Overcrowded classrooms, kids on their cellphones, loud conversations, a desperate teacher trying to reign it all in; this scenario sounds very much like an average school. But in this case, there is no running water, no textbooks, no cars; in some cases, no families. This is a normal school in Africa, where new principal Chris Mayfield spent 10 days of his summer.
“I went to Uganda this summer, my wife and I did, with our church [Chase Oaks],” Mayfield said. “The opportunity I had while I was there was to get to work with teachers at two different schools.”
Mayfield’s main objective while in Uganda was to help the teachers in any way he could.
“It was really neat because I got to work with teachers and see what their needs were and you know, to help with instructional strategies,” Mayfield said. “And we took them some very simple supplies that they don’t have, we took them some old books, children’s books that have been donated.”
Mayfield’s wife, Christy, also helped out around the schools.
“I helped paint the school that our team worked with, assisted with a medical clinic at the school, led children’s programs,” Christy said. “And just spent time with the people there.”
Mayfield helped to repair and improve the state of many parts of rural Ugandan villages.
The area of Uganda where the schools are located is dramatically different from the Lovejoy area.
“It was a super impoverished area, like no running water, no electricity,” Mayfield said. “Where they get their water, it’s actually from a pond, there’s a pipe that comes out of a pond, so that’s not even clean drinking water, but it runs.”
Being in such a poverty-ridden area makes schools even more important for the kids.
“Education is a huge deal for them,” Mayfield said. “For those kids, they have an opportunity to get out from the poverty, to get a job and to be able to provide for their family. [It’s actually very similar to the attitudes of the kids here]. If you think about how important education is for your future plans or where you wanna be and what you wanna do, I would say that’s a very common theme in both [Africa and Lovejoy].”
Mayfield’s family was very supportive of his trip to Uganda.
“[My parents] loved [the trip], because they got to meet a lot of people and spend time with the African kids,” junior Jake Mayfield said. “They also got to help paint schools, and serve in many other ways. They also enjoyed seeing what life was like there, as opposed to here in America.”
The Uganda trip had a definite effect on Mayfield and his wife.
“[It was a great opportunity to be grateful] no doubt about it, yeah it just makes you very thankful,” Mayfield said. “I think for me it was a great reminder of how important it really can be, even if you’re someplace for a short time, how you can make a difference.”
“It was difficult seeing kids with sores on their feet, no shoes, and little clothing but knowing their real need is the hope that only Jesus can give,” Christy said. “Our team wanted to help the Ugandan people become self-sustaining. We got to see ways we can do that in the future.”
