The True Pearl of Africa

Moses Kasozi, Life teen youth minister

Two weeks ago as I was pondering Patrick’s question about the opportunities, the potentials, in Uganda, I took it to prayer. I asked the Lord what the greatest treasure of Uganda is. The answer He put on my heart? The youth.

I don’t think you can walk ten steps in this country without encountering at least 5 children. I don’t know what the actual statistics are, but I would imagine there are more people under the age of 25 than there are above.

On Sundays, I travel to Kitovu, Uganda, to help with the Lifeteen program there. (For those who may not know, Lifeteen is a Catholic youth ministry movement).This Lifeteen program was started by Moses Kasozi a few years ago, when he was still a teenager. It is the only Lifeteen program in Uganda and one of only a handful in all of Africa. At present, Moses works full-time, is finishing a degree program, and spends all of his spare time doing ministry. The man is on fire. I am always concerned that he isn’t getting enough rest, and he just replies that he doesn’t need to rest because this is his passion and this is what gives him life.

This past Sunday, I ate lunch at Moses’ home before heading over to the parish hall to set up for the life night. We spent half an hour talking about the youth of Uganda. One of the priests at the cathedral where Moses works recently expressed his desire that Moses would soon become the “director of youth ministry”. I was thinking to myself, “Isn’t he already?” But Moses shared that, here in Uganda, those aged 25-38 are typically classified as “youth” (what we would call “young adults”), and everyone under that age is often simply discounted.

Moses went on to share his own story with me. When he was finished, I was crying. I said to him, “I wish I could have recorded everything you just said.” I think it bears repeating. And though I won’t say it as well as he did, he gave me permission to share.

Moses is one of 6 children. Many years back, the family was renting a home in a village when his father decided to leave his mother for another woman. Of course, he could not support his large family plus his new home in town, and so Moses’ mother struggled to make ends meet, to provide food and pay school fees for the children. Moses described many nights of starvation which were very difficult for them as his mother sold matooke (bananas) to try to earn money. Eventually, she succeeded in buying a plot of land in town and building a small home. Then, not long after, she passed away, leaving the 6 children with no parent to care for them. Some relatives told them they should return to the village and work on the farm. At least there they would be fed. But they decided that, though it would be extremely difficult, they would stay in town where at least they had a home which belonged to them. Moses’ older sister was just completing nursing school, and said that she would become the mother to them. Moses went on to share the story of one of his own teens and how his involvement in the Lifeteen program took him off the streets and brought reconciliation in his family. He told me how many of the teens in his program have no parents and are the sole providers for their younger brothers and sisters. He said that when you have parents, people care about you, and they ask how you are doing. But when you have no parents, they forget you; you are on your own. And since he knows what it is like to be an orphan, he wants these children, these teens, to know that there is someone who cares about them and who is there for them, someone who recognizes that they are a treasure.

Many people look down on the young. They imagine them to be thieves or hoodlums, or perhaps just nuisances. Here in Uganda, there is little support for programs and movements like Lifeteen or EDGE (for middle-school age) that work with teens or younger. Parishes do not see the importance, so there is no hope of gaining paid employment for such ministry. At the cathedral, Moses is recognized for the incredible work that he does, but the parish will not even take up a collection to help fund the program. (The choir, yes. The youth ministry, no.) They rely entirely on the providence of God and the goodwill offerings of others.

Please pray that church leaders here in this country would begin to recognize more and more that the real treasure of Uganda is the youth. Please pray that their hearts would be open to desire and to implement programs like Lifeteen and EDGE, to provide a place where these young people can encounter Christ, build community, and find support in time of need. Because if we wait until they are 25-38 to evangelize and catechize them, it is already too late.

As well, if you are interested in helping to support Moses and his program in any other way, please contact me and let me know.

Uganda is known as the "Pearl of Africa." I think we should be more specific. Where is the true Pearl of Africa?

It is here:

Rose and Gloria

And here:

With the nursery class at school. Practicing writing names.