Today we went to a "project" near downtown Kampala. One of the things that our "guide" (Brian Seay, who is one of our tour leaders) explained is that each Project of Compassion is really a church. They firmly believe in empowering the local church to serve their community. They provide funds to help children development by simply helping the local church out. They work closely with them and develop a relationship, which really seems to be working. The church we visited was called Deliverance Church Makerere-Kivulu. We all went inside the church, which was in the middle of a building program that will expand its facilities to provide a lot more room for the children and the other work they do.
It's a child development center, which is reflective of the core of Compassion's work. They do relief work when there's a tsunami or big earthquake, but their chief focus is on children. This is the "THEM" I was refering to earlier.
I remember when I was single and oftentimes my thoughts and conversations were about finding a mate. I recall one conversation where a friend of mine (who incidentily works in the mission field nowadays) said something about being able to tell a lot about a person (not just a potential spouse) by how they interacted with children. If kids liked them, they were probably alright.
It's not ironic that Jesus was even sort of criticized by his own disciples for spending so much time and seemingly relaxing with and entertaining children. Children are not just our future, they are the here and now. They are part of the church today. I like that. And I LOVE the fact that this organization shows so much value and important in children.
So, anyway, after seeing the church, hearing about their child development program and seeing what they learn, what they make, meeting several of them and a couple of parents; we took a tour of the rest of the church grounds. They were especially proud of the toilets that they build with Compassion's help. It may not seem like much to us, but showing these little boys and girls how to use a toilet ("no, those are not sinks or wells to wash your hands in..."), wash their hands, and become accustomed to personal hygeine training that we so take for granted. They even had locks on the stalls with "vacant" and "occupied" signs on the doors, so that they could be trained in how our system works.
After seeing all that and visiting with church staff and whatnot, we split up and went to various houses. The group I was with met a lady named Rose, who stood in front of a little shack with a tin roof over it, a pot over a fire outside, and lots of kids around. About six of us went into her house at her invitation, sitting on small benches facing each other. This room, which is where her six kids slept, was no bigger than our closet. Dirt floor, clay walls ... and no lights. It took a long time for my eyes to adjust. It was hard to imagine living in a place like this, but here we were having a conversation and meeting a woman and her family. Her husband returned home and we got to meet him and a few of her children. It was a powerful experience.
[more later... it's time to visit another project now]
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at February 12, 2008 07:03 AM