A Place to Belong

  Although I grew up in the US, the Center of Hope, Refuge and Hope's refugee community center, is where I feel most at home. I returned to Kampala, Uganda at the end of June to work at the Center of Hope. I have been volunteering for the last two years on a regular basis. I have made lasting relationships with center students, staff and volunteers.

            It has been eleven months since I came back to volunteer with Refuge and Hope. It is really amazing to see how the center has grown!! When I first arrived as a volunteer in August,2010, the center had only been opened for a few months. There were two English classes with a total of 25 students combined. Two years later, the center just over 200 students who are currently enrolled in both the full time and part time programs. What is even more amazing is that the Center has grown completely by word of mouth! Presently, there is a major influx of additional students who want to enroll into the program but we have completely run out of space.

            What is the most unique about the Center is the diversity. There are typically 12-13 countries represented amongst our students. Many of these countries and various ethnic groups have previously been at war with one another. These tensions were very apparent amongst our students a few years ago. Over time, these tensions have slowly withered away. Many students have come to Uganda alone, without friends and family. Although they have the strong desire to learn English or other skills offered in classes, their deeper desire is for love and community. Students have come to understand that what is most important is not what color their skin, their gender, their religion or economic income, what is most important is that they are human. Through interaction in and outside of the classroom, students have come to learn about cultures that are different from them. These opportunities also exist outside of the classroom. For example, at the most recent end of term party, students danced together to songs from a variety of East African songs. Although the styles of dance are different in all countries, students taught their classmates how to dance their style of dance. I have never had as much fun as I did dancing with the Center of Hope community that day.

            They have found common interest in struggling to learn a new language in a supportive environment of loving staff and volunteers and classmates who encourage them. One of my former ESL students shared with me that “before coming to the Center, I never thought I could speak to someone from another country but now, I feel comfortable talking to anyone as long as they speak English.” She paused for a minute and with a smile on her face said “even that doesn’t matter, we can always communicate with our hands and smiles.” With God’s provision and grace, the center has become a place where everyone belongs.