This week I visited Nakivale HOPE Nursery and Primary School like I often do. When I say often I mean once every couple of months for the last few years (give or take a few months when I've been in Australia or travelling). I was there specifically to get some photos of the buildings that have recently been finished (rendering inside and out, cement floors, aprons, ramps to doorways and last,and probably the most, paint inside and out) thanks to an Australian Government grant through the Australian High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya.
I first visited Nakivale almost 6 years ago with a team of people from home. It was part of a four week trip visiting many of Australia HOPE International's partner projects and the whole experience was an overwhelming and transformative time in my life. Visiting the school six years ago though, I had no idea, no inkling that I would ever visit again, let alone live in Africa and have the privilege of getting to know those people a little better. While all of the staff have changed since that first trip, some of the kids are still in the school - now in the upper primary years. Some of those kids I saw sitting in dusty classrooms on bricks covered in pieces of plastic, some of those kids sitting on the ground under a tree with a reading chart tacked to it, some of those kids who alternatively hung back wary of us or swarmed around wanting to touch our skin, some of those kids are still with us in the school and in the past week have seen their school become a vision of orange around them.
By living here in Uganda I've been given the privilege of seeing firsthand the changes that have happened in the school, where others on the team only get to see progress through photos. It is such a blessing to go to the school and for the kids to know my name where other names have been forgotten (Bron and Pastor Bill are the names that have been retained in the schools memory) I'm not more important or better or more memorable. I've just been given the privilege of being here over time.
However as much as the community doesn't know the names of those 'others' out there, they are thankful. They know that someone, many people, from 'outside' care about them enough to build a school. Whether the donations come through government grants, fundraising events, individuals, sponsorship, whatever, it doesn’t matter. Someone, somewhere thought of them and they are thankful.
It is a blessing to me to be able to see the delight and joy on their faces at the 'new school' and it is a blessing to also be able to pass on their thanks to 'Australia'. If you would like to support the work of AHI check out the website via the links. Also about to happen is a bike ride across Australia from west to east in support of the work being done in DR Congo called HOPE Across Australia. Check out their nifty website too.
After a long absence it's great to be back
Blessings
bron
