DESIRE

I want to write about a young girl I met the other day. I was sitting outside watching the kid’s play during recess at the primary school right next to the house were staying in. Desire, a sweet 10-year-old girl came up to us and she was teaching us how to say different words in Lugandan. She spoke English very well and it was really nice to be able to speak to her in both languages.

At the schools here the teachers are allowed to cane the children (only twice) and I was getting really upset and mad watching the teachers sit around and boss the kids around, they aren’t nice at all and to be honest I just wanted to smack them all! Anyway, as I’m watching all the kids line up to wash their hands before lunchtime I see this little girl walking around in her underwear, sobbing. As she makes her way over to the washing station I see kids staring at her, confused. Then I see sweet little Desire go up to her and help her wash her hands, and she guides her back inside.

We think the little girl might have wet her dress because we saw a teacher washing it later on…BUT STILL! Who in their right mind would make a little girl walk around her school in her underwear! If she wet her dress then at least give her your sweater or something and sit with her until she is okay. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen. It made me think of the time back in Elementary school when I wet my pants cause I was scared I would get in trouble for asking to go to the bathroom (I was really shy) and I remember every one of my classmates was telling me it was okay and my teacher took me to get cleaned up and we put some fresh clothes on…if she had made me walk around in my underwear in front of my whole school I would have been scarred for life!

I went up to Desire after I watched this little scene and asked if the little girl was okay, and she kind of looked away and said, “No she is not okay”. I told Desire that I thought it was very nice of her to help her, and that she was very kind. She smiled and blushed and it made me happy to realize that even if the teachers are stupid at least there are children like Desire to show us all some kindness in this world.