Bwaise: A Slum Tour

Marisa and I took a tour of one of the largest slums in Uganda this morning. Here's my reflection of the reality that is life in Bwaise...

Walking through Kampala’s largest slum, Bwaise, puts a whole new perspective on the world we live in. It’s hard to put into words what I witnessed as we meandered through the houses and shops and schools. And it’s even harder to put into words the emotions I felt through it all. The reality is simultaneously heart-breaking and joyful. Wonderful, yet horrifying. My heart was breaking into a million pieces, while also feeling at peace. I don’t know how to feel or what to feel…sympathy? Grace? Wonder? Shock? I really don’t know…so maybe if I just write it out and share all that I can with you, we’ll come to the some conclusion together.

The tour began as we boarded a bus with our guide, a local 27-year-old man who was born in the slums, grew up in the slums, and now works in the slums. And now I think I need to use a new word to describe this place, because I think “slum” has a very negative and dirty connotation, and I don’t know that it was all negative. So our guide took us to Bwaise, the area of the city deamed “slum”, and Marisa and I along with a family of three volunteers from Australia and a man from Prague explored the area. The main road through the city appears just as any other city street, lined with shops, people bustling everywhere, and motorcycles, cars and buses driving around like crazy. Once you break from the main road and head behind the shops, you find a whole community of people. We were able to walk around, play with the children who ran after us shouting “Mzuuuungu!”, take pictures, and share in conversations with locals.

To be completely honest, there have been multiple points lately when I’ve really wanted to come home. Like, if I could get on a plane tomorrow, I would. But seeing all of the children, the joy in their faces, the pure happiness they get from a high five or a picture, reminded me what drew me here in the first place: those beautiful faces of the children at Oonte in Namibia. Precious. While I may not know exactly why I’m still here, at least I remember why I came in the first place…

During the tour, we visited 2 different primary schools, both in very good condition. It’s promising to see the community taking pride in the education of their children, and while the schools still need help with funding and things, I am hopeful for the students who are able to attend. Class sizes are between 30 and 40 each, and every grade has a teacher. Students learn in English all the way through primary school, and one of the schools even had a very nice dormitory for the boys and girls to stay at.

We also saw a few of the local churches, which is always a highlight for me. YAY GOD!

GOD IS GOOD, all the time! :)

Next on the list of things to see are all of the water sources. Several organizations around the world have provided different wells/pumps. It’s really good to see that these people have access to clean water, although they have to pay for each jug. Which means that some families aren’t able to buy clean water, and instead use the water that flows out of various pipes. Granted this is still a relatively good option for people, and it’s a much closer walk for everyone here compared to life in Muyenzi. Good things! Good good things!

Also, I should mention the prevalence of electricity. It’s actually everywhere. WHAT! How great is that?

So far life here seems pretty good doesn’t it? “Slum” isn’t fitting…

However, the next step has heart-break written all over it. The sex slave industry here is rampant. You always hear the statistics about the number of women around the world who are involved, and truthfully, it doesn’t mean much until you actually experience it. We were told to put our cameras away because the women don’t like being in photos, and we as continued walking through the alleyways, and I really had no idea what to expect. Certainly nothing glamorous. And actually, if we wouldn’t have stopped, I would have passed right on by without even knowing that I was passing a home where women sell themselves. But we stopped, and our guide began to give us some details: like how 30% of women between 16 and 40 are involved in Bwaise, and how men will pay 1000 Ugandan shillings (less than 40 cents in the US), and how they distribute condoms to the women in hopes of trying to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS but that sometimes men will refuse and pay more money for sex without a condom. And as this information is all being relayed to me, he turns to enter the room, before realizing that it’s busy…so we wait a few more minutes, play with some of the kids outside, and then three men walk out, followed by three women… This is real. This is happening. I was in shock. And then we walked into the room. It had four beds, each surrounded by sheets, and each used way too many times a day by way too many people. This is the moment my heart began to break. Like I said, you hear the statistics, but it’s nothing until you see it happening, and then you don’t know if you want to be sick, ball your eyes out, or go numb and forget the whole thing. My response was to send as many prayers to our heavenly Father as humanly possible, but still, I wish there was more that could be done.

As we continued on, we passed several more “rooms,” with several more men and women “working,” with several more children running around like nothing is happening. Literally breaking my heart.

So that’s that. And now you know how real it is. I wish there was something more that could be done. But I don’t know what to tell you. I think I need more time to process it all…

Back to happy things. I will one day adopt a beautiful baby from Africa. Our last stop was at a small orphanage, where the children were being fed ugali and fish! While some were nakey, they were still the most adorable children ever, and of course they helped put my heart back together. Slowly but surely….one day at a time…one day…