I arrived in Namuwongo early this morning in order to meet and pay the carpenter, take the tent-maker around the compound for measurements, interview the teachers, and, hopefully, meet 3 or 4 of our students.
And then Rose walked in! She is a rather tall, neatly but raggedly dressed, rheumy eyed woman. I later learned she was 43 years old. Following obediently behind her were 2 of her daughters, Miriam, aged 7 and Grace, a deaf child of 10. She formally presented both of them to me. Both girls got down upon their knees in front of me.I was somewhat taken aback by this gesture. It was later explained to me that young women get down on their knees when introduced to someone of age (I guess that means me!) as a sign of respect. Rose is one of the success stories for the In-Need Home, she proudly told me. She is H.I.V. positive. When she arrived on their door-step, 2 years ago, she was in terrible condition. She had trouble with her vision due to her medications; she was rail thin and was asking for help. Specifically, she wanted some money for transportation to go back to her village in Northern Uganda, from which she had fled,....to die. Rose had been abducted by the Rebels, raped repeatedly, cut on her breasts and thighs, and had her 2 front teeth cut out. I asked why her teeth had been removed. "To leave their sign on me", she explained. If she died on the streets of Kampala, there would be no one to care for her children and she feared her body would just be left in a ditch. The In-Need Home did not have sufficient dollars to feed her in order to bring her back to health. They felt that they had no option but to give her the few Ugandan shilling necessary to go to her village to die in the presence of her remaining family members. When she arrived in her village, she was informed that the camp where her sister had lived had been destroyed and that her sister had died, leaving 3 orphans. Somehow, Rose found the inner strength, using the few dollars in her pocket she had been given for food, to hold on a little longer, as there would now be no one to care for hers and her sister's children. Having nothing in her village she returned to the In-Need Home with 3 extra children. Because of her desperate need, food was found for her and the children. She gained some strength and was determined to survive. She was given old clothing to sell on the streets for a few shillings. She was successful! She made things improve for herself as has been able to grow stronger. She cares for all her children well and has even saved the extra shillings necessary to send 2 of her children to school. Today, Anny Ngoga gave her 2 hand-me-down school bags for the children, as well as 2 pairs of worn but usable shoes. You should have seen the smiles!
Next,in came a little boy and girl. Lillian informed me that these were 2 of the children that would be part of our group. Both were orphans. I greeted them warmly and invited them into the meeting room where I planned to do some brief academic assessments, including assessing English speaking skills. As soon as we entered the meeting room, the little boy went down on his hands and knees and kissed my feet, saying "Thank-you for coming to be our teacher." He did not understand my tears,which I could not keep away. I gave him a hug and thanked him for coming to visit me. He found my hairy arms fascinating and just wanted to sit next to me stroking the hairs on my arm (it's a good thing I didn't show him my chest!). As part of the assessment I discovered that his name was Bosco, and his sister's name was Sharon. He was 7 and she was 6. Both had never been to formal school before. Bosco was able to write his name and recognize and write numbers up to 10. His English speaking skills were limited. Bosco encouraged his sister to speak, but she had no English language skills. Sharon was, however, able to copy, with some reversals, her name, once I had written it on a piece of paper. Both were delightful and I am eager to include them as students!
I went outside to meet the next 2 or 3 student candidates and was greeted with an orderly seated group of 20 children (see photo)! The word was out! The Mzungus were here to help children! Unfortunately, many of them were not eligible for the program, being too young, too old, or already attending a school. How will we ever be able to choose.....and say no to the rest.
Seeing all these smiling, eager faces was a wonderful way to end the day. I am eager for tomorrow!
And then Rose walked in! She is a rather tall, neatly but raggedly dressed, rheumy eyed woman. I later learned she was 43 years old. Following obediently behind her were 2 of her daughters, Miriam, aged 7 and Grace, a deaf child of 10. She formally presented both of them to me. Both girls got down upon their knees in front of me.I was somewhat taken aback by this gesture. It was later explained to me that young women get down on their knees when introduced to someone of age (I guess that means me!) as a sign of respect. Rose is one of the success stories for the In-Need Home, she proudly told me. She is H.I.V. positive. When she arrived on their door-step, 2 years ago, she was in terrible condition. She had trouble with her vision due to her medications; she was rail thin and was asking for help. Specifically, she wanted some money for transportation to go back to her village in Northern Uganda, from which she had fled,....to die. Rose had been abducted by the Rebels, raped repeatedly, cut on her breasts and thighs, and had her 2 front teeth cut out. I asked why her teeth had been removed. "To leave their sign on me", she explained. If she died on the streets of Kampala, there would be no one to care for her children and she feared her body would just be left in a ditch. The In-Need Home did not have sufficient dollars to feed her in order to bring her back to health. They felt that they had no option but to give her the few Ugandan shilling necessary to go to her village to die in the presence of her remaining family members. When she arrived in her village, she was informed that the camp where her sister had lived had been destroyed and that her sister had died, leaving 3 orphans. Somehow, Rose found the inner strength, using the few dollars in her pocket she had been given for food, to hold on a little longer, as there would now be no one to care for hers and her sister's children. Having nothing in her village she returned to the In-Need Home with 3 extra children. Because of her desperate need, food was found for her and the children. She gained some strength and was determined to survive. She was given old clothing to sell on the streets for a few shillings. She was successful! She made things improve for herself as has been able to grow stronger. She cares for all her children well and has even saved the extra shillings necessary to send 2 of her children to school. Today, Anny Ngoga gave her 2 hand-me-down school bags for the children, as well as 2 pairs of worn but usable shoes. You should have seen the smiles!
Next,in came a little boy and girl. Lillian informed me that these were 2 of the children that would be part of our group. Both were orphans. I greeted them warmly and invited them into the meeting room where I planned to do some brief academic assessments, including assessing English speaking skills. As soon as we entered the meeting room, the little boy went down on his hands and knees and kissed my feet, saying "Thank-you for coming to be our teacher." He did not understand my tears,which I could not keep away. I gave him a hug and thanked him for coming to visit me. He found my hairy arms fascinating and just wanted to sit next to me stroking the hairs on my arm (it's a good thing I didn't show him my chest!). As part of the assessment I discovered that his name was Bosco, and his sister's name was Sharon. He was 7 and she was 6. Both had never been to formal school before. Bosco was able to write his name and recognize and write numbers up to 10. His English speaking skills were limited. Bosco encouraged his sister to speak, but she had no English language skills. Sharon was, however, able to copy, with some reversals, her name, once I had written it on a piece of paper. Both were delightful and I am eager to include them as students!
I went outside to meet the next 2 or 3 student candidates and was greeted with an orderly seated group of 20 children (see photo)! The word was out! The Mzungus were here to help children! Unfortunately, many of them were not eligible for the program, being too young, too old, or already attending a school. How will we ever be able to choose.....and say no to the rest.
Seeing all these smiling, eager faces was a wonderful way to end the day. I am eager for tomorrow!
5 comments:
Just wanted to let everybody know that if you click onto the picture it becomes larger. Great picture. More please.
The photos are heart warming! It's wonderful to see how the children can smile and laugh all the while living in such poverty. A lesson for us all!
Take care, be well and stay safe!
hey mr. shapiro its chris from hillcrest i really think your pictures are amazing i dont now how it feals to be there but i would like to know wat do. like wat kinds of stuff you teach. it must be hard for you going there you know theres been so mush kids talking about your site. so i just wanted to tell you nice blog keep it up !!.''':P lol i really like these emotes well as i was saying good luck
deer mister Shapiro,
I feel sorry for the person the lost his teeth and how are you making blogs with no computer.
I'm amazed at how welcoming the people are. If there is anything I can bring for them, shoes, clothes, book,s let me know....Keep up the blogs I love reading them to my students.
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