Echoes Foundation

(a college freshman and two-time traveler to Uganda)

 

Sean Legnini, an ’07 Shipley graduate, and now a college student at Emerson,  visited Uganda in October 2005 and March 2007.  He sat down with ECHOES Chair Nereida Gordon to discuss his experiences.

 

Nereida:  Why did you want to go to Uganda in the first place?  How did you hear about it?

Sean: There was an ad in the bulletin for St. David’s Church Radnor looking for young people to join YOU on a trip to Uganda.  Mom [Betsy Legnini] and I were hesitant because it was the fall of my junior year, but I wanted to see what it was like in a country that was not as privileged as ours.  I wanted to see what kind of help I could provide.

The first time it was more of a visit.  I saw there was so much to be done; I went a second time because that was an actual work trip.

 

N: You really don’t do proper work until you’ve spent time seeing, it, do you?

S: I realized that a lot of manpower was needed!

 

N: Talking about the second visit, what did you tell your cousin Tylee Abbott that made him want to go?  

S: Tylee had been on trips to other countries and other continents before; even so, he was afraid to go because he thought it would be an evangelical mission.  I told him no, we would be observers and it would be a lot of fun.  He is a huge soccer fan and found out about the soccer program in the hall [the Trinity Centre Hall is a money-making venture for the community; it shows World Soccer Cup matches and charges an entry fee.  Local vendors sell food.]  Tylee had met Romans previously and thought he was a very cool guy. 

 

N: Can you think back to your first impressions?

S: I saw all these people who lived in terrible conditions (no electricity, no running water, etc.) and yet they were happy.  That has stuck with me.

 

N: They are not always happy, and I know there are difficult conditions, but they live for the moment and they are so thrilled that we haven’t forgotten them.

S: When we pulled out of town, the whole community, not just the school, came out to say goodbye!

 

N: How would you explain your feelings towards the two school communities and the people at Double Cure [the medical clinic now under construction]?

S: I got very close to those I worked with.

 

N: What did you eat when you were there?  Were you comfortable with the food?  

S: The first time I went I was hesitant to eat the local food; and because it was a visit rather than a work trip, we often ate in Western-type restaurants in Kampala.

 

N: Talk about when you ate at some local places.

S: The hotel we stayed at in Masaka served a goat stew on top of rice. I had to take the next day off…

 

N: What about the food on the SSese Islands?

S: At first, we didn’t want to eat, even though the local people had put together everything they had for us. It ended up being the best meal we ate there!  We had fish and cassava (fried tubers).  Everything was fresh; the fish were from Lake Victoria.  The people on another island we visited served us a platter of pancakes and some sort of fried dough concoction…it was fantastic!

 

N: Talk about your accommodations during your trips.

S: The first time we stayed in the Namirembe Guest House in Kampala; it was pretty comfortable.  I wasn’t expecting huge things.  It was clean, had two comfortable beds, mosquito nets and fans.  The bathrooms were OK…there was very little water pressure and/or hot water.  It was definitely nice to get home and take a shower. 

 

N: What kind of work did you do on your second trip?

S: We painted at the Double Cure Hospital…some crazy colorS: purple, red, orange, green…every color! 

 

N: What did this experience do for you?

S: It has forged a connection with the people.  I’d like to go back on a regular basis to see all the kids.  I arrived on my 18th birthday.  They made me a birthday cake!  Actually, it was raisin bread with icing on it. I had to cut the cake on stage in front of everyone.  The band played Happy Birthday for me.  I felt very special, very honored, even though I hate to be in the limelight!

 

N: Do you think any others have been influenced by your trips to Uganda?

S: My sister Allyson (age 22) wants to go now.

 

N: What did you do for Uganda?

S: The first trip…not much.  I saw everything and evaluated what I could do.  When I came home I started by collecting items like soccer uniforms for the school teams and getting money together for the schools.  

The second trip I did a lot of handiwork and painting at the Double Cure Clinic, including sanding the walls to prep them for painting.

 

N: What did going to Uganda do for you?

S: It gave me a broader sense of what the world is like.  I’ve been so isolated where I’ve been brought up (suburban Philadelphia and Montana); Uganda gave me a sense of what the world is really like.  It is completely different than anything I’ve ever seen before.  It gave me a different perspective on what goes on in most of the world.

 

N: Uganda is so community-oriented.

S: In Uganda, it is the responsibility of the whole village to raise each child.

 

N: What is your hope for the schools you visited in Uganda?

S: I’d like to see them get bigger.  SO many children sit on the streets all day.  They need to go to school.  They WANT to go to school.  I’d like to see them [the Serunjogis] buy more land and open more schools.  Roman’s [Serunjogi] ideas are brilliant…how to make money, how to keep the schools running, the maize mill,, Double Cure Clinic…

 

N: Would a trip like this benefit other young people?

S: Definitely!  It is great for kids who have grown up like me to experience other areas and see what the larger world is like.  I saw and I am trying to help the best I can.  At the same time, I am fulfilling my own need to see the world as it really is, not just this perfect community I have grown up in.

 

N: How many organizations allow you to experience them and become part of their community?  I have.  Recently when I was visiting, Christine, a young woman who was head prefect [student] when she was a student at Centenary, came back especially to see me.[Christine is seen in the group photo in the front right.] Because of her education, she had the opportunity to go to University for two years. Now she and her husband run a restaurant.  It’s all about opportunity…