Wednesday 16th January 2008

Boys will be boys, and at the drop-in it is not uncommon to have a little bit of rowdiness going on.  Today was no different, I think that tensions were a little higher than usual though, as the police had been around town this morning to try to chase the ‘unwanted’ street children out of town again.  Added to that there was one boy who had been beaten and was in hospital.  Today Phil and I were at the drop-in and enjoyed spending some time with these boys.  They are rough and definitely street wise, but unfortunately they have been forced to become this way by their circumstances.  Perhaps their parents died while they were young, leaving them to fend for themselves, or they may have been chased out of their homes.  There are many reasons that a child can end up on the street and get involved in bad conditions and habits, but it is even harder when the society you live in can do nothing to help, but rather chases you away as just another unwanted problem. 

It is great to see what Pastor Edward and the Wards are doing for these boys, helping them in the best way that their own limited resources can.  The fact that someone comes five days a week to feed and talk with them is more love then most of them have ever received.  It shows that they appreciate it because they keep coming back.  I was speaking this morning with Eddie Ward, trying to get some information on how those that are able and wanting can get back into school.  There are some that want to go to school, but their circumstances do not allow them to get food to eat, let alone school fees.  I am trying to find out how much it would take to send different ones to school as well as having a house to live in and food to eat.  I am not sure of the exact costs yet, but I know that school fees for a year are between 20,000 and 40,000 UGX.  There is however other costs involved, which many aid agencies overlook like school uniform, shoes and supplies, and some schools also require money for lunch.  This means that the figure required to keep some in school could be as little as say 120,000-150,000 UGX each.  Of course each boy’s situation is different and each has different needs. 

Here are a few examples: 

Masco

Masco lives with his grandmother who has no income, has finished P6 (Primary 6) but has not been to school for a year now.  He is under qualified and too young to be able to get a job to help support himself and his grandmother and is unable to continue his schooling.  He has had no other option but to try to pick up street wise tricks from more experienced actual street children to try and scrape by. 

Job

Job lives with other siblings, with no other guardians.  There is sufficient money for them to survive, but not enough to send Job to school, and as a result he is unable to go to school and roams the streets in search of things to do. 

Godwin

Godwin, lives at home with two younger siblings and looks after them as best he can by trying to get odd jobs day by day (the only reason that he misses coming to the drop-in) to pay for them to go to school. 

I am writing in this way purposefully.  I would like to extend the invitation to any one who reads this to help out.  If you could spare this much money to put a child into school for one year then you can let me know and I will arrange it.  I am willing to do any checks or carry out any security measures you want if it helps these boys get a small break.   It may only be one year you want to commit to, or you may wish to help them go through several years of schooling, but what a little bit for someone in the west means so much to someone in Africa, or any developing country for that matter.   

This is the first time I have actually asked any one for anything while being here in Kabale, Uganda.  And I am not asking for myself, but if you can and want to make a big difference then let me know.  You can contact me via email at d.guinea@destinations.org.au  

I have included some photos below of some of the characters you may be able to help:   

In western, or rich, countries it is easy to view Africa and other developing nations as a problem.  Africa after all is often perceived as the origin of all things bad and evil in the world, with all manner of never ending problems.  Famines, sicknesses and diseases, HIV/AIDS, poverty, irrational wars over race, corrupt governments, witchdoctors; and the list goes on.  Is there anything that we can do to help this continent that is destined to die?  The super powers of this world are definitely not the source of all of Africa’s problems, but through history we have pushed them in a direction that is forcing them to become more like us, and without the knowledge or ability to make what is evolving work.  Here is a small way in which one can help to make a difference in one’s life, which in turn can perhaps help to bring the African continent out of some of its problems.