The Luck of the Irish

Well another week has come and gone here in the beautiful town of Gulu. Unfortunately, this week was a little bit sad for me because I had to say goodbye to my new found friends from Sligo, Ireland (and Holly from England). Now this isn't one of those soppy posts about how close we got and then they left just too soon. Instead, this is a post dedicated to their drive and determination and absolute love for the children of St. Jude's Children's Home in Gulu. There were six Irish women and one from England volunteering at St. Jude's and instantly I could tell that there was something different about the way they conducted things. They were both culturally savvy and incredibly strong willed. St. Jude's orphanage is a very large operation and often is is easy to get lost in what you are doing but from the first day I was there, they snatched me up and off I went to be much more productive than if I was by myself. Too often, I see volunteers become caught up in the moment and begin to focus everything solely on themselves or the experiences they are having and forget about the true reason they are there. For the Sligo women, this was not a problem. I have never met a group of individuals dedicated entirely to giving to what they are doing but that is exactly what they did. They began with teaching English. Although they only had 3 weeks, they were determined to not only teach the children of the orphanage and primary school English, but they also taught the teachers a program known as Jolly Phonics that is world renown for the ways in which it helps children learn English. They could have patted themselves on the back there and called it quits but they had so much more to do. They also decided that they would take all the children (nearly 450 including the orphanage and the primary school) to Paraa Safari Park. Most of these children had never gone and doubtfully would have ever gotten the opportunity to go to this safari park and see the wild animals that they have only seen in pictures. Through multiple hiccups and bus drivers not wanting to cooperate, the Sligo women succeeded yet again. Okay now they're done right? Wrong. Next, they decided that they would team with surgeons and dentists working in the nearby hospital and they would give all the children, mothers, and staff members a full dental checkup (even extraction!). Through working with the Sligo women, I have learned just how much volunteering is not about always being in the forefront or having a child wrapped around you at all times but how often it is doing things in the background simply because that is what is needed to be done. I can honestly say that even though I go to a school with about 35,000 Volunteers, these are the best I have ever met!