Greetings once again from Uganda! This week we would like to give you a glimpse into a typical school day from the perspective of one of our students at St. Anthony’s. We hope that you not only enjoy this, but can also think about and relate this schedule to what a five-year-old experiences in your hometown!
Making our way through the rubble-strewn streets of Port Au Prince, we came to a sudden halt. Trucks traveling in opposite directions tried to squeeze through a single lane. Mounds of broken concrete, cinder blocks, and mangled rebar swallowed up one side of the road. Amid these jagged mountains of debris, haphazard tents served as the homes of Haitians, young and old.
Imagine yourself being a child in Haiti. Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes. Well, in all likelihood, you might not have shoes. If you are lucky, you might have a pair of worn-out sandals. You are eight years old, and you live in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. You and your family are trying to survive on a dollar each day. Your access to clean water is limited, and your access to education is nonexistent.
This week Amber and I would like to share an interview that we conducted with Sister Lucy, the Catholic Sister in charge of running St. Anthony’s nursery school. Although she faces many challenges, Sister Lucy’s work has helped St. Anthony’s to grow each year to benefit more and more children in Nkokonjeru.
Greetings from Nkokonjeru! Today marks the end of our second full week of teaching at St. Anthony’s Nursery School, Stella Maris Boarding School and the Nursery Teacher’s College. We have been very busy meeting with Nuns and teachers, planning lessons, and getting to know our students. Here is a sample of what our typical day looks like:
Working as Field Coordinator with CARITAS For Children, I am blessed to be able to see sponsorships from both the Ugandan side of things as well as from the American perspective. Many of these relationships, over time, develop into truly beautiful and meaningful friendships. One of my favorites has been that between the students at Milton High School in Wisconsin and a secondary school [high school] girl named Grace in Nkokonjeru, Uganda.
Sr. Carolyne Balikuddembe is a new member of the CARITAS For Children team, working as our first Program Coordinator in Africa on the ground in Uganda. This week was her first week of training in Nkokonjeru, Uganda. Below is a bit of background information and reflections by Sister to help you get to know our new team member . We are so excited to work with her, and feel blessed to have her with us!
As you may know, communities in northeastern Nigeria have suffered a recent rash of violence, perpetrated by the terrorist group Boko Haram. Their name means “Western education is forbidden” in the local Hausa language, and they are committed to creating an Islamic state in Nigeria.
My last week in Nkokonjeru was bittersweet. After having spent 12 weeks with the girls at Stella Maris Boarding School, it was difficult to say goodbye knowing that I will not be able to return for a while. After some tears and many hugs, I said my final farewell to the girls. About 30 girls, all from different classes, wrote me goodbye letters. Those will make for some good reading on my plane ride back to the states.
It is always a special blessing when certain CARITAS For Children relationships are taken to a new level as when it happens that sponsors are able visit their sponsored child in Uganda. This week, long-time sponsors Vicki and Terry came to visit their sponsored daughter Vanessa at school and in her home in Nkokonjeru, Uganda. For nine years, Vicki and Terry have sponsored Vanessa, providing assistance to the family. As Terry reflected on this experience, he said: "It was a tremendous opportunity to visit Vanessa's home. There is no way to express the joy and gratitude that we felt from Vanessa's family."
