Uganda Trip-3

The first ADP (Area Development Program) that we visited was Aber. Aber is probably 30 to 40 miles south of Gulu. It doesn't seem far, but the road between Gulu and Aber was terrible. It was an old paved road with millions of large potholes in it so that the driver was always zigzagging trying to drive around the largest ones. But the drive was rough--it's amazing how tired you get bouncing around in the vehicle. Above is a picture of the sign directing us off road to the ADP headquarters.

We met the director of the ADP whose name is Fred, and he introduced us to the rest of the World Vision Staff working at the Aber ADP. this ADP has been up and running for about six months. Here is a picture of the staff.

Most of the day (this was Tuesday, 4/1) was spent visiting sponsored children out in the bush. Of the eight of us, five sponsored children through this ADP, and two others met with children sponsored by friends. I was the only one who didn't have a sponsored child or a friend who sponsored a child in Uganda. As it turns out, one of the children that Beth and I sponsor is in Kenya, the next country to the east, but too far away to visit.

It is always a moving experience to visit a child that you sponsor. I have had the privilege of visiting two children that we have sponsored, one in South India ten years ago, and the other in the tiny land locked country of Lesotho located "inside" of South Africa in 2005. The children get all dressed up, and the village is there to meet you--it is a very big deal not only for the children, but for the adults as well. There are introductions, and exchange of gifts, and of course pictures. Ellen, our free lance photographer suggested that we bring Polaroid film with us for her Polaroid camera so we could take pictures and give them to the children. This was a great idea and a big hit! Most of these people have not only never seen a picture of themselves, many do not have mirrors, so they really do not know what they look like. Everyone, both children and adults, loved it when we took their picture, gave it to them, and they watched it slowly develop in their hands.

At the second village we visited there were a lot of children but there were four boys on the margin who caught my attention. They were very poor, but there was just blank stares on their faces. I gave each of them a piece of candy which they accepted but didn't change the expression on their faces. Even after Tom Slicklen gave each of them a new jersey (which for most kids would have brought big smiles) there was the same blank stare. A couple of them looked sick, and it was heart breaking realizing that some of them probably would not survive childhood. Here are two pictures of the boys, one before the jerseys and the second after receiving them. Look at their faces.