Currently a senior at Roswell High School in Roswell, Georgia, Priya Johnson has always been a young person keenly aware of the world around her and conscious of the suffering outside of her immediate community. When the Tsunami struck Asia in December 2004, Priya was among millions around the world affected by the devastating images that emerged from the region, but was one of the few who took real initiative to try and help the affected populations.

With the support of faculty advisors, Priya founded "Shanti" ("Peace"), a group dedicated to community activism both domestically and abroad. Through dance-a-thons, the sale of bracelets, and other creative events, this group raised funds at a critical time for victims of the October 2005 Pakistan Earthquake. In July of this year, Priya traveled to Africa, and spent time volunteering with the Destiny Boarding School in Kampala, Uganda, spending hours making the children smile, assisting teachers at the school and starting a pen-pal program between the children at the orphanage and her school back home. The commitment and dedication shown by Priya and her classmates gives those of us already engaged in the field of relief and development faith that the good work that has been started will be continued for generations to come and should serve as a model for young people of any age…that they can make a real impact in communities around the world. Below are Priya's memoirs of her journey to Uganda...

Destiny Boarding School Uganda

             It’s not your typical view of an orphanage. Granted there are beautiful children of unfortunate circumstances running around with no family to speak of, but relative to the town of Katende, it’s a three star hotel nestled in the mountains of the tropics. That’s not to say that the need is irrelevant. Many come with deep pockets and pure hearts but observations are often superficial and thus, the progress granted is not always what is truly necessary. Resources are there, but the problem is simply that the focus is skewed.

             These children are by no means being completely denied of a decent upbringing.  Peter can do math in his head faster than I can and Jerry is four and already a speed-reader. Their manners are wonderful and their smiles are contagious. They are so lucky to have an education provided by teachers who obviously care. They are clearly disciplined and very eager to learn, but I think the process could be made easier if the path was a little more clear-cut. Teachers say that they follow a set curriculum, but I just got the feeling that they didn’t really adhere to it. Part of the time I went around helping teachers grade class-work and as far as I saw it was only wrong or right and no further explanation. It is understandable when each class consists of about 80 kids that there isn’t time for much one on one help, but in that case how can we except those that are lagging behind to ever catch up. Maybe more teachers would help, or smaller classrooms. A difficult thing to ask, but it seems like it is a much-needed change. Also, some of the kids are older so you can’t help but ask what will happen when it comes time for secondary education. That’s something I never got confirmation on.  

            Unfortunately education is not limited to conceptual discussion; a vital part of primary education is based on materials. One morning Maria came to me with eyes full of tears and said her pencil got stolen, so I pulled a brand new one out of my bag and gave it to her. Two seconds later I was bombarded with what seemed like the entire class holding up little pencil stubs and begging for new ones. A while later when I asked kids what they wanted from America, they all said reading books. What’s the point in them learning a skill if they cant put it to use? Directly from the source, this is what they really want. As I said before when money is introduced to situations like this, the expansionist mentality is formed and the focus is taken away from the students. Instead of constantly pouring heart, soul, dollars, and shillings into new buildings and fancy structural work, we should be using what we have to fund advances in education and health as well.

            The campus is not plagued by disease, but precautions should still be taken. It is an unfortunate reality that a large percentage of these kids’ parents were taken by AIDS, but the administration at the school must be willing to face it and work towards preventing it in the future. I was discreetly told that “few to none” of the kids had HIV, but whether or not that is true I am still unsure. If there are children affected by it, the immediate question that needs to be answered is whether or not they receive special attention so as to keep the virus from spreading. In conjunction, one may ask if kids are tested as time progresses, since many diseases may surface with age. There is a resident nurse, but it is unclear as to what she is capable of providing beyond a clean cot and wet towel. She is wonderful for donating herself, but one may want to find firstly if she has adequate training and secondly what medicines she has at hand. Another step that could be taken in order to monitor the health of the children is a record of vitamin intake in their daily diet. It could be in the simple form of a journal documenting what their meals contain and making sure that it is balanced. In the hopes of preventing these health conditions in the future, it is of equal importance to introduce sexual and reproductive health education among the older students.  As I was not among these students I don’t know what they already know or what they are being taught, but I simply feel they should be made aware while they are in this protected environment.

Concerning health in a different regard, a general sense of hygiene should be applied to the grounds themselves. One day I noticed that many children were running around barefoot in soil that was littered with trash. I grabbed a bag and shoveled whatever trash I saw into it. A few minutes later I turned around and saw about 50 smiling faces eagerly following my lead, as if it were a game. The children are willing to help but it is a matter of teaching them to be proactive and avoid littering in the first place. They need to begin thinking of the entire campus as their home. My other concern with the trash was that we took three large bags filled with bits of plastic and paper and dumped them in a stack of trash that was already burning. The smoke that rose and hung over the campus was thick and heavy. I suppose it is not the primary concern, but the fumes are surely harmful and thus some system should eventually be created to allow a safer form of disposal. A possible solution is a combination of a compost pile and recycling system. The compost would provide nutrients for the newly planted fruit trees, and it is possible that school could receive money in exchange for recycling, while at the same time teaching the kids a valuable lesson in preservation.

In any school or even any home, structure and management is key in fostering a sense of family, safety, and progress. I have no doubt that every adult at the school loves the children and wants the best for them, but the organization is lacking. Evah Mugerwa and her husband are the initiators, but beyond that there still needs to be some set allocation of tasks and responsibilities. Destiny is a boarding school and orphanage run based on donations and sponsorships so when prospective donors have inquiries as to how the school is run or how the funds are divided, they should easily be provided with a definitive answer. No one should feel anxiety based on the unclear destination of his or her money. The only way to ensure this is by streamlining the efforts of all those involved in order to create a reliable administration in which each member is provided with a role and responsibility. It should not be a red tape bureaucracy but simply an understanding and united resolution. In this way they will not only be idealists with hopes for a better future, but will actively and collectively be preparing the children and in the mean time will be well informed on every aspect of the children’s current lives.  

I didn’t learn all of their names. I didn’t bring one home. I didn’t do extremely strenuous labor or donate my life savings. In fact I think they did more for me than I ever could have done for them. Even though I just spilled every need for improvement I could think of onto paper, in all honesty it is completely outweighed by the children. They are the essence of this place, and in spite of it all they thrive. They will welcome you with open arms, and bright yellow uniforms. They will hold your hands and braid your hair; sing with you and dance with you; make you forget any concept of time. They will look at you with big brown curious eyes, and you will melt. And then when you leave you’ll feel the sting of tears and this unbearable pain in your stomach, not feeling like you’ve done enough. There is no way to prepare you enough for the innocence and beauty you’re bound to meet. Just be ready to fall head over heels in love. After all…it is Destiny isn’t it?

Priya Johnson
July 15, 2007