New Duds

One of our American visitors last week was Curt Buchholz, a pathologist from Alaska who was making his first trip to Namwianga. Curt’s wife, Carole, has come on the last two medical missions. She sponsors one of our secondary students and knows the needs of the young people here.

Carole went shopping for new clothes for the sponsored guys. She found a store in her town that had a clearance sale in progress. When Carole told the manager what she was shopping for, the manager lowered the prices even more.

So Carole sent Curt to Namwianga with one suitcase full of brand new men’s clothing for the sponsored high school students. And I had the fun of distributing it to them!

On Friday I called all the sponsored high school boys to a meeting. I told them about the new clothes, and each one drew a number to determine when he would get to choose his clothing items. Then we all headed for the veranda at my house where Valerie England, another visitor from the US, was waiting to help us.

I had the new clothes laid out on tables by size and style. We also had some other items to give away on a separate table. Valerie had brought some T-shirts and ball caps, and I had a collection of neckties to give away.

Each of the 28 boys got to choose a new item of clothing (shirt, shoes, or shorts) from the "new" table plus a necktie and either a T-shirt or ball cap from the other table.

The boys had a great time making their selections and posing for photos afterward. I'm sure that for many of them this "shopping" was a rare experience. To Carole, Curt, and the store manager, the boys and I say a hearty “Twalumba Meninge!” (Thank you VERY much.)