Slip'n Slide

We have really settled in here at the orphanage. The kids know our names, and we have started taking a closer look at what we can do to help in such a short amount of time. We wake up at around 7:30, have some tea and a piece of bread (or a granola bar now thanks to packages from my mom and Kiley’s Aunt). We teach on and off until around 4, mostly English and Science. At 7:00, everyone gets together in the chapel for prayer, and when I say chapel I mean a circular mud hut with a straw roof. Prayer runs until 7:30, we eat dinner, and then teach another English class for the older kids at 8:30 for an hour. It may not sound like an exhausting day, but the combination of 80 kids and the heat really wipes us out.

(Clementina, Cecilia, Edisa, and Ma)

But last week, just after the school day had ended, Brother Elio (runs the orphanage on behalf of his diocese) came to tell us that a boy from the orphanage had died. The orphanage is split into two parts; the regular part for all of the orphans, and the ‘Consolation Home’ for those with handicaps. Children there have anything from what seems to be Cerebral Palsy to paralysis from a gunshot wound.

A 17 year old boy from the Consolation Home was sick and taken to the hospital. All I really know is that fluid filled his lungs and they weren’t able to drain it in time. As is custom here, they brought the boy back to the orphanage and laid his coffin in the chapel. Everyone crowded in and mourned the boy, who was like a son to the mothers who work here, and like a brother to the other kids.

It was hard to see. The women and children sang a song “I surrender to you my Lord” and it nearly broke my heart. This boy never knew the unconditional love of a parent and the security of a family. He was never held in someone's arms who looked at him with complete adoration. He never knew what it was like to live an easy life with others looking out for him just because he was a kid. He was born into this world fending for his life, and he died trying to do the same.

The older kids recognize that everyone here lives without a family, and therefore everyone else here becomes their family. One of the most touching things to see here is a group of older (older as in 13-14) kids taking care of babies, or helping the younger ones wash their clothes or fill up their water bottles. Nobody asks them to do it, they just do it.

(Clare, Andrew, Ma, and Maria)

In an effort to cheer some people up, two Saturdays ago, I went over to where the kids were washing their clothes. I filled up a bucket of water and dumped it on my head. Then I filled up a bucket, called Kiley over, and dumped one on her head. The kids started giggling and laughing, and soon enough, they were lined up to be doused.

This gave us the idea to set up a full slip’n slide this past Saturday. We went into town and bought two UNICEF tarps ($30) and a bottle of liquid soap ($3). We laid out the tarps and secured them with bricks, and started covering them with soap. The kids still didn’t know what was going on, so I took the whole group of them over to the water pump while Kiley set up. After I dumped a bucket of water over each of their heads, they went back to the makeshift slip’n slide, and one by one they got the hang of it. In about five minutes, it seemed like we were having more fun than these kids have ever had in their lives, all for $33. We have some great video and pictures that will have to wait until we get home. (Geoffry on Slip'n Slide)

There’s a really big NGO community in town here (about 5 minutes from where we are). And because there have been so many ex-pats here for such a long time, a few people have opened restaurants to cater to these foreigners. Lucky for us, that means that if we feel like spending the 60 cents to get there, we can get an ‘American Hamburger’ and a cold beer for about $4. It can be a nice break away from the beans, rice, and potatoes we eat everyday for lunch and dinner.

We have been teaching for a few weeks now. One of the biggest obstacles is that these kids are conditioned to respond to the threat of violence. If kids are acting up in class, the teacher takes them outside and beats them with a ruler. Even the babies (less than 2 years old) are beaten for putting rocks in their mouths. It seems brutal but it is a part of their culture, and the beatings are delivered no harder than spankings I got when I was younger. However, the kids learn quickly, and they know that we are not going to beat them, which means they feel free to act up in class. Today I tried to implement a system where I write their names on the board, then I circle it, and then I put a check mark next to it. If it gets to the check mark stage, they have to go see the headmaster, and they are afraid of that. We’ll see how it goes.

Teaching is a challenge in and of itself, but the problem is exacerbated by the lack of materials. We have no textbooks, and today I tried to teach about the human skeleton with no books. There were some pretty pathetic drawings on the board. Textbooks aside, they have old notebooks, old pens, no erasers, no math sets, no rulers, and no pencils. So, I am writing today to ask for donations. Even the smallest donations really make a difference. (Moses, Francis, Isaac, and Maria)

$20 would buy rulers for 100 kids here for life. $60 will buy all of them Math Sets, which include a triangle, a protractor, and a compass. $600 will buy all of them notebooks for a year. And what we really need, textbooks, will cost $2300, and they will last for many years. There are a number of other things you can buy for the kids – my parents are handling it, and you can contact them (Mary or Mike) at 781-582-2508. We are in the process of figuring out how the donations can be made tax deductible.

Making people feel guilty about what they spend their money on back home doesn’t do anybody any good. But, if you think you can go a week without that $20 for a movie, or a week without your daily trip to the coffee house, the money you give here will have a lasting impact on the lives of more than 80 orphans. Money is the best thing to give because we can get the materials immediately, you won’t have to pay hefty shipping costs, and buying supplies in Gulu supports the local economy.

The whole country of Uganda faces a poverty crisis now. People live in unimaginable conditions, and things seem to be getting worse. Children who have parents and the support of a family end up back in the cycle. Now consider the added disadvantage of having no parents, or worse, being old enough to realize that your mother dropped you off here and isn’t coming back. We believe that giving these kids a better education will in turn give them the freedom to rise above the extreme poverty they were born into. We want them to know the life they were given is not the one they must lead.