By Michael Cheong Today we spent loads of time with the local children, first at the primary school, and then at TPC. At around 11am, after a couple of hours of painting and digging, we set off for the primary school. The school consists of two long buildings with about five classrooms in each, all equipped very minimally with just old wooden desks and chairs. The floors are dust and there is no electricity. There are up to 70 students in some of the classes. They were elated at the knowledge of our arrival, and as they saw us walking through the compound hundreds of little faces crammed around the shutters at the windows and peered out hoping for a glimpse of the visitors. Visitors are widely respected in Uganda and much is done to accommodate them and make them feel welcome. It is almost ritualistic. I cannot help but wonder if we treat all of our visitors, especially people we don't know, with such respect and care. The school's campus was dotted with rusting metal signs that are aimed to ensure the kids' safety. Most of them carried messages of abstinence or of warnings to stay in school. The ones that I remember read, "AIDS is for Life" "There is No Safe Sex" "AIDS is Slow But Sure" "Don't Accept Gifts For Sex" And simply, "Stay in School". It was very strange to see these weighty signs in a playground, where kids run and chase and laugh. They all reminded me of how different our lives are. It was very sobering.
But there wasn't really time for silent reflection as the bell was rung and the kids all ran out of their classrooms - some things don't change in schools around the world! They assembled before us in a parade of happy faces and we each introduced ourselves to the 450 or so kids, before Alex and Andrea, two of our school leaders from Year 12 DCS, shared a short message. Alex used the analogy of being part of a sport's team to illustrate how we must rely on our teachers, guardians, siblings and friends to go through life. He wanted to remind them that they are never alone and that there are always people who care. Andrea used a practical demonstration of her rubix cube (at which she is a master!) to illustrate the importance of persistence and never giving up in school. Many students drop out of school here, and have very limited futures as a result, so this too was an important message. We then sang songs before breaking up into smaller groups with the children. I was paired with Mao and Megan and we had about 60 or 70 seven or eight year olds to look after. With no real resources it was exhausting! I take my hat off to the teachers there that do it all day, every day! After a tiresome afternoon of hoeing, shovelling and removing bush roots for a small playground, we settled down for an evening activity of reading books with TPC children. We had brought a lot of books with us, so it was great to be able to use them with the kids. There was a power cut and we had to use torchlights and paraffin lamps to illuminate the words on the pages. Some of the children found it difficult to read. The child I was paired up with, Zion, did not know how to pronounce a number of words. I personally do not enjoy reading, but to see many happy faces illuminated by a faint glow of light reading books, I felt that we take so many things for granted, and sometimes, all we need is a bit of light and some peace to realise that we are all human.
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By Sophia Foerst Africa is very different to what I expected. First of all, in South-West Uganda at least, there is no shortage of food. In fact I'm very happy about the food; there is lots of it and it's delicious. Every meal has lots of variety, even if it is quite carb based. For lunch and dinner we have six or seven of the following dishes: potatoes (done in a many different ways - including chips!), plantain, bean stew, rice, green beans, peas, cabbage, cauliflower, groundnut sauce, tomato stew, chapatti, goat, chicken, lamb or beef stew, posho (maize meal), pumpkin, swede and carrots, and this is always followed by lots of fresh fruit. The pineapple especially is so fresh, sweet and juicy, it's delicious. Mr Reich explained to me that the locals don't always eat with such a wide spread on the table, and that they pull out all the stops for visitors, but that there isn't really a shortage of food in this fertile part of Uganda. And this leads nicely on to the second thing that surprised me, and that is how green and pretty it is here. It is a long way from the dry, dusty, arid stereotypical Africa that you see on the news. There are so many shades of green all around, with crops growing on many of the hills. It is very beautiful and a long way from what I'd imagined. Finally, I have been surprised at just how friendly everyone is. I'm not sure where I got the idea from, but I had for some reason imagined that the people here would be different, and a lot less open. I'm so glad I was wrong about this as the welcome we have received has been very special; everyone is so happy and warm and it's really lovely.
Today we needed some paint, as well as some food supplies so I went into Kabale town about half an hour away with Mr Reich, Andrea (Chan) and Eunice, one of Peace's sisters, to see if we could get all we needed. The town itself was a little more like I imagined Africa to be, and very different from the countryside, as it was loud, dusty with very bad roads full of potholes, and all rather crazy. The hardware shop we visited was very disorganised with layers of dust over everything, it was a wonder the shopkeepers were able to find what they needed in the mess. To get to the fruit market we had to pass a string of butcher's shops. There were rows of carcasses hanging up, and piles of chopped meat and innards sitting on the wooden counters. It didn't smell too good and I wondered how it stayed fresh. We then saw a live goat tethered nearby and I couldn't help but think that his days were numbered. On the journey home, we stopped at a popular roadside market stall to buy carrots and cabbages and we were at once mobbed by a gang of at least 20 vegetable vendors, all pushing their sales through the windows of the car and bartering with us - even for things we didn't want to buy. I must have had about six people at my window alone all pushing vegetables in. It was crazy! One of them, who assumed that Mr Reich was my dad, went to the front window to speak with him and told him that he liked me and wanted to buy me! Thankfully, Mr Reich told him I wasn't for sale! After lunch Amelia and I were assigned to teach the five young primary school children who do not go back to school in the afternoon. Their English is very limited as they are a couple of years behind at school as they have not been attending consistently befire they joined The Peace Centre. We taught them colours and tried to turn it into a game as we noticed they have short attention spans. Their normal learning style is to just to sit and listen, and then repeat everything the teacher says, so they seemed to love that learning could be fun too. We did the same for some simple addition and subtraction activities for maths. I made some paper origami boats, which we then used in a practical demonstration of adding and taking away that the children could do themselves. It was not easy as whilst some were very keen and wanted to learn, others were distracted all the time and were a bad influence on the others which was frustrating. I did feel a sense of satisfaction though, at having taught something useful to someone else, but I did think to myself, I'm not becoming a teacher. I realised that everyone has different styles of learning, and learns at a different speed, so really, it just seems like too much work! They have good holidays though... I was just about to try and post this, but I guess I'll have to finish it tomorrow... We've just had a power cut! By Alex Todorov Day two in the wonderful Bukinda was no less exciting than the first. We got started on the projects we came to do and continued to play with and get to know these extraordinary kids.
The Peace Centre kids get up at 5am everyday for personal study, before they do chores and head off to school at 7. And we think the IB works us hard! We started our day a little later (!) and went for a long walk on the hills and in the valleys surrounding Bukinda. It was a tough walk in the baking heat, but very beautiful. We passed many kids on the way, some tending to livestock, others hiking to collect water from the standpipe, and others just playing amongst the banana plantations. These kids should have been in school, but their families must not be able to afford the fees... even though they are only a few dollars for a whole term. Again, I couldn't help but reflect that we take our education for granted. The first task I was assigned today was chopping wood to be used as fuel for the stove. I was shown how to do it by Henry the cook and it didn't seem too hard, but it was quite difficult and pretty exhausting. I had to choose between accuracy and power when bringing down the axe, Henry didn't have to sacrifice either and made mincemeat of the logs. The locals tried to be encouraging about our failings, and commented, "Thank you, you have tried!" The team were then split in half and some began work on some murals for The Peace Centre, whilst others were hoeing, digging and evening out the land in preparation for building a chicken coop. I was in the latter. Manual labour in the equatorial heat is not the best combination and it was far from easy. But it was satisfying the see the land gradually level out, and to accomplish it all as a team. In the afternoon as the childen filtered back from school we began to play various games with them. I decided to try and teach some boys Rock Paper Scissors but it was surprisingly tricky. Satisfyingly I managed to explain it to a ten year old boy called Zion through the mysteries of non verbal communication, but I needed the translation skills of Isaac, Peace and Golden's oldest child, to explain the intricacies of what's actually a rather bizarre game (why does paper beat rock?!) to the rest. As I did this other students played with the kids, chased balls, tickled, danced, sang and just continued to bond with and get to know them. It's great to be here, to be doing and not just planning, or talking. By Amelia Lee After a tremendously long journey to Uganda, we finally reached Bukinda. Everyone was extremely excited to see what our hardwork had formed. We were not disappointed. The Peace Centre had a lively and homely atmosphere with the sounds of children's laughter coming from every corner. The rooms were very comfortable and clean. It was special to realise that what we had helped to build was now a home to 20 children who had not had one before. I guess if you have enough determination and love, then nothing is impossible. Once we arrived and got down from the bus, all of the orphans with big smiles on their faces excitedly ran to us and hugged us. The welcoming did not stop there, the children prepared a short song to welcome us. Every one of them sang with the utmost passion. The way they could create such powerful music with only their voices amazed me. I will remember that song for many years.
The rest of the day was spent playing games and bonding with the children. We ran, we chased, we danced, we sang, we duck-duck-goosed. Though we were exhausted at the end of the day, it was the best kind of exhaustion. I'm so happy to finally be back here in Bukinda. It sounds clichéd but it's a dream come true to finally be getting to build relationships with the children. I'm so excited to see what the next few days have in store for us! We are looking for another four sponsors for the newest group of kids to start in the orphanage. If you might be interested in helping provide love, care and a home for an orphan in SW Uganda who has been left without a family to look after the,. then check out our sponsorship page for more info on what this involves. Feel free to drop us a line at <[email protected]> if you would like to ask some questions about what this involves...
Some interesting questions raised about service and charity here, even if you don't agree with the answers or his opinions:
http://shawnhumphrey.com/dos-and-donts-for-do-gooders/the-do-gooder-industrial-complex/ Check this out from Goats & Soda.
![]() We have all started the $2 a day challenge today. We'll be posting some interesting readings on poverty over the next few days. Have a read of this article about one lady's belief in education - a beautiful piece of writing.: http://thisibelieve.org/essay/59634/ The challenge of living on the poverty line is an educational exercise designed to aid in the transformation of a participant into an advocate for the poor. Participants are expected to act in a respectful manner at all times and strive to spread awareness. By taking part in the Challenge, a participant becomes a liaison for those living in poverty around the world as well as a representative of the organisations with which they partner. Below we have outlined a Code of Conduct to act as a guideline for behaviour in situations that may arise during your Challenge.
* You participate for 5 days and 4 nights. * You can carry over savings from one day into the next. * With a few exceptions (see below) you cannot use any part of the wealth you enjoyed before the Challenge (that includes stored food and drinks and meal plans at the school canteen). * Your consumption of water is limited to similar levels to those experienced in the developing world, and you should not use hot water to wash. * Your consumption of electricity should be limited to similar levels to those experienced in the developing world, i.e. just use one light at night, no air conditioning etc. * You may not use your phone or laptop except for work or Two Dollar Challenge related activities. * You are not allowed to consume perishable food donations from others * All school rules must be followed as normal and you are still expected to participate in all class work and other assignments. Do not use your challenge as a reason for an extension on or incompletion of an assignment. * Be cognisant of the images and language you use to raise awareness and funds. Avoid using images and language that reinforces stereotypes of the poor as powerless. * The Challenge is largely an exposure of contrasts between our daily life within and outside the exercise. You control how dedicated you are and how much you get out of it. * There are so many moments where each person can choose to break a rule – use your mobile phone, accept an offer of food/drink from someone not doing the Challenge, have a hot shower etc. In those moments, you must decide whether to adhere, bend, or break a rule. Whatever your decision, it is alright. We just ask that you recognise that you have a choice. For nearly half the world’s population there is no choice, there is no immediate exit. * The Challenge is not necessarily about strict adherence to the rules. It is a personal journey towards becoming a more empathetic and humble member of the global community. Exceptions: It is up to you to decide what your own exceptions are. Is it acceptable to use a fridge for storing perishable foods where many people living below the poverty line may not have access to a fridge? Is it okay to use a stove for cooking, even though your stove probably cost a lot more than stoves or fires in the developing world? Should you restrict yourself from wearing expensive clothes? Should you limit yourself to one or two sets of cheap clothes that you have to wash by hand during the course of the Challenge? These are choices for you to make individually, but the Challenge is not just about food - it is about lifestyle too. ** Many of these ideas and rules have come from the excellent resources provided on http://twodollarchallenge.org/. |
Who are we?A team working alongside Golden Magezi in Bukinda, Uganda, running an orphanage that provides kids with love, family and an education. CategoriesArchives
February 2021
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