Uganda, Africa by Micah

Uganda, Africa by Micah - January 2024 Scholarship Essay

In May of 2023, I was blessed with the opportunity to serve in Uganda, Africa with a team of my closest friends and mentors. We spent months preparing mentally, spiritually, and physically to help these communities. As we prepared, I was not completely sure what to expect. I knew that my main purpose was to serve the less fortunate, but what I didn’t realize is what I would receive in return. This experience taught me so many lessons that helped me grow into the person I am today, and I am so blessed to have built lifelong relationships with some of the happiest people on earth.
In remote villages, the way most families get their water is by carrying a jerry can a mile or more to the nearest water source. After filling the can, they haul it the same distance back to their homes. The cans, completely filled with water, can get very heavy and difficult to carry.
I experienced the “water walk” first hand by filling and carrying these jerry cans for the families in the village. This put me in the shoes of these individuals and helped me understand how physically challenging it is for them to access a basic necessity. Witnessing four year old children carrying these large cans of water, that were nearly the size of the small children themselves, for miles and miles in the heat just so their families could have water was something that greatly impacted me. These specific scenes really opened my eyes to how lucky I truly am. Water is always readily available for me and my family and definitely something I will never take for granted again.
Our team had multiple tasks while on the trip. The water team reconstructed wells within remote villages and schools. It was a team ranging up to ten people that would deconstruct wells, find the problem such as a crack or leak, and repair what was broken. Jobs could last up to a whole day of work or it could be a simple one hour fix. In total, our team reconstructed eight different wells and provided clean water for thousands of families within many villages.
My purpose on the trip was to work with 84 Days, a non-profit organization designed to provide education and feminine hygiene to women across the world. Due to the lack of proper feminine hygiene products, women in third-world countries typically miss 84 days of schooling a year because of their menstrual cycle. As a result, they tend to feel less educated and inferior to the men. Thus, 84 Days strives to empower and reinforce the confidence in these women. Women in these countries shared with us that they use anything from banana peels to pieces of scrap fabric they find lying around as feminine hygiene products, which is not only heart-breaking, but extremely unsanitary and unsafe. While visiting schools, we taught the girls self-defense to use against predators, the anatomy of the female reproductive system, and provided them with kits that included menstrual cups, reusable pads, soap, underwear, washcloths, and a whistle. The goal of our teaching and providing of essential products was to address the physical, psychological, and safety needs of the women.
We were able to accomplish so much on this trip and help so many people in need but my biggest take away was nothing “task oriented.” Every Ugandan I came in contact with, regardless of their circumstances, never failed to show their broad smiles and bright spirits. They were all so happy and thankful for everything they had, even if it was nearly nothing. My eyes were completely opened to a whole new perspective of life. The pure joy these people have inspired me to become more grateful, and is now something I consciously strive towards every day. I’m forever blessed from this experience and all the wonderful relationships I was able to make with the happiest people on earth.