Holiday Camp of the Christoph-Bettermann-School

The first two classes of the Christoph Bettermann School waited excitedly in front of the school for the holiday camp bus with volunteers and employees. The bus drove to the holiday camp at Wamala Lake, where the Josef Marth School is located. We spent two of three weeks at the holiday camp with two separate classes.

Even the drive to Lubajja was an adventure, with many children, adults, wheelchairs, luggage and mattresses squeezed into a small taxi bus. Everyone was looking forward to the lake; very few had seen that much water before!
Daily routine soon became clear: teeth, dressing, porridge, while the other half prepared the snack. Often children needed help coordinating their hands but we learned how to prepare chapatti, banana pancakes and popcorn in the local oven.
The walk from school to the lake normally takes five minutes, but with a n uni flatbed wheelchair with two kids, others crawling and some children being carried it took half an hour. Ivan was fantastically helpful; Irene crawled faster than most of the walkers.
Some days we just sat on mattresses at the lake, sang and played, watching e fishing boats. We also learned to make mattresses out of papyrus. One day, the children enjoyed splashing around in t.he lake - what fun!
After lunch, Ugandan beans with rice, the school veranda was the place to be for painting, playing and crafting, producing colourful pictures and dough arts.
The highlight of the week was the boat trip. Each child was equipped with a life jacket and the fisher boats took us on a tour. For many of the children it was their first boating experience. I. The evening, washing, another adventure, began. We are grateful to the boarding school children who brought us after to clean the children of Ugandan dust. Afterwards. We readbedtime stories, did a shadow play and a dorm disco.
(Barbara): in these two weeks, I got to know the children well. As a result, I learned that even cognitively disabled children are very active and have their own will. After a week, I could understand Jonas's invented words, Claudia's smile and why Monika and Joseline kept offering me chickpeas.
(Christoph): it was amazing how independently the children lived their life despite their special needs. They crawled, ate with hands and feet, brushed their teeth and got dressed. Work with the children was sometimes exhausting but everyone appreciated our support, even the autistic children. In Uganda I saw that you do not have to be professionally trained to help and support children. It was a lot of fun and a special adventure