When we got to Lulwanda, three children greeted us at the gate because they had recognized the Kelley's car. They hopped in the van and sat in our laps until we parked. The moment we got out of the van, so many kids swarmed us with smiles and hugs. The first priority was to greet every adult on the compound as it was rude not to. We walked around the compound greeting people and familiarizing ourselves with the area. A boy (whose name I later learned was Milton), grabbed my hand and began to play with my watch. He loved playing with the buttons and watching the numbers flash across the screen. All the kids were so curious about us and the things we had.
I had brought my camera in order to capture whatever I could on this trip, and the kids got more use out of it than I did. They loved being in pictures as well as taking the pictures themselves. Over the course of the first 2 days, they managed to take over 3000 pictures! They would carry it around and take turns taking pictures of their friends and animals around the compound. When I was taking the pictures, they stuck their tongues out, jumped around, and acted like goofballs. Priscilla, Danny and Patricia seemed to have the most fun taking turns with the camera.
At one point, a girl named Patience brought me into her dorm room to change. There were around 20 kids per room, sleeping on bunk beds, and each kid had one small trunk with all of their belongings. Because the kids were younger, they had a "mother" who was in charge of that room. The mother was normally a widow from the village who became a maternal figure for the girls. Ultimately, they would like to have 6 to 8 children living together with one parent.
My Experience :)
