This is your U.S. team – arm in arm – right outside of Children of Uganda’s office in Charles Town, WV. The photo was taken back in August for our Wine & Macaroon fundraiser, which was a fantastic event that welcomed many local supporters (and some new faces) to mingle while learning more about the work we do. Looking back now, I realize just how much we took for granted.

Starting out our 25th year of service, we had already set many plans into motion. Most anticipated, was our in-person 25th anniversary event at Bluemont Vineyard to celebrate all of our amazing child sponsors, donors, volunteers, board members, staff and beneficiaries throughout our history.

Sadly, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this event, as well as all in-person events until further notice. I can assure you – despite the fact that we are physically apart – our team remains unified and in action to support our students and their families through this pandemic. We are so grateful to our supporters who have rallied with us to send relief and a message of togetherness.

We can all stay connected by sharing our personal experiences and supporting one another in whatever way we can.

“We will continue to do all that we can to decrease the food insecurity that is hitting our guardians and children so hard right now…There is no safety net in Uganda, [but] because of you and your generosity we are now able to mitigate some of that pain, much of that hunger and to help supply [their] necessities of life.”

-CHILDREN OF UGANDA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PAMELA BRANNON

A Word From Sponsorship Coordinator, Krista Guido:

Quarantining with four young children is not easy, by any means. We all have good days and we all have bad days. Balancing homeschooling, a husband who is part of the Federal COVID Response Team, and the demands of my own job are overwhelming. Never mind the housework and the cooking and the laundry that all seem to multiply on their own.  

I regularly take work calls while changing diapers. I update sponsorship on one computer while navigating Google Classroom on another. There is almost always an epic sibling battle in the background of my Zoom calls. It is an unprecedented time and it is HARD. But I keep reminding myself and them that we will be fine.

We have endless resources right at our fingertips. We can get our groceries delivered right to our door. They may not always have the brands we like, but they always have an option and we will always have food. My kids will not fall behind because they have Chrome Books and tablets and laptops. They also have electronic classrooms for each of their subjects and Zoom calls with their teachers. They are connected to their peers through Kids Messenger and texting and Zoom. They stifle the boredom and monotony in our playroom and our yard.  We do crafts and we cook. Should we fall ill, we will receive first-rate medical care and most of it will be covered entirely by our insurance. 

We are weary and uneasy but still – we laugh and we love and we warrior on. 

The accounts from Uganda are of skyrocketing food costs and scarcities from the wealthy stockpiling. The guardians are calling our office hungry, scared and begging. Internet access is a luxury and personal devices for children are unheard of. 

I recall a sponsored child once commenting that she had never owned a single toy. Not one, in her whole life. There are no Google classrooms and even if there was, there isn’t a way to access them (And frankly, hungry children aren’t going to learn anyways).

Our sponsored children aren’t just friends and peers – they are family. They live together, eat together, learn together and grow – each and every day – together. To have that support and security structure ripped so abruptly from them has been traumatic. Much of the medical care in Uganda is administered in church clinics with few resources or capabilities. Yet, in the pictures and videos I see how they still laugh and love and warrior on.   

Perhaps the most important lesson I will take from this is one of perspective. If these mothers and aunties and guardians can do this very hard thing, under much harder circumstances – so, too, can I.  If our sponsored kids can do these very hard things they are doing every day – so, too, can my children. 

The stark difference in our COVID experiences bare the divide that has always existed, but it also reveals commonality and the reminder that we are all in this together. We all share the same unknown. We can get through this hard time and we can do more to help others, with less, get through this hard time.

We will come out of this stronger, closer and wiser than we were going into it because we will choose the “We” over “Me”. We will warrior on – together. 

Reflections From Communications Specialist, Nicole Moorman:

Just the other day, while coloring and doodling together at the table, my soon-to-be, 5-year-old son wrote the following:

I was surprised to see him write it. Of course, we have talked about the virus in very simple terms – mainly to explain why we need to stay home and to encourage frequent hand-washing. But he often struggles to express himself, so it was really unexpected. 

I asked him, “Buddy, do you know what that is and why did you write it?”

He said in such a matter-of-fact way: “It’s COVID-19. When I cross it out, the virus will be all gone.”

In that moment, I wished so badly I could tell him when that would be. I wished someone could tell me…

Where do I begin and when will this end?

Daily life has been evolving rapidly in response to the coronavirus pandemic. None of us really knows when life will return back to “normal” – with so many businesses, schools, community centers and plans for the year ahead now immobilized.

And for those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 or suffered other irreversible hardship, life will never be the same.

I personally find it difficult to know where to focus my energies day-to-day. My primary role is mom to an incredibly smart, intense and joyful autistic little boy. Under stay-at-home orders, he left a wonderful school environment with skilled teachers, therapists and friends that feel like family.

In the course of writing this far, I have heard “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy” no less than 50 times! I love him dearly and want to give him my undivided attention. I am simply struggling to be the best mom, teacher, therapy provider and playmate I can be for him – all while continuing my freelance work for Children of Uganda (which has increased in response to COVID-19), managing household chores, preparing meals, caring for our pets, being a supportive wife and doing everything in my power to protect us from the virus itself. 

You get it.  Most of us are all living it with no physical, outside help allowed in.

I have been earnestly trying – with varying degrees of success – to find balance while juggling these multiple roles. For my son, who was once very rigid and frankly terrified of any and all change, he has handled our “new normal” surprisingly well. I am so grateful and beyond proud of him.

Still, I want to take back the life we had. I want the luxury of time to do my work, while my son is having fun at school. I want my mom or mother-in-law to be able to visit their only grandchild whenever they please. I want to travel with my husband to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary like we had planned to this month. I want to put down the hand sanitizer, Lysol spray and Clorox wipes – for goodness sake! I want to go anywhere right now without feeling constant paranoia. I want to give my mom a hug – or just to be in the same room as her.

Working for Children of Uganda for nearly 11 years has shown me both disparity and hope. So many testimonies of lives on the brink – families surviving on one small meal a day, children losing both of their parents, mothers enduring unimaginable abuse and more. Through COU’s sponsorship and Family Empowerment programs, I have also witnessed so many young people and their guardians overcome these hardships. 

It certainly puts my privileged “wants” into perspective. Especially when I consider all the families in Uganda and around the world right now fighting for their very survival. How can you be thinking of what you “want” out of life when your very basic needs are unmet?

What we all need right now is food and clean drinking water. We need shelter from the natural elements and to avoid community spread of the virus. We need hygiene products and cleaning supplies to protect ourselves and others. We need enough money to pay for all of these securities, in addition to a decent emergency savings if anyone in our family were to face a medical crisis.

And, I know for me personally, I need the loving support of my husband and my son to get through this mentally and emotionally.

In this very moment, I have – or at least have access to – all of the things I truly need. And beyond that, I am connected via technology to all of my family, friends, my COU teammates, my son’s teachers and a whole online community to help me get through this difficult time.

I recognize that not everybody reading this will be in my position, but if you ate a meal in the past 24 hours or have a safe shelter over your head – you are blessed. The fact that you have access to internet right now, puts you in a greater position than over half of the vulnerable families we support.

I am worried for my little sister in Uganda – Jovia. My family has been sponsoring her for many years and still her home is considered critically vulnerable. At boarding school, Jovia and her classmates have everything they need to thrive. But with the entire country on lock-down, our students are in a very unfortunate situation.

Thanks to our supporters, Emergency Relief Bundles with food and essential items have been delivered to all of our critically vulnerable families. Out of work, unable to use public transport and with extra mouths to feed – families will continue to need support in the coming days, weeks and months ahead. The reality is growing more and more desparate.

Again, none of us can say when this will be over. And even when the virus is under control, there will be a devastating and far-reaching impact on impoverished communities. Each of us needs to take this time to reflect on what we have and to help fulfill the needs of those less fortunate.

And, although I am unable in this moment to tell my son when the virus will end, I can show him how to end another family’s hunger. That’s a powerful lesson for us all.

It gives me tremendous hope that so many of our supporters have done just that – reaching out in isolation to put a stop to the suffering of others. With everything I have, thank you!