tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86194959589573220472024-02-19T01:49:24.325-08:00Music for Peaceful MindsFollowing the progress of the Music Therapy program in Gulu, northern Uganda. Founded in 2008.Bethan, Gareth, Samuel and Jonah Shrubsolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294739359259926009noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619495958957322047.post-62488796455473644582016-11-27T14:15:00.001-08:002016-11-27T14:15:32.356-08:00Goodbye MPM :(
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<span lang="EN-US">Dear MPM
supporters and friends.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I am sorry to be
writing this letter to break the news that after nine years of providing music,
and later art, therapy to children and young people in Gulu, MPM is now closing
and will no longer be a registered Community-Based Organisation (CBO) in
Uganda.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">MPM was founded
in 2008 when I went to Gulu as a newly qualified Music Therapist to offer music
therapy to children in SOS Children’s Village, Gulu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The community was emerging from a 25-year
civil war in which countless tens of thousands of people were abducted, abused,
maimed, killed and displaced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
children in the orphanage had seen horrendous things and were trying to return
to some semblance of normal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MPM, which
consisted at the time of myself and a Dutch colleague, Jantina Bijpost, ran
four music therapy groups during the week and saw a transformation, if only for
the hour we were with them, as the children lit up and lost themselves to the
power that is making music together.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">As time went on local
establishments heard about music therapy and MPM was invited to work in a
special needs unit at a local primary school, a secondary boarding school for
children affected by the war, a rural primary school with a high number of
children with behavioural problems, a juvenile remand home and a school for
deaf children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had had no idea of how
the work of MPM would evolve and had no plans as to how long I would stay in
Gulu during that year of 2008.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I came
across a teacher, Betty Acen, who was trained by Jantina and whom I supervised
to carry on the music therapy work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Betty worked alone for the next two years with remote supervision and my
occasional visits plus some music therapy volunteers training in the UK and
US.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2011 it became known to me that a
Ugandan art therapist friend, Vincent, was free for work, I asked if he would
be interested in widening the scope of MPM to include art as well as music
therapy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He joined MPM and became an
asset to the growing team, extending the work in the remand home and
incorporating art and discussions.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Around the same
time Betty had to leave MPM to return to her home in eastern Uganda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An advert was put out on the radio and Layet
Florence came upon the advert and introduced herself as someone who had taken
part in an MPM training course in 2008, which Jantina and I had led in a
secondary boarding school for children affected by the war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had always remembered the training and
remained interested in music therapy, and had subsequently trained as a
teacher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Florence joined Vincent after a
short training and subsequent supervision and the music/art therapy continued
in the various institutions around Gulu.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I lived in
western Uganda during 2011-2014 and was able to visit Gulu annually and see the
good work that MPM was doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
feedback from the remand home was particularly encouraging, where the young
people awaiting their trials were able to work through their life-decisions so
far through art and music therapy and try to find ways of putting their lives
back on track to make something positive out of having been in the remand
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The management team of the remand
home was really pleased with MPM’s services, especially considering that the
home is so underfunded by local government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The same was said about art and music therapy with children in the
special needs unit where the teachers were despondent and down-trodden by the
apparent lack of support; the staff were pleased to have special attention for
the children, despite the fact that it was a difficult place to work it was
quite rewarding for MPM therapists whenever there were moments of connection
with the children.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In 2013 MPM was
asked by Music as Therapy International (MasT) to assist them with their
training program in Cyangugu, Rwanda, as teachers, therapists and other service
providers brought music therapy to their schools and care homes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vincent and I met with MasT’s UK volunteers
and took part in their training seminars, offering our knowledge and experience
of working as music/art therapists in East Africa.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">However, considering
I no longer live in Uganda and find it difficult to supervise and support the
Ugandan MPM therapists, and considering the salaries of the MPM staff and other
costs related to running MPM such as art and music resources, amongst other
issues related to support that MPM therapists were getting from the places in
which they worked, I came to the conclusion that nine years of running MPM in
Gulu would have to come to an end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>During these nine years I have considered partnering with other
international music therapy charities but none seemed to offer what was
necessary for the type of work that needed to be done in Gulu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Avenues of continuing MPM seemed closed so
Vincent and Florence were given six months’ notice and I wish them every
success for the future.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US">I want to thank
you for your support over the years whether financial or moral, for helping to
provide emotional support to countless young people in northern Uganda during a
transitional time in their lives and in the life of their community.</span></div>
Bethan, Gareth, Samuel and Jonah Shrubsolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294739359259926009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619495958957322047.post-16802338812863815292015-06-05T13:32:00.002-07:002015-06-05T13:32:46.854-07:00Latest news from MPM, Gulu. June 2015
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dear Friends and Supporters.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have received my termly report from Florence Layet, MPM’s
music therapist in Gulu, and I would like to share her thoughts and comments
with you to show you how positive MPM’s work in Gulu is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s pretty amazing that MPM works on a
shoe-string budget but is being so influential in children’s lives and also in
the professional lives of the teachers and carers who work with the children,
changing their often negative views of the children they work with and helping
them to see value in their work.</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Remand home</u></b>
is where teenagers go when they have done something wrong (like a prison for
young offenders) and takes people from all over northern Uganda, an area about
two times the size of England.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Achievements:</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“music as therapy has given chance for the children to open
up their problems enabling me to give counselling and guidance”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Music has made them build self-confidence even those with different
languages”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Music has also inspired them and made them understand that
recovery from psychological trauma and stress is very important for one to
rebuild hope and the sense of empowerment needed to gain and regain control of one’s
physical, mental and emotional life.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“They have also been inspired by music to not wait for
things on a silver plate i.e. they always organize themselves for sessions and make
it happen at whatever time they feel they need to relax, chase boredom, create
happiness and joy and to avoid minds from negative thinking”</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Challenges:</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Language barriers with children who come from the whole of
the north of Uganda and speak different local languages or dialects.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Behaviour is a problem because the children can be
manipulative or provocative.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last term some young people broke out of the home and stole
a guard’s motorbike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These young people
were the ones who rallied all the others and encouraged them to participate in
music and art therapy so we are feeling their loss.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>PRISON PRIMARY
SCHOOL – </u></b>not a school for prisoners but a school with a special needs
department next to a prison.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Apio was so vulgar in her languages before but now she can
respect and discipline her words to others. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She always runs to welcome me simply because
she has picked much interests in musical activities e.g. song practice,
gymnastic that we now do once every week which has really changed her character
in that she can take turns, socialize and play with friends, share and accept
advice and even follow instructions including counselling and guidance.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Ojok is very shy and keeps laughing/ smiling all the time.
He used not to say a word but due to my efforts in creating activities that
helps one to vocalize, like making musical sounds he has now been helped to say
some few words”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Music has done great for Peter in that it has helped shape
his jumpy, rough and harming life styles. He now shows his anger on the drums
when he is emotional and feels angry.”</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“It has been a great joy working with special needs children
and to see some change or improvement but it has not been very easy handling
them at all.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(Names changed)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>LAROO SCHOOL </u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- a school for children with hearing
impairments that uses sign language</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Music has helped those with problems in sign language to learn
faster and it has also been amazing self-esteem booster for the shy children.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Music has strengthened these children to express themselves
and their feelings freely to me and has also made them to disclose secrets
between them that are really so dangerous for their age that even their own
daily classroom teachers are not aware of it.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>CUBU PRIMARY
SCHOOL </u></b>– a rural school in an area that was badly hit by the rebels
during the war.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Challenges:</span></u></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The children are often disobedient, shouting over us and
each other, like to take revenge or to fight and are aggressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are resistant to change and do not like
to learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t have enough
confidentiality because other children from other disorganized classes come and
look through the window at what we are doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When it rains we find it difficult to get to Cubu Primary because the
road is of such bad condition.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">CONCLUSION</span></u></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“In conclusion MPM’s work which is therapeutic is changing
lots of lives in Gulu every year and the most important part of it is that we
have been able to practice in the best way that suits the situation of the
children we are working with in music therapy, which in our observation, has
helped us to help them get the most out of their lives, like their peers.”</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
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<span style="background: fuchsia; mso-highlight: fuchsia;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">MPM
IS GETTING LOW ON FUNDS BUT WOULD LOVE TO CONTINUE THE GREAT WORK THAT IS BEING
DONE BY FLORENCE AND VINCE (art therapist) SO PLEASE SUPPORT THIS WORK WITH A
DONATION THAT GOES DIRECTLY TOWARDS THEIR SALARIES AND MATERIALS USED IN THE
WORK.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="background: fuchsia; mso-highlight: fuchsia;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Contact
Bethan on </span><a href="mailto:bethano@yahoo.com"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">bethano@yahoo.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> for details
of how to donate or set up a standing order.</span></span></div>
Bethan, Gareth, Samuel and Jonah Shrubsolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294739359259926009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619495958957322047.post-81098314527773927152015-03-01T15:28:00.003-08:002015-03-01T15:28:57.245-08:00Master's Thesis linkPlease see the following link for an interesting article about Music for Peaceful Minds, its volunteers and their thoughts on community music therapy based on a Master's Thesis that an MPM volunteer, Ana Navarro, wrote recently:<br />
<a href="https://voices.no/index.php/voices/article/view/769/676">https://voices.no/index.php/voices/article/view/769/676</a>Bethan, Gareth, Samuel and Jonah Shrubsolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294739359259926009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619495958957322047.post-18562503038311719492014-10-05T22:52:00.003-07:002014-10-05T22:52:33.424-07:00
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Hello MPM
supporters!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">I start by
thanking two people who have supported MPM this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First of all, a student from Kyambogo
University in Kampala, Akoli Christine, requested to do her internship with MPM
in Gulu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christine added energy and new
ideas to the work, which is always needed for a profession whose workers often
feel very isolated in Uganda (I know of only a handful of music therapists here).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would like to thank her for her interest
and time and wish her well with the remainder of her studies.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Secondly, a
former MPM volunteer music therapist from Spain, Ana Navarro (volunteered in
2011) came under her own steam to re-visit Gulu and other parts of Uganda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She offered wonderful supervision and ideas
to Vince and Florence who truly appreciated her visit and I also thank her for
her commitment to MPM.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">MPM Staff<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Layet
Florence, who joined MPM at the start of the academic year (February 2014) is
flourishing as MPM’s music therapist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
had a brief training with me back in February and works alongside Vince in
various places around Gulu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Currently
these include a school for the deaf, a school for children with special needs,
a rural mainstream school with children suffering second-generation trauma and
behavioural difficulties and a home for young offenders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ana added to her training while she was
visiting and reported that Florence is doing very good work that is energizing
and inspiring the children with whom she works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Vince is continuing to work with vigour, paying particular attention to
the psychological needs of the children.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Details of
the work:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">I recently
received reports from Vince, MPM’s art therapist, and Florence, MPM’s new music
therapist in Gulu about their work last term.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I want to show some extracts here as examples of the wonderful work they
are doing for some of the most marginalized people in Gulu:<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Cubu School
(mainstream rural primary school badly affected by the rebel war)<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">“This
school is the furthest among our service areas where we go twice a week with
primary 2 and primary 3 classes in liaison with their class teachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this government school […] we handle
mostly children with secondary trauma and pick out those with identified and
recommended psychological problems who need special attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most common problems are: developmental
delay and problems with motor development; trouble concentrating;
hypersensitivity and exaggerated startle disorders [some of these problems are
results of trauma].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is making
academic and social performance very poor compared to children from other parts
of Uganda not affected by war (which lasted for over 28 years).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the boys who was considered weak has
been promoted to the next class since we started working and talking to him
which clearly signifies the relevance of music and art therapy in this school
with a population of 670 pupils.”</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Prisons
Primary School (for children with special needs)<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">A note
about one particular boy to explain why music and art therapy is helpful in
this setting:<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">“He sits in
the back and he is very quiet staring into space without words; you wouldn’t
easily be able to notice that he goes through a series of psychological
breakdowns which is the reason why we try to use music and art to try making
him open his doors and windows to let us in.”</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Remand Home
(home for youth offenders as they await trial or are fulfilling their sentence)<o:p></o:p></span></u></b><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">“In our
second-to-last activity “When I leave Prison” which took place on Tuesday in
our usual class with 35 boys and one girl, Florence started with music and
dance while we introduced Ana to the group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Music took about 1 ½ hours because the kids were very excited to be
learning new skills from an outsider.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
had about 10 minutes’ break in between to reflect and meditate while we
prepared for the art session.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
introduction of the theme brought in a lot of calm and quiet with a changed
mood while they sit at desks with their backs facing the wall while others
preferred sitting on the floor isolating themselves from the rest of the
group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were finally interacting
with the work after about 10 minutes and had started drawing from revenge,
religion, family, reforms, education, future and stigma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They drew themselves outside the boundaries
of their compositions while others avoided including themselves in their
drawings completely which, psychologically, could mean that one is living with
fear of being identified by the community as a bad person, or that one does not
want to be a part of them or that they will not repeat what is happening in the
drawing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a sign of loss of hope
and dignity that MPM has to help reconstruct through music and art
counselling.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">MPM has
to pay two salaries of £120 each month and has extra expenses of providing art and
music materials every term.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are
willing to contribute a one-off donation or become a monthly supporter, please
get in touch with me to find out how (either at my normal email address or at <a href="mailto:musicforpeacefulminds@yahoo.co.uk"><span style="color: #1f497d; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">musicforpeacefulminds@yahoo.co.uk</span></a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you to everyone who has contributed,
and especially to the current monthly supporters for your support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can visit <a href="http://musicforpeacefulminds.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #1f497d; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://musicforpeacefulminds.blogspot.com</span></a>
for more background information and pictures.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Curlz MT";">For those who pray:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Praise God
for the continued interest of MPM’s supporters who are valuable additions to
the MPM team.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Please pray
for God to continually affect the children’s lives, guiding them and helping
them to grow into the people He wants them to be.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
Bethan, Gareth, Samuel and Jonah Shrubsolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294739359259926009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619495958957322047.post-22913656635686612642014-02-26T23:39:00.000-08:002014-02-26T23:39:14.233-08:00Newsletter 37
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">N</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">w</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">s</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">l</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">t</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">t</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">r </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">N</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">o</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;"> </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">3</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">7</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">! </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">(</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ffcc00; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">f</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">r</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">o</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">m </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">G</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">u</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">l</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">u</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">)</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">F</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">b</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">r</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">u</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">a</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">r</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">y </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">2</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">0</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">1</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">4</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;">Hello MPM
supporters!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;">I am just
back from Gulu where I went (with Gareth and the boys) to run a parents’
workshop at the deaf unit of Laroo Primary School.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also began the training of Layet Florence
who is MPM’s new Music Counselor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vince
is running MPM very well and is not only on top of the work but constantly
looking for new avenues to explore.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;">The
workshop first: There was a lot of not knowing about this workshop and it was with
nervousness that I handed over £100 to Vince to go shopping for the lunch that
must be provided if we are to hold a function in Uganda that is taken
seriously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day should have begun at
8am but finally at 11.30 we began the lengthy introductions of all the ‘big’
men and women who were there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was very
impressed by the people who had shown up: the director of an NGO for
disabilities (himself deaf) and the PTA chairperson amongst others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were around 30 adults and 30-40
children, which is a miracle in itself considering that the school said it had
tried to have parents meetings before and the first time one parent showed up
and the second time no one came!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;">Vincent and
I gave talks about how music and art can help deaf people to express themselves
and help them in their academic work too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We answered questions from concerned parents who were finding it very
tough raising their kids, some of whom are violent or angry towards the family
and neighbours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We discussed how, since
talking doesn’t help, communicating via any means –be it playing, acting,
drawing, dancing – will help to show the child their value and worth within the
family and help them to reduce their anger and violent outbursts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One father was at his wits end as his
daughter refused to talk to her mother or siblings and the father was the only
one the daughter would try to communicate with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was thankful by the end of the workshop that he had some new ideas to
try to communicate with her and had some answers as to why she was so angry.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;">On to
Florence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is our new MPM Music
Counselor in Gulu working alongside Vincent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It turns out that she had been present at one of MPM’s training days in
Hope North School two hours out of Gulu back in 2008!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then in 2013 she heard the advert on the
radio for the position of Music Counselor and applied!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has a lot of energy and is bright,
willing to learn and has the potential to be a very good asset to MPM.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;">The work
that Vince and Florence are now doing in Gulu looks very different to how it
all started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Firstly, the groups are
much bigger than they used to be as small group work is not always possible in
the places MPM works due to various factors (anyone with an academic interest
in Community Music Therapy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m writing
a paper about it with reference to MPM!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Secondly there are now two counselors and consequently the children
spend half of their sessions quietly drawing as well as dancing around playing
instruments!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there is no doubt that
in a place such as Uganda where school is about learning by rote and repeating
things that they might not understand, the creativity that MPM is bringing to
the institutions is valuable and welcomed.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;">If you are
willing to contribute a one-off donation or become a monthly supporter, please
get in touch with me to find out how (either at my normal email address or at <a href="mailto:musicforpeacefulminds@yahoo.co.uk"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="color: blue;">musicforpeacefulminds@yahoo.co.uk</span></span></a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you to everyone who has contributed,
and especially to the current monthly supporters for your support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can visit <a href="http://musicforpeacefulminds.blogspot.com/"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="color: blue;">http://musicforpeacefulminds.blogspot.com</span></span></a>
for more background information and pictures.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 26pt;">For those who pray:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;">Praise God
for finding Florence who seems to be a good addition to the MPM team.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;">Praise God
for safe journeys to and from Gulu – the road is terrible now and we saw four
overturned lorries on route.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;">Please pray
for God to continually affect the children’s lives, guiding them and helping
them to grow into the people He wants them to be.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Bethan, Gareth, Samuel and Jonah Shrubsolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294739359259926009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619495958957322047.post-8284336933123699032013-09-17T00:11:00.003-07:002013-09-17T00:11:52.561-07:00Newsletter No 36 - Rwanda!
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Hello MPM
supporters!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope this newsletter finds
you well.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">It’s been
an exciting month for MPM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Music as
Therapy International invited me and Vince to go to Rwanda to help them think
about how to make the music therapy program they already have there more
sustainable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a long battle with
the Ugandan Immigration we got a special pass (work permits still being
processed after seven months!) and were able to cross the border to drive all
the way across Rwanda to Kamembe in the south west.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From here we could see across the beautiful
Lake Kivu to Congo and we were a stone’s throw away from Burundi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was two days’ drive from south west Uganda
and three days’ journey for Vince from Gulu but well worth it because we
learned as much as we offered.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Music as
Therapy International have had a relationship with two special needs centres in
Cyangugu for some years now and are looking how to move ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since MPM is still running successfully after
almost six years Vince and I were able to offer some words of advice as much
including what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to do as much as how to do things well!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In exchange we observed (and took part in)
two ‘family days’ where parents were invited to the schools and offered advice
on how to interact and communicate with their disabled children and the parents
were able to ask questions and to offer their concerns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vince and I later discussed how this might
work in Uganda (although Uganda is vastly less organized so it may take some
time!) with the special needs schools we work in there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plan would be to offer a parents’ support
day in Laroo Addra (the deaf unit) and Prison Primary (the special needs unit)
to encourage the parents to keep working hard getting their children to school,
to advise other parents with disabled children to get the support they need and
not to hide them away and to teach them what music and art therapy are doing
for their children and why it is important.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Meanwhile
Vince continues to work alone in Gulu because we have not had any suitable
musicians come forward for the job of music counselor yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A radio advert will go out this week so
hopefully we will get some applications so someone can start in the new school
year, next February.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vince is still
working in all the usual places but most of his time is taken up with the
Remand Home because the staff there treat him as though he works there: he has
become part of the furniture!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is
working through some very important topics with the young people, helping them
to realize their mistakes that led them to be arrested and encouraging them to
find ways of changing their behavior so that when they get out they will not be
arrested again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also does sessions
with themes of self-discovery, self-expression and how to live peacefully with
others in the home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is currently
writing a case-study about one of his sessions so you will be able to read that
soon.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Sometimes
he gets disheartened by his work: a girl in the special needs unit became
pregnant and no one knows details of this and there are allegations of bad
conduct from a head teacher at another place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is constantly being asked for things that he just should not have to
provide like soap for the remand home that should be funded by the
government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things like this can really
drain him and that’s without even thinking about the children’s personal issues
that he discovers through his therapeutic work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But it just goes to show that his work is important and necessary in
Gulu.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">In Uganda
if you have a meeting that people are expected to attend, it is normal and
polite to offer lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore there
will be a certain degree of added cost for the family days that we plan to
hold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In light of this, if you are
willing to contribute a one-off donation or become a monthly supporter, please
get in touch with me to find out how (either at my normal email address or at <a href="mailto:musicforpeacefulminds@yahoo.co.uk"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="color: blue;">musicforpeacefulminds@yahoo.co.uk</span></span></a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you to everyone who has contributed,
and especially to the current monthly supporters for your support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can visit <a href="http://musicforpeacefulminds.blogspot.com/"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="color: blue;">http://musicforpeacefulminds.blogspot.com</span></span></a>
for more background information and pictures.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Curlz MT";">For those who pray:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Please pray
for a suitable musician to join the MPM team as a music counselor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The logistics of hiring someone are difficult
too, since I live two days drive away from Gulu.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Praise God
for the opportunity to work with Music as Therapy and to share ideas and
problems.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
Bethan, Gareth, Samuel and Jonah Shrubsolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294739359259926009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619495958957322047.post-72818959060382792782013-09-07T09:12:00.001-07:002013-09-07T09:12:35.948-07:00MPM in RwandaDear All.<br />
I am writing a short letter now to tell you that I have been asked by Music as Therapy International <a href="http://www.musicastherapy.org/">http://www.musicastherapy.org/</a> to go to Kamembe, south west Rwanda, to help them as they try to find a way of offering music therapy services to people in that area. They have already been working in Rwanda for some time (see their website above for more precise details) but are now thinking about changing the way they work there.<br />
Vince is accompanying me and I am going en famille with my two boys and live-in nanny (Gareth, my wonderful husband!) since Jonah is still too young to be without mum at the moment.<br />
I will write more when I get back about how it went.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, I will write that unfortunately MPM has still not managed to find a musician to fulfil the requirements of the music therapist post in Gulu so Vince has been holding the fort with art and other creative ways of working with children such as dance and role-play. There was one applicant for the job but she was not a musician. Although Betty was also not a musician, MPM has moved on since 2008 and now Vince and I decided that the role of music counsellor should go to a talented musician. If we go beyond a year without filling the role we may look at this specification again since a lot of the work that happens with MPM is creative work that includes music rather than solely music in itself. But in the meantime we are still being picky!<br />
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Vince has been working in the same places as before (see previous newsletter) and after I spend three days with him in Rwanda I will chat with him and find out the details in order to write a newsletter on our return.<br />
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I look forward to filling you in on lots of exciting news when I get back!<br />
<br />
Bethan <br />
<br />
For people who pray please pray firstly for Vince to be able to travel across the border with not hassle as he doesn't have a passport but instead has other forms of ID and although he believes he will be able to travel there are always people who will try to make life difficult. Also please pray urgently for a musician to join MPM in Gulu as not only is it lonely for Vince to work alone but Music for Peaceful Minds cannot be so without music!Bethan, Gareth, Samuel and Jonah Shrubsolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294739359259926009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619495958957322047.post-85225038070931420232013-03-13T04:47:00.000-07:002013-03-13T04:47:19.012-07:00
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Hello after
a long absence!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sorry it has been
almost a year since I wrote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is
partly because I wanted to meet Betty and Vince, MPM’s arts therapists, in
person and hear in detail what they have been doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also because I went back to the UK for
four months to give birth to our second born son, Jonah.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">In February
2013 I had our first MPM AGM with both Betty and Vince.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will summarize, because the meeting went on
through breakfast and lunch and was very long and detailed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sad news is that Betty is leaving us in
order to move back to eastern Uganda where her three children and husband live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has served MPM for four years and worked
with four European MPM volunteers in that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I now have the job of trying to replace her from my home in western
Uganda, two days’ drive away from Gulu!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">In other
news, Vince and Betty have done some ground-breaking art therapy and music therapy
collaborations with some wonderful results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I will outline them below:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Cubu
primary school<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Betty and
Vince were told by the teachers that a parent had complained about the therapy
sessions, saying that they were doing witch-craft! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reason is that there was a small
instrument in the shape of a chicken thigh (where do they get these things!)
that Betty was using in an imaginative-play game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The child had gone and told his parent about
it and the parent thought it was a fetish for witchcraft!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After clearing this matter up Betty and Vince
were allowed to continue work but confined to large, open groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have therefore been working with a class
of 100 kids doing wide-open music sessions outside in the field combined with
related art sessions in the classroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is challenging, but they are meeting the challenges as they come!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Prison
special needs school:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">There have
been some problems with the school management that have meant that sessions
here have not been happening as often as we would like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These have now been sorted out and sessions
resume as normal.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Laroo Addra
deaf unit:</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">There are
some interesting ideas about how to use music and art with these deaf children
at Laroo Addra school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vince is going
to put paint down in trays on the floor with paper directly after it, also on
the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then the children get in a
circle and do one of their traditional dances, which usually go round in
circles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will be accompanied by a
large cow-drum that some of them are able to hear and other can watch the
rhythm of it as they dance round.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
will them be able to see the music they created through the art, if not
actually hear it with their ears!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Gulu remand
home:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">There has been
some very interesting work going on at the remand home including a series of
home-visits by Betty and Vince to try to mediate between a boy in the remand
home and his father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through one of the
music and art sessions, the boy came to Betty and started talking to her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It transpired that he had fallen out with his
father, who had come to his wits end and handed the boy over to the police for
repeated thefts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Betty was able to visit
the father on the boy’s behalf, then talk again with the boy, offering the
father’s point of view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boy’s story
needs a follow-up but it seems that he was let out after his short stint in the
home and now he lives again with his father, having built their bridges
again!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s funny where music therapy
ends up!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Another
good art-music collaboration was when the children created a piece of artwork
in a session themed around personality and identity then at the end they were
told to take away the picture and compose a song to perform to their friends at
the next session.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the children did
it and the themes that came out were at times inspiring and challenging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the boys came with a song about how
much he hates his mother and why he will never be able to tell her – or anyone
– about his experiences in prison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
led Vince to follow up with a session about anger and forgiveness and later, a
session about faith and writing letters to God (whoever they perceived ‘god’ to
be).<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">As usual:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Due to the
additional member of staff, I need to continue to find more funding and new
supporters as the cost of employing another therapist is around £100 per month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are willing to contribute a one-off
donation or become a monthly supporter, please get in touch with me to find out
how (either at my normal email address or at <a href="mailto:musicforpeacefulminds@yahoo.co.uk"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="color: blue;">musicforpeacefulminds@yahoo.co.uk</span></span></a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you to everyone who has contributed,
and especially to the current monthly supporters for your support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can visit <a href="http://musicforpeacefulminds.blogspot.com/"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="color: blue;">http://musicforpeacefulminds.blogspot.com</span></span></a>
for more background information and pictures.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Curlz MT";">For those who pray:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Pray for the
young people in the remand home as they go through this difficult time of
imprisonment, and for Vince and Betty as they works with them.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Pray that by
the time Betty leaves in April there is someone to take her place. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Bethan, Gareth, Samuel and Jonah Shrubsolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294739359259926009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619495958957322047.post-20475746098895756412012-03-22T05:00:00.000-07:002012-03-22T05:00:46.974-07:00Newsletter Number 34 - March 2012<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";">N</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">w</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT";">s</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT";">l</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">t</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">t</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT";">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT";">r </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";">N</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">o</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT";"> </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT";">3</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";">4</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">! </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">(</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ffcc00; font-family: "Curlz MT";">f</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT";">r</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";">o</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">m </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">G</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT";">u</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">l</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">u)</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";">M</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">a</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">r</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT";">c</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT";">h</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";"> </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">2</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT";">0</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT";">1</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";">2</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
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</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">The last time I wrote, in January, I informed you that Vincent Okuja, an art counselor, would be joining the MPM team with his very up-to-date and relevant experience of working with people in very difficult circumstances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His previous client groups include not only the Acholi people affected by war-trauma, but those of the Karamojong tribe living in very traditional cultures with all the dangers and difficulties that entails such as changing values and severe droughts.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Gulu Remand Home<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">I am in Gulu at the moment visiting Vince and helping him find his feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having already worked in Gulu, though, Vince has not only found his feet but is already learning to fly with MPM!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I visited his second art therapy session in the remand home I had mentioned in the last newsletter where he had 25 teenage boys and a teenage girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The session involved the teens drawing a poster advertising themselves either as they see themselves or as they want to see themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They then discussed the results, sometimes with much hilarity (“you want a square head, then?” mocked one boy!) and with much seriousness (“my brother was cut – that’s why I have drawn him that way.”)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">The remand home is basically a juvenile home where children are kept as they go in and out of court awaiting verdicts, or where they stay as a result of their verdicts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They stay at the very simple residence for between a couple of weeks and six months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some are there for simple theft because of being unwelcome at home for a whole host of reasons and therefore having to make their way on the street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some are there for defilement or aggravated defilement and some are there for murder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is heartbreaking to hear the stories and to find these teenagers (mostly boys but there are a handful of girls) living on the edge of society in a government institution where there is no funding for activities for them to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have either been disowned by their families or they lost their families during the LRA war. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">The money given to the remand home by the government is only enough for food and the director was asking me for funding for them to improve their sanitation as they don’t have enough money for soap of any kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have put them in touch with the Ugandan Christian Lawyers Fraternity (UCLF) which is supported by the Baptist Union of Uganda (who I am currently working with in Kasese) in the hope that they can help lobby the government for proper funding for the remand home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The staff also face the obvious challenges of violence and aggression in the home but, as visitors and people who have something fun and constructive for them to do, we didn’t witness any of their aggression and we saw that they could be friendly and sociable young people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is good for the staff to see them this way too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vince is doing two morning sessions there per week and when Betty returns to Gulu she will add music therapy to the program, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>either combined with Vince’s art therapy or on alternate weeks or days but with related themes.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Prison Primary School Special Needs<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">I also visited Vince’s art therapy group at Prison Primary School’s Special Needs Unit (remember it’s not a prison, it’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">next to</i> a prison!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The children have such diverse needs ranging from children who are pretty capable educationally but socially unable to fit in to mainstream school, to those who are profoundly autistic and struggle to participate even in the special needs unit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vince was doing an activity with the whole group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had to draw what they could based on what they wanted for their future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again there was the comedy (yet with underlying sadness) “I want to be a smoker” then the more serious “I want to be a nurse” juxtapositions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vince discussed the outcomes with the children and gave space for them to vent their frustrations at being forgotten in a society that gives very little attention to children with special needs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">A Marriage of Arts<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Vince, Betty and I have talked about how art and music can work together to complement each other and how that will work practically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is exciting to watch as the two have ideas about how they can combine live music with live art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Betty is not yet back from maternity leave but when she is I will be avidly watching this space to see how they both get on.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Kony 2012<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Some of you will have watched the “Kony 2012” video that has been causing news around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have seen it, regardless of what we think of the controversy that surrounds it, you will have learned something about the horrors of the LRA’s conflict in northern Uganda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is those children who were traumatised by Kony’s rebels that MPM has been working with since 2008.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to stress, though, that the LRA are no longer active in Uganda and have not been since 2006, but are now committing similar atrocities in the vast jungles of the Central African Republic (CAR), South Sudan and the Democratic Repupblic of Congo (DRC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MPM is working hard to help people return to good mental health in Gulu, but I certainly have in mind that there are other places where MPM could be useful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whilst chatting to Vince today, he revealed he is keen to chase up a contact he has in the new Republic of South Sudan to try to do some peripatetic work under MPM’s name with ex-child soldiers there.<u><o:p></o:p></u></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">As usual:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Due to the additional member of staff, I need to continue to find more funding and new supporters as the cost of employing another therapist is around £100 per month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are willing to contribute a one-off donation or become a monthly supporter, please get in touch with me to find out how (either at my normal email address or at <a href="mailto:musicforpeacefulminds@yahoo.co.uk"><span style="color: blue;">musicforpeacefulminds@yahoo.co.uk</span></a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you to everyone who has contributed, and especially to the current monthly supporters for your support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can visit <a href="http://musicforpeacefulminds.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://musicforpeacefulminds.blogspot.com</span></a> for more background information and pictures.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>Bethan, Gareth, Samuel and Jonah Shrubsolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294739359259926009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619495958957322047.post-73042081131906301132012-01-06T02:45:00.000-08:002012-01-06T02:45:58.822-08:00Newsletter number 33- January 2012<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";">N</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">w</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT";">s</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT";">l</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">t</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">t</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT";">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT";">r </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";">N</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">o</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT";"> </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT";">3</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";">3</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">! </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">(</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ffcc00; font-family: "Curlz MT";">f</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT";">r</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";">o</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">m </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">K</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT";">a</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">s</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";">s</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">)</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";"><o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";">J</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">a</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">n</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT";">u</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT";">a</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";">r</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">y </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">2</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT";">0</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT";">1</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT";">2</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">In the last newsletter I wrote about Ana Navarro, a volunteer from Spain who stayed in Gulu for almost three months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has now returned to Spain, after having worked hard to help a tired and very heavily pregnant Betty to learn new skills and ideas and at times fighting the apathy in schools to help MPM keep time and boundaries of therapy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think she’d mind me saying that she found it exhausting to be constantly reminding both Betty and the schools that timing, consistency, privacy and good referrals and evaluations are important for therapy and that just because it rains doesn’t mean you don’t turn up for work/school!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, she was able to offer new ideas to a distracted Betty, which she can use once she comes back to work in the new year with a new baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also enjoyed working in the schools that are much more supportive of MPM such as Laroo Adra, the school with the deaf unit.</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Betty and Ana went to Kitgum to check on the staff that Jantina Bijpost and Neysa Navarro-Fernandez trained in 2010.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were pleased to find that there was one man who had been championing the cause of Music Therapy in the special needs school by running regular music sessions for the children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Evidence of this could be seen when Ana and Betty ran a group there and the children clearly knew what to do and expect.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">When MPM has volunteers it helps me not only to offer Betty a companion and colleague, but to also re-evaluate what MPM does and how it does it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are some thoughts that Ana, Betty and I have had throughout Ana’s recent time in Gulu:</span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span></b><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Length of groups:<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The groups had run for one term each since we started in 2008.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ana found that out of her potential 10 weeks of therapy, she saw some of the groups only twice!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was due to typical Ugandan things such as national holidays springing up without warning; heavy rains causing children and staff not to turn up to school; exams and revision leave; inability to pay school fees or wear correct uniform so being sent; the man with the key to the music room has gone; the room has not been cleaned amongst other things, some more believable than others!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We agreed that, in order to benefit the children’s need for small-group time with a counselor and to give them the familiarity and space they need to get to the deeper problems facing them at this time in this place, they should meet for a whole school year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I wrote in the last newsletter, we will also change the referral system so that the most needy children are being referred by the teachers or parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(This is difficult because teachers with over 100 pupils in their class can’t know everyone individually so some children may fall through the net and others may have therapy when they don’t have much need for it.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">New MPM therapist<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Our new art therapist is going to join MPM in February, which I’m very excited about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is bringing to the table art therapy experience from having worked in Gulu, Karamojong (a very interesting and complex pastoral tribe in the north-east facing many types of problems) and other parts of the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is around the same age as Betty (30s) but has more energy (that also comes of not having three children!) and a much more modern outlook in terms of drawing information and ideas from online reports and websites and really understanding issues of the youth he will be working with.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">New place of work<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">When Betty was at hospital for a scan of her baby, she met a contact who worked in what I believe to be a centre for children with social problems (I’m unclear as yet but more information will follow).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the new term Vince will go and get more information and details from this place and see if it is possible to work there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is good timing that this opportunity has presented itself because one of the original schools that MPM works in (Laroo Boarding) has failed so many times to help and offer support to MPM staff and it has become impossible to work there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Corruption and discontent among the staff and a lack of care for the children’s well-being has been worrying (and in two cases fatal when two children died of malaria because of lack of staff attention).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Betty has been trying so hard to keep the work going, and Ana also pulled her hair out trying to care for the children, but we have come to the conclusion that the problem is firstly too bit for MPM to work with and secondly is out of our hands and needs to be dealt with directly by the government (it is one of only a few government secondary schools in the country).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We gave the teachers warnings about how they need to support MPM staff but nothing has changed so MPM will no longer work there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is so sad to not be able to reach the children, but as a tiny CBO there is very little we can do.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">As usual:<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Due to the additional member of staff, I need to find more funding and new supporters as the cost of another therapist is around £100 per month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are willing to contribute a one-off donation or become a monthly supporter, please get in touch with me to find out how (</span><a href="mailto:musicforpeacefulminds@yahoo.co.uk"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">musicforpeacefulminds@yahoo.co.uk</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you to everyone who has contributed, and especially to the current monthly supporters for your support, and please continue to stand with me at this time of exciting change.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
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</div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>Bethan, Gareth, Samuel and Jonah Shrubsolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294739359259926009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619495958957322047.post-51626358155714891012011-09-14T03:47:00.001-07:002011-09-14T03:47:54.137-07:00A new employeeGood news! An artist who I was head-hunting has agreed to take on a new post with MPM as arts therapist to complement Betty Acen, our existing Music Counsellor! This is bringing much refreshment and a new sense of direction to MPM. To be continued...!Bethan, Gareth, Samuel and Jonah Shrubsolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294739359259926009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619495958957322047.post-1688273448476053162011-09-11T13:51:00.000-07:002011-09-11T13:51:05.156-07:00Newsletter number 32 September 2011Newsletter No. 32! (from Gulu)<br />
September 2011<br />
<br />
I have just returned from Gulu to deposit a Spanish volunteer Music Therapist. I was very impressed with Ana Navarro, a recent graduate of Music Therapy, from the moment she climbed gratefully out of the taxi from the airport after a three-hour detour around Kampala (having been delivered to the wrong place!) until the moment I left her cycling around Gulu as if she had been born to be there. She took everything in her stride, at least it seemed from the outside even if she was hiding her fear! Betty was also very impressed and was looking forward to working with Ana and learning from her too.<br />
Betty is also looking forward to an addition to her family: her third-born. In true African style, the subject of her pregnancy came about completely accidentally as we were discussing family-planning. “Do people do family planning in Gulu?” asked my pastor, Alphonse. “Yes,” replied Betty. “I can tell,” I added, “you only have two children Betty.” “Well I would like to add one” said Betty quietly. “Oh, that’s nice.” I said matter-of-factly. “I may even surprise you in December.” She replied, seeming relieved to have got it off her chest! “Wow!” I breathed. “That would make you… five months pregnant?!” “We African women don’t need too much time when a baby is born, we just carry on with our work!” Betty laughed, as if reading my mind! Ha ha! Well, this week in Gulu was going to be a week of re-thinking strategies anyway, but now there was a huge impetus to do so. Let me start from the beginning.<br />
The Beginning: <br />
Music for Peaceful Minds was started to serve the counseling needs of children affected by the traumatic effects of a civil war that had lasted over twenty years. MPM started after a reccy visit with Jenni Ramos and the input of an initial Music Therapist volunteer Nicky Haire in SOS Children’s Villages, Gulu. I was quickly joined by Dutch Music Therapist, Jantina Bijpost, and was rapidly invited to work in other schools and orphanages around Gulu. <br />
Then there was Betty:<br />
After eight months, Jantina Bijpost trained a Ugandan teacher, Betty Acen, in how to use music as therapy. Betty continued the therapy work, being joined by other volunteers over the course of the following three years: Chia-Ling Ho, Neysa Navarro-Fernandez and now Ana Navarro.<br />
The Development of the Work:<br />
We started working with orphans and therefore people who were not only suffering from war-trauma but also living with the trauma of not having been able to make good attachments with parents. We then began working with children who had been abducted or abused by rebel soldiers, most presenting with PTSD. We then started working with children with disabilities in a special-needs unit of a mainstream school. Another orphanage followed and a unit for deaf children. Some training in Kitgum in 2010 for teachers at a special-needs unit led me to thinking that work with disabled children might be a good way to move forward considering that the war ended in 2006. It is true that war-trauma can last for long, even to the next generation, so this will always be an underlying aim of MPM, but I believe that there are a few other NGOs working with the traumatised population but not enough working to help the creativity and expansion of resources for children with disabilities.<br />
Changing Tack:<br />
With these thoughts in mind, I met with the various head-teachers of the schools that MPM currently works in and talked through a new referral strategy that we agreed to implement. Instead of children referring themselves for music therapy with Betty, teachers will be consulted more vigorously to ensure that the children who need the most emotional support benefit from what music therapy has to offer. The groups had become a bit haphazard and seemed to lack a purpose other than for the more general aims of enjoyment and socializing. In discussion with the head-teachers, the agreement was made that each small music therapy group would consist of children with similar needs or problems so that Betty can really focus on the aim in hand and that the children can gain support from knowing that they are not the only ones coping with a particular problem. It is in my mind, too, to lengthen the group-work from a short 10 weeks to at least 6 months so that Betty really has time to work with the children and help them to deal with their challenges in depth. In order to do this we must wait firstly until the next school year (they go Jan to Dec here) and secondly until Betty comes back from maternity leave with her baby (due late Dec).<br />
I have been thinking for a long time about getting a second Music Counsellor to work alongside Betty, because it can be a very lonely job and with no one to bounce ideas or difficult situations off, the job can be too hard. I have not done so before because the right person has not presented him/herself to me and I have not been in a position to search and conduct interviews so Betty has had to cope on her own.<br />
The Future:<br />
So with the new referral system and a potential second Music Counsellor in place, MPM is set to take a slightly different direction. The dream person I have in mind to take the job of second Music Counsellor is an art therapist and could bring a new dimension to the music therapy, bringing art therapy and a variety of other skills to the table. It is well-known that art and music go well together and I am excited about the potential of MPM being able to offer another medium of communication for children both in mainstream and special needs schools. Even if my dream-person who I have in mind cannot take the position, I will be looking for someone special to join Betty in the new year, when she returns from maternity leave.<br />
In view of this potential exciting change to MPM, I need to find more funding and new supporters as the cost of another therapist is around £100 per month. If you are willing to contribute a one-off donation or become a monthly supporter, please get in touch with me to find out how (<a href="mailto:musicforpeacefulminds@yahoo.co.uk">musicforpeacefulminds@yahoo.co.uk</a>. Thank you to everyone who has contributed, and especially to the current monthly supporters for your support, and please continue to stand with me at this time of exciting change.Bethan, Gareth, Samuel and Jonah Shrubsolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294739359259926009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619495958957322047.post-28622282203296420332011-09-11T12:43:00.000-07:002011-09-11T12:43:51.013-07:00Newsletter Number 31 August 2011<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">N</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">w</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">s</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">l</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">t</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">t</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">r </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">N</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">o</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;"> </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">3</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">1</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">! </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">(</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ffcc00; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">f</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">r</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">o</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">m </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">W</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">s</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">t</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">r</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">n </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">U</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">g</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">a</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">n</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">d</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">a</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">)</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">A</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">u</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">g</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">u</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">s</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">t </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">2</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">0</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">1</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">1</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;">I am currently in my house in Kasese, Western Uganda, preparing a program for MPM’s volunteer from Spain who will be working with Betty in Gulu from September until December.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may remember from the last newsletter that her name is Ana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will be picking her up from Kampala and taking her to Gulu, along with our pastor in Kasese who wants to visit MPM to get an idea of how music therapy can work in the west.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will stay with Ana for a week to help her settle into a house where I have rented a room for her (to be house-mates with a British girl).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will introduce her to Betty and then after my week there Betty will take Ana under her wing and they will begin their program of working together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Betty will provide Ana with experience of working in Uganda while Ana will teach Betty all she knows about Music Therapy!</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 20pt;">The Work</span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;">I had a wonderful impromptu letter from Addra School (the one that has the unit for deaf children).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is letters like this that make the work all worthwhile even if it seems as though we are only a drop in the enormous ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I am there in September I will also be doing some evaluation of Betty’s work and meeting the children to hear their experiences of MPM.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 20pt;">Betty</span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;">Betty has now finished her final exams or her masters and is awaiting her results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her masters in Guidance and Counseling will no doubt have helped her enormously with her work, but on the music side she is sometimes weak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Ana comes she is hoping to teach Betty to play a little on the guitar (and leave one for her) in order that Betty can have more musical experience and use that in her work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can be easy for Betty to use games and stories more than music and while that is still beneficial for the children, I don’t want the power that music has to offer being left out of the group-work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope that Ana will reinvigorate Betty in her musical endeavors.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;">So, now it is time for me to get back to the chickens, Chui (‘leopard’ in Swahili) and Tangawizi (‘Ginger’ in Swahili), and our little Baluku (‘first born son’ in local Lukongho language!) and prepare the shamba (garden) for our new addition, a goat that will be called Mchomo (‘Kebab’ in Swahili!)</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;">If you would like to donate please reply to this email and I will be more than happy to tell you MPM’s bank details.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for your continued support both moral and financial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will get photos and anecdotes from Gulu when I visit to put in the next newsletter.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt;"></span></b></div>Bethan, Gareth, Samuel and Jonah Shrubsolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294739359259926009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619495958957322047.post-86845899579851334542011-08-04T12:23:00.000-07:002011-08-04T12:23:14.941-07:00Letter of AppreciationThe following is an extract from a letter sent to me by staff at a school where MPM is working wtih the children in the special deaf unit:<br />
<br />
"The Head teacher at Laroo Primary School, School Management together with all the teaching staff at the school would like to thank the organisation Music for Peaceful Minds for the great support given to the school especially the unit section for the Deaf on the music items. This has made a very good improvement to these children to develop skills and talents to play different instruments whereby creativity among children has been seen.<br />
All the items given are of good quality which have enhanced children's interest and active participation.<br />
If the resource still permits, we still request your office to continue supporting these children with hearing impairments."Bethan, Gareth, Samuel and Jonah Shrubsolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294739359259926009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619495958957322047.post-87769130236190735622011-06-14T13:03:00.000-07:002011-06-14T13:13:15.271-07:00Newsletter Number Thirty 14th June 2011<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">N</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">w</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">s</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">l</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">t</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">t</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">r </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">N</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">o</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;"> </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">3</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">0</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">! </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">(</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ffcc00; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">f</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">r</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">o</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">m </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">K</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">a</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">m</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">p</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">a</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">l</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">a</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT"; font-size: 20pt;">)</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Hello supporters and welcome back, after another long silence, to the MPM newsletter!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My last letter was written just after the birth of my son, Samuel, on June 17<sup>th</sup> last year and now we are coming up to celebrating his 1<sup>st</sup> birthday!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A slight twist in the tale that some may not know is that we are now living in Uganda!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are working with BMS World Mission in Kasese, western Uganda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Read on to see how this does – and does not – affect MPM in Gulu.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">The Work</span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Betty continued the work that she helped Tina and Neysa to set up in a deaf unit of Addra school in Gulu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has struggled with the staff who sometimes refuse to translate (sign language) without extra payment, even though they should be teaching their classes anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The children love the music therapy and although it is more usual to work with deaf children in the UK with amplifiers and technology, Betty manages with a big African drum and a huge amount of enthusiasm and love.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">At the moment there are two groups in Cubu primary school (for your memories, this is the school some few miles out of town on a dirt road where a lot of children have experienced first-hand the terrors of the rebel movement only 5 or so years ago).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Betty is also running four groups of six children at a special needs unit called Prisons primary school (remember it is next to a prison, not in one) where she is accepted as part of the staff team and much respected by the parents, who are offered advice about how to play with their children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are also two groups at Laroo primary school, one of the first we worked at back in 2008.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As well as doing these groups and writing their reports, feeding back to the staff and buying new instruments for the schools, Betty is coming to the end of her MPM-sponsored Guidance Counselling Masters and will be graduating from East African University later this year.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">The Training Program</span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">The training in Kitgum that was done by Betty, Tina and Neysa last year still bears fruit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course there were some of the trained team who were less enthusiastic than others but there was at least one person from each place (counseling centre and special needs boarding school) who were excited by the music counseling concept and started running it in their organisations.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Volunteer</span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">I had an enquiry a year ago from a Spanish music therapy trainee who wanted to volunteer with MPM and I told her to get back to me when she had finished training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has now finished and did indeed contact me again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are in the process of arranging for her to come to Gulu to work with Betty in order that she can share her skills with Betty and at the same time take some of what Ugandan music has to offer back with her to Spain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hope that she will come in September for three months and, since she’ll be there partly during the school holidays, we hope she will run a holiday music-making club with some of the children at the orphanages or in the villages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More news of Ana to follow.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">I also had an email from a British musician in Kampala, Frances, who had heard about MPM from one of the conferences I spoke at.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She contacted me when she heard that I was coming to Uganda as she is teaching at Kampala Music School and we are going to meet to share ideas and make sure none of us are re-inventing the wheel!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also said that I could play in the Kampala Orchestra whenever I was in town!</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Instruments</span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Betty went shopping for new instruments for some of the schools so they received new locally hand-made instruments from MPM in order that there is no excuse for music not to take place!</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">I am giving Betty a pay-rise later this year to reflect both her masters and the huge inflation that has taken place with the Ugandan shilling, but with exchange rates as they are, this doesn’t make much difference to the amount it costs in pounds:</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Betty’s monthly salary: £95</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Betty’s expenses (bodas, bicycle, internet): £15</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">New instruments: xylophone £30, drums £6-£40, harps £20.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Living expenses for a volunteer per month: £100</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">If you would like to donate please reply to this email and I will be more than happy to tell you MPM’s bank details.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for your continued support both moral and financial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am hoping to visit Gulu later this year so I will get photos and anecdotes for the next newsletter.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: navy; font-family: "Curlz MT";">B</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">e</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: green; font-family: "Curlz MT";">t</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: "Curlz MT";">h</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Curlz MT";">a</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: navy; font-family: "Curlz MT";">n</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Curlz MT";">!</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Curlz MT";">For those who pray:</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Praise God that MPM is still running, meeting children’s emotional needs in Gulu and inspiring interest in strangers!</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Pray that Ana can come from Spain to work with Betty and expand both hers and Betty’s knowledge and experience</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Hope that a useful link with Frances offers support and new ideas for MPM</span></b></div>Bethan, Gareth, Samuel and Jonah Shrubsolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294739359259926009noreply@blogger.com0