I have tried to start this post 1,000 times already and since I'm getting tired of rewriting sentences, I'm just going to get on with it. The past few days have been hectic, and I'm excited to be in my bed now, with my mosquito net tucked under my mattress, preparing for sleep. Many of you have asked me over the past week how the boys are doing. I'll do my best to re-cap the past few days, while giving you an update on each of our boys.
I'll admit to you all that Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty boring days in the eyes of most. I spent most of the days doing Internet research for grants while working on some administrative paperwork, while Andrew took the boys to a local health clinic to get the immunizations required by Ugandan schools.
Wednesday evening I did get a chance to go to Come, Let's Dance (CLD), an organization that I was originally supposed to work with this summer, but declined to help The Street Child Project progress further. It was so wonderful to get to see the children at the CLD Kid's House that I worked with last summer, especially two abandoned babies that I became very attached to-Jordan and Jackson. The babies are now growing toddlers and adorable as ever--they're learning much more English and even sang "Pharaoh, Pharaoh" for me! I couldn't believe how these two babies, abandoned at a trash-dump just last summer, have become so well-established at their new home. Last summer the babies were so emotionally wounded from their abandonment, they rarely showed any positive emotions. This summer, however, they are all smiles and giggles. I couldn't take my eyes off of them-they are simply beautiful little kids. There is word that one of the teacher volunteers might adopt one or both of them, which brings up a lot of emotions inside of me. Still, knowing that Jordan and Jackson could find a permanent home is something that makes me very happy, even if I wouldn't get a chance to see them on my future trips to Uganda.
Thursday was an incredible day spent with our boys at the camp. Tracy and I traveled down to Entebbe to hang out with the kids and ended up, instead, in a long conversation with Andrew about the boys education. We're constantly faced with the dilemma about the best opportunity for them. All of the boys have missed out on many years of their education, and are subsequently far behind other children their age who have been regularly attending school. If we were to put them straight into school that would mean putting 11 and 12 year olds in the equivalent of Kindergarten or 1st grade, with 5 and 6 year olds. Concerned about the emotional trauma such a situation could cause, we've been frantically trying to come up with an alternative situation.
Thursday, we all came to a conclusion. We would look for a certified teacher to tutor the boys up to their appropriate school level until the new school year starts in January/February. We were trying to decide where to find a proper teacher, when Andrew remembered that one of our most loyal volunteers, Eric, was a trained teacher! We brought him into the discussion and ended some time later with Eric's decision to come on staff with us for the next six months as our teacher. Praise God that we were able to find someone who knows and loves the kids and is qualified to fill our needs!!
The most exciting part of the afternoon was formally bringing the kids into the discussion. Tracy is always advocating that the children be included in all major decisions and that they have an opportunity to voice their opinions and ask questions throughout the process. Providng them this chance has been such an incredible form of child empowerment and has been a learning platform for all the staff.
As we explained to the boys our idea of "home-schooling" in the garage of the new house, they seemed a bit nervous at first. We explained that the 10 boys would be assessed by the teacher and divided up into groups according to their educational levels. These groups, or "learning pods," would meet with the teacher twice a day, before lunch and after lunch, four days a week. They all expressed concern about being assessed and grouped with students that were either above or below their own educational levels. Most of all, they were concerned about the teacher and what kind of punishment they might use in the classroom. (Ugandan schools are known for caning their students.) The kwagala moment of the day came when we explained that "Uncle Eric" would be their new teacher and the boys all started cheering and clapping with joy. When they imagined a strange, perhaps unfriendly instructor teaching them, they were all visibly nervous. But from the moment they heard that Eric, a trustworthy man that truly cares for the kids, was filling that role, their faces changed from anxious to joyful and the room filled with laughter and excitement. In just a few moments, it was as though their hope was renewed, their spirits uplifted and their desire to learn ignited once again.
Shortly after we announced that Eric would be teaching, the boys started giving some suggestions for how they wanted to see our school run. Robert suggested they start school at 8am, after they completed chores. Kabugo said he wanted to bathe every day before school. Kimbowa said he wanted to be fed big meals at lunchtime. (Just to clarify, I have eaten lunch with these boys many, many times and can attest to the fact that their meals are sizeable and we keep them well-fed.) They all wanted a blackboard in their classroom and voted for "color changes" as a form of punishment, as opposed to caning. After hearing their input and taking notes on their suggestion, we let them go outside to play cricket-their new favorite game. It has been decided that the boys will start tutoring this August and go until the new year, when they will all take entrance exams and enroll in a local school. Tomorrow we're off to buy school supplies and the first round of furniture for move-in day on Monday!
with love,
Amanda
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