Namanganga Community Farm

By funding the well, the Namanganga community has been able to pursue some income generating projects, including brick making, a farm which grows crops and raises livestock such as chickens, goats, pigs and cows.  Most impressive to me was the Bee Farm located on the premises.  They are able to produce honey to sell on the market.  All produce and animals provide food for the village and the excess is sold at market.  This allows the community to buy needed items, pay school fees and continue their community development.

https://youtu.be/13yICtRnUOE

CanAssist African Relief Trust: Borehole wells

As much as I loved the opportunity to see the wild mountain gorillas in their natural habitat it has been more rewarding to have the opportunity to work with the people of Uganda.  My involvement with CanAssist as a trustee and project manager affords me the opportunity to visit rural areas that are off the beaten track.  These are the real people of Uganda.  This past week I have had the opportunity to tour 6 different projects and will visit one more tomorrow.

I am pleased to report that CanAssist is leaving a marked impression.  Our infrastructure work in the areas of sanitation, water, health and education are making a huge difference in the communities within which we have provided support.  Repeat trips (this is my third trip to Uganda) allows me to see that once a hand up is given the community can continue to progress and thrive in a multitude of ways.    To put all that I have witnessed into one blog entry would be to fill multiple pages so I will separate it out.  Todays blog will be about borehole wells

On Monday I travelled with my driver, Robert, and Shadrak from EACO, a local community leader who works to find support for needy local communities.  He applied to CanAssist African Relief Trust for funds to repair 3 borehole wells.  I will let his words explain the significance of access to clean and safe drinking water.

Thank you CanAssist African Relief Trust for supporting our communities in access to safe and clean water, these water wells in Mukono, are significantly improving the health and wellbeing of residents. The clean water initiative is directly impacting the following four areas:
Poverty:
• Shorten distance to nearest clean water source by up to 9 kilo meters
• Free ~15 additional hours per week for those who hold the burden of fetching water
Education: Foster higher education and increase literacy by giving more children the time to attend school and study
Health: Reduce cases of water-borne diseases including typhoid fever, bilharzia, malaria and diarrhea
Safety: Prevent incidents of abuse and torture including rape, kidnapping, child sacrifice and mutilation.

So, it is more than just water.  A well benefits a community in a multitude of ways.  As a trustee and project manager I am afforded the opportunity to help these communities to improve their lives.  A humbling experience!  Here are photos of the three wells that I visited.

Well at the Namanganga Community

Well in Namasumbi located adjacent to a school.

https://youtu.be/MO0k_wZNsac

Well in construction in Lugali.  

Close encounters of a Gorilla kind!!!

The internet speed seems more favourable this morning so I was able to upload a few videos to Youtube and I will attach them below.  These three clips were filmed on my iPhone with no zoom.  All shots are live and up close and personal.  In the first clip, when the mother gorilla leaves the screen she actually brushed up against my leg.  People have asked me if I was afraid.  The true answer is no.  The gorillas are a peaceful animal and very much habituated to humans.  I did hear that another trekking group was charged by a silverback but it didn't amount to anything, just a signal to stay back.  That gorilla family was one of the new ones and was not as well habituated as the two groups I saw.  Right or wrong, the habituation process means that humans can witness the majesty of the gorilla, a portion of park fees goes towards conservation and of course education is the answer to most problems.  The gorillas are an endangered species, largely due to the fact they can only survive in this small microclimate, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Watch and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/-_y45PveOxM



https://youtu.be/RB3LOA1lrVA

https://youtu.be/SMcN2zlI7uI

Long Trek to Seeta!

Total trip today. 6:00 wake-up call. Left the Impenetrable Forest at 7:30 for my 9:45 am flight. Arrived at the airstrip at 8:45 and was told my flight was leaving early, at 9:00 am. Great, I thought. Well, 9:00 am came. No plane. 9:45 came. No plane. I was told there were mechanical problems. Leaving at noon. Noon came. No plane! Was told 2:25. That time arrived and still no plane. Finally at 2:47 it came. One hour later I was in Entebbe, followed by a 2 hour 45 minute drive to my hotel. I made it! Practically 12 hours door to door! 

Took 2 hours 45 minutes to go 51.4 km. This is Africa!

Last night in Bwindi

After three wonderful days in this amazing corner of the world it was time to pack my bags and get ready for my 7:30 am departure.  The weather on the last evening was divine.  I mentioned in an earlier post that there were numerous species of butterflies.  Birds were singing and monkeys were literally swinging from limb to limb.  After packing I came to the gathering area to discover this man playing local folk music.   Dinner after the fire dinner was delicious.  Here is my dessert, a stewed apple.  I loved these mason jars.  A light in the top illuminated the natural vegetation below.  What a beautiful end to a magical trip!

https://youtu.be/bDSZPlmeYDg

"Out of Africa" Bad Hair Day!

I like to keep my blog proceeding in sequence and with so much to share it has been hard to get caught up from my amazing trip to Bwindi.  I am still a few days behind but I am going to break my rule and skip ahead to tell this tale, a true African tale, one that lovers of the movie, "Out of Africa", can relate to.

Imagine for a moment my head of curly hair blowing in the breeze and the dust for several days.  An image of Meryl Streep and her tangled masses when she travelled cross country to deliver provisions to Bror may come to mind.  If so, you are fairly accurate in your imaginings.

So when I got up this morning my mission was to get this hair washed.  I turned on the tap in the tub and barely a trickle came out.  Several minutes of turning and twisting and I was resolved to the fact that this was the best that I was going to get. So I crawled in the tub, stuck my head under the faucet and wet my tresses down.  I applied the shampoo while squatting unceremoniously in the small tub and after sufficient minutes I stuck my head back down to rinse.  Much to my surprise, during the lathering phase the water had gone from warm to scalding hot.  I could not hold my head under without burning.  More twisting and turning lead me to determine that there was no cold water to be found.  Then, to make matters worse, the hot water stopped too.

With my floppy mop full of suds I walked across the room to call for service. "I am sorry Madam, we will send someone up right away!"  Twenty minutes later, and no serviceperson in sight, I called again.  "He is working on it Madam, so sorry!"  Finally, I heard a knock on the door. I let him in.  He walked to the bathroom tried all the faucets, looked puzzled and said, "There is no water Madam!" "Yes", I replied, "and I have a head full of shampoo!"  "I'll be back." he replied.

Glancing at my watch I realized that I was never going to make my 9:00 rendezvous with my driver so I called him to explain.  He had been struggling to understand my English so finally I said, "I will be late, let's meet at 9:30".

I proceeded to get ready, back my bag and such in the hopes that a small miracle might prevail.  I had time to reflect on the irony that I was stuck in a hotel without water when just the day before I had been visiting entire communities who had been struggling with water shortage.  Definitely put things into perspective.  By the time 9:00 o'clock came and I was pondering my options I suddenly heard a small sound.... the sound of water running.  Not a lot of water, mind you, but a sufficiently small stream which allowed me to get the soap out.  Do I dare apply conditioner?  Not a chance!


Ahhhhhh, but what a wonderful feeling it was to rinse!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8sDpSZeDBE


Motto of the story:  Never take water for granted.  Appreciate what you have.  You are more fortunate than most.

Second Gorilla Trek

On Friday I set out on my second of two treks.  This one was much easier and I really didn't need a porter but I hired one anyway, just in case.  The trailhead was at the meeting area and while the other hikers got into their vehicles we just walked down the road.  The road soon turned into a path, which although it ran through the park, was used by villagers hiking from one side of the forest to the other.  The rainforest is an amazing place.  I had read about the layers of vegetation but it is one thing to read about it and another thing to experience it entirely.  After a short break we left this main trail and followed a well-worn path into the forest.  10 to 15 minutes later we found the Rushegura family of gorillas.  The section of the forest that they were in was much more open so my pictures were better.  Again, I have a few good video clips but I will need to upload them later.  The gorillas are amazing creatures.  When we arrived they were all coming down out of the trees, one by one, building their nests and having a nap.  The nest building was the most fascinating part for me.  More ritual than functional, it involved pulling two or three branches down and then lying on them.  The amount of additional padding offered by three layers of leaves seemed marginal but without fail each gorilla did the same thing when it prepared to rest.  Amazing.

As we left the jungle, it had rained a bit and the sun had reappeared.  There were thousands of butterflies.  White ones, turquoise, black and white, yellow, brown and more.  At one junction we came upon hundreds of small white butterflies fluttering around us.  They were touching down momentarily to suck up water and minerals from the puddles at our feet.  Like a dream!

Into the jungle

The gorillas often held one foot like this when relaxing.

Big fella

Trying to rest

Momma and baby

This little one kept trying to wake everyone up.

Our group.  The white splotches were actually butterflies.

My porter.

Getting my certificate!

Village Walk Part Four: Banana Plantation and the Batwa Pygmies

As we continued past the healer we stopped at a banana distillery where I learned about the different kinds of banana trees and how they are used to make banana juice, banana beer and banana gin.  It was a remarkable process of harvesting, curing, peeling, foot stomping and distilling.  I was given a small sample of each.  The juice was sweet, the beer was yeasty and the gin was strong.

After that education I was taken to an interpretative centre for the Batwa Pygmy tribe.  The Batwa Pygmies were the local indigenous peoples and they were called the ”Keepers of the Forest” because they lived in and relied exclusively on the "fruits" of the jungle.  Their homes were small huts made out of leaves and branches and they were true hunters and gatherers, hunting small animals with bows and arrows and collecting the many plants and fruits that grow in the rainforest.  Some anthropologists estimate that the Batwa have existed for at least 60 000 years in rainforest.  However, unfortunately this long residence did not given them legal title to the land and in 1991 they were displaced from the forest when the government of Uganda declared the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest a National Park.

They were given no money for their homeland, nor were they given any land in exchange.  Rather they were simply evicted and they were forced to retreat to the neighbouring villages where they faced poverty and discrimination.  There, they were subjected to harsh treatment, were used as cheap labour, experienced extreme poverty and suffered severe health problems.

I have read that many Batwa died during the first few years of being displaced and their very existence was threatened.  They have slowly adapted to village life and in 2001 their situation began to improve as they came under the radar of a number of NGOs such as  the Kellerman Foundation.  As I mentioned in a previous post the Bwindi Community Hospital started as an outreach clinic for the Batwa and Dr. Kellerman provided much needed health care under a large tree.  A partnership with the Kingston based charity Buy-a-Net Malaria Prevention group also allowed basic health care to be extended to people living in 101 remote villages in this mountainous region.  Together we are Stronger!

A Musical Welcome

These pictures display the traditional way of life of the Batwa.  I was met at the edge of the forest by this Batwa man, he played music for me and then let me try his instrument.  Then he lead me to a tree and demonstrated how he would pound off some bark with a stone and eat it.  He handed me a piece and I tried it. It was very bitter.  The Batwa man laughed and Christopher my guide explained the bark contained an ingredient like Viagara and the men would eat portions of it after a long day hunting.  The joke was clearly on me.  Next he lead me to his small hut and invited me in.  I told him not to get any ideas and he laughed so I think he understood more English then he let on.  I was introduced to a few other community members and they performed a few traditional dances.  It was an informative and enjoyable experience!

Source of Viagara?

A individual family hut.

Tradional Hunting Method

Tree House Nursery.  The young children stayed here with an old man when the men and women went out to hunt and gather.

Performance time

They danced vigorously.

A communal hut to eat in when an animal was killed.  

 

Village Walk Part Three: The Traditional Healer

We turned right past the coffee trees and followed a path up a hill until we reached the traditional healer.  This 87 year old man has been working to heal the village for most of his years.  He uses traditional herbs and plants and demonstrated how he prepared the various concoctions.  Before you completely dismiss the process remember that many of our medicines originated from the rainforest.  I was also interested to know that the Bwindi Community Hospital has been establishing a partnership with a few of these healers.  They have worked together to dispel some of the myths that lead to questionable practices while at the same time developing criterion for the healers to agree to refer the patients to the hospital.  I am told that this is having some success and a healer is even employed to work within the hospital complex itself.  But not this fellow.  He is his own agent!

Village Walk Part Two: Farming

Here are a few photos of just a few of the crops grown in the region.  The coffee trees were in full bloom and incredibly fragrant.  The sweet potatoes looked great!

Coffee

More coffee

Sweet potato fries anyone?

Village Walk Part One: The School

After my first big day of gorilla trekking I had arranged for a village tour.  My guide, Christopher, and I wended our way up and downhill through the Buhoma community touring a school, small crop farm plots, a banana plantation, a banana beer and gin distillery, a traditional healer, a Batwa Pygmy interpretative centre and a women's cooperative.  In total it took 4 hours and was very informative.  A lot of hiking for one day but well worth it!  Here are some pictures from the school where we danced with joy!

Happy to see you, Muzungu!

Let's dance

Hope, love and joy!

a 

The boys were not to be outdone!

Even"Old Mrs. Grew" got in the action!