"Leave Gulu High School better than you found it." ~GHS motto

The school's motto that is screen-printed on the back of the uniform t-shirts is a perfect reminder to students to take pride in their school and dorms.

GHS Facts:
*Boarding school of 1,300 students
*government-funded school
*More boys than girls
*Education model is similar to a British School system ~ morning tea included :)
*S1 - S6 students: I work with S2 which is close to our 8th grade in the States
*One of the only schools in the area for blind students
*First school that Invisible Children worked with (since 2006)~ now they partner with 11 schools in the area
*Most teachers live in housing on the school campus~ they have plots of land to farm and raise animals
*Currently working on building flush toilets

This motto about leaving a place better than you found it, has been a perfect reminder to me as well! 5 weeks seems so insignificant in the grand scheme of time and this school's history, but when I get to dialogue and share ideas that build camaraderie with fellow teachers I truly believe that this will leave a lasting impression. Not me personally, but that fellowship of teaching.

I can't help but also link this idea to all the aid programs, Invisible Children included, that are present in northern Uganda.

Are we leaving Gulu better than we found it?

I know that our hearts are in the right place, but it's easy for us to not see the larger picture and to miss the significance and implications of our actions. I think this is especially true when aid programs leave too early or are not working with locals, just for them.