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on Um Zayd wa Atheer (Uganda), 19/Oct/2009 18:02, 34 days ago
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From time to time the question is asked, ' What motivates volunteers to come to countries like Uganda?' Why do they leave their 'comfortable' lives to walk through mud (as my boss John describes my experience here). Of course, there are as many answers as there are volunteers. Even the people concerned may not know their own motives. We can take our pick from adventure, escapism, altruism, fate, divine providence and boredom. For myself I could put a tick against all those boxes but none may be the real reason. I truely do not know. Perhaps it is not that improtant to know. Most of us are here doing our best with our eye on the future, in another place and with other people.People sometimes ask me what do I miss most from home? What do I look forward to most when I eventually return home? Just as I am overwhelmed by a library full of books and I fail to choose a title, so I fail to give an answer. I cannot think clearly and obectively. Obviously my priority will be to spend time with my family, espcecially Charles and Henry. I know that they will bring me great joy but at the same time some confusion at Christmas time. In their innocent lives there is a western indulgence. I will see them with so much and think of those with so little.Yesterday, in the market I saw a young boy and his mother playing Ludo on the edge of the stall were thery were selling second hand (foot) shoes. The board was marked out on a rough piece of cardboard, the counters were bottle tops and the die a screwed up bit of paper with dots drawn on it. The game was serious and no less enjoyed. And so it is with football, which is an obsession here, often played in the absence of a real ball. Most games are played using scrunched up plastic bags held together with rubber bands. There is no less enthusiasm and there is obvious pleasure.For some young boys this has changed this week. My son Atheer has been out to Masindi to share the experience and he brought with him some leather footballs. One of them was given to the children at Kyabaswa Primary School. I think, in education 'speak' this could be described as an under achieving/failing/special measures school. Their results are so poor that the 2 top classeshave been abolished. Teachers often don't turn up and not one child in the school wears shoes. Everything about it is desolate and so we have taken an interest and we are trying to encourage them. Hence they received one of the footballs and girls were also given a ball for gender balance. After the photo the boys were let loose on to the grassy compound, screaming shouting and laughing. It was one of the loveliest of scenes ever and within minutes they were organisning themselves into teams. Even the teacher got over excited and clearly wanted to join in. What other motivation do you need? What label do you have to put on another human being(s) experiencing sheer joy?All that aside, my greatest joy has been that Atheer has been out to Uganda too. Part of me, from another place, has seen what I have seen and met some of these wonderful people. Now that we both have the pictures we do not need the words.