Foreward: Many think success means getting everything we want. But success is not about acquiring things from outside to feel more complete. We want to evolve and it is a continuous and collective process. True success is the expansion of self from ‘I” to “we”. Especially these days we can expand our visions, minds and hearts by serving to others.
This is a post from guest writer written by Mogli, one of the creative directors of Ritual Ibiza, based on his experience serving to children of Uganda.
What started with a reconnection – of a past passion under the moon by the side of a lake in Guatemala – has come full circle, to me taking my first trip with The Abode Project to Uganda.
This relatively new project was an exciting new prospect for me, as I came to a place in my life where I felt it was time to act in service: Supporting the local community in Kabale, Uganda by building a new school, special needs centre, adventure playground.
I have spent the last few years building my life pillars around me. I’m married to an amazing and inspiring woman who I love dearly. I live in Ibiza surrounded by incredible and creative people, and my work in events around the world fills me with everything I need from my passion. I love my job, the people I work with and what our events give to people. I felt I was ready to think outside my bubble, think bigger than me, and to help with my own two hands. To help build, support and give to a community that needs it.
I have also deeply reconnected to being around children again. Before I moved to Ibiza 12 years ago, I was going to be a primary school teacher. I even worked in a nursery for a year in the UK to get some experience and it was incredible. Unfortunately, my work with children ended when I moved to Ibiza as my life went in another direction, but recently I felt this call to work again with children on a personal reflective journey in Guatemala. From there I began to look into this path of giving my love and support to children in less fortunate circumstances.
Eventually, my path led me to The Abode Project, a project founded in electronic music events, an industry that I have been involved in for many years now and hugely resonated with me.
THE REASON WHY WE ARE HERE
And so in February 2020, I went with The Abode Project to Uganda for my first deep adventure into a trip of pure service. 10 days of building, digging, bricklaying, making trenches, throwing countless bricks in torrential rain. I worked alongside 60 other volunteers and local builders who worked for two dollars a day, most working in barefoot!
I have been deeply moved by my experience. By the collective power of the group that I went with to Uganda, the love and dedication everyone gave, raising over 35,000 EUR between us all. We built a new medical centre, a music room and adventure playground in The Abode School. We built a new nursery and kitchen in a local school nearby that also needed support, finding local cases of struggle and helping out, sponsoring children and putting them in schools.
We forgot the outside world existed and all that mattered was the bubble we were in, all focused on helping, building, painting, loving and giving as much of ourselves as we could to this community.
I have felt such a shift within myself. I have been changed in how I think and realise different things matter to me now. I deeply understand that the only reason we are here is to give love and help others who need it.
That is what going to Uganda has done to me with The Abode Project. I know that a huge part of my life now is to act in service. For the first time, I feel a real sense of purpose driving me forward and for that, I will be forever grateful to The Abode Project and the community of people I met in Kabale, Uganda.
A BLESSED LIFE
We are blessed to have been born in a society where we have drinking water, electricity, basic food and shelter. We take them for granted. Too many people around the world do not have these basic needs met. Why? Because – by the unlucky roll of the dice – they were born in countries of poverty, countries of war and struggle. We did nothing to earn what we have in our lives, fate blessed us to be born into a life of wealth. They did nothing wrong to lose out. We are all the same, all born equal, just fate decides on which side of a border we are born. Understanding this deeply has given me the clarity to see how unbalanced the world is.
This now drives me to do what I can to help with the imbalance. We who are born into a life of privilege should be helping the less fortunate, the hungry and the desperate. Because it could so easily have been us on the other side, the dice could have landed a different way….
I fell in love with the people of Kabale, happy people, always with smiles on their faces, children with rhythm in their bones. Their hearts are pure and warm and it was such a pleasure working alongside local builders, hearing their stories and understanding their lives.
I cannot quite explain what this sense of purpose has made me feel. It just feels right. Finally, everything just feels right.
So I am already looking towards my next trip to Uganda. I am already set, I am going!
This time I want to go further from the beaten track, into the mountains and the villages there, to see the children that are further from The Abode School, further away from the towns, living in greater poverty-stricken areas. More into the towns where so many homeless children are sleeping in sewers to stay safe, away from predators. I want to find cases of children and adults that really need help, either with medical care, schooling or basic necessities of food and water.
This is where I want to take the money I raise and personally put it to work in places of need. If you want to help me to serve through The Abode Project, click here.
I understand many people feel to help people in their own country, which I totally understand. If that is you, then please help out closer to you and donate to another cause. But if you are like me and feel more connected to being a human being rather than to a country, then you will understand we are all the same and everyone needs our help. We are all people on the planet. Borders and countries and labels don’t matter. Help where you feel to help. I have connected with the people of Kabale, so that is where my service begins, who knows where I will go from here, but you can only help one person at a time and do your part, piece by piece.
So please make sure you do your part if you feel you have a blessed and privileged life, either through me or through another cause you trust and believe in.
To fund Mogli’s journey to serve through The Abode Project, click here.
Join the Abode Project on Facebook.