government officials, cheering along with River of Life and other local, national, and international organisations. NGOs were thanked by the children for trying their best to protect their rights to things such as education, food, and many others. It’s small steps in the right direction…. may there be many more!

River of Life literally flying the flag for vulnerable children

Thanks from Shadia

Shadia Lutaaya is one of the community White Eagles, and is just starting Senior Three this year. She tells us: “I am happy to have completed S2: it’s a great opportunity that has been given to me by the WEP, and by River of Life. My family wasn’t able to afford to send me to a good school such as Masaka Secondary School, so I feel really privileged to be there!

I sincerely love my teachers in this school because they act as good examples to us. They don’t come to class while drunk [!], they are always smart, and are good at time management. That creates a good environment for them to teach and discipline because they practise what they preach.

Another thing I like about my teachers is that they don’t only teach from books, but they also talk about things relevant to our day-to-day life. This has shaped many of us into responsible students. For those that don’t know, students here in Uganda may have to drop out of school at any stage because of different problems they face, so this makes practical lessons particularly important. Having skills and knowledge in areas such as computer work, food and nutrition, or art can make you a living later on! So, thank you Masaka SS!

 As for my dear sponsor…. I wouldn’t have been able to see and learn lots, and to be at such an inspiring school if it wasn’t for your help. Thank you so much for giving me this great opportunity and I promise you that it won’t be wasted.”

Majestic Marathon Maniacs!

26.2 miles. Nyendo to Lake Nabugabo and back. No small feat! The day finally arrived, and frankly most of our runners were filled with dread, as the challenge seemed unsurmountable. It’s never going to be a good day when you meet in pitch dark (5:50am) – or so they thought.
 

Yet the first runners were at the lake gate by just 7:30am (whilst we were munching our porridge and rubbing sleep from our eyes – shaaaame on us!!). A brief rest, and a welcome to the slower runners, and they were off again!
 

Thing is, many of us may have lacked faith in the fortitude of our colleagues, as we were astounded at their performances – Nalongo Juliet (our secretary) very nearly making it to the lake, whilst Elder Emily, cook Esther and general manager Paul plowed through the lake gates with triumph.
 

Of the 30 participants, SEVENTEEN completed the full run: staff, leadership academy, and even some of our teenage White Eaglettes (= female White Eagles!) – you know what, let’s give them some individual RESPECT… Julius, Joseph, Martin, Gerald, James, Ernest, Kellen, Maria, Baker, Ronald, Muyanja, Keneth, William, Peter, Mujjuzi, Kevin, Waiswa… we applaud you sincerely (and with some sheepishness, since we admit we weren’t sure any would make it the whole way). TONS of respect to you, not just for your stamina, but also your willingness to lend your own efforts to help raise money for our kids’ school fees.

Well, if you’d been at church when our heros hobbled in, you would have heard screams and crunches, as they were all treated to a hearty muscle rub…. But then… no pain, no gain, as they say!
 

Please do reward their efforts, and sponsor them – show them that you’re as proud of them as we are! Go to: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/backtoschool

We’ll leave you with Isaiah 40:31…. “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like [White] Eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint”
  

Marching against domestic violence with Mifumi!

Right, left, right, left! Here are the White Eagle team marching through Nyendo with Mifumi (a Uganda-based human rights NGO) to celebrate 16 days of activism against domestic violence. This is particularly pertinent for the White Eagles, since many of them initially came to us fleeing violence in their home environment.

According to the coordinator of Mifumi: “Nyendo is one of the places where we know that the rights of children and women – and even men – are being violated daily. Parents complain about their children’s disobedient behaviour, without recognising that they have contributed to this, by exposing them to constant fights and quarrels.

Similarly, some parents think that, because they suffered as children, their children must also suffer in life in order to achieve something – but this is a totally wrong perception. A child CANNOT be expected to study well in class if he or she doesn’t have peace at home. Don’t expect to have a better Uganda tomorrow, if we don’t create violence-free homes for our children today.”

It was an honour to be part of this event and we thank Mifumi for what they are doing to reduce domestic violence in our communities.

Meet Marvin!

We received a desperate plea for help at our Church, from a lady requesting money to enable her to transport a sick child home to the village. The child was initially hidden behind the pulpit, but when the lady held him up, the congregation was shocked to see his condition.

Even after a few days on the nutrition ward, his condition was shocking!

The reality was that this little 4 year old boy (whose mum had apparently died in childbirth) was on the brink of starving to death, with “lifeless eyes” and a tiny emaciated frame. On seeing the state of this child, our church members (many of whom only had enough money for food for the day) pulled money out of their pockets (NOT their tithing, as the offering had already been taken!). Together they were able to raise enough to send the child to the Nutrition Unit by themselves!

The first thing Elder Emily did was to rush to get a little milk for the boy, and apparently the little fella spotted the milk and strained his neck towards it with a look of real desperation in his eyes, as he was so so hungry. He wasn’t physically able to feed himself with his hands, nor could he walk (or even sit), but he started to heal slowly.

 

And just look at him now! Well on the road to recovery!

What a handsome boy!  Less than 6 weeks after he was admitted!

It’s actually hard to believe that this is the same little man. We’re so grateful to the staff who have diligently looked after him during his stay. We believe that God brought Marvin to River of Life for a reason and that this won’t be the last of our involvement with him. Please hold him in your prayers as we work out the way forward!

No-one likes an angry woman!

We recently held a teaching session about anger at River of Life Church, inviting women from the local area to join us. We heard about ways to control our anger, how to understand our children better, and the importance of having a healthy relationship with our children. 

We’re really chuffed about this day, because several of our White Eagle staff had just been on a training course called Counselling Skills for Youth Workers – they were brimming with enthusiasm to share the material that has been so practically useful in our Children’s Home.

Leading the session was Auntie Sarah, who used a variety of art and craft activities to teach parents ways of dealing with anger in their children. This involved equipping parents to communicate better with their children, emphasising the need to help their children to express their feelings in a healthy way, and exploring ways of counselling them.

Many of these parents had never had the opportunity to do these kinds of activities in their own childhood, and they were absolutely delighted to learn new strategies. There was a lot of laughter and cheering – anyone listening might well have suspected that the parents were just having a load of fun, rather than discussing a serious issue!

We learnt that behind anger, there may be shame, sadness, anxiety, hurt, jealousness, embarrassment and many other things. An angry child isn’t simply “stubborn” but is often desperate for help. As Sarah said: “Creating a beautiful and healthy relationship with your children is an excellent investment, because you will never know when your child is upset if you aren’t on good terms. Do encourage them to talk about the way they feel – and find time to listen, so you can find out what is happening with your children.”

A message like this is so pertinent to many of the families in our community in Masaka. Many children report leaving their homes to the Streets, due to the lack of understanding between them and their parents. In encouraging strong relationships between parents and children in our surrounding communities, we at River of Life Church hope to see unity within families. And it doesn’t matter where you live or who your children are – we can all learn something from this session. Good work, Auntie Sarah!

And if you see a Crocodile..... Don't forget to SCREAM!!

The White Eagle Children’s Home kids nearly lost their heads this past week when they were sent on an amazing trip to the Crocodile Farm (on the edge of Lake Victoria) by Auntie Sarah’s old ballet teacher, Miss Hare!  Fortunately it was just a chicken that lost its head… and whole body, for that matter… when it caught the eye of a ferocious croc...

The day was jam-packed with activities that had the kids squealing and laughing (when their knees weren’t knocking with fear!). We learnt about crocodiles in all stages from egg to adult, not forgetting those tempestuous teen crocs. The kids even got to hold a baby crocodile (which, though tiny, was strong enough to take off our fingers, so we had to be very careful… health and safety experts, look away!).

As legend would have it, one particularly cantankerous (and very large) beastie has killed over 50 people in Lake Victoria and the River Nile. It was a pleasure to make his acquaintance, but as you can imagine, we were very, very polite!

One of his protégés (Romeo, who cohabits with a rambunctious young lady called Juliet, naturally!) impressed the kids by eating a live chicken with one loud ear splitting thunder-clap SNAP! It gave us all a (healthy) fear of going anywhere near the edge of a river!

 

Chicken.... the other white meat!

And the day’s festivities would not have been complete without the very rare treat of a delicious meal of fried chicken (or fish) and chips, and a tender morsel of croc meat to tantalise the palate. We then played games on the field, enjoying the torrential rain shower that came at exactly that point – if anything, it made it more fun! The children went back to school with some great stories to tell their friends (and if anyone asks, the three youngest were in no way far-too-scared to hold the crocodile on their own – no, no, they are the BRAVE WHITE EAGLES… well, that’s the party line, anyway!)

Croc... num num!

The Latest News from the White Eagles - July and August Report

The July/August Report is out! Packed full of news from your favourite White Eagles, updates include:

1. Term 2, done and dusted - including one of our girls being top of the class for the fourth term running!
2. Persevering for Good Health - malaria, mumps and stomach infections have been duly dispatched.
3. Team Green blow us away - our Summer Missions Team did, well, just that. They were awesome!

Read all about it by downloading the White Eagle July - August 2014 Report here!

Latest White Eagles Report out now

With all the latest updates from the White Eagles, the May/June report is a must-read for your next tea-break!

There's news about our Holiday Programme, the hard work on the farm, going back to school, but we leave the best bit till the end...

Buckle up for the good news - we've managed to trace the relatives of one of our girls, and she is SO excited! She was the last child in the Resettlement Home without known relatives, and it was tough for her. But now we can get started on the resettlement and reconciliation work so that she might be reunited with a loving family and continue to thrive and fly high!

Enjoy the report - you can download it here.

The White Eagles on the Farm, enjoying some sugarcane!

The White Eagle Fence is almost Complete!

It's been a long time coming… But yes, your eyes are not deceiving you! The White Eagle Home finally has a permanent wall and fence!!!

Now what's so exciting about that you may ask? Well, first of all we've needed one for AGES - 14 years to be precise - to keep the White Eagles safe. Second, they're not cheap. And third, it's one of the requirements for being a Registered Children's Home.

The local mechanics had practically taken over our playground, were prone to shouting suggestive comments at our girls and any play equipment we had was trashed. And so it was high time to do something about it.

With new double gates, a wall on one side for privacy and chain-link fence on the other two sides, we are finally secure. It's not quite finished - there is still a course of concrete to lay at the base of the fence to prevent animals (or people!) pushing it up and getting underneath. We also want to plant out the perimeter with bushes to add to the security, and make the place prettier!

It's a huge step forward. Praise God! And it wouldn't have been possible without your generosity. You know who you are. And you ROCK!

30 reasons to smile...

The White Eagle Project Monthly Reports for January and February are now published for your reading pleasure!

With 30 children heading back to school after the long holiday, there's plenty to smile about. But we've also had a Chicken Pox outbreak to contend with and some major Child Protection challenges to deal with.

Read all about what's happening with the White Eagles by downloading the report - please feel free to share with your friends, family, church, school or workplace!

Download the White Eagle Project Jan-Feb 2014 Report here.

Breaking news! We welcome two new boys to the WEP

This afternoon we've welcomed two new boys to the White Eagle Project, brothers aged 4 and 9. Their short lives have been unspeakably tragic so far, having suffered the kind of betrayal and trauma no child should have to endure.

Join us in praying that this is the beginning of something new, that their lives might be transformed, and that they might "fly high", higher than they have ever imagined. If you want to become part of this miracle-waiting-to-happen by being a sponsor, then please get in touch as soon as you can!

This is a seminal moment for the White Eagle Project. For over a year we've been working hard on meeting all the requirements necessary to complete our registration as an official Children's Home. We've worked on numerous policies, we've recruited new staff and done a huge amount of training, and we've developed the home itself, always on a very tight budgets.

But the hard work has paid off! We were inspected two weeks ago and although there are still a list of advisories to work on, the list is nowhere near as long as it was and they're very impressed with out progress and our approach. So much so they want to use us as an example of best practise, which is tremendous news.

It means that we can now accept referrals from the Probations Office, the local Government office in charge of looked-after children and Children at Risk, and we can step up in cases like those of these brothers.

But we couldn't do it without your support, so thank you! Please spread the word, and let everyone know we need sponsors. Please get in touch by email if you can help - click here. We want to be helping more children to smile like these ones!

Help us Celebrate Children!

At the White Eagle Project, our vision is to see vulnerable children 'fly high'! To do that, each member of our team needs to be an expert navigator to help them chart a route through the skies...

Imagine being confronted by the challenging behaviour of a girl who has suffered the most horrendous abuse from her father. Or a boy who has spent three years on the streets and knows precious little about love. Or the toddler, an offspring of incest, abandoned and ostracised by his family. Those are the kinds of challenges our team encounter each day.

Celebrating Children is probably the best course for training people to work with children dealing with these impossibly difficult situations. It was developed by an amazing charity called Viva, who are all about inspiring lasting change in children's lives. They help to establish networks of people and organisations who are working with children at risk, and inspire and train them to raise their game.

We're absolutely thrilled that the Kampala network - CARNAC - have agreed to come to Masaka and lead the training, and at a massively discounted rate. The training will be held at River of Life Church, and involves an intensive week every month for the next four months. There's coursework and exams and everything - it's the real deal!

Emily, Sarah and Julius did the course in 2011. It transformed them, and has transformed the White Eagle Project. We now have this golden opportunity to train more people! We want at least 12 members of our team - those involved in any children's work within River of Life - to get the benefit of this training. Although it's massively discounted (by nearly 75%) we still need to raise £720 for them all to do it. That's just £60 per person!

If you think you can help by funding half a place, or a full place, or even more than that, please click here to make a donation. It really is going to make a world of difference for our children. We will also be having people from other organisations in Masaka attend - Masaka is going to become a real beacon of best practise for working with children at risk!

Now, isn't that worth a thumbs up?

Oh Annie... you won't be an orphan for long!

You might recognise those lyrics from the Musical, Annie. We want to make families, not orphans which means working hard for reconciliation, and ensuring resettlement successfully helps every child to 'fly high!'

But every now and then we have a case where we wonder how it can happen. Our Annie* came to us last year from a terribly abusive family situation. She had suffered the worst betrayal any child could suffer from the hands of her father. We know of one case where, due to the shame brought on the family by such actions, a child has been killed rather than allow the 'evidence' to live. Thankfully in this case the authorities acted quickly, the Police were involved, arrests made and Annie came to us in secret.

Annie had a mother, but we had no idea where she was, and no way of contacting her. Annie hadn't seen her for years. With the rest of the family off limits for making any enquiries, we were left with very few options. In the meantime, as you can imagine, our Annie was exhibiting some extraordinarily challenging behaviour. The White Eagle Team were certainly kept on their toes, and their resolve tested to the limit.

Annie's behaviour improved, as we knew it would, but we were no closer to tracing her mother. Then, last month, Annie started praying. As a treat for finishing First Term, the Girls watched the Musical, Annie. Our Annie desperately wanted her mum to find her, just as Annie does in the film, but all Aunty Sarah could advise her to do was to pray.

What do you do in that situation? Do you worry about things like false hope and the potential for a little girl's broken heart yearning for a mother who, for all we know, may not even still be alive?

No. You join that little girl on her knees and pray. And pray. And pray. One week passed, then two. Week three came and still we prayed. And then, on the Friday afternoon, having searched for we don't know how long, Annie's mother and grandmother appeared in reception...

Annie was overwhelmed! Successful resettlement, especially in cases as traumatic as this one, take a lot of time, so she’ll be visiting her family every holiday and staying with us during school term time, with visits from her mum. This will help her to continue with the good start she's made at a supportive school whilst with us, help us to continue giving the expert care needed in such a traumatic case, and help her Mum to adjust to live looking after her own daughter again.

And in the meantime, we all praise God that nothing is impossible for Him!

Emily and Annie's Mum on that wonderful Friday

*We’ve changed Annie’s name in line with our privacy policy

A new Manager for the White Eagle Project

We're delighted to welcome Paul as the new White Eagle Team Manager, taking over this week from Sarah who has done an absolutely stirling job as Acting-Manager for MUCH longer than the 6 months she initially agreed to do.

Paul comes to us from a Swedish NGO where he has worked for 12 years, most recently as their Head of Administration. He has a wealth of experience in both the NGO sector and in Masaka's wider church life. He's a Pastor at a local church a few miles from us, helps to run a ministry for the elderly in his spare time and also chairs a Marriage and Family group drawn from Masaka churches.

He's a man after our own heart, and we're really looking forward to getting to know him!

Banana Smoothie Anyone?

Last weekend, we made Fresh Banana Juice at the WEP.....It took FOREVER!!!

Here’s how you make it:

1. Peel 80 yellow bananas and put them in a pan
2. Find some long thick dry grass stems, cut into 4 inch pieces, then put them in the pan
3. Pound, squelch and squash the mixture in the pan for 1 hour
4. Take out the banana and grass mush (which now looks like vomit!), squeezing out each handful as hard as possible
5. Pound some ginger, then add it to the banana juice and cook on the charcoal stove for 60 minutes, bringing it to the boil
6. Leave to cool for 12 hours
7. FINALLY drink!

Girl Power!

Holding her A-Level pass slip in her hands, Veronica (rt.) could hardly believe it... It was better than she'd hoped, far better. Better than her mocks, better than anything she had managed before. Veronica isn't someone who you'd say "oh, she's just naturally intelligent" about - she has worked her socks off, steadily improving her grades each year. She's a White Eagle graduate, resettled with her family back in 2010. Her story is one of poverty and challenge - she was even a “Missing Person” for a few years before coming to us.

But today she's looking at an A-Level Pass Slip that confirms she's one of the top performing girls in all of Masaka, getting A, B, B, C in four A-levels! And what’s more is in with a chance of a Government Scholarship for uni! Isn't that awesome?! Meanwhile Persist (left) is our highest achieving O Level candidate, missing out on a First Grade by just one mark!

It's for people like Veronica and Persist, and others who work just as hard (even if they don't achieve quite as highly academically!) that we've established the River of Life Leadership Academy. To help a generation of leaders EXPLODE out of Masaka to take on the challenges not just of Uganda but of the world!