By Drew

Over two years ago now I had the privledge of traveling to Uganda with the social enterprise BeadforLife.  just recently I came across a short article I wrote detailing one day that we spent in the Namugongo slum in the capital city of Kampala.  In light of the BeadforLife paper bead necklaces we’ve begun to sell on the f4 website.  I thought I’d share my observations here:

Simply described as one of Kampala’s sprawling slums, Namugongo is a captivating place of displaced expectations and overwhelming hope and love.  On October 21st 2007 I entered a world both foreign and familiar forever changing my global perspective.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I would experience. We see video and pictures on television and in print of what would appear to be depressingly impoverished slums.  Images of starving children, disease stricken adults, and crumbling shacks flood our hearts with despair.  I admit to being uneasy about my visit here, but as it turns out my time in Namugongo was one of the most uplifting and enriching experiences of my trip to Uganda.

Upon entering, we were greeted with smiles and good wishes.  The children emerged to hold our hands and marvel at my tattoos.  Residents were genuinely pleased to see us and didn’t resist the urge to reach out to us as we passed by.  There was no begging, embarrassment, or disdain resulting from our presence.   The people we encountered were dignified and proud to share their lives, homes, and thoughts with us.

I do not deny that extreme poverty and its effects exist in Namugongo.  I was impressed, however, by the will of this community to overcome their circumstances and live the best lives they can with the tools they have.  The people here do not share the entitlement and expectation we come to embody as Americans.  I believe this to be the reason for their successes.  We have so much to learn from those who appear to have so little.

Among the burning piles of trash there are children at play. In a maze of jumbled mud slicked alleys, people create community. Disease and death are abandoned for health and life. Where there is no electricity there is light.

learn more about BeadforLife at www.beadforlife.com.  buy paper bead and sterling silver necklaces at fountation4.com. a percentage of every sale will be donated to BeadforLife to support thier programs in Uganda.

+ share or save this post