We’re helping… no money needed

We’ve been teaching the neighbourhood children for over a month now. There are many highlights that I would love to ‘write home about’, and why shouldn’t I?

Like when the whole class learnt Little Red Riding Hood and did an incredible job retelling it (Ugandan style); or when they have done a fabulous job to start writing the story (I could talk for hours about the benefits of storytelling for story writing… just don’t get me started). There’s also a dance-off that occurred on the grass for about an hour – that was one to remember.

But the moment that sticks out in my mind is a few days ago when we ran out of water (always happens mid-shower…). Who do we call to help us? Of course, the children. We walk across the road and asked a couple of the children to help us fetch water from the bore hole. Two children quickly volunteered and went with two 20-litre jerrycans to the borehole. I told them we would pay them for collecting the water for us (the going rate for water-fetching of course).

The children returned carrying the water (one carrying it on their head, the other by his side). We had a nerf gun war on the grass with them for a while and then Dan went to pay them, they refused the money. They said they were helping us and didn’t want the money. They TURNED DOWN the money. I have never heard of that happening before. Ever! In this country or in any country.

I was amazed, baffled and incredibly proud of those children. It shows how we are a community and reflects the relationships we have developed. Weirdly, it will be sad when schools re-open and they go back to ‘real school’, but we will still make the most of the time we have left.