It was such an honour to represent Home Church by visiting one of WV projects in a village called Pejule in Northern Uganda.
What did we do: - The trip was very well planned and managed by the crew in Uganda, they were indeed outstanding as hosts. Considering the circumstances in the villagers we are supporting, security was a priority. We spent a few hours on security detail.
On the Sunday, we were fellowshipped at a local church. The experience was a heavenly one. We were joined by other local church leaders who went on to share how they are jointly working with WV and the local communities to reach every family within their area. The entire WV team was made up of Ugandans which made it feel localised. The local faith leaders shared how they worked with local authorities as well as non-Christian organisations to ensure that they were reaching every child in the community.

As the week progressed, we visited different villages for a first hand experience of the community life. We were welcomed with local songs and dances. Their enthusiasm was infectious.
The way WV conducts the work on the ground is different from what we expected. The local communities are empowered from the grassroots - they are encouraged to work together as a team. Each community has a responsibility to provide children with education, so they have purpose built huts for use as a pre school and to support young learners. The teaching work is done by older children under supervision. Most of the people are small scale farmers, so they work together and join the farm produce allowing them to access better prices.

The highlight of the visit was the chosen event. This was a day of great cooperation between the WV team, local government officials and the public. There were in excess of 400 people who came from surrounding villages. The event was meticulously organised. The children were engaged with appropriate activities in their respective age groups. The event created an opportunity for families to access health care services like injections like polio vaccines.

In my opinion, the chosen event cannot be quantified by words, it is one to be experienced. The transformation begins from the moment the children walk in the compound, it continues as they go through the well planned process, get to choose a new family they can call friends and end with a fabulous display of gratitude and praise by the villagers.

What insprired me about the children I met is there sense of hope. There was a tangible feeling of love and their faces radiated joy with an expectation of a brighter future. It was and the memories still are moving.