{"id":4682,"date":"2024-05-15T14:19:41","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T12:19:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/?p=4682"},"modified":"2024-05-17T16:33:05","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T14:33:05","slug":"this-is-how-the-children-of-horemi-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/this-is-how-the-children-of-horemi-live\/","title":{"rendered":"This is how the children of HOREMI live"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cHow do the chil\u00addren live? And how are they doing?\u201d These are common ques\u00adtions that we can now answer thanks to the insights we gained during our visit to HOREMI in March 2024.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First of all, it is impor\u00adtant to know that Uganda is one of the poorest coun\u00adtries in the world despite its rich nature. Accord\u00adingly, the living condi\u00adtions cannot be compared with our western stan\u00addards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our opinion, the chil\u00addren at HOREMI are doing well, espe\u00adcially by local stan\u00addards. They are safe, live in a good commu\u00adnity, have a roof over their heads, are fed regu\u00adlarly and can go to school. None of this can be taken for granted in Uganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Location & surroundings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hope and Rescue Missions Inter\u00adna\u00adtional, HOREMI, is situ\u00adated in a quiet and secluded loca\u00adtion about 25 kilo\u00adme\u00adters east of Iganga, the capital of the district of the same name. The last ten kilo\u00adme\u00adters lead along a dusty dirt road past small hamlets and scat\u00adtered huts. The \u201croad\u201d gets narrower and bumpier, and when you can go no further, you have arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The build\u00adings of HOREMI stand on a large open space surrounded by fields and a few small houses and huts of the adja\u00adcent neigh\u00adbors: the two dormi\u00adto\u00adries for boys and girls, a chicken coop, a ruin (which is to become the new office of the orphanage), \u201cThe Shade\u201d (a covered open space), two latrines (one each for the orphanage and school), the new school building and the newly built small kitchen house with store\u00adroom.<\/p>\n\n\n

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On the way to HOREMI: Typical street scene, here the local butcher\u2019s shop with attached snack bar \u2026<\/p><\/div>\n

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The 0\u00b0 show: HOREMI is close to the equator. The \u201croads\u201d shown here in bold are single-lane dirt tracks. In general, Google Maps should be used with caution in Uganda.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The entrance to the HOREMI school: the new school building in the shade on the left, the play\u00adground on the right, the school toilet in the back\u00adground.<\/p><\/div>\n

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In front of the school building is the spacious play\u00adground and sports field. The house in the back\u00adground no longer belongs to HOREMI, a neighbor lives here.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The \u201cmain street\u201d of HOREMI: the school on the right, the old kitchen building on the left, which now serves as a \u201cdrinks machine\u201d (clay jugs with water). The bright roof at the back belongs to \u201cThe Shade\u201d, a covered open space between the boys\u2019 and girls\u2019 dormi\u00adto\u00adries.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Kitchen house and pantry (still under construc\u00adtion). In the fore\u00adground, the ubiq\u00adui\u00adtous yellow water canis\u00adters. In the back\u00adground, a few shady spots for the lunch break.<\/p><\/div>\n

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On the left the chicken coop, next to it the latrine for the orphanage. The boys\u2019 dormi\u00adtory on the far right.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Sleeping & Living<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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The orphanage consists of one dormi\u00adtory for the girls and one for the boys. Each house has two rooms, one for the little ones and one for the older chil\u00addren. The little ones share a bed in pairs. Rather unusual for us, but a posi\u00adtive normality for the chil\u00addren. Many of them never had a bed in their previous lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dormi\u00adto\u00adries are only for sleeping, they \u201clive\u201d, learn and play outside. Meals are usually also served outside, but on special occa\u00adsions or when it rains really hard (oh yes, it does rain here \u2026) a class\u00adroom is converted into a dining hall.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The boys\u2019 dormi\u00adtory. Typi\u00adcally \u201ca bit disor\u00adga\u00adnized\u201d, says Kenneth :-). The little ones share a bed. A big step forward, because in the old days they slept on thin floor mats.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Similar picture and system for the girls. Not in the picture: the room temper\u00ada\u00adture of 38 degrees Celsius \u2026
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One of the four solar-powered \u201csun glasses\u201d brought along, which will bring light into the dark\u00adness at night in the orphanage.<\/p><\/div>\n

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A short power nap before lessons start again: the home-made school benches are multi\u00adfunc\u00adtional.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cDining room\u201d in the shade of a mango tree.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The shady school veranda is a popular lounge and break area. However, colorful soft drinks are not part of the normal supply, but in this case an appre\u00adci\u00adated small dona\u00adtion from the German guests.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The \u201cboss\u2019s office\u201d also serves as a teaching mate\u00adrials store and medi\u00adcine cabinet.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Cooking & Eating<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Food is a central item on the HOREMI agenda \u2014 and the biggest cost factor. Lukia, the cook, prepares all meals on an open fire in the newly built small kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The HOREMI kids (the orphan\u00adage\u2019s \u201cown\u201d chil\u00addren) are given a small break\u00adfast in the morning consisting of tea, some milk, chapati (flat\u00adbread) and some\u00adtimes a banana or some toast. Some of this is kept by the chil\u00addren as a snack. Five days a week, lunch consists of posho (maize porridge) and beans or cabbage. On Thurs\u00addays and Sundays, the cook serves rice with broth and a tiny piece of meat. The portions of the side dishes are substan\u00adtial, but we have never seen a plate not completely eaten. The left\u00adovers from lunch are served for dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The school kids from outside who can pay for it also get the usual lunch. Everyone else (the poorer majority) gets a cup of liquid porridge: thin milk with a little oatmeal. Some chil\u00addren bring their own food, for example sweet pota\u00adtoes or plan\u00adtains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no running water for cooking, drinking and washing; it has to be brought in canis\u00adters from the bore\u00adhole around 200 meters away. A \u201cwaterman\u201d takes on the lion\u2019s share of this very stren\u00aduous work, but the chil\u00addren also fill and carry smaller canis\u00adters in the evenings, while they skill\u00adfully balance slightly larger ones on their heads.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Kitchen with single-burner stove and XXL cook\u00adware. All meals for the HOREMI chil\u00addren and other (paying) pupils are prepared here.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Water does not come out of the tap at HOREMI, but has to be labo\u00adri\u00adously brought in canis\u00adters.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Cook Lukia distrib\u00aduting the lunch ration fairly.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Rice is served twice a week. And it has to be checked for stones and unwanted foreign protein before\u00adhand.  <\/p><\/div>\n

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Serving food in the class\u00adroom that was quickly converted into a dining hall. There is rice and cabbage. A piece of sweet potato and a fork for the guests. The chil\u00addren and most of the teachers eat with their (right) hand.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The portions at lunch are very generous, even for the little ones. Dinner consists of left\u00adovers from lunch.  <\/p><\/div>\n

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It looks like dessert, but in this case it is an exclu\u00adsive starter. Fresh fruit is expen\u00adsive and there\u00adfore rarely on the menu.<\/p><\/div>\n

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After the meal, the dishes are washed up together without grum\u00adbling and the draining rack is slightly larger than usual.   <\/p><\/div>\n

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Sweet soda is only served on special occa\u00adsions and is there\u00adfore enjoyed rever\u00adently and in small doses.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Housekeeping & agriculture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In addi\u00adtion to the manage\u00adment and teaching staff, other \u201clocals\u201d are involved in the day-to-day running of HOREMI. The \u201cMatron\u201d Peruse is respon\u00adsible for child\u00adcare, laundry, farm animals and the kitchen. Brian is the man in charge of agri\u00adcul\u00adture and a stand-in for every\u00adthing else. Lukia is the cook and helps out at the orphanage and school. A water sprite and a night watchman complete the team. And of course all the chil\u00addren are involved in the daily chores. What struck us very posi\u00adtively was how inde\u00adpen\u00addently and natu\u00adrally the chil\u00addren take on all kinds of tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Ugandan washing machines and tumble dryers don\u2019t need elec\u00adtricity (which doesn\u2019t exist here anyway), but hard-working hands do.             <\/p><\/div>\n

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Multi\u00adfunc\u00adtional court\u00adyard: The laundry dries just as well here as the rice, which the free-range chickens also like to snack on.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Clearly arranged kitchen cupboard acces\u00adsible from all sides with 360 degree venti\u00adla\u00adtion.<\/p><\/div>\n

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As soon as the chil\u00addren are a little older, they take care of the little ones as a matter of course.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Everyone has their own job. And if it doesn\u2019t fit, it\u2019s made to fit.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Proud fleet of vehi\u00adcles: A bicycle that still lives up to its name and a so-called \u201cBoda Boda\u201d (small motor\u00adcycle, the public trans\u00adport stan\u00addard in Uganda).<\/p><\/div>\n

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The current live\u00adstock: 3 cows, 11 goats and 45 chickens (which are unfor\u00adtu\u00adnately also very popular with thieves).<\/p><\/div>\n

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A little farming contributes to HOREMI\u2019s liveli\u00adhood. Ground nuts, the second most impor\u00adtant legume in Uganda (after beans), grow on this field. The crop is harvested twice a year.<\/p><\/div>\n

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A small trial field for maize, with banana plants in the back\u00adground. Although there is plenty of natural irri\u00adga\u00adtion overall, it is very irreg\u00adular. And there is prob\u00adably a lack of adapted seed.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Take that, Swabians! At HOREMI, the side\u00adwalk is swept every (!) evening \u2026<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Children, children \u2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How worth\u00adwhile are the efforts of Naume, Kenneth, the whole HOREMI team and you, our friends and spon\u00adsors? Have a look your\u00adselve:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Made possible by your support. Mwebaale<\/a>!<\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cHow do the chil\u00addren live? And how are they doing?\u201d These are common ques\u00adtions that we are happy to answer here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":4765,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-horemi"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4682"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4772,"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4682\/revisions\/4772"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horemi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}