Thursday September 19, 2013- We walked through Main Street and stop by Agatha’s shop, Andrea’s old assistant. Main street is filled with craft shops allowing for a nice stroll down the street as you take in all the sights. We were expecting to see some of the crafts that the women we worked with make but found none. The items A. Bernadette sells are not the usual crafts found on Main Street. Andrea works with the women to create new designs using their traditional weaving techniques. Visting Agatha’s shop gave us the idea to try and sell some of our products there. It is an unfortunate fact that Andrea has a higher chance of getting products into shops than the ladies she works with just because of the color of her skin.
After a couple of days in Uganda I was feeling overwhelmed by the amount of help the women needed and how I could possibly help them. Andrea explained it often not about what you can teach them but what they can teach you. The best thing you can do is spend those big American Dollars when in Uganda, visit the ladies, and when you return home tell everyone you meet all that you have learned. Be the connection, highlight your commonalities, and put a name to the face that so many people just see as sad African women. These women are anything but sad. They are warm, and friendly, and just want what we all want.. to live stress free.
In the evening we went to visit Rachel and Anton. Andrea used to work with Rachel who now works for another organization. We met at Adrift which overlooks the Nile River. We saw monkeys, and the beautiful sunset. It was a fun and much needed night of unwinding after absorbing so much of the Ugandan culture.
A. Bernadette 