Day 6 - Marrom and Nyakasagazi

My Birthday! What a way to spend it! Even though I wasn't with any of my friends or family (OK I had my wateraid family!) I wouldn't have changed a single moment of it. We drove to Marrom Village where Caroline, Ian, Don and I helped clear a protected spring. It was so steep to walk down there, we really struggled yet there were women going up and down wearing flip flops with a jerry can of water on their heads, some with babies tied to their backs, some were pregnant. To me, they are the definition of superwomen. Can't believe they do that every day.
The villagers were finding that the stream going away from the spring wasn't taking water away properly as the sides had collapsed, so we helped clear a stream to take the water away. It was hard work but we had fun, even though poor Don ended up doing most of the graft! My attempt to clear some overgrown plants with a double sided machete had a lot of the local men in stitches!!! Oh well at least I had a go!
We were shown around the village and taken to some model homes. I never imagined I would spend my 25th birthday getting so excited about latrines, but it was amazing seeing the difference the latrines had made to peoples lives! The homes we saw were so different to the day before, so much more organised. A few of us said we would happily stop overnight there!
We spent the afternoon in Nyakasagazi village, which now has adequate sanitation and water supply. They were really happy and grateful for the changes that wateraid had made and they sang and danced for us. They gave some pretty powerful speeches and it was so heartwarming to see the difference WaterAid have made. These people looked so healthy and happy, it was such a contrast to the people we saw in the slums earlier in the week.
What a journey.

Masindi

I didn't get chance to finish my blog on account of the bad internet connection (well I was in a developing country!), however I did manage to keep a diary so here is the rest of my adventure....
Day 4 - Masindi
We had a long bumpy drive in the mini bus from Kampala to Masindi, we considered setting up RoadAid as the roads were so bad! Upon arrival had a quick lunch before visiting Masindi District Council Offices where we met the District Council who all seemed very passionate about solving water and sanitation issues. We found out that in 2006 Water coverage in Masindi was 52.7% and it is now 62.4%, not bad going. Davis, the head of the water section told us that they were able to give us these facts and figures as wateraid had helped fund their database, something simple to us but a milestone to them. Sarah from WaterAid said the problem in Uganda is that it is "All for some, not some for All". That phrase really stuck with me and was so very true. The chairman closed the meeting saying "We are not helpless, but we are in dire need". It struck me that these people are proud, but not to proud to ask for help. I think that is really admirable. Back at the hotel we were entertained by African Dancers, they made us all join in wearing grass skirts! It was really good fun.
Day 5 - Rwenjojo - Ntooma, Masindi
I was paired with Liz, a fellow wateraid supporter today and we went to spend a day with a family in a rural village which has had no intervention from WaterAid yet. The lady we were paired with was called Magdalene and she lived in a mud hut with her granddaughter, Dorine (15 years old). Our interpreter for the day was a man called Wilson, who was Magdalene's nephew. Upon arrival at Magdalene's home we helped Wilson finish making a drying rack so she didn't have to leave her pots and pans on the floor where they were at risk of contamination. It was so simple to make, we used sticks, reeds and banana leaves to tie the structure together. We were really proud to have been able to help. While we were doing this Magdalene tended to her animals, she had 2 pigs, a few cows, some chickens and some goats. It was good to see she was able to rear a few animals to bring in a bit of money as she seemed very poor. We helped Dorine shell some nuts which Magdalene then roasted over a fire and served us with some hot milk straight from her cows! It was really nice of her, she treated us with such kindness. I showed Dorine some photo's of my friends and family and she was so thrilled to see them I let her keep them. Dorine then had to go to take the cattle to graze, it was only about 10am and she said she wouldn't get back until 7 that evening. what kind of life is that for a 15 year old girl?
Magdalene showed us inside her home. there wasn't really room for Liz, me, Magdalene and Wilson to squeeze inside. all she had were 2 sleeping area's for her and Dorine, and some clothes. She had a corrugated tin roof which she was pleased about as this kept the rain out. She said she was planning on building a latrine in the future but was finding it hard due to the nature of the soil (after digging a foot or so she hit stones) so at the moment she just uses the field to go to the loo. We then went to collect water. It wasn't a long walk but when we got to the water source I was speechless. It was a swamp. there was tadpoles swimming in it - see picture. They drink that water, they wash their pots with it, wash themselves in it, cook their food with it. It was absolutely disgusting. you wouldn't give that sort of water to a dog. I feel angry now just thinking about it. Magdalene told us that when the swamp dries up, its a 6 mile round trip to the nearest bore hole, and that can break down. The water was so heavy as well! I struggled to walk a few feet with it, and there was Magdalene, an elderly woman walking away with it on her head. We asked about illnesses, and were told that Malaria, Dysentry, Typhoid and Cholera were common. Wilson, our interpreter said he had had Malaria a few times, he had been lucky enough to get medical attention as he lived in the town, but people living far out in the villages aren't always so fortunate. Wilson also told us that sometimes when the swamp dries up and Magdalene has no water to cook with she goes to bed hungry. After the water collection we spent some time talking to Magdalene's neighbours who had come over to visit, and I played with the children for a bit, earning myself the nickname 'Angelina' in the process as I wanted to take them all home! We then helped prepare lunch, and went off to a local school where we had fun teaching the kids songs like hokey kokey and head shoulders knees and toes! we even got them doing the conga! it was loads of fun, but they all looked so malnourished. We then drove back to our hotel with our new friend, Mary's chicken! She was given it by the family she spent the day with!

A quick update....

Apologies for the lack of bloggage! Very bad internet connection! here are some pictures to be going on with and I will try and write more later....

Day 3 - Mpigi

I realised that in my last post I forgot to quote some important facts. Since arriving here I have discovered that Uganda has only 63% Water Coverage, and 59% Sanitation. 30% of the population live on lesss than $1 a day, which is below the poverty line. Having heard those figures, and then seeing the effect for myself, I cannot believe that this is allowed to happen in the year 2008.
Yesterday we had an early start with breakfast at 6am. We left for Mpigi at 6.45 and upon arrival we were met by the Busoga Trust, one of the many partners which WaterAid works with here in Uganda. They took us to a village called Kayabwe to show us their Water Jar project. Such a simple solution to a huge problem, these massive concrete jars are installed at the side of peoples houses, and they have guttering set up to drain all the rain water into them (known as rainwater harvesting, similar to water butts at home). The family we met said this has made such a massive difference to their lives, they no longer have to walk to the river or swamp to collect water which the lady said was giving the kids Dysentry, Typhoid and Diarrohea. If that isn't awful enough, they also lived in fear of getting raped on the walk to collect water. Can you imagine that? There was also a really busy road they had to cross to get water, and a lot of children had died collecting water as they had been run over. 1 girl I met, called Amale Anette (see picture of girl in blue dress) told us she used to have to collect water after school and it was a 4 hour round trip at night. She was too tired to do her homework and too tired to concentrate at school, but now the water jar has been fitted she can be a child again. That really showed me the massive difference such a simple solution can make. Also it is worth mentioning that these jars are not just handed out, the families have to demonstrate a commitment by having a seperate washing area, a drying rack for pots and pans (as otherwise they are left on the floor which is unhygienic), and a latrine.
We left Kayabwe and crossed the equator which was pretty cool! We then moved on to see the household eco sans (latrines) in Lubembe. The family we met had recently had a latrine fitted which meant there was somewhere clean to go to the toilet and they could use their waste products (mainly urine) as a pesticide. It sounds a bit disgusting but when I thought about the amount of pesticides that go on our food, it didn't seem so bad. This man we met was so proud of the difference it has made to his life. His children are no longer ill, and because he can use urine to make a pesticide (he gave me the full recipe if anyone is interested!), he is able to grow banana's, carrots, watermelons, yams and tomatoes. he showed us his crops and it was amazing - he is the guy in the picture. He is now able to sell some of these so his children can go to school. He was so happy and so proud.
Next came the higlight of the day, we went to a school. The children were overjoyed to see us and were so grateful for the difference wateraid has made to their lives in drilling a borehole and fitting a pump so they now have clean water. They put on a play for us about sanitation which was really funny, but made the point clear about hygiene. they have a health club and the kids go home and tell their parents about hygiene as well. They also sang and danced for us, and had photo's taken. They were so lovely it really lifted the groups spirits. A lot of us used the latrines at the school, which were a lot cleaner than some in the UK!
We then missed lunch as we were running behind schedule, and went to see a water pump. The children there came running over to see us shouting 'Muzungu' which means 'white person', we hear that everywhere we go when we see children! They were collecting water from the pump and they can only have been 6 or 7. One of them was carrying a 20 litre container full of water on her head. It was incredible.
After that we had a long drive to meet the local government. It was a formal visit and they were telling us how much of a difference water aid and the Busoga Trust have made to Mpigi. One of the said "Water is Life - without water we cannot kick, now we are kicking because of you!" They were so full of gratitude and wanted to hear all about the fundraising we do in the UK. We are about to drive up to Masindi now, I will try and write again although the internet connection is not great here in Kampala the capital city! Thanks again for your support.

First 2 days....

Arrived in Entebbe yesterday morning after a long (and delayed) flight. we were greeted by wateraid uganda staff and driven to Kampala, where we are based for the first leg of our journey. We had a relaxing day yesterday with a BBQ in the evening where we met the staff here. This morning was an early start and we were driven to the slums in Kampala. These slums have no access to adequate sanitation, and the water supply is unprotected. We met the local water management commitee who showed us around. It was upsetting, and quite frankly shocking. The kids were lovely and running after us shouting, I met one child who was barefoot, and looked really ill which I found incredibly upsetting and frustrating when I know that a few simple changes could make that persons life so much better. We saw children collecting water from an unprotected spring and it really made me think about how much we take for granted. We then went on to see an area which had benefitted from some intervention from wateraid, they had a properly constructed stream taking away all the dirty water and they had proper latrines, which were run by local people and made such a difference to their lives, they were so grateful for them and said that no one has had cholera since the latrines were fitted. We then went to see a water kiosk which Prince Charles visited, the lady who ran that also made bags and jewellry from waste materials which was really cool, I liked the fact that as well as helping distrubute clean water she was doing something resourceful, which the people here seem really keen on. We then went on to meet the local governement who were also incredibly grateful for wateraid's intervention. After that we went along to a Sanitation Centre which was amazing, the guy there showed us all the models of different latrines that can be installed and explained how he works with communities to show them the difference that a simple latrine can make. They also do a lot of work with hygeine education which makes a massive difference. The main problem in the urban areas seems to be a lack of community spirit, people don't stick around long in the slums, they move on quite a bit, so they don't always feel a sense of ownership which I imagine people in rural area's will do. We got back to the hotel this evening very tired after our busy day to find we were on national TV as we had a film crew following us around! Will write more soon, very tired and drained at the moment! Thanks for your support.

a few days to go...

well it's nearly time to go, can't believe this time next week I will be in Uganda, and will have had my eyes opened up to the situation out there.
Starting to think about how I live my life and how much I take for granted. Just this morning I got up, went to the loo, washed my hands, made a cup of tea, had a shower and brushed my teeth before putting some clothes washing in. boring, mundane activities for me, but something that thousands, maybe millions of people pray they could do every day.
Starting to get really nervous about going now, I have packed, and repacked, and I am sure there is something I have forgotten! typical me, still got a few bits and bobs to pick up.
Some of the group have been emailing, apparently it is raining and very humid so really not sure what we all need to take! I've struck up a bit of friendship with a lady called Caroline who works for Anglian Water, she has been great, and we have even organised to pack a few things between us (she's taking hair straighteners, I'm taking a hair dryer!), well us girls still need the odd luxury! Sure by the end of it I won't care what my hair looks like mind you! If anyone does have any packing tips I'd love to hear them.
Some of the guys at work have been talking about ways we can raise money when I get back, which I am really pleased about. I am really determined that when I get back I am going to try and get everyone on board! Anyone with any fundraising ideas please let me know.
I will try and update this before I go, if not I will speak to you when I get there!!!!!!

a bit about wateraid

A few of you have asked me about what wateraid do, so here is some info about them...
the picture on the left is a boy collecting water from a contaminated stream in Nsooba in Uganda. It breaks my heart that children have to drink water this dirty, who knows what is in that?

Water

Clean water is essential for life, but one in eight of the world's population does not have access to it. This, and lack of safe sanitation, result in over two million people dying from water-related diseases every year. The lack of clean water close to people's homes also affects people's time, livelihoods and quality of life.

Sanitation

Sanitation can be defined as access to safe, clean and effective human urine and faeces disposal facilities. Worldwide, 2.5 billion people live without this essential service and the resulting diarrhoeal diseases kill almost 5,000 children a day.

Hygiene education

To gain the full benefits of safe water and sanitation communities also need to know about the links between diseases and unsafe hygiene practices. Hygiene education focuses on issues such as personal hygiene - the simple act of washing hands with soap and water can reduce diarrhoeal diseases by a third.

Disease

Poor sanitation and bad hygiene can result in the contamination of water sources with millions of disease causing micro-organisms. These micro-organisms work in different ways to incapacitate infected individuals.

Poverty

The most obvious benefit of access to safe water and sanitation is a reduction in disease. But the economic position of poor families is often dramatically improved when they gain access to these basic services.

Problems for women

In developing countries poor water and sanitation affects the lives of women and children the most. It impacts on women's time, health, education and family relations.

Problems for children

Without safe water and sanitation, life for children in developing countries can be very hard. They are often at risk from disease and are unable to attend school.

Problems for the elderly

In many of the African countries where WaterAid works life expectancy is frighteningly low. Those who do live into old age face increasing problems as collecting heavy loads of water puts further strains on their health.

Problems for the disabled

The struggle to gain access to clean, safe water and basic sanitation facilities is even greater for those contending with physical disability. Collecting water is so much harder, and often impossible, for those in wheelchairs, the blind or simply frail and infirm as a result of illness or old age.

WaterAid and the Millennium Development Goals

The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are international targets to halve world poverty by 2015, agreed upon by all 189 United Nations member states at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000.

Our work makes a significant contribution to reaching the goals especially through actions to halve the proportion of people without access to safe water and sanitation, which are specific targets within goal seven.