Urinals

So over the past week we have been really thinking and praying hard about a project at an orphanage called Agape. This orphanage doesn't turn anybody away, even though they have very little money and not a lot of place for all of the boys to sleep. However, the leaders of the orphanage trust that God will provide everything they need and know that without God, the children that stay there will remain completely broken. You see, the children there are not only orphans, but they are from the North - mainly near a place called Gulu. Maybe you remember a little bit about it if you followed the Kony 2012 social networking craziness earlier this year. While Joseph Kony no longer has very much activity with children in the north, there are still many people who are negatively affected by what happened in that area over the past 25 or so years. The children of Agape are mainly street boys who are used to fighting to get what they need. They worked hard to stay alive during wartime. Now they fight on the streets and steal to get what they need. The housemother, Catherine, says so many of them have no hope. She said when you look at their eyes, you can see complete hopelessness. A look that there is nothing that can help them or make their situation better. At Agape, they bring the boys in and try to give them stability in a place to stay, warm meals, and more importantly, a lot of Jesus' love. It's a very slow process and many of the boys are very difficult to reach.


When we arrived last week to talk with them, we had in mind to possible help build a chicken coup so that they would have eggs to sell or eat and they could maybe make a profit. In addition, it gives the kids a project to work on. When we suggested it to Catherine, she was not very interested. Mainly because she knows how difficult the boys have been, especially as they get older. They don't like to have to do work or be told how to act. Some of them just leave Agape because they would rather be on the street selling things, stealing, and being able to use drugs. Instead, Catherine suggested their greatest need right now is a change in the urinal/shower system at the top of the hill. Right now they started a project to rebuild their kitchen so it is further from the houses where people sleep. They cook with charcoal which gives off some nasty smoke and currently is in a place with almost no ventilation. You can imagine how horrible that is for your lungs! In addition, the space is super narrow, so walking by is a tricky process. Every time I pass a cooking pot I go as close as I possibly can to the wall so that I don't risk burning my legs. Moving the kitchen is a great idea, but the new location is stinky, literally!


The pictures below give you an idea of the current situation. The urinal/shower area is super dirty. It drains into a gutter system, but the liquid gets pooled about 3 feet from the new cooking stoves. If it makes it further down the hill, it drains into the neighbor's yard. Apparently, there is the equivalent of a city coucnil that comes to inspect homes and they have been warned that it needs to be fixed, even without the new location for the kitchen. Since they have not had the money to do it, nobody has make a big deal about it yet. However, they could come back and shut down the orphanage for having a system that is not up to standards. The inspectors know their situation and how important the place is for the boys, so they have been reluctant to do so. Our arrival and offer of help has been a much welcomed surprise. Medicine for Sick Children is working to prevent and treat illness in children. This urinal situation is a perfect way for the kids to get sick from contact with the contaminated food or water. A new system requires us to replace the floor, create a drainage system, and dig a proper hole underground for the waste to filter through. This way, there will be a clean bathroom area and the kitchen will be safer to use. The problem is that materials are expensive and the labor from the boys is only so-so. Catherine and Joshua, the man in charge of projects, say that the boys just give up when the work feels hard. Hopefully with our help, we can motivate the boys and pay for a good portion of the project. We are starting today with buying materials and digging some of the holes and trenches. We are praying for fair prices and lots of manpower to get it done before the boys leave on Saturday!

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