One of our first Tjeko VIP shares her Tjeko adventure. From a small 11-year-old girl to an independent, hard-working beautiful 21-year-old young lady, with a love for children and games!
Agatha was 11 years old when she was one of the first VIPs to play at the very first Tjeko Fun Fair in 2011. A new world opened up for her at the Kakindu Stadium, located in the heart of Jinja City. At the age of 21, she has now attended the Tjeko Academy, just like her older brother and team leader of the Tjeko team in Uganda Alban. She currently supports the Ugandan Tjeko team and the neighborhood communities around Jinja. During this time of the Covid19 pandemic, she and the Tjeko team make house-to-house visits to families who have been hit the hardest. They hand out care and play packages. But how did Agatha end up with Tjeko?
Agatha comes from a family consisting of eight family members. She has 4 brothers, 1 sister and is the youngest herself. In 2018 she started training at Kyambogo University for a bachelor’s degree in development studies. Her big brother Alban, who participated in the Tjeko Academy in 2011, gave her a flyer with an invitation to the very first real Tjeko Fun Fair. Agatha had the opportunity to come to the Fun Fair with her school.
I saw the Fun Fair as a place where every child has the opportunity to play with different games that they have never played before. For example, it was my first time playing in a bouncy castle, the first time I saw and rode a go-kart, and many other things.
After our visit to the Fun Fair we received a book: “The Birthday Party”. As a young girl, it helped me improve my English by reading the storybook of Anacheza’s birthday cake. I like to read and read the story again and again! Partly because of this, I became one of the best English students at my school. It also helped me discover my creativity and imagination.
Tjeko published the book “The Birthday Party” in 2011 and distributed it to children and orphans in Uganda. The story is about not knowing when your birthday is – recognizable to many Ugandan children – and about how special it is to let someone know that they are special and to celebrate together. Because every child is valuable!
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In 2019 Agatha attended the Tjeko Academy, just like her brother Alban. Attending the Tjeko Academy was like a dream come true. One of the things I admired as a child at the Fun Fair was the Tjeko dance in the Theater Tent and now I finally had the chance to be just like the Tjeko team in 2011. The preparations were hectic, but at the same time fun because we were like a family during the Academy and the Fun Fair.
TJEKO’S IMPACT ON AGATHA’S LIFE
One of the most important things I learned during the Tjeko Academy and the Fun Fair is to have confidence in public. I am most grateful for that. That I am happy with and for myself. I also learned that anything is possible with the power of imagination and creativity. What I bring into my current life is self-confidence. I also teach my friends that anything is possible with imagination and creativity. This is because there are no impossibilities in the world of the imagination.
NOW 10 YEARS LATER AGATHA IS MORE VOLUNTEER WITH TJEKO!
Working with Tjeko is so good! It’s fun and hectic at the same time. Especially in this day and age! I love to see smiles appear on the faces of the people we visit, especially the children. Doing volunteer work with Tjeko, that’s where smiling faces are found.
There is a saying; a hand that gives, receives. I also enjoy watching children and their parents smile because of the care and play packages we hand out. While several challenges arise, we also receive blessings and beautiful compliments from different families.
WORKING WITH YOUR BIG BROTHER
It is also nice to work with my big brother. We have a work-related relationship at work. He is principled and carries his responsibility as a team leader well! However much we are family members, at Tjeko it is just hard work and the nice thing about it is that we enjoy our work. My brother inspires me to work hard. It is also nice to work with the Tjeko team, they are friendly and approachable in a different way.
AGATHA’S DREAM FOR TJEKO
I would like to see Tjeko also reach out to other East African countries and other rural parts of Uganda, because not only in Uganda every child deserves to be a child.
Finally, I would like to thank Tjeko for helping to discover my acting talent. Thanks to the Tjeko play in which I performed as Lucy. It was my first time acting and it was fun performing in front of the audience. I appreciate and am very grateful to Tjeko. It sure feels great because I’ve been exposed to a lot of activities and proud to be a part of Tjeko.
