Tuesday, November 5, 2013 - A very emotional day

Today has been like a rollercoaster of emotions!

Some brilliant moments of interaction with the kids, some emotional moment then some news that I just wasn't prepared for that has really upset me.

We started the day by travelling to Retrak's new centre in Kampala. It has been open since March, so I didn't see it last year and houses both boys and girls. The journey was made by minibus and was packed full of near misses!

No-one takes any notice of the very few traffic lights that there are. There is no such thing as give way. Any the motorbikes (or buda-budas as they are called here) nip in and out of the traffic and up over the pavements if required. It is a different world where the police sit back and let things happen and just don't get involved unless it is very, very serious!

Once "safely" at the centre we met all the staff and all made our introductions. This centre differs greatly to the "tiger club" we visited yesterday. The Tiger Club is a drop-in centre where the kids are free to come and go as they please. They can pop in for their lunch and then leave again. Get medical attention then leave. Or can stay at the centre and receive everything that Retrak has to offer them.

The new centre is very different. The children at this centre do not come and go as they please. If they want to get involved in the Retrak program they commit to it and receive all the support, education, medical attention and love that they need. After a tour of the centre, myself and Phil took the staff for first aid training. As with the session yesterday we focused on the injuries and illnesses that the staff are likely to encounter to ensure they can give any child the treatment they need.

The rest of the group started painting the inside and outside of the building. It has only been in the possession of Retrak since September and so there is a lot of work to do on it. Today we have given most of the walls their first coat and are returning tomorrow for the 2nd coat and finishing touches. As the painting was taking place we took it in turns in entertaining the kids. Playing football and doing relay races etc.

Towards the end of the day we sat down with the children and three of them told us their stories – explaining why they had ended up on the streets and what Retrak had done to help them. One little boy, who is 13 years old, explained how he had been beaten by his father and so ran away. He was then rounded up by the police for living on the streets and was twice spent to prison, the second time for one and a half years. He returned home once more only to be caned and so once more ran away.

This time he got introduced to Retrak by someone he met on the streets and his life has changed so much. He thanked Retrak for everything they had done for him and we all fought back the tears. Tomorrow we are going to be hearing the stories of more of the boys as well as some of the girls.

The girls at the centre have already requested to speak to us in private away from the boys which can only mean they have some serious stories to tell us. I can sense tomorrow is going to be emotionally challenging.

At the end of the day we returned to the hotel to meet up with the rest of the group who have been on the slum walk today. They walked the same route as we did yesterday but the very nature of the slums means they see and feel different things.

Those of you who saw some of the photos from last year may remember a young boy sat on my shoulder posing for a photo. His name is Omar and he is 12 years old. He was staying at the Tiger Club when we visited last year and was a key part of the club. He had a way of entertaining everyone and instantly brought at smile to your safe. Rightly or wrongly he was everyone's favourite. Sadly the group on today's slum walk came across Omar living back in the slums. Retrak have twice tried to take Omar on a visit back to his family and both times he has ran away. The work that Retrak do is fantastic. However nothing they do comes with guarantees. They can provide as much counselling and support as they can but some of these children have been through unimaginable experiences and abuse that may never be overcome.

Sadly, it appears Omar may be one of these children and I have to admit to being heartbroken. I came back this year hoping that when I asked after him I would be told he was still his usual happy self but now doing it with the love of his family. This sadly is not the case and the news has hit me harder than I ever thought possible. I just want to talk to him and see him again and hope the week gives me the opportunity. I am truly devastated. The great thing is that Retrak never give up on any child. They will continue to love, support and council any child, whether they have tried to take them homet two, three or four times.

I cannot explain the dedication being shown by the staff of Retrak in Uganda and there are so many children who return home and are happy there once more. In our week here we only see a small proportion of the children that Retrak help each year.

The Omar news is devastating to me because I got on so well with him and in reality I must not let this take away from the other boys and girls who have been happily reunited with their families! What a day!

Adam

This is just a little add on to Adam's heartfelt blog as our days differ slightly. As Adam said we were at the new centre which was absolutely fantastic and a real uplifting day to see the children really settled and thriving in a stable environment and you can see they have come such a long way from their lives in the slums.

Personally, this was a real joy today and different to yesterday where the slums had hit me harder than I ever expected. Seeing children living in the slums and as young as six-yearsold very high from sniffing aviation fuel and adults openly selling this to them was astonishing. I was with the outreach worker from Retrak when we visited the slums and we spotted a child who we thought was asleep on a plank of wood, the worker shook the child repeatedly but he didn't move or open his eyes and it was then that I thought this child had actually died, the feelings I had then are quite indescribable.

Thankfully, he was alive, slowly opening his eyes and then retuning back to his much needed rest. I'm so pleased to see the stark contrast today at the Retrak centre where they are given much needed services and importantly, love and care. Whilst Adam and Phil delivered the training and the others painted, one of the Greater Manchester Police officers and myself created a sports and activities session using the football kits we brought with us and the children loved it!

It's overwhelming to see the difference which Retrak makes and I'm so thankful of the work they continue to do for these children! 

Laura Saidler