Focussed on the Good in Uganda
A Guest Post by Emily Jones
I recently graduated from UVic with my Bachelor of Elementary Education, and before beginning my job hunt, I decided to travel to Uganda for what would be my third time. I arrived in Uganda on September 1st and spent two months volunteering at Amani Baby Cottage in Jinja, before I returned to Watoto to spend two months volunteering in the Watoto Suubi baby home.
This was my first time volunteering with Amani Baby Cottage and it was a really great experience. I not only love what they do at Amani, I love that being in Jinja (a small town in Uganda) allowed me to connect with multiple other ministries and organizations.
I volunteered one day with Sole Hope. This is an organization that travels to villages every Thursday to set up free jigger removal clinics (if you would like to read about or donate to their work: www.solehope.org ). Jiggers are sand fleas that burrow into feet & hands to lay eggs, causing pain and eventually infection. Sole Hope washes feet, removes jiggers, and educates people on the importance of keeping their feet clean before fitting them with a new pair of handmade, closed toe shoes. It was an amazing experience to be a part of their work for the day, spending the morning scrubbing countless feet!
I also accompanied an Amani social worker to the local prison with two children who are in Amani’s care. Both children had been living in the prison with their Mothers before being placed with Amani at a few years old. The experience was very different than I expected! After passing through several guard stations and gates, we parked and entered the women’s area of the prison. The women recognized the two children and many of them greeted us kindly and gave hugs. They were so thankful we had brought the children for a visit! We spent an hour with the children, their mothers, and several prisoners who translated for us. We shared stories about their children and they thanked us continually for the care of their children. They also prayed for us.
On a typical morning at Amani we go downstairs and read to or play with the kids in either Cottage A (15 kids) or Cottage B (19 kids) until 9am. We then began morning worship songs with all the children. Following this they separate children into three groups based on their ages (2-4yr) (4-5yr) (5-6yr). These three groups rotate through three 45 min sessions in the preschool, playroom, and quiet room (reading, colouring etc). After the first 45 min session the children do a group exercise and eat their porridge and banana. I was assigned to a different room each week. At lunchtime we clean the dining room and settle the children for their naps. We have a 1.5 hour break at lunchtime before spending 2-3pm working on a 'project' such as cleaning, folding clothes, organizing the storeroom etc. From 3-5 pm we organize several outdoor activities each day, such as parachute games, water play, walks, soccer etc. On Mondays and Thursdays we take children for an outing. Outings can be walks, boda rides to town for soda or sweeties, swimming, or one on one time playing with toys or reading.
During November and December I returned to Watoto Suubi baby home, located in Mpigi, Uganda. I visited the children and babies I cared for on a previous visit in 2015. They were so grown up! Many have graduated from the baby home to Watoto village homes, where they have a house mom and 7 ‘siblings’. It was amazing seeing the babies I cared for last year as healthy toddlers, now running around and talking!
I also visited 'my' twins that I first met and loved while volunteering in 2014 on my first trip to Uganda. My Mom and Dad sponsor Sarah, while I sponsor Rachael. The girls are now 3 years old, and while shy at first, they quickly began singing, dancing, and jumping around calling me "Mama Emily".
I’m so happy God has called me to Uganda for short term missions trips over the past 3 years. Not only have I formed relationships and connections there, He has used my time in Africa to change and grow me in many different ways. This year during my time in Uganda God reminded me how important it is to focus on the good in every situation. My experience volunteering could easily have become a negative one - navigating between everyone and everything there being on ‘Africa time’ (very very slow), experiencing sudden sickness, having new roommates, eating unfamiliar food, hearing heartbreaking stories, and the poverty I witnessed. Instead, I have learned how to experience everything, but focus on the good. I chose to focus on the children laughing, little voices calling me Auntie Emily, babies learning to walk, the sunshine on my face when the bus was two hours late, the relationships formed when hanging laundry with the nannies, and much more.
Uganda has now become my second home. I had an amazing experience volunteering for the last four months and I look forward to returning in the future.
Emily Jones is a recent graduate from Uvic's faculty of Education. She has just returned home to Vancouver Island after her third short term mission trip to Uganda. She is a part of our faith family at Victoria Alliance, but her heart belongs to the children of Uganda.