Navan native is first white person ever to visit village

Meath woman Aisling Ryan is just back from an adventurous trip to Africa where she travelled around Uganda and Tanzania, but the highlight of her trip was meeting a small boy called Gabriel. Aisling, who is originally from Alexander Reid, Navan, sponsors Gabriel through the aid agency, World Vision Ireland. "I like travelling and going to places off the beaten track, so I decided to go to Africa; it's not quite your normal sun holiday" says Aisling, who was born and raised in Navan, but now lives in Castlebar, Co Mayo. She packed her bags and set of with her friend, Josephine, on her five-week trip to Africa. "The first thing I noticed about Uganda was how green it is. I'd just come from Tanzania, which was incredibly dry, but Uganda was different. The people were incredibly friendly. "We travelled by bus all over the country, seeing the lakes and even the gorillas in the west. It was amazing. But there was something else I'd being wanting to do since before I left. I wanted to meet him - Gabriel." World Vision Ireland encourages people to visit their sponsored child so they can see first-hand the benefits they are bringing to the community. "We headed east to the Lunyo Area Development Programme to meet the World Vision staff who would take me to Gabriel's village. "We were told of how HIV/AIDS, food shortages, preventable diseases and high rates of child abuse are the big challenges they are working with the community to overcome. "On our way to meet Gabriel and his family, I was told I'd be the first white person to ever visit the village. It was quite an experience. We felt like royalty. A big crowd came out to meet us. The family were all wearing their Sunday best. They'd made a huge effort to meet us. "Gabriel was very quiet at first. I think he was stunned to see us but he'd no problem sitting beside me. I'd brought him a football as a present and he wouldn't let go of it. It was lovely to meet him and the family," said Aisling. After lunch, they visited the Busime Health Centre and met the nurses there. Aisling spoke with the staff and community volunteers about how a lot of people who give to charity just expect to be shown a school or building that has been built with the money donated. "But what is the point of having a school if they are no pupils in it? World Vision does a lot of awareness raising in the community on the importance of education. They talk to parents and village elders about why the children should go to school. Many parents feel the children should be kept at home to help fetch water or work in the fields," she added. A lot of work goes on teaching women basic hygiene skills, such as separating cooking from the sleeping area and the importance of hand-washing. Aisling says what is great about sponsorship is that you get to have a relationship with your sponsored child, receiving regular photos and updates about him or her. At the same time, you're helping his or her whole community because the money is spent on water, food, education and health projects that everyone can benefit from. "It was three years ago that I decided to sponsor Gabriel, just after my niece was born. I wanted her to be aware of how other children live. I show her the photos of Gabriel and when she's a bit older, I hope she will write to him. It is a great way to open her eyes to the world. "When the time to say goodbye came, it was quite emotional. "The women gave me two hand-woven mats which they had made for me as a farewell gift. I brought them home with me. They are really beautiful. "As we were leaving, I watched Gabriel still playing with the football I'd given him. He was smiling and seemed more relaxed now that the attention was off him. His dad thanked me for sponsoring him and said he really appreciated all the support from Irish sponsors and World Vision. I later found out that nearly 5,000 Irish people sponsor a child in Uganda through World Vision Ireland."