We Get to Build A Brick House! (Well, Part of It.....)

During our visit to Uganda, we spent three days helping build a brick house.  How did we suddenly turn into brick slingers and brick layers?

Before I describe what we did, I'd like to explain why we did it.

Margaret with Diana

I'd like to introduce you to Margaret.  Margaret is the mother of Dorothy, one of the sponsor children who attends a Compassion program at the local church.  Dorothy is 14, and wants to be a doctor when she grows up.

Margaret is one awesome woman!  She had nine children - two died, two have grown and left home, and 5 still live with her.  Her husband also died.  Margaret babysits to earn a meager living.  In the last 12 months or so, someone dropped off a child with her for babysitting and never came back.  Nobody else in the village wanted the abandoned baby - so Margaret is raising her as her own.  Margaret barely has enough to keep things going, but she thinks nothing of taking in an abandoned child....

Margaret's House

Here's Margaret's house.  Rain comes in the roof, newspapers are used where there should be window glass, and the walls are cracked all the way from ground to roof.  It is believed the house is structurally unsound.

One of the Cracked Walls in Margaret's House



Another Cracking/Crumbling Wall
















Here's the interior of her house.


The Sitting Room Furniture 

 The sitting room, with the only furniture:

The Bed That Six People Share

The bedroom, with the single bed that Margaret and the six children all use.  Note the man standing on the pile of concrete, where the walls are crumbling....

Recently, it came to the church's attention that the house Margaret and Dorothy were living in was unsafe.  The church wanted to provide a safe living environment for Dorothy, her mother and siblings.  The church didn't have the resources to build a new house, so they requested help via Compassion International's "Complimentary Interventions" program, which addresses situations that can derail a child's development into a healthy Christian adult.  If the house falls down on you....well, you won't be a healthy Christian adult!

The funding was approved, and the church is now building the house for the family.  AND - they let us help!  FORTUNATELY for Margaret and her family, the church hired REAL bricklayers, so the house should stand for a long time when it's done.  We got to work alongside the bricklayers - and came to really appreciate the work bricklayers do!  It's not as easy as it looks!!!

The Brick Pile

Here's the pile of bricks we had to start with.  When you don't have a forklift, guess how you move the bricks?  You take a "bucket brigade" approach, throwing bricks from person to person until you get them where you need them.



Mzungus Tossing Bricks



 

  

Neighbors Stopping by to Watch

By the way....this project to rebuild Margaret's house really got the neighbors talking!   The news of what the church is doing to help the people of the community was spreading like wildfire - it didn't hurt the publicity that a bunch of mzungus (white people are rarely seen there) were part of the team working on the house!



The Neighbor Woman Who Helped Us Throw Bricks

 One neighbor lady stopped by and joined the brick brigade (see the lady in the colorful dress).  She kept up with the best of us.  And anytime we slowed down or took a break, she gave us a piece of her mind - there was still work to be done!!!


 

Making Mortar - the Hard Way....

Mortar was made by hand.  You bring in sand, dig up some (clay) dirt, mix the sand and dirt, and then mix in water.  Not an easy job!!!











 Time to lay the bricks - good thing they checked our work carefully!

Checking to Ensure Our Bricks are Level




One of Our Little "Helpers" From the Neighborhood



The Progress on the New House after Three Days


We didn't complete the entire house in three days, but we made a pretty good start.  Here's where we left things.  The bricklayers continued without us (and probably went alot faster without our "help"!)












Diana, Nervously Hoping Someone Will Return to Claim This Child



I have to admit that, given the number of abandoned children we kept seeing during our visit, I had a moment of panic when someone came up and dropped this little cutey into my arms.  Had I just been given a child to raise????  Fortunately, they later came and took her back!

Eddie with His New "Friends"

Anytime you have an unusual project going on, and especially when Mzungus (white people) are involved, you are bound to attract attention.  We found ourselves with crowds of children watching - and some of them, as you will see, were great big hams!  Of course, it didn't hurt that we had stickers and other fun stuff..... I'm including the best pictures of the kids for your enjoyment!