This is Africa

    I am in awe of so many things here...the spirit of the people who are so loving and so, well, struggling.   At the commissioning ceremony for our latrine yesterday (which was attended by local politicians and school directors and the village elders and parents and teachers and students ) , in my speech I said that while our circumstances are very different, our kids share a common language, and that's beautifully expressed in the tiles.  Our school and community send their love, and we will keep you in our hearts.
    Really, we have to step up, and I need everybody's help.  I'm pretty overwhelmed, but Buppala is our sister school. Mirembe, too.  And here in Uganda, sisters and brothers take care of one another.  When you drive through the villages, you see older siblings taking care of younger siblings.  At Bupala they even have a school baby.  Baby Joshua belongs to Teacher Kristen, but you see him in being passed around from student to student all day long.  It's beautiful.  The welcome I received from both the Mirembe School and the Bupala community was over the top.  I just kept thinking, DO THEY REALIZE I'm JUST A SPASTIC LANGUAGE ARTS TEACHER???   And then I would remind myself, I'm representing all of  Radnor and all of the friends and family members and supporters, and especially RADNOR EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION.  I feel honored and humbled...and responsible for finding innovative ways to make these schools better.  I always tell my classes that it's an accident of birth that we are born into luxury or poverty.  But privilege is a responsibility....so we need to work together to try to help our pen pals realize their potential.
    We were given a tour of the village surrounding the Bupala School including a poorly stocked health center with a terrific health aide who showed me the measly pharmaceuticals that were on hand.  Malaria is common b/c the region is surrounded by swamps where rice is farmed.  We trekked into the rice fields and were invited into a farmer's hut.  Another guy went out and caught some mud fish to show us what they looked like (kinduv like giant slugs with gills).  We were clearly the first Mazungus to walk into the rice patties in this region.  It was so cool.  Once again, the hospitality of the poorest people was astonishing.
     After the tour we hung out with the kids and sat out a rain storm together. During the rain, I showed Namayumbe Frank how to use my camera, then we sat with about fifteen kids all smooshed around us while he selected which shots were worth keeping and which to eliminate.  It was amazing. Frank picked it up so quickly.  I'll try to attach some of his pics...this is a kid who has never touched a piece of electronic equipment in his life.  Did I mention there's no electricity here?
     Ach, I could go on and on, but I want to try and attach some photos now.  On Saturday I leave for safari.  Time to talk with the animals....first the gorillas inBiwindi National Forest, then to Queen Elizabeth Park.  Thank you for following this and for caring about our pen pals.  They have so much to teach us.   I love you...Jodi

Kids seeing pictures of themselves...some for the first time ever.

The health center near Bupala

Ceremony and dancing

The tiles!!

Bupala Primary School - photos coming!

Hello friends.  I have so much to share, and the connection here is uncertain, but I will try to fill you in on where I am and how our project is progressing.  Right now, I'm in a hotel outside of the village where Bupala School is.  Soon, we will take a taxi full of men, women, children, babies & chickens into the town of Idudi where we will hire a boda-boda (a motorcycle) to drive us to the village.  We pass little compounds with families and goats and cows...and when they see white ladies they laugh and wave.  "Mazungu! Mazungu!" they holler....white lady, white lady!  The school is a good distance from town, and many of the children have never seen a white person before.
    The children crowd around to welcome us, they shake our hands and giggle.  Some take a while to decide if they are brave enough to touch our hands.  This is an extremely poor area.  There are about 500 students in this school, and for many of them, going to school means going without food all day. Their school day goes from 7:30 until 5:30.    This is difficult to describe, but their teachers are trying to encourage the kids to learn what is required to pass the national exams - something like our PSSAs -but there are no textbooks or resources.  Some classes meet under a tree without even a chalkboard. I  can't imagine how they manage.
    The latrine is lovely.  Yesterday the tiles were being put up.  The head teacher held the tiles up and explained that they were made by you because you love us.  There's a lot of love here.  While people may be poor and hungry, they are magnanimous with their joy.  They wave and smile with no hesitation, and when they claim to be your friend, they mean it...there is no cynicism here.
    There's so much need here that determining how we can best help Bupala and Mirembe Schools is the next challenge.  I have some ideas that we will explore when I return, but there is no doubt that these are our sister schools, and we have so much to share.  Here in Uganda, people take care of one another and older siblings are primary care-takers, so we need to do what we can to take care of our sisters and brothers here.
    Tomorrow from noon to three is 'a commissioning' for the new latrine.  I think it's a big party.  I just requested that we be able to feed everyone something.  These kids are hungry...that's so hard to witness.  These occasions are full of official speeches and welcomings and closing remarks...and drumming and dancing and ululating (look that one up on you.tube!) .  In any case, I am humbled by their appreciation and I am honored to represent our pen pals and Radnor and Hollywood and America.  We have so much to learn from our friends here, and so much love to share.  So, I bid you farewell and send you my love and gratitude.  Be well,  and I can't wait to tell you more!

To Uganda with Love

Tomorrow I take off with 2 suitcases full of school supplies to share with our pen pals at the Bupala Primary School and at the Mirembe Primary School.  Thank you to Radnor Educational Foundation for your support and generosity.  REF is dedicated to providing Radnor students with meaningful opportunities to learn, grow and invent with creativity and compassion.  Tile Tales has been a phenomenal success, and it would never have been possible without the vision and leadership of REF, and the generosity of the RMS pen pals and amazing staff, the RTSD community, my neighbors, family and friends here and in Florida.  Another special thanks goes out to the MAR Club at RHS for donating refurbished computers to our sister schools in Uganda.  Thank you all, and stay posted.  I'll try to blog from Uganda if & when I can.  I will bring your love and well wishes to our pen pals.  Peace and love, Jodi

Macie Plotkin and her friend Maddie donated dozens of friendship bracelets along with supplies and directions for our pen pals to make their own.  How awesome are they?!

We made this!!!

Thank you Radnor community and REF. Hundreds of tiles are en route to Uganda...soon to cover the walls of this beautiful new potty :)

Thank you, friends and neighbors!

Our bbq and tile painting party was a blast thanks to the amazing spirit of my friends, students and neighbors who showed up and sweat it out.  Many thanks to our friends from Rittenhouse Farms who provided amazing turkey sausage.  Visit them at the Farmer's Market in Wayne and let them know how much they added to the fun.  Much love and gratitude to you all for sharing in this great adventure.  You are each part of the story now!

Amazing images of Bupala village as our bathroom grows.Click here!!

Look what's happening in Bupala this week!!!

BBQ & PORCH TILE PAINTING PARTY THIS FRIDAY!

UPDATE: TILE PAINTING PORCH PARTY & BBQ!!! 

This Friday, July 6th, 5 pm, at the home of Jodi Sabra - 133 Morning Side Circle, Wayne PA 19083.

 Come on out, paint a tile, share the excitement about the latrine already being built, excitement taking place at the Bupala School, as well as sending Jodi off with lots of love and hugs to finish building the latrine while putting up all the beautifully painted tiles. So exciting! 

Hope to see you all there!!!

PICTURES OF OUR POTTY IN PROGRESS!

This is so thrilling to watch  this grow.

                              

                                 A composting toilet grows from concern for others. 

                                                      

                                                           This is what happens when kids care!

Ready to Mail Tiles Today

Here we go...the tiles are wrapped in Radnor gym shirts that were abandoned in the Lost and Found.  I washed them all and carefully surrounded the tiles in shirts to distribute to the volunteers when I get to Bupala.  I can't wait to see the village outfitted in Radnorgear!   Julz was a great packing partner...and my parents did the initial tile wrapping when they were passing through Wayne.

 

Construction Continues...Days 3, 4, 5

Day 3

 

Day 4



Day 5



CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN!!!

Look!  Construction on the latrine started this past weekend.  Radnor Middle School students and families and friends of RTSD & REF, YOU made this possible.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this effort so far.  Our work continues!  I invite you all to attend a tile painting party on my porch FRIDAY, JULY 6th from 5:00 until it's too dark to paint (in which case, we'll likely start a campfire and roast jumbo marshmallows).   EVERYONE'S INVITED!  Let me know if you plan to attend.