When an aid worker brings a life-changing gift to Kato's Ugandan
village, he finds something beautiful to give her in return
In a small Ugandan village, Kato wakes early to start the long, barefoot
trek beyond his village and along fields dotted with cattle and guarded
by soldiers. His destination is the village well, where he will pump a
day's supply of water into two jerry cans. Like every day, Kato lets the
water splash over his hot tired feet before carrying his heavy load back
home, where his chores await him. But this is no ordinary day. The aid
worker's truck has come to the village square, and in the back is a gift
so special, the little boy rushes home to look for something to repay
the aid worker.
Alma Fullerton's spare, lilting prose tells a deceptively simple
story of one day in a little boy's life. But in a place ravaged by a
generation of civil war and drought, a village well brings life, a gift
of shoes is a cause for celebration, and a simple flower becomes an
eloquent symbol of peace and gratitude.