UGANDAN DIARY
by Angela Greatwood
What a wealth of contrasts I have seen and experienced in Uganda.
Despite an early start, our outward journey to Uganda was good - meeting up with the Trowbridge team at Bristol and the Manchester charity members at Amsterdam, then all flying on together to Entebbe.
After our first night in an extremely basic motel (with wooden scaffolding still in place after seven years, waiting to begin a large extension!) we journeyed through the very busy city of Kampala, then on to Jinga, at the head of Lake Victoria - where the Paradise Hotel on the Nile was to be our home for the next two weeks First off, we explored the beautiful Bujagali Falls, with a boat trip and lunch. These falls are world-famous for white water rafting grade 5/6 – something that Danny, my husband who had to stay at home due to ill health, had been looking forward to doing. I decided to leave that to him - on our next trip……..
NARUMBAI SCHOOL (ten minutes away)
This was our task for the first three days – to clean and renovate the third classroom (the charity had already renovated the other two). Brushes were instantly made with grasses, and heavy ladders with 1m treads ladders fashioned from tree trunks. We replaced over 80 panes of glass using black putty that smelt of diesel!.
The transformation from a filthy back room to a bright clean classroom with Bermuda blue/white walls and a cardinal red newly screeded floor was amazing. We also made bunting and put posters up for the first class - and the new room really did look lovely when we handed it over to the headmaster
The school has 900 extremely well disciplined pupils, who are mainly taught parrot fashion. Two lunches were shared with the staff, who always eat the same dish every day - matooka, posha and torfi. Posha is stodgy flavourless ‘wallpaper paste’, matooka is yellow stodge and torfi is no better. As someone who always eats everything, even I found this very hard going…….
NILE VOCATIONAL INSTITUTE
We then visited The Nile Vocational Institute where Uganda’s youth – well, the lucky ones – are skill-trained to equip them for future employment. These young people are promoted from churches, schools and a wonderful project called Macedonia. All students have to be sponsored and often arrive with no personal items. So a ‘hardship fund’ has been set up.
I was greatly encouraged to see the many skills taught – from metalwork, plumbing, and carpentry to domestic science and needlework . And all groups are open to both sexes. The domestic science group cooked us a delicious lunch, and later some of the team played netball on a very hot day - and won 5-3. Result! That Sunday we put together a church service at NVI with the theme of building relationships which included a drama - the men washing the ladies feet! Over a thousand people were ‘Marching in the Light of God’ ….. It was wonderful.
NAKAKUMBI VILLAGE
The following Monday we were due to start the planned projects in Nakakumbi, such as building latrines, a school room, an old lady’s house/orpahanage etc., but as the red dirt road 2km from the city was awash, it was impossible to get there. However, after investing in wellies the next day, getting stuck in the mud and climbing out through the bus window we DID finally arrive - to a wonderful welcome of drumming and dancing that lasted at least a half an hour. First we moved hundreds of bricks in a line, before the NVI students arrived to help us. Then the entire village sat down to lunch. Remember the whole of Uganda eat the same food every day, so the best thing is to quietly give your meal to a nearby child.
That afternoon we concentrated on health education - teaching villagers basic hygiene. We showed them how to build fly traps from water bottles, and tap-a-taps using empty cooking oil containers from Jinga to wash hands without touching anything, thus reduce the risk of diahorrea by 50%.
We stayed in mud huts overnight, sleeping under mosquito beds on new mattresses and plastic. The hut I shared with two other ladies had a hen and chicks outside, with a pig and two long horned cows out the back - and no latrine! I actually preferred bushes to some latrines I visited on the trip - fly traps needed!
After a great feast (roast goat, chicken and salad) and the usual ‘stodge’, speeches were made, with lots of dancing and waving of branches, and then we were drummed to bed. Blankets and sheets had been acquired from the hotel and with our host Ronald playing his radio loudly in the doorless room next to us, and his alarm going off at 4am, we sort of slept. 
As soon as it was light the team headed back to the hotel for a very welcome shower and breakfast. We were able to leave behind the new mattresses and mosquito nets – one to each family – as our parting gift.
JINGA HOSPITAL
That day, I chose to visit Jinga Hospital, which is the second largest teaching hospital in Uganda. Sue, one of the nurses on the team, and I took dressingsand instructions for use to the Septic Ward where we spoke to staff and patients. In Uganda, if a patient goes to hospital so follows the family too, together with cooking utensils and enough food to feed both themselves and the patient. They sleep outside with blankets on the grass and have to pay for the patient’s medication, often for a long time. During our stay, the two nurses on the team both gave lectures on health and hygiene, as well as donating medication.
ST MOSES ORPHANAGE
In the afternoon, we visited St Moses Orphanage, to which a Trowbridge company had donated lots of jumpers. The children live in groups of twelve of variable ages, led bv a house mother, and after school they are taught to do their own chores. The Orphanage and grounds were extremely clean, and the children very happy.
WITCHDOCTORS
The parents of most of these children have died due to Aids, but if they have grandparents or other relations, they may go home for holidays. Tragically, this January – a month before our visit - a child from this Orphanage was kidnapped and murdered, probably by a witchdoctor . Lots of the children are now having their ears pierced, the blood letting making them impure, and therefore safe from kidnap. Patients often turn up at the Hospital with scars on their cheeks having visited a witchdoctor for a cure. This is why an armed guard surrounded the village where we stayed.
TIME OFF
Friday was a free day and several of the team walked or took borda borda’s (small motorbikes) into Jinga to shop and visit the market where hundreds of stalls sell everything under the sun to eat - even locusts! There are a few tourist type cafes in town, to enjoy a cup of coffee, and we found it perfectly safe to wander and buy souvenirs.
FINAL DAY
On the last day we presented The Children’s Hospital with 40 new mattresses, bought with the g £800 raised by the villagers of Holt and Broughton Gifford. After a tour of the hospital, we journeyed on to Soweto, where the Macedonia Project is run. Many families here have fled from the north where The Lord’s Army is kidnapping children, who end up living on rubbish tips. Life is hard. Many women have to make alcohol from molasses for just 30p for 12 hours’ labour. They manage to sell some, but unfortunately the men drink most of it. .JPG)
The children welcome us by singing, and in return we put on an hour’s programme of puppetry and drama. This is poverty at the lowest level, but the project manages to supply food for everyone plus educating as many children as they can, so UgandAid left a hefty donation behind.
All these links have been made with the charity over a period of 10 years, building up relationships and trust . Believe me, every penny raised is accounted for and goes to Uganda – this trip costing £8,500. Indeed, most of the charity visitors return home with very few possessions, having given most of their clothes away along the trip.
HOME SWEET HOME
The return journey was marred by not only a delay which stranded us at an airport with no air conditioning for four and a half hours but also – after we had eventually boarded the aircraft - by the engine developing a very unusual noise. 20 minutes into the journey, the pilot decided to return to Entebbe, but aborted the first landing. Eventually the plane landed – still with a full fuel tank on board which blew the tyre and resulted in red hot brakes. Lots of equally red hot fire engines appeared, together with gangway stairs, and coaches to take us off the runway. Apparently blood was found in the engine, so it was probably a bird that took the engine out.
After twelve hours at Entebbe airport - and despite no word on what was happening from the KLM staff - we were finally taken to a good hotel where we fell into an exhausted sleep. Then it was back in the air again next day, bound for Amsterdam, changing for Bristol, and finally the long drive back to Holt, Danny and a comfortable Western bed.
It had been challenging every day, rewarding to see how our gifts and time were welcomed, and a real eye-opener to see how dramatic the poverty is in Uganda. I missed having Danny by my side, but I’m glad I went on this mission. Having always wanted to do something practical and positive to help the suffering in Africa, I wouldn’t have missed this opportunity for the world.
Angela Greatwood