Adventure in East Africa: How Kibaale Stole My Heart

This past week we stayed at Kibaale Community Center in the rural Rakai district of Uganda. You might remember from previous posts that I had visited the center twice before on day trips. When I first came to Kibaale, it was not at all what I had expected. I thought it would be more like Pacific Academy only transplanted in Africa. Instead I experienced a bit of a culture shock. It was rustic and rural and I couldn't imagine myself living there. After staying for the week, I have fallen in love with this place. I can already say that my experiences this past week will be the highlight of my time here in Africa and if I ever come back again....I will most definitely be spending more time in Kibaale. It is hard to put into words the impression this place has made on my heart. All I can say is that there is an amazing atmosphere. Every morning the kids are right outside your door, walking to class and playing soccer. Everyone is extremely friendly and you can tell that the kids love being there. Kibaale is home to some of the poorest people in Uganda. It is the neediest students that are sponsored to attend this school. Kibaale is past the electrical grid and beyond paved roads but staying there was like being at the heart of Africa. It was an amazing chance to be directly involved in this project and to interact with the people of this beautiful country.

We arrived at the center on Sunday night.Our goal for the week was to assist the Kibaale Children's Fund to hand out all the Christmas gifts bought for the 800 children by their sponsors. We were told it would be a crazy busy week. However, in Africa nothing ever happens the way you expect it to. Monday morning we found out that the KCF staff needed to help with interviews for next years nursery students so there would be no work for us. After a leisurely breakfast, we decided to take a hike up Kibaale hill. Before that we asked Carina if she would take us over to James' class so my dad could meet him and we could drop off the donations we had brought over. The special unit class was in the middle of an exam so we couldn't stay for long but Dad got to meet James which was a really neat experience. Just like when I had visited last month, James was very shy but clearly happy to see us. The hike was really fun and there was an amazing view of the entire school as well as Kibaale town. We could even see as far as Tanzania. It was great to see the area, get some exercise and do something different (in Masaka our default activity is lounging at the pool - no complaints!).

Tuesday we finally got to help out by putting together some gift baskets. We also got to walk into town to order some more supplies from the store Thom Kalema's. Once the baskets were put together we helped hand them out to some vocational students. I was in charge of calling out the names and they all had a good laugh as I butchered the pronunciations.

Wednesday was our busiest day as we found out that money had been donated for 300 more gift baskets! We got up to the office early in the day and started assembling in record time. After finishing up the baskets, Ken arranged to borrow some motorcycles and we had a chance to ride out to a local lake. It was a great adventure seeing more of the countryside and how people live in the area. After our ride we grabbed some lunch and then I went up to the KCF office to help with some administrative tasks. Just before dinner we got a chance to take some gift baskets and a soccer ball up to James' home and visit his family. Getting up to his house was quite a drive and even then we had to hike a ways into the bush. The first person we met was his grandmother who was very appreciative of our gifts. She kept grabbing our hands and kneeling in front of us saying thank-you over and over again in Lugandan. James was hiding in the house and it took awhile to get him to come out. His eyes lit up at the sight of the soccer ball. His grandmother told us through the translator that this would be his favorite part of our gift. As we were chatting James' brothers and sisters arrived from collecting water. Dad spent some time talking back and forth with the grandmother through a translator, finding out more about the family and where they live. As you can see from the picture below, they have a very small house with no windows and a dirt floor. The grandmother is caring for all the children as the mother has died and the father is not around. James walks 4.5 kilometers to get to school every day but his teacher shared with us how much he loves being at school and how he never wants to go home. It was an eye-opening experience seeing how these people live. It is almost unbelievable. Right out of a World Vision commercial. But these are no longer faces on my t.v. screen. These are people right in front of me. Barely clothed children who walk miles everyday to collect water and grandmothers who do back-breaking work everyday to provide for their grandchildren. It is an experience that has definitely affected my perspective on life.

That night we walked into town to go for dinner at Hajits. This small restaurant is run by a little old Muslim lady. She had made us chicken, rice, fish and fries along with some cultural dishes of matoke and cassava. For those of you who have been to FFHM in Mexico, it was a similar experience as going to Rolly's. Walking back from the restaurant was another amazing experience that is hard to put into words. It was like walking through an old western town. The shops lining the streets were lit up by oil lamps and street vendors cooked over open fires, making the air smoky. Music was playing and the streets were full of people walking around or socializing. We stopped walking just after the bridge, turned off our flashlights and looked up at the night sky, watching the fireflies. It was breathtaking.

Thursday morning we had a chance to visit Alisha's sponsor child's home. Again, it was quite the experience visiting another home in this rural area, to see how people live. Afterwards we packed up and headed back to Masaka.

The Timothy Center is a beautiful place but it is very isolated in comparison to the Kibaale Center. I loved being within walking distance of the town, exploring the countryside on a motorcycle and hiking up Kibaale hill. The school there is well established and the heart of the PAOS mission in Uganda. Visiting James' home has made me realize what a difference you can make in sponsoring a child. Not only does James have the opportunity to attend school and get an education, but we are also supporting his entire family and giving them an opportunity for a better life. I can say from experience that seeing these people in person changes your perspective on what we have to offer. $30 a month is less than my cell phone bill. Can I afford to drink three Starbucks a week instead of five? Our small sacrifices can make a huge difference in the lives of people on the other side of the world.