What's in a Name....

Opiyo Tonny handing school supplies to Kumakech Aron, our littlest guy.

I love studying languages, so I have been trying to study some Acholi before my trip to Uganda in late July. Acholi is the name of the ethnic group most of our sponsored children are part of. The language is officially called Luo, and it is spoken in parts of Kenya as well.

Many of you have asked about the names of your children. Our concept of a family name that is passed on from generation to generation is not the custom among the Acholi. Instead, each child is given an Acholi name and another, often more westernized name. The first one is the Acholi name, and it usually means something, and reflects the circumstances of the birth, often from the perspective of the mother. My son Joey's Acholi friend recently named his baby after Joey: Oceng Joseph Rich. Oceng means born in the afternoon.

I thought you might enjoy doing a little research to see what your child's name means, which you can do at
this website