Food for Thought- Feed Schoolchildren in Uganda

For twenty months, I had an experience that I won’t soon forget. From November 2013, when I landed in Africa, I was struck with new people, scents, and an extremely rich culture. I arrived with 46 eager PeaceCorps volunteers; all of us took three months of intensive cross-cultural training together to get ready to teach English and help serve in the communities in which we would be placed. The assignments couldn’t have come sooner and meeting the local community members remains one of my fondest memories. The kindness that I received from everyone was endearing, accepting, and loving.

This amazing organization made it possible for me to execute ideas successfully; having their support was a crucial part of my service throughout. Daily, I worked with my supervisor, Enos Tweteise, as well as Anita Cox, the founder/ president of the foundation. Anita and Enos work very closely, hand-in-hand, passing ideas off to one another and making sure that they are executed efficiently. He was on the ground in Kabale with me and I ran all of my ideas through him. Enos is one of the most proactive people I have ever worked with - both in the U.S. and Uganda. I am very lucky to have worked alongside him as he was so understanding and helpful and I learned a lot from him. Anita was also incredible to work with. I found her to be extremely hard working and positive, encouraging me to continue coming up with ideas and to be creative. She is very driven to make a difference and has an amazing vision for her community; she has done so much wonderful work in Uganda over the last 7 years. Anita and Enos run an efficient solid team of 7 staff in Kabale in an office that is the envy of many for their organization, superb service delivery and commitment to community. The visiting GlobalGiving representative gave the same comments when he visited MCF while I was serving there. 

It was through MCF that I was assigned to Kengoma Primary School, a small compassionate school just outside the town of Kabale. I loved walking to school every day and taking in the breathtaking scenery. Kabale is in the southwest region of the country, filled with lush green hills, surrounded by beautiful lakes. I taught P4, just as the pupils were transitioning from the local language to English. These bright kids enjoyed my classes and soon understood my way of speaking very well. I also could use my Rukiga to communicate certain things (I speak 2 other languages). The bond that I formed with the pupils at Kengoma was incredible. I felt a sense of accomplishment because my kids were very smart and always eager to learn. 

 

"The Rainbow School System" transforms learning spaces through unique programs
Along with teaching, MCF helped me to complete some wonderful projects all of which were designed with the overall mission of encouraging pupils to stay in school. With the help of a wonderful colleague, Jamie, we embarked on painting each classroom a different color of the rainbow as part of “The Rainbow School System” that moves up to the next color as the pupils move up in their class levels. It provided the pupils with a sense of belonging and purpose while giving each of the seven classrooms a more appealing learning environment. The teachers at Kengoma were very excited to get their classrooms painted, and they were very supportive. After about two weeks of hard work painting every day, the project was completed and Kengoma now looks very vibrant! It stands out in front of the other schools and looks warm and inviting. I hope that other schools will follow in the same foot-steps. Jamie and I also painted a school sign with a rainbow, the name of the school, and the program. It is now hanging up on the wall of the school so every person, boda-boda (bike) and car that passes by the school can see it. 

 

Our second project was building a sustainable school garden with the help from the parents, pupils, and teachers. Anita raised the funds for the school garden in a short amount of time and I was filled with joy to know that the project could start. All the pupils were excited to get into the garden and start planting. We planted cabbage, carrots, and spinach. The pupils loved getting involved and learned how to plant very well using rural planting techniques given to us by a local MCF board member and NAADS (National Agriculture Advisory Services) trained Consultant. I am very proud of this project, because the pupils got to see how the plants are growing every day as part of their learning. It is something that without their dedication would not be a success. In addition, parental involvement was also key; parents helped to pull out the weeds from the garden to keep it maintained. Each child was able to enjoy a meal and to take home some carrots and cabbage to share with their families. This was my favorite secondary project that I did because it involved the entire community. The parents, teachers, and pupils were all very happy and grateful. So was I. Kengoma is the only school in the area with a school-feeding program that provides the children with a daily meal.

Not many Peace Corps Volunteers engage in or much less start and complete such unique projects during their time serving and none of these wonderful projects would have been possible without MCF’s commitment to my goals. The “Rainbow School System” was Anita’s idea and it felt great to be part of the very first school that implemented this innovative initiative. The next Peace Corps volunteer that is lucky enough to work with her will be hugely grateful for a great experience as I am.

Unfortunately, I had to end my service in Uganda 6 months earlier than I intended due to family reasons back home. I left with a heavy heart but I feel good about the fond memories and the accomplishments that I made with the amazing team of people that I met there. I miss the market, the people, MCF, and most importantly, the children. I hope that I can return and visit someday to once again meet my now lifelong friends, be part of the scents and immerse myself in that extremely rich culture. I will never forget the Bakiga and my experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in that beautiful country – Uganda.

 

Please continue your support

Thank you for supporting MCF, they are making a lasting difference to so many children in Kabale and as a Peace Corps partner they help the US place volunteers in areas where it matters.

The more you give, the more impact they will have; ONE SCHOOL AT A TIME!