TALKING ABOUT AFRICA
Stephanie, a teacher at Fair view School made arrangements for me to speak to children at her school.
She teaches Grade 3 and she thought it would be interesting for her children to learn a thing or two about Africa.I went with Whitney, who has been to Africa herself and she had taken several pictures.These pictures were helpful as we tried to give the children a true picture of what it looks like to leave in Africa.
I talked about the difference in Education systems with the USA. It was hard to imagine how it feels like to sit in a classroom with so many children without air conditioning. They could not imagine how kids in Uganda walk all the way to school, leave alone walking barefooted. I explained that it is a great joy for a child to go to school in Uganda, since education is paid for at all levels and yet not many children can afford school fees.
I talked about the food we eat back in Uganda, they wondered how matoke tastes like. I
explained that most families eat Posho and beans.We also talked about the weather difference and the difference in seasons. Uganda being on the equator, does not have the cold and hot seasons as they do in the USA, we simply have dry and wet seasons. Wet season are normally cold at night. Kabale, is much different, being hilly, it is always cool especially at night.
The kids were excited to know that most families in Uganda use make shift and pit latrines for restrooms, it was hard to imagine how the children in Uganda use them.
It was also hard to imagine how the children sleep under mosquito nets to avoid Malaria, for those who can afford. They wondered how the children breathe under those nets. I explained that there are tinny holes that make it easy to breathe. The children felt sorry to know that thousands of children die of Malaria every day.
We showed them the pictures of some animals in Uganda. Children wanted to know whether all
Africa is a jungle as sometime depicted. They wondered if there are roads and Electricity in Uganda. I explained that not all is very bad in Uganda. There are a lot of poor people in Uganda and thousands of Orphans and widows because of wars and AIDS, but there are some people that have good jobs and live a relatively good kind of life in Uganda.Later on a children sent me a note that says: "I am 12 years, but i will help to support children in your village when i become 24..."
THE TEENAGE CLASS
Later, that afternoon, Tim the Teenager leader at UMC asked me to share with his class. I shared about the different challenges our children go through and how disadvantaged most of them are.
They asked me so many questions, especially to do with my family and children, the food we eat and how our church looks like. They were surprised to know that i have 4 children of my own plus other 5 orphan teenagers my family looks after.
They wanted to know how long it takes to go to Africa.
I was surprised how most of these children have a heart for Missions and are touched by the suffering children in 3rd World countries. I guess when they grow up they will be a blessing to the African children.
I was so happy for the opportunity to talk about Africa, Uganda and particularly,our community in Kabale.
To know more about our community write to me at:jbakashaba@gmail.com or write to Whitney in the USA at :whitney-123@hotmail.com
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