Global Care and the Closet of Ease

Today was the first of our Kids’ Clubs. The team here in Uganda call it ‘camp’ and David, the national lead for Global Care Uganda, told us that the children who attended will never EVER forget today. He should know – he himself was a sponsored child.

The journey to our venue was fun – lots of people waving to us, smiling – accompanied by the occasional shout of “muzungu!” (a term used for white people). This far out from big cities there will be people who have never seen a white person driving down the lane – adults as well as children – but everywhere, we have been greeted with warmth and welcome.

Today’s group included children from the Rukungiri area - some youngsters who are sponsored via Global Care by people in the UK and others who attend supported girls clubs in schools. This is closely monitored by the Global Care Uganda team – amazing local people with all the knowledge that we do NOT have...and boy, were we glad to have them with us today to translate, to make the children feel more relaxed around us and to make sure we were ALL just fine.

We were all excited to get going...

When we left our bus, the heat was definitely there, but there was shade under trees; the children had chairs under a large canopy for our get-together. And there was an ENORMOUS speaker, initially playing Christmas carols; however, it soon became a playlist that was so varied even the crustiest of us had something to sing along to!

We were introduced, we prayed, we sang. Then we split into groups and the children went to craft groups to make incredible banners, paper plate angels, bell bracelets / anklets, and drawings of their hands (which became a Christmas tree when stuck together!). In one of the craft rooms, an amazing teacher volunteer got the children to sing a song for the UK team, who then taught them 'Our God is a Great Big God' complete with actions - which the children sang as they danced out of the room, still doing the actions! Cathy, Clare and Steve led these activities with great assurance - you'd have thought that this was an everyday occurrence for them. The pre-prep of materials meant that fantastic results could be achieved in a very short time and the end products were beautiful! The paper plate angels and bells went home with the children as souvenirs of their day.

Catering timings weren't entirely accurate, which meant that our plans had to be adapted as the day progressed - but it meant that there were times when the children had extra free play slots, which they loved. Ellie and Zara threw themselves straight into organising netball and football teams - their energy was incredible!

The more 'mature' (ahem) of us spent time with small groups of children or individuals, sometimes chatting, sometimes joining with them in playing with bean bags, hoops, balloons.

There were some smaller children who stood alone, seeming to not know how to play; the team engaged with them and soon had them enjoying 1:1 fun and to witness their laughter after they had been so sombre was wonderful. Special mentions here to Barbara, David, Cathy, Clare and Clive, whose ability to make this happen was awesome!

Before lunch there was more singing, bringing a Yorkshire Christmas carol to Uganda and having a competition to see which half of the children could sing the words most lustily. 

The children were given two meals - a simple breakfast and an ENORMOUS lunch with extra helpings on offer too. They didn't struggle to eat either and then run around like Duracell bunnies! You must remember, some of these children may only eat once a day, and sometimes not even that, so it was important that Global Care delivered good and ample nutrition.

We also ate wonderfully - tasty hot food, local peanuts, bananas and pineapple which had NO air miles (probably no miles at all).

As the catering ran late, we couldn't do our planned afternoon activities, so there was more play - two fantastic parachute games sessions running simultaneously, more football, netball and engaging with the shyer children - and an impromptu photoshoot session asked for by the children. They had great fun being encouraged by their friends to pose!

At the conclusion of the day, there was a 'gathering' where each child received a certificate and a gift of stationery items.

They left, in school groups or with family, with many smiles and waves. We left hot, weary, and very happy with memories which will stick with us too.

So, what can we learn from children? Here in Rukungiri they have shown us that, no matter how little you may have materially, you can find joy, you can find ways to play. No mobile phones, smart watches or video games; actual interaction, conversations, activity.

In the crafts and in their play we saw resilience, imagination, patience, flexibility, compassion, joy and so much more. We also saw humility and a sense of community. Just think what it would be like if adults could be like little children (errrm, didn't Jesus suggest this)? We look forward to learning more each day...

After a welcome rest to freshen up, the team's day concluded with a fantastic buffet meal in Rukungiri Town, before which they posed for a photographic version of 'The Last Supper' and took great pleasure in noting that the entrance to the loos was labelled as the 'Closet of Ease'.

Wonderful.