Day 6: School Kit Distributions

Monday, August 19, 2013  

Today we visited a primary school in an area of northern Uganda that had once been a no-go zone for civilians. Families only started resettling the area since 2009.  The Ugandan government has recently implemented a policy of no school fees for students attending primary school; this, plus long awaited peace, has produced over-crowded classrooms.  Sometimes more than 100 students in a single classroom.  The only plumbing was a hand-powered well pump...a block of latrines stand not far away.  Lunch is simply a corn mash.  The courage of the teachers and headmistress are almost unfathomable.  But the kids' smiles came easily and they were eager to play with us.

"One Good Thing":

Leah - Playing with the kids at the school and having them run away and shreak whenever I would approach them.  

Brinlee - Playing soccer with a small group of kids at the first school.  

Sophie - Playing soccer in the rain with a group of teenage school boys. Kiera overheard the schoolmaster say, "There are girls playing soccer? They must be very strong!"  

Jess - Running into Shantell above a big mud pit while playing soccer and catching each other right before we both slipped and fell into the mud  

Becca - When the little girl in the green dress came up to me and kissed my arm.  

Shantell - Holding a little sleeping baby.  

Holda - Talking to the math and science teacher at the elemetary school.

Melissa - Getting to know Irene and seeing how excited she was about the kits and how well she explained them to the girls.  

Jen - Going around to each girl and showing her how to pronounce the name of the girl who had written her a personal note and sent a picture in her menstrual kit. Then reading the sweet and formal letters they immediately wrote back.  

Kiera - Seeing how some of the girls clutched their menstrual kit bag with gratitude and excitement when I took their pictures.  

Stacey - Watching hundreds of kids clap rythmically in unison and then respond in unison to the headmaster's calls.  

Suzie - Jumping in as choir director in front of a large group of kids and figuring out how to lead them in some of their local songs.  

Alli - Picking up clothes from the tailor and being so happy with how they turned out, and then showing them to our St. Monicas girls, who were so excited about them too.