Nearly one month ago to the day, I found myself in
Kampala, taking in the craft market with my visiting friend. In the middle of
our stop, I received a phone call from my friend, and boda* driver, Isma. He
was frantic, struggling to make words, and just at a loss. It turns out his
bike – his only source of income – was about to be taken from him. Why, you
might be asking yourself? Well, because most boda drivers actually rent their
bikes from someone else. Isma, was one of those individuals.
Over the days that followed, I mulled over the
situation. It weighed heavily on me, because he has been a good friend to me**,
and I knew the impact his would have on, not only him, but his family. I knew I
had to help him, but I also knew I didn’t have the necessary funds to buy him a
new one, even if it were to be a loan. So, I turned to my go-to source of
crowdfunding – GoFundMe – in hopes that I could enlist some friends, families
and/or strangers to help fund a new bike for Isma; one that he would own
himself.
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| This likely look familiar to some of you... |
Two days before Random Acts of Kindness Day, Isma
celebrated his 27th birthday. The plan was to hopefully raise enough
money by then so I could surprise him with the news that I had raised the money
to get him a bike. The campaign received a bit of attention, but on the day of,
we were quite a bit short. I put out a final plea to get at least $300 more, as
I was able to line up a small loan for the remainder of the balance. This was
quickly fulfilled, and the next morning I was all set to take Isma to pick out
a bike.
February 16th – I called Isma just before
9AM and asked him to come pick me up. When he arrived, I handed him a handmade
birthday card (that looked similar to those that I made when I was 5, less the
stickers and googly eyes!). He read it aloud, and in the moments that followed,
I observed pure joy. The contents of the card read a donation has been made towards your bike, which he was pretty
pleased about. BUT, when he turned it over, and saw the details about the
remainder being in loan form, he couldn’t believe it. He was shaking, smiling,
and just genuinely happy to receive this news! I had to explain to him, that we
were now going to go to the bank, get the money and then go purchase his new
boda…or so we thought.
It turns out while I’m out-of-country, my withdrawal
limit is quite low, so I wasn’t able to take out what was needed. But, this
didn’t deter his excitement.
February 17th – I was able to get all the
funds needed, and we made our way to the bike shop. Isma proudly walked in and
informed the clerk that he was there to purchase a boda. This is when we were
informed that the bike he needed was on backorder and would likely take a week
or two for them to get more. We were also informed that we had to pay for one
at that time, so that we could ensure he received one from the next shipment.
No problem. We paid up, and were on our way.
Now, at this point nearly a week had passed. On
Wednesday night, I received a phone call from Isma telling me that he’d just
heard from the bike shop and that his bike would be ready for pick up first
thing in the morning. He was also given a pick up time or 9:30AM. I rearranged
a meeting so we could go down together and pick it up.
When he arrived the next morning, he was pumped! He
made our way to the shop, but were given the unfortunate news that the shipment
was delayed. We were told to come back at 3PM, which of course was about the
same time my meeting would likely be concluding. Either way, no worries, we
were both just happy that it was on its way.
It is at this point that I should probably explain why
it was foolish of us to be excited about these given times… you see, it wasn’t
a hey! Your bike has arrived come pick it
up phone call, but rather a we think
it might be in Jinja at this time kind of deal... So, you will no doubt be surprised
when 3PM rolled around, and we were once again at the bike shop being told that
by 5PM the shipment would be in. I gave the guy working a bit of a
light-hearted hard time, but emphasized that I was not impressed… Buuuuttttt,
Isma took it all in stride. He brought me back to my flat, and we both carried
on with our days, waiting for the confirmation phone call, so we wouldn’t have
to make another pointless trip.
At 5:40PM, I received a phone call from Isma, after
trying to get in touch with him to confirm about the bike. It was at this time
that he told me the shipment hadn’t actually left Kampala, but that by 8:30AM,
it would be in Jinja, ready for pick up by 9.
February 24th (today) – I called Isma at
around quarter-to-9. He was already at the bike shop…still no bodas. This time,
it was 11AM that we were given as the time of arrival. I spoke with the same
clerk on the phone, and made sure he was aware that things were gonna get ugly
if it weren’t there this time. From here, I made my way to a meeting, and
waited impatiently to hear word from Isma…which came around 10:30AM. He was on
his way to go pick up his boda!!!
By noon, I still hadn’t heard anything, and needed to
move from my current spot. He was at the bike shop still sorting out paper
work, so he wasn’t able to come get me for a little while. I opted to take
another guy, but told him to call me when he was done.
At 1:00PM – less than an hour later – I received a
phone call from Isma informing me that he was outside my gate. The excitement
in his voice was unbelievable! I quickly gathered my things and went out to see
my friend, who I found proudly standing by his bike – filled with so much excitement
he couldn’t even stand still! From here we took a little joyride to make sure it worked, of course, and then we parted ways.
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| Taadaaa! A new boda! |
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| And it even came with a new helmet! Safety first... |
I have to confess, this was all pretty amazing – from the
many kind folks who donated their hard earned money, or passed on the campaign
page and information, to getting to witness, first hand, just how appreciative
and thrilled Isma was to hear this news. I have never witnessed anyone so happy
or excited, as Isma was last week. I wasn’t able to capture it all, but it was
truly both overwhelming and inspiring. To see a grown man be rendered speechless,
moved almost to tears, and just simply appreciative was nothing short of
incredible. It made this whole experience even more exciting (and those
frustrations even more frustrating!).
I should also note, that before the joyride we stopped in quickly to visit
his mother, so he could show her his bike. I was greeted with a warm hug*** and
a heartfelt thank you for making this possible. Both Isma, his Mom, and the
rest of his family showed such gratitude, I cannot even put it into words.
So, on behalf of Isma, thank you – to all of you that
contributed – for helping to make this happen! You’ve truly changed a person’s
life! Donations can still be made, which will be put against the loan. To do so,
click here.
-the (humbled) Orange Canadian
*A motorcycle taxi that is a common form of transport
throughout the country.
**But also, because losing his bike meant having to
seek out a new driver, and that would have been inconvenient for me.
***And not just because
its 30°C outside…
