First visits to Bbira and Suubi

Friday November 23rd was our third day in Kampala. While we were settling in and waiting for more team members to arrive we had the chance to take a drive and tour two of the Watoto children's villages. Our first stop was Bbira(the village where we would be building).

Here some children that are training for one of the choirs were happy to sing and dance for us.

Green was the predominant colour and no matter which way we turned there were views that amazed us with their beauty. There was a eucalyptus forest at one end of the Bbira soccer field. These little ones are truly blessed to live surrounded by the glory of His creation.








The medical clinic at Bbira is staffed by nurses, with rooms for dental visits as well as medical. The lab is unstaffed as they are waiting and trusting God for a lab technician. One of our hosts and a few team members were treated at the clinic during our week of building. For the rest of us, we made good use of the two bathrooms!


Suubi translates to "hope" in English and my spirit could breathe in hope in this, the most developed and beautiful of the children's villages on a hill. Here the houses are built in rows, each row a stairway above the last.

We were excited to hear that Watoto reaches out to others. Children from the communities around the Watoto villages have the opportunity to attend these schools. Many of these children would otherwise receive no formal education. There are also children who have parents able to pay for their education. These extra funds are used for building and other provisions.
Here is the Production Centre for the vocational school. Woodwork and metal work is taught here and the results are used in the schools and villages. Brick work (making and laying bricks) is also taught, as is sewing, with school uniforms and children’s clothing being produced on site, another step toward a self sustaining village.


After our tour of Suubi we were set free to wander about and meet the children and mothers. I know that it was God's hand that guided me to the house we first stopped at. The girls and mom were outside hanging their laundry on the line to dry and as they said hello they introduced themselves. One of the girls said her name was Annette. Excitedly, I asked if she was the same Annette who had come to Canada with the choir. She said she was not, but that that Annette lived at Suubi also and she told us the house number and pointed out which direction we should go.

What a joy to find Annette and meet her house mom and one of her sisters. She stayed in our home when her choir was a Mountain View Christian Assembly almost two years ago. We remembered her a lot better than she remembered us, understandable when the kids are on the road for six months at a time. The other girl that had stayed with us was named Grace but we were not able to meet her as she lives in a different village. When we talked about our dog "Faith" Annette remembered a bit more because Grace has a sister named Faith too.