Card Making in Uganda

I recently returned from a mission trip to Mbarara, Uganda. There were ten people on our team and our assignments were teaching pastors, university students, working women, visiting HIV/AIDS patients in the villages, prayerwalking, videomaking, and kitchen construction. My assignment was to help a group of HIV positive people get started in a cottage industry (or income generating scheme as they call it in Uganda)of making greeting cards. I gathered materials here in the U.S. and carried my 70lb. suitcase of cardmaking stuff to Uganda. I really didn't know what to expect. I met with a group of about 25 people for five days. Almost none of them spoke English. They spoke Runyankore. Through sign language and learning by doing, I showed them how to use the templates to make envelopes, use the paper cutter, trace the patterns, how to use a glue stick and permanent markers. And they taught me how to drink Chai, to love their spontaneous singing, to appreciate their industry, to marvel at the color and vibrancy of their fabrics, and to fall in love with each one of them. Here are some of the 200 cards they produced and a short video of them at work. Click here to see the video. Their group is called "Go and Make Disciples." They are a group of people living with HIV/AIDS in Mbarara, Uganda. They are finding hope in Jesus Christ and are committed to sharing that hope with others in their villages through peer education and support.