Masaka

This past weekend I traveled to Masaka in southern Uganda with Catharine and Megan. The purpose was to meet the children at that site and to visit some of their homes.

The drive to Masaka was gorgeous. Because Kampala is such a developed and crowded city, you don’t really get a sense there of the beauty that is encompassed in the lush, tropical countryside of the rest of Uganda. Once you get outside of the capital, you begin to see the true Uganda…. beautiful green rolling hills covered with banana trees, papyrus, and a host of other tropical fauna. We also crossed over the equator on our way to Masaka. How many chances do you have to be standing in both the northern and the southern hemisphere at the same time?


Masaka is a larger town nestled among green hills and marshy areas. It is the fourth largest town in Uganda with a population of 50,000+. The main focus of Children of Hope is to help children from very poor families complete their education. Many of the children are unable to pay for school because either their parents are unskilled and do not make enough money, or their parents have died and their caretaker, usually another relative, is not willing to pay for the child to attend school. In Masaka, COH sought out the poorest children who had no hope of going to school without sponsorship.

All of the 58 children at the Masaka site attend Masaka Baptist School which is located on the grounds of a church by the same name. It is strictly a primary school, thus the children range in age from about 6 to 14. The children gathered at the church on Saturday to give us a special presentation comprising of songs, skits, dancing, and reciting bible verses. They were very excited to have visitors and we were truly honored to see their performance which included traditional dances. I’ve posted a picture of the church as well as pictures from the children’s presentation below.

After the morning presentation, we had the opportunity to trek through Masaka and visit a few of the children’s homes. Many people in this area survive on subsistence farming. Thus we passed by small fields of beans, yams, cassava, and maize among the intermittent mud houses. Other common sites were pigs, chickens, cattle, and goats wandering through the area as well as large mud pits where bricks are processed. First we visited the home of Namudu Resty, a girl in primary 1, or P.1 (like first grade), who lives with her father and step-mother. Polygamy is legal in Uganda. Consequently, it is not uncommon, especially in rural areas, for a man to have two wives. Oftentimes, when one of the wives dies, her children are treated as lesser members of the family by the remaining wife. Resty’s mother passed away and now she is treated as a “Cinderella” of sorts by her step-mother. She must fetch the water and then cook for the entire family which takes time away from her school work. The work also causes her to be late to school or absent when her step-mother has her stay home to do the chores. Catharine talked with Resty’s parents, expressing her concern over Resty’s absences from school and encouraging them to send her to school every day.

We visited the homes of Nabiryo Angela and Kyomukama Esther. These families of these two girls live next to each other. Both girls are in P.2 and at the top of their class. Angela’s father is out of the picture and her mother is dying from AIDS. It is unclear what will happen to Angela and her siblings once her mother passes away.

Ssempebwa Martin was another of the children who received a visit. He lives with his mentally disturbed grandmother who also cares for 9 of his other siblings and cousins. His mother lives nearby, but apparently does not wish to accept the responsibility of caring for her children. The picture below is of Martin (the boy at center), his grandmother (back center), his mother (back left), a neighbor, and some of the other grandchildren for whom the grandmother is caretaker. His grandmother’s house in the background.

As you can probably surmise, with 9 other children in the house and a slightly irrational grandmother, Martin does not receive much care or attention at home. Sponsorship through COH has allowed him not only to attend school, but also to take part in special activities and provisions that COH supplies.

The final picture is of a little boy named Adam. He was extremely shy at first (as most of the children are) and would barely speak to us. However, after I asked to take his picture, a huge grin spread across his face. Most of the children love to have their photo taken since with today’s digital cameras, they can immediately look at the screen and see themselves in the photo.

I am thankful for our time in Masaka, especially since it allowed me the opportunity to see with my own eyes the kinds of situations in which these kids live. Most homes were very small, dark, and dingy… some had little furniture save for a few mats on the dirt floors. Some have caring parents or grandparents, while others live with no one who will really give them the care or attention that they need. Pray for these kids… that we can help to give them not only a better life, but also the hope of Jesus Christ to fill the voids in their lives.

This Friday I leave to go to northern Uganda for a week. I will be traveling with Megan, Catharine, and Francis. We will be staying in Gulu for a few days and then in Adjumani for a few days also. Please pray once again for safety as we travel and for understanding for the people that we meet. The northern part of Uganda has suffered from decades of civil war. Although all is calm there now, the scars and signs of years of war and cruelty still remain. Pray that our hearts will be prepared for the journey.