africa day 5 – off to uganda

Day 5

Travel again! We are off to Uganda! Sometimes when I travel I am so filled with anticipation that I am giddy. That is how I felt traveling to Uganda. We were also beyond excited about the final destination for the sewing machine cutter! 32kg of weight – literally – lifted off our shoulders!  And we are off! Happy New Year and into 2008 (?!) I don’t know how many of you loved 2008 but for those of us who experienced the depth of the recession… we are not fans. But here is to learning and growing!

 

 

Ok so somethings are not as they appear in Africa or rather are not as straightforward as you might hope. Here is our latest travel example:
•    flight to KAMPALA is to ENTEBBE
•    they ask us to go through security and proceed down the stairs to a bus that is leaving for Darfur (we are not trying to go there)
•    no one seems to know what we are talking about
•    the plane is boarding when we are supposed to leave

 

 

Flight was smooth, except for my incessantly attempting to complete a crossword puzzle and talking the entire flight about nonsense. I was really excited for the work Days for Girls is doing!

 

 

Ok a little history…. Days for Girls is awesome. I will tell you why. They connect women and girls around the world based on one simple notion – we all get our period and its not cool and can sometimes be dangerous if you live in the developing world. Sometimes men attack women during this time in part due to the misinformation that they cannot get diseases and that the woman cannot become pregnant- both untrue. Days for Girls create reusable menstrual pads for women in developing countries, specifically Africa. Days for Girls send pads made by women around the world, teach girls to make their own pads, and teaches women how to make and sell the pads to support themselves and their families! Yes, I am a big fan! I know I spoke about this earlier but I am passionate about it and excited that this is what MCN Foundation is committed to and what we are doing.

 

 

Travel day goes well… in theory. We arrived in Entebbe – the name of the airport in Kampala one bag short. The one with the large metal plates for the sewing cutting machine! The last stop, we are so close, but so far! We ask at the baggage desk and they have no record of the bag… ummm wow. We file a report and plea and beg and head off the hotel.