ironic_platypus

Truthfully, because I feel the need for help is much greater here than it is in places like the US. There is more poverty, more disease, more despair... just more. I'm aware there are places of need in the states, but I was intentionally seeking an opportunity to serve people that were in the most terrible situations.

Best perks - The pineapple.

Biggest obstacles - Everything that isn't pineapple.

Worst aspects - Seeing the heartbreak, pain, and suffering that surrounds you everyday.

Greatest feeling - So far, it's a little girl that I met at one of our facilities. She was an orphan, but not a prisoner... maybe no more than 2 years old. She had never spoken or smiled to ANY of us.

I brought a football one day to throw around with some of the older kids. I turned and offered it to her - she smiled, tossed it back, and then answered "yes" when I asked her if she liked football.

That moment hit me in the feels more than anything ever has.

Well, I'm sure you've heard about the "Kill the Gays" bill.

It's pretty bad. Here in Uganda, you can even get thrown in prison for several years for failing to report homosexuality.

It's sad how dark this place is sometimes. I mean, even the most advanced nations in the world struggle with how to approach homosexuality; this place, in many ways, feels like it is still stuck in the Dark Ages.

1) This was answered in a previous post, but the short of it is that we found this organization through my sister-in-law, who has adopted from Uganda twice now.

2) It's good and bad. Our families were SUPER supportive, and definitely supported us coming over here. It's tough to be apart, but with my wife living here with me, the blow is lessened.

3) We've only been here a few months, so never yet. Our plan (as of now) is to stay at least a year, and if we stay longer, we'll probably plan a short trip home around that time.

4) Honestly, we raised our own funding. We both had steady, stable jobs in the states, but traded that for uncertainty and craziness! Fortunately, we have enough saved from our prior jobs to reestablish life back in America when we go.

Yea, I noticed that too... oh well.

We have met quite a few doing NGO work. It's actually kinda funny sometimes, simply because there's always some kind of friction between NGO's in the area. Because the government officials like to have their pockets lined, if you DON'T pay them bribes (like us), you're at a perpetual disadvantage.

In some cases, there are NGO's we used to partner with that now tell the government we don't do anything when we go to the remand homes, so we're constantly in a tenuous state with the government.

As far as long-term, it could be. We're open to staying for longer than a year, but we don't know if that will happen yet. If we do stay in Africa, I imagine we would stay in Uganda to continue the work here, unless we end up expanding beyond Uganda at some point.