Like many things in Uganda, CRO is a bittersweet experience. It is amazing to see the light that shines out of these sometimes rough and tough little packages. Since Jesse’s first post about CRO, the grounds have installed a playground outfitted with 2 swings, a little slide and a see-saw. It’s amazing to see these kids taking turns and pushing each other on the swings without an adult prompting them or supervising them in anyway. It is even more amazing in light of the fact that a bunch of the same kids jumped 2 other children for the scrap metal they were collecting. Children collect scrap metal as a means of earning money 1 kg = 200ush (less than 10 cents). The light and dark of their reality is hard to imagine. It hurts to think about and it’s painful to see.
I’m not sure if the other students experience is at all similar to mine, but the realities of this place…. they are… what I can only call tragic injustices and they leave a dull ache in the middle of my chest, that doesn't seem to want to go away. They are unsettling and tear at what I consider to be my core values and expectations of humanity. It is hard to take that step and remind yourself that this is just how it is here. Because when it comes down to it the people here would change it in a heartbeat if it where only that simple. But its not and its hard. What is scary is that I know that I have not seen the worst of it.
For me life here is like two very different sides of a coin. There is a side that is dark, shadowed and tarnished; where it seems that so much life is lost, wasted, and judged to be worthless. BUT… and there is a but. There is the other side where there is light, joy, kindness, hope, humanity and so many lessons about community and faith. Unfortunately, as positive as this side is it can be easily overpowered by the darkness and weight of its brother. It’s a difficult balance to stay focused on the light. Yet avoiding and ignoring the darkness is avoiding reality. It can leave you torn, guilty and hopeless. Solutions seem to disappear in the enormous shadow of so many obstacles. It is easy to lose faith and motivation in this darkness (and we do see it here in some people). BUT (again there is a but) it is important not to forget the light and the people who live and radiate light. They are here and they are shockingly resilient. They see the dark and still strive to learn, change and overcome all these obstacles. They are like those nightlights your parents plug in when you are little and are afraid of the dark and can't see where you are going.
At CRO I have been able to sit through a couple of insightful discussions with the children, where the staff are tending to that light of resiliency in the children. I know as a helping professional we are taught the preciousness of awareness. Awareness and insight is necessary for problem solving and finding solutions. You cannot attempt to solve problems that you don’t understand or know exist. So, it was interesting to see the teachers and social workers at CRO work through a discussion about drug use with the kids. After listing the drugs/alcohol they used/knew about, the children listed reasons why children/people use:
To forget/escape, Peer pressure, To feel warm, To not be hungry, Alcohol is part of the culture/ceremony, To be able to express my feelings (wow…), To be strong, To be brave, To increase sexual prowess, Because it feels good… were all on their list.
I was impressed by the insight and knowledge of the children, the leadership and skill of the staff and the simple fact that they were doing such a progressive and practical exercise with the children. The second discussion I was able to witness had to do with why children did not want to be resettled, why children dropped out of formal school and potential solutions (unfortunately the children but did not finish this part because it was lunch time). The following were things they came up with:
-Death of parents (HIV/Aids), abuse from step parents*, desire to make money, enjoy the good life on the street, and grasshopper season* are a few of the former that I can remember (there were more).
-lack of school fees, and being scared of teachers/beatings are the only two of the latter that I can remember (there were more).
I put asterisks beside two of the reasons children came up with why they remained on the street. Probably the strangest (to those of you who have not been to Uganda) is that grasshoppers and the fact that Maska has grasshopper seasons are actually very influential in the number of children who live on the street. The key is that Ugandans (except for one tribe) eat grasshoppers. They are cleaned (I am not writing what this entails for the sake of those of you with weak stomachs. If you are interested you will have to ask) and generally eaten fried (sometimes raw). According to the locals they are considered special treats and are incredibly tasty (I’ve has one… they are ok… as long as you don’t think about what your eating). They are very expensive at the beginning of seasons when demand is high and supply is low (Welcome to Hopper 101: Introduction to Grasshopper Economics). So children from villages (where both poverty and number of children in a family is highest) flock to Maska to earn money catching and cleaning grasshoppers during the season. There are incredible set ups to these grasshopper operations (oh wow such as tangent) that are set up at night in open fields and roof tops, with barrels, bright lights, smoke and corrugated aluminum. I’ll let you all try to figure out how those ingredients make a grasshopper catcher (I need to get back on track). We have some amazing pictures that we can post after some guessing takes place (unless someone has beat me and posted them on Facebook already).
The other reason why children do NOT want to be resettled back in their homes that I highlighted was abuse from step parents. This is incredibly common and is the most referenced reason I have heard about why children end up on the street. I’ve had in-depth conversations with a couple Ugandans about the general abuse and neglect children experience from their step parents (some of it includes witchcraft and curses- which is very alive in mainstream belief systems) as well as one individual’s own personal experience as a loving step parent (which I’m told is very rare) and another’s experience about having to be very up front and even strict to their new partner about caring for their children from previous relationship (or else they would leave).
I want to close by talking about another set of nightlights (to use and abuse my earlier metaphor) that CRO is involved with. It is a women’s group who meet every Thursday to talk to the social workers and nurse from CRO with the purpose of learning and supporting their children and community (for those of you familiar with the 2010 blog I believe Adrianna wrote about her experience meeting with them and talking about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome). As in the African way the meeting started late but, Jesse and I were able to meet with them, learn about the things that they are doing in the community (craft clubs, animal husbandry etc) and talk to them about Epilepsy. What is it (a brain injury- that has to do with electrical misfiring in the brain); What it’s not (a bug, curse or contagious); Identifying different types of seizures in children (you don’t always fall); Potential causes and the importance of getting treatment (untreated seizures can lead to increase brain damage and even mental retardation); That it can be treated, managed and even eventually cured(with medication) and; What to do and not to do when someone is having a seizure (dispelling incorrect beliefs and giving instructions for general first aid procedures). As always we felt incredibly welcomed and the information was extremely well received. It is interactions and observations of people like these that help me focus on the light through all the shadows. I am grateful for my African Nightlights.
Until next time. Love Always...
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