_DSC6131Hard for me to believe but in a couple of days I am off again to Uganda! This time though I will be traveling more for fun and I will be with members of my family. And the goal won’t be to produce a video for a non-profit. The goal will be to just have fun…well, mostly.

I made some promises to myself when I left Uganda in March. It is now time to follow through on those promises. I hope to find a local non-profit organization or two doing good work with women and girls in Northern Uganda- ones that I can support and know that my money is going to the right places and will be used the right ways. I know of one already- the Padar School- but I want to find a couple more. I will keep you all informed.

I also want to test a new way of traveling for me. I want to be more involved in the local human community not just the local ecological communities. I want to put names to the people that serve me meals, clean my rooms and show me around the countryside. And I want to reach out to them, to see them for who they really are and perhaps, if I am fortunate, to help them.

Along these lines I am bringing 30 Luci Lights- inflatable plastic solar-powered lights. As incredible as it sounds these lights often translate into added years of schooling for the children of rural Uganda. More on this in future posts.

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But the real reason I am going and taking two of my twenty-something nieces is that I want to inoculate their hearts with generosity, the kind of generosity will infect their spirits and lead them to a life of quiet giving. Big plans, I know, tinged with a certain arrogance on my part but I hope well worth it. They are great young women and I look forward to seeing and experiencing the magic of Africa through their eyes and hearts.

I’ll keep you all fully informed of how my plans develop.

(And just for you worriers- ebola is not in Uganda and nowhere near it. I’ll be just fine. Africa is a very big continent!)