Even though I have heard of Uganda, I really knew nothing about it and I know that we do get some families from that region in our local schools, so I decided to pick a place I may actually need to know about someday. I was surprised at how well off this country is compared to a lot of other African nations. Here is what I found out:
-Their government is pretty stable right now and overall, people seem to be doing well in this area. Their government is set-up similiar to ours too with different branches. Agriculture is the most important resource and where the most people make their living. 52% of the population live on less than $1.25/day (www.cia.gov).
-Uganda has four main ethnic groups and there is a wide variety of tribes in each of the ethnic groups.
-Their school year runs from Jan.-Nov and education is very much encouraged in this country. The government has a policy called Universal Primary Education Policy and the government subsidizes a families education costs in a government-run school if four children from that family attend a school. They also have universities in the area. The literacy rate for males is 76.8% and females is 57.7% (www.cia.gov).
-The constitution allows for freedom of religion and a lot of the people mix a more traditional religion with beliefs from their tribe. 41% are Roman Catholic, 42% are Protestant and 12% are Muslim (www.cia.gov). Their holidays are similiar to ours and Christmas is the biggest and most important holiday they celebrate.
-Art and music are important to the different tribes. Pottery, sculpture, oral poetry, dance and drama are important as are traditional and cultural music and singing. Ugandans also enjoy soccer, boxing, basketball, golf and cricket.
-I was not able to find too many specifics on food, but common foods include bananas, corn, rice sweet potatoes, cassava, beans and indigenous vegetables (www.compassion.com).
-English is the official language and is taught in the schools, but there is a wide variety of other languages spoken such as the native language as the tribe, Ganda, Luganda, Swahihli, and Arabic (www.cia.gov).
-The AIDS virus creates a high mortality rate in this area.
After reviewing all of the different information from Uganda, the first way I would be culturally responsive to this family is by learning what language they speak. If they do not speak English, then I would work to find them language assistance for their transition to the US. I know we have Arabic schools in this area and maybe that is something they would be interested in. The second thing I would do is learn more specifics about their culture and the holidays they celebrate. What kind of music or dance do they like or are they involved in? When they felt comfortable, I could invite them into my classroom to share with other children about their culture. When learning about their holidays, I would also want to learn about their religion to make sure it is included in my curriculum. If they are a Muslim family, this would also affect what they eat, since they do not eat pork products, so it would be important to make arrangements for this. I would also be interested in what the parents did for work in Uganda. Maybe I could assist them in finding jobs or at least set them up with different agencies that could assist them. The last thing I would want to learn about this family is about the schooling the children received in Uganda. Were they in school? What were they learning about? I would have to adapt my lessons to include this child, so it would be important to know what they came from.
By doing these preparations before the family came, it would show that I care about their family and want them to succeed here. By including them and their child in my curriculum, it shows that even though they may be different, they are still important and I want to make them a part of my classroom. It would be beneficial to me to know all of this information beforehand because I could be more culturally understanding of their lives and also learn new things to share with my other children, which is always a great learning experience.
Resources:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ug.html
http://www.compassion.com/about/where/uganda.htm?referer=124445&gclid=CKDuy-PZj7MCFRGqnQodsGAA2w
I didn't know anything about Uganda before this post. You put up some good information. I like that you discuss the various ethnic groups in the country because so often people don't think there are different ethnic groups within one skin color... especially poor Africa. It is a huge continent with lots of countries and diversity but we (and I am totally guilty of it too) lump it all together when we talk about Africa.
ReplyDeleteHi Amber,
ReplyDeleteIt's always so interesting to me when I learn that English is the official language in foreign nations. On a deeper level, I'd be curious to know the reasons behind why it was chosen as the official language and not a native language, instead. However, African nations are always the most intriguing to me, as they are very similar to the US in the certain regions experience a substantial economy whereas others are severely financially slim.
Thank you Amber for sharing what you learned about Uganda. As you expressed and shared, as Educators, we should be able to go beyond and research as much as we can about the child and families place of origin. The families can share with us as well. Inviting the families into the classroom would make them feel welcome and appreciated. Some families are apt to doing this and you have some that would shy away but that is okay, at least the invitation is there. Great job!!
ReplyDeleteAmber great information on Uganda, interesting fact on their population and Agriculture. Your research would really help you to assist the new family into your school and classroom. Transition is not easy for new families, but I'm sure with all the information they will see that an effort was made to make them feel welcome.
ReplyDeleteThanks for Sharing
Lisa