Greetings from Kampala!

Well, we’ve arrived…three days ago! Sorry to not have written yet, but we have been so tired and so busy that at the end of the day, all we can think of doing is having dinner (we haven’t even eaten outside the hotel yet) and going to bed. (Also, the internet is funnkkyy and they charge by the hour—which is really quite genius, as it is slow that they must make a fortune.) Also, this blog is hardly going to be Pulitzer Prize worthy…it’s only nine o’clock right now, but I was already falling asleep at the dinner table two hours ago! Bear with me.

The trip, is going incredibly well—I am convinced that there is some serendipitous stroke of luck that works in our favor about anything related to Uganda. Our flights were unbelievably uneventful…We even made our 45-minute layover in Amsterdam. Our guide, Andrew—who is OTD’s country director in Uganda—is an absolute godsend. In just three days we have been shown more about the culture and have had more captivating discussions about religion, politics, traditions, etc. that I usually manage to stir up in one week’s worth of dinner table conversations. It’s been quite enjoyable, and we’re learning a lot about Uganda and the school.

On our first day here, we visited Awegys School for the first time. Humor me and imagine, just for a minute, that you give up your home to create a school. Your kitchen becomes the school kitchen. Your living room, a classroom. Your bedroom, a dormitory for students. In your backyard, you start buiding more classrooms and offices, and you move to live with a nearby relative.

That’s what Alice Wegoye has done.

When we arrived at Awegys on our first visit, the students were just finishing their exams. (The term ends for them this Friday the 8th, but like in the U.S., they don’t necessarily do that much for the last few days of schools after taking final exams.) Alice, the school’s founder and director, and her son Andrew—who is OTD’s country director—gave us a tour while we waited for an exam to be done. There are two main parts to the school: what used to be Alice home, and the more recently built brick buildings. (Quick cultural translation: They are typically called “blocks” here, such as an administrative building=administrative block, etc.) The room where Alice used to keep her chickens is now a classroom, and her sitting room is a small girls’ dormitory with about six bunk beds. Another room is now the matron’s room, and Andrew’s old bedroom is now a storeroom, holding firewood, supplies, and a small solar panel.

The school is not on the electricity grid—which would be quite unreliable in itself—and has one solar panel that is too small to meet the school’s electricity needs. Also, it was installed so poorly that it doesn’t even work properly. (While it’s hard to find good contractors anywhere, it’s especially tough here, as many don’t even have proper training and just go by trial and error…at the customer’s expense.) They are planning for more solar panels in the future, as electricity would open up hundreds of doors…both in practical daily work and in the student’s education.

Just apart from Alice’s old home is a small traditional kitchen enclosed in a wooden shack, where they cook over fire. The recently built buildings include a small office for the head teacher, a small staff room, and three classrooms. The school is planning for a gutters and a covered veranda, but until that is built, there is such a problem with water drainage that when it rains, the water leaks into one of the classrooms and floods the floor. That classroom is currently unsuable. The other two classrooms, which have a plywood wall to partition them, are in better condition. When we got to the school, we noticed that “Gratchen Block” had been written over one of the doorways in chalk. We asked them what it was for, and realized that it had been named as an honor to my family, as my aunt donated the funds that helped to build that classroom’s foundation. It was an honor, and a wonderful surprise. (Laurie--thank you!!!)

Once the students had finished their exams, the school gathered in a classroom and we went in to meet them. After we introduced ourselves, the students all stood and sang us a welcome song lead by Angela—a student there—who composed it herself! She had written our names into the song and taught it to all of the students in a short period of time… no sheet music, no choral director, none of those things that we so often consider “essential” in our school districts at home. Afterwards, they sang us the school’s anthem, which was composed by another student, Harriet. There is so much talent at this school, but there are so few educational resources to nurture it. It is such a sin that so many people have next to nothing, while we squander the world’s wealth and regularly waste precious money, materials, and opportunities. The dedication of the teachers, Alice, and Andrew is just incredible, and we have so much to learn from them.

It’s getting later, and the light in our hotel room is soft…With hope, I’ll have time to write over the next few days, but even this entry was longer than I expected! There’s so much to do, and so much to share. (Today we met with Andrew and the school’s English teacher to show her the books and materials we brought for the school and to talk about our lessons for next week. We’ll be teaching Monday-Friday, with the English teacher’s help on Monday and Tuesday. We also went shopping for a dress for my mom, as it is more culturally appropriate for women to wear dresses when teaching in the classroom, and she hadn’t brought one along.) Anyway, there is plenty to write, and not enough time!

More soon!

Best,
Elizabeth