Month: November 2024

Before I came to Luigi Giussani High school (LGHS) I was a different person. A person who couldn’t define the value of life and self being always thinking of desires being fulfilled even if it meant to divert.

Once upon a time when I was this church boy, honest, kind, caring to all and respecting to my parents. I remember a time when even my relatives would fight for me because of my morals and hard work. I definitely loved helping others to the point of doing work alone but all these values eroded little by little after my primary leaving examination (PLE) during the Covid 19 period. The idleness made me unlock doors I wish I did not open. I got into a friendship with a neighbor who introduced me to a peer group that changed me at the fullest.

Things got worse when I got a phone and later my mother got Covid 19 so I was on my own. I made decisions for myself that weren’t good at all. I decided what to wear, what to eat and drink, what time to come back and developed self-pride. The desire for popularity, money, shoes and fashion trends. I developed behaviors like theft, jealousy, big headedness and selfishness.

Some of my good friends tried to advise me about my change same with my father but I felt like they were pressuring me so I neglected them all. My room became my planet I became lazy and good at pretending and everyone started going away from me. I got into addictions like gadgets and internet fever not forgetting social media hunger. I remember hurting a good friend of mine. I realized that I had changed and I went to a priest for forgiveness but he told me that it was me who needed to repent. I was so holy for a week but these addictions pulled me. I couldn’t control myself, my mother came back from quarantine and was told these things she was disappointed. I lost myself and felt ashamed and unable to think.

But when I came to Luigi Giussani high school, I found something different. The environment was caring and loving though I got in trouble at times but they let me reason which shocked me because I expected a punishment. I felt self-guilt and reflected on my past that sparked a light in me for a change. I looked around and saw that indeed that there was something life changing especially the school core values and vision.

Not only the Kabale trip changed me like enabling me to find my inner-self, unlocking my stop and think button but also the lessons I have retrieved from community school that have made me understand the occurrence of things and scenarios in my life and letting me know that there is one that loves me beyond the material life. Auntie Rose has changed me, my way of thinking how to look through the fog and knowing that there are many reasons to thank God and how to realize his presence in every time. She helped me to come out of the miserable life I was living and I thank her for that. Mr. Della our education advisor at LGHS has motivated me to move on with life finding myself and enabling me to achieve my potential through all situations. Mr. Kawuki our Head teacher and Mr. Kawooya my teacher always giving life experiences that build me morally and helping me understand what is being taught. Winnie, Wonder and most especially Phionah who have encouraged me to learn and accompanied me through the day. Mr. Freddy always explaining to us the importance of each point and teaching us the melodies of songs making me so devoted to coming to community school and all the rest who have been of true and good influence to me, accounting me as a true friend.

Father Luigi Giussani though I have never met him, but his teachings have changed me and have brought us together in community school. I love the fact that we are considered as family despite our differences. Community school has taught me how to live my life better than before and has enabled me to build up a life so comfortable and caring.

East or west community school is the best. I will never forget community school and I have treasured it to heart and wherever I go I will spread what I have got from this family. I will always consider community school as the best potion of my life throughout my days.

Written by

Moshe Orognat.

My name is Winnie Atimango a student at Makerere University Business School in my third year and final year pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Human Resource management and a former student of Luigi Giussani High school. I joined Community school (companionship) in 2015 when I had just joined Luigi Giussani high school. I joined community school because my mom used to over push my brothers to go there since l did not want her to get mad at me I went to community school just to impress my mother.

I wanted to so much go there and find out what really takes place there in order to please my mom and also know why my brothers did not like to go there. I did not get the chance to meet anyone to really explain what it was so I went there just to adventure. But when I was there I  never understood anything apart  from seeing people sing and say experiences that did not make sense to me for almost four years but I kept on following and going back, because of the music, to meet up with my friends and to dodge evening preps though I understand nothing. One time we read a quote from one of the books of father Luigi that  struck me “IN FOLLOWING YOU NEVER MAKE A MISTAKE”  and  aunty rose always kept on reminding us every time we went for community school so I decided to follow, eventually I got to realize my value and WHO I WAS ?. Not like the first time someone will ask me WHO AM I? My immediate answer would be I am Winnie. But the discovery of who I was got me to a point of real preference in front of everything not only realizing that l am made for him and made of him which was  something very beautiful that I did not want to lose and this was after a period of about four years when some of the senior six students were leaving and Matteo Severgnini (Seve) calls and asks, “now Winnie who is going to take lead of community school when those of Gladys leave” he immediately proposed me so I had no choice but to take lead and that is how I began my serious journey of community school I would say. During my journey in community school l had never said a word but one time I got a chance when Seve opened his office for people who wanted to ask questions and that very Tuesday I rushed to his office at 8:30am as l saw him arrive to school I remember I asked him over 10 questions and he was like no you need to ask this in front of the others on Monday saying they were beautiful questions which I thought that they did not make sense to me reading the book (WHY THE CHURCH) I remember asking him the value of community ,what it meant ,who introduced it to him hearing his experiences made me interested to always go back to community and the gaze that he gave me with aunty rose was very different every time he would come to class to say hello Winnie and this was  different for me how aunty rose would tell me I am loved and preferred was amazing so this made my classmates nickname me ( Seve and aunt’s daughter). Hearing this made me realize the value that all along they have been speaking about finally it stuck in my mind.

At some point l did not believe whether Christ existed I reached at some point after two years of following and asked myself if Christ was really there because of what I was going through. I remember asking this question in community school “Is Christ really there?” because at that point Christ seemed so far away not knowing he was even nearer than ever, even in the midst of my doubt he was more present through the faces of friends at the school of community who helped me rediscover that in each and every face of theirs was Christ reawakening Himself through their smiles. At that point I discovered how I was loved and preferred so much even with my problems he still loved me as his own and didn’t want to leave that experience, so I always wanted to stay and follow people who looked at me as Winnie with big smiles and hugs.

After two years of COVID I got excited that I was finally joining the university. When I reached the university I thought I had entered into freedom that I always desired since I wanted to have a taste of how being free felt. On reaching campus I knew no one there and had no clue where to find my classes so I decided to stay outside of the campus compound thinking maybe a lecturer would meet me and ask if I am lost but all that was in vain. No one seemed to be bothered about this little girl seated in the cod wrangles. When I got to class for lectures after a whole day of struggling to look for my class, people were so many that even the teacher did not care whether u have understood or not. Life went on at campus as I tried to stay in my freedom leaving a life of what I thought  was really freedom not knowing that I was even suffocating the in that kind of life.  Competition was the order of the day, things like: who has the best shoe, who has more money, the best dress or outfit in class. For almost one year I lost the meaning of who I really was whether I was defined by the clothes, bags and shoes, I didn’t even care about the person who was giving me all the staff but only cared about myself. I even forgot about the friends I had from the school of community. After sometime  at campus I got a call from aunty Rose and Seve, asking me where I was and I remember lying to them that I was at school yet in most cases I was home sleeping not even going for lectures sometime because I saw no point of going to a school where no one cared and from that day I kept on asking myself who am I that people look for just to ask “Winnie, how are you?” at that moment l felt that I was really lacking something that had a big impact in my life. I will say I got so lucky that I am loved and preferred so much by Christ after rediscovering who I was again from my guardian angels (aunty Rose, Seve and all the friends of community school) and realizing I am not defined by my own freedom and the clothes and shoes because my desires will always be endless but by the one who is making me. I was not even considering how I looked like or even what I had but instead loving me even with nothing looking at me as Winnie and always continues making me feel precious in every instant. I got to discover that I love because he first loved me and he has really made my life and all things new and very happy, I wouldn’t want anyone to miss this happiness and so call us to always stay in this kind of friendship and happiness.

Ciao

WINNIE ATIMANGO

My name is Onen Joel. I live in Kireka, often referred to as one of the slums in Kampala, and I come from a family of 9 members, including 4 boys, 3 girls, my father, and mother, who currently reside in the northern part of Uganda. At present, I work with Meeting Point International as a project coordinator.

Growing up, I was constantly faced with circumstances that made me wonder about life and its possibilities. With the poverty in my family, combined with the sickness and violence in the slums, I often questioned what was happening around me, but I never found answers. I was a quiet person, rarely spoke, and maintained a tough face to keep people at a distance.

However, in 2013, I joined Luigi Giussani High School, which offered a different approach to education. There, I encountered Severgnini Matteo and Auntie Rose, who saw beyond my mistakes, poor grades, and attitude. They looked at me differently. I was later invited to join the School of Community by Seve, where my older sister was already a member. Given my curiosity to understand the people I had met, I decided to go and see what it was. At first, I couldn’t understand much because they talked about life and read Fr. Giussani’s books which seemed complex to understand, drawing from their personal experiences. What attracted me the most was their perspective on life, their passion for it, and the songs, to be more specific LA STRADA. I realized that this was the place we are all called to be.

I also noticed how Severgnini Matteo and Auntie Rose treated everyone with a gaze I had never seen before. It struck me deeply—why would such people welcome and treat me so kindly, even though I had nothing to offer? I grew up in a society where one had to offer something to be accepted. In this environment, at school and among my friends, I found freedom, and my grades improved as I understood the value of education and life itself. Through the School of Community, we went on interesting trips and vacations, but the one that resonated most with me was when we went to Namugongo. The central question was: “Is life worth living?” This question has been at the heart of my life for years. When I was invited for this trip, I was excited because the topic resonated with my heart.

During these days I remember Auntie Rose said, “you have an infinite value and no one can take that way from you not even diseases nor poverty’’ This fact, revealed to me by Aunt Rose and others, changed the way I look at life. Regardless of the situation, life is given to me, and I am loved beyond human measure. This awareness has surprisingly made me more responsible for my life and the things I do. I am not defined by what I do or what people say, but by who He says I am. Because of this, life is worth living, as I am not alone; I belong to something that has freed me from my own definitions and those of the world.

Another important encounter came when I finished high school and joined the University Community School. There, I met Alberto, who guided the community. He welcomed me as if I had something precious, and we became friends. A few months later, I was offered a job as a Projects Officer at Meeting Point International, despite my lack of experience and my awareness of my weaknesses. Alberto still believed in me and gave me the job, which has always left me curious about what he sees in me that I don’t see. Working with him has helped me understand the meaning of work and the value of considering and treating every person with dignity.

Through my work, I’ve always been concerned with solving the community’s problems, trying to give them a better life through various projects. It has often been frustrating when things didn’t go as planned. But now, I understand that what truly matters is showing people that life is worth living, as Auntie Rose always reminds me. This understanding has made my work more fulfilling, and I find myself working with great joy.

I began to look at life differently, and an example is when my father suffered a stroke. He was paralyzed on one side of his body, and we thought he would die. A few years later, he recovered and began walking again. However, the stroke, along with diabetes and high blood pressure, affected his mental state. He became rude and commanded us to do only what he wanted, and we often fought, knowing his actions weren’t always out of good judgment. I asked myself, “Who is my father in front of me?” I posed the same question to Alberto, who responded, “Your father has a value, and he is a gift. Every day that passes, he is given to you and you to him by another.” I started to look at my father with this new gaze, and we began to get along, which was both surprising and interesting.

Through these experiences, I have realized that I need a belonging, a friend, a face that helps me understand myself and what I am truly made of. I would like to say that through this belonging, we find ourselves free and happy. This only happens through relationships.

Written by

Joel Onen.