School Fees

So tori and I were walking home from school one day and there were a couple of kids a boy and a girl walking behind us so we started talking to them. The girl was really talkative but they boy never said anything. She told us her name it was long and I forgot it as soon as she said it. She was really small but convinced us that she was 10 years old. We asked if the boy was her brother but she said he was her uncle. Strange but not that uncommon, well then she whispered to me that she needed a sponsor. Right there I felt like crying. We asked her about her school and asked how far it was to walk; she then told us how much her year’s tuition cost. It was 60,000 shillings, which translates to $30, I wanted to cry even more, Most people have enough money in their bank accounts to pay for her and her brother to continue school clear thru college without breaking a sweat. Tori and I being broke college students we told her that we didn’t have any cash to pay her school fees; we were paying our own fees. She laughed and said all white people had money. Someone had taught her at a young age that all white people have money and if you ask them they will give it to you. I asked her if she knew any Africans who had lots of money and she said yes and I told her that just like Africa some white people had money and some white people didn’t. She thought I was so funny, granted Americans do have way more money than the average African. It’s so sad to think how inexpensive it really is to send a kid to school. I was reminded how hard it is to raise school feels this morning. Our brother who goes to high school is usually up before we are ready and leaving for school. But he was in casual clothes and so we asked him if there was a special holiday that closed school today. He said no, he said they hadn’t raised the school fees to keep him in school. Tori and I walked to school filled with so much frustration and shame at our wealth that we hoard. Its frustrating being here and not having those resources available to change this injustice. I don’t know the entirety of my purpose here in Uganda, but I know it has been to break me and make me understand the poverty that is felt here, and to really understand how wealthy we are back in the states. Sorry if this all sounded a little preachy, but I just wanted you as my family and friends to understand and maybe appreciate a little more the blessings that God has given you as Americans.