Fortnight Back

First WaterAid committee meeting tonight and it is so good to be able to reassure all the people who work so hard to raise the money that what we are doing really is affecting peoples lives. I have just been listening to some MP3's that Lisa from the media team recorded on the visit. I have added the link on the other sites bit of the blog. That really brings back the energy of the people in adversity.

I've been asked to go on Radio Leeds tomorrow morning to talk about the trip. so thats good and once again if you have any questions or would like me to talk to any group etc let me know. see saturday's entry

Webele Uganda - Thank You

I have updated some chapters and put new photos in if you have read before, read again and spot the difference. There is an older posting tabs for the first few days. The video attached is a welcome dance by the Bunjako community in Mpigi district.

Back at work yesterday it was really nice that people I hardly knew were saying welcome back. I have been amazed by the amount of interest in the trip and now is an opportunity to build on that. As you will have gathered a major factor in the problems of Uganda is money. Every little bit that you can contibute helps. For YW Staff and pensioners there is the lottery. There is also payroll giving in many companies or you can donate through the Wateraid site on the link at the bottom of the page. Schools can join in the spends a penny campaign, details available through WaterAid. Or you can do your own thing no matter how small, the difference is real.

If you have any questions you can contact me at david.mcglinchey@yorkshirewater.co.uk can you please start your title "wateraid uganda", and please be patient as I may not be able to reply immediately.

Chief Omusinja

It's really strange to be contemplating leaving. Travelling back down from Masindi on roads that have more potholes than road surface, and the images that constantly confront you. The first picture is a random roadside shot, showing how shops cling to the side of the road. There are plots for sale, and the country does have a growing economy. Fertile soils and ample rainfall yet still poverty.

We met with the WaterAid Uganda staff and went through all we had seen and done. There was constructive debate on what is working well and what could go better, but my conclusion is that they are definately doing a great job. The involvement of partners and the adoption of a subsidy strategy, rather than entire funding, has involved local communities and they own the projects.

So relatively little money can make such a major difference to peoples lives.

I managed to acquire a wonderful Ugandan shirt, the designs in the second photo. I have also got a Ugandan middle name. It is the custom for Ugandans, and many other African countries to have an English as well as a tribal name, so I thought it only courteous to do the same. I am now David "Omusinja", which means variously friendly, christmas and handsome (at least that what they said).

Leaving is going to be hard, they are such great people and there is so much to do, but when I'm back I will be talking and explaining about what I have seen and done, and with your help we can continue to help maintain and save lives.

Tuesday

Saturday was a great day, although the travel was really difficult, and the villages very remote, the welcome has been amazing. Where WaterAid has not yet been able to intervene life is extremely precarious. We have had very warm stable weather, with only the occassional rainstorm. In the wet season access is so much harder, and the water sources so much more vunerable to contamination.

Where WaterAid and partners have intervened, the access to clean water is at least guaranteed. As you can imagine latrines has been a hot topic for us on our trip, and I feel I am building up quite a bit of knowledge on them. WaterAid continues to debvelop the most appropriate and cost effective latrines for the different conditions. We have seen ground conditions vary from sand on the Islands of Lake Victoria to clay interspersed with hard difficult rock layers.

The photos show one of the kids these latrines help and what some of the nice ones can look like.

Before debriefing on Saturday night a few of the team went into Masindi Town and bought a football. At the playing fields we, in a very ad hoc manner, cobbled together an England v Uganda match. It was a very close game with Chris, Dan Anish and Ian scoring a goal each, but victory was saddly stolen from us and it ended in a 5-4 victory for Uganda. Not bad though concidering we had been travelling and working since 600am. On the other hand we did have their keeper, they had no shoes, and were aged between nine and ten. They were fantastic players and there passing game always had our long ball tactics beaten.

Saturday Decorating is a weekend job.

Last night had the whole team sharing there experiences almost universally about people facing adversity with a strength and pride that is humbling. Today we are visiting two areas where the support of WaterAid has had a big impact on the villages and their people.

We are getting a lot of coverage in the Ugandan press and have been on National TV a few times now. Here in the much more Rural areas communication is not so good. We visited a rural village (not got notes) where we split in small groups to help villagers. The lady I helped, Grace, was decorating her house. We first smeared black soil based mud over all the wall and floor and then smoothed it as best we could. Then the children brought some red earth which we used for a design around the base of the hut. I am very proud of my handy work and will hopefully get photo tomorrow to show you. We also helped collect water from a clean source, but it was down a really really steep and muddy path. Women and children were carrying 20 litre jerrycans on their heads up this slope. I had to scramble, and those jerry cans are heavy.

We then were welcomed by the full village under the big tree in the centre, watched from afar by Collobus monkeys. The leader was very independant and spoke strongly about the success the villagers had achieved about for themselves. Quite rightly too, the aid offered by WaterAid enables people to help themselves and given the opportunity they do.

The afternoon was filled with a visit to another village. I don't have the exact stats with me but they have moved from 6% to nearly 90% of the village with Pit Latrines and access to safe, clean water in under a year. It was really humbling to be praised so by the people of the village, but very rewarding to see that when the initial support is offered, if backed by a good Local Authority and an good village leader real change can occur. The tidiness of the village and the health of the children was noticable in comparison to others visited.

This village had mainly "model homesteads" which have separate latrines, separate kitchen/cooking area and drying racks for cleaned pots and pans and are near to a clean borehole. As his becomes the norm in a village, I have seen it demonstrated that this frees up time and keeps people from illness allowing for the establishment of solid communities and ancillary businesses.

I want to emphasise that all these improvements would still be seen as abject poverty by the majority of you reading this.

Friday

This is William C Kasigwa (63) a gentleman that I had the pleasure of spending the day with. We left Masindi before dawn and travelled to Rwanjojo-Ntooma a rural area that has still to receive full support from the Local Council in Partnership with Wateraid.

We met with William and is nephew Sabitt Bosco. We worked in the morning digging a field, collecting water walking a two and a half mile round trip. The source was filthy water, basically a gap invegatation which exposed about a square metre of swamp water. William drank this water even though it made him ill.

I will detail a much fuller account when internet more reliable. But today has been a really important one in my life.The energy and fun of the people I met will stay with me forever, as will the fact that these people are ill and dying due to the lack of access to clean water and adequate sanitation

Thursday

Today travelled from Kampala to Msindi district, this picture is of a little girl doing a wonderful poem about Health. The reception we were given by this community that Wateraid has helped was so moving. The people we have met are hard working, studious people with a real joy for life. They are trapped in poverty made ever worse but poor water supply.

Today we travelled to Mpingi and Masindi Town. Our 2 hour journey turned out to be over 4. The seats are not very comfortable I can tell you. We arrived late but the council had waited for us. In the main council chamber. After Inroductions and several presentations the Chief Officer Henry Makumbi gave a softly spoken but very encouraging talk about how his council, working in partnership had begun to make real changes to enable villages to help themselves and move towards a 100% coverage of adequate clean water and sanitation.