Flies and maggots have never respected the coffins of dead kings.
A dispute between a wildebeest and an antelope cannot be arbitrated by a hungry lion.
A hunter who never shares his kill does not scream when a leopard attacks him.
A dog with a bone in it's mouth cannot bite you.
An elephant can never fail to carry it's tusks.
An ugly girl does not become old at home.
Death is a scar that never heals.
Do not belittle what you did not cultivate.
Familiarity is like the sea that kills the fisherman.
He who hunts two rats catches none.
If you climb up a tree you must climb down the same tree.
If he throws his only spear at you, it means he does not fear you.
If you have decided to eat a dog, eat a fat one.
In the home of the coward they laugh while in the home of the brave they cry.
Old men sit in the shade because they planted a tree many years before.
One who keeps saying 'I will listen and obey' will be cooked with the corn cob.
Only a fool tries to jump in the fire.
The lucky eagle kills a mouse that has eaten salt.
Water that has been begged for does not quench the thirst.
I have come across many Ugandan proverbs that amuse me or leave me slightly bewildered. I have come across only one that inspires me.
One who sees something good must narrate it.
Does that inspire you also?
It sits in the back of my mind as I write, reminding me that there is a story that I have to tell and that the words I use can empower, uplift and create change.
It is too easy to bring others down, to hate ourselves and to live in the negative. Things can never change, life is too hard, I can't do anything about it, I'll never be good enough. These statements and thoughts are all too common.
Seeing the good in others, talking about the good things that are happening around the world seem counter-cultural. You only have to look at the media to see that we value the bad news more than the good.
...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Philippians 4:8
I think the bible has it right.
So today enjoy a good news story and feel free to tell others about it and believe that your words can empower, uplift and create change.
Nakivale HOPE Nursery and Primary School started in 2007 as a project between Australia HOPE International www.ahi.org.au and Pastor Willy and Anne in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, southern Uganda.
The refugee camp is for long term refugees who come from many countries - Kenya, Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and even some IDP's (Internally Displaced Persons) from within Uganda.
When we started the project there were hundreds of kids meeting under trees and in falling down mud brick buildings which also served as a church. Teachers were not paid and had no resources.
I visited Nakivale on my first mission trip to Uganda with HOPE in 2008. At that stage HOPE had built a block of three classrooms and block of toilets (pit latrines of course!). The kids had no desks and would sit on bricks that they would cover with scraps of plastic so their clothes didn't get dirty. The kids performed for our group and we gave them worming tablets and balloons. These kids broke my heart.
We stayed in Nakivale for several days and I met a guy called Mandela. He was 16 and had lived in the refugee camp since he was 6. His family was from DRC and he didn't have any hope of them ever going 'home'. He could speak 7 different languages and impressed me greatly. All he wanted was to go to senior school. To go to senior school he had to board in an expensive school outside the camp - he didn't have the money - so no school. (Our vision at HOPE is to build a senior school that will allow young people like Mandela to finish their studies). I don't know what happened to Mandela - I don't know if he is still in the camp - I hope that he was able to go to senior school.
I may not know the outcome for Mandela but going back to the camp with Anne a few weeks ago I was blown away by the difference in the school. Since 2008 the transformation in both the students and the school environment is a vivid reminder of why HOPE does what it does.
A couple of moments stand out as highlights of my visit.
I went to take a look at the Nursery section of the school (ages 3-6ish) which is still using the mud building that is also the church. I found myself followed by a large portion of the student body (we happened to visit right in the middle of exams, so exams were suspended and all students had 'break' while we were there) and I felt a bit like the leader of a parade. The students showed me into their 'classroom' and the older students organised the younger ones to sit down on the mats and to listen to me speak. I, now faced with a group of between 100-200 students with limited English, decided to launch into a question and answer session of 'what animals can you find in Australia?'. The success of this time was limited. So thinking quickly, I decided to teach a song. It happened to be the same song that our group taught in 2008. Which turned out well because students knew it and we had a bit of a sing-along. Seeing as this was such a success, I asked the kids to teach me a song. It seems they have a few in their repertoire. So we had fun and then the parade with me at the front went back to join the rest of the school.
My other highlight was coming across some of the P6 (the top class in the school - next year they will be our first Nakivale Primary School P7 graduates) students hanging out in their classroom. What excited me was the fact that we had a conversation in English. You might think that this is a given in a country where it is the official language taught in schools (and in fact the only language that is used to teach in). But when I meet kids, I struggle with many of them to communicate in a way that I am sure both of us understand. In fact, beyond 'how are you?', 'I am fine', I am never confident that my message is understood. Anyway, my point is that we had a chat about their exams and the school and how far away from the school they lived. In a country where if you want a good job, you need to have good English, these kids are well on their way.
I could probably say a lot more but I think I have said enough and will let my photos to the rest of the talking. Check out before and after!
Let me finish by saying that we are by no means finished at the school. Like I said P7 starts next year and they need a classroom. The Nursery meet in a mud building that is actually a church (that's 120 kids under the age of 8 who are meant to be split into three classes). There is no working play equipment. Many of the students don't have desks (although now instead of sitting on bricks, they are sitting 5 to a 3 seater desk). There are not enough teacher resources. There are not enough rainwater tanks. That's not to mention the fact that there is no library or computer room, which would need solar power as there is also no electricity. Things that schools take for granted in places like Australia (and will be necessary in schools here soon enough) are a long way off. But it's through the support of people in Australia that we have got this far. And it will be through continued support that we see our vision of a finished school (or schools) come to pass.
