-Uganda 2009- Howard and Judith Evans
The children were working hard as we approached our House of Joy School.
We could hear them chanting and singing.Many pupil faces were seen at the windows and doors as the poor teachers struggled to contain their unbridled enthusiasm.I Out they came , rushing towards us, eager to be the first to touch us. Mwzengu
, they shouted You are WELCOME., What a privilege it was to be back amongst these forgotten people.Although I am a school teacher, I had not planned to teach at the school although that happened on several occasions. Teaching in Uganda is very different.There can be around 80 pupils in your class. All of them extremely well behaved and respectful. They are so eager to learn and work very hard. All pupils absolutely love being there. At break and lunchtime the children would gather around us. Some just to watch, others eager to help, some to play and others just to be held.Many stay for hours after school.They are in no rush to go home, for many children school is a happier, safer place for them.
The next day, work started in earnest.A six o clock bugle call from Howard set us all rushing for the bathroom.Yes, there is water today and no electric shock from the shower, unlike our last visit.Then, breakfast and out into the chaos of Kampala, the huge teeming capital.After a death defying, buttock clenching journey through the traffic, we finally arrived at the school at Kasala.The builders set to work on the flooring for the vocational centre; others began rendering the classrooms, improving drainage pipes for clean water and preparation was made for the solar panels which would provide some electricity.
Judith and I began working with the newly appointed Head Teacher, the teachers and children; firstly classroom observations then teacher training,teaching the children, setting up resources and meeting people who could help us train staff in the future.The team painted classrooms,improved the library and fed the children porridge; all in temperatures of over 34 degrees.
Frustration sometimes set in as things take so long to do and no one ever bothers to be on time.This is Africa.Yet the people and the landscape are so wonderful.We are always amazed by the resilience of the people of Kasala , a scattered village in the bush.
The children are so keen to learn.
and its a pleasure to teach such delightful young people.Most of the children walk many miles to school and then walk back home again in the evening.A five or six mile walk each way is common.Can you imagine children in the UK walking like that? There are several classes of between 70 and 112 in the school but its a marvel to see children crying because they have to go home from school.As a team we achieved much during the visit but we also realised how much we still need to do in the future.It was great on the last day to switch on the power and for the first time there was light in the bush.These people who felt they had been forgotten for so long now realised that they did matter and that there was light in the darkness.
We returned home sad and tired but also very happy that we had achieved so much.Already we are planning our next visit to the people of the bush around Kasala.
The teachers send greetings to everyone connected with House of Joy south wales in the U.K.and thank everyone for their support and encouragement.
Howard and Judith Evans.
Uganda - Easter 2008 - Amanda Flower
During Easter this year I left Cardiff and travelled to Uganda with 11 others to work at the House of Joy School. On our first day there we were greeted by 926 children who lined the roads and sang to us as we approached. Totally overwhelming!!! It was at this moment I thought to myself “I have absolutely no idea what I am doing here. I cannot make a difference ”. But over the next two weeks I realised how I wrong I had been. I could make a difference and have the most unforgettable memories of being at House Of Joy School.
Although I am a school teacher, I had not planned to teach at the school although that happened on several occasions. Teaching in Uganda is very different. There can be around 80 pupils in your class. All of them extremely well behaved and respectful. They are so eager to learn and work very hard. All pupils absolutely love being there. At break and lunchtime the children would gather around us. Some just to watch, others eager to help, some to play and others just to be held. Many stay for hours after school. They are in no rush to go home, for many children school is a happier, safer place for them.
I also did many other jobs depending who needed help and what needed doing, fetching water, painting, mixing cement, digging, making and serving porridge. Physically it could be demanding at times. But the biggest thing to remember is even if you did nothing there for two weeks the children would still be so grateful. Just being there brings hope to these children. They know that they are looked after, cared for, educated, fed and clothed. They are no longer “The Invisible Children of Uganda”.
I sponsor a child at House of Joy, called Ivan and I got to meet him whilst I was there. He has no living relatives other than his grandfather who takes care of him. They have nothing and I mean NOTHING!!! Ivan had no school books, no equipment, not even a pencil. He had no shoes on his feet. The same of his grandfather. They sleep on the floor in a tiny hut. His grandfather visited me several times over the two weeks and he some how found it possible to bring me three eggs on one of these visits. How humble is that, someone who has so little can give away his only food for probably the day. He cried on my last day.
One afternoon, whilst walking from school I befriended two sixteen year old girls. Each day they would stay behind school and help me paint and clean for hours all for nothing. How many sixteen year old children do you know who would do that – for nothing. One of the girls, Nancy is an orphan. Her parents had been killed by witchdoctors. Yet she was happy and so full of life. She attended school willingly on Saturdays for extra lessons. Her dream is to be an accountant. It will probably only ever be a dream.
One of the biggest projects that went on was the fitting of solar panels at the school. No children have ever seen electricity. Imagine their surprise when lights were turned on after dark and music belted out of a cd player! This is just the beginning.
On returning, people ask “is it a life changing experience?”. 0f course it is. I have seen with my own eyes people who really have nothing, do not know where their next meal is coming from, people who are really starving not just hungry, people who are ill and have no money for medication, children who have HIV, children whose parents have died in front of their own eyes. I appreciate now everything I have. I am conscious of how I live. But mostly I am so very grateful of everything God has blessed me with.
Whilst in Uganda, someone told me a story of a boy on a beach where hundreds and hundreds of starfish had been swept up. He began to pick them up and through them back into the sea one by one when an old man approached him. The old man shouted “What is the point in even trying. You can’t save them all” and the boy replied “but I can save this one, and this one, and this one…”
Would I return??? I am already making plans to return this summer.
My last thing is to say the name “House of Joy” is so perfect. The children are so special. They are all so happy, grateful of everything and complain of nothing.
I was so blessed to have been there.
Uganda - 2005 - Mark Gill
I was blessed to be born in the United Kingdom. A country where we have good roads and a strong economy. Unemployment is low and we have health care through the NHS. We have free schooling for our children up to 18 and a benefits system to help those who cannot work or are unemployed. Most of the population lives in accommodation that has gas, electric and water. Our electricity network is good and we very rarely have any power cuts. The water we drink is clean and healthy and most of the population owns a TV set. Some think our country is strong compared to other nations and that as a nation most individuals are wealthy.
I have just come back from Uganda. A country where the roads are full of pot holes. The economy is slowly recovering after being decimated and jobs are hard to come by. People have to pay to have health treatment or go to hospital and due to the cost most cannot afford it. Everyone has to pay to go to school and most people struggle because of this. There is no benefits system so most people either beg steal or die. The electric is haphazard so power cuts happen often and the water needs to be boiled in order to make it safe to drink. Most people watch TV at bars or restaurants, as they cannot afford a TV at home. Compared to the UK Uganda could look like a weak nation and its people could look poor.
However wherever I walked around Uganda I kept hearing this message;
“God is here, let the broken-hearted rejoice
God is here, let the sick say I am well,
God is here, let the weak say I am strong,
God is here, his wonders to perform.”
I then looked again and saw a country where due to the restrictions on the health service ill people would go up for prayer and God would heal them. A country dedicated back to God by the First Lady where Gods name appears everywhere, shops, billboards, and taxis. Where people are queuing up after each service to get into church. Where people with very little possessions praise and worship God with such joy and heart.
Where captives are set free from the occult. Where churches without grand PA systems and vast arrays of musical instruments can worship with such power. Where Gods word is spoken freely for all to hear and hearts are willing to accept his message, so that when the call was made large numbers of people came forward to give their lives to the Lord. A land where Gods word is freely taught in schools and Christian values are promoted.
I then looked back on our country. A country where schools are being discouraged from teaching Christianity for fear of upsetting the minorities. Where the Government would like to remove Christian festivals from our calendar. Where people with illness do not see the point in being prayed for as they have doctors and the NHS service. Where church attendance is in decline and where some churches are like empty buildings. Where the people are more contented with their material possessions than what God has to offer them. Who would rather go out on a weekend and get drunk to the point of being sick and passing out in order to have a good time.
I think to myself “who is weak and who is strong, who is rich and who is poor” and give thanks for what the Lord has done for me.