So today the blog is therapeutic for me (sorry!), organising
my thoughts. It may be my 6th visit to Uganda, but my goodness there
is still much to learn.
1.
Depression is a major result of poverty.
Depression results from the stresses of survival and loss of status for
people in abject poverty. Massive stigma
causes isolation and poor performance at school. Drug and alcohol addiction are
as much caused by poverty as causes of poverty – and there are no support
services to help you if you want to break your addiction.
2.
Identifying the most vulnerable is not
straightforward.
Today we visited a girl because she hadn’t registered at school. Her mother died, her father is an alcoholic, and she lives with her grandfather. They are not in the most extreme poverty, but she is extremely vulnerable. This young child does all the household work, because grandfather is old. She fetches water, cooks, does washing and cleaning. He keeps her at home to work. Today his excuse was that her uniform was dirty, and hadn’t dried because of the rain. Her sponsorship pays for her to eat a meal with the teachers (the only child fed at her school).
Her grandfather complained, saying it was unfair that he had to pay for his own food.
3.
Guardians are unpredictable
I’ve met guardians not related to an abandoned child, who provide a home and good care. I’ve met others who discriminate against a niece or nephew because they are not their own child. Some guardians do extra work so their children can go to a good school. Others
apply for Global Care support, but at a home visit, are found living in a
permanent brick home, with a large piece of land! I’ve met guardians caught in
the poverty trap, yet making incredible sacrifices for their children, understanding
the value of education and prioritising their children’s needs
4.
Nutrition is critical
Children living in poverty are likely to have poor nutrition –
malnutrition leads to stunting, intellectual impairment, and ultimately death. We
heard of a girl with HIV at boarding school, whose health deteriorated due to
poor diet. When she became a day
student, Global Care provided food supplements. This girl has today’s quote
“I’m tired of these drugs. When will it stop?” Born with HIV, her parents died
of HIV, her grandma supports her with her education, nutrition and treatment.
5.
Independence happens at a very early age
Today I watched a boda arrive at school with a small boy (about 9), alone
on the back. He climbed down, and paid the driver from a bundle of notes in his
pocket. A teacher appeared, the boy pulled out a key, and unlocked the padlock
on his bag (think large supermarket re-use carrier). She took toilet rolls,
sugar and a few other things from him. He hoicked the bag up on his shoulder
and set off up the hill to the boarders’ dormitory. Children do household
chores as soon as they are able. Sometimes they are seriously injured in
accidents.
6.
Town Schools are better than rural ones
Actually I know this already but we spent this afternoon visiting 6
schools to pay fees and started at the one the furthest distance from town.
They gradually got better. At the last primary school, all the children had
shoes.
At the first senior school we had a great time chatting to some boys who
want to be a doctor, teacher and lawyer. Moses told us this school does not
have good results and their dreams are unlikely to be fulfilled.
7.
Yawning is rude
We
started today with a Bible verse ‘Patience is better than pride.’ Here there is a lot of waiting - waiting for someone to come back from the
bank (2 hours for cash), the hotel manager to buy a generator battery, someone
to find a headteacher or a school bursar, a meal, a meeting, church to start...
This is not easy for us, living rushed western lives. We are learning again to
sit and wait patiently. We are not more important than anyone else so we should
wait happily. My solution? Leave my watch at the hotel.
What have I learnt?
Restoring DIGNITY is
one of the most important benefits of overcoming poverty.
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