Africa thus far: Beautiful weather, hospitable people, broken people, and cockroaches.

My friend Paul Storms and I arrived in Kampala, Uganda on Tuesday! We had two flights that were about 8 hours each, with a stop in Amsterdam in between. I think this was a very fair amount of traveling, considering that it took 40 hours to get to our destination when I went to South Africa in 2007!

Here we are at an Irish Pub (Murphy's) in Amsterdam, Holland. I got an Irish Shamrock and some Amsterdame Bitterballen and Paul got a Murphy's Red and some Fish+chips+mushy peas.

Uganda is beautiful, to say the very least. I'm a big fan of puffy clouds and there are a bunch of fluffy white clouds. Right now I'm in the offices at Pilgrim in Kampala, which is right next to Lake Victoria, the biggest lake in all of Africa! Paul just left for Soroti to do some farming work with Aaron Ruud and I'm in Kampala for about another week working on a project with the finance/accounting department here. It's been a humbling experience so far; Angella, the head accountant at Kampala, has a bachelor's in Finance and an MBA in Accounting and Finance. Jane, the bookkeeper, has her degree in Accounting. I haven't even finished my senior yet! But I think this means there are a lot of opportunities for me to learn from them.

As much as I'd love to pretend everything is happy and dandy and perfect, it's not. Don't get me wrong, I've loved my time here thus far. But yesterday we went into town (downtown Kampala) and spent four hours trying to withdraw money from our accounts and get SIM cards and airtime for our cell phones. Barclay's, a large bank, ATMs only accept VISA cards and both Paul and I had Mastercards so we had to see a cashier. The debit/credit card authorization system at Barclay's was down so we had to wait. And... weren't able to access our accounts anyway because our cards are embossed (as opposed to flat) so we had to buy shillings (Ugandan currency) and pay a $25 processing fee. Then we spent at least another hour trying to get a SIM card to work with Paul's phone. Our guide, Simon, waited very patiently throughout the whole thing. He never uttered a word of complaint and was respectful and straightforward when driving and asking people questions and directions. For four hours. Wow.

While we were walking to and from all our destinations, I saw a whole lot of broken people - literally. Many were missing limbs, several were crippled. I saw one lady lying against the wall around Barclay's and there was a baby sitting next to her wearing a beaded thong. Neither of them looked happy or healthy. (I don't have photos because I think it would have been rude for me to gawk at them and treat them like photographic fodder.)

I'm never sure how to reconcile the disparities I see in Africa. I've only been here three days and have ridden in vehicles ranging from a beater van to a brand new compact car with a camera in the back to see what's behind. I've seen people who are broken and in desolate positions and people who are looking fresh, clean, and very wealthy. It is all very interesting to take in.

On a completely different note, last night when I was talking to Paul we found a cockroach in my pants. Thankfully, the pants were hanging on a bedpost and were not on my person. Paul courageously hunted it down and flushed it down the toilet for me. The brand of toilets here are called "Hindware" and the models of sink are "Vitreous." This amuses me.

This post may have been really scatter-brained.. but I just wanted to update as soon as possible. Next time I will make a more sensible, organized post!

Blessings from Uganda,

Jessica K. Nguyen

Senior - Accounting

Michael G. Foster School of Business

University of Washington, Seattle

accountingforAfrica.blogspot.com

accountantforAfrica.blogspot.com

The Big Picture

I was just thinking about all the chaos that being a full-time student at the Foster School of Business entails. (Accounting students get an additional dosage of chaos because we need to take four classes to be FT, since our acctg courses are only three credits each.) Someone emailed me to compliment my blog, which lead me to re-read some of the posts I'd written. Then I remembered....

IT'S NOT ABOUT me.

What?

It's not about Jessica. This whole accounting career thing... pulling all-nighters, trying to build an impressive resume.. I've been working for myself, for my glory, for only my own satisfaction, out of stress/paranoia about MY future... It seems that in the midst of all the things to be done and stress to be had I had forgotten that the whole point of me being in school, the crux of my efforts, is for these kids. I say that all the time... but when one says something so often, it's easy for the statement to lose its power and impact.

[photo credit: Agathos Foundation]

This is a starving child in Zimbabwe. I don't know if it's a boy of girl, its name, its story, or specifically how the Agathos Foundation has helped it. But I know that Agathos is making a difference in this baby's life.

In three weeks (6/15) I'll be on a plane to Uganda. Three days prior to that (6/12) I'll take my last final exam. Finals begin Saturday, June 6th. It is vital that I stay focused for the last two weeks of the quarter so I can finish as strong as possible. It is also vital to keep the BIG PICTURE in mind. I only have one year left... this time will fly by.

In lieu of getting distracted by all the typical "noise" that business students face, I need to remember that the better I do in school and work, the more I can help these kids. It's not for my glory... it's not for my fame... it's for the kids. It's so kids like Kwanele can get free access to ARVs to treat his HIV. It's so young men like Zamani can get their education paid for and go off to college so he can become a civil engineer and make his community better. I just need to remember that - at a heart level and not just a slightly-conscious level. I've got to keep the burden visible. Remembering this completely changes my motivation and makes things that would otherwise seem like toilsome annoyances worthwhile because everything I do in the next year will (at least indirectly) affect my ability to help nonprofits become more efficient so they can help more kids.

I hope these words aren't just empty phrases and promises. I hope that these words come from a genuine heart. I hope that my life and decisions will change and get re-calibrated to be rightly motivated. I hope this burden won't die and this dream won't fade. And I hope this with everything I have, however little or much that may be...

Jessica K. Nguyen
Junior - Accounting
Michael G. Foster School of Business
University of Washington, Seattle
accountingforAfrica.blogspot.com

Send Jessica to Africa, help orphans/widows/refugees! (updated post)

Dear Readers,

Some day I’d like to be a nonprofit tax accountant working for an accounting firm like Clark Nuber, Moss Adams, or Sweeney Conrad (who all have significant nonprofit clients). Some day further down the line I’d like to start an association of accountants to provide accounting services for nonprofits working in third world countries. Ultimately, I want to use my skills and degree to enable nonprofit organizations to become more (financially) efficient so they can help more kids in destitute situations.

One of my stepping stones toward these goals is to spend six weeks in Africa this summer to learn more about how nonprofits operate and how administrative decisions affect program work. This summer I’ll be spending three weeks in Uganda doing admin work with two accountants at Pilgrim Africa [http://www.pilgrimafrica.org] and possibly working with students at Pilgrim’s Beacon of Hope College [http://www.pilgrim-uganda.org/soroti.htm]. Then I’ll spend three weeks working at an orphanage in South Africa with the Agathos Foundation [http://www.agathosfoundation.org] loving on kids whose parents/relatives have been murdered or otherwise affected by HIV/AIDS. This trip will directly benefit orphans, widows, refugees, and former child soldiers. My work will also serve these nonprofits AND provide me with priceless insight into issues they face so I can know how to better serve them.

The only problem is… I’m about $3,000 short of my goal ($4,300). This amount covers airfare, housing, food, travel insurance, and other travel expenses. Personal/recreational expenses are on my tab. My payments are due on Monday, May 25^th, and if I don’t make this deadline… I don’t know what I’m going to do (other than, you know, cry). So I need YOUR HELP.

If you know ANYONE who is willing to support me in my endeavors to practice accounting for the sake of kids in Africa, please pass on this letter! Any amount helps; every dollar counts! I am willing to provide administrative, basic accounting, child care, organizational, and manual labor services in exchange for contributions.

Tax-deductible ways to give:

1) Make check(s) payable to Agathos Foundation and send to 702 N 128^th St Seattle, WA 98133 (preferred)

2) Agathos' Secure Online Giving: Please note "PT - Jessica Nguyen" or else the money won't go to my trip!

3) Let’s meet up for lunch/coffee; I can tell you more about my trip/vision and you can give as you feel led =D

OR: 4) PayPal (NOT tax-deductible)

Screenshots of my brochure (hard copies available): Click to enlarge

Kindest Regards,

Jessica K. Nguyen
Junior – Accounting
Michael G. Foster School of Business
University of Washington, Seattle
accountingforafrica.blogspot.com
accountantforAfrica.blogspot.com

tossing and turning.

It's happening again.

My mind is whirring. Ideas are formulating. Fears are irking.

Africa.

I can't get away from it..

Africa.

How do I verbalize this burden? It's on my heart, on my shoulders, on my mind...

I need to write support letters.

But where do I start?

Hi, my name is Jessica. I need $6,000 to help widows, orphans, and refugees in Africa.

Okay. Well, that's vague. What does that even mean?

I want to spend three weeks in Uganda doing administrative work for an NGO (Pilgrim Uganda) that serves refugees through a school, university, and relief work - physically and spiritually. Pilgrim also has an anti-malaria program (Move On Malaria) that has been so successful that the Ugandan government wants to adopt their program as a template to fight malaria throughout the entire country. Pilgrim is also making moves to fight malaria in Congo, which is in a very dangerous state right now. Your money will enable me to enable Pilgrim to run more efficiently and accomplish its goals more readily. Your contributions will bring Pilgrim one step closer to eliminating malaria, one step closer to bringing hope to this nation.

I also want to spend two to three weeks in South Africa at the orphanage I visited in 2007. I spent almost four weeks at the Cottages at Injesuthi and it completely changed my life.

Where do I begin with how it changed my life? How can I iterate the life-encompassing implications of holding a dying child in your arms - not knowing how long the child has left, but knowing that his time will be spent with people who love him unconditionally, fully, faithfully....? How do I tell people about the sobering effects of hearing the stories of horror and redemption in these people's lives? Have you ever heard a grown woman tell you about her aunt sending a witch doctor to rape her when she was a child? Have you heard her story of victory - fighting off the man and being rescued from that life? Have you heard her story of redemption? She used to never know where her next meal would come from - or if there would ever be one. All eleven of her brothers and sisters have DIED - mostly from HIV/AIDS. But now she's staying at a place where she's served three square meals per day, she's a caretaker for several of her nieces and nephews, she's got her own business (Lungile's Cards), and she's using proceeds to build a house so that her family can be together. She has the love of her community and her church and her God, when before she only experienced fear and sorrow from blood relatives.

I left the Cottages knowing that I wanted to do something about what I saw. Staying at the Cottages burdened me to the point where I lost sleep and grade points because I couldn't rest without reacting to the glimpses of redemption I saw. After MUCH deliberation, thought, and prayer, I came to the conclusion that I want to use my degree to help these kids. I want to practice accounting to help organizations run more efficiently and better accomplish their mission of serving others.

But I won't be doing accounting work in South Africa.

The Agathos Foundation's flagship orphan village is located in Loskop, RSA (Republic of South Africa). I spent every single day there with a thirteen-year-old girl (Nothile). While she was at school I hung out with two toddlers: Mfundo and Kwanele (HIV+). I got to know a few other kids, but left regretting not spending enough time/effort getting to know them. Ever since I boarded the plane back to America, I have wanted to go back. I want these kids to understand that people DO consistently think about, care for, and love them. I want to go back and get to know them better, offer any advice they might need, and be a person who can just listen to and pray for them. I want to lead Bible studies and point them to Jesus to remind them to have HOPE - because He is the true Source of HOPE.

But this trip isn't all about me and what I can get out of it. It's about the kids. I just want to go there and love on them - show them Jesus' love through my words and actions. I know that I will learn more from them than they'll learn from me... that's what happened last time.

Do you see Kwanele's eyes? Do you see the hope in them? That hope is there because of God's work through the Agathos Foundation - through the help of people like you.

Will you help me do this? Will you support me in your donations and/or prayers to make a difference in the lives of orphans, widows, and refugees in Africa?

I have a PayPal account, but prefer to not use it because they charge for transactions and that's taking money away from these kids. If you are interested in supporting me or in being part of my email list serve of people to pray for my trip, please contact me at jesknguyen@gmail.com.

Okay, it is 2:17 am and I have class in six hours. (Apologies for grammatical/syntactical errors. It is 2am, after all..) I hope you will join me in efforts to better these people's lives.

Kindest Regards,

Jessica K. Nguyen
Junior - Accounting
Michael G. Foster School of Business
University of Washington, Seattle
accountingforAfrica.blogspot.com

In Loving Arms

To earn money on the weekends (and sometimes during the week) I take care of two very adorable, lovely children (pictured above, reading The Cat in the Hat for the umpteenth time). The other day I was talking to their mom (Gail) about my time in South Africa. I told her about some of the kids who were taken in with bellies bloated from starvation, dehydrated and bruise and broken from walking miles to find help. She said she couldn't even imagine not being able to feed her children, of all things. I could hear her heart break as she thought aloud.


I assured her that the kids at the Cottages do get fed three square meals a day with all the proper nutrients. It got me thinking, though - reminiscing about the kids and the amazing love they show to one another. When I was there I remember sensing this all-encompassing LOVE... care, hope, concern. And it was contagious.


Even on our first day there, the kids instantly trusted and loved on us. Mfundo (right) insisted I carry him, and was very intrigued by the zipper on my vest. The toddlers (Mfundo and Kwanele) were especially cuddle-prone.

Here is Marissa with Khaye, Kwanele, Zippo, and Mfundo. They loved sitting on laps and playing or reading stories.


This is Levi, with Mfundo (left) and Kwanele (right). The kids primarily saw him as a lifting machine. "Go to Levi and he will give you a ride!"









(Left to right) Asanda, Zippo, and Kwanele wait around as the primary school kids gradually start their two-mile walk to school. Asanda and Zippo get a ride to Crèche (pronounced "kresh")


Ms. Dianne taught at the local primary school for a few months and acted as resident nurse when she stayed at the Cottages. This is on her last day, saying goodbye to Sinethemba. It certainly was no easy task - I think they were there for at least five minutes.

On the team's last day, we walked the kids to school one last time. This is Amber and Nothile.





Nothile and I holding hands and walking to school for the last time. On my first day there, she grabbed my hand and sweetly introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Nothile, what is your name?" I still remember her kind, gentle tone.. and her silly laugh.

Here is Florence, or Flo, the resident cook. She's holding her baby, Kozi. That's not actually his name (I forgot his real/whole name) but they let the outsiders call him that. She usually takes his blanket and wraps it around her back; hard to describe, but it allows her to carry Kozi on her back and still have her hands free. Like this.



Kwanele kissing Kozi.. one of my favorite pics from the whole trip.

Jessica K. Nguyen
Junior - Accounting
Michael G. Foster School of Business
University of Washington, Seattle
accountingforAfrica.blogspot.com

Beacon of Hope in Uganda

Here's a video on Pilgrim Uganda's school in Soroti, Uganda:



(The girl who speaks at 7:44 is great, by the way.)

Another intern and I watched this on Monday as part of our training. We're working to refine accounting procedures, policies, and systems for Pilgrim's Uganda offices in Kampala and Soroti. This will allow them to keep better track of their finances, spend more wisely/efficiently, and create better financial accountability. This is a huge deal for them because there is not much of an "accounting mindset" that's been fully established. Also, it's always great for donors/investors to know that their money is being used with due diligence.

I'm excited... are you?

Jessica K. Nguyen
Junior - Accounting
Michael G. Foster School of Business
University of Washington, Seattle
accountingforAfrica.blogspot.com

New Year, New Quarter, New Blog

FYI, I started a new blog to catalogue my college career: accountantforAfrica.blogspot.com

I'll update "personal" things there and this blog will be exclusively for things Africa- and kid-related.

This quarter marks the beginning of fundraising for an 8-week trip I'm hoping to take to Africa this summer. I'd be spending 4 weeks in Uganda doing taxes and payroll and 4 weeks at the Cottages at Injesuthi in South Africa, the orphan village I stayed at summer 2007. Updates forthcoming with stories of the kids and more info on the organizations I'm going with.

Stay tuned!

Jessica K. Nguyen
Junior - Accounting
Michael G. Foster School of Business
University of Washington, Seattle
accountingforAfrica.blogspot.com