Anyone’s first impressions of Uganda would add up to the fact that this is a country that should not be poor. The vastness of Lake Victoria’s calm, fresh water spreads as far as the eye can see, there is lush greenery everywhere that makes it seem as though all Ugandans are diligent gardeners, when in fact this is just nature at work in this land. The redness of the clay soil that is everywhere, the vibrancy of the youth here, the weather at a constant 72 with cool breezes acting as an air conditioner outside, all of these add to this claim as well. Uganda should not be a poor country.
The reality is different though. There are many in Uganda who persist on very little, mired in poverty. Our visit to Kikaaya College was taken in order to distribute textbooks collected at a drive held for the University of Florida, in an effort to improve, in a small way, the lives of a few Ugandan students. The van, driven by my colleague, had just pulled off the main highway. This road is as smooth and paved as any highway in the states. The van pulled off the main road and onto a red clay road, with pot holes and bumps as deep as a meter! Deo, my colleague and the creator of a Ugandan NGO, Uganda Now, took me to Kikaaya in order to see some of the work that he and his brothers are doing for the children of Uganda. Uganda Now focuses on aiding children in very rural villages of Uganda, giving them classes and meals, and working through the auspices of the church.
The van parked, and we met the headmaster of Kikaaya, Charles, who proceeded to give me a tour of the school, which has a dual focus: academics and vocational training. This way, if any children are forced to drop out, then they do not hit the streets, but instead have some practical training for attaining a job. Kikaaya actually is one of the best schools in Uganda, consistently scoring high on national exams. Besides this academic excellence, there are facilities on campus to aid in fashion design classes, construction, computer training, and carpentry. Charles began the school with one student, and now there are over a thousand, with admission increasing annually. There is even a fish farm in the works to provide the children with fish in their diet, in addition to fields for agricultural growth.
The students are currently on holiday, so Direct Development was invited back, in order to provide teaching volunteer work for the last week in May and first week in June. Charles asked Direct Development to help Kikaaya with a few things before next summer when DDI will return and offer teaching staff to the school. These materials were: construction tools, sewing machines, and help fundraising in the US in order to begin construction on a $30,000 new facility for the school. In the next year Direct Development Intl. will establish a branch in Uganda with the help of Deo, and return with as many of the materials as possible to help Charles’ vision. DDI also hopes to begin shipping funds it raises for the college for tuition for some students who are unable to pay, in addition to collected materials. Our work is cut out for us, and there is more to come with my ensuing visits, but we have a year before we return, and much can be done in a year.
Find Kikaaya College on the net: www.kikaayacollegeschool.net