Ssanyu W/Local Woman, Lira

Photos: Northern Uganda

Erik Shirai, Cinematographer

Expedition: Northern Uganda

We have been dipping ourselves in shea butter and climbing shea trees in Northern Uganda for the past two days. We are in the Northern province of Lira after a bumpy 4 hour ride that involved crossing the Nile River... I was afraid to come here at first because of the Lord's Resistance Army's control over the area but Ssanyu was fearless from our initial planning meeting in the US. The LRA has been wrecking havoc on the local people, although as we learned today from the village official there has been relative peace for the last three years. Still, I can't say I'm comfortable crossing military checkpoints...

Today we drove through the bush further upcountry from Lira to the Okwang district with cinematographer Erik Shirai to film the Rwot Ber Women's Association, a women's group comprised of shea nut gatherers. Meeting with the women will help us better understand their needs and their relationship with the shea trees. They spoke of needing sewing machines to create jobs outside of the shea trade and to clothe their children...

The shea trees against the clear blue sky is a breathtaking sight to behold. Ssanyu and I climbed one that had been damaged by men who burn the base of the tree to to make coal, the largest threat to the shea trees survival. Deforestation as well as coal are destroying the harvest, but a healthy tree can provide more income from the nuts than the coal which provides quick money...

It is nothing less than heart wrenching the moment we learn who is HIV positive in the groups of women we meet with . This is the second women's group we have met since we arrived in Uganda, the first being in the Eco Village on Lake Victoria near Kampala. Both groups of women have been devastated by AIDS. In Okwang the infected women are mostly rape victims of LRA soldiers, while in Lake Victoria, the problem is primarily marital infidelity.

We can't wait to share the video footage Erik shot of the organic shea butter process from A-Z and of the Rwot Ber Women's association, but for now, here are some photos from today.

Peace & Happiness

The Journey Begins

I'm telling you, our mother has magical powers. After dropping us off at the airport in Boston we boarded our flight, actually almost missed it (blame it on the martini), and set off for Uganda. The first leg of our trip had us crossing the Atlantic to Amsterdam. On our flight they sold bracelets to benefit a foundation created in memory of a flight attendant who had recently lost her five year battle with breast cancer. We decided to buy a bracelet, for good foundation Karma and also as a tribute to our dear friend, Mrs. Esterlene Jacks who passed away last year after an over 20 yr breast cancer battle. She was a fierce advocate for patient support as well as an American Airlines flight attendant for 35 years.

(here's the link if you want to buy a bracelet to support the flight attendants. The money goes to cancer research, education and patient support www.friendsofmel.org).

The flight attendant who sold us the bracelet was the kind you dream of having on an international flight, just too funy! When Ssanyu asked her what her name was she pointed to her bronze winged pin with a smile, "Sheila." Well, we almost fell out of our seats...that's our mom's name. Then to top it off when we landed she gave us a huge bag full of first class yummys so that we wouldn't have to spend money during our layover.

You know, sometimes things happen that remind you that you are on the right path...While unpacking once we reached Uganda I found a note stuffed in my napsack from our mom that read "I am always with you."

A special thank you to our winged angels, flight attendant Sheila (pictured with us here) and our mom (who flew for Pan Am for years when we were young) and to our heavenly angel for the momentum that comes from serendiptous encounters.