Experiences: Kinship

Amber Bacenas from California, US volunteered at Kinship from November to December 2005

As one of the first volunteers at Kinship House, the placement offered me the unique opportunity of participating in a new project. Over the course of the short month that I lived at Kinship, Uncle Ben and the children taught me more about Uganda and its people than ever I could have imagined!

Uncle Ben met me at the Entebbe airport, as he does all volunteers, with a warm smile and welcoming words. When I arrived at Kinship, the kids were very shy. The only other outsider they had ever had contact with was Erica Giraudo from Italy, the orphanage’s very first volunteer. That afternoon, I walked with the kids to get water from the well. A small boy from the village took one look at me and buried his head in his arms, crying in fright! I’m sure I was a scary sight: tall, blonde, pale, and drenched with sweat! It took no time at all, however, before the kids and villagers were used to the sight of us two foreigners walking around, eating chapattis and playing football. The village kids ran after us down the street, giggling and calling “mzungu”, while the Kinship orphans spent endless hours braiding our hair and teaching us Luganda. By the time an Italian film crew came to Kinship, as part of their documentary schedule, the kids were so comfortable with foreigners that they happily stormed the big tour bus and put on quite a show for the guests!

Meanwhile, Uncle Ben brought Erica and I to many corners of the country to visit developing projects, such as high schools, orphanages, and vocational centers. During these visits, we were always welcomed like family. We worked to arrange volunteer programs for the projects, taught in the local school, and provided love for the Kinship orphans. Most importantly, we acted as role models…with so much of Uganda’s population ravaged by HIV, children are not receiving the basic wisdom and life skills that normal parenting provides. Orphans are left without a reference point, and volunteers can help fill that void.

I enjoyed my experience at Kinship so much that, for the next four months, I happily took on the task of international volunteer coordinator for Kinship and the four new projects in Uganda. While school and work have since reclaimed my every minute, I hope I can continue to aid Kids Worldwide in its laudable efforts.

Uganda is beautiful in every way; the varied landscapes and wildlife are stunning, but it is the people you will remember the most. Welcoming and sincere, Ugandans have to be some the world’s friendliest people! I would encourage anyone to come to Uganda and Kinship House. It is a marvelous chance to help kids in need, experience a new culture, possibly work with NGO’s, and come away with life-long friends. And hey, where else are you going to taste fried grass-hoppers?!