Restoration Gateway

On Friday, I headed to Karuma, Uganda with a friend to visit the NGO, Restoration Gateway. I have visited many NGOs during my time here, but none quite as amazing as this one. Now, I know this is 281 km (about 174 miles) would normally take about 4 hours, but the roads here are very challenging and our whole trip took 8-9 hours.

First, we took bodas down to the stage (bus stop) in order to get a taxi to Kampala. This usually costs a little less than .50 (Shs 1,000). The ride takes about 10 minutes. I feel safe on the motorcycles here in Mukono, but I would not ride them in the city. I don't mind the bodas as long as I can sit straight. The challenge comes when you have to carry luggage or groceries on them in a skirt. I have not mastered sitting sideways.

Around 2, we caught a taxi to Kampala. Just in case you forgot what these look like, I have a pictures to help you understand.

There are so, so many taxis here. They are easy to get and cheap (about $1 to Kampala). So, it took about an hour to get to Kampala and then we headed to the bus terminal. Again, the transportation is cheap. It costs us about $8 (Shs 20,000) for the journey from Kampala to Karuma. I took this pic from the bus.

Here is a picture of the bus terminal. I took this picture from my seat on the bus. Yes, it is crazy! You can literally get any kind of snack or service here, including cell phone charging...all for a fee, of course. Once you get on the bus, you have to wait for it to fill up. We waited close to two hours for everyone to get on and then we headed to Karuma.

Traveling here is hard to describe unless you go through it. The ride is incredible bumpy with many stops along the way. We sat in the back and many times you are actually lifted of your seat because of the speed bumps or the bus having to dodge another oncoming vehicle. Some of the road is pavement, but most is just rough gravel because of construction. What is paved is usually a single road with many potholes, which often narrows to where one car can get by because of erosion. A two-lane road often encourages buses to pass slower vehicles and they do it at breakneck speeds often with oncoming traffic in sight. All vehicles use the same road including semis, coach buses, people walking, and cars.

Need a goat?

It is unbelievable. NOTHING is air conditioned and since it is the dry season, things are very, very hot. I know those of you in the U.S. will not empathize with me because you are sick of winter, but being hot and sweaty on an 8 hour bus journey is not fun. The bus only stops once along the way for a "short call" (bathroom) or to pick up snacks, but there are many, many stops for food along the way. I eat everything, which might explain why I have had parasites several times, but I love the food. I think I have gained about 5-10 pounds, but I know it will come back off when I head back to the land of salads.

mchomo (goat/beef)

gonja (roasted plantains)

Kampala is the largest city in Uganda and has the most access to goods. Many people come to Uganda to buy things and then take them back to the village and sell them. These goods may include construction items, suitcases, sacks of clothes, etc. All of these things have to go INSIDE the bus. So, imagine people, along with all of these goods sitting in seats and the aisle. In fact, getting out of the bus was like going through an obstacle course. We reached (arrived) Karuma at about 10 p.m. on Friday night.

We were going to take a boda, but there were none around. Daniel called his brother and they headed down to pick us up. The center was a little over three miles from Restoration Gateway (RG). As we waited for Emma and Moses to pick us up, we started walking down a long, dark road. Most Ugandans are used to the darkness because of the rolling blackouts, but I am not. I hate dark places. But I was assured that it was safe and we headed down the road. As we headed down the road, Emma and Moses picked us up and we headed to our accommodations for the night. Daniel stayed with his brother and I stayed in one of the houses.

RG was created out of a need to take care of orphans whose parents were killed in the war or by AIDS. The organization is based in Waco, Texas. They have a primary school, dental center, chicken house, various crops, gym, library, and houses for the children.

Each house contains about 8-10 children with a Ugandan mom. There are about 100 children on site. There are also several missionaries there including several doctors and teachers.

The campus is beautiful and overlooks the River Nile.

While we were there, they had an engineering team from EMI (Engineering Ministries International). Their main purpose during the week was to evaluate the structures, survey the land, and design a 180 bed hospital. We were privileged to hear their report on Saturday night before they left on Sunday. It was amazing to see the progress they have made and the future plans. We were also able to attend a church service there on Sunday morning, which was in Acholi and English. Nothing thrills me more than being a part of a bilingual event!

Overall, we had a great weekend and I really enjoyed my time at RG. To learn more about this NGO, check out their webpage here