Voices Rising: Clare Roth

By Claire Roth and Jane Patton

Voices Rising chapters had additional motivation to raise funds during the 2008/2009 school year. The chapter raising the most money would select one student to travel to northern Uganda and experience life at the Lukodi Centre, the ChildVoice residential program for war-affected young girls and their children.

Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines, Iowa, emerged as the Voices Rising champion for the year, raising $6,017.66 (see sidebar). Clare Roth, the Dowling student selected to receive the trip, traveled to northern Uganda for two weeks this past August. Below, she shares a glimpse of her visit, her time at the Lukodi Centre, and how her experience changed her.

When I was received the new in June of 2009 that I would be traveling with a team to Uganda in August as a result of my school winning the Voices Rising contest, I was too busy and excited to be anxious. The fear came when I boarded the plane and realized I'd be away from everything I knew for two weeks.

Arriving in Uganda, I was still scared (my bags being lost en route didn't help either). Meeting the girls and their children at the Lukodi Centre was incredible, though, and any fear I had felt was forgotten.

During my time in northern Uganda, I was confronted by a multitude of experiences I never thought I would encounter: being surrounded by a different language, sleeping in a mud hut, using latrines for two weeks, and being in Africa, in general. Whenever I felt out of place, the kindness shown by everyone at the Centre made me feel comfortable.

The best part about the trip, by far, was being with the girls who currently live at the Centre. While there, we worked on a variety of projects: building a rabbit hutch, rebuilding a latrine wall, and organizing craft projects for the children's classes.

My favorite thing to do there, however, was simply talking with the girls. We would paint nails, play cards, or simply sit around and chat. The differences between us were stark, but the similarities weren't hard to find. We listened to the same music, taught each other dances, and told the same types of jokes. I quickly realized that teenage girls are still teenage girls, no matter what they've been through or where they live.

Although I am back in Des Moines, Iowa, I wouldn't say my life is back to normal. Now that I have experienced Uganda's culture, and, more importantly, made new Ugandan friends, I'm not the same.

I now have friends halfway across the world I think about daily. I also see every daily occurrence that seemed so normal to me - provided education, a loving supportive family, a community of friends, running water - as what they really are: unique and amazing blessings.

I now can share my experiences with students at my school and at other schools, sharing what people my age are going through all over the world. I miss Uganda; I miss my friends. But I know that I can keep my wonderful experience in Uganda with me for the rest of my life. Uganda, my friends there, and ChildVoice will always be in my heart, no matter where I am.