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UHV student volunteers to teach in Africa

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  • Pamela Bond - Victoria Advocate
  • Originally published May 19, 2008 at 1:07 p.m., updated May 19, 2008 at 1:07 p.m.

Instead or working at a summer job or taking classes, Karalyn Jones will spend her vacation helping children in Uganda, the war-torn African country.

The war in Uganda started in January 1986, the same month Jones and her twin sister were born, and the rebel forces use Ugandan boys as child soldiers or minesweepers and girls as sex slaves. The plight of these children touched Jones two years ago through the Invisible Children, a nonprofit group that advocates for the Ugandan children.

“I realize how bad the war is and how much of a target I am - I’m white, I’m female, I’m alone,” Jones said. “But I know that I’m supposed to go. It’s like when Thomas Edison discovered the light bulb. I knew I would do it.”

Jones, an education major who will graduate from UHV in December, will travel abroad through Operation Crossroads Africa. She will spend her time in the city of Mbale, Uganda’s second largest city, where she will facilitate learning in a classroom children between the ages of six and 12. She and other volunteers will also help build a building for special needs children to teach them how to be part of a brass band.

Between her volunteer work, Jones will also study the language barriers in Uganda for an independent study class. While the official language is English, most Ugandans speak one of 60 tribal languages, and one classroom in Uganda may have 10 different languages.

The community has helped Jones raise the money for her trip. St. Marks United Methodist Church held a garage sale for Jones that yielded more than $800. UHV gave Jones a $600 scholarship and the student senate gave $250, which president Dr. Tim Hudson matched.

Jones will be in Africa from June 18 to August 11 and will blog about her experiences at www.uhv.edu/jonesjourney. After she graduates, Jones said she plans to “change the world.”

“Despite the conflict, they have such optimism,” Jones said. “This is the closest we’ve come to peace since the war started. I’m so excited for them as a country.”

Pamela Bond is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6578 or pbond@vicad.com, or comment on this story at www.victoriaadvocate.com.



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