muno, bye!

Our last week in the Village seems to have snuck up on us! It’s hard to believe we only have three more days here before we begin the journey back home – stopping for a safari first :) The time we have gotten to spend pouring into these orphaned and destitute children has really been life-giving and life-changing. It will be so sad to say goodbye to the children in a few days, but I am so grateful for the time we have left with them! Most of the younger children have been out of school this week, so we’ve had a lot more time to help them with their chores, read books and play games with them. We’ve also been going into the classes that are still in session (Primary 5 and Primary 6) to work on math skills.

Helping Mama Norine mop the floors

I feel like we’ve made the most of our last days in the Village this week, taking time to appreciate the mamas for all they do to love on and take care of these children, spend an afternoon at the home of a staff member to learn more about Ugandan culture, and go visit the sick and injured in the hospital.

We’ve actually had the opportunity to go to the hospital on two occasions during our time here and it has been very eye-opening. When most people hear about diseases in Africa they probably think of AIDS, but it was so sad to see the hospital full of children and adults suffering from so many different sicknesses, most of which were actually Malaria – a preventable disease! There are several organizations in Africa helping with the prevention of diseases like Malaria, Typhoid and AIDS, which is great, but I don’t think I realized just how big of a battle it is to overcome those diseases here. Looking into the eyes of some of those children who are starving to death because Malaria is preventing them from being able to keep anything in their system, or meeting a 7-year old girl suffering from AIDS who has been living at the hospital for the last month – though progress has been made in Africa, this is still happening. I know it won’t be fixed overnight, but meeting those who are suffering put a sense of urgency on my heart. There are ways to prevent this: buying mosquito nets, sending over anti-Malaria medication, etc.… I know the task at hand seems more than I can bear at times, but if we all come together to help fight this battle, I believe we can make a change for the better.

The time I spent in Uganda, the places I visited, the children whose faces I will never forget, the cultural experiences I had will continue to shape me as I carry on in this journey of life. Soon enough I’ll be back in San Diego to finish out the last year of my Master’s program. I hope and pray that my life will be marked by this summer in Uganda, that I will always keep things in perspective and be able to see what is really important in life.

♥ mk