Uganda – June 22, 2009 (Dirk Hamp)

“You can mop !”

Access to internet has been a challenge, thus the long break since we last wrote.

The time in Kaihura for me was a time of reconnecting with people who I love so much. The children are growing up. Victor speaks in full sentences and James could be featured as a Pillsbury Boy, he has gained such good weight. Vincent no longer cries when he sees me. Sharon’s new teeth have all come in and Juliet has become a young woman. There are lots of new children. Rose, and Alan, and Caleb; Baby Paige, who is doing great. Then there are the twins, Favor who always smiles, and Faith who almost never smiles…There are others…and all the ones we remember from the last two years. When we first came in 2007, there were 33, now there are 58.

The clinic looks great in the space that is rented across the street from where it used to be. Just before leaving, I saw a one week old, Baby Stella with multiple anomalies. Of course, she needs to see a geneticist an orthopedist, and an ENT. But Mulago Hospital is far away, and getting there costs more than mom can afford, not to mention the fees for doctors and hospital. We were able to give her some money for the first few days. We will wait to hear what develops. Insurmountable challenges continue.

The kitchen at Dorcas is finished. On the last evening, we celebrated with the Dorcas students with song, dance and worship. This experience alone will carry many of us through to the next year as we hope to see all of them again. It was good to spend time with Faith as we walked through the community of Kyongera, visiting with families who are benefiting from agricultural teaching and malaria prevention. We talked about where the Kaihura has been and where things seem to be moving. Electric poles and wires now are part of the landscape, and overall, Kaihura has grown up a lot since last year.

Saying good-bye after just two days was hard for me. It was even harder for our one month crew. But it seemed different as we now know that coming back is always a possibility, and several of our kids are already planning for next year.

So we traveled east and arrived at Agape Children’s Village on Friday night. Things are different here. This is a well established orphanage, along with a church and a school. There has been ongoing support, infrastructure is in place. Electricity has been here for a while even though it comes up missing certain random times of the day.. Children live in spacious duplex homes with 12-16 children under the care of a house mother. Right now, 65 children are here, with another 20 or so in boarding schools away from the village.

Just as in any other part of Uganda, children have a lot of chores to do. The day begins before sunrise with cleaning and scrubbing and cooking and helping to maintain their homes. There is always a song to be heard. And any interest in their activity is usually answered with a smile. They are anxious to teach us Luganda, their language. We share morning and evening devotions with lots of song and dance, and we share our meals with them. What makes this experience so powerful is the opportunity to get to participate in their every day routines. We sleep in their rooms and at times it allows me to contemplate the realities of their lives as I lay awake and listen to the breathing of the little people who are fast asleep in the next bunk bed. I am humbled when I try to sweep the dirt floors, only to watch an eight year old do it after me, faster and better. The first morning here, I asked Annet, (13) if I could help. “You can mop !”, she replied, and so I did; …with a rag and a wash basin.

I no longer think about the ways we do showers here or manage to go to the bathroom. So what. The flashlight comes along and the water has to be brought with you. It works just as well.

I do think about the pace here which is so much healthier; the direct link between the land right in front of us and under our feet which provides the food that we eat; the sense of community which is enabled by a lack of distractions.

I worry about children’s feet that become infected because of lack of shoes and simple cuts without ready access to proper care. I worry about children who sleep without nets which could reduce the chance of contracting malaria by 80%. A simple course of medicine to treat ringworm presents a challenge. I hurt for Patrick and Juliet and Annet and King, who just want to go to school, but, until now, have not had much hope because it costs money.

I pray that God would keep our children here safe until some of these changes for the better can happen, without compromising the beauty of this culture. I hope that all of us who have been part of this experience will carry the dreams of these children in our hearts, until we have done our part to help make them happen. I hope that the teenagers in our group will grow up with hearts and minds filled with desire to make a difference. I hope that all of us will not allow the everyday business of our lives at home to drown out the story of the Children of Uganda.

Dirk Hamp