My visit to Kingstone College, in the village of Kawulu Buyikwe in the Mokono District stands out because of its remoteness. Early on in the trip, the van got stuck in a large, rain-filled pot hole. I stood by and watched the village men, two pastors who administer the NGO Uganda N.O.W., and a local boy push the van out of the bright red mud, with my shoes sinking down into the soil, chickens pecking in a field of sweet potatoes, and a cow bellowing nearby. Children came running down to see the excitement, one with a tattered shirt that read, “fashion sucks.” This was just the beginning of the trip.
About one hour later, this after we had already driven an hour out of Kampala, we arrived in the village. The homes were small, round mud houses, each with a thatched roof. Children chased the car at points, yelling “Hi muzungo, bye muzungo!” at me, and right before we arrived at the school, the bright Uganda sun came out from behind the clouds.
Something amazing about weather in this country is that is seems like the sky is never grey, and when it is, it is only brief, and is followed by the bluest skies, as if to make up for the spot of grayness. Combine this bright blue, with the lush green of the land, and the brilliant red soil, and you have Uganda. In every yard of every small home in the village grew a patch of sweet potato, cassava, peanuts, pineapples, vanilla beans, coffee, tea, and beans.
As we arrived at the college and got out of the car, kids began to peer out from the glassless windows in the building. They were smiling and laughing, and talking in the local language Luganda to one of my guides, Pastor Deo. Deo gave two kids who ran up to him, one carrying a bunch of bananas, a 1000 Uganda shilling note for a Coke for him and his brother. The Pastors lead me into the school, and we pass by two tethered cows, quietly grazing in the schoolyard.
Uganda N.O.W. began in 2007, but the work on the ground, the labor of love of Pastor Deo Musisi and his colleague Pastor Elly John Bugembe actually began well over a decade and a half ago. These two men grew up together, on remote islands of Lake Victoria, where many do not receive shoes until they were 18. Many young boys leave school early to go and fish, some even as young as their pre-teen years, and many girls do the same in order to help out at home.
Deo and Elly purchased all of the land for their three schools out of pocket, and have paid themselves for the facilities, school fees, teachers salaries, and meals for the students. One could live a lifetime and not do half as much as these men and their families.
As we walked into the building, the kids ran at me, and began to touch my skin, and shake my hand, and squeeze me in a group hug of 20! The students then asked Pastor Deo if they could show us one of their dances. I expected something small, and characteristic of the caliber of children, however what I witnessed absolutely challenged every perception that I had of these rural children who were living in poverty. They immediately burst into song and dance, and the room was electrified with their energy. I am not exaggerating when I say that watching these 20 children dance truly changed my life. I was lucky enough to be able to record this dance on video, and am able to post it on DDI’s site.
What these children need most are two things: first, funds for their school, about 14,000 USD for expanded facilities, and second, funds to build a deep water well.
In addition, Uganda N.O.W. Outreach has pioneered cost cutting solutions to school administration that allow each student to be funded for 1 USD per day. It is DDI’s pledge to aid Uganda N.O.W. in its quest to provide water and education for these children, and bring their art to the rest of the world.
Please watch the video; I hope it can do for you even a fraction of what this experience did for me. (Video Coming Soon.)