Once again, it has proven to be a delightfully long day here in Uganda. November in Uganda is the rainy season and the weather has been nice and cool. Each day we have been treated to a beautiful downpour. The difficulty of this rain however, is that it has the power to literally bring Kampala to a standstill. All of the boda boda drivers search for a dry place to park their bikes. Vendors on the sides of the roads and in open air markets scramble to keep the products which they sell from being ruined by the rain. Just when I begin to feel completely comfortable in these surroundings, I am reminded just how difficult life here can be for those struggling to survive.
This morning we had the great honor of sitting for a meeting with the FUFA (Federation of Uganda Football Association) president, Mr. Moses Magogo. It was such a pleasure to share with him about the work of Fields of Dreams Uganda and to hear his positive feedback on our efforts. President Magogo was a former university classmate of our National Director, Jonathan Ssebambulide, It was an honor and a blessing to be received for this meeting. We were very much encouraged on the feedback we received and we can now see some very good avenues moving forward where we can receive support from FUFA for the children we serve at our partner schools. Mr. Magogo is a wise and very educated man. I was very moved by these words in which he spoke, ”For someone to excel at football they have to be gifted as a physical player, but 80% of their success remains on building up the person inside the player.” It is certainly our hope that through our efforts we will be helping to create the future leaders of this country. We hope that we are touching the person inside the player and the person inside the student at each step of our development.
We next had the opportunity to meet with a Mr. Mark Dudley, whom is the executive director for the Kids League; a wonderful football organization in Uganda that has been in existence since 1998. It has changed thousands of lives over the years through the power of sport. We were greatly encouraged to learn some of their successes and failures in Uganda over the years. We have definite plans of coordinating some of our efforts in the future. It truly takes a village, and we are happy that we are beginning to be seen as a key part of the village here in Uganda as we strive to empower the orphaned and vulnerable children of this beautiful nation.
After a quick lunch, we then set off for the campus of Blessed Hope Champions Academy. This is the orphanage the Peggy first visited in 2010, and also the place that the plans for Fields of Dreams Uganda were cemented as well. It was the location that Uganda truly stole both of our hearts. Being in country in mid-November has brought a few disappointments with it. So many of the Primary Seven students have already taken their exams, and therefore they have already traveled back home for the holiday to assist their relatives with field work and other chores. One of these absent boys just happened to be Dibya William, a young man whom I consider one of my sons of Uganda, and a face I shall mourn not seeing on this journey. Dibya’s grandmother lives alone out in the village, and so he is needed there to assist her. I did however get the chance to give Gilbert, I boy I adore, many hugs. I have never left the campus of Blessed Hope without a letter from Gilbert, and I cherish each and every one.
We had a wonderful conversation with the staff of Blessed Hope, and their founder Pastor Joel Bukenya. As we shared all of our new plans in the realm of Education programming for next year, the staff was overwhelmed. Not so much by the scope of what we were doing, but by the fact that it was addressing critical needs that the staff had been sharing just days before. I continually stand in awe of how far FoDU has come, and as we attempt to meet the needs of these children, just how often the wisdom we are receiving seems to be inspired from above.
Before we left today, we got to ride down a back road toward the secondary school where Barbara, a daughter to Peggy, goes to school. We were able to surprise her along the road, and what a blessing to be witness to this joyous reunion. I am always amazed at the strong bonds that develop on these trips between the children we serve and the volunteers who sacrifice their time and finances to join us on these journeys. FoDU would love to have more people join our trips this coming year. However, be prepared for the “dangers” that lurk in Uganda. It is highly likely that a large part of your heart will be stolen by the precious children that we serve. Join in our story, and travel to Uganda with us in 2014!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment