Congratulations and Celebrations

Our time at Mwebaza School gave us many reasons to celebrate! We spent two days facilitating many school wide programs, all of which directly benefit the school and the community. While some of us interviewed families in need that were applying for a scholarship to send their child to school for free, others oversaw our biannual pen pal letter exchange program. As the students finished writing their letters, we gathered them in groups to help them make paper bag puppets from a suitcase full of art and craft supplies that we brought from the US.

We also followed up on projects that we had started years ago. We were glad to see things moving along smoothly! Even though it's not always easy, their innovation, ingenuity, and hard work allows them to flourish. I was so surprised when Namatovu took us to the new middle school property and the courtyard was full of rows of maize! But my surprise turned to admiration when I realized she had planted this crop to feed the children and the chickens at Mwebaza School because the three month long dry spell during the rainy season made the price of maize sky rocket. It's this type of creativity and resourcefulness that has allowed our projects to be so successful at Mwebaza School. 

On Sunday, we attended the Parents Day Celebration at Mwebaza where the parents and community came to the school to watch their children perform songs, dances, and skits from morning until evening. This event has always shed light on the subtleties of their culture. For years the children reenacted scenarios from home that depicted situations of domestic violence, all of which were greeted with scores of laughs from the audience. However this year, the children recited a poem speaking out against domestic violence and promoting gender equality. I can't attribute this change solely to the work we have been doing, but I do believe that the teacher trainings and seminars we have funded over the years have played their part in this shift. 

As we wrapped up on our final day at Mwebaza School, the children all gathered in a classroom to sing us farewell songs, wish us a safe journey, and extend their greetings and warm wishes to our loved ones at home. The thought of leaving seemed to weigh heavy on all of our hearts, but we are leaving we happy memories and the reassurance that the work we are a part of is well worth the effort.