The Children

A note to my readers: Hello everyone! This update will be the last one for a while as my Dwon Madiki coworkers and I are travelling to Rwanda and will be spending a week there. We will be touring the country on motorbikes, hiking on volcanoes, and exploring some of the country's genocide sites. I shall update again when I return with many stories from Rwanda.

P.S. Before I left, I interviewed with the Dearborn Press and Guide, the paper in my hometown. They wrote a really lovely article about what I am doing here in Uganda. If you would like to read it, it can be found online at: http://www.pressandguide.com/stories/070208/loc_20080702006.shtml

I have reached the halfway point of my trip here in Uganda. Less than a month remains until I leave here for home and the start my life in “the real world” with apartment hunting, job interviews, and responsibilities. As the days bring me closer to my journey’s end, I find myself trying to hold on to everything, knowing that soon this whole experience will feel like some distant and beautiful dream. I have been spending my days at the office in the back of the compound playing with the neighborhood children. They are the ones who continuously fill my heart with joy, and the ones who inspire me to continue working with Dwon Madiki. I thought I would take the time now to tell you a little about them

(This group shot was taken by Brenda. Diana is on the far left and Sue next to her.)
Brenda
I have written about Brenda before and the first video I posted before my trip even began was of her singing to us. In a way I felt like I knew her before I even arrived. Brenda is one of the DMP children who I know the best. She is frequently around the office, always doing work and helping out. The day I learned to cook cabbage, she made g-nut paste, started the fire, and helped us sift through the rice for stones. When she is not working, Brenda loves to sing, and always does so for Madisson and I. She is a blossoming reader of English and an expert on just who finds the “Reel of Cotton”. Recently her true calling may have been discovered. Sitting around in the office, I had my camera out and I showed Brenda how to take a picture. She loved it and was soon taking pictures of all of us. Today, a group of girls were hanging out in the temporary structure. Brenda told all of them where to sit, (including me) and when we were situated, said, “Okay, I take a picture.” The group shot of all of us turned out excellently. Also discovered today, her oddly ticklish ears!

Sue
Susan is a young girl of about three years old. She almost always wears a red white and black dress. She has the biggest eyes I think I have ever seen and she always just stares into your soul. She laughs big and with great joy. She loves to dance with the munus even when there is no music playing. Today, as I talked on the phone with my mom, Sue climbed on my lap, grabbed for the phone and giggled wildly. I had never known who she was or where she lived, figuring she just was from around the neighborhood, but today I learned her story. At the age of one, her mother abandoned Sue. Remarried, she wanted nothing to do with the baby of her former marriage. Friday, the woman who cooks for us when we are in the office, is her aunt and took her in as her own.

Diana
There is a special place in my heart for Diana. She is boisterous and playful and always asks me to, “Come!” pulling on my hand and leading me to …wherever. Usually it is to play Fossi or to just walk around. She hugs me and gives me high fives and just always hangs around me. Kevin tells me it is because we have the same name. Today she asked me to sleep here in the office one day and I told her I would as soon as we get back from our trip to Rwanda. I recently learned about some of the troubles Diana has faced. She has epilepsy, which she takes medication for. Last year Diana’s brother took some of her tablets and got sick. Though he was rushed to the hospital he could not be saved.

Derrick
Derrick is one of the most mischievous yet loveable boys. When I see him around the compound, his first reaction is usually to run. I chase him around and bug him like he is the little sibling I never had. When he is feeling a little calmer, he reads with me, especially the story of “The Rainbow Ball”. Though he seems more the class clown type, he is a very bright student. When he is not at school, he likes to take Grace’s bicycle out for a spin. Recently he has missed a few days of school because of a bout with malaria.

Baby Nathan
Baby Nathan was born around six months ago and was named after the Invisible Conflicts founder of the same name. He is a very happy baby and usually very quiet. He is very active and loves to stand. He does not yet know how to crawl but I think if it were up to him, he would skip the step completely; he’d rather walk!

Brian
Madisson likes to refer to Brian as “your favorite” as in, “Your favorite is here; I was playing with your favorite today.” There is good reason for this title. Brian is a boy of about four who lives in the home right next door. I first encountered the little guy as he sat in front of the office holding onto a pole. When I looked back a moment later he had scurried up the pole and was looking down at me from five feet above. He follows me around and gives me high fives and sometimes I just run after him as he squeals in fear of tickles. As we sat together in the temporary structure, he gave me a high five and I put my other hand on top of his. He followed suit and we continued the pile of hands, a fun game indeed!

Ephraim
Ephraim is a recent addition to the collection of children I have gotten to know here. He is fifteen years old and in secondary school. He loves math and one day hopes to be an engineer. When I asked him what he wishes he could change about Uganda, he said, “When I am an engineer, I will fix the roads. They are so bad here.” He has a lot of drive and I truly believe he will accomplish this goal. He has not been in school as of late and I did not find out why until yesterday. Ephraim goes to one of the best secondary schools in Gulu district. The school was well known for its athletics team, and had won many awards. However, this was due to the fact that the head teacher was letting in athletes even though they were not very great academically. A new head teacher came and decided to stop this practice, letting in students based solely on merit. When the athletic team lost its first meet in thirty years, an uproar was caused and the student athletes trashed the school. While the school repairs are made, the teachers have gone on strike. The students must wait patiently for word on the radio that their school has been reopened. To fill his days away from school, Ephraim has been working with Madisson and I doing algebra problems, solving system of equations.

These are just a few of the faces I have come to know here in Gulu. These are the children who have known nothing but a war torn country their whole lives. I work for peace in Northern Uganda because I hope that one day soon they will see it.