Local Volunteerism is the Answer.
If someone travels from the capital of Uganda, Kampala to Mawanga village in one day, it will feel as if he/she traveled to a different country. In Kampala (or any urban city in Uganda), people are dressed in jeans, driving to work, and visiting Lake Victoria on holidays. Hospitals are readily available, movie theaters are packed,and hamburgers are on the menu.
In Mawanga, women are dressed in gomazi dresses tilling their land and most are struggling for survival. Clinic shelves are empty and most families are lucky if they eat rice and beans. Thatch roofs are caving in, and the water wells are few.
One ROWAN volunteer from Kampala admitted,
“I grew up in Kampala my whole life. The first time I spent the night in a village was in Mawanga. I was 23 years old. I had no idea what type of life people lived until I visited their homes. I knew that I had the ability to do something. And so did my friends.”
Now this volunteer and others are helping the villages in ROWAN. There have been several local teams who built roofs, donated goods and clothes, and much more.
ROWAN believes that there is a huge gap between the city and village communities.
There is no better way to transform culture than by focusing on local volunteerism.
Are you Ugandan & Want to Volunteer?
