dawn

"Do you remember the slogan 'the toughest job you’ll ever love' from a few years ago? I think it was for the US Army recruitment. Well, Change the Truth’s Team 5 'recruits' take that message to heart during our stay at St. Mary Kevin.

It’s indeed tough here in central Uganda. The roads are tough. The lack of clean, running water is tough. The access to opportunity is tough. The loss of parents and siblings is exceedingly tough.

The sun blazes, the traffic snarls, the electricity vanishes.

But there is so much life and love here. The streets are alive with people at all hours and on every square inch of this dry, red ground. Cows and goats and chickens roam close to cars and trucks. Cooking fires light the day as well as the night. Young children carry heavy loads (literally and figuratively) on their heads.

There is a rhythm to the children’s daily life that is a wonder to behold. With very little supervision, the SMK children wake up early, do their chores, bathe, brush their teeth, and start their day.

During the kids’ holiday break (December and January), the rhythm is quite different. Children walk around SMK with their friends, they play football and cards, they tidy their bed and [few] possessions in the dormitory, and they eagerly soak up time with the Change the Truth team. It will be tough for them when we leave.

I am loving this tough job and loving these special young people. I know it will be tough for me when it’s time to leave Kajjansi. But my heart has been filled with incredible love and a special bond that will stay with me forever.

Perhaps you will 'enlist' in Team 6 next December. I guarantee you’ll love it."

- Dawn Taylor