Small Victories & Future Goals

By: Mike Warneke

As my time here in Uganda once again wraps up, it is so hard to put everything that our team has experienced together into perspective. Each day in Uganda feels like the emotional equivalent of a week, and then you blink, and your flight home is suddenly awaiting you. As the Executive Director for Fields of Dreams Uganda, one of my greatest joys is introducing people to this incredible land, and these most remarkable and welcoming people of Uganda. This week has been one of the best, as we have opened up a new world of possibilities for the teachers and students at our partner schools through technology, and the amazing donation by our good friends at MindShare, Inc. In fact we already have a report from one of our head teachers that when the students went home sharing their excitement about the computers with their parents and care givers, there is already a cry for some computer classes for adults in the community. FoDU’s work always has unseen ripple effects, and this is one that I certainly wasn’t expecting.

Members of the Youth Council

Rather than walk with you down memory lane, as our volunteers have done an incredible job giving life and breath to our week through their personal blogs, I instead simply want to focus on today, TOURNAMENT DAY. Tournament day in Uganda is a day like no other. It is a day filled with immeasurable joy, as children from our partner schools intermingle with a glorious mix of childlike wonder, and mature confidence in themselves. Each tournament is unique as different children display their talents year after year. Today was a special tournament for myself as I saw years of hard work paying off in big ways. Today we had some older boys from our Youth Council assisting with the day. They helped mark the fields and get them ready for play. They assisted as athletic trainers, commentators, groundskeepers, and ensuring that enough water was on hand for the teams. These young men epitomized the character and responsibility that we have attempted to empower within these bright young men and women of Uganda.

Cosmas and Devid at the Chicken Coop

During a break in the matches, two of these young men, Devid and Cosmas, brought me to the chicken house, to share with me their dreams and their devotion to this sustainability project that FoDU has instituted on their campus. Our driver, Frank Kavuma, delivered 300 baby chicks late last week, and these young men could not wait to show me what they are now responsible for overseeing. Devid even shared that he had moved his sleeping quarters next to the chicken house to ensure that he could care for them at all times. We laughed a lot, and dreamed a lot, and I was reminded what is possible when you listen, and then empower. So many of our projects, services and programs are a direct result from listening to the population we are attempting to develop and empower. Devid and Cosmas reminded me today that the future is bright here in Uganda.

Today was a special day on so many levels. We had the girls select team from Gulu take part in the festivities, in which most of the 24 girls that traveled to Kampala had never left the Northern Region. We had an amazing Music, Dance and Drama competition. Folk songs and traditional dances filled the air in Wakiso, and the children gave everything they had with their singing, dancing, drumming and acting skills. For the first time we had many children at age 10-12 participate in the football matches, reveling in the competition. But what will stick with me the most from today’s excitement will be the young men that are growing up into responsible, compassionate and dedicated adults.

The Select Team from Gulu

Music, Dance and Drama Competition

The work of Fields of Dreams Uganda is never done. We celebrate the small victories, take a collective breath, and then push on toward future goals. Our work is impacting thousands of lives in Primary schools in the Northern and Central regions, but each and every November children leave our programs as they advance to Secondary School. It is my dream to one day have our own secondary schools in the North and Central regions where we can continue our good work in the lives of these remarkable children, and find new avenues for them to achieve their dreams. I have been reminded just how much partnerships are key in making lasting change, and MindShare has gone above and beyond in creating positive change here in Uganda. I can only hope and pray that there are other individuals and corporations out there that want to uplift and empower these special children of Uganda as much as the staff and board members of FoDU. This is your invitation to dreams with us, so that Devid and Cosmas are the first of many successful young men and women to leave behind a legacy of hope for the young primary students to follow.

Hope is a Basic Need

By: Jennie Wellsand

Today was like Christmas to the students in the central region of Kampala Uganda. And somehow it felt like Christmas (maybe in Florida due to the hot weather) to me. The joy that took place at Wakiso Children's School of Hope was breathtaking. Today was tournament day for Fields of Dreams Uganda and the morning began with U-10 football matches. It never fails to perplex me how much talent are in these young boys & girls. I've made this statement before in prior blogs but watching these students (some being orphans) put on a soccer jersey with cleats and play on a good pitch makes you see them as champions....not a vulnerable child in a developing country. Seeing how soccer unifies the campuses & installs hope into the staff, teachers and students is humbling & an honor to experience.  

After the U-10 games our FoDU team was blessed by the MDD competition (music, dance & drama). Each partner school performed two 15 minute pieces that involved props, songs, actions and a story that embraced their African culture. Though I could not understand the language, it was amazing to see how much I could understand through their actions. It was also encouraging to see the hope that arose in each student at they performed & also as they watched their peers. The work, effort and energy that goes into these performances is outstanding - and probably just as exhausting as playing a full football match - have you ever seen a Ugandan dance?! 
The rest of the day consisted of football match after match. It was incredible to watch the younger boys and girls I first met during my first trip to Uganda three years ago now playing on the older teams - some are old enough that they cannot play! Those older students came to support FoDU, and it was amazing to see them there running the games! 

The girls Gulu select team came to the central region to play the Kampala select team. It was fantastic to see unity come between two different people groups. Their walls of brutal history came down as the blow of the refs whistle sounded and the ball was kicked around. Though the Gulu girls were planning on beating the Kampala girls 10-0, the result was a draw which I was pleased with...it's kind of like they both won?! I am so proud of everyone who played, performed an helped make this tournament happen! 


Today as I watched the games, enjoyed the music, and held a child here and there I realized how important it is to be instilling hope into these young people. When they don't have a hand to hold or a lap to sit in, they will have their Fields of Dreams medal from today to remind them that they are champions, they are blessed, that we love them, and that their future belongs to them. Most of these children, if not all, have hope in eternity & I often find myself being encouraged spiritually by them to see God's faithfulness. But to know that hope for tomorrow is a basic need & that these children can find that hope through the vehicle of soccer and education makes me happy. It makes me overwhelmed with joy to think that simple things like soccer and education keep these kids going. It keeps them from verging onto a path of destruction that they could easily fall into. It keeps them from giving up. As I write tonight I wish you could experience what I've experienced all day. I wish you could experience the pure hope, love and joy I experienced the whole day. Hope is a basic need and I pray you would share a little hope with someone like I was able to give and receive today.

A Spirit of Thanksgiving in Uganda

By: Jacob Winkles

When my family first asked me to come to Uganda, my first thought was: “Ha, yeah, right.” Now that I am here and have spent some time with the children at our partner schools and seen what Uganda and its people have to offer, I have to shake my head and laugh at my hesitancy. Any fears that I had before taking this trip have melted away and I eagerly look forward to meeting more people from this great nation every short day I have here.

    Being in this place and being around these folks makes me think of Thanksgiving Day. I don’t know about you, but Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. It just seems to bring the best things about family together for a day full of good food, sincere interactions, and just that incomparable feeling of being surrounded by people that truly care for you. Here in Uganda, that feeling is what seems to seep into me from when I get out of bed in the morning to when I lay down at night. The people of this country are tireless in what seems to be their personal mission of making me feel welcome and stuffing me full of good food all while showing no restraint and being so overflowing with joy that I am just swept along with them. That joy shines that much brighter when you see the struggles that they have to face every day, and yet they still get up every morning with an incredibly infectious grin on their face.

  

So, in the spirit of my own personal week of Thanksgiving, I just want to express how grateful I am for the opportunity to share some time with some wonderful people. I only wish that I could do more for them because they truly deserve it. They have made me forget the cynicism that I am sure we all carry with us and leave my defensiveness at the door. Whether it was children in the schools running and screaming to greet us when they saw our bus, the way teachers at those schools thanked us and heaped honor after honor on us, the way the students danced for us to show off their talents, or the way seemingly anyone in this country would tell us that we are “most welcome;” I cannot express my gratitude for everything they have done. I am thankful for the chance to just come and see people here living their lives. So, if someone were to ask me if I wanted to come back, I’d be halfway out the door by the time they finished their sentence.

Seven Days in Uganda

By: Becky Winkles

7 days in Uganda. Probably the most emotional 7 days I’ve ever experienced. Emotions of great extremes; both high and low. Relatively speaking, I’m a quiet and sometimes even shy person who really values her personal space…I’m not sure the people from Uganda really understand that kind of personality, and I’m beginning to think they might have the right idea. From the moment the kids at the partner schools (and sometimes even the teachers) see the van pulling up, there is a smile on their face from ear to ear until the end of the day when we pull away. Those kids radiate joy and it’s contagious. Every single one of them wants to know your name. Every single one of them wants to know your story, no matter their age. They are full of love and so willing and ready to share. Knowing and experiencing that…those are the high emotions.

At every school, there is at least one student who will remain in my heart long after going home. From New Kabale Busega, that student is Mugabi who is incredibly inspired and passionate about becoming a pilot. At Humble, it was a couple of older girls, Gertrude and Kristin, who spent a couple hours with me after the technology training playing basketball, netball and just being girls talking under a mango tree where they made me promise to remember them tomorrow at the soccer tournament ☺ as if I could ever forget. The little girl who made the biggest impact on me however, was Doreen from Wakiso, who only knew a few words and phrases in English but could speak with her eyes and smiles in such a way that words were almost unnecessary. Our first day at Wakiso she was an 8 year old stranger who grabbed my hand and gave me a shy smile. She spent the entire afternoon sitting by my side, so close that she might has well have been sitting in my lap. She stole side-glances at me every few minutes to see if I minded her playing with the fabric of my shirt, picking at my nail polish or playing with my hair. How could I? She is adorable. The second day when I got out of the van and expected to see her among the kids rushing to greet us and smother us with hugs, I was a little disheartened to not find her among the crowd. And then I saw her, in the very back, staring at me sheepishly as if she was just trying to see if I remembered her. My smile let her know I did and I was beyond happy to see her again. She ran and jumped into a hug that I’ll cherish forever. 1 ½ days with Doreen wasn’t enough, I can’t wait to see her tomorrow when we go back to Wakiso for the tournament. My heart breaks already, knowing that I have to say goodbye to her and so many others tomorrow and that…that triggers so many low emotions.

Over the past week I’ve shared life stories and created so many new memories with some of the most beautiful souls I could have ever hoped to surround myself with. Uganda is truly an amazing place with even more amazing people. They care, and they’re reminding me how to care too.