University of North Carolina Athletics
Uganda Blog: UNC's Ryan Flanagan
August 25, 2010 | Men's Lacrosse
Aug. 25, 2010
Ryan Flanagan is a senior finance major at the University of North Carolina and member of the Tar Heel men's lacrosse team. Ryan is a semester head of schedule to graduate on time and opted to spend his first semester of the 2010-11 school year serving, learning and coaching lacrosse in Uganda, East Africa. Ryan is working with Fields of Growth, a grassroots non-profit organization that is connecting members of the lacrosse community to service, coaching and community development opportunities in Uganda. For more information on Fields of Growth visit www.fieldsofgrowth.org.
After two overnight flights, a flight to London and 16 hours spent sitting in airports, I made it to Uganda. However, my bags had not. Because of flight complications, which led to the additional travel time, my bags were misplaced and I had to stay in the city of Kampala for two days. Staying in Kampala would end up making the transition a little easier. Kampala is the big city in Uganda and is a little more advanced than Kkindu.
Think of Kampala as a mix between Canal Street in New Yor City and a city scene from the movies Waterworld or The Book of Eli. Street vendors stalk the Muzunga, or white man, hoping to sell anything they can that will allow them to provide for their families. I spent the time in Kampala with my friend Brown who will act as my guide for most of the trip. Brown opened up his home to me, showed me the city, brought me to the hot spots for lunch and took me to exchange some money.
Once I received my bags, Brown and I took the four-hour ride to Kkindu (pronounced Kin-do). The trip was very easy once I grew accustomed to the bumpy roads and dust. We got to stop along the Equator to take some pictures and visit some of the small shops. Brown and I met some of the young children at the health clinic where they would be receiving their HIV shots then took them out to lunch in Masaka. As expected, when I got out of the car the kids were shocked at first to see how large I was and to see the boot on my foot (I have been wearing a boot most of the summer to help cure a lingering turf toe injury).
They got over it quickly and soon after they were jumping on me which made the traveling more than worth it. After lunch we made the quick trip to Kkindu where more kids awaited our arrival and had the same reaction. With more children, I had to be careful not to step on anyone as they were hanging on to my arms, legs and clothes. We gave the kids some treats and gifts then got to work soon after.
John Kakande, who will be my guide, translator and friend while I am in Kkindu, and I took a Boda-Boda (a motorcycle) around the town to see what needed to be done and to meet some of the families we would be helping with the money raised during the course of the summer. We took the town tour then got back to John's house for dinner. The best part about meals in Uganda is that everything is natural. It is a farming culture so all the food is grown right here then cooked for dinner. Meat also comes from in the village. I quickly learned that when I awoke the next morning to the sight of a cow being butchered. This was certainly a first, and hopefully a last, for me. Each morning makes me feel like I am living on a farm as I hear the roosters, cows and pigs all making their respective animal sounds.
The rest of the weekend was rather slow and uneventful but we did have an opportunity to play lacrosse. We played 13v13 so we could get as many kids on the field at once. We played without sidelines which left the kids running around piles of dirt and bricks and around the cows or the drums left out from choir practice. The kids ran for about two hours straight only stopping because the sun was going down. There was no complaining at all and no injuries, just laughter.
I wish I could tell you that we only had a little bit of work to do in the village and that soon enough it would look like a town in a more developed country, but I can't. There is a lot of work that needs to be done and we are going to do as much as we can and as quickly as we can do it. This week we will start working on the Hopeful Uganda School, which is a school for orphans and sick children. Currently, the school is built with tree branches and woven mats as walls and does not have a roof. The ground is dirt and there are no desks or chalkboards.
Because the land is being rented right now, it is more expensive for the children and their families and tough, financially, to make improvements. This week we will start clearing a new piece of land that we purchased and hope to start construction of the school soon thereafter. To sustain the current school for the next year, we will purchase chalkboards, desks and a roof, all of which can be moved to the new school building once we raise enough money to complete it. Hopefully, some day we can come back and the new school will lead to a healthier life in Uganda.
While hosting youth lacrosse clinics to help fund raise for Fields of Growth, I tried to emphasize the importance of giving back after we have been so lucky. My years of luck and good fortune are part of what persuaded me to take this adventure and give back. While I am in Uganda for the next few weeks I hope you will join in and give back however you can. Please take time to donate old clothes, volunteer at a soup kitchen or even buy someone in need a meal. There is always something you can do and someone you can help and I would love to hear about how you made a difference!
Electricity and Internet is very rare and unpredictable in the village so I am not sure how often I will get a blog up but please check back periodically as I hope to get something up every week or two.
Please keep me posted on life in the U.S.!
Best,
You can contact Ryan Flanagan at Ryan.flanagan24@gmail.com
Donations can be made to http://www.firstgiving.com/ryanflanagan24
