New Hope Orphanage

This morning’s yoga practice focused on the art of PLAY! We worked on handstands, crow, and other arm balances. Seane wanted to give us some ideas on what to teach the kids we were going to meet at the New Hope Orphanage later that day. At the end of our practice, Seane asked us to remember the children in our own lives back home. I immediately thought of Christopher’s cousins- Erin, Jaime (though not so young anymore!), RJ and Ben, and beautiful little Jonathan. They have brought so much light into their families lives and I feel incredible gratitude for the presence of these special souls in my own life. They continually teach and re-teach me joy, innocence, and the pure pleasure of discovery.

Seane reminded us to cultivate play, not pity, and to support, not sympathize with the children we would meet today. Every child at New Hope has HIV and all are orphans. It is important to remember that it is not our responsibility to take on the emotional burden of the situation, but to approach each child with love and bare witness to their circumstances. We are providing opportunities for growth, and that mindset was definitely helpful today.

The New Hope Orphanage is located in Entebbe, about an hour north of Kampala. Your donations provided this facility with a clean water filtration system, an organic garden for food, and new mattresses for the children to sleep on. Water, food, and bedding- the basic necessities. The children could not have been more grateful. When we arrived, they sang us a few welcome songs (got it on video!!) and the director spoke to us. Then, the fun started. We did EVERYTHING with these kids! Soccer, yoga, jump rope, fluoride treatments, painting, coloring, games, dancing, Frisbee, reading, gardening, and even loaded their new mattresses into their large bedroom. This was a truly exhausting and rewarding day. A tough day, for some.

I felt I was standing on the outside, looking in, and made myself available for support to those that were deeply effected by the visit. Perhaps I’m not ready to handle what we were doing and seeing. The joy the children expressed when we arrived coupled with the utter sadness on their faces upon our departure is too much to take in. It is the hardest part of this kind of work—saying goodbye.

On the way back to Kampala, I sat in the very front of the bus, next to Joseph, to better observe the scenery. Goats, livestock, and trash flood the landscape. Markets, crowds, women walking with enormous bags on their heads, men riding bikes and boda-bodas in large groups, children playing in the dirt, banana trees, officers with shot guns. The heat, the B.O., the overwhelming smells of exhaust from nearly every vehicle. The senses are on overdrive in a place like this. Words cannot give justice to this magnificent country for all of it's flaws and perfections.