Saturday Fixtures

What an excellent Saturday – bit of a contrast to last week, but nonetheless excellent.

We started the morning at Ngora Township – about an hour away.  Actually, we started the day waiting 30 minutes for the medical assistant to arrive so we could set off! There were 8 sponsored children to test and vaccinate. It’s too far for them to travel to the Soroti Centre, so we took the nurse to them. I always wanted to experience an outreach clinic under a tree...

The children are also writing letters to their sponsors, they all have to be completed by tomorrow, so it took a while. 

Our arrival attracted attention from the local children, so Tom started an impromptu game of Rounders. Then we were one child short for vaccination – more hanging around.   Out came the finger puppets…… then the bubbles…. They wanted a photo with their cow....

Eventually we were done, and set off to another school in the area to pay school fees.  After the usual round of introductions, chairs being found so we could sit in the shade, signing of the visitors’ book, we could leave and move to Ngora School for the Deaf.  

Tomorrow is Independence Day – some of our history is very embarrassing.  At Township, the police were practicing a drill, and school children a song, ready for their parade and celebration tomorrow. At another school, the school scouts were practicing a drill. We’re beginning to wonder what it will be like in town tomorrow.

At the School for the Deaf, there is only one sponsored girl – a previous member of the Ark disability centre.  It’s great to see her using sign language and socialising with the other children.  She’s a testimony to the success of the Ark in identifying children with disabilities, whose potential has been missed.  She is a capable girl – but when she came to the Ark, she  had never learnt sign language, and not been educated.  She also has a physical disability – she was born without feet – but this doesn’t prevent her from taking part in all school activities with the help of special shoes.   It’s a great place.  The school has a lovely atmosphere, and the children are always ‘chatty’ – signing away when we’re there.

After that we came back to town, did some shopping, and then Charles, Tom and I came back to the guest house for an hour.  I commented that at the same time last week we were drinking tea by the pool at our Safari Lodge, before taking a bush walk.  Today we had tea in the car park under a tree, at a table they put up specially for us! Today it has been unbelievably hot. Everywhere is dry and dusty. We were filthy by the end of the day, orange/brown earth caked in sweat, and our clothes feeling gritty and hard.

We were invited out for early supper with Michael and Veronica. Once again we were treated to a feast.  Our friends make us so welcome.  This was also the first time we’ve experienced ululation at close quarters – it’s a long story, but Veronica’s mother expressing gratitude to us as she came through the door, made Tom jump! As we were eating, small children were steadily arriving, peering through the door curtain at us, the really brave ones waving.  Eventually it was time for Michael’s playtime. Yay – out came the parachute, and rocket balloons (at one point, simultaneously).

Brilliant fun ...with over 70 children. Tom and Bob the Mouse played it cool, leaning on a wall with the teenage boys.

We’re nearly at the end of our week in Soroti. I’m sad that we’ll be leaving on Monday, it feels like we’re only just getting started. We haven’t managed to finish the things we hoped to do, because of the vaccination programme. However, it’s been brilliant to be part of that, and to get to meet over 150 of the sponsored children.  I am in awe of the team here. They have so many challenges – like Rukungiri, they have less sponsors than 2 years ago, but it was clear today that there is a huge need.

There are thousands of vulnerable children living in extreme poverty, many of them isolated and marginalised from society due to added issues such as HIV, disability, single parenthood.  The work here is encouraging and inspiring, we just somehow need to recruit more sponsors and give more children hope now, and for the future.