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My name is Richard Farrand and my bride's name is Laurie. We are normal everyday folks who have a passion for advocating for the broken, hurting and addicted. Our heart is in Uganda, Africa. Laurie and I are headed back on our 3rd trip to Uganda. We leave on April 26th, 2017. Each time we go, we feel the need to be helpful at a deeper and more meaningful way.
On the 1st trip I was scared. I had read about the vast number of alcoholics in Uganda. I had read that in 2004 the World Health Organization said Uganda had more alcoholic per capita than any other place in the world. I was comforted that at least I would be able to get to an AA meeting. Through my research, however, I found that might not be true. I did find a couple places that promoted AA meetings but was unable to locate anyone who could tell me where or when. Furthermore, I only read about 4 meetings. I quickly came to the realization, after speaking to friends who lived or worked in Uganda, that there really wasn’t much of a solution to alcoholism in Uganda. I couldn’t believe I was going someplace where recovery was, for the most part, completely unheard of.
As I shared this with my group and other AA members, people began to collect Big Books and 12x12s. I left for Uganda and the great unknown with 200 lbs of AA materials. A meeting was set up, advertised as “Come hear a man who has recovered from alcoholism”. At this meeting of hundreds, I opened with the traditional AA opening, “Hello, my name is Richard and I am an alcoholic”. The crowed burst into laughter. Thinking my friend, the interpreter, had made a joke, I gave him the raised eyebrow look. He told me, “They are laughing because it is not possible that you are an alcoholic and you are sober. Every Alcoholic here is drunk and then dies. You are sober and they know that is NOT possible. They don’t believe you. They are laughing at you because they think you are teasing them”. I cried. How is this possible, was all that was running through my head. These poor drunks literally have no solution…NONE.
We spent 2 weeks in Uganda. During that time I saw lots of drunks. They are poor but they brew their own liquor call Wargi (war gin or bathtub gin). Many older drunks had cataracts. It is a terrible site to see drunks with no solution, no AA, no fellowship. They awaken each morning with the hideous four horsemen at their bedside, Terror, Bewilderment, Frustration, and Despair. None believed sobriety was attainable or even conceivable.
On this trip we delivered 40,000 meals from Kids Against Hunger, provided “wound care” for a very poor village which had NO water. We later built a well there. We provided the human and financial resources for 250 youth to have a spiritual camp for a week and 200 little kids for a week of day camp. This was vital for these young people because, as we learned while there, women and children have no privilege or rights. All this time I drug those AA materials with me trying to find a member of AA. I gave out some books to drunks but they were not impressed.
The very last night there I was depressed. I had run through so many emotions in 2 weeks. AND I still had all the AA supplies. My buddy asked if I was bringing them back to the US. I said, “These came from my Creator and His children, I have not been told where they go.” He flipped back, “We leave tomorrow”. I had to try one more time to find an AA member. I went online and found a “list” of AA members. I had called them all before but most people have cheap throw away phones and change their number when the phone dies. I knew it was a waste of time but I tried the list again anyways and someone answered. “Is this Martial”, I questioned. “yes” he replied. I said, “Martial, my name is Richard, I am from the United States and I am an alcoholic.” Martial respond, “my name is Martial and I am an alcoholic.” I was stunned, excited, overwhelmed, and my eyes began to flow like the River Nile. Martial, one of my best friends today, came to my hotel. Turns out that he has more years of recovery than anyone else in the country of Uganda. He IS the Elder Spokesman. He is also the Director of two large treatment centers. That is how my God works. Martial also brought the newest member of AA, one day sober. Here I sat with the longest long-timer and the newest AA member in a country of 35 million people, I couldn’t believe it. I gave him the literature and promised him that I would be back someday soon. There was no denying God’s hand all over this.
During the visit with Martial, my wife, Laurie, was with a group of friends. They heard a child being beaten, badly. Throughout the trip we had heard numerous stories of women and children being beaten. Laurie experienced it first-hand. She began to pray that God would use her as an instrument to aid in human rights in Uganda. That is all she talked about on the way home.
In July of 2015 my home group sponsored Martial to come to the US and be our guest at the AA International Convention. He was here for three weeks. We paid his wife the wages he was missing at work. It was as such a great experience for our group and for Martial. During this visit, Martial and my wife shook hands in agreement that they would begin a human rights effort in Uganda.
After Martial left we received a Facebook message from someone in the Uganda Human Rights Commission, a government agency. She did not know Martial. It was simply the hand of God moving and doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
In Aug of 2016, Laurie, two other members from my fellowship, and I went back to Uganda. We created Where and When information for the AA meetings, business cards for people to contact “Intergroup”, visited corporations to discuss alcoholism and AA, visited and encouraged EVERY AA meeting in the entire country, and brought $5,000 worth of donated supplies to a local hospital. With the help of our friend from the Human Rights Commission, we visited people in prison giving them soap, detergent, underwear, feminine products, baby formula and cloth diapers for the babies, sugar, salt, etc., and love.
Today, we are invited back to the prisons, four of them, and to train on the solutions we have found to the disease of alcoholism. The people of Uganda need our help. This need may never be eliminated but when anyone anywhere reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA always to be there and for that, I am responsible. Our heart is in Uganda. We passionately love the people of Uganda.
On this trip, it is our plan to bring all the supplies to the prison that we brought last time and also add a meal. We will also be discussing alcoholism and giving AA literature to start an AA meeting in each prison. Each meal consists of 1 bull ($475), rice, sugar, pop, and a vegetable ($200). We are doing this in 4 prisons. We are also going to be bringing books and literature to the Intergroup for distribution among the 12 AA groups. Lastly, we are doing 5 days of AA training for those in the fellowships throughout Uganda. We will be training on sponsorship, program steps 1-12, traditions 1 and 7, and we are praying for someone from our intergroup in MN to come with us and discuss how to effectively run an AA Intergroup.
So, our biggest need is prayer! It is NOT a safe place. Yes, there are less safe places in the world but it isn’t a safe place. Also, the spiritual world is much more tangible in Uganda; the light is VERY light and the darkness is VERY dark. We met people who still believe that the head of a child buried under their business will appease the god’s and bless their business. We really need prayer partners more than anything. We also could use help financially. The flight, security, housing, van and driver, gas, water, and food will run each of us about $3,000. The help in prisons will run about $6,000. If this is God’s idea then He will supply all our needs.
All I ask is that you pray for us and about how or if you can be a part of the solution in Uganda.
Thanks for reading this whole letter! God bless!
On the 1st trip I was scared. I had read about the vast number of alcoholics in Uganda. I had read that in 2004 the World Health Organization said Uganda had more alcoholic per capita than any other place in the world. I was comforted that at least I would be able to get to an AA meeting. Through my research, however, I found that might not be true. I did find a couple places that promoted AA meetings but was unable to locate anyone who could tell me where or when. Furthermore, I only read about 4 meetings. I quickly came to the realization, after speaking to friends who lived or worked in Uganda, that there really wasn’t much of a solution to alcoholism in Uganda. I couldn’t believe I was going someplace where recovery was, for the most part, completely unheard of.
As I shared this with my group and other AA members, people began to collect Big Books and 12x12s. I left for Uganda and the great unknown with 200 lbs of AA materials. A meeting was set up, advertised as “Come hear a man who has recovered from alcoholism”. At this meeting of hundreds, I opened with the traditional AA opening, “Hello, my name is Richard and I am an alcoholic”. The crowed burst into laughter. Thinking my friend, the interpreter, had made a joke, I gave him the raised eyebrow look. He told me, “They are laughing because it is not possible that you are an alcoholic and you are sober. Every Alcoholic here is drunk and then dies. You are sober and they know that is NOT possible. They don’t believe you. They are laughing at you because they think you are teasing them”. I cried. How is this possible, was all that was running through my head. These poor drunks literally have no solution…NONE.
We spent 2 weeks in Uganda. During that time I saw lots of drunks. They are poor but they brew their own liquor call Wargi (war gin or bathtub gin). Many older drunks had cataracts. It is a terrible site to see drunks with no solution, no AA, no fellowship. They awaken each morning with the hideous four horsemen at their bedside, Terror, Bewilderment, Frustration, and Despair. None believed sobriety was attainable or even conceivable.
On this trip we delivered 40,000 meals from Kids Against Hunger, provided “wound care” for a very poor village which had NO water. We later built a well there. We provided the human and financial resources for 250 youth to have a spiritual camp for a week and 200 little kids for a week of day camp. This was vital for these young people because, as we learned while there, women and children have no privilege or rights. All this time I drug those AA materials with me trying to find a member of AA. I gave out some books to drunks but they were not impressed.
The very last night there I was depressed. I had run through so many emotions in 2 weeks. AND I still had all the AA supplies. My buddy asked if I was bringing them back to the US. I said, “These came from my Creator and His children, I have not been told where they go.” He flipped back, “We leave tomorrow”. I had to try one more time to find an AA member. I went online and found a “list” of AA members. I had called them all before but most people have cheap throw away phones and change their number when the phone dies. I knew it was a waste of time but I tried the list again anyways and someone answered. “Is this Martial”, I questioned. “yes” he replied. I said, “Martial, my name is Richard, I am from the United States and I am an alcoholic.” Martial respond, “my name is Martial and I am an alcoholic.” I was stunned, excited, overwhelmed, and my eyes began to flow like the River Nile. Martial, one of my best friends today, came to my hotel. Turns out that he has more years of recovery than anyone else in the country of Uganda. He IS the Elder Spokesman. He is also the Director of two large treatment centers. That is how my God works. Martial also brought the newest member of AA, one day sober. Here I sat with the longest long-timer and the newest AA member in a country of 35 million people, I couldn’t believe it. I gave him the literature and promised him that I would be back someday soon. There was no denying God’s hand all over this.
During the visit with Martial, my wife, Laurie, was with a group of friends. They heard a child being beaten, badly. Throughout the trip we had heard numerous stories of women and children being beaten. Laurie experienced it first-hand. She began to pray that God would use her as an instrument to aid in human rights in Uganda. That is all she talked about on the way home.
In July of 2015 my home group sponsored Martial to come to the US and be our guest at the AA International Convention. He was here for three weeks. We paid his wife the wages he was missing at work. It was as such a great experience for our group and for Martial. During this visit, Martial and my wife shook hands in agreement that they would begin a human rights effort in Uganda.
After Martial left we received a Facebook message from someone in the Uganda Human Rights Commission, a government agency. She did not know Martial. It was simply the hand of God moving and doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
In Aug of 2016, Laurie, two other members from my fellowship, and I went back to Uganda. We created Where and When information for the AA meetings, business cards for people to contact “Intergroup”, visited corporations to discuss alcoholism and AA, visited and encouraged EVERY AA meeting in the entire country, and brought $5,000 worth of donated supplies to a local hospital. With the help of our friend from the Human Rights Commission, we visited people in prison giving them soap, detergent, underwear, feminine products, baby formula and cloth diapers for the babies, sugar, salt, etc., and love.
Today, we are invited back to the prisons, four of them, and to train on the solutions we have found to the disease of alcoholism. The people of Uganda need our help. This need may never be eliminated but when anyone anywhere reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA always to be there and for that, I am responsible. Our heart is in Uganda. We passionately love the people of Uganda.
On this trip, it is our plan to bring all the supplies to the prison that we brought last time and also add a meal. We will also be discussing alcoholism and giving AA literature to start an AA meeting in each prison. Each meal consists of 1 bull ($475), rice, sugar, pop, and a vegetable ($200). We are doing this in 4 prisons. We are also going to be bringing books and literature to the Intergroup for distribution among the 12 AA groups. Lastly, we are doing 5 days of AA training for those in the fellowships throughout Uganda. We will be training on sponsorship, program steps 1-12, traditions 1 and 7, and we are praying for someone from our intergroup in MN to come with us and discuss how to effectively run an AA Intergroup.
So, our biggest need is prayer! It is NOT a safe place. Yes, there are less safe places in the world but it isn’t a safe place. Also, the spiritual world is much more tangible in Uganda; the light is VERY light and the darkness is VERY dark. We met people who still believe that the head of a child buried under their business will appease the god’s and bless their business. We really need prayer partners more than anything. We also could use help financially. The flight, security, housing, van and driver, gas, water, and food will run each of us about $3,000. The help in prisons will run about $6,000. If this is God’s idea then He will supply all our needs.
All I ask is that you pray for us and about how or if you can be a part of the solution in Uganda.
Thanks for reading this whole letter! God bless!
Organizer
Richard Farrand
Organizer
Osseo, MN