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The Children in Bulanga

Our first order of business was to visit the homes and interview all of the children who had sponsors at that time. There were approximately 50 children to visit which meant this project would take a considerable amount of time. We would start early in the morning and visit around ten or so homes a day. At each home, we had the privilege of visiting with the child’s caretaker and observe where each child sleeps.

This process was a harsh reminder of the way most of the people in Uganda live. One positive thing that we discovered in these interviews was that almost every single home had such wonderful things to say about how the sponsorship program is helping their child. Although it was hard to see such conditions over and over again, the benefit of meeting each child and their family in their own home was something that can not be replaced.

I visited a baby from the village that was sick in the hospital because its mother had died only four days after he was born. I began making preparations for the New Child Registration that would take place the next week, and spent time with the sponsored kids during the lunch program every day. This was also a treat for me. Last year when we started hearing stories about the sponsored children’s food being consumed by other family members, leaving them with nothing, we were disheartened. So when the idea of a lunch program came up, I was eager at the possibilities. I was, however, unprepared for what a great thing it would be. It ran so smoothly and was so effective. Like clockwork each day, each of the sponsored children come to the HCCP property and stand in line. They have been taught to wash their hands and then they each politely go through the line and receive their hot meal of rice and beans. Once or twice a week, they will be given a treat like a bottle of soda or a piece of fruit to have with their meal. The children all sit together laughing and talking and sometimes singing as they enjoy their meal. When they are through, they return their plates to the designated area and off they run back to school. It was such a delight for me to have the chance to observe and visit with the children during these lunches.

The last two weeks of our five week trip, Sue Silva, one of the members of the HUGS Board of Directors, came to Uganda to help us with the registration of new children for sponsorship. We did a little sightseeing during her first few days there. We visited the source of the Nile, Bujangali Falls, the Equator, and Garden City mall. These trips were very fun and great time for me to get to know Sue better before heading back to the village.

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