After Elizabeth and I completed our week of teaching at Awegys Secondary School, we spent a couple of days with two girls we are sponsoring, Brenda and Agnes. Brenda is partially sponsored by my daughter Alison, her boyfriend, and a friend of theirs. Agnes is sponsored by my husband and me with support from my students. I only wish my students were there to see Agnes opening the gift they sent her: a photo album they had made of their lives.
It was night. The four of us, Agnes, Brenda, my daughter Elizabeth, and I, were preparing for sleep. White mosquito nets were drawn around Brenda and Agnes as they sat in their bed recounting the day: taking a shower for the first time; a seated breakfast of Ugandan tea, eggs, and toast; learning to swim; shopping in a chaotic labyrinth of market stalls for items we wanted to ensure they had before our return to the U.S.; and discussing the women’s emancipation movement in Uganda. I listened to the girls’ hushed voices, their rich black silhouettes muted by the white shroud that surrounded them.
I thought of their lives. Agnes, an extremely bright fifteen year old orphan whose mother died of AIDS in 2007. Her father no longer lives with the four children and visits infrequently. The children fend for themselves by digging in their garden. Agnes tells me she and her sister Jackline console one another when discussing the difficulties they face--among them: poverty, lack of electricity and running water, disease, a fifty percent unemployment rate, a deceased mother and absent father, an unknown future, and loneliness. It comforts me a little to know they at least have each other to hold onto.
Brenda, a seventeen-year-old orphan from the North who speaks bitterly of the twenty-two year long war that has reared an entire generation of children. After her parents died, Dennis, her kind uncle, brought Brenda south to live with him, his wife, and three children, in a dank cement room 10 X 10 in size on the grounds of Kigo Prison. His room is one in a row of many whose families work and live on the prison grounds perched above Lake Victoria. He is a man of little material means but profound spiritual faith. He prays to god that Brenda’s sponsorship will last through secondary school. He prays to god that goodness comes to Brenda’s sponsor.
I thought of how inspiring these girls are as they both work diligently to be first in their class at school. Agnes dreams of becoming a doctor, and Brenda, a nurse. I thought of how they share one dim light bulb in the girls’ dorm but always manage to complete their homework. And how they walk to fetch water from a stream. And how they wash their few clothes by hand, leaving them to dry on the bushes. And how they welcomed us to Awegys school with an original song the first day, then bade us farewell the last day with another song. I thought, I want to give Agnes her gift now.
So I unzipped a black suitcase and pulled out a large, striped, pink photo album. I parted the mosquito netting and, sitting down with the girls, offered the album to Agnes, “My students made this for you.” Agnes opened the album. Big red, yellow, and green words bounced off the page saying, “For Agnes.” She smiled. So did her eyes.
Together, Brenda and Agnes read each page. They traced the outline of Melissa’s handwritten letter, and pointed to Shelley’s photos wondering who the people were. Noticing braces on both the girls, Agnes asked what they were, so we explained the purpose of braces…an American norm that suddenly seemed frivolous. Agnes questioned, “How do they eat?” and added, “I wouldn’t be able to eat sugar cane with those.” The girls continued reading the album. Slowly. Then they reread every page marveling at the designs and colors. “They are good artists,” said Agnes, smoothing each page with the palm of her hand.
Agnes closed the album and flipped it upside down, sideways, and then on its edges. She examined every inch—inside and out—of the gift, as if unable to comprehend it. She grew silent and gazed off. I asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Silence.
More silence.
Then Agnes whispered, “I am thinking about all of the love these people have.”
Brenda smiled softly, “God is great. Did you ever think you would be in this situation? God is good. Be happy, Aggie.”
Agnes pulled the closed album to her chest and wrapped her arms around it.
And when I went to sleep that night, I, too, thought of the love these people have.
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
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
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