PEDN and orphanage

Today was the first day that I began volunteering. We had a orientation with a non-profit, PEDN or Private Education Development Network. They have three main programs. The first one has to do with youth 1-18 years and it's club based activities. This program takes a full year and reaches out to about 2,000 kids. The activities that this program does is mixing different schools, having a conference where the children are able to share their ideas, and they encourage kids to come up with projects like tree planting, teaching other kids, or candle making. The next program that PEDN runs is one that works with exposing the children to literature and reading about global events. The teachers will bring in a newspaper that the students can keep every Monday. This is essential because Uganda doesn't have a reading culture and the children are then able to learn English and learn to read. The teachers are then trained to teach in the classroom through the use of the newspapers. Instead of a textbook, the teachers can substitute it out for the updated newspaper. This program takes about eight weeks to complete and by the end the kids get a better understanding of themselves since they know about others. Knowledge brings confidence. The last program is one that teaches the students about rights, responsibility, saving, and spending. It's a program that plans for the furture. The teachers encourage the kids to put the money into a piggy bank, which is locked, and needs permission to be opened. This helps track the amount, because if a kid came in with an overdose of money one might think that the child stole it from another person, which is not something the teachers want to be supporting. This program is for kids 6-14 years and by the end they will know who they are then being able to know their resources. Fun fact: to open a bank account here it's less than 50 schillings (Ugandan currency) which is about 20 cents in America.

Using that knowledge about PEDN, I was able to start deciding what my volunteer work would consist of. As a group, we started by listing core values. A few of the main ones are self-awareness, teamwork, making opportunities, using resources well, and individuality. So, for the time together with the kids that we'll be volunteering with we wanted to add that value into the fun and teaching. The one that I'll be starting with is music teaching through team-work. The start of our volunteering will be getting to know each other or a couple ice-breakers. Then we're going to talk and exchange views, hobbies, goals, etc. next will be some music games and sharing cultural songs/dances. Lastly, we're going to end with a game like a machine builder where someone makes a beat/rhythm and then the rest of the group adds on to make one big song. Finally, we'll say our good-byes and get into a group hug. This is our plan for tomorrow, and from this we'll be able to see what works and what doesn't. Therefore, being able to change the program to make it work efficiently.

After lunch, we made our way an orphanage home. Right away, the kids grabbed onto my legs, greeting me with a huge smile, and immediately wanted to play. There was one little boy was literally to my side. Everywhere I went, he followed, he called me "mommy", and wanted to hold my hand. I did this thing with him, where he crawled up my legs then flipped out of it. After that first time, it was constant flipping. But not going to lie, it was awesome, the smile I put on his face is unforgettable and heart-warming! In addition to the flipping, he was one of the only kids who was able to talk a little English. He took me into this room where the kids learn, and he began singing songs in English, he counted, and then asked me to read him a story. It's so different to see that children are enthusiastic about education. In the United States, very rarely do I see my friends let alone any kid be excited to go into school or any class that requires knowledge or brain power. It's amazing to witness children who really appreciate the meaning of learning.

Soon after the orphanage, we went out to dinner with a local YPOer who has lived in Uganda her entire life. She goes to an international school which is actually still in session. She told me that for fun she goes to watch motor cross, goes clubbing, and other stuff. It was very interesting to see how similar and different America and Uganda is.

One last thing, today as we were driving, we passed a police base. It's very typical for policeman to be carrying a gun (a very large gun). But anyway as we were stuck in some bad traffic, meaning not moving one inch for 10-15 minutes, I was looking out the window. One of the boys in the front seat was also observing the settings and we both happened to lay our eyes on the same guy. I just saw the intensity in his eyes, but the boy in front of me tried capturing a picture. The policeman did not move his eyes from our van. Truthfully, his eyes were like lasers that went through me. So all of sudden, the policeman points right at us, gives off a smirk, and at that moment my heart staring racing. The policeman lowered his finger while placing the other hand on the gun. Right after, the policeman began to laugh with some of his friends near by, I guess to him it was a joke but to me it was a huge cultural exchange. I found out later that it's quite common for people to be carrying guns, since most people sell their products on the street and there are always people walking. The guns are just there to maintain safety. It's very rare for a policeman to shoot, but when necessary it's allowed. In conclusion, it was just one of those moments that threw me off guard.