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UGANDA-2008

This wasa unique trip for Smile Power; there were just three of us: Judy Chambers,
MarshaConn, and me. None of us are dentists. I was the only ‘first- timer.’ Weworked mostly with Batwa Pygmies. Judy taught the proper tooth brushingtechniqueusing a brush ora stick when a brush is not available. Over 1,000 toothbrushes were given out. Marsha recorded the stories of the Batwa Pygmies and had the children retellthose stories with their drawings for a book that will provide funding to help support the settlements. I got todeliver hand painted t-shirts and friendship necklaces from the children at Echo Glen Detention Center.

We all got to spend time with some extraordinary people.

I learned that in 1991, the Pygmies were kicked out of their home, the Impenetrable Forest, to protect the Mountain Gorillas. They have spent the last 17 years trying to learn how to survive outside their forest. I expected to cry over their challenging circumstances but haven’t, not even since returning home which is odd for me given that I usually require a box of Kleenex just to read the local newspaper.

The Batwa have a serene peacefulness about them that surprised me. Yes, some settlements had no land of their own to build homes on or schools to send their children to. A majority wore rags for clothing. Many had green runny noses, and in one settlement, most had eye infections with no medical care available. But in spite of those physical conditions, they were at peace with their lives – not anxious and unsettled like so many of us in Western culture.  No one appeared to be isolated, lonely, or feeling sorry for themselves. They had a spiritual serenity; many spoke of their relationship with God. They danced and sang together as one family -- joyfully.

My impression is that because they see so much illness and death and have so little in the way of material goods, they celebrate life daily and truly appreciate every thing that they do have. They don’t have distractions from the priorities of God, family, and community.

My final memory is of leaving Kampala for the Entebbe airport at dusk. We drove through residential streets lined with small rectangular one-room homes on either side – most with no electricity. Families were outside en masse bathing children, cooking over fires, visiting with neighbors, and waving to the passing "mazungu" (us white people). It looked like one huge block party – one that takes place every single night.

Smile Power volunteers definitely improve the health and prolong the lives of the Ugandans, but these amazing people have a lot to teach us. I am excited to share their sense of gratitude, spirituality, and community with my children and the at-risk children at Echo Glen Detention Center.

~Susan Evans