| Uganda Review |
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On July 1st, we arrived in Kampala, Uganda and after meeting the rest of our team from Ukraine, we travelled west for about 8 hours to the Rukungiri district. Our base was in Rukungiri town, but the site where we would be working was actually in Nyarushanje, only about 40km from Rukungiri but due to the state of the roads it took around an hour an half to get there. We partnered with a local organisation WATSAN (Water is life; Sanitation is dignity) and there were 2 parts to our work: a) construction of a water tank for the gravity flow system, and b) education of the local community about hygiene and sanitation As it was a gravity flow system the tank had to be built on the hillside so each day we hiked about 20 minutes to the work site. This was very humbling for us as the local people helping us not only hiked up but also carried sand and cement and other items needed for the construction on their heads! Some of the women even had babies on their backs! As well as us being in awe of their hard work, we soon realised that they were also impressed that we were willing to work, their impression of white people having always been that we are rich without doing much. By the end of our time there we had managed to lay the foundations and build the walls of the tank. The roof was planned to be put on the week after we left. Once that is done a network of pipes will be laid to take the water to taps located close to homes so that they no longer need to walk for miles to find any water – they will have clean water close by. As well as the construction we also spent some time in the local community, educating them about hygiene and sanitation. The hardest for me was to hear that a lot of people do not understand why they even need clean water, something that we really take for granted. We tried to explain as well as give tips such as keeping the water source clean by not letting their animals go there, boiling the water before using it, always washing hands after using the toilet and before preparing food. They were very excited about having the water taps locally and some people were identified as being responsible for maintenance of them. Some homes were also set up as demo homes to give an example to the local community about how to live in more sanitary conditions. Overall it was a very successful trip. We met lot of people and gained an understanding about how differently people live in Uganda compared to the UK or Ukraine. It was interesting to see the community spirit – people seemed more friendly and willing to help each other and the generosity was amazing. This verse from Mark really came alive for me: 12:44 “They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” This, amongst other things, was a real inspiration to me about how I could change my attitude once home. We thank you for all of your support during this time – we had no accidents or serious illness, the project progressed well and as a team we really deepened our relationships with each other and with God. We have each learnt a lot and are very thankful to have been able to have this experience. We pray now that it is not forgotten but that what we have learnt will continue to impact our lives daily. |