We are Safe

I apologize for not posting on the blog sooner, but I wanted to let everyone know that we are completely safe. We were in west when the bombings in Kampala occurred last Sunday. Fortunately, all of our friends here are safe. We know a few that have been affected by the terrorist attack.

I mourn the loss of Nate Henn. I hope that everyone will consider helping his family, and support the Invisible Children community by donating at this link: http://blog.invisiblechildren.com/2010/07/the-nate-oteka-henn-memorial-fund/

Please remember:

We are not nations separated by borders. We are not continents divided by seas. We are one globe; one race: humanity. All the good in this world must stand up as one to fight the evils that try to damn us.

The Children of Busoona

The Progress of the Tanks (more to come)

The Water Tank Project

The primary school already has 2 tanks installed, but they are not in working order. This means that there is no source of water at Busoona. Our major work has consisted of repairing the current tanks, and we also purchased a new and larger tank. For each tank, we must dig a 4 x 4 x 4 foot hole for a drain, which connects to a 10 foot pipe. At the end of the pipe, we dig a 6 foot hole and fill it with rocks to help drain the water, which then irrigates the surrounding land. Water enters the tanks from gutters that line the roofs of the classrooms that collect water when it rains. A pipe is connected from the end of the gutters to the tank. A nozzle is installed at the bottom of the water tank, over the drainage pipe, for children to wash their hands and fill water bottles

We have to dig to install the drainage pipes because if they are not there, the water will pool on top of the soil and is a breeding ground for bacteria. The bugs and mosquitoes are then attracted to the water. The pooled water not only then becomes an infested breeding ground for bacteria, but malaria as well. The drainage pipes remove the spread of bacteria and malaria, while also irrigating surrounding land. On one of the tanks is on the back side of the school, and downhill slope leads to gardens and crops. The water pipes will help to irrigate those crops as well, which will provide food for the children as well

By having healthy crops, gardens, and water, the children do not have to resort to their difficult lifestyles. All the children walk up to 2 miles to school in the morning, and back home for lunch. Then they must trek back another 2 miles back to school for the afternoon, and back home again. All of this traveling is due to the lack of food and clean water available at the school.

A large portion of the money that we fund raised for this trip went towards paying for the 3rd water tank, as well as hiring a plumber and a few constructors to help us in installing the tanks. We dug the majority of the holes with some help from a constructor that we have now named “superman”. Superman has incredible strength and endurance and can dig at an unbelievable speed. We dig all of the holes with pick axes and hoes. After the holes are dug, we helped the constructors mix cement, and move materials to each of the tanks. The constructors themselves then build the base that the tanks sit on. We also helped the constructors fill the drainage holes with enormous rocks.

Progress has moved at an incredible rate. The digging and installation of the drainage systems and connecting the tans to the gutters was expected to take 12-14 days. Just after 5 days of work, we have completely installed all systems and the tanks are up and running! The fresh rain that we received here in Jinja over the weekend has provided the very first source of water to fill the tanks. On Monday, the school will have fresh water for the first time.

Due to our progress, we will start planting avocado trees in the garden and increase the teaching of Basic English and Basic Mathematics.

His Worship: The Mayor of Jinja

His Honor, David Wakimidura, the Mayor of Jinja (2002-2006)

In January when this trip was in the very first stages, there was a lot of concern regarding safety and legitimacy. Now that we are here, I have to laugh at the fact that there were so many concerns. As it turns out, this trip and the people that we have met could not have been more legitimate.

Davids, the director of the Busoona Primary Project, is son to His Worship David Wakimidura. Davids father was the Mayor of Jinja from 2002-2006 and is the most well known and connected man in this region of the country. Talk about legit! He is currently running for a position in parliament.

His Worship Wakimidura is infamous as being one of the only ethical politicians in the country. As the Mayor of Jinja, her repaired nearly 90% of the roads, increased employment by 30%, and only wants to better his people and his country. He is originally from the poor region of Busoga (where Busoona Primary is located) and therefore he has lived through many different aspects of Ugandan life.

Mr. Wakimidura is a very inspiring individual. We have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with him. He is a very insightful, intelligent, and peaceful man to be around. He chooses his words very carefully, and is always willing to put others before himself.

He has traveled to Busoona with us on several occasions. He came with us on the very first day we began teaching, and spoke at the meeting we had with the Head Master and teachers. He spoke on the importance of building a strong relationship with us, thus connecting Busoona with the Western World. The next 4 weeks would be the deciding factor in how that relationship plays out and that a good relationship is not guaranteed. He stressed to the teachers of the school of the hard efforts we have made to come to Uganda, and that we are putting the most we can into the school. The process of building a relationship as well as improving the school will be a process that happens slowly over time. We must build brick by brick.
Mr. Wakimidura also stressed the role that the community must play in this project. We are here to do the initial work, but our projects must be maintained. The water tanks must be taken care of, and the gardens and crops must be tended to. The progress of the school and the relationship with volunteers that come to the school depend on the parents to ensure that their children are attending school and that a committee of parents is created to ensure that the water tanks are maintained.
His Honor came to Busoona later in the week, and brought the media with him. Reporters from a Ugandan radio station came to talk to us about where we are from, what we are doing, why we are doing it and our thoughts about Uganda so far. The interview was broadcast later that evening and again in the morning. Luckily, we were able to record the broadcast using our video cameras.

We have also learned through our new friendship with Davids and his Father is that who you know truly does pay off. We had to submit our last payment to the Tourist Center, and used our Travelers Checks. We signed them and gave them to the Tourist Center. They then brought the checks to the bank, but they would not accept the checks because they had already been signed. We got the checks back and went to Crane Bank in Jinja ourselves and still the manager would not budge.

Mr. Wakimidura had gotten word of our struggle, and decided to take us all back to the bank. We waited while he talked to the manager, and within minutes he gave us a simple wave and we were able to exchange our travelers checks. He explained that the problem was not that we could not prove that the signatures were actually ours. It was simply a matter of trust. His Honor proved to be the trust worthy, and reputable figure to help us in our time of need. If we were not able to get those checks through, the tanks and progress at Busoona would have been greatly affected.
We have seen David Wakimidura do a large amount of campaigning around the country as well, and if he is voted into Parliament next year, I cannot begin to imagine how our project at Busoona will benefit. We will have a direct connection to a high figure in the Ugandan government.

I guess it isn’t always what you know, but who you know. And as it turns out for everyone who has been worried back at home, we have built a strong friendship with the Mayor of Jinja and his son! Who would have thought!

The First Day at Busoona

Monday June 28, 2010

Monday was our first day working, and getting our hands dirty at Busoona Primary School. We arrived at the school to be greeted again by hundreds of children surrounding the car and silently following us as we made our way to see the head master. Out from the crowd I heard a voice behind me, “What is your name?” I turned to see who had yelled to me and out of the sea of yellow was a boy about the age of 12 wearing a white buttoned up collared shirt.

“I am Bryan. What is your name?” I replied.

“I am Nelson,” and he turned and began to turn away.

“Hey Nelson!” I yelled to him. He turned to look at me and began smiling. “You’re my boy, right?” He laughed and gave me a high-five and ran to go join his friends.
I turned from the crowd of children and followed Brendan, Evan, and Davids into the Head Master’s office where we joined him and a group of teachers at the school. It was a very small space, with two old desks, a cabinet, and two benches. We sat down on the benches as the teachers crammed in through the doorway into the office. The walls were lines with charts that broke down school attendance since year 2,000. Since the new Millennium school attendance has increased from about 800 students to nearly 1,700 students. Since the students’ fees are funded by the government, it has allowed more children to attend school. But, due to corruption within the government, funds have not been put towards maintaining the school and its facilities. As attendance increases, it becomes harder and harder for each individual student to get a quality education.

The Head Master spoke to us of how thankful they are that we are here and that is of the utmost importance to them that we have a good experience here so that the school can continue to see groups of volunteers come through on a consistent basis. He informed us that because we were here and that we would be teaching an hour of class everyday that attendance in the school would increase as well. The students are ecstatic that we are here and will be interacting with them. Karma was another topic that the Head Master discussed with us. It is very important in this world to give to those who are in need, and all those who give will benefit in return. Not only are we having a life changing experience, but the Head Master is looking forward to seeing the community strengthen and give back to Western culture. It is of the utmost importance that the Western World sees beyond stigmas and understands the hardships that the communities of Uganda have been through. I hope to build on this topic throughout my posts.

We left the Head Masters office and taught Basic English to our designated classes for the first time. At the school, we are teaching Primary 4, which is basically the same as 4th grade in the U.S. When we entered the classroom, all the children crammed into one small room with benches of desks, stood up in unison and began singing a welcome song to us. We thanked them, and began our first lesson.
After the lesson, the kids had some free time, so Evan grabbed the Frisbee out of the car. None of the kids had ever seen a Frisbee before, so we taught a group of them how to throw it and sorted them into two lines to throw back and forth to each other. Nelson and his friends stood close by, speaking Lusoga (the language of the Busoga Tribe) to me. Nelson is one of the only students that I have met that is able to speak English at a relatively fluent level and has been very helpful. I teach him a few words, while he teaches me his language. He is very intuitive and always high in spirits. We are becoming good friends.

Cheaters

Friday June 25, 2010

Only in Uganda can you get kicked out of a taxi for bargaining over the fees of public transportation. Although the government has been able to bring peace to the country, financial corruption has trickled down to every level of social hierarchy. Thus, even when a taxi is stated as being 300 shillings, the prices get doubled because we are foreigners. This also plays into a misconception about whites in Uganda: we are all rich. False. We are not rich by any means. In comparison to the people here, we can consider ourselves rich, but we are perceived as being millionaires by the locals. Hence why the prices are raised so much for us. In reality, I could only afford coming on this volunteer trip only due to generous donors. Another harsh reality is that my plane ticket cost more than double what the average household makes in a year in Uganda.

The taxis in Uganda are much different than the taxis back at home. They are vans that have a limit of 12 people. Yet, nearly 14-18 people can be crammed into one taxi. There is a conductor who collects all the payments and regulates order as crowds try and claim their seat at each of the bus stops. We were unable to use our own car for the day, and had to walk to the bus stop. We got on our taxi, and before it took off the conductor told us, “You are white, you must pay 500 shillings (25 cents)”.

“Skin color does not mean that we should pay more! I am a Ugandan and I am their guide. We will pay the set price,” Davids barked in return.

“Every rider must pay the foreigner’s price!” The Conductor yelled back. We sat crammed in the back seat and looked as every passenger looked back in frustration and disbelief that they were being forced to pay a higher price. The arguing continued and we were forced out of the taxi.

We picked up another taxi, and the conductor let us come on for one price. Davids and I sat in front with the driver as we explained our frustrations to him. The driver had a very different insight. He spoke of the importance of equality, and that if the locals continue to cheat visitors out of their money, it will give a bad name to the country. People traveling to Uganda will only help the economy. Another aspect of the issue is that if prices are kept at a set price, areas such as public transportation will still get tipped for the quality of service. To us, there is little difference between 300 shillings, 500 shillings, or even 2,000 shillings. The difference between those numbers for us is literally less than 50 cents. It is simply the principle of the matter.

Friday seemed to be a day full of these “cheaters” trying to take advantage of us for our money. The entire boat ride on the Nile, Davids was speaking in Lugandan to the operator of the boat that we were on. We had no idea what they were talking about, but Davids told us after that they were charging us 80,000 shillings ($40) for the boat ride, when the set price is 25,000 shillings (about $12). Davids was able to bargain his way to 32,000 shillings for the trip to the source of the Nile. We walked away and went up towards a local market that was on a hill above where the boat launched. Other locals tried to talk us into getting onto their boats so they could give us a tour of the Nile. We told them that we already had gone on a ride. One man had said that he hoped the driver gave us a fair price. When we asked what a fair price was, he told us 85,000 shillings. Davids just began laughing at him as we stared in shock and told him that we paid 32,000 shillings.
Good luck with your business.

On the way back from the Nile, we decided to walk back home instead of taking a taxi. We stopped and took a break because of the beautiful view. I began taking pictures of the landscapes and cows that were grazing in the nearby field. A man out in the distance began walking towards us and as he came closer he told us that we had to pay him for taking pictures of his country. Are you kidding me?! Apparently photography isn’t free anymore either. Of course we didn’t pay him and continued on our way.

I had enough of these cheaters for one day.

The Beast of the Nile

June 25, 2010

We took a boat ride down the River Nile, and went to see its source: where the Nile begins and where Lake Victoria is filled. All of my life I thought, naturally, that the Nile flowed from Egypt, but its true source is in Uganda. The violent current flows north to its final destination in Egypt. On the surface the Nile looks calm and peaceful. In the hot and dry weather of Uganda, it was beyond tempting to jump into the refreshing water. Yet, a beast thrives below the surface.

What is the beast? It is the strong current that is created from the source. As we floated down the Nile, we admired the diverse wildlife: birds, pelicans, snakes, and even a komodo dragon along the rivers edge. The green vegetation grew wild before the area was settled by the British and alligators and crocodiles roamed freely as the kings of this location. Increases in population and development have pushed the crocodiles north. You could see the rolling green hills for miles, and a light breeze cooled us from the heat.

We arrived at a tiny island, right at the source of the Nile. As we looked north, the Nile flowed peacefully, and to our south laid Victoria, the largest fresh water lake in the world. We stepped off of the boat, and knelt at the edge of the water and saw water thrusting from beneath the soil towards the water. Where is this water coming from? As we look out at the water, for about 15 feet the water is completely calm and every few seconds a ring appears about 10 feet in diameter. Beyond the rings that reach the surface from the source below, the current picks up and forces its way downstream.

Down in the depths of the water, are wells, thrusting out water from the crust of our planet. Evidence of the wells is seen by the flowing water from the edge of the land and from the air bubbles that create the rings at the surface. From the wells, comes the violent current, thus creating the deceiving River Nile and revealing the source of the beast.

Bats

The glowing yellow-red globe slowly wanes in the sky, and begins to dip below The Pearl’s (Uganda) horizon. The sky turns pink, and clouds stretch as far as the distant sun, as if they are trying to touch its final beams of light. The land begins to grow dark, as the final light reveals an exquisite sight: black wings stretch through the air, creating a wave that swirls through the sky.

For as far as the eye can see, from the farthest reaches of the west and east, this never ending wave of moving spectacles mask the last light. If one could count, they would say that there are hundreds of thousands of these night-flyers escaping from their daytime home.

When the sun pounds its power on the Earth during the day, these creatures hide and hang from the limbs of the canopy in the deep Mabira Forest, and as the sun weakens they make their escape. Thrusting into the air they reveal themselves from their hideout. They awake and can be seen only for a moment as the light says its final goodnight and slips behind the horizon. As the world falls into a deep sleep, they thrive, feed, and sweep violently though the thick warm dark night sky.