DAY TWO WAS TIME TO GET TO WORK!
I (Laura) spent the morning reviewing RUHU’s internal accounting systems with the external auditor/compliance officer that Beautiful Response hired at the end of 2022. RUHU has made tremendous progress with its accountability policies and procedures, and it was so good to finally meet the two men spearheading this great work — Ernest (Auditor/Compliance Officer) and Reuben (RUHU Head Accountant).
My daughter Mackenzie spent her morning at the RUHU Boys’ Home and the Primary School. The boys from Bwaise slum had made a special request to William asking that “Mackenzie from the US teach us English.” These boys are so eager to start attending school but require a few weeks to transition into life in a home environment. They were very excited to be able to do some schoolwork, especially because they were being taught English by someone from the US:) After these lessons, Mackenzie walked down the hill to the RUHU Primary School where she taught a P1 class and helped serve lunch.
TEACHING ENGLISH TO THE BOYS FROM BWAISE SLUM and TEACHING AT THE RUHU PRIMARY SCHOOL
In the afternoon we joined William (RUHU Executive Director) and Rachael (Head of the RUHU Social Work Dept.) on several home visits. We were able to witness firsthand the truly desperate situations and needs the families from the community surrounding RUHU are dealing with. None of the children from these families would be able to attend school if it wasn’t for RUHU. All these families struggle to pay their rent, put food on the table, and provide medical care for themselves and their children. The picture on the left below shows a RUHU student’s house packed with large sacks of plastic bottles. One of these sacks brings in 2,100 – 2,800 shillings depending on its weight (the equivalent of $.60 – $.80). This student is being raised by his single mother and the rent alone is 50,000 shillings/month ($14). That means, based on weight, 17-23 sacks are needed just to pay rent. Now how many more sacks need to be filled to buy food, pay for medical care/medicine, afford clothes or shoes, etc.? Can you imagine how many hours this mother spends filling only one sack?
This is just one of the many heartbreaking stories of extreme poverty that exist in the RUHU community. It was an honor to visit these homes and watch RUHU as it cares for the most vulnerable. It also made me realize how important it is that Beautiful Response exists. And how none of this would be possible without your generous support. I pray that there never comes a day when RUHU is unable to do this great work. Please continue to spread the word about RUHU and the lives they are impacting.
SOCIAL WORK HOME VISITS
