The Orphanage
The orphanage contains 20 children and 2 helpers in addition to the facilitator and Alina. A few children were away but otherwise it was full of them. They were really cute, playful, hardworking and just great. I soon learned that all of them also have sad stories. In the best case their parents may have died and in the worst cases there’s stories of mothers just abandoning them because they found another man who didn’t want them around. Some kids were even sexually abused by their parents.
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| Kids brushing their teeth in the morning |
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| Super excited to receive a wafer biscuit |
I spent a lot of energy playing with them which was really fun. I don't t think I'm good at playing with kids but running after them, picking them up and spinning or running around carrying them seems to be infinitely enjoyable :)
One day the house required water and I offered to help carry it. I set off with one of the children and soon it became apparent that I’d have to carry it a long way home and uphill. After waiting 40 minutes in the queue to fill up our two 20 liter jerry cans we set off home. This was hardcore. 1 kilometre uphill with such a heavy container was crazy. We stopped about 8 times to rest as it was so hard. The weight was mostly a problem for my fingers but despite the trouble I made it home without giving up. This was a great experience though and fully made me feel the ordeal that getting water can be. I was later told by the facilitator that he had to carry 2 jerry cans 7 km when he was younger…
Other notable thing was the 20 year old helper who had only days before sampled chocolate for the first time. I on the other hand, saw fireflies for the first time. I thought it was a dropped phone initially but no, there are amazing insects which glow really bright.
Finally, the facilities were not as good as where I stay. The children had only recently gotten bunk beds due to Alina’s fundraising but were previously sleeping like 4 to an old foam mattress on the floor. Now they sleep in pairs on beds 'like kings'. She also helped to paint the walls among other things. The before and after photos were amazing. The inside bathroom was quite an experience. It was not tiled, has no light and at night it is used as a toilet too. It was an interesting experience to sweep my pee into a hole in the side of the wall!
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| This always-ready flush never breaks |
Possession
One morning the facilitator started to ask me if I believe in demonic possession. I don’t obviously and then he mentioned that one of the kids there was possessed. And he was right behind him in the bunk bed. This was strange indeed. It seemed like some kind of absent seizure as this kid was just lying there unresponsive for about 10 minutes. This apparently happens whenever he needs to go to school so they think the devil doesn’t want him to get an education. He sometimes speaks in this state apparently and claims he is possessed.
I checked his pupil reflexes which were present and later as his eyes began to open he seemed to flinch just fine as well. Pinching him really hard however didn’t get a response although this is hard to determine whether he was resisting although it didn’t seem like an act. He eventually woke up but seemed really confused and upset not remembering what happened.
It’s hard to witness and it’s clear he needs to see some kind of specialist doctor but they will take him to a priest instead for the second time. I guess it’s cheaper but I did find it really incredible to be faced with a situation where someone was actually considered to be possessed. I felt powerless to help although they can’t afford to see a specialist, or buy the medication he would need anyway. So it’s just a sad situation that’s not uncommon and definitely not the worst here.
Break Dancers
I will write about the activities and safari I went on later but I had quite a good last day in Jinja. Before going back to Mukono, I went for a walk down the road. When I reached the end of it, I saw a group of guys in a crowd doing something active in the distance. One who was close to the path called me over. I was a little scared of getting mugged as I had all my valuables on me but figured that I’d somehow be safe. Well, it turned out to be one of the highlights here.
This was a group of dancers and really amazing ones at that. They were breakdancing right there on the grass without shoes. It totally blew my mind and expectations. They asked me to dance which while usually alright in a club, was pathetic compared to these guys’ moves. I ended up recording a lot of their dancing which I will compile into a video when I get back to Australia. The organizer was originally an orphan fortunate enough to have a plot of land left by his parents and he works in the local community helping people with various issues like AIDS, jiggers and also trying to give the youth a creative and constructive outlet via this dance group. They are hoping to get more attention so I’ll try my best to help them when I get back.
One morning the facilitator started to ask me if I believe in demonic possession. I don’t obviously and then he mentioned that one of the kids there was possessed. And he was right behind him in the bunk bed. This was strange indeed. It seemed like some kind of absent seizure as this kid was just lying there unresponsive for about 10 minutes. This apparently happens whenever he needs to go to school so they think the devil doesn’t want him to get an education. He sometimes speaks in this state apparently and claims he is possessed.
I checked his pupil reflexes which were present and later as his eyes began to open he seemed to flinch just fine as well. Pinching him really hard however didn’t get a response although this is hard to determine whether he was resisting although it didn’t seem like an act. He eventually woke up but seemed really confused and upset not remembering what happened.
It’s hard to witness and it’s clear he needs to see some kind of specialist doctor but they will take him to a priest instead for the second time. I guess it’s cheaper but I did find it really incredible to be faced with a situation where someone was actually considered to be possessed. I felt powerless to help although they can’t afford to see a specialist, or buy the medication he would need anyway. So it’s just a sad situation that’s not uncommon and definitely not the worst here.
Break Dancers
I will write about the activities and safari I went on later but I had quite a good last day in Jinja. Before going back to Mukono, I went for a walk down the road. When I reached the end of it, I saw a group of guys in a crowd doing something active in the distance. One who was close to the path called me over. I was a little scared of getting mugged as I had all my valuables on me but figured that I’d somehow be safe. Well, it turned out to be one of the highlights here.
This was a group of dancers and really amazing ones at that. They were breakdancing right there on the grass without shoes. It totally blew my mind and expectations. They asked me to dance which while usually alright in a club, was pathetic compared to these guys’ moves. I ended up recording a lot of their dancing which I will compile into a video when I get back to Australia. The organizer was originally an orphan fortunate enough to have a plot of land left by his parents and he works in the local community helping people with various issues like AIDS, jiggers and also trying to give the youth a creative and constructive outlet via this dance group. They are hoping to get more attention so I’ll try my best to help them when I get back.
So random and such an amazing encounter. It really reminds me of the quote: “How much do we lose when we fear to lose anything?”. If I had just walked on like I initially was going to, I’d have missed a really amazing adventure. And having just a few such adventures is definitely worth losing your phone, wallet and camera one day. Otherwise, I will have my gadgets but without these amazing memories.
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