What a day! Today we got up at 6:00 am and headed out for a
day in Kirabo’s village in Mpigi District. Godfrey, Kirabo’s uncle, met us for
the trip and Frances drove us. Two hours later we pulled up to the Equator. We watched
the water swirl clock wise, walked a few feet and watched the water swirl
counter clock wise, then walked to the equator and watched the water go straight
down with no swirl. We grabbed a cold Fanta and some Ciapatti and then drove
another hour on rough dirt roads to the first village with the new well.
There were three people who were angels to us in helping
Kirabo survive. Those were the three people we targeted when we raised money
for three wells. Each of their villages were in dire need of water and
incredibly poor. They each had to walk from 1.5-2 miles each way to the lake for
dirty water. This is their story.
The first visit was the well at Godlive’s home, across from
the school with 623 children! Godlive was the angel who offered to take in
Kirabo when no one else would. She already had several people living with her
and was a grandmother herself. She had nothing to offer him, but stepped up
with faith that he would be provided for. We have the ledger of villagers who
donated 1 egg, 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of milk, etc. When we pulled up she came
running over screaming, threw her arms around Kirabo and twirled him around. She
held him like a baby and threw him in the air several times. Kirabo just
laughed and laughed. We couldn’t believe this elderly woman had that much
strength! What a sweet reunion. She couldn’t believe how big Kirabo had grown.
I was worried about him and how he would feel being the center of so much
attention, but I didn’t need to worry, he was just fine. When we got home from
Uganda 4 years ago, I had made him a book full of pictures of these people and
his story. He looks at his book and the pictures every single day. He knows
these people, their stories, and his own. He had so looked forward to this day for 4
years. He gladly reciprocated hugs and smiled in his usual shy way. From across
the road one of our kids saw the school children running out full speed ahead
towards us and warned us with an, “Uh oh!” Having learned our lesson from the
previous trip, we greeted them and quickly organized them into lines by class.
We gave each of our children a huge bag of Blow Pops to hand out and they stood
at the beginning of each line and handed them out. They were so excited to do
this. Each of the Ugandan children greeted them with a curtsy or a bow. After
they all got a lollipop, they would hide them in their pocket and pretend they
hadn’t received one. We quickly caught on and busted them which made us all
laugh. This time it was Alice and Lucy that got swarmed by the children who
wanted to touch their skin and hair. There were 623 children all trying to
touch them and they were very good natured about it and just laughed. At one
point later on we couldn’t find Alice and Lucy only to discover them hiding in
the car to get a break after being swarmed! We blew up two USA soccer balls and
Kirabo kicked them into the group of children and they chased after them. It
was so fun to see them so happy.
The head of the local district was there to welcome us. She
brought us together under a tree and had brought benches out for us while all
the children stood around. She spoke and thanked us for the well and talked
about the change it had made in the villagers’ lives. She spoke of the 1.5-2 mile
walk one way to the lake to get dirty water and all the deaths that resulted
from either the journey there, the dirty water with bacteria that ate away at
their liver among other diseases, or the diseases that resulted from poor
hygiene. (Not to mention the unintended consequence of a reduction in teenage
pregnancies because the teenagers weren’t lingering down by the lake anymore
after a long and hot journey to get water! That surprised us!) She spoke of the 500 + families that benefitted
from the clean water this one well produced in addition to the 623 school
children and their families. She spoke how it had literally saved lives and
changed the quality of their lives drastically. She introduced us to the well
committee members. We felt in the beginning that it would be important to form
a committee to train the community how to use the well and the importance of
clean water and good hygiene. We also believed that if they paid just a tiny
fee, they would have an invested interest in maintaining the well. There is
someone in charge of “bore hole security,” a secretary, maintenance, treasurer to
make sure everyone pays their fee, and the president of the committee. They all
were very proud to be members of the committee. Then, a boy from the school had
been selected to represent the children in thanking us and explaining how it
had changed their lives. He was so sweet. His hands and voice were shaking and
you could tell how much he had practiced and prepared for this speech. He
reiterated again how much better their lives were that they didn’t have to wake
up before dawn to begin their journey to get water for their families. The most
poignant part to me was when he talked about the danger on the road for the
girls who would travel to get water and the men that would take advantage of
them. It was worth everything if it saved one girl from having to endure that.
After the boy sat down, the district leader presented us with a hand woven mat
to sit on that the villagers made, a basket that the woman of the house is
suppose to roast peanuts in and then give to the man in the house when he comes
home from the day (James told me to get to work roasting), and another
beautifully woven basket. They then made very clear to us that they were in
desperate need for a health center as no child could get vaccinations, no woman
could get medical care when giving birth, and no elderly person could receive
any health care. They have to travel over a day on foot to get any medical care
so these children, pregnant women and elderly are unable to receive any help.
There is definitely a need and they weren’t shy to ask! James got up to speak
and told the gathering that because we loved Kirabo, we also loved his heritage
and community. He told of the people from California all across America clear
to Pennsylvania that had donated what they had to help these people in this
village. The villagers were all so touched to think people so far away would
care about them, the most humble people on the other side of the world. James
told them how much our friends and family would love to be there themselves,
but send their greetings and well wishes.
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| Kirabo shaking hands with one of the village elders, also on the well committee |
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| Kirabo pumped the well while Lucy drank from it! |
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| gathering at Godlive's home |
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| walking back with Godlive |
Then, sweet Godlive asked if we could come to her home. We
knelt with her in her 1 room hut about 8x10 feet. She told us how much she has
prayed for us to come and help. She pointed to her picture of Jesus and said he
had sent us to come help her because when the rains come she had nowhere to go
because her house was falling down. It’s true, it was. This was the angel who
had taken in Kirabo when no one else would. There is so much need!
We then travelled to the next village where Mattia was.
Mattia was head of the Good Samaritans, the Catholic organization who came to
Kirabo’s aid and rescued him. They read him his last rights and baptized him.
They found Godlive who said she would care for him if he survived, and she
gathered food from the community for a while to help him. Mattia’s village was also in desperate need for a well. He is a
good, honorable man who stood up for us in court and vouched for us to the community
that we were honest and would love Kirabo when they were skeptical of white
people or Muzungus coming to take their “son of the village” away to America.
They had prepared a space for us to sit in the shade under a tree and many had
taken the day off to be there to thank us. Their speeches were similar, their
gratitude immense, and they also spoke of their great need for a health center.
They introduced us to their well committee members and we took a picture with
them. James let them know of the love and selflessness of our friends and
family across America that had donated money to their well and they were again
very touched. They told us they didn’t have much to give but had prepared two
gifts for us. The first was a dance. The women got up and beat their feet on
the floor and threw their bodies forwards and backwards as others drummed on
jerrycans (empty water jugs). Francis explained to us that when the women
stomped on the ground they were expressing gratitude. We loved it. The second
gift was another handwoven mat to sit on and a handwoven basket full of sweet
bananas. They tasted better than any banana I have ever had! We visited the
well and James and each of the kids took turns pumping water while our kids cupped
their hands and drank from the spout of the well. The villagers clapped and
laughed!
Our third village was to visit Kirabo’s great aunt Gertrude
and Anuscianta. Kirabo was left at Gertrude’s home after his mother died when
he was 8 months old. Anuscianta was our third angel who snuck milk to Kirabo to
give him nourishment. She was the one who finally spoke to Mattia at the Good
Samaritans to rescue Kirabo. She is a beautiful woman with so much grace, she
is breathtaking to me. She began the gathering with a beautiful song and
prayer. She then walked to where our family sat and knelt before us. She looked
at us with the palms of her hands together under her chin and spoke. Francis
translated as usual. She thanked us for loving and caring for one of their own
as if he was our own. She thanked us for saving their village by bringing them
fresh water. She spoke beautifully and emotionally and it really pierced our
hearts. We were all very moved. Francis told us later that kneeling before
someone is the very traditional way of thanking them, but no one really does it
anymore. He was amazed at her humility and gratitude. We hugged and shared a
personal moment together. James let the villagers know of our friends and
family that knew their names and stories and wanted the best for them, and had
donated what they could to help them. He introduced his family and told them
how much Kirabo was thriving. He told them he loved basketball, football
(soccer), and was a really good swimmer which made them all laugh! They gave us
another hand woven mat to sit on and a beautiful pink basket for the lady of
the house. They had also made us a broom for our home and on the handle is
woven, “Dia (dear) James Thx.” On the other side of the handle it was woven, “your
borehole (well).” This is my favorite gift-so wonderful! Gertrude had made a
very intricate and beautiful mat especially for Kirabo and presented it to him. We visited their well and the inscription on
all of these wells said “Kirabo’s Well.” Thanks to the Nadauld Family and
Global Village Connect (the Non Profit that sponsored us). We drove to Gertrude’s
home and on the way we all had to move rocks and hold back bamboo and other
trees and bushes so that Francis’ car could get through the foot path as there
are no roads in this area!
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| Anuscianta, Kirabo, and me |
We had to visit Gertrude’s home because this was where
Kirabo’s mother had been buried. If you read the blog from the first trip, you
will remember his mother was buried under a pile of rocks and dirt. We had
hired some people to make a grave site and tombstone for her back then. This visit
was the single most important site Kirabo wanted to visit in Uganda. We pulled
up and walked straight back to Angella’s grave. Immediately he was very somber
and pensive. Even our other children instinctively knew to walk quietly and
reverently. We all just stood there as Kirabo walked to the tombstone and rubbed
the dates inscribed. We took a picture of him beside the grave. He walked up to
me and held my hand as we looked at it. He pulled on my hand so I would crouch
down beside him. He then whispered in my ear, “So is her body in there?” I said
it was but her spirit was in heaven. He asked, “How will I find her when I go
to heaven?” I told him she would find him. She would be first in line to see
him. If I knew any mother’s heart, I knew that. I assured him again, which I do
on a daily basis, that his mother is looking down at him and is so proud of the
boy that he has become. He nodded, and we turned and left. There is a hole in
that sweet boys’ heart, a longing for where he comes from and who he is. We
continued to remind him that he can talk to us whenever he wants about anything
that he is thinking so we can help him process all of these deep emotions he is
experiencing. He is a serious and somber boy who thinks about things beyond his
years. We try to help him wade through all of that and then help him also
experience as much frivolity and silliness as a 6 year old boy can handle. The
good news is we can provide 4 very silly playmates who also adore their brother
Kirabo.
We left the villages that day overjoyed, grateful, and
moved. None of us will ever forget today. Charlie and Kate's perspectives were
forever changed during the last trip and now Lucy and Alice have that same experience. Kirabo was able to forge stronger ties and memories with his
heritage, have some closure with the death of his mother, and revisit the place
he has loved.
