An afternoon at the Acholi Quarters.

What a beautiful way to end my Africa travels – with friends at Acholi Quarters.

It started with a ‘business meeting’ with Harriet and Miriam  - going through the various aspects of life that CRED supports in the community and catching up on how everything is going, and how all the children are getting on. So encouraging to hear lots of positive updates:

-         -  students that are taking the equivalent of GCSEs and in so doing being the first in their respective families ever to achieve this.

-          - Students who are getting improved results year on year as they work hard and are encouraged by their parents

-          - Children who are attending the Hopeful Haven programme regularly and making real progress with their literacy and numeracy

-          - Parents that are taking the initiative to support their children more in their education

-         -  Parents that are using the savings scheme as an opportunity to put little bits of money away, rather than risk having it in the house and spending it without thinking

-          - Two university students who are now half way through their studies and enjoying industry placements – again, a first in their families

-          - Adult literacy classes that have restarted and are being enjoyed and utilised by many of the members of the group

But I was also reminded how fragile life is, and how challenging things can be when the price of food and fuel goes up. Harriet shared how many of the families are struggling to put food on the table every day, all due to the increased costs of living, and the struggle to find work when many companies are having to reduce their expenses in order to survive. Thank goodness for the regular donors to CRED foundation which meant that I was able to dip into some funds and make a small payment to Harriet to share with the others, so that all will receive a food parcel of basic goods.

The other aspect of my visit this time was to observe a lesson taking place that is part of a ‘Classroom in a Box’ project. Through this project, a box of resources is made available to the Hopeful Haven team, along with demonstration lessons on how to use the various bits of kit. The box included a map of Uganda, a game of scrabble, a game of monopoly, flashcards, a spelling and math game for younger children and more. It was beautiful to watch the children really engaging with the items, and enjoying the opportunity to practise literacy and numeracy skills in ways that are so much more exciting than the usual worksheets and learning by rote. Am so grateful to Julius and the ‘Classroom in a Box’ team for investing in these children to help improve their engagement with education and to help them discover that learning is fun. And congratulations to Timothy who came first in the Scrabble game, closely followed by Ema in second!

Am forever grateful to my friends in the Acholi community for making me feel so welcome and at home there. For all the lovely chats, for the hugs and hellos, and for allowing me the honour of being able to journey with them through life’s ups and downs. Until the next time, Apwoyo & Wot Maber (thank you and goodbye, in Acholi language)