Posted by student ALI TURRO – I am completing my international project at Nyaka AIDS Orphans School which located in Nyakagyezi village in southwestern Uganda. Nyaka serves more than 300 children who have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS and with more than 2 million AIDS orphans in the country, the needs are very great. For my project, I am working with the school to produce its organizational development plan. I also spend several hours each day teaching students English and Science.
“Every now and then, we are shedding tears. AIDS is killing our people.” These are the words to one of the songs that Nyaka’s Anti-AIDS Choir sang last Tuesday. I was more than excited when Teacher Agaba invited me to join him and the choir. Twenty students from all levels make up the choir. Together they sing songs and act out plays to educate others about how HIV/AIDS affects everyone.
It was my first opportunity to see Nyaka’s students represent themselves outside of the school. They confidently walked into the school room that was packed with students and adults and demonstrated such grace and poise during each performance. In other environments, being labeled an “AIDS orphan” brings with it many negative consequences. However, the welcoming and nurturing environment that Nyaka provides its students with helps them overcome the negative connotations. They sing and share their stories to educate others about their experiences, which is certainly no easy task for an average 5- to 13-year-old child.
One of my students, Sensio, gave an incredible solo performance. He acted and sang about being a young man wanting to travel to Kampala, the “big city.” There, he met many different women and soon found himself HIV-positive. Though the song was performed in Rukiga, I watched Sensio as he sang his heart out. He acted out the symptoms of HIV/AIDS and put chalk markings on his face to represent the spots of Kaposi’s sarcoma. Daniel, another student, joined Sensio and played his father who was devastated upon learning about his son’s illness.
The entire performance was touching. I sat there thinking about all of the things that these children have been through at such young ages. So many of them watched as their parents, relatives or siblings succumb to AIDS. And yet, they sang with such incredible composure. They are the ones who need to be telling their stories. During one of the final songs, the students sang the words, “We are the instruments of change in Uganda.” If this doesn’t serve as a wake-up call for others, than I’m not sure what will.
I am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to be here at Nyaka. The students, teachers and staff are incredible. They give me great hope for Uganda’s future.
For more information about Nyaka, please visit its website at www.nyakaschool.org.
More updates about my adventures in Uganda can be found at http://ugandaloveit.wordpress.com.