Rahab project & Nakulabye School, Kampala

Friday 25th March 2011

A short drive for us diehards - only 14km! - took us out of Kampala on the Guyaza Road to visit Rahab, a project rescuing and rehabilitating young girls living in the poor slum areas of the city and involved in prostitution. It was good to meet up with Annette Kiribiri again (see photo), she is married to Bernard and travelled to Buvuma island with us last year to visit the school.

Annette and a group of women wanted to help the vulnerable girls and began to enter the slum areas to visit and make contact with them in 2005. In 2006 they rented a house and began to invite girls they'd got to know to come and live in a safe environment where they would be cared for by a "mother" and receive counselling and the opportunity to go back to school. Annette makes contact with their families so that the girls can be re-settled wherever possible. There are now 30 girls living in a rented home located in a quiet neighbourhood outside the city; the youngest is only ten years old.

Annette told us of her heart-rending experiences in the slums trying to be-friend the girls and build their trust. Sadly, things don't always end happily as the girls are earning well from the trade and some are tempted to return to their old life. During our visit we spent some time with some of the girls - two of whom recently finished secondary school and hope to go on to university, fees permitting. They proudly showed us some crafts they were making to sell - paper bags, baskets and attractive paper jewellery - and it turned into a bit of a buying session!

Afterwards Annette took us to see the chicken sheds - another way the project is trying to acheive some sustainability. Despite this we learned that Rahab has a constant shortfall in funding. The whole visit was a bit of an emotional roller coaster for us all, but we also realised that this would not halt Annette's incredible determination and vision to help change the lives of as many vulnerable young girls as possible.

We drove back into the city to make a final stop-off for this trip - at Nakulabye Junior School. When we visited last year a highlight was a football match featuring Rianna's Fund versus the Nakjus boys. However, the weather this morning was stifflingly hot and I didn't detect too much disappointment when we saw a tag rugby match in full swing as we arrived! The mixed boy/girl team were practicing for a 'friendly' on Monday against another school.

We met with Moses the Headmaster for a catch-up chat in his office and afterwards asked to say hello to the children Rianna's Fund sponsors at the school, who appeared content and are reportedly progressing well. It was a short, but relaxed visit and a timely reminder at the end of our trip of how projects like Nakulabye can bring hope and help to transform the lives of children living in poverty.

Postscript: 4 trustees, 1 bus, 2,200kilometres, 11 projects, 9 days.....it's been great

Riannas Fund