Thursday, November 1, 2012

Reality check

I got a reality check on what life is really like for many Ugandans living in poverty today. While a lot of children at the school are living in poverty the worst I saw was them having to walk down the road to fetch water and those being sent home for school fees. When in uniform that generally look pretty smart and obviously I didn't see their homes.

My first day with EACO allowed me a glimpse into home life for many. The organisation's work includes training people (often widows) in things like pig and chicken raising and mushroom growing so that the women have a means of generating income (with start up costs either funded through EACO or raised by micro finance).

Today's home visits were to visit four women EACO have trained, but specifically to talk about water and sanitation. The first and last visits were the most memorable.

The first was memorable because she had a lovely tidy home, had put her five children through school, and had particularly healthy looking animals. It was also interesting as I saw the water hole which she collects all her water from (as per photo). Contamination is an issue with this water source as animals also use this water hole. Even where piped water is available people often will not use it due to its expense. Water bores really are needed in so many places still.

The last woman we visited had probably the most harrowing story. While I wouldn't have guessed from the visit, she is a widow with eight children. She is also HIV positive. Apparently when her husband died other family members tried to take her belongings, land and house. She managed to retain them and has subsequently had help to have a proper weather proof house built and training to start a piggery (with very healthy looking pigs). She has also planted an impressive garden (cabbages, eggplants, coffee, passion fruit, cassava, and tamirillos). (This was on the advice of EACO to try and ensure the children received sufficient nutrients in their diet).

The current issue facing the family is a lack of any latrine (at present they are using plastic bags and burying all waste) as the previous one collapsed in. Despite all the hardships she is one of the favourites with the organisation as she always takes on the advice given to her. A very resilient woman. Hopefully some money can be found to help build a toilet for her and her family.

The day really brought home just how huge the gap is between developed countries and developing countries. I also learnt more about the shocking practice of child sacrifice (another thing EACO is working to reduce) which you can expect to hear further about soon.

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