Week 7 - Children of Uganda

Over the weeks here, I have seen many children, and I have noticed some of the differences between childhood in Uganda and childhood in the United States. Now, I do not intend to generalize my observations to all children in Uganda and all children in the United States. Rather I will describe some situations involving children in Uganda that surprised me or struck me as different than what I am used to seeing in the United States.

There are a lot of children here. Whether you are in Kampala city or driving through rural Uganda, you will see a large number of children playing together, walking home from school together, or doing chores together. This is not really that surprising once you remember that most families in Uganda have seven children on average.

Young children seem quite open to interacting with strangers. There is a sort of paranoia in the United States about children talking to or playing with strangers, but in Uganda, young kids will interact with strangers without the supervision of their parents. This does not mean that Ugandan children are not shy or cautious, though. I am specifically thinking of the time when we got a flat tire in Kakooge. A large number of children gathered at the gas station to see what was going on. We tried to talk to them, but they mostly laughed and kidded with each other. Eventually, though, they began to talk to us, and we ended up playing games together while we waited for the bus to be fixed. Outside of this experience, though, children often greet our group, ask us questions, and are generally quite open.

Children are given responsibility at a young age. I have seen very many young children carrying large jugs of water from the well to their homes. I have seen kids around six-years-old using a large blade to cut the grass around their homes. Furthermore, I have seen many kids actually working. For example, children often sell fruits and vegetables on the roadside (particularly in rural areas). In Sesse, I accompanied Joel to a small shop to buy some soda, and a young girl helped us get the sodas and took our money.

Some children live on the streets. This has been one of the most shocking experiences here in Uganda. It is not entirely unusual to see adults asking for money or living on the streets in the United States, but one does not normally see street children. Frequently, I walk by children sitting on the sidewalk with their hands extended in the air. Sometimes even toddlers are left to sit alone on the sidewalk. Some children are bolder, and they walk next to you or approach your car window. I have been told that many of these children come from Northern Uganda, and they have been displaced. I think Olivia, one of our dance instructors and friend, put it most poignantly when she said, You can't really tell them to go home because they can't.

These are just a few of the differences between the activities of some children in Uganda and those of some children in the United States that I have noticed in my time here. Of course, there are many similarities, as well. Children frequently play, and they do so in groups. They go to school and walk hand-in-hand with their parents. They are inquisitive and generally happy.

Overall, the children of Uganda have been some of the most welcoming and accepting people we have met. If you get past the, "Hi Muzungu! Hi Muzungu!" you can often have a very rewarding experience with the kids.

Location: Kampala, Kakooge, rural Uganda