Sports Weekend Windup

It was a whirlwind few days of sporting activities across both Watoto Bbira and Suubi Villages over the weekend (13 & 14 November). Kicking off with the rugby, basketball and finally cricket we bring you the latest direct from the field.

 Rugby

The odds were stacked against us to say the least. Playing noted rugby school St. Lawrence Paris with a rookie team that had never even heard of rugby four months ago, tensions were running high as Watoto took to the field for the very first time.

Running 30min halves and ten to a side, the game drew a large crowd that had picked St. Lawrence as the winners before the game had even begun. The St. Lawrence side started the game with an attacking stance, pushing our boys to fight back in defence in order to hold them outside the try line. Shortly into the game, Captain of the Watoto team, Paul, scored a magnificent try due to the careless handling of the ball by the opposing side. Followed shortly by a conversion and later a penalty the Watoto side’s outstanding defence and sheer determination led them to victory with a 10-5 win. And no one was more surprised than the Watoto coach, Teacher Tim Manson (from New Zealand). Training hard with the team for over four months whilst teaching them a sport they had never even seen played before, was a challenge that beckoned this rugby fanatic.

Ecstatic doesn’t do the teams emotions justice. The smiles, excited chatter and pats on the back came thick and fast as our boys reflected on their win. Team player Josiah was overheard reflecting on the game; “First Game. First Win. It’s unbelievable. But true!”




Basketball

Over 100 Watoto students turned up in force to support Watoto play basketball in a game of spills and thrills against St Lawrence Paris on Sunday afternoon. Making the almost 5km trek on foot to the not so nearby school meant that the Watoto supporters arrived in a jolly mood with plenty of vocal power on hand to cheer the team along. Played by a team compromising of students aged 16-20, the games only three pointer was scored by the youngest member of the team, 16 year old Bigira! Point for point the game continued in a nail biting match that culminated in a final score of 54-59 to St. Lawrence. Coach Ken Akena, also fondly called AK; had the dual role of refereeing during the game and was very proud of his teams efforts. Of course with that many Watoto kids in the stands, one has to mention the off court activities that proved especially entertaining. Sports Coordinator and Teacher Albert had the crowd in hysterics after he used a vuvuzela that was stolen from the opposite side and started blowing on the horn. All in all a very entertaining afternoon – on and off the court.

Cricket

A generous donation made by Cricket Australia and the Horrocks family have meant that Watoto kids playing cricket this year are now kitted out with the finest of sporting gear and equipment. Coach Mitch Horrocks was thrilled with the delivery. “With the gear we have received today, we can go on to teach the kids a more professional standard of cricket, increase their passion for the game and attract further players to join the team, he said.” Bats, pads, helmets and balls were among the loot opened by the eager children on Saturday afternoon. Completely overwhelmed by the generosity of their Australian friends, the kids didn’t even know where to start when it came to trying on the new clothes, knocking in the new bats or hitting the field for a game. What a great investment into the sport and one we are supremely grateful for!

Disparity





Moses went from this...

One of the things I have been struck by is the enormous disparity between the daily life experiences of people here compared to people in the West. This is something that I find really difficult to express but I think it is important to try. I’m writing this blog to record the challenge to my perception of what a normal life is like, that has taken place during my time here.



There’s a boy in my rugby team here at Hope High School called Moses who has genuine talent. I think he would easily get selected on most high school 1st XVs in New Zealand despite only having played the game for a couple of months. The other day he told me his fascinating story. It highlighted for me the rich world - poor world gap.



Moses was born in a rural area of Uganda. His father had more than one wife. He was raised by a woman who he thought was his mother along with 7 other kids. He found out later that his mother had moved to Kampala shortly after he was born. Moses’ family was too poor to send him or any of his siblings to school so he worked digging in the fields and herding cattle. When he was 7 years old his mother came back to see him. She unsuccessfully tried to persuade Moses’ father to let her take him to Kampala where he could go to school.



A couple of years later she returned and took Moses away from his village (without the father’s knowledge). Shortly after this they heard that his father had died and Moses was accepted into a Watoto village. Almost immediately he had an audition to join a choir that was to travel the world promoting the work done by Watoto. He said:

“They told me to sing, so I sang a song I knew from my village. They told me I was going to America.” Evidently he had a good voice. Before the age of 10 he had never been out of his rural village community. He said he had seen planes flying overhead but thought they were small (like a duck). They rarely saw cars and he had only seen a few White people.



So he was taken to Entebbe Airport to fly out on their tour. He told me he was amazed by the size of the planes and couldn’t wait to get on one. Once the gates opened he was first across the tarmac to board the plane. All of the kids had been given a sleeping pill to help them sleep through the night but his had no effect. He sat with his eyes wide open for the entire leg to London.





..to this

 They continued on from London to the States. Within a month of leaving his home village he was in the metropolis that is NYC. I cannot imagine how this must have been for him. Even telling me about it seven years on, he was almost shaking with excitement as he described JFK airport, the sky-scrapers, the traffic and the people. From a world of mud huts, no electricity, no running water and one meal per day this must have seemed unreal. American cheese and ranch dressing made him want to throw up but he was more partial to burgers. As he only started school at the age of 11 he is now in his first year of high school as a 17 year old. (Jo don’t read this part) He raises rabbits and has promised to give me one- and not as a pet.
Not surprisingly his goal is to become a pilot.

Helen and I have struggled to adjust from our usually comfortable lifestyle. We often miss having hot running water or a washing machine or an oven. Yet when we compare ourselves to the locals we still live in abundance - even here. I wonder whether we will quickly forget to be grateful for our lifestyle back home. Most likely. Still I think our time here has been an excellent challenge for my perception of what we need to live or what a normal standard of living is.