You have nice family, house, what more do you need, friends and relatives were asking to her. Little golf, little bridge like other retirees, it´s enough. But she went to Africa. She is 79 years old and in Uganda teaches women and girls to read, write, make potery. And to live.

„When I came first time to Uganda, I asked to my girls: what are your dreams? But they didn´t have any dreams. In their tribe there are no dreams. Just traditions are important. My girls have their dreams now. They dream about love, children, marriage and career.“ Missis Carola Trengler is smiling while she speaks about her pupils. This lady from Austria changed comfort in her family house for simply accomodation somewhere in bush, where sometimes is no electricity, she needs to filter the water and sometimes must cure from malaria. Her girls are not able to speak „r“. They call her „mamma Kahola“.

In the past, long ago, was missis Carola an artist. She worked with potery, made small works of art and decorated facades and bathrooms. Seven years ago her husband died. „My thoughts came to Africa,“ she said. „My plan was to work from Austria. To collect some money here and sometimes to travel there. But Africa needs the whole man. That´s why I am living in Uganda for four years.“

In mission in Mukono region seven „white“ women are working. They teach at girl school. Their pupils should later teach another girls and women. „Men will change nothing in old ways of life,“ says missis Carola. „Only women can change things. They are willing to work hard.“

Mamma Kahola stays in the mission every Christmas. They guard their girls. In this time some tribes make circumcision to the girls. This cruel tradition is forbidden by law in Uganda but people are doing it anyway. Woman without circumcision is proscribed. She cannot drink milk or eat with other people. „Circumcision is a big festival for a girl. She gets new nice dress. Father take her to the river to wash and then give her home-made beer. Girl is zonked, cannot defend.“ Often mothers keep this tradition alive. They let to circumcise their doughters and tell to their sons not to marry girl without circumcision. But there are also exceptions. „A woman with her daughter came to our mission once,“ says missis Carola. „She was walking long distance because wanted to hide the little girl. Mother asked for taking her doughter to our orphanage. Her husband wanted to circumcise the girl but mother wanted to save her. She remembered horor of her circumcision and also death of her sister after it.“

This cruel tradition will not disappear from day to day, no law or punishment will stop it. But there is one good project in Uganda. They give good equipment to women practising circumcision and show them how to make only small symbolic cut on girls genitals. This is working: tribes preserve their traditions and women are not harmed.

„I always screen video about circumcision to men,“ smiles mamma Kahola. „Man who has two wives, one with circumcison and one without, speaks in video that sex is much better with that one who is not cutted. And this men understand the best.“