My alarm goes off at 7:30 am, I jump out of my bed right away (to the contrary of how I wake up at home and snooze about 3 or 4 times). I take a shower (a cold one 80% of the time) and I have my breakfast, toast with jam and coffee. (without my smoke, because as most of you know I smoked my last one the evening before I left to Uganda).

Then I get my bag and my helmet and leave the compound. Usually a boda boda driver is there really quick and I negotiate the price of the drive to the drop-in center and off we go. Usually I arrive at my project around 9am. The boys drop in slowly but steadily. Today I presented the social workers of the home with my plan to get them in earlier and to bring more structure. They were very enthusiastic and we will present the plan to the ‘big boss’ to see if we can put it in practice next week. As soon as the boys are there I can do whatever I propose and want to do with them, they do crafts and they get lessons. The hardest thing is that they are all on a completely different level. But I like to practice English with them and I offer them games. Today we practiced the alphabet, the numbers 1-50, days of the week, parts of the body, colors and reading time. Some of the boys only did one part and some did all, but it was nice to see that a few of them are really committed and eager to learn.

Around 12:30/1:00 pm the boys at the drop-in center get lunch and I take off. I always say to them before I leave “I hope to see you tomorrow” in the hope they will come the next day, because they do not always come, sometimes they just stay at the streets.

Again I take a boda and go the Agape home. As soon as I arrive at the home one of the kids brings me my lunch, which is so sweet, I hardly have time to put my bag and my helmet in the office. At the home the boys are always so happy to see me, it is touching. I get a handshake, a box or a hug

After lunch it is time for corvee and then in the afternoon, I give lessons there too. This week they had beginning of term exams and I helped marking the exams. We also play games outside and inside. And I always try to talk to some of the boys to get a better understanding of who they are and where they are coming from. I also talk to people who work there to try to understand exactly how the project works and where I could maybe try to improve things. The social workers and teachers there do not have any diplomas. The teacher is still studying and the social workers would love to get their diplomas but they do not have money to pay for it. But they are really committed to the programme and it is obvious they really love the kids and they are open for any ideas to improve. It is really inspiring working with them, I have loads of respect for them.

At around 4/4:30 I leave the home and usually I go for a drink somewhere with one or more of the other volunteers with who I live with in the Doingoood house to a place which also offers free WIFI

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Then we get some groceries for dinner and we have dinner together and after dinner I usually take an hour or two to prepare things for the next day at my project and if I still have some energy left I try to write my blog.

Then off to bed because the next day my alarm goes off at 7:30am.