Returning to the Pearl of Africa

By: Alexis Blythe-Meece

We arrived in Uganda late last night. We arrived at night so I was kind of disappointed that I did not get to see the beauty of Uganda from the view of a window seat in an airplane. However, upon our arrival we were welcomed by Jonathan Ssebambulide the national director of Fields of Dreams Uganda and his wonderful wife Josephine of whom I spent time with on my previous trip to Uganda.  The Ssebambulide family just radiates kindness and I had tears of joy seeing Josephine.  She gave each team member beautiful flowers and once again made me question how a person can be so kind to others truly all of the time. 

We woke up this morning groggy on just a few hours of rest, after a restless 24 hours of travel. The thing I've learned about Uganda is I do not feel exhaustion like I do at home in Kentucky. I believe I am so astounded and in awe of my surroundings that I do not notice the sheer exhaustion my body is facing. We started off our morning with a trip into downtown Kampala to what I'm told is the largest street market in Africa. We made the trip to obtain the supplies used to fill our hygiene kits that we came to distribute. One thing I really enjoy about Fields of Dreams Uganda is that the materials made for the hygiene kits were made and purchased in Uganda and can help stimulate the local economy. This turned out to be quite the adventure. Half the team went on what was supposed to be a quick trip to obtain the supplies and the other half stayed in the van. This turned into a much longer process than hoped but we worked it out. We took the supplies back to the Apricot House and packaged the hygiene kits. 

We then took off for Wakiso school. After a nice and bumpy ride we had finally arrived at the school. It is Saturday but as many of these children are orphaned, they also live on the grounds as well and are cared for by the wonderful staff. Before we could even begin to pull into the campus we saw the large group of staff and children waiting for us and singing their beautiful songs. One child began doing handstands out of excitement. When we finally got up to them many reached their hands out and said constantly, "Thank you for coming to us!" Many of the children grabbed our hands and asked us many questions and began telling us their name. 

We were welcomed by a skit that several of the young ladies performed to show the purpose and importance of these hygiene kits. The skit was well rehearsed and perfect! At the end a young girl began speaking so very eloquently I stood in pure amazement. She was speaking about feminine hygiene with such dignity. This was also happening with her male peers and male staff. She showed tremendous courage and we all were impressed with her. We later had a speech from staff from AfriPads, the organization that makes the pads placed in their hygiene kits for girls to use on their monthly cycles. She taught the girls how to use their kits and take care of themselves. We then were able to distribute the kits. 

During this time I was stopped by a young lady named Resya. She questioned my interest in football (soccer) and was amazed that I knew squat about it. She showed me her bed, her suitcase with everything she owned, the school's goats, the clinic and even her teachers. Resya shared with me that she was orphaned at the age of four and after walking the streets for weeks, and walking two hours each way to school she was taken in by the school as a permanent resident. Resya shared with me her anxieties and her desire to be a doctor. She also challenged me to a game of football which I intend to take her up on later this week. I told her she might be overwhelmed with my lack of skills and she got a good laugh out of this. Working with the foster system in America and witnessing its many flaws everyday and then coming to a place like Uganda where children are just taken in by families, communities, and schools it can really put things into perspective. That is what has drawn me back to the pearl of Africa. The generosity and kindness of these communities is something that unfortunately does not feel normal living in America. I continue to be amazed by the kindness, colors and culture of Uganda. I believe in the future of these children and specifically the fact that these young girls deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. They deserve to feel clean and valued as a worthy human being. I'm so happy to be back to this beautiful place.