school

Two-dozen children welcome me into the school’s library—a rare space in most Ugandan primary schools. But this is no ordinary school, and their headmistress, Olivia Muhumza, is no ordinary individual. Ms. Olivia asks the children to share information about the many programs that Railway Children Primary School offers its students. The school is located in Nsambya, one of the capital Kampala’s poorest neighborhoods.

Maybe it was just luck that my bicycle tire blew out right in front of the bike repair stand in the Freedom Compound shanty town. I took that same road every time I travelled between my village and the town of Monze during my Peace Corps service in Zambia. I usually pedaled as quickly as I could through Freedom Compound in order to avoid all the beckoning calls of “Mzungu”, white person or foreigner. This time I had no choice but to stop. As soon as I slowed down I was rushed by people trying to help me. “No, no, it’s fine, I can manage myself” I told them.