Blessed are the poor, the meek and humble

Today was such a humbling day. I knew the day would come that I would be thrust into the reality of the severe economic situation of Uganda--and today was that day.

My day began with an amazing, yet hot, run around our neighborhood. There is a 3 mile loop around our house and it felt so good to get out and run a couple loops. I got my first hot shower and it was amazing! We chatted a lot about project preparation this morning before we set out to meet Moses, the director of Child of Hope, a school that was built in the slums of Namatala. The school recruits children from the slums to attend their school. About 200 students total attend the school, which includes nursery and primary school through 4th grade. These children are given an indispensable education and will be responsible to return home and teach their families, and be the one to eventually generate income and provide for their family. It is a wonderful opportunity for children in such dire situations to escape the life of poverty and create a life for themselves.

When we arrived, Moses explained the Child of Hope model and how they are attempting to change the lives of the children in the slums. Some of his associates took us on a tour of the community and it was far worse than I expected. Children with little or no clothing, small grass huts for homes and no clean water sources. Our guide told us that these women are all single mothers, with no income and have many many children to feed. Most children are lucky if they receive one meal each day and that depends on the success of the mothers leaving town and return with food for her children. When we walked into town, the children went WILD. I thought Saturday’s venture up into the mountain villages was an eager welcome but these children attacked us the minute they saw us. They came running and would jump on us, cling to us, wanting to hold our hands and walk with us everywhere we went. Many of them just wanted to touch my skin. Some babies would look at us and cry out in terror. I can only imagine what it would be like for a little baby to see a white person for the first time. Terrifying, I’m sure.

I was heartbroken when I saw these children and their current situation. They had nothing. Many of them would just sit in the dirt playing in the mud as their only form of recreation. Yet, they were all SO happy despite their immense hardships. I suppose it is all they know, and have no reason to be bitter. I LOVE these children so much. Each of them live on literally cents each day, if that. All I wanted was to hand over all the change in my pockets but I knew I couldn't affect real change unless I spent time to create long-lasting projects--not just short-term resolutions to these heartbreaking images.

After our tour, I vowed I would help with Child of Hope and find a way to help these extremely poor women and children. Josh, a fellow pre-med student here, and I are interested in implementing a health care project for this community. They said that there is a clinic but no medicines or funds to help maintain it. I am hoping there is a project we can develop for their health care. I would also be very interested in the women's empowerment in this community and how we can better create change for these women. I will provide updates the more we develop these ideas. I am incredibly humbled by these circumstances that these people live in, and it makes me deeply grateful for the wonderful blessings I have been given--to have been born into a wonderful family who loves me, has given everything for me and taught me so much about myself and my potential. Such small things have been neglected in the lives of these children and I hope that I can instill a bit of hope for a few individuals while I am here. I love Uganda and I have a feeling I'll never want to leave. I am already feeling like a different person and we haven't even been gone for a week yet. So much is yet to come.

On a side note, Yasin, my new best friend, has come over everyday since Saturday just to hang out and play. He promised he will teach me to dance this week if I promise to play football with him. We all know my soccer skills are amazing...so that should be a fun game for him haha! He took us around the outdoor market and taught me a lot about maneuvering through the downtown area. He calls me his "Nakhumitsa"-- meaning "I like you" in Swahili. I love this little boy so much already! His birthday is next week and I hope to do something fun for him.

That's all for now!

Two of my little friends in Namatala

They all wanted to be in every picture and see their pictures

This little boy's face is hilarious! They all just HAD to be in every picture.

This little girl clinged to me the whole time!

Kara and I on the boda boda. The basic form of transportation here.

This woman ran up to me and hugged me, and thanked me profusely for the water filters that HELP created for them last year. it helped prevent a cholera outbreak in their community this past January.

She was my little friend the whole time in Namatala.

Child of Hope offered us cold sodas after our long walk through the community. Their classrooms were so adorable--all the pictures were painted on to the walls.