We were also in Uganda a few years ago, but unfortunately I was not able to meet her then, while the rest of the Held team did speak to her. She was then very disappointed that I could not be there.
Of course we wrote to each other regularly and talked about our common hobby: cooking.
The moment the door opened and a very enthusiastic child flew around my neck was very emotional
Fifteen minutes before the agreed time, I received a phone call from the Netherlands that my father had just passed away. Although this was not entirely unexpected, it still touches you. When we were waiting at the agreed place a little later and the van from the children's home arrived, the tension was palpable. The moment the door opened and a very enthusiastic child flew around my neck was very emotional, for both of us. We had some time to talk and get to know each other a little better. I noticed that she was a very intelligent girl who got good grades in school and had great ambitions to go to college.
When we had to say goodbye, she pushed a note into my hands in which she thanked me, among other things, for believing in her and making it possible for her to study and have a future. It was then that I really realized that by supporting her, I was not only making sure she has food and shelter, but that my modest contribution makes a difference of life and death for her, of a hopeful future instead of a life of poverty and hopelessness.