Helping in the household with cooking, taking care of the garden and younger siblings, or carrying water several kilometers a day. These are the normal activities of children in Uganda outside the school desks. But what does it look like when they can act like children again and play their favorite games?  

Ugandan children spend most of their free time outside. Among the most common hobbies and free time activities are ball games such as soccer and netball, rope skipping, playing with dolls and cars, or hide and seek. They are also singing rhymes, drawing pictures and even filling bottles. How do they differ from common games here in Slovakia?

Soccer and netball or boys versus girls

The most popular boy’s ball game is soccer. We do not need to introduce it further, as it is known all over the world and is also played in our country. What is different about it in Uganda? It often happens that the boys have to make the ball before starting the game. They made it up, for example, from plastic bags.

Andrew is a 12-year-old Ugandan boy. He is a half-orphan and lives with his mother and four other siblings. As the eldest son, the family hopes that he will help his mother to take care of other siblings after completing his studies. In his spare time, Andrew likes to play football.

Girls like netball. It is a Ugandan ball game, something between handball and basketball. Both teams are made up of seven girls. The match lasts 60 minutes and is divided into four 15-minute quarters. To score a point, the team must throw the ball into the goal circle. You cannot dribble the ball or hold it for more than three seconds. The girls throw it to each other, but not over a longer distance than a third of the entire playing area. The players also have limited movement according to their position on the playing field. Players can only approach the opponent who is holding the ball up to a distance of 91 cm.

Janifer is 16 years old. Her mother is HIV positive and takes care of Janifer and her other three siblings alone. Fortunately, Janifer is healthy and likes to help her mother to take care of the house and the garden. At school, her favorite subjects are Maths and Physics. In her free time, she likes to play netball.

„Hand-made“ toys

Before starting their favorite game, some children have to first make or invent a toy from things they have. For example, already mentioned soccer ball, but also toy cars or sleds. Little Ugandan girls, on the other hand, make very creative dolls.

Jonathan is a 5-year-old Ugandan boy. His mother works in a local kitchen as a cook and tries to support her five children. Jonathan and his mother are HIV positive, but thanks to regular check-ups they are stable. Jonathan likes to play with his friends and together they make toy cars from plastic bottles and caps.

This cute little girl is called Eron. She is six years old and attends kindergarten. Her grandmother takes care of her. Eron likes to play with dolls that she and her friends make from banana leaves and cloths.

Many other games can be made from plastic bottles and caps. Some children learn math with caps. By adding stones, paper, and leaves, they are playing for kitchen or store. Fantasy has no boundaries in the children’s world.

Thanks to generous donors from Slovakia, Andrew, Janifer, Jonathan, Eron and more than 2,000 other children in Uganda have the opportunity to be children. You can support a child from Uganda and extend his childhood HERE.