...I heard some giggling come from behind those bushes. You can't see in the photo but to the left of that red bush was a fishing dock. This was the spot where the village collected water, washed clothes, fished, tied up tree trunk canoes, etc. It was a popular spot to hang out and during the day it was bustling with the tiny bodies of children chasing tires down the road with sticks.
I excused myself from the table and grabbed my frisbee from the van. When I walked up to the group of kids they all scattered away in opposite directions. One brave boy approached me curiously. I held up the red frisbee and gestured for him to take it. He held it in his hands and looked at me blankly. O right, stupid me. I spent the next few minutes teaching my friend how to throw the frisbee.
In a few minutes I was surrounded by children again. These were children that I was meeting only briefly on the roadside--a pit stop on our way to Kishanje. They weren't in the Juna Amagara program. They spoke Luganda, not Rukiga (or English). It was easy to see that they were hungry and dirty--it was easier to see that they were adorable, happy, smilling toothy-grins. I spent the next two hours tossing the frisbees among the crowd and meeting a few friends face to face.
The girl in the Chicago Bears sweatshirt is the older sister to most of these kids in this photo. That means that she is responsible for them during the day--dodging trucks along the road, staying away from the water, finding food, bathing. That's a lot to ask of one 9 year old girl. She was a sweetheart with the softest voice and shy eyes. Too embarrassed to touch my bracelet I noticed her staring at it. Somewhere in Uganda a little girl is wearing a Chicago Bears sweatshirt and a J. Crew Sailor Knot bracelet.
(I also saw a lot of Green Bay fans too. Eck.)
The little boy in the bottom right corner of this photo has probably known that t-shirt his entire life. One of his older brothers or uncles or fathers might have worn it. And now he has worn it for years. The clothing that we donate does make a difference. Especially shoes and jackets.
This is Dickson. He is a prime example of JAM's success, graduating in a few months time. For you FXW Alumni folks, you already recognize his shirt. That jersey was my 8th grade basketball jersey.
I remember when I was packing for my first trip to Uganda. My mom had so wonderfully organized trips to and from the dollar store with things for the Children's Home in Mbarara--toothbrushes, soap, wash cloths, Band-Aids, nail clippers, etc. We stuffed my extra suitcases with toys as well--stickers, beanie babies, glow sticks, nail polish, balloons, bubbles.
"You still have some space left." my mom said.
"I think that's enough. That's A LOT. The bag needs to be under 50 lbs doesn't it?"
"Here you can fit these too." My mom stuffed the last possible things that could fit into the bag---several old T-shirts (including my bball jersey) and soccer shorts we removed from my closet while spring cleaning.
Sure enough, my bag was overweight. And sure enough, like always, my mom handled that situation real quick. After firmly explaining to the AA guy what was in my bag and why she let him know that it would be continuing on to fly to Uganda. (She's awesome)
That bag did make its way to the Children's Home in Mbarara. The house mamas took it and divided up the supplies, toys and clothing appropriately. When I returned to Uganda five years later in 2012 I visited Kishanje. And who did I see wandering around the school grounds in my basketball jersey? Dickson.
Five years later and 14 hours away from Mbarara we met again in another village and held hands while he told me about his success in school. Unbelievable.
Your donations DO make a difference! An exceptional one.
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