Friday August 1st
Many people comment to me, “You must feel so proud,” referring to the work I do in the Acholi Quarter. THat’s not how I ever feel. So long as people I know, friends, go to bed hungry, while I’m well fed, I cannot feel “proud.” However, today, I had a great feeling of “achievement,” I guess that’s the best word to describe it.
This afternoon I walked around the Quarter, giving a tour to a felow American who was visiting. As we walked around, I was welcomed and greeted by so many, many who had nt yet seen me since I returned a couple of days ago. The greetings welcomed me by name, “Kereny” in the Acholi equivalent of Karen. And the children no longer called out “muna,” (white person in Acholi), but chanted my name.
As my American friend and I continued to walk through the maze of homes and the slopes of the stone quarry, I explained the work of Project Have Hope and tried to convey the bit I know about life in the Quarter. As I spoke of the achievements of PHH and the many trials and errors that are a part of everything we do, for the first time, the work started to take shape. They weren’t just words, but something concrete, something measurable.
And as we walked further, the greetings continued. The most uplifting of it all, so many of the greetings and warmth came from people within the community who are not members of Project Have Hope, who do not benefit directly from our programs, yet still they welcome me by name and appreciate the wrk I try to do. That means so much. For that moment, as we walked, I think I felt a bit of pride, a small sense of satisfaction.
