\u2026Last year, at the Rimini Meeting, we had the chance to meet Rose in person: beyond the beautiful stories and the many emotions, there was that phrase: \u201cI\u2019ll be waiting for you in Kampala.\u201d<\/em> Maybe, for her, it was just a kind and polite invitation, but for us, it meant so much more \u2014 the spark that turned a desire into reality. And that\u2019s exactly what happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The journey actually began months before the departure date, when in the evenings my wife and I would discuss what to bring for our two sponsored girls and what might be useful for the schools we would visit. We thought school supplies would be more useful than toys \u2014 pencils, markers, notebooks, a backpack\u2026 Maybe we got a little carried away, because in the end, the girls\u2019 backpack was overflowing! For us, it was like walking a child to school on their first day and thinking, \u201cWe don\u2019t want them to lack anything.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We also thought it was right to add something fun: some stickers, little stamps, Play-Doh with molds (my wife, who teaches preschool, had much clearer ideas than I did about which toys were more educational). I managed to sneak in a box of beads for making bracelets and necklaces, which turned out to be a lovely surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We also wanted to bring something that represented Italy and that the girls would enjoy. We had no doubt: Nutella.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026As we walked through the neighborhoods and those communities, the poverty was evident, but that difficult condition had not eroded the humanity and dignity with which we were always welcomed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, the moment we had been waiting for so long arrived: the visit to the primary school, where we would meet Gift and Edina. But it was when we walked into that room \u2014 where, together with social workers and parents, Gift and Edina were sitting \u2014 that time stopped. I, who am used to speaking in public and facing people, suddenly felt bare and speechless, capable only of an awkward smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026Unfortunately, I don\u2019t speak English, and aside from a few translations provided by an assistant, communication was based on gestures and smiles as we explored the various objects we had brought for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Gift dipped her finger in the Nutella and tasted it, her eyes widened, and she turned to her mother with a huge smile \u2014 a smile I will never forget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we pulled out the box of beads and all the tools for making bracelets, to our great surprise we discovered that her mother makes bracelets for a living. That coincidence made me happy, because she would be able to use the materials for her work too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026Just a few hundred meters from the school, we met Rose\u2019s women. What can I say? They are like the sea: strong, proud, imposing \u2014 and when they start singing and dancing, they become a storm that grabs you deep down and carries you away. Their song, with their story, is the only anchor to hold on to, because they give you everything and you\u2019re not ready. You can’t imagine it: they first shatter all your certainties, they empty you, they make you human \u2014 and then they plant in you a seed of humanity that you may not recognize at the time, but that continues to grow. Even now, I feel it has strong roots in me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overwhelmed by this experience, we walked with Rose into the Kireka slum, where thousands of people live in makeshift shelters clustered on the red earth typical of the area. It\u2019s clear that this is a situation of extreme poverty, but as we walked through the winding paths between homes, we met many smiling faces of women and men, and curious children who greeted us. Poverty had not diminished the humanity of that place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a while, we arrived at a house where a family welcomed us for lunch. The hospitality and generosity we received are something I\u2019ve rarely experienced, because that\u2019s just who they are \u2014 they give you everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After lunch, we returned to the meeting point where the women were waiting to say goodbye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026That afternoon, to our immense joy, we saw the girls again. Edina was sitting next to her father and gave us a shy wave, while Gift, the moment she saw us, ran into our arms and hugged us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t have the words to describe the emotion I felt in that hug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We had brought a snack to share and, now past the initial shyness, we asked them a few questions and showed them photos of our cats. Edina was very curious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To our surprise, the girls\u2019 parents had brought us gifts. In that moment, I truly felt small \u2014 they, who have nothing, were giving us<\/em> something, offering what little they had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gift\u2019s mother had made bracelets with our names on them using the beads we had given her the day before \u2014 a gift made from the heart, one I carry with me always.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026This time, the goodbyes were incredibly hard for me. We thanked the parents for the love they have for their daughters and told them that we will always be there. We hugged Edina and Gift tightly and, with heavy hearts and many regrets, we walked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only certainty that gives me strength to keep smiling is that this is just a \u201csee you soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026On this trip, we felt deep emotions, saw the beauty of a place and the dignity of its people, met wonderful people who dedicate their lives to helping others, and saw with our own eyes that even the impossible, if truly believed in, can be achieved. We filled our hearts with deep love \u2014 we came convinced that we would give, and instead we received a love so immense our hearts could not contain it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For days after returning, I kept dreaming of Africa, and upon waking I was still wrapped in the emotions I could feel \u2014 I dare say, even touch<\/em>. I keep humming in my mind the song of Rose\u2019s women \u2014 \u201cI am now free\u201d<\/em> \u2014 because that song truly makes me feel free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes I reflect on all the coincidences that followed us on this journey, and instinctively I feel like saying the world is small. But then, thinking more deeply, I understood \u2014 just as someone we met during this beautiful experience told us \u2014 that maybe it\u2019s not that the world is small\u2026 maybe it\u2019s that God is great<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And I\u2026 am just a man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Riccardo<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" To tell the story of the incredible experience I had in Africa, I want to start from the return \u2014 from that long and sorrowful flight that brought me back home, a journey filled with memories and emotions, with one single question on my mind: When will I be able to return to Uganda? \u2026Last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,77],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education-support","category-stories-of-hope"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/meetingpoint-int.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/meetingpoint-int.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/meetingpoint-int.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/meetingpoint-int.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/meetingpoint-int.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9473"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/meetingpoint-int.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10803,"href":"http:\/\/meetingpoint-int.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9473\/revisions\/10803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/meetingpoint-int.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/meetingpoint-int.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/meetingpoint-int.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/meetingpoint-int.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/meetingpoint-int.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/549A1907-1024x683.jpg\")
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