Current life

Hope to post photos of the Oliver cast members, most of them anyway, next week. We begin our last 3 shows Friday evening.

This has been more fun that I imagined it would be. Can hardly wait to make myself and a friend our very own Victorian style bonnets, complete with ribbon ties.

Kevin, an intern at eMi EA, and his sister are coming for a Ugandan dinner tonight. Good enough, I made the beans and peeled the matooke. Miriam will help with the finishing touches. Lots to eat. You all are welcome to drop in.

Salaries

There is a wide range of what people are paid for guarding and for housework here in Kampala. Here is a recent survey of salaries paid by individuals (mostly missionaries)with some notes about other benefits. There is no standardization about hours worked per week, whether or not taxes and retirement are paid (see the second document for info about that).

Employer AveMoWage Meals/mo Housing/mo School Fees/yr Medical/yr Pd Time Off/yr Sick Leave/yr

Ugandan Landlord 140000 No On Site No No No No

Missionary 240000 65000 On Site No No 14 days No

Missionary 300,000 28,000 No No 200,000 No No

Missionary 480000 Yes No No 240000 15 days 5 days

Missionary 240000 Yes 45,000 300,000 200,000 10 days 10 days

Missionary 159840 Yes 45,000 300,000 200,000 10 days 10 days

Missionary 150000 Yes 70,000 300,000 100% all family 20 days use PTO

Missionary 170000 Yes 70,000 300,000 100% all family 20 days use PTO

Missionary 190000 Yes 70,000 300,000 100% all family 20 days use PTO

Missionary 200,000 Yes No 300,000 100% all family 10 days use PTO

Ugandan Landlord 250000 No No No No 10 days No

maggie 2 guards 17 hr/d 7d/wk 1023400 120000 no no 510000 15 5

Goal Uganda(NGO) 230,000 - 370,000 yes no 2,000,000 21 d 20d

missionary w/ kids 4 d/wk hskpr 170,000 full w/receipts

missionary w/kids hskpr 120000 yes yes part

missionary w/kids hskpr 70000/wk lunches 4d/wk yes not usually




Uganda Tax and Retirement Info

For most current info go to web sites:
NSSF www.nssfug.org Pay As You Earn www.ura.go.ug

This is what seems to be true at this time:
Employees paid less than 130,000/=, including all benefits, do not pay NSSF or PAYE.
NSSF
Retirement program, with contributions by employee and employer (1/3, 2/3), paid in monthly to Standard Chartered Bank. Required for 5 or more employees, ages 16-55.
Employer registers with NSSF, giving the number of employees. Then each employee has to register to open an account, if they don’t already have one
Examples of payment: Monthly Salary Employee pays Employer pays
410,000 20,600 41,200
286,700 14,700 28,400
PAYE (Pay As You Earn)
Income tax program, with money deducted from wages, paid by employer. If salary/wages more than 410,000/= per month, tax rate is fixed at 30%.
Sign up with the nearest URA office, to register employees.
Examples of payment Monthly salary PAYE amount
300,000 23,600
412,000 46,100

Costumes

Who would have thought that making costumes for a play could be so educational and fun??!!

Last play in Dec, I got to make a Gruffalo costume from barkcloth. (if you don't know about Gruffalos, just ask any reading youngster under the age of 10.)

This play, Oliver, is set in the 1850's England. Thank goodness for Google and all the information available. The wonderful, talented tailors have made up a dozen vest/waistcoats, 3 dresses and numerous other items.

My creative energies are being used for making Victorian style bonnets and an effigy of the villain of the piece.

If I am successful Saturday, I may wear a bonnet to church Sunday. Ladies wearing hats are very uncommon here. So maybe this could start a new fashion. If I pull this off, I'll add a photo.

The cast has about 27 kids, and an adult chorus of 10, most with 2 costume changes. A few of the main actors have 1, but Oliver, the 9 year old lead, has 4. Thank goodness family members help out finding pieces for the kids and many of the adults work at getting some of their own shirts, trousers, etc.

10 days from now we are well into the performances, 9 in all. Wish you come all come see it. The play is great, wonderful music and talented acting. A slice of history and 19th century values and beliefs thrown in for good measure.

And to think that Charles Dickens was only 24 years old when he wrote Oliver Twist!!

land purchase

Ali's dream since I met him 7 years back has been to have his own home. Last November he found a plot of land in an area that he liked, only 4 miles from here. He talked with the brokers. Then he visited all the neighbors to ask about the current owner, previous owner, etc. He then talked with the Local Chairman,1, (like our mayor). When he was finally convinced that the one selling the plot was the rightful owner, that the land history was as had been portrayed to him, he set about trying to find the 2,000,000/= needed for the purchase. He tried to negotiate the price down, but was not successful. Finally Takia, his wife, was able to borrow some money from a relative. Ali had managed to save about 750,000/= over the past 2 years.

With the money he saved and the amount in his "retirement" account with me and the loan he was able to purchase the land at the beginning of Feb. The land does not come with a title however. He still has to pay money to the broker who connected him to the land and to the LC 1 for a written document verifying the sale from the prior owner to him. Ali is working every extra shift he can find to raise the 300,000/= to complete the transaction and then will have to make loan repayments for this year to clear all debts.

Once all that is done he can begin to save money to buy bricks and eventually build his dream house of 4 rooms - 2 bedrooms, a sitting room and kitchen. He plans to build a latrine in conjunction with a neighbor. By the time he is 50 he will likely have the home he has dreamed of for most of his life.

Pray for him to be successful and that blessings will come to allow him to make a real home for his family.

PS. He now lives about 15 miles from work and often walks most of the way to and from. He is a dedicated worker.

Rain

It's raining, it's pouring, and everything is growing.

Rainy season may truly be here. Rain the last 4 days in a row, and some at night. When Ali arrived this morning at 8:30 he was drenched from his travels. He comes by foot most of the way. I greeted him with a towel and hot coffee fresh from the coffee pot.

When the rain comes, the plants, grass and trees, especially the banana trees, really sprout up. You can see some things grow inches in just a few days!!

If the rains keep up, there will be red bananas again in my yard, for sharing, for enjoying and bragging about. There are 2 bunches currently, but the bananas haven't filled out and are no where near ripe yet.

The rain today is just rain coming down. I wish I had a rain gauge. I'll bet this storm dumps at least 1" or more. Usually the rain storms come with wind, lightning and thunder. Those tend to blow through. This one has been going on for an hour and doesn't show signs of moving on, just yet any way.

Hope there isn't too much or Florence's school will be damp to begin on Monday.

Oliver!

So many people helped to make the show go well and be believable.

The backdrop took 6 days to paint, designed by people working out their talents in service to others. Really behind the scenes.

Without props, actors would just be standing around waving their hands. Here are just a few of the ones that Helene pulled together less than 10 days before dress rehearsal. She is awesome!!! In the photo are these items: Fagin's treasure box; wash basin with hat and vest for Oliver; milk pails for "Who Will Buy" song; curtains and curtain rod for Mr. Brownlow's home; books tied up for the book seller;
basket with cat and kittens for Widow Corney's room; tray with drinking cups and pitcher for bar scene; valises for Dr. Grimwig and Mr. Brownlow.

At the end of the show Bill is shot and hangs from a safety rope. This is the Bill who hangs.....we wouldn't want to injure one of our leading men trying the real thing.