Two Weeks That Turn Life Upside Down
In September, we land in Uganda once again. The scent of African soil—there’s something magical about it. You just have to experience it.
This time, we knew what to expect, and we also knew what would be needed. We already had experience from last year’s trip.
In February, in Berlin, volunteers from Window of Life prepared over 20 photo albums, which we managed to take with us to Uganda. We hope this will be a wonderful gift for each child who dreams of starting an adult life somewhere beyond Masindi.
At the airport, together with Magda and seven suitcases, we look for our driver, who will take us to Masindi.
The journey to Masindi goes smoothly, though we are excited and can’t wait to arrive. After a few hours, we finally reach our destination. The aunts and children welcome us as if we had only left a week ago—”joy is certainly there…”
We are lucky because it’s vacation time, and all the children are at home. Within a week, we manage to organize a trip to Entebbe, visit a priest who wrote a book about Uganda (“Burn the Passport”), and even visit a prison.
The trip to Entebbe took almost six hours one way. What surprised us in a positive way was that none of the children complained — no one cried, no one asked why it was taking so long. Most of them had their noses glued to the window, watching the changing landscape, people, and cities. You could tell they were incredibly curious about the world.
Upon arrival in Entebbe, we went to the airport to show the children airplanes up close. We managed to get onto the tarmac—though the bureaucracy took some time. But as they say in Africa, “Hakuna matata.” We were surprised that in every office, we had to wait—even just to be told, “this is not the right place.” We probably visited ten different offices before finally securing permission. But we did it! We would be able to see the planes take off up close.
After the airport visit, we went to the zoo, beautifully located by the lake and well worth a visit.
To get a taste of Europe, we also stopped by KFC. On our way back, we visited our friends at the Malayaka House foundation, which houses over 50 children. We reached Masindi close to midnight, yet still, no one complained about being tired or wanting to sleep.
Our visit to Father Kalungi Dąbrowski in Kakoge was a smaller gathering—we took three of the youngest and three of the oldest children, along with our volunteer, Magda, who, for her good behavior and help, received a special gift from Father Kalungi: a piece of rosewood.
To get to Kakoge, we used public transportation — a Link Bus. Before the trip, Magda gave the children a safety briefing and some travel tips like an experienced explorer: “Pee — yes, but number two — no.” Unfortunately, the kids didn’t listen, which was a new experience for us all.
Kakoge has a hospital, a school, and a church — grand and beautiful, all built thanks to Father Kalungi and donations from Europe. However, in the village, few people seemed to know the priest—or maybe our English wasn’t clear enough. When we asked about Father Kalungi, most people responded like Judith, who didn’t seem to understand the question… (hmm?). After a few attempts, we finally found him.
Father Kalungi welcomed us with cassava, which turned out to be delicious, along with watermelon from his garden and other local delicacies. After a few hours, it was time to return.
When traveling with Link Bus, you never really know the price until you buy the ticket. The seats are designed in a way that makes you want to get off as soon as you sit down. The upside? In most cases, you actually reach your destination. Another pro is the musical entertainment blasting at full volume. Thanks to this, we got to know many Ugandan hits — mostly about weddings or the president.
During our stay, we also managed to visit a prison with two children to see their mothers.
This short visit left the biggest impression on us. The children were very scared to go, even though the aunts reassured them that it was only for a short while. After going through all the security checks, we entered the prison, which, from the inside, didn’t seem as intimidating.
The mothers were deeply moved to see how well their children were taken care of. This was largely thanks to the aunts who work in Masindi. We also learned that Window of Life is one of the few organizations in Uganda that accepts children from prison, which is why the imprisoned mothers were so happy and grateful. We, too, felt a tear in our eyes, seeing their emotions. This visit was proof that the foundation’s work makes a difference—that Window of Life can change children’s lives for the better.
It turned out that not only was the little girl’s mother in prison, but also her father. So, the search for him began. Unfortunately, after an hour, he was nowhere to be found. After all, the prison is big… But no one seemed surprised or concerned. I’m sure he was found later — “Hakuna matata”.
During the second week, we focused on the youngest children — taking them to school, playing with the girls who stayed home, organizing the library, spending time with the aunts, and visiting Mr. Mansur, who spent a few months in Poland in the 1970s and remains in love with our country to this day.
Of course, there was also time to relax—shopping at the market, tasting fruits, chatting about nothing and everything, sometimes about serious matters.
In September 2019, we are flying again. We can’t wait.
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