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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| The Select Team from Gulu |
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| 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.
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