It all started with a message: “Hello Esther, my name is Mpoya Kiirya Eddy. Please join my Village Kisozi and advice me on my project for Orphans and Vulnerable Children.”

At the end of the week, Esther will board the plane to Uganda: to visit Africa for the first time in her life AND to meet the Eddy who wrote her this short message. And she will not travel empty handed – bringing loads of good news and a very full program:

There’s a donation for beds, mattresses and bed sheets for 6 kids, the first part of a donation for a safe and clean water campaign sponsored by GGNET, reading books for 4-12 year olds, 425 glasses that were donated by EyeClarify / Hans Anders (who will be sponsoring glasses for a year). Next to that she’s bringing the news that AfricaSport will invest in the Kisozi football club.

Last but not least she’s bringing 140 euro that has been collected through their project on 1% Club (see the banner), which will give the goat & chicken project a good start.

In Uganda they will meet Sander van Zanten of ICU, a representative of Cycling out of Poverty and pay a visit to Paul Bulenzi in Jinja.

“We have to realize the school, and since we’re getting involved with bigger organizations I’m starting a foundation in the Netherlands as well. I try to learn as much from other projects and foundations as possible… yeah… things have gotten a bit out of hand”, Esther says.

A short message goes a long way.

Have a great trip, Esther!

6 young men line up and start singing. “This is a song about HIV/AIDS”, Mpoya explains. “This group performs at schools, to make the kids aware of HIV/AIDS, education and other subjects.” And they’re good at it. One song later quite a crowd has gathered: students from the adjacent secondary school, to which the boys belong as well.

The songs are followed by a play. A young girls’ father dies of AIDS, her mother can’t take care of her, so her aunt comes in to help. Things are not working out well, the girl drops out of school. Still auntie tries to keep up appearances: she is bossy, manipulative, rolls her eyes, clacks her tongue and shakes her hips to great amusement of the audience. When eventually small bricks are served for dinner, the crowd roars with laughter! Then mother comes in with a representative of Hope Alive Uganda, who sends the girl back to school. All’s well that ends well.

And just in time: clouds have packed over our heads; the wind starts blowing and a thunderstorm breaks loose. Like a grande finale to a powerful play.

Paul Bulenzi and Pelle Aardema visited Kisozi on 19 February 2009