Amani (A Place of Peace) Baby Cottage

 

Good morning from sunshiny Uganda. As you walk through the gate, you will see a big yellow building. In front of it lies a lush grassy green field. A handmade wooden playground lays on one side, while bushes and flowers line the other. Little children with backwards crocs on little brown feet run around, the older ones rolling tires, some are swinging, and the babies sit in the sand and eat it or chew on leaves. There are no toys out here, as it is field time, not sandbox or indoor play. As you walk up the drive, you are met by the guard men and staff who the children call uncles. The stone path leads you to the yellow building. On the bottom floor are three sections with a large open breezeway between each with metal laundry tubs and clotheslines.

  The first room is the girls room, the second the babies, and the third is the boys. This home has abut 40 children at the moment, but you never know when another will arrive, or leave and go to a family member. We typically have children newborn to age 5, but sometimes because of circumstances we have children who are older. 

Each room is set up similar to each other. A big open space for playing and eating, a small room off of it for the mamas to keep thing away from children, heat up bottles, etc. The other side of the room has an open bathroom with showers and toilets, and then a dorm room full of bunk beds or cribs. Each room is staffed with two Ugandan Mamas who we have grown to love very quickly. They love the children, play with them, and teach them to be good, or use good manners as they would say. 

  There have two shifts, 8am-6:30pm and then the other shift is 6:30pm-8am. Our hours are 8am-6:30pm with lunch for us from 1-3 as that is nap time for all the children. We work Monday to Friday and part of a day Saturday to do a project or clean up around the compound. We keep to a very specific schedule with the kids, every hour is planned. But I will save that for another day. 

  If you continue upstairs, you will found the volunteer quarters. An open room meets you with couches and a table and benches. On the other end of the room is a kitchen. We all share this area. There are three dorm bedrooms. Each have 4 bunk beds with a desk and small closet area underneath. On one side of the room is a room with a toilet and sink, and on the other side of the room is a bathroom with a sink and shower. Outside we can step out and view the field from our balcony. 

  Behind the main building is a chicken coop and a small barn for goats. However, all the animals died as disease is easily spread to the animals making it hard to keep them alive. In the past however, this supplied eggs and goat milk for the children. There is an administrative building, and a playroom, office, and infant building as well. Currently there are not enough infants to have the infant room open, so the ones we have are with the babies. Between the buildings are winding stone paths with flowers and trees. 

  There is always the sound of a child laughing, or crying, mamas talking to each other in the beautiful Ugandan language, or a goat bleating at the neighbors nearby. The air is warm and humid, and it rains a little almost every day. The bananas are sweet, the mango even better, and avocados are plentiful. 

  I’m so blessed to be able to have gotten this opportunity to be here. I have Katelyn who came with me, and two of the sweetest girls from Texas and Minnesota who have quickly became like sisters. We often spend evenings or lunch hours chatting, or hop on a boda (motorbike) for 50cents and ride to the market or Main Street to grab a drink or some groceries. 

  While I love it here, not everything is perfect, don’t get me wrong. There is the rat problem which is just normal. No trash cans allowed indoors. The ants will get anything that is not in a sealed container. There may not be electricity every day, hot water, or air conditioning. But those are things that do not really matter. We did not come here to live the American life. And neither do we want to live the American life here. 

 Someday I will write more about it all, but this is truly the nicest, cleanest, well organized orphanage I have been to. The children are loved, well fed, showered twice a day at least, and taught about Jesus.   There are also administrative staff, one who stays with us volunteers and one that stays somewhere else on the compound. Everyone has been lovely and it has truly been amazing and exhausting all at the same time.  You end the day tired, sweaty and covered in red dirt, but your heart is full and you are happy. 

Several people have asked if this is the Kisses from Katie orphanage. Yes and no. This is the orphanage she wrote about in her book, where she came to volunteer. She just did not mention the name of it in her book. She did not start this orphanage. She later went on to adopt children and start a place called Amizma which is a few miles from here. I believe it is school and has some outreach programs. 

Below are some pictures of some of the children with their stories from Amani’s website. I am not allowed to share their stories on here of what I know, but I can share what Amani has shared.