an appeal.

Job is the night watchman who lives and works at the Mwadime residence. Not only does he stay awake through the night, making sure the house is safe, but he is also the one responsible for the immaculate condition of the garden, as well the ironing of clothes.

Yet here I am, having lived with Job for more than a month, and it was only the other day that I found out about his family and life in the village. I came home from work on Wednesday and Job was sitting in the shade under the avocado tree, with a look of concern across his normally jovial face. Job is fairly reserved, but when I sat down and asked him what was going on, he shared that one of his children was in the hospital with a fever. I was dumbfounded by the fact that I had been with the family for all this time and had no idea that Job had a family and life beyond the Mwadime residence. Through my questioning I found out that Job has a wife, Alfa, and three kids under the age of 6. His wife and kids live in a village in Nebbi district, which is in the northwest portion of the country, bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo. As he explained, he sends his kids to school in town because it provides a good education. However, the school in town is expensive, and it is hard for him to pay school fees and cover the other expenses of the family. As Job put it, “Africa’s problem is that when the school fees become too expensive, the family takes them back to the village.” When a child or family member gets sick—Job’s current worry—then medical expenses often cut into whatever little a family has saved for school fees. If both can’t be covered then school fees are usually the first to go. This is what happened to Job and his wife Alfa, and is the reason for Job’s 6th grade educational level.

My separation from my family and friends is self-induced. Job’s is a matter of survival—if he wasn’t here in Kampala working, his family would be struggling even more so than they are today. Job is able to see his family only a few times a year, and as I try to imagine what it would be like to miss the milestones in the growth of a 3 year old, I can’t help but feel like I must do something to make it so that Job’s life is a little bit easier.

I explained to Job how important education is to me, and that I wouldn’t be here in Uganda today if it wasn’t for the opportunities that education has provided me. I told him that I wanted to do whatever I could to make sure that his children were always able to attend school, and have more doors opened than Job did.

My time here in Uganda can be best described as a learning experience. And I’m the one doing the learning. I came under the guise of an “international development internship program” which insinuates that I will cause change and make a difference. But I know that is not going to be the case. When I pack my bags and return to my comfortable life and academia, it will be me who comes back the more developed and changed. But with Job and his children’s’ education, I might be able to make real, tangible difference.

I told Job that I would like to set up a business deal with him by the time I leave Kampala, and that I would inquire with friends and family to see if they to would also like to help. So that is what I am doing, friends and family reading this blog. Job and I discussed setting up a bank account, which could transfer money directly to the Nebbi Town School. While the details must still be worked out, I said I would first request the help of family and friends, and then Job and I would solidify our business deal.

It’s not that Job is the only person who has daily struggles or troubles, but he is someone who I lived, talked, and laughed with. The fact that he greets me with a smile and a “welcome back” every time I come waltzing into the house is enough to make it so that I must help him in some way. And for god sake, he irons my pajamas…

I have created an Excel spreadsheet with the school fees for Job’s three kids, which are copied from a receipt that Job has. The school fees he pays for all three children per year is about $318. I can pass along more detailed information to anyone who would like it, and please let me know if you would like to help.