Uganda Read This!: BUILDing a Brighter Future

My greatest passion in Uganda is working with youth.

Especially girls since they are they are marginalized when compared to their male counterparts.

As the first term break came, so did the camps. As applications filled my inbox, I contemplated whether or not to work at BUILD, Boys of Uganda in Leadership Development, or GLOW, Girls Leading Our World. Up until this point, I had worked at four GLOWs in various capacities, as a Counselor, Staff, or Co-Director.

As the due dates neared I finalized my decision to apply for a Counselor position at Northern BUILD, where 88 boys from the region would come together for a week of life skills, games, and fun. The decision came from me wanting to find out why the young men think the way they do and to help educate them from a strong, woman’s perspective.

I arrived to Gulu for training to find nine other eager Peace Corps Volunteers and Ugandans ready for a week of learning, laughing, and new experiences. We spent a couple days together learning about our roles and making welcome posters for our groups.

The theme for this year’s BUILD was heroes, as that is what we were hoping to build out of them. Who was my hero you ask?

Schindler.

Fittingly, our camp sign was titled “Schindler’s List”.

As I glittered my shirt to make it more me, I could hear the matatus roll in with the campers. We welcomed them with smiles, shirts, manuals, and a bag. I soon found out that in my group I would have two visually impaired students, one of which I will write more about in a following post.

The week included sessions on leadership, public speaking, imagination, dance, gender, HIV/AIDS, malaria, nutrition, water and sanitation, and agribusiness. Staff members were responsible to facilitating the lessons and they did an incredible job doing so. Classes were taught in a way that the children were not familiar with, including creative and critical thinking.

During the week we took a day trip to The Recreation Project, an outdoor facility that inspires resilience through adventure and sports. The campers climbed the rock wall, zip lined, completed a challenge course, and participated in teambuilding activities. It was an inspirational day to see the Schindler boys pull together to support one another and successfully accomplish each activity, despite some fears and inhibitions.

The week wrapped up with each hero group doing mini presentations on various topics that they could then take back to their respective community.

Oh and a dance with the girl’s.

Needless to say I felt like a mom when I had to tell the youth to stop dancing so close and to make room for Jesus.

All in all it was a successful week and I was happy I got the chance to work with these young gentlemen. I do believe that this camp prepared them for their future, a way forward, and how to successfully BUILD a positive and progressive Uganda with their GLOWing female equivalents.