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Arlington Academy of Hope
PO Box 7694
Arlington, VA 22207
tel: 571-228-4102 |
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| Uganda News 2 - First month reflections |
Uganda News #2
A Report by Cynthia Margeson
Arlington Academy of Hope
August 13, 2006
It is July 31, and I am enjoying my first city stay since arriving one month ago. That means I am visiting with John’s brother and his wife, Sam and Norah in Kampala, and that also means running water, shower!! and more regular electricity.
The past two weeks went by ever so quickly, in part due to the fact that Emily was here in the village from Malaysia. She left on July 30 to return to Kuala Lumpur. Her summer vacation is over as her new school year will begin on August 2. She is now looking forward to a visit from Mike in October and then will be home for Christmas for 3 weeks in December. It was so much fun to share “my village and students” with her. As she told the assembled students, she was glad to be here to see why her mother so loved being in the village of Bumwalukani. I think she too was bitten by the bug of teaching where it is so appreciated. She and I did many reading lessons together, particularly in P-1 and in P-6. I am now beginning a few small groups out of P-1 and P-2 small group instruction is a totally foreign concept so I hope that the benefits will manifest themselves to the teachers.
Tracy and Tim were also back in the village for one of those weeks and it was good to have so many teachers assisting in classes. You can imagine how much they enjoyed Teacher Tim! He worked with P-5, P-6 and P-7 on globe skills and on reading strategies. He would also join in or referee the football games at break and lunchtime. Another popular activity was the use of wiffleball bats- a first introduction to America’s pastime. They were immediately skilled and powerful hitters as their fine motor skills and agility are superior from their many chores and other physical activities (not to mention the daily walk to school. Tracy has been all over the place and was so enthusiastic in jumping in to any class and helping out wherever she felt a need. She introduced Aesop’s fables and storytelling/writing to P-7 as well as doing a few calculator lessons with some of the older students. You just can not imagine their enthusiasm with any new concept or thing! The students are like sponges and so eager to soak up any new idea. Another major accomplishment of Tim, Tracy and Emily was the sorting, reorganizing and opening up of the school library. Finally we have unpacked boxes of books and teacher materials and have organized them in a small (10x14) room with shelves. Teachers had attempted to work on this, but seem always to be afraid or not allowed to borrow materials for fear that they will not be returned. Students now have library cards and I do believe it is becoming the popular place to be. The books which were purchased with the used book sale money have been wonderful and a real hit. They are so relevant to the students’ lives and are highly sought after. We have covered most of them with contact paper (just bought 6 more rolls in Kampala today) in hopes that the elements of rain, mud, dirty hands, kerosene lamps, etc. will be a bit gentler on them. The carrying to and from school is a bit safer now that all students have backpacks thanks to the goodness and generosity of Beatrice and Lauren Tierney. I plan to use the remaining money to purchase more sets of these books at the beginning of Term 3.
Emily, Tim and I were able to visit a number of homes which I thoroughly enjoy. We went to the home of the sweeper whose three children are sponsored at AAH. We had a delicious meal of matooke, chapatti, eggs, there was a chicken (I am maintaining my practice of no meat and no milk) and some eggplant in sauce and rice. After eating we were presented with coffee for Tim and a goat for Emily and me! Our AAH farm now has 6 goats and I hope that we will soon be able to purchase the land for a proper farm (they are now housed in the kitchen area overnight and taken to graze during the day.) The AAH goats, Arly and Hope are healthy and growing (as is the big billy goat which was presented by the Sponsored Childrens’ Parents Club). Tracy donated a chicken given to her when she visited her sponsored child, Catherine Bukosera. The road home from the sweeper’s home is a steep one, and particularly slippery after the daily rains. It is apparently now rainy season in the village so one doesn’t go anywhere without gumboots. I think I could do an international ad for LLBean, they are holding up beautifully here in the mud and clay of eastern Uganda.
Emily and I walked to another home the next night for a similar meal. Fortunately that home was right on the stone road so once we managed to walk from school to the trading center, the 2 mile walk was relatively easy. We were then lucky enough to be able to get a taxi for our return trip. Remember the taxis are old Toyota vans, with OK seating for 14, but you make more money if you put more passengers in…. Emily and I also spent a wonderful night up at John’s parents’ house with Papa, Mai and about 10 grandchildren. I took a few books with me and they were reading them by lantern light once again, just as they are pictured in Sarah and Her New School. I have some great reading photos of Papa and the grandchildren.
The progress which I have been able to observe over the past three visits is phenomenal. There are some very confident boys and girls at AAH. They are speaking in English with much greater confidence. Em, Tim, Tracy and I visited 5 area schools (which are now back in session after a 1 month strike by the teachers for non payment). We would speak in English to them and their faces would show little reaction or understanding. When our interpreter, Peter Kangala would then translate, there would be smiles and cheers or at least a reaction, depending on what we were saying. Their lack of understanding English is just the very beginning of their dire situation. Classrooms are mud with virtually no educational material or signage. Our students speak only English throughout the day and chastise each other if they slip into Lugisu. AAH students present themselves as clean and smartly dressed who are still respectful of adults and authority. Their curiosity about the world beyond Mbale is ever increasing. Their love and enjoyment from books is evident. I wish all of you who are sponsors could meet face to face with your child. You truly are giving these children a chance and hope for their future. You can not imagine how grateful those families are.
This past weekend we traveled with Sam and Norah and 5 others to western Uganda for a Rotary function. (Sam is the president of the Rotary of Kampala west and was the guest of honor). We stayed in a country home in a very peaceful location near Mbarara. It was a great chance to see the landscape of the western part of the country, but we were not quite far enough to see any wildlife. We did cross the Equator and took the required picture of having one foot in each hemisphere.
Tuesday, August 1 I head back to the village and will be there anxiously awaiting the arrival of Catherine Reising-Jones later this month. I hope everyone is enjoying the summer. I have heard from Liz that it has been very hot in DC. In the village at this time of year, we wear sweatshirts at night and definitely sleep with a blanket as well as our mosquito netting. I expect my next trip to an internet site (in Mbale)will be the weekend of August 18.
Love to all,
Cynthia
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