'Out of Africa'

Med-mal attorney draws inspiration from recent Ugandan adventure

By Natalie Lombardo

Compelled by a needy, yet beautiful Third World country, Kenneth T. Watkins recently put his demanding work as a medical-malpractice and personal injury attorney on hold.

He and his family traveled to Uganda where, for two weeks, they dispensed much-needed supplies and visited a home for developmentally disabled children.

"Attorneys are so busy all of the time and it was tough to find a break, but this was an opportunity to do meaningful charitable work while spending time with my family," Watkins said. "Everybody has a little stream of altruism in them, and it's important to do things that you sincerely hope will benefit others."

Watkins first learned of the area that he and his family visited from professional friends who were born in Uganda, but became U.S. citizens.

"We were recruiting our friends to become members of our Optimist Club," he told Michigan Lawyers Weekly. "They said, 'If you want to do real charity work, we invite you to see our country.'"

Watkins and his wife accepted.

After a multitude of vaccinations and a 17-hour flight, Watkins, wife Nina Maria and children KenNath, 26 and Kenneth, 17, eventually arrived in Uganda's capital Kampala.

Uganda is located in the eastern part of central Africa.

Kampala's downtown business district, with its sturdy infrastructure and relaxed people dressed in Western garb, was bustling, Watkins said.

But things changed as he and his family made their way into the country.

In the village of Maya in the Masaka District, they found, amidst the bountiful fruit trees and vibrant foliage, dirt roads scratched into rich soil.

Many of the villagers lived in small huts without running water and few people owned cars, he said.

The nearest health care and schools were miles away.

"It was painfully obvious that the 'haves' had a great deal and the 'have-nots' have much too little," he said. "There's a significant disparity."

Nevertheless, he and his family were welcomed, and were grateful to stay in a hut owned by the local Mutebi family.

But it wasn't just the company of their guests that the villagers were glad to have.

Along with their generous spirits, the Watkins family brought with them donations of books, clothing, jewelry, knickknacks and sports paraphernalia.

Indeed, people in need became the theme of the Watkins family's Ugandan adventure.

Watkins said he'll never forget his visit to "Open Doors."

Open Doors is a home for developmentally disabled children that teaches them life and work skills in the hopes that, one day, they can live and survive on their own.

"It was disappointing to see children - whom I would typically be able to assist - in a situation where they didn't have recourse," Watkins said.

After "listening to stories about how they received expired vaccination batches and developed major problems as a result," Watkins said he decided action needed to be taken.

Since his return to the U.S., he's been actively accumulating donations for the Open Doors organization.

Watkins said being in Uganda was "humbling" and "life-changing" for him and he plans to return to offer more help in the future.

"I went to Africa with an open heart intending to just make a gift, and not looking for anything in return," he said. "As a result, I got to experience the generous people, and really realize the blessings we have here as well as what people desire in other places."

For example, take the Maya villagers' reaction to his family's clothing donations.

"They really appreciated the dissemination of blue jeans," Watkins said.

Snapshot Uganda

Location: Eastern Africa, west of Kenya

Area: 14,656.8 miles, slightly smaller than Oregon

Population: 30,262,610

Population below poverty line: 35 percent

Legal system: Based on English common law and customary law since 1995

Government: Republic

Religions: 41.9 percent Roman Catholic, 42 percent Protestant, 12.1 percent Muslim, 4 percent other

Economy: Agriculture employs more than 80 percent of workforce

Agriculture products: Coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava, potatoes, corn, millet, pulses, cut flowers, beef, goat meat, milk, poultry

Literacy: 66.8 percent of total population age 15 and older can read and write

Currency: Ugandan shilling

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook