Day 11 - Friday 7 August 2009

Unlike the previous three days, we got to sleep in due to finishing off the construction of our Watoto home. The hamstrings were tight and the back still sore.

Our first stop of the day was the Mercy Orphanage that the team had previously visited when they first arrived to Kampala. When I arrived there, I felt like I was in a different world compared to the homes of Watoto. The class rooms were old and small, and the amount of children per bed room would not be legal in Australia. A Watoto bed room would sleep 3 to 4 children, whilst the same size room at Mercy would sleep 24.

Due to the success of the Watoto system, I really underestimated the need that exists in Uganda.

The children started off the proceedings by singing songs for us. I had to bite my lip and hold back the tears thinking about the surroundings I was in. The way they moved and sang to the beat was amazing.

To make myself laugh and change my frame of mind, I thought of something that a young artist called Andrew had told me a few days earlier. "Tony, white people can dance; the only problem is that they dance to the next song!"

It was a highlight for the 'Chain Snore' to watch his new friend sing a solo piece in the North Adelaide Football Club guersney he gave him on his earlier visit.

After the performance we gave the children presents including small toys, lollies and left over food from the Vroulis & Rhigas caravans. The most popular gift was the excess Snap Lock Bags we had brought along.

The next time I am asked who my I look up to, it won't be a professional footballer or business man listed on the BRW's Rich 200, but will be the orphanage's director Sylvia. Dedicating her life to raise children other than her own is a selfless task.

At this stage of our trip, I have developed a fascination for our driver Sylvester. He is Uganda's version of the Koala Bear. He sleeps at least 20 hours a day in his van when we are out and about. The remainder of the time he is on his mobile phone or eating a solid mixed grill with chips. I am sure that if he lived in Australia we would be very close.

The next stop was to try Uganda's famous 'mini' hamburgers. After ordering the 'King Steer Combo', I was served a hamburger the size of a McDonald's cheeseburger. The pieces of the "Why am I so much larger compared to Ugandan's (except for Sylvester)" puzzle was starting to come together.

M-Lisada was the final stop for the day. We were met by children who were so excited to us that they opened our car doors and held our hands before we had a chance to grab our bags.

We were to walk for about fifteen minutes before we were to see where they lived. To best describe the area we were in would be to think of the early scenes of "Slumdog Millionaire". The stench of raw sewerage, stray animals and rubbish further created a sense of dissatisfying surrealness in the moment I was in.

Still being held by "Aaron" and "Confidence", we were shown they boys sleeping area. The Mercy orphanage was a three star hotel compared to this; Watoto a Palace. Basically the size of my laundry at home, 15 boys would sleep there on a nightly basis.

After coming to terms with my surroundings and getting over the shock of the state of homes these children live in, we were paired up to draw dream trees.

The dream trees were to contain words that the children hoped would describe their future. "Healthy" not "Rich", "Shelter" not "Playstation 3", "Mum and dad" not "more pocket money".

I had to laugh when Johnie "Fiasco" Rhigas' child wrote; "Musician", "Engineer" and "LIMO!"

The time had come for me to live out my childhood dream of leading a pack of kids to the soccer tune "OLE OLE OLE". We put the Brazilian Football Fans to shame with our Samba tunes and movements! There were people coming out of everywhere as we walked down the street to our van. We were so loud that even Sylvester had his seat in the driving position rather than the reclined position we usually find him in.

The smiles, hugs and thank you's received from these children was if we had just saved the earth. All it really took was some time, interest, and a bottle of soda...

TV