"See You"

It has been over a week since Lisa and I left Ndejje. And I'm sure I speak for both of us when I say it's been more than a little surreal. Our last days were emotional for both of us...we were not only leaving some amazing kids that constantly reminded us what it means to be fortuitous, a school that is constantly fighting a powerful stigma, and in essence challenging the world, or our neighbors that always showed us warmth even in times of misunderstanding; we were leaving a way of life that became our life. There are few places that carry a feeling of home within you, and even fewer places that embrace you without question. This is Ndejje. And while I felt the normal guilt on my first day away from Ndejje, e.g not having to pump a glass of water in the morning, using (or trying to use) a stove, being surrounded by a sea of Abercrombie & Fitchs, Apple stores, Targets, etc. I realized that more of my uneasiness came from the remembrance that the kids in my community were most bewildered when they heard we got free water to drink on the plane and a chair to sit in. How our lives had gone back to basics while in Ndejje, back to the core of what's important and what's needed...now we will return to a life based around the supplemental. Which is not something to feel guilty about, but something to constantly be aware of. I hope I remember that.

Call it a blessing, luck or good fortune...whatever belief system one subscribes to it is all felt the same. I feel an overwhelming amount of it. We were able to spend these last few months in a town and in a country and on behalf of a powerful idea due to the amount of people that helped us get there and continued to help us while we were there. I only hope that I maintain this experience, and instead of letting the experience and my time there seep out of me, I wish it to take root instead. It would be a shame for people to forget the words of this blog (no matter how confusing or erratic) - e.g the people we spoke about, the children who told us their stories, the lessons we learned on a daily basis and the people that made it all worth it. I truly hope people who read this blog or support organizations like Soccer Without Borders recognizes that what Lisa and I did was nothing out of the realm of possibility. In fact, it is the easiest thing to do if you decide you want to do it. If you decide you want to learn and immerse yourself in something unfamiliar, there are many many avenues for you to do so. And I really encourage you to heed that feeling. It's the only way change will happen in this world. The only way kids like Deborah, Hakim, Ronnie or Jaelle will get the fair shot they deserve.

Now we hope you follow the progress we started with SWB's new interns Deb and Chris, who are currently in Ndejje and working hard to increase the efficacy of the youth center and expand upon the relationships in the community. Thanks to our loyal followers and to those who spoke about what we were doing or asked how they could help, it all meant more than you know.

Obada mulungi. Tugya kusubwa!

Still here...

I apologize for the poor blogging as of late. I had a week vacation in Kenya and during that time managed to get cellulitis, malaria and a bacterial infection on top of those two scary illnesses. So I’ve been busy doing A LOT of recovering. Lisa and I have both been giving our immune systems a run for their money. Also, schools have been out on holiday for the past month so there hasn’t been as much going on as we’re used to, or rather there has been a shift in activity buzzing around Ndejje.

At first we thought there would be a lot of room for growth regarding youth center programming, soccer training, outreach, etc. after Jacques informed us that HOPE had the funds to build a new nursery classroom and gave us the green light to turn half of the site into a room to finally begin youth center operations out of. Due to the shaky grounds on which we realistically foresaw a room being built in a month’s time and the surprising lack of HOPE students coming to the youth center, we realized that this would inevitably take longer than anticipated. On one hand there was great success in engaging the wider community – I believe our newcomer list peaked at around 45 boys, but only four on the girls’ side. With that amount of people showing up it was probably very lucky the normal HOPE turnout didn’t regularly attend. With only Deo, Lisa and myself (when I wasn’t out of commission) that was probably the most students we would have been able to effectively manage. Also, we had the good fortune of having a couple new American additions to the SWB team the last two weeks. I believe they will be returning to help out in a few weeks time, which will be right around when two new interns come get settled in to take over our post in Ndejje. Needless to say, the more the merrier in Ndejje.

Last week Lisa spent a lot of time in Nsambya helping out and assessing how things are running there, while I was only able to see one session and solely interact with Raphael and a couple participants due to really low turnout. Ben was hoping to get a feel for everyone involved, how SWB’s presence was being utilized, how successful/unsuccessful it was, numbers of kids showing up, etc. I will leave you with Lisa’s assessment of what went on and the great questions she poses at the end:

On Monday, Deo and I found Raphael and Didier with two groups of boys – a U-14ish team and a U-17ish team. There were roughly 20 U-14s and 25 U-17s training. Raphael and the group had very little equipment; only 3 balls and 6 cones. He explained that the other balls burst. We had a good, simple practice – we just played a three team possession game and then a full field scrimmage. Raphael and Didier stopped our games a couple of times to make coaching points and the boys were receptive. They seemed to like and respect the coaches. Raphael said that when school is in session they get many more boys than during breaks.

On Tuesday and Wednesday the boys could not train in the mornings because of police training on the field. According to Raphael, this will happen a couple times a month, unannounced. On Wednesday we gave Raphael some more cones.

On Thursday we attended the women’s training in the evening. Raphael says that the women train three days a week. Only three girls ended up attending, so it was a bit hard to organize drills and games. The three girls were all from the DRC. Raphael said that one of the major reasons for the low turn-out was lack of shoes. He said that for games, about 15 girls will show up, but for training it is hard to get good numbers.

On Friday, the boys and girls teams trained together in the morning. Again, the girl turn-out was low. I recognized a lot of the boys from Monday and all of the boys that I asked said that they trained with Raphael and the team everyday but Sunday. Raphael, Didier, and two members of the men’s team that had practiced earlier in the morning organized the kids into three teams. We scrimmaged on ½ of the field, rotating when a goal was scored.

We have organized two matches for this week. The first is between the Nsambya U-14 boys and the Ndejje boys. Next weekend, the Ndejje United men’s team is going to play the Nsambya men’s team. We would like to organize a match between the Ndejje girls and the Nsambya girls, but we’ll have to wait until school starts up again -then both girls’ teams should have higher attendance.

Raphael is a good guy. He seems to have a good relationship with the kids and the other coaches now. He is doing a good job with the men’s’ and boys’ teams. The women’s program is less successful because of poor attendance. We are also struggling with low girls’ attendance in Ndejje during the school break – we’ll usually only get 8-10 girls, but 30-40 boys.

I agree with your assessment of the program in Nsambya - SWB is supporting it, but not at a level to make it thrive. It is hard to say whether SWB should continue to support the Nsambya, and at what level. The men’s and boys teams seem to be a really big deal in the players’ lives, but would the teams continue without funding from SWB? What could SWB do to make the program really thrive? Should SWB support two growing programs in Uganda, or does it make more sense to focus money and resources on one project?

That’s all for now, but with school starting up next week hopefully we’ll be back in the blogging business for our last month in Uganda.

Good News on the Horizon

During a trip to Gulu/Atiak, with a Non-Profit called Pros for Africa, I met the man in charge of starting a massive school called Cornerstone. They have schools all around Uganda and have demonstrated perfectly how to successfully adjust to a change in need. This man started the school after visiting Uganda over twenty years ago and saw how war and AIDS had devastated educational opportunities (among other things), and how many children and orphans in the country were affected. As time progressed, that aspect of war changed the need to Ugandan youth lacking education geared on character building, leadership and post-educational opportunity. Cornerstone gives many scholarship opportunities to students who have finished Primary School, and also offers other levels of education at the best price the country has to offer. Upon returning to Ndejje I’ve met with him and we’ve discussed possible avenues for a partnership, or realistic opportunities for those at our school to continue their education. Jacques has already contacted him regarding a couple girls that have the grades and the drive, so I’m very hopeful that this will turn into something very positive.

Also, Lisa and I have been speaking with a man at the nearby Muslim Secondary School (which happens to own the soccer pitch we play on), and have lent out equipment to his girls squad that he’s entered into FUFA’s (Uganda’s soccer governing body) league for girls. Since we have the equipment but lack the space and they have the space but lack the equipment, I’m thinking it to be the perfect match. He’s really focused on improving the football program they have for their girls and is hoping Lisa and I could help out. We’re hoping that this would mean the inclusion of our girls in this situation (as well as a more liberal agreement with the use of the field) and in essence create a sustainable environment and friendship for the equipment, space and community. This is the sort of thing that will really jumpstart the community center. He is very keen on this idea as well and anxious for it to be put into motion. On that note, Jacques believes that construction of the new building (which will be connected to the center for one half of the nursery to move into) will be able to begin as soon as this week! Which means hopefully by the time Lisa and I leave (June 16) we will be able to have started programs and gotten the outer community to be a part of its creation.

Lastly, a great organization I found out about (also while on my trip with Pros for Africa) that makes water filters (think a giant straw that cleans the water as you drink it) is looking to potentially sponsor 200 of these straws for HOPE. I’m hoping Water Is Life comes through, because with an average of six children missing school daily due to bad water this is something that I think should be a priority.

The power has just gone out again, so this will have to be a brief post. Thanks for reading!

Another back-to back Youth Feature

Due to our temporary hiatus from our blog we are trying to catch up on posting more on the youth in the area. This was a very special interview for me as it was open and I did little of the talking. This girl is really special and I spend quite a bit of time with her outside of school practicing reading, writing and simply listening to what is on her mind. Of course I hope for the success of all the young people I work with, but this particular student is someone I fervently work with. My next step is making sure she carries that same confidence she has at HOPE outside of school, and not made to feel inferior by certain males in Kampala where she lives. This is an issue I am constantly trying to address and focus on, as the future for many girls following graduation from HOPE is not very promising. Since many of the girls are refugees the possibility of obtaining school fees (which are greatly reduced at HOPE) for Secondary School is quite slim. Hearing stories of older males taking advantage of young girls and promising a secure life leads to many single mothers, and tales of prostitution and female trafficking are also among the other tragically common stories. It takes leaders in schools like HOPE to show the other girls that there are other paths and other choices to consider. To take a line from HOPE School, “Hope never fails.”

Name: Deborah Baunda
Age: 12
Grade: P6
Nationality: Congolese

Where were you born in the Congo and what do you remember about home?
DB: I was born in Bukavu and we moved to Uganda in 2006, I forget the month…
What I remember about Congo is wars. One time soldiers came to my house and they wanted to kill my father and wanted money. I was sitting in the sleeping room and was kept very quiet. They started trying to kick open the door and screamed, “If you don’t open we will kill you.” They left when they couldn’t get in the door. I remember when they took my older brother, but he came back.

Why did they take your brother? Is that why you came to Uganda?
DB: They took many boys in the village. They make them carry luggage for them. We came to Uganda because my mother got money stolen, and my mother was demanded for more money that she did not have anymore. She paid a little, but then was pressured so much that she thought she might die. We came because of all that pressure.

How many are in your family? Did all of you come to Uganda together?
DB: We are ten. Eight children and mother and father. We all came to Uganda and live near Kampala. I don’t like Uganda so much. Because father doesn’t have a house. Our mother works for a man who gives her money to sell clothes and its not enough for rent. My father is a tailor and makes clothes. My brothers and sisters don’t work yet.

Where would you like to live then?
DB: I would like to be in places outside of Uganda, like Canada, Unites States or Australia.

Did you ever find it hard to live in Uganda with different people than you weren’t used to in the Congo?
DB: Yes, at home (near Kampala) they don’t like Congolese. For example, the landlord says we are too many and don’t pay rent. At school I have never had a problem with Ugandans not liking me. I only have problems of lacking the requirements for HOPE. Requirements like school uniform, books, food, transportation because we have to walk far if we don’t have 300 UGS for a taxi. My best friends at school are many. But I like the teachers the most. I used to live with Teacher Winnie when she was at HOPE, she was my best friend, and I like Teacher Ronnie and Teacher Annett.

What do you want to do after graduating from HOPE?
DB: I’d like to study at University. I want to be a secretary or a doctor. Even football, but it is difficult for girls in Uganda. But in America I could play.

I think you would be a great doctor! But you are very good at football, probably the best at HOPE…how did you learn to play so well?
DB: I started playing football in P3 at HOPE. I was trained by some mzungus… Teacher James, Ben, Chris and Martino.

What is a normal day for you like?
DB: First, I read books then I play games like football and netball.

Favorites: Music group/singer, food, football team?
DB: Weezer, chips, Manchester United

You like Weezer?!? How do you know about Weezer they are one of my favorites too!!? (I give her my ipod to listen to a song)
DB: No, no. I like the Ugandan singer Weazer. This music is not the same.
(This took about ten minutes to establish that we were talking about two different Weezers/Weazers and was quite hilarious)

Who do you think will win the World Cup?
DB: Manchester United

That is a club team! Only countries play in the World Cup.
DB: Oh! Well they would win if they were in World Cup. I will choose Brazil.

Youth Feature of the Week

What I find endlessly fascinating is how multi-ethnic and multi-cultural students at HOPE School are. It is more common to see a combination of Congolese and Ugandan, Kenyan and Ugandan or ____ and Ugandan, but after chatting with one of the most reserved students during break time I discovered he came from a Congolese and Rwandese household. After talking more at length it became apparent his parent’s respective countries and cultures weren’t an active part of his own identity. This could be a personal decision, or he’s simply acting as a typical teenager does and trying to define himself on his own terms. But reading in between the lines of our conversation, it could be a purposeful diversion prompted by his father due to their reasons for fleeing Rwanda. Either way, I really enjoyed his interview and perspective. I truly believe that one-on-one engagement such as this really increases self-efficacy and emphasizes value in youth’s personal outlook and opinion. After all, it will be these children that impact this community, and how they see themselves in it plays a vital role. Enjoy meeting Ronnie!

Name: Ronald Ngabo “Ronnie”
Grade: P7
Age: 15
Nationality: Rwandese

When did you move to Uganda Ronnie?
RN: We moved here in 2005. We were five. My mother died when we came to Uganda because she was very sick. I have three brothers and I am the fourth. We lived in Kampala first then moved to the Wakiso District.

What do you remember about Rwanda? You can tell me about good memories or bad memories.
RN: The good things…Rwanda…My sister is there and other relations. My sister is 27 and stayed because she is married. But some people didn’t like others at my home in Rwanda and were trying to imprison many people for the genocide. We left because things were bad like that. That is why Rwandese are here (in Uganda) or in other countries now.

That is pretty neat your parents come from two different countries. When or why did your father move to Rwanda? Have you been able to visit your father’s home in the Congo?
RN: My father moved from Congo to Rwanda because of his job as a mechanic. I don’t know when he moved there. I went to visit Congo in 2001 to see my father’s family in Goma once. It was nice.

Are you happy you live in Uganda now?
RN: Yes, I like living in Uganda. I like Uganda because there is freedom.

What is the hardest problem you have ever faced and how did you overcome it?
RN: My father can’t manage to buy us clothes or shoes so me and my brothers work to get money for him. He doesn’t work, but sometimes he gets some jobs. So when we don’t have money we help laborers build houses like the ones you see around here. They pay us 5,000 UGS for a day (approximately $2.50).

Thanks for sharing that Ronnie. What do you like most about HOPE Primary School?
RN: I like the teaching and the sports.

What do you want to do after you graduate from HOPE?
RN: I don’t know what I want to do…I like football and singing.

I remember you saying you liked singing. I still need to hear your skills! Who is your favorite singer, food and football team?
RN: Chameleon (Ugandan rapper), rice and meat, Manchester United

Who do you think will win the World Cup?
RN: England

Ronnie, they are in USA’s bracket… are you trying to suggest USA won’t do well?!
RN: [whips out a huge smile]

Is there anything you want to say to people around the world reading this?
RN: Tell them I love all people in the world.

Jacob's Introduction

This entry is long overdue, but the day was too wild, too entertaining, too eventful not to share. Teacher Jacob, the math and science teacher for P5-P7 is getting married! Three weeks ago he had his formal introduction to the bride’s family. Man, Ugandans know how to put on a show!

The all day affair started at 10:00 as we dawned our gomesi, traditional Buganda ladies’ wear. It took three Buganda women 20 minutes to dress each of the mzungus in these multi-layered rainbow dresses with shoulders that put 80s shoulder pads to shame. The men had it much easier with their white dresses called kanzus.

After we had all dressed and as I was pondering how I might pee wearing the gomesi, nine of us crammed into a van and drove to Teacher Jacob’s house. There we met a stressed-out teacher Jacob and his smart-looking family dressed in kanzus and electric rainbow colored gomesi.

As we waited for an hour or two for teacher Jacob to get dressed we were entertained in Luganda. First, his spokesman lobbied us for money, telling us that Jacob’s gifts for his future in-laws were too few. Next, as we waited for Jacob’s friends to extract the keys that they had locked into their running car, a Ugandan man with a guitar serenaded us. He had the most unique voice, very nasally, but somehow pleasant. He sang us what I thought was a happy children’s’ song, but was actually about how homosexuality is a sin.

Once the keys were extracted and our musical entertainment was worn out we boarded the cars and vans and moved the party to the bride-to-be’s house. After an hour an a half on a bumpy, unpaved road we emerged from the car with slightly droopier shoulder pads.

The ceremony itself was phenomenal, though I could not understand any of it. Each family had a professional spokesman, basically a comedian, who would make fun of each of the family members in Luganda as they appeared before the audience. It was like a 4-hour version of a Comedy Central’s roast, followed by TONS of Ugandan food.

At the end of the ceremony I got the Cliffs Notes version of what had gone on from Annet, the Hope School headmistress. She explained that almost all of it was a joke, but there were a few serious problems: First, Jacob’s gifts were not sufficient. With his teacher’s salary he could not afford the dowry of chickens, cooking oils, goats… that the bride’s family had required. Second, the bride’s father at the ceremony may have been a stand-in because the real father did not agree with the wedding. I have yet to find out if the man was actually the bride’s real father.

Tired and stuffed full of food, we made our way back home. We ran into a broken down truck in the middle of Ndejje road, and after trying three alternate routes, we finally made it back to Calm Guest House at 11:00 pm. The wedding is May 1 and I am looking forward to it! I’ll say it again, Ugandans know how to do ceremonies!

Youth Feature Double Narrative

(Joweria on left)

(Chelsea)

One of the unique facts about HOPE Primary School that I have neglected to mention is that it is the only school for refugees outside of a refugee camp. While it is not assisted by the government, it is recognized. This has most likely been achieved by the growing number of Ugandans attending the school and Jacque’s insistence of separating himself, a refugee, from the school in a public forum. While there are obvious qualms with this approach it is a necessary one it seems, and has led to this school being able to operate as it has thus far. I found myself wondering if intercultural communication and/or education is a part of the school, or if there were issues between refugee students and Ugandans. Initially, when the refugee population outnumbered the Ugandans Jacques mentioned that there were disagreements or conflicts that led to Ugandan children saying, “This is not even your land….you are from Congo…you shouldn’t be here…etc. etc. etc.” There were instances when these problems involved student’s parents who wanted to go to local authorities (despite the police force being very little compared to the 500,000 strong population in Ndejje) for certain conflicts, which would cause obvious problems for refugees. But it seems that there are no obvious issues to Lisa and I upon seeing the students interact, but also there is not much acknowledgement of HOPE’s diversity and potential arenas for stratification. They have a “Debate Day” once a week, but it appears to be more focused on general issues such as school systems, corruption, etc. So I took an opportunity to interview two P6 female students, one Ugandan and one Kenyan (with help of a translator) to get their perspective.

Chelsea Norah
Grade: P6
Age: 11 years old
Nationality: Kenyan

Where are you from in Kenya and when did you move to Ndejje?
CN: I am from a district in central Kenya called Kakamega. I moved here in 2007 so my mother could find work.

What work does your mother do? Did she move here knowing anyone?
CN: My mother still hasn’t found a job but will soon get. She wants to be a tailor. No, she moved here knowing no one.

Do you miss Kenya? Is that where your father is?
CN: I like Kenya more than Uganda and I miss it a lot. I miss my grandmother and cousins. My father works in Sudan. I talk to him on the telephone sometimes but I forget what his work is. I haven’t seen him in three years.

How long did it take you to learn Luganda? Was that difficult? You are so good at English did you learn that at HOPE?
CN: It took me a year to learn Luganda. I also speak Kibukusu and Swahili. In P1 I learned English from my teacher in Kenya so when I came in P3 it was not too hard to read or learn.

Did you find it easy to adjust or be welcomed in Uganda?
CN: It was hard at first. My best friends at school are in Baby Class. But I live next to Sharon (a Ugandan in P6).

What do you like most about HOPE and what do you want to do after school?
CN: I like that the teachers teach us so we can pass (exams). I want to be a bank manager because I see that it’s a good job.

What is your favorite food, football team and music singer?
CN: Chips, Chelsea – because it’s my name, and Esther Wahome – a Ugandan singer

Is there anything you want to say to people reading this?
CN: Tell everyone I’m a good girl.


Joweria Nakijjoba
Grade: P6
Age: 14 years old
Nationality: Ugandan

How many are in your family Joweria…is this your sister (girl in photo that she always minds like a little sister)?
JN: No, this is my friend. I am only one. I live with my mother. My father died in 2000 from malaria.

What work does your mother do?
JN: She sells clothes.

What do you like most about HOPE? I see that you are a great dancer where did you learn how to dance? Is that what you want to do after school?
JN: I like to play with classmates and speak English at school. My friend at another school taught me how to dance, I love it and singing so much. I want to be a nurse after school.

No, I don’t know how to play you’ll have to teach me, it looks fun. How do you like going to school with so many people from different countries? Was it ever confusing for you or strange?
JN: I feel happy and benefit from learning other languages and dances from students from other tribes or countries. At first I did have a problem with some of the Congolese girls because I thought they were talking about me all the time in their language (she gave an example of a classmate she felt didn’t share with her and felt she would only share with her Congolese classmates).

How did you overcome that feeling or problem?
JN: Now because the school is taught in English they (refugee students) don’t use their language as much. So I don’t feel as bad and we are friends.

What is your favorite food, football team and music singer?
JN: Sweet Potatoes, I don’t like football! I like netball…I’m want to teach you how to play. And I like the Ugandan singer Bugebe Wilson.

Is there anything you’d like to tell your Internet readers?
JN: Tell them girls should take care of themselves. Because men encroach on young girls after school. Know that AIDS is a killer disease and try to avoid men that take advantage.