Why did the chicken...?

Today has been long, hot and dusty. I’ve had a very nice tepid shower and rested on our comfy clean bed while Tom boiled our travel kettle for a cuppa. I put on a clean sundress and the aircon is nicely cooling the room. Aaaah, the luxuries of a Muzungu in Uganda.

This morning started with staff prayers at the GC Centre.  Then, an unexpected event, sponsored children arriving to be interviewed (programmed for Friday).  We hadn’t tested our equipment, planned interviews or decided on location. After a hurried chat we nominated Tom ‘Cameraman’ and me ‘Interviewer’. I hadn’t shown Tom the brief – a potential problem - I hope there’s a fantastic editor in the office. Sorry UK Boss.

We met 4 young people who had been sponsored. 

·         ‘Mary’s’ Mum was a widow with 5 children. When Mary’s father died, his family threw them out and refused the Mum’s inheritance (a piece of land).  The family of 6 lived in one room. There wasn’t enough money for the children to go to school. Mary was sponsored in 2001 and was successful in her studies. This year she graduated from nursing school.  

·         ‘Michael’ lived with his mother, 6 siblings, a second wife and 4 step-siblings. They had no other support. Michael was sponsored through primary school and then for vocational training in motor mechanics. Now Michael owns his own workshop and is responsible for providing for the whole family. He employs some of his brothers and provides training.

·          ‘Susan’ lives with her 7 siblings and their parents, who both have poor health and struggle to support the big family. They are subsistence farmers, working their land to provide food for the family and sell any excess. They have very little food. Susan was sponsored and is waiting for her final senior exam results. Then she’ll decide what to do.

Our conversations left us encouraged and excited. Once again we’ve seen how sponsorship changes lives, not just the sponsored children, but their whole families. I’m committed to the Global Care sponsorship programme because children are treated as individuals, but in the context of whole communities. The programme works towards self-sustainability for families and communities.

For some, life is even less straightforward.  ‘Steven’ told us a shocking story of abandonment, abuse and discrimination.  He and his siblings were more-or-less ‘rescued’ by Global Care. Steven was sponsored and recently completed vocational training as a barber. Now he shaves hair in a salon in Soroti.  His job allows him to survive but his future is uncertain. His inheritance of land has been taken from him. We were all became quite emotional as we saw the pain and suffering in this young man’s eyes. He still has a long hard struggle ahead.  He feels alone, and afraid for the future. He said he’s very grateful to Global Care… Imagine where he would be without this awesome local team.

Reeling from this story, we travelled to a rural village deep in the bush - 1½ hrs of bumpy tracks and paths out of Soroti. Our vehicle carried 6 people, bottles of water, boxes of food, flipchart paper and pens – and a live chicken. We were visiting the newly formed Abeko Disability Support Group to carry out a workshop to help the team supporting the group.  



We met in the Baptist Church, an isolated mud structure with a thatched roof.  By the time we left there were 50 men, women and children (the latter mostly sitting on the floor). The aim of the session was to identify key problems for the group so that when we go back on Saturday, we can help the committee prioritise the problems and start thinking about potential solutions.

This isn’t the first time we’ve sat in a stiflingly hot room with struggling parents and children. It always leaves me sad and frustrated. After giving everyone the opportunity to share, we summarised the problems. If you live in a remote rural community with a child with a physical/sensory/intellectual disability, you can’t meet their care needs, they can’t move around (no aids, rough ground – impossible in the rain), you and they experience discrimination, exclusion and abuse, school is an impossibility – too far, no adaptations, no expectations for disabled children. 
That’s about a tenth of the issues.

None of these people will have an electric shower, or a comfy bed. Many will go hungry tonight and have to walk some distance to the pump to fetch water. In their hot airless accommodation, most sleep on the floor, the disabled children may lie on a thin dirty sheet, their incontinence making them prone to infections. Today has been difficult for us – but I can’t imagine the hardship of these people. So as you run your next shower and eat your tea, remember Steven, and the adults and children with disability living in Abeko.

The chicken didn’t come back with us. At least we know those 50 people had a meal today (don’t worry – they’d already been given 3 more chickens!).

If you want to know more about sponsorship, visit: https://www.globalcare.org/ways-to-give/sponsor-a-child/