Bugolobi Church for Slum Children

Bugolobi Church for Children

They just keep coming…and coming:

They just keep on comingEarly I arrived; it was just 7 AM, driving through the red clay side streets of Bugolobi, through the shopping area, past the Church of Uganda where early worshippers were arriving for prayer.

There, children were already lined up in the early Sunday morning hours, ready to go to a very unique church.  A “church for children.” Not just any children, but those born into the slums of Kampala.

As I got out the vehicle, they kept coming in, forming lines of 50, then a hundred, then literally 100’s.  In twos and threes they walked up muddy paths from their shacks in the slums to the gathering place underneath the large tree.  Dressed in their Sunday’s best, others in tattered clothing, yet all shared a quiet expectancy that one could read in their eyes and on their shiny, expectant faces.

One of the volunteers arrived and walked to the head of the line, every child received a freshly baked chapatti (a flatbread made from flour).  The girls did a little curtsy and the boys  bowed in thanks.  They moved out of the one line into another and quietly ate their morning treat, for most the only food thus far.

By now there well over three hundred children that had come to the gathering place.  All were fed and then the walk began toward the school classrooms that had been rented for the purpose of Children’s Church.  Before church, they went to the toilets where they washed their hands and then returned to the classrooms in accordance with their age range.

I was amazed as to how well these children behaved…they could have slept in, but most came because they chose to do so.  They had heard about this place through other children, they came to the place because it was safe; there were people who cared and loved them.  Many of these children came from families that had been devastated by the scourge of AIDS and other illnesses from malaria to TB.

They lived with aunts and uncles, some with grandmother, others came from a house where there was just a mother who had no means of income but to make some illegal brew or gin like mixture called Waragi.  Life is tough in the slums, so when a child hears that there is a place that gives out bread, has a kid’s club on Saturday with lots of activities and on Sunday there is church, they simply come.  Afterwards they go back home and tell another about this place wonderful place for children.

One does not have to be Christian, to understand the value of faith in a life that is otherwise filled with hopelessness, filled with abject poverty where the only things one knows it is another day of going without.

They sing songs of hope with gusto, pray with expectancy, and support one another through the tough times of a life in a slum.  They listen to the stories and they enjoy the caring nurture of the adult workers.  Nothing is missed by them and when the church is over, they linger, as they receive some hot porridge or other food.

Afterwards they help in the cleaning up and then begin their walk home where things are not like the place they are leaving, but once again hope fills their heart. Eagerly they share this day with anyone who will listen.  They share about the place that gives not just physical bread but something more, spiritual sustenance.  Their hearts are filled with hope that will lift them above the despair of the here and now, out the dread of hopelessness into faith for a better tomorrow.

What drew me to this project was the fact that this is not the idea of some agency, but a simply a quiet, faith filled couple who have a deep desire to impact the children of their world and they have done so for over 20 years and this is just another divine interruption that came across their path to which they said “yes”…jon

Kids lining up for the morning to walk to the church

Some children going on a bus ride

Getting a bite to eat before church

There is always the Music

The eyes tell the story

In a classroom amongst their own age

She walked a long way to get here

A cup of porridge

The older helping the younger

A break after church

Singing

A girl drumming

Getting a cup of porridge

Entering a classroom

Be sure to see the continuation of this story

The Bugolobi Children's Project

See Africa's Children in Pictures on pages 1,2, 3, 4,5,6,7,8.

Page1  Page 2  Page3 Page4 Page5 Page6 Page7 Page8

The Children of Africa Section

Stories of African Children, Pictures of African Children, Life for children in Africa

Africa's Children-Struggling to SurviveAfrica's Children Struggling to Survive:  Life is a daily struggle for the children of Africa.  The things we take for granted in the west are often simply absent.  From nutrition to hygiene, from education to the lack of books for reading, find out what life is like for the children of Africa.

Meet Monie and LeakeyMeet Monie and Leakey:  Two children and their stories.  Two different countries, Monie in Rwanda and Leakey in Kenya, but the struggle to survive is similar.  One a child of an unjust war that resulted in a genocide, the other child a boy of the streets in Nairobi.  Both give you insight into the daily lives of children in Africa.

You will be glad to have read these two stories.

A boy like mePeter - a boy just like me: The story of an African Boy and his triumph against all odds.  Peter came from a slum in Eldoret in Kenya.  His story is tragic, but profound.  Thrown away at the time of his birth, raised by a grandmother, sleeping for days without food, and yet there is a strong will to survive.

Life in a Kampala Neighborhood

Life in a Kampala Neighborhood:  I spent some months living in an area of Kampala where you will not many a western person. My home, was in a small courtyard where one of the children I became friends with was Axum.  An account of what life is like for people in Kampala, Uganda and how children live in tough times.

A day in a school in Africa - Kampala UgandaA day in a School in Africa:  A day at Saint Andrew's Nursery and Primary School in Kampala, Uganda.  Get a feel of what school is like in a Kampala neighborhood. Get a feel of what school life is like for a child at Saint Andrew's Nursery and Primary in Kansanga, Kampala, Uganda.

Life Saving Medicine - Soap and Water:  Death comes to thousands of children in Africa, all it takes to prevent it is soap and water.  What people do not realize is that soap and water will eliminate 40% of children's sicknesses and diseases.  The best medicine for African children is simple soap and water.  The problem is access to water, besides water in many cases costs money and has to be carried a distance, so you avoid using it, even for washing of hand in the case of children.

Aids and the children of AfricaAids and the Children of Africa:  Each day more children become orphans because of the ravages of AIDS.  Many children are born being HIV positive and life ahead of them is simply tragic.  The emotional scars, the inner and outer pain is great for the children of Africa. 

Culture – Patriarchal Ways and Education of Girls:  African Parents are deeply concerned for the education of their children.  Boys are pushed to be educated, girls on the other hand, if there is a lack of funds, they just might be the first to stay home.  The poorer the family, the bigger the chance that the girls in the family will stay home and help at home. 67% of girls in slums drop out of school while only 38% of boys do so.

Born in Africa - Born in the USABorn in the USA and Born in Africa -Where you are born, determines how you live:  For most children born in Africa, life is simply tougher than being born in the west.  Life for a child in Africa is simply a struggle.  From the moment of birth life becomes a fight for survival.

 

The children of the LRAThe children of the LRA:  This section deals with the children of Northern Uganda.  Find out about Child soldiers of the LRA, what happens to abducted children, the children who evaded captivity by becoming night commuters, the stories of abducted children.  The person behind the abductions of children, Joseph Kony.

Children born into slumsChildren born into Slums:  A child that is born into a slum in Africa does not have much of a chance in life.  From day to day survival which ranges access to clean water and food to education, it is all about money.  The future for such a child means being locked into the cycle of poverty and rarely is there a  way out for such a child.

Children - Born into slums-The Solution=Education:  How do you help a child in a slum in Africa?  Education is the solution and even with education alone there is no guarantee since  here in Africa getting a job, any job is simply tough, without an education there is no hope for a meaningful future and a breaking of the cycle of poverty.

Children Born into Slums - Child Sponsorship:  Sponsor a Child in a slum in Kampala.  His or her parents have no money to help and assist their children.  There is not enough money even for food, at times for water, at times to pay to go to a latrine.  Life is simply tough. When it comes to education, children stay at home, work around the house, take care of the other children and miss out on being a child.

Send a book to a child in AfricaSend a book to a Child in Africa:  If you go into a home in Uganda, one thing that will be absent are books.  In Kampala there are only about five book stores to be found.  Children grow up not reading.  The power and of the dream and imagination is simply not released in the life of a child.  Your donation of some books could and would make a difference in the life of a child living in a slum, where books are the last things one thinks about.

Start a Library in Africa for ChildrenStart a Library in Africa for Children:  Libraries, one can spend hours in them.  In Uganda, most schools do not have lending libraries.  If there are some books, they are behind a locked door, behind glass, to be protected.  Children are deprived of books that would allow them to grow and become.  Start a library in Africa is a project with the intention of getting thousands of books into hands of children that will allow them to released in their imagination and heart.

The children of Africa in PicturesAfrican Children Photo Album:  The pictures of Africa's Children tell their story. One can read the stories on this site, but when you see the pictures of the children of Africa, your heart simply melts.  Meet the children of Africa through pictures.  There are lots of pages for you to peruse and enjoy.

Make a difference in the life of a childMake a difference in the Life of a Child:  It is one thing to read about the children of Africa, look at the picture, but coming here and being with the children is most awesome thing one can experience.  Not only will you make a difference in the life of a child, but a difference in your own life.  One to two weeks that will be life changing.

What can I do?What can I do?  This is a question that I am often asked, here are some practical answers as to how you can help and assist the children of Africa.  One of the most inspiring ways is coming here to spend a few weeks and visit.  It is one of the best investments you can ever make.

 

 

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Last updated: 21 August 2010

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