Christmas in Uganda

We have entered the crazy season here in the States. Black Friday is now Black Thanksgiving, and shopping is the athletic event of choice. Honestly, since I hate crowds, it keeps me away from stores except Tuesdays at 10am, but retailers provide jobs, as do the manufactures of all the stuff people are buying, so whatever floats your boat...

But in Uganda, they aren't consumed by consumerism. It's kind of hard to be when Umeme (the power company) is having rolling black outs every day and even the nicest homes and businesses are without power a lot of the time. When you don't have money for beans for dinner, or rent for the month, much less a Christmas gift for your child. When your parents have died of HIV/Aids or cancer or TB. When you are running an orphanage on ever-dwindling donations, lucky to provide posho (corn meal mash) and beans once or twice a day.

No one can do everything. But everyone can do something. Will you? Will you make a donation this month to sponsor a child's school fees, or pay an elderly widow's rent, or pay for fuel for the hospice teams? Will you make a box for Operation Christmas Child at your local church or through the web? Will you donate shoes or children's clothes?

I know 2011 in the USA has been hard for a lot of people. And I'm just going to post some photos to give you a teeny tiny bit of perspective. Not to guilt you into anything...  Just to inform and educate. You are blessed beyond the wildest dreams of most of the world. If for absolutely nothing else than that you can have clean safe water to drink from any sink, hose,  or water fountain in the land...  Just something to think about.