1st Day in the Slums

The slums of Mbale are called the "Nomatoya District."  It's home to 20,000 residents, completely cut off from the city and/or virtually anything else.  There are not any services offered in Nomatoya, literally nothing.  What we are doing for the first week is touring around viewing projects that are already in the works, observing needs, and getting a feel for the people.  Let me tell you what- the people LOVE us!  Especially the children!  I could not believe the amount of children that were in the slums. They seemed to be crawling out of every crevasse   A woman in the slums bares an average of eight children.  They lack birth control or any luxuries at all for that matter.  Another reason being that it's literally the culture that every man cheats on his wife.  I didn't want to believe that for the first few days because I just saw that as a stereotype and a cynical point of view, but there's no denying it- it's their culture.  It is so sad, I cannot even imagine.  This also leads to the further spread of HIV.  When people want to do it, they will do it, with who they want to do it.  It's such a different climate, I can't wrap my brain around it.  I hope this doesn't forever make me mistrust  men. :X
A family in the slums makes an average of less than 1,000 shillings per day (that's less than 40 U.S. CENTS per day).  The "houses" aka tiny huts with straw roofs are literally the size of my downstairs bathroom is home to 10-15 people.  Everyone was so nice to us though, I could not get over it.  Here we were, these obviously privileged white people strolling through the dirt roads of the slums and yet they greeted us without any resentment or any bitterness.  They met us with huge smiles and came up to touch us.  That's another thing- people touch us CONSTANTLY.  Especially the children.  When we walk by all I hear is, "Mzungoo! Mzungoo!" (meaning, "White person!").  Then they run up to us, and hold their hands out for us to shake them or grab their hands. Most children of the slums have never seen a white person before, we are just some distant tale to them and when they see us they lose their minds.  They also try to take sneaky little strokes at my hair, I'm the only blonde in my group and they've literally never seen blonde hair.  There were constantly a herd of at least 20 children following us as we walked and there were at least 3 children holding each of my hands.  It was honestly one of the most content, happy moments of my life.  There was innocence of children surrounding me everywhere and not only were they innocent, but they were happy.  A young girl named Diana wore only a t-shirt covered completely in holes, I'm on even sure how the cloth held itself together.  She held my hand for HOURS, and would not let go for any reason.  When I had to tell her bye she looked so confused and I wanted to take her home and protect her forever.  The slums were literally that, slums, it's so hard to describe and honestly it's something that you have to see first hand to believe- pictures nor words can do it justice.

Just hanging out with my bud- yep, he's naked.  Very typical!  A lot of times (especially in the slums even though this wasn't taken there) toddlers are naked because the families don't have enough money to even clothe the children.

At the beginning of the day we hiked the top of the mountain behind us to the waterfalls. I like to think I'm in shape, but I was DYING!  Seriously the hardest physical thing I've ever done, and it was by far the highest I've ever been not in an airplane. Man almighty