The phrase “social work” doesn’t quite catch the fullness of what the “social work department” of RUHU does. For kids who don’t have parents attending to their needs, the line between social worker and parent is easily blurred.
This is why early on Patrick and William were quickly called dad. And this is why it makes sense that the kids whom Rachel cares for (the Head of the social work department) call her Auntie. The RUHU social workers step into the vacuum created by broken family systems. They respond to medical, physical, spiritual, emotional, career, and, yes, social needs.
Following Rachel into the slums of Kampala, I am overwhelmed by the needs as my senses take them in. There are too many to categorize. Sanitation – sleeping arrangements – clothing – food – clean water – safety. Paralyzed, I follow Rachel to where the children are gathered together. Today, they will receive a hot meal and prayer. They’ll be encouraged by an adult who was one of them and who made it out. They will sing songs of praise and thanksgiving in a ramshackled building. A man in the back plugs in his hair trimmer and starts cutting hair. It strikes me as funny, worrying about hair when so many deadly threats surround them. But it’s a gift of dignity. And maybe the only thing harder to come by in the slums than a hot meal is dignity.
Dignity comes from the word that means worthiness. This is the currency our social workers deal in: worth. Your family is the people who know your worth and who work on your behalf because of it. That is what the social work department does. It blurs the lines of family and social work. It’s gospel work, and this month, we’re trying to make sure it is well-funded. Below you will see the needs that we have in this department, which might more aptly be called the “Family Department”.
- Support salaries – $450/month
- Support slum outreach work – $300/month
- Support department expenses – $125/month
Peace, Caleb
