broken hearts and hope

It has been a full two days here in Uganda....so I am going to have to pick and choose what I share or I will be writing a book. 

The first day was meetings.  Not the boring kind where you cant wait to get out, but the kind where you could sit for hours and listen to a passionate, hard working heart speak about saving the world they live in. :) Those are the two meetings our team got to interact with on our first day.  First was the ABA (American Bar Association).  The are the big advocators.  There goal is to teach people here in Uganda what human trafficking is and teach the police how to enforce the human trafficking law that was given here a few years ago.  It shocked me to find out how a lot of the problem here with human trafficking is unawareness of the issue or simply not knowing what it is.  There are people with good hearts in the law enforcement and regular citizens that simply dont know what human trafficking looks like.  I also found out that the penalties of human trafficking are very severe. Which you think would be a positive thing but it makes the police not enforce the law because the consequences seem harsh to them.  All and all I learned that Uganda needs a lot of advocacy here. Coming from the states that seems to be a big thing for us.  Interesting to see what is needed in different parts of the world.
ANPPCAN was our second organization.  They advocate on the protection of children from child abuse in the home and also human trafficking. They are fighting that same fight.  Advocacy is a big thing for them as well. This is where the hope is.  There are organizations doing exactly what they should be doing.

Now the second day....wow. I will add that to the list of overwhelming experiences due to the stories I've heard and the faces that go with them.  First stop was Sanyu(Joy) Orphanage here in Kampala.  It is an orphanage for newborns to 3 years.  Heart wrenching.  They take up to 50 kids and they had 49 the day we went.  Its something you cant explain. These children were either brought to them by police, left in a taxi or found in a hospital after birth.  The hearts of these workers are incredible.  There are not that many staff taking care of infants and toddlers running around. But man, did they make me smile.  We were able to play with them for nearly an hour, help take baths and get them to lunch.  Now these faces...leave your heart aching and bring you job all at the same time.  We werent allowed to take pictures do to security but the faces are implanted in my mind.  On our way out we were able to meet a couple that was adopting a little girl. I'm not gonna lie...I wanted to be them.  Part of my heart was left at Sanyu Orphanage.

Second day, second stop...Masooli Treatment Center.  Looking at the itinerary for the trip, this was the one I was looking so forward to.  It is a rehabilitation center for teenagers who have been involved in drug abuse, alcohol abuse and sex trafficking.  I believe they said they had 140 girls and 70 boys. Some of which stay at the center and some of which come daily. This place is legit.  This place is one I will talk more about in person because it is so close to my heart and typing it in a blog will not do justice.  They have few staff as well but hearts of gold.  They teach them trades to make it on their own. Give them counseling and a safe place to stay.  They are allowed to stay 6-9 months and then leave.  They keep their existence low profile due to the fact that they would have a line out the door of children who need help and they just dont have the facilities or staff to take that many.  They teach them sewing, hair, carpentry, cooking, electronics and lots more. I met a girl who was sex trafficked named Christy.  I got to take a picture with her but again, I am not able to share it on here due to security, but I will treasure that picture and remember the soft spirited girl who was broken due to a crime that I will fight against for the rest of my life. 

All of these places make me see how these issues cause so much brokenness and heart ache but it is good to know that there are amazing people here fighting for the same things I am fighting for.

I wish I could continue to write about all of this but, breakfast is being served and we are headed to Gulu today.  Lots of changes always being made to our next adventure but it has been a blast.  My team is great, our leaders are great and this place is incredible.  This was a bit of an info blog. I hope it was still fun to read :) More soon!