My apologies for lack
of posting, internet is expensive and I am currently staying with six other
volunteers. It’s challenging to all coordinate time for us to connect with
friends & family on the internet!
My original plan when coming to Uganda was to spend two
weeks working with Ggaba School for Special Needs and staying at a guest house
nearby. After spending a day and a half with the headmaster of the school, I
did not feel that this was where I should be spending my time. There were many
signs given to me and I quickly left this school to work with my friend Sara
and her ministry, Rafiki Africa Ministries. They luckily had one extra bed
(they were almost at capacity for volunteers – and with me here, they are maxed
out!) and a very welcoming team. So – with my plans being changed, I began
praying and waiting for signs on what I should be doing each day!
BUT – the children I was able to spend time with for two
days at Ggaba School were wonderful. They have a small school with a very small
amount of space. They were given this space by a Catholic church, but they only
have one teacher and very limited materials. Teacher Mary teaches 10 children
with varying disabilities. While I was at the school, I only met Mary, Dennis,
Simon, Allan, Brian, Ethan, and Henry. The remaining students live farther from
the school and they do not have consistent ways of getting to the school. This
makes their attendance really spotty and Teacher Mary voiced that she has a
very difficult time with behavior because of this. I can imagine that being
really challenging, among many other barriers that the school faces. There were
very little things for the students to do. They did not have anything to sort,
any books at their level, no communication tools, no Velcro (I don’t know what
I would do without it in my class!!), and of course no technology. The
worksheets they had were not copied, and they had to care for one individual
worksheet and complete the tasks on the sheet in their notebooks. I quickly
realized that in order for us to do anything productive, creativity had to be
key. Though I didn’t spend as much time as anticipated with them, I hope to be
able to support their school in some way. The children there have so many complex
needs and could learn a lot of useful life skills if they were given the
materials to do so.
When I made the decision to come
serve at Rafiki, I dove in head first into a huge bus filled with volunteers
from Texas and Minnesota. Most of the volunteers are college students, and one
volunteer (my roommate) is a kindergarten teacher from Minnesota. They gave me
a tour of where I would be staying – an orphanage filled with twelve little
ones with a volunteer guest house attached. The kids are SO awesome. Within
minutes they had attacked me with hugs and questions. I have been following
Sara’s ministry since it started and it was so cool to meet all the faces I
have seen in so many pictures. They are loving, mischievous, sensitive, and
silly. They all come from difficult backgrounds and at one point in their
little lives, had to grow up way faster than God intended. It’s great to see
them act as children every day – crying when they fall down, laughing at TV
shows, and coloring pictures for hours. The children’s home brings them up in a
Christian setting – they learn a new Bible verse each week, hear a Bible story
each night, and worship before bed. It’s amazing to see how they are so
incredibly blessed to be in this house. Within the twelve, there is one set of
sisters and one set of brothers. They are fiercely dedicated to each other,
even with the bond of their new family. The dynamics within the house are so
interesting to watch. The children are cared for by Mama Esther, Uncle Moses,
Uncle Godfrey, and Mama Monica. They are Ugandan people that care for the
cooking, the cleaning, and the care of each child. Sara and her husband Joseph
are the Directors of Rafiki Africa Ministries and do a great job of finding
dedicated Short Term Missionaries to come and stay at their guest house. It
seems they try and keep these volunteers for no shorter than a month. It allows
for some consistency with the children and a really meaningful experience for
the missionaries. The missionaries are expected to help the home run – creating
activities for the children and helping the full time staff clean and cook. In
addition to that, this summer the missionaries have been volunteering at Kireka
School for Special Needs and Little Rina School. Kireka is a boarding school for
children with any and all disabilities. Little Rina School is the school that
the children at Rafiki attend.
Since
being here at Rafiki I have been able to serve at Kireka School twice. Since I
had originally been planning on serving children with special needs while in
Uganda, I thought Kireka would the best way to continue that. It is an awesome
place. Again, they are definitely understaffed and do not have the materials
necessary to really teach the children the skills they need to be productive.
With that being said, they do a LOT for these kids. Many of them would have
never attended school, and would may never have even seen daylight if it
weren’t for this school. The stigma placed on people with disabilities in this
country is appalling. They are treated as though they are less than human.
There is one child at Kireka, Tobias, who was recently found by missionaries.
He had been living in a closet for the majority of his life. Upon meeting
Tobias, I would have guessed he was six or seven years old. I was broken
hearted to learn that he is actually eighteen. He has significant needs
physically and mentally, and is severely disturbed by being touched. He is not
used to human contact and cannot speak. Unfortunately, the staff at Kireka is not
trained to work with a child with needs like Tobias’. Though he does not
accomplish much academically at Kireka, he is so blessed to be where he is – in
a place where he is cared for and stimulated, and above all – safe! The Ugandan
government has given Kireka some funding to provide training for trade skills.
They were able to purchase several Singer sewing machines and are teaching many
of the older students how to sew. It is so awesome to watch them at work and
see the amazing things they have created! They make pillows, purses, shirts,
coin bags, pot holders, rugs, and dresses – and even have a small store where
they sell them to raise funds for their programs. The staff at Kireka were
grilling me on my classroom in the US and asking what types of skills I teach
my class. In the US – I am the pity party of the educational system. An inner
city school filled with low income children, a failing district that can’t seem
to do anything right, and so few resources that us teachers have to seek almost
all needed materials elsewhere. But being here in Uganda and seeing what life
could be like – holy cow. Talk about humbling. I have never felt so incredibly
thankful for all of our technology, supplies, resources, and SUPPORT. I know
the US has a long way to go – a LONG way – before we reach real equality for
people with disabilities. BUT – I have the support of the parents of my
students, and of my own personal community. That is something Uganda can
definitely not say they have. I know I have been called to help this school in
some way. They were showing me all of their students with autism and asking me
for tips. One boy, Optim, reminds me so much of one of my more challenging
students. Running out of the room, waiting for no one to be looking, and
throwing valuable items over their fence onto the road and watching cars run
them over. I know with some of the visual supports and sensory tools that I
have in my classroom, Optim would be learning in no time. I really hope that
life leads me back to Uganda very, very soon so that I can bless Kireka with
some simple materials that will literally change their life.
Using banana plants and paint as stamps during art time at Kireka Home.
I can’t
believe that I have only 12 days left here in Uganda. It does feel good to have
a chunk of time left to explore Uganda, continue to get to know the kids at
Rafiki & Kireka, and spend some time in the Acholi Quarter with my friend
Tricia. I have had some feelings of homesickness over the last few days, just
thinking about my roommates & my church and how I miss my Chicago
community. BUT – I am so happy to be here and knowing that I’ll be home in less
than two weeks makes it okay to be away from home!
Walaba! Nkwagala! (Good bye, I love you!)
Allie J
