Uganda- I’ve been there… and I’m back now
So now, after three months of being in Uganda I am back and can give you a briefing of what I’ve done there. The internet was working very slowly and I was busy most of the time, that’s why I write just now.
What did I do the last three months in Uganda?
I did not volunteer at HOPE Children’s Foundation Africa, as it was originally planned, but decided to work in a street children project, called Shalom Charity Foundation, in Kiseny, one of the slums in Kampala. I just wanted to visit this project but then I felt somehow that there was a lot of joy, hope and happiness and I liked the boys very much, so I decided to come to the project again and I came again and again and then daily. I got to know the boys (8 to 26 years) and that there is no stuff coming and caring for them, only doing some work in their office every two or three weeks. But there is Mama Oscar, who lives at the Center and cooks for the guys, if there is food. And there is Monika, a German woman once doing a placement in the project and now being back to support the guys she knew from her last time in Uganda, so that they can built up their own businesses (www.friends-in-need-uganda.blogspot.com). So what I’ve done there was hanging around with the guys, talking to them and having some jokes. Sometimes I helped Mama Oscar with preparing the food. I played games with the children, learned to play guitar, or drew something with some guys.
What about the donations that I fund-raised for HOPE?
The donations were fund-raised for HOPE Children’s Foundation Africa, so they reached there. I visited the project for a whole day and had a talk to Ochieng and Mawanda, the two founders of the organization. We went through Kawempe, where we visited some of the families that HOPE is supporting there. Kawempe is one of the Slums in Kampala. The main problem there is the rain (every three to four days in the dry season). It comes into the houses and people have to push it out with basins. With a house it is not meant a usual European house, but a 10m² room with some shelves some one meter over the floor, so that the water can’t reach it. These shelves are the bed. In the house that I visited there were 2 women, 3 children, one bed, 2 chairs and some basins inside and then a Mzungu was added and tried to greet in Luganda (the language that is spoken around Kampala), which was funny for the children. At the moment this family is supported by HOPE with medicine for the mother. HOPE also supports many other families by paying school fees for the children or giving them advice how to live hygienically. They are there for the families and known by nearly everyone in Kawempe and if there is a problem they can be asked and help. HOPE is working together with a medical center where I also said Hello just for some minutes. In the small office of HOPE I could have a look at the folder with information about the children they support. There were about 100 children they are supporting and it seemed to be organized very well.
So I can say I enjoyed the day with HOPE Children’s Foundation Africa and think they’re doing their work very well.
Will there be a next fund-raising?
For me it is likely that there will be another fund-raising this year. But I have not yet decided which project I’ll support because in the time I’ve been in Uganda I’ve seen a lot of projects and got to know some. So for example there is Spend Hope (www.hoffnungspenden.de) – a really good street children project, that was built up by a German woman, Bernadette, 6 years ago. Bernadette and Sascha also have a small agency for people who want to do placement and therefore rent a house in Kampala, where these people can stay. That’s also where I lived and why I got to know the project and the people working there.
Is there anything left that I should say?
Yes- Thank you, all supporters and donators! Your help is important. And it is needed.
And thank you to all my friends and family in Germany, without whom I could not have done some things that easily.
And also a thank you to Uganda, to the people whom I could disturb the whole day and who helped me during my traveling to solve some problems.
Photos are added soon
