Hi Friends, 

It's a beautiful day here, thanks to quite a bit of rain throughout the night. My belly is on the mend, enough so that I bought lunch for the team at my favorite restaurant. I stuck with rice and beans, just to play it safe. After paying the bill, I thought to myself "I wonder how many people who made donations are wondering where their money is going?" so here we are, with a new blog subject. But first, some photos of Picho and I, picking up lunch... 😁

The big expenses are obvious, such as my flight, which varies a bit from year to year. This year, my flight was $1300.00 USD with an additional $650 towards extra luggage to bring supplies. I pay for all extra costs of staying anywhere on my way to or back from Uganda. $1000 of donations (Thank you LeeAnn and Jason!) went to buying 30 solar lamps, $555.14 went towards other supplies that I have mentioned previously (pens, mini wireless printers, extra printer paper, thumb drives, rain ponchos). Supplies that I purchase in the US are either not available in Uganda or are more expensive or lower quality if available in Uganda. I also purchased headlamp beanies for the trainers and team, but those were paid for by me. I wore one when I went to Kenya last year, and they were a huge hit, which is why I left mine with our Guide. 

James, bundled up on a cool Kenyan morning, wearing the headlamp beanie!

So many people here have to walk to and from work in the dark and temperatures drop at night, so it's the perfect gift. The lamps are USB rechargeable, which is easily accessed here, and also rechargeable using the solar lamps. I will often come with gifts for the team, but they are always something useful that cannot be found in Uganda.

If any of you have ever bought clothing from 32 Degrees, specifically the Cool line, they are a must for traveling in hot weather. This year I brought 3 Cool polos with me, and they held up incredibly well at the surgical camp. Gulu is expected to be much warmer than in Kampala, so I'm glad I brought them along. I had the local printer add my credentials and the new ITW Logo, and the total for printing on the 3 shirts came to 20,000 UGX/$5.11 USD. 

The men's polos are on sale at the moment, so I have offered to buy some for the guys to bring back with me on my next visit and they can get them printed here for so much cheaper than in the US (and put money into a local business). These types of shirts are not available here, which is the only reason I am choosing to buy them at home and bring them back.

From the same gentleman who printed my shirts, I will be purchasing 10 cargo vests, with the ITW logo on the front and mission statement printed on the back, for the team and trainers to wear and a packet of 100 stickers with the new logo, mission statement, website and phone number. Stickers will be placed on the solar lamps, computers, etc... The total for this order is 1,035,000 UGX/$264.38. Keep in mind that one of our goals is to increase our visibility within the Ugandan community and also ensure that our logo and/or mission statement is visible in photos that taken and used for promotion. 

Each of the clinics we are currently working with need a dry erase board, to help them track the number of scans performed on a monthly basis. Renny will put a list together and I have offered to pay for those as well. Detailed record keeping is so important for continued funding, and often overlooked by overworked healthcare workers who are not accustomed to such a necessity, so finding tools that help make this easier may seem insignificant, but it is essential.

I paid for the hotel and meal costs for the 1-week Surgical Camp, which came to 450,000 UGX/$105.48 USD (Unbelievable, right??). Donations will be funding the 3-week training trip to the Gulu district, which will be approximately $2000.00. The exact amount may come in under $2000, but I decided to send the full amount to ITW regardless and anything leftover can be used as they see fit. 

I can make my own meals or do my own laundry but paying a local to do it (like when we are up in Gulu) gives them an opportunity to make some extra money. When I am back in Kampala, I pay Eddie to do my laundry (20,000 UGX/$4.69 USD per load). I usually try to buy lunch for the team or pick up dinner for Eddie and Rian a couple times a week. Today's lunch for 5 of us was 65,000 UGX/$15.24 USD. I have noticed that often the guys will spend the whole day working without eating at all, or very little. I bought lunch for the driver who brought Allan and I home from the surgical camp, who drove us 3.5 hours home and had to turn around immediately and drive back. I also buy food/snacks for myself, etc... Often, the everyday expenses are taken out of my own account, because I want to save the donations for the big stuff, like the brochures, cargo vests, and equipment. Transportation and gas are paid for as I go. 

Other expenses include:

Travel Health Clinic     $357.00

Malaria meds               $116.02

eVisa                            $50.00

Practitioners License    $100.00                 

 All of the donations are kept in a separate account and any amount left over at the end of a trip stays in the account and is used towards the next one. I was awarded a $500 reimbursement scholarship from one of my professional organizations, which will go back into the donation account. 

Asking for donations is uncomfortable for me, even though I am so passionate about what I do, and I believe this is such a worthy cause. I want everyone who donates to feel that their money is being well utilized and going where it is supposed to. This is also why I also allow anyone to designate their money to something specific, is they so desire. 

I hope that you are all confident that I am doing the best I can with the funds you donate, and this helps to clarify my gratitude for your support. 

Rian is home from school and can barely stand the fact that I am still at my computer. 😂 The nerve!

So, I will sign off and wish you all well.

Much love, Jo/MB