A Japanese activist in Uganda

Now we eat a lot of food and have a peaceful life and sleep in clean bed. In developed country almost all of the people leave food unfinished and throw it away. However, the children in some country don’t have food and even the place that sleeps safely. They sleep being frightened in the roadside. Occasionally there are children kidnapped while they are sleeping too. Why there are such inequalities in the world? What should we do for suffering people? In order to save them, I think, it become at least first step to know the present condition and the people who help suffering people. Now I’ll show you about the condition of Uganda and my important meeting and M’s Sakuragi’s activities.

 The condition of Uganda has been tragic. Uganda had been ruled by Britain. In 1962, Uganda became independent from Britain, but in 1966 the coup d’état occurred and after that it occurred many times. So public peace had more and more worsen. Awful poverty happened. Many fight occurred, and rebel army came into existence. Rebel army kidnapped and the children are made a soldier. Moreover many villages were attacked. To make matters worse, it was attacked by the children who were kidnapped before. The people were always frightened.

 When I was examinee of Universe, I met Ms.Sakuragi in exhibition of her. Her speech changed my idea to charity in poverty country. She speak to us that charity is fun and she is so happy now. In about 2000, Ms.sakuragi graduated from University, and after a while started active in Uganda. She isn’t originally interested in charity absolutely. She was concern with Uganda firstly, when she travel to Uganda to picture in university student. After she returned to Japan, she found employment, but after a while she was still apprehensive about Uganda. Finally she retired her job, and started charity in Uganda.

 Ms.Sakuragi’s activity is mainly three parts. For one thing, it is the Nest. Second is the Night Commuter. The last is photograph activity and exhibition. The Nest is abbreviation of Needy Education Scholar Trust. This project is a kind of scholarship. In Uganda, there many children who are intelligence and have big dreams but don’t have money enough to go to school. Or there are even children who have never think about dreams of themselves.  For them, she began this project, but it differs from normal scholarship. Her group gives two hircine and two chickens besides scholarship. This means their family can become independent. She wishes that children are able to select their dream. Night Commuter is accommodations of children who take shelter in the fear of kidnapping of guerrilla. She plays with children, for example draw pictures or do campfire. They look forward to coming here now though they were frightened at first.  Thirdly, she also takes pictures, and held the exhibition in the photograph for everyone to learn about the Africa. However her pictures are not tragic but happy life of Africa.

 I was surprised at the pictures, because I have a stereotype to Africa and Charity. I learnt for the first time that at poverty country in Africa though life is hard, people lead a happy life, and Charity is such an interesting activity.  To help poverty people, it’s important that we know present world condition and many People who help them and act even a small thing. Ms.Sakuragi said to us in Exhibition that there were a lot of smiles though there was a war there, too.

Wataru Machida

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