One night, as I lay down for bed, I asked God for direction in my life. The next morning I received an email from World Vision, seeking volunteers for Destination Life Change, a volunteer opportunity to visit communities around the world where World Vision works. The location: Uganda, Africa. I applied immediately and before I knew it I was on a plane headed on the journey of a lifetime.
I have never travelled much, and the thought of a 20 hour flight to East Africa was daunting. We would also be driving from the airport city of Entebbe to Soroti town, a distance of more than 300 kilometres. Its not the distance that was bad, but the road. With only one lane in each direction and potholes resembling the aftermath of a meteor storm, the 10-hour ride was the real challenge. Traffic felt like a guessing game as little motorbikes squeezed and weaved through wherever they could. Many times we were forced onto the dirt walkway to avoid being hit.
Being the only male in the group of eight was a bit lonely at the start. The women would talk about things at home. I could tell they were very passionate about visiting the children and families. As the trip progressed and we shared experiences of our interaction with the locals and children, I found myself being able to talk and relate with the others. We would work together to bring back stories of Uganda to Canada.
Getting answers out of children is a challenge. Add a translator, foreign culture and it becomes a tall wall to scale. We visited families of sponsored children with a warning: come without expectations.
On one particular visit, we drove through bushes and dirt paths narrower than our vehicle to arrive at one childs home. We were led under a large mango tree, greeted by a small crowd of excited kids and smiling adults. The kids could not wait to shower us with welcome hugs and high-fives. Mathias was 12 and in the early years of primary school. He was living with his grandma, and my heart went out to him when I found out that his parents were not around to raise him anymore. He was the youngest in a family of three, with a childhood dream of wanting to be a doctor to help others in his community. His health was not good and his grandmother was also struggling with a low income.
World Vision is supporting them with treated mosquito nets and a nearby borehole well. We gave some gifts to the family and a soccer ball for Mathias. All their friends joined in as we kicked the ball around and enjoyed our short time together.
The two weeks went by fast and I wanted to experience more of life there. But, the time had come to say goodbye to Uganda. My hope is that I will be able to share the stories of the good work being done there but also let Canadians know that there is still lots that needs to be done. We can help so much by sponsoring a child and making sure they are in a program that can help them thrive and have access to the necessities in life that we take for granted.
We can help a child in Uganda dream the same dreams that a child in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»has.
For more information visit worldvision.ca, change a life and change your own.
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Patrick Liu is a Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»resident.
