HOPE IN THE MIDST

Yep… this week in Uganda. Meet the Nile Perch! (pic by Dru...

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:15:03 +0300

Yep… this week in Uganda. Meet the Nile Perch!

(pic by Dru Collie)

Light Gives Heat’s Curated Collection From East Africa:...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:54:49 +0300

Light Gives Heat’s Curated Collection From East Africa: Hand-Picked, Hand-Packaged, and Just in Time forMother’s Day!

http://goo.gl/Qnq3Z

Harriet is an angel. Without her we would be dirt red from...

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 05:02:13 +0300

Harriet is an angel. Without her we would be dirt red from head to toe 24/7. So who is this angel? She is our housekeeper and washing machine – and what a machine she is.

Each morning she arrives at about 8:30. All maybe 100 pounds of her gathers up mountains of laundry (for nine people) and heads to the back porch. Here, she fills a small basin with water and begins to hand scrub each and every piece of our grimy clothes – including baby Silas’s multiple diapers! She scrubs relentlessly until each item is clean and then hauls all the clothes, towels, etc. to the front yard and hangs them on the line and bushes.

If it were me, at this point I would collapse on the couch and beg for someone to please bring me an ice cold glass of tea. But NO! It is then that she heads again to the back porch and begins to iron on a table/box/dog pen/desk. Every square inch of clothing, towels and sheets are meticulously ironed to kill any mango fly eggs so they don’t nest in our skin.

Only then does she fold every article of clothing neatly and put it in a pile for us to collect.

THEN – she heads indoors to sweep, mop, clean bathrooms and windows.

All of this is completed by around 2 p.m. when she heads to her second job.

Keep in mind this is in tropical weather with no air conditioning or fan. She never complains, politely says “hello,” and smiles when I give her chocolate.

Hopefully any time I feel like whining about too much work, I’ll remember sweet Harriet and know that I’m being a weenie. You rock Harriet!

The String of Pearls: The Way of Women

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:34:42 +0300

The String of Pearls: The Way of Women:

thestringofpearls:

Betty’s friend “produced!” The woman who was in labor FOREVER (like two weeks) finally had a baby girl! And she and the baby both lived. Miracle!

I asked Betty if she was done producing now and Betty said no – she’ll keep producing until she has a boy. She then explained to me…

thestringofpearls: Holy Safari! Just 10 - 20 feet away from...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:27:14 +0300

thestringofpearls:

Holy Safari!

Just 10 - 20 feet away from most of the animals - including lions! A Nile River cruise with only Carsyn, Haley, me and the guide - with a family of elephants playing and swimming 15 feet away! Sleeping in a tent with hippos grazing nearby - amazing! Magical. Just magical!

thestringofpearls: More Murchison National Park Safari photos!

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:26:58 +0300

thestringofpearls:

More Murchison National Park Safari photos!

carsynfritzler: Dennis (also known as Abraham) teaching me how...

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 01:41:03 +0300

carsynfritzler:

Dennis (also known as Abraham) teaching me how to ride the boda this afternoon. At first I didn’t know why were stopping and then he just got off and got on the back and said “tugende” which means “we go”. It was a little scary at first and he couldn’t stop laughing at me but it was pretty fun! :)

thestringofpearls: Late Tuesday night Betty headed out into...

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 01:40:00 +0300

thestringofpearls:

Late Tuesday night Betty headed out into the dark night by herself. Although she was frightened, she said God told her to go to her friend producing (having a baby) at the hospital.

The next morning I asked how her friend was and she told me that she had been having terrible pain since the last part of February (when she was due) and that she finally went to the hospital on Sunday. She is alone, as her husband is away at work in another town and her other three children are at neighbors’ houses.

Betty said her pain was severe but she was not “opening” (dilating). She said that everyone thought she was having twins because she was so large. I asked why they didn’t do a caesarean and she said because her friend would not give them permission because she did not want to die. Apparently a large percentage of woman in Uganda die from caesarean section – often from incorrect doses of anesthesia.

This afternoon Betty is going to see her again and take her hot water so she could wash and have something warm to drink. I guess I never thought about a hospital with no hot water. Betty also said that if she doesn’t “open” today she’ll go home because there is “nothing the hospital can do.” I am fearful she may die.

Our Ugandan friend, Gerald, said that many, many women and babies die in childbirth because they can’t afford to go to the hospital. And even in the hospital the care is “not certain.”

Then, I look around at all of the pregnant women and wonder if they’re scared. If they worry about dying and leaving their babies without a mother – or if they’ll ever get to meet the baby inside of them.

Women in the towns and cities have an average of 3 – 4 children, but in outlying villages they often have 8 or more. The thing is, they need children to help with never-ending chores, make income when they can and take care of them when they’re old.

I asked Gerald, “What if couples don’t want to have children?” He looked at me like I was from another planet and asked me to repeat myself. He then laughed and said he didn’t know anyone who had made that choice. Everyone has children.

Then I asked, “What if the woman, because of something physical, is unable to produce?” He said then the man could marry another woman and have two wives – or more. “What if the man can’t produce?” I asked. He said he didn’t know, but certainly the woman wouldn’t be able to have another husband.

All said, it is such a miracle we see so many beautiful, smiling children and their lovely mothers. I’ll keep you posted on Betty’s friend.

A little sneak peek at a new SUUBI line we are working on in...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 23:16:55 +0300

A little sneak peek at a new SUUBI line we are working on in Uganda at the moment!

thestringofpearls: A Little Shopping! Last Monday Megan took...

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 07:19:53 +0300

thestringofpearls:

A Little Shopping!

Last Monday Megan took us to Kilombera, a place just outside of Jinja where craftspeople loom stunning scarves (like the ones Light Gives Heat had in their marketplace collection at Christmas), blankets, towels, aprons and much more.

Gerald took us on a tour. It was fascinating! I can’t believe how much work is put into these - days and days! Makes me appreciate my scarf even more!

(NOTE: Some amazing products that LGH has been and will be working with in the near future!)

Photo

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 07:16:56 +0300

Sole Hope + Light Gives Heat.

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 07:12:20 +0300

Sole Hope + Light Gives Heat.

This happened this week at our LGH House. yep… that...

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 07:11:46 +0300

This happened this week at our LGH House. yep… that happened.

Since Oliver ran away a couple days ago, the Collies decided to get another puppy. This is blossom, she was the owner of Adrift’s but they are moving to Canada so they were looking for a loving home for blossom. She’s only been here an hour and already she’s decorated with SUUBI beads and a flower headband. She does really well with the kids too!

Another week of creating beautiful SUUBI Jewelry in Jinja,...

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 20:32:38 +0300

Another week of creating beautiful SUUBI Jewelry in Jinja, Uganda, by our even more beautiful women of SUUBI. So impressed with not only our Staff in Uganda and their design skills, but also by the fact that week after week they are helping create over 100 jobs!

top pic: a local chicken is getting the first sneak peek of some of our Spring Line

Bottom Left & right pics: We are proud to have an ongoing relationship with an amazing “girls dress line” out of New York City, called MimiVail. Every season they help our Designer come up with a matching design for their upcoming line of dresses. take a look at http://www.mimivail.com

Working hard in Uganda right now trying to get our Spring Line...

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 03:16:23 +0300

Working hard in Uganda right now trying to get our Spring Line ready and out to America! Keep checking back to see progress.

I have another few days before I need to turn it in, so please...

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:29:56 +0300

I have another few days before I need to turn it in, so please feel free to let me know your thoughts. Basically this is LGH’s new Ad for Relevant Magazine’s 10th Anniversary.

As I wrote and designed it - I really just wanted to convey the heart and mind set of what makes us (and myself) tick as an organization. Hope that makes sense. Thanks all!

We wanted to share a few photos from our Christmas party in...

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 03:19:33 +0300

We wanted to share a few photos from our Christmas party in Uganda. Thank you to everyone who donated and made this possible!

"If you’re really listening, if you’re awake to the poignant beauty of the world, your heart breaks..."

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 09:03:52 +0300

“If you’re really listening, if you’re awake to the poignant beauty of the world, your heart breaks regularly. In fact, your heart is made to break; its purpose is to burst open again and again so that it can hold ever-more wonders.”

- Andrew Harvey

A few more portraits from our last two sessions.

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:05:30 +0300

A few more portraits from our last two sessions.

A few more shots from some our recent portrait sessions. One of...

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 00:29:00 +0300

A few more shots from some our recent portrait sessions. One of our favorite moments was showing one of the women her portrait on the camera back and hearing her exclaim, “I look smart!”

Tiffaney Adams and Emily Blackshire, current volunteers