By Richard Otim
Lurking in the shadows of goodwill, a story of resilience, fairness and the greater good.
Endurance of sharp pangs from “puritans” bent on minor failures while ignoring the substantial milestones, such as improving education for underprivileged children and running successful malaria campaigns across Uganda.
A walk through the hardships of underserved communities and tireless philanthropy with roots in the very villages the organization seeks to uplift.
This is the story of Pilgrim Africa, a beacon of hope dedicated to transforming lives, and for years had poured resources into education and health initiatives, pulling families from the grip of poverty.
But while even the brightest lights cast shadows, lately the list of achievements had grown long and menacing to the enemies of progress.
The backlash started innocuously, with a few social media posts from self-proclaimed “puritans”, a vocal group of online critics who claim to uphold the moral purity but seemed intent on tearing down anything that didn’t align with their rigid ideals.
Puritans, often the diabolic voices hiding behind profiles of flawless avatars, fixated on Pilgrim Africa’s rare missteps and twisting every good into imaginary scandals of corruption.
They have since ignored the mountains of evidence that testify to the organization’s integrity, choosing instead to demonize it with unfounded, non-factual rants.
“I have watched all this unfold and I remember the faces of children we’ve helped, bright-eyed girls and boys from poor households who once dreamed in whispers but now shouting their ambitions to the world,” Osborn Omoding, closely associated with Pilgrim Africa reminisces.
He says, through the organization’s education program, several less privileged children have received scholarships, turning around lives of many.
Then there is the malaria campaign, a triumph that has saved countless lives across Teso.
In Katakwi district, where malaria once ravaged families like a relentless storm, Pilgrim Africa had spearheaded indoor residual spraying.
Teams of dedicated volunteers, armed with backpacks of insecticide, had gone door to door, coating walls of mud huts and thatched homes.
The results were undeniable, malaria cases plummeted by over 60% in just two years.
Mothers like Grace from Angodingod village in Toroma County of Katakwi, who had lost a child to the disease, now speaks of Pilgrim Africa as saviors.
“They (Pilgrim Africa) didn’t just spray walls,” Grace said, tears in her eyes. “They sprayed hope back into our lives,” she added.
But the puritans have cared little for such stories. They have bent on bashing the charity, seizing on one or two alleged failures, perhaps a volunteer’s failings or a social media miscommunication as justification to condemn the entire organization.
Their posts spread like wildfire, amplified by segment of the online audience that thrives on outrage.
But after all that said, I think of an old proverb my grandmother once told me; “You can’t burn down a whole forest just because a few monkeys have sneaked into the community and ‘stolen’ a few maize cobs.”
Pilgrim Africa has done so much, the educated children, healthier families, and communities lifted from despair and glaringly, there is nothing that the “puritans” can point to a finger at except speculation and misinformation.
But as the backlash intensified, allies have begun to rally. Local leaders, beneficiaries like Sarah Akurut, and even international partners have stepped forward, sharing their stories on social media and in the press.
“Pilgrim Africa hasn’t failed me, they gave me a future.” Sarah Akurut a resident of Ngariam in Katakwi District testifies, urging the critics to focus on the light not the shadows.
Slowly, the tides have turned too, people seeing through the puritans’ agenda, recognizing that true progress requires grace and perspective.
In the end, Pilgrim Africa emerges stronger, its roots dug deeper into the soil of resilience.
Calvin David Echodu, one of the founders had long predicted that there would always be those (people) intent on tearing apart what they couldn’t build.
But he also knew that the real measure of Pilgrim Africa wasn’t its perfection, but its impact.
After all, a forest’s worth wasn’t defined by a few mischievous monkeys but by the shelter it provided for generations to come.