A friend sits across from me in a
standard plastic chair we borrowed from the store we are sitting out
front of, telling me of his heart and dreams for the local street
children. Having been on his own from a young age he is familiar with
the scene and the struggle. He wants to get them off the streets and
into school. He wants more for them than digging food out of gutters
or stealing it, than curling up to sleep in a dirty alleyway, than
abuse from drug dealers, than barely surviving, than growing up
solely in stature... than being a street kid. They are children. Not only does he want
it – he's doing something about it. It is contrary to his culture
that says go to an NGO, get yourself taken care of, get lots of
funding, and then do something. He loves Jesus. He seems to be
willing to do as much as HE can. He recognizes that Ugandans can take
an active role in taking care of their own – a seemingly unpopular
idea despite the community tradition. But life still has
requirements.
What role do I have in this?
--
--
A friend who has helped with my Bible
class in town came for a visit. He tells me a bit of his story of
when he was a kid: His father got remarried. Is stepmother didn't
like him. She tried to poison him and his cousin. He was saved having
been miraculously not hungry at that particular meal and giving his
portion to his cousin. His cousin became violently ill and died in
the hospital where it was traced back to the stepmother. She got in
trouble briefly with the police but it wasn't long before she was
home again. This is when my friend became a street kid. After a
couple months, his pastor took him in and sent him to school. After
some time his father decided to take him back time home, promising he
would be safer this time. He found the strength to go home and to
forgive his stepmother. He is continuing in school, though he
sometimes struggles with school fees. This is an incredible young
man...
--
She just kinda hangs around. I'm don't
really know her story, nor have I met her parents. I have started
asking questions. She comes to my Unschooled Kids Class pretty
regularly. She is a bright girl. On Saturdays when we have Saturday
Sponsorship Club you can find her at the school. Under the tree,
around the corner, or sitting in a nearby classroom, you don't always
see her right away, but she is usually there. We usually give her
some food left over from the sponsored kids' lunch. In my Tuesday and
Wednesday unschooled kids class she is attentive. She wants to do
what the other kids do and is very observant. She is deaf. She can't
recite the ABC's with the other kids but on Saturday when I found her
hiding on the side of the building, she showed me the letters she had
written in the dirt, “A B 5 4 2”. She was proud of them. Her
parents had tried to send her to school but with 150 students, the
level 1 teacher couldn't possibly give her the attention she needs.
What strikes me about this girl is her softness, her desire to learn,
and her self esteem. I don't think I have ever seen her teeth. As
soon as she starts to laugh or smiles big enough to show teeth, a
hand will immediately shoot up to cover – often both hands. She
smiles a lot. She covers her mouth a lot. I don't know who or what
convinced her she needs to cover herself, but it kinda makes me sad.
I'm glad I get to work with her. I include her in class activities
and games. She is excited to be involved and works to understand. We
motion to each other in a universal “pointing to things”
language. I don't know sign language but neither does she. There is a
deaf school in Gulu but I doubt her parents could afford it since it
is a boarding school. I'd love to see her there... The girl from my
2009 Unschooled Kids Class is in that school now thanks to a sponsor
and was at the top of her class last term. Anyone interested in
sponsorship?
No comments:
Post a Comment