Tue 4 Aug 2009
She hasn’t even started her senior year at
Along the way, Hall had the opportunity to go “dune bashing” in a Toyota Land Cruiser in
While Hall had the opportunity to see many sights, the trip wasn’t about being a tourist. It was about bringing education and joy to orphaned children living in the green and lush
Hall and the group arrived in Jinja after a six-hour bus ride from the airport in
“The most fun part of the trip was spending time with the Ugandan children,” said Hall.
During their time in Jinja, the Mountain Christian Fellowship team worked with the Aids Orphan Educational Training organization (AOET). According to AOET’s website, it is, “(a)n independent, indigenous, non-governmental organization with the prime mandate of providing an education—formal and/or vocational—to desperately poor, neglected and forgotten orphans whose parents have died of AIDS. AOET assists children with AIDS and widows that have lost their spouses to AIDS and most of them (are) HIV+ themselves.”
The team coordinated two 3-day vacation bible school programs (VBS), one for 5-8 year-olds and one for 9-12 year-olds. With the help of AOET translators, Hall and her team taught the children lessons on the alphabet, math, conversational English, and bible stories.
The VBS students were on a waiting list to get sponsors, which will make it possible for them to get into the AOET program. Hall said that most, or maybe even all, of the 80 or so children in each class had never attended school prior to the VBS.
Along with the lessons, the team provided the students with a snack and lunch—food that was vitally important for the youngsters.
“We were informed by our translators that the provided food would most likely be the only meal the children would eat,” said Hall.
The team spent much of their free time with the children. They played soccer, jumped rope, or sang songs that the children had learned in VBS. Hall was able to form a special bond with an older group of girls that “latched on” to her and wouldn’t let her out of their sight, until the final day of the program.
“I fully enjoyed interacting with the children at VBS, Even though they didn’t speak much English, our team developed many friendships with the children,” said Hall. “When our team’s van would pull up to the youth center each morning, all of the VBS kids would come running out to greet us.”
While in Jinja, the team stayed in an enclosed compound with living conditions that Hall called “quite nice for a third world country.” Hall roomed with four other girls. They had bunk beds, mosquito netting and indoor plumbing. At the compound, the team was served mainly American food, but outside the enclosure they were able to experience the local cuisine.
“I ordered fish fillets and chips at a restaurant and the whole fish was served to me! This was the best fish I’ve ever eaten. We had lots of fresh fruit such as papaya, mangoes, bananas, and yak fruit. Lunches at VBS were Ugandan dishes such as beans and rice,” said Hall.
Hall began the trip with the long term goal of working in the field of international development after she graduates from college and said that her Uganda experience has helped her narrow down her interests.
“My experiences in
Although she enjoyed the “slower, less hectic, pace of life” in
“What I missed most from home was the family dog, hot showers, beef hamburgers, and American style pizza,” said Hall
Hall also had an observation about Ugandan motorists, “Ugandans drive on the left hand side of the road in
At Yreka High School, Hall competes in cross country, serves as the president of the
Note: Slide show photos were taken by several different members of the team, including Hall. The video was shot by team member Walt Wimmer, who was also the voice for the Visa spoof.
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