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Fun with friends in the UK. Florence in the daffodils.
Ruby getting soaked at Southwold beach and visiting the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern.
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Jinja, mark 3
I was sweating as I desperately tried to grab the end of the intramedullary pin with the oversized pliers I had,through the tiny incision I had made. The blood kept coming and making it difficult to see and the end of the pin was so short the pliers couldn't get a grip. The students were looking and expectant. I just had the thought "I'm not going to get this" when the pliers gripped and the pin slid out! The pin came out with no complications and the wound was closed uneventfully, but there was that moment of uncertainty which comes into many of the surgeries that we do here.
I had been asked by Kendra to remove the pin from a dog who had broken her leg and had it operated on at Makarere University whilst I was in the UK. The fracture had healed well and the pin removal was a relatively straight forward job! This was the third time I had taken students to visit Kendra in Jinja, a town two hours East of Kampala.
Kendra rescues dogs and re-homes them after training, vaccinating and neutering them. The students at Makarere have a paucity of practical subjects for surgery so our partnership is a win win situation.
This was our third visit to do surgeries at Kendra's. On this trip, I took six fifth year students and we performed seven castrations, two speys and the pin removal. Kendra provided accommodation and food and in return we performed the surgeries. A colleague, Emily Arndt, a qualified veterinary Technician/nurse was also with us. Emily's experience working with small animals, especially with anaesthetics was really helpful.
The students all had the chance to do multiple surgeries and we also had the opportunity to visit a local veterinary practice at a Sugar Manufacturing estate. This practice was equipped like a surgery in the UK, with lab, autoclave, operating lights, table, X-ray, electro cautery and kennels. It was great for the students to see how a practice can look.
Whilst away we had the chance to discuss how God can allow "rain" or difficult times into our lives and how we should see these times and expect them as the bible says they will come. Two of the guys on the trip were Muslims and participated in our discussions. we were able to share together what we thought about God's plan for our lives.
Kendra has a hope that these programs can be expanded to involve practical training of more students and involve local communities to reduce stray dog populations, which are a big problem in Uganda. We are looking forward to arranging meetings with the university vet school staff and developing a program that can benefit both students and the dogs Kendra works with.
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Spey surgery in Jinja. Unfortunately most of my photos were lost due to a computer virus!!!
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Feeling Enormously Blessed, Exhausted and Excited all at the same time
Setting up Acacia's new senior school has been an amazing opportunity. Fun, demanding and totally exhausting. I have been given the opportunity at Acacia to yet again work with some very gifted teachers who are compassionate and care about quality education.
I have been in post for nearly a year and when I look back at this last academic year I see just how much has been achieved. The senior school opened with a small number of students and although we have grown and attracted more great students. Being small has afforded us time to know those students well that we have in our care. Just in the last few weeks, they have performed Twelfth Night to the public, celebrated the artistic achievements of many in our school's Festival of Arts and endured exam week. Meanwhile teachers have continued with their wonderful, creative and busy lessons, marked exams, collated attainment, had learning conversations, completed learning questionnaires, led chapel, ordered books and other resources for the coming year, written reports and schemes of work. I hear all my teacher friends sigh. Yup all in a day’s work!
Acacia will continue to grow in numbers when we open again in August. This coming academic year we will start Cambridge exam board IGCSE, and we will start to train teachers using an online IPGCE training programme in the UK. The school has plans to expand and is looking to purchase land to develop a high school and offer boarding facilities for those that need it. We are also still looking for a new Science teacher...anyone interested?
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Acacia Senior School presentation of Shakespear's "Twelfth Night".
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Prayer points
- Give thanks for the positive trip we had at Easter and pray that we are able to reconnect with as many folks as possible in the Summer.
- Pray for the development of further practical training for students with Kendra.
- Praise for the chance to talk with students about God's plan for their lives. Pray that he would speak to them in their individual situations.
- Pray for the students and teachers at Acacia for a restful summer with their families.
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With firm friends The Neeleys on a weekend away by the Nile.
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James and Claire's April/May 2015 Newsletter
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