6 months... over and out.

Well, where do I start... 6 months completed, it definitely feels weird to back on UK soil!  

I felt myself hurrying through the last few updates as I was quite time pressured at the internet cafe, so sitting in my room in front of my Computer - I definitely feel more relaxed not having the time counter weighing down on me or thinking 'gotta make sure I start to head out of town before the crazy Kampala traffic starts!'.

It's been an incredible 6 months - I think i've used the word rollercoaster a few times on these pages - and I think it is very apt description of the journey.  Both emotionally and mentally, you hit so many highs and lows - and being away from your normal comfort area's, these spikes/troughs do get magnified a lot more.  You see an everyday life that is so different - although the primary basis is still to 'feed the family', the route and means are so so different (not to mention the family sizes!).  And you really see the differences between the standards of livings that people are partied to. 

One of the major things I experienced in my village life - and this crosses both Uganda and Cameroon - was the lack of easy access to information.  We are blessed with so much information at our fingertips, and before the internet, I remember making regular visits to the library to help me with my homework, or even to look up the history of football teams or improve my snooker... Information, if interest was there, was available.  However, the people I was around in the villages did not have anything like this available.  They'd rely on word-of-mouth from people that travel to neighbouring villages and towns to get the latest info... and it's either that or find someone with some sort of knowledge.  For example, there was one person who was extremely interested in architecture, and he came to me with questions like - how thick did they make the wall of the Channel Tunnel to be sure it wouldn't develop a leak? - Unsurprisingly, that information was not stored at the forefront of my memory, and it made me think, if I'd been at home, I'd have clicked a few buttons and got the answer - but what do you do to foster out-of-the-box thinking like that in villages?  Currently there isn't enough done - and this means people just settle for what they know or what they are fed... and thus, a lack of pro-activeness becomes inherent.  So people settle, not seeing how they can drastically change what they do or how they do it.  

Going back a few decades, what would have happened? People would have relied on information through their elders.  Now people are caught between that and schooling.  A reliance on schooling is understandable, as it should technically provide the most up-to-date info, but for that, the schooling infrastructure etc needs to be working well...  

The other key element is electricity and internet - across many developing countries - there is some form of 'rural electrification programmes', and with mobile communications already present across the area in abundance, it's natural for this to be exploited to provide data across the air.  The challenges are there - like affordability and educating locals on using this technology, but steps are being made in the right direction, like the recent connection of the high speed cable to East Africa , which should reduce prices and improve speed and capacity (which may mean it will soon be possible to read the news in the internet cafe's without having to find low resolution news pages!!)

I could go on and on, but one of things I have come out with from the 6 months is that, information needs to be provided/facilitated, and the communities need to made to understand how they can use this information.  In Bangem, in Cameroon, there was definitely evidence of some enthusiasm, especially by younger members of certain groups - who took great interest in the various workshops we provided.  Even though, there were many who attended in the hope of getting some free seeds or free lunch, fostering the few is a potential means to providing a route for uplifting the communities.

That's zooming in on one of the area's I found quite interesting... Socially speaking - it was absolutely great connecting with the various personalities I met on the trip... and I didn't realise how different the everyday experience was until I was sitting in the Lounge at Nairobi airport waiting for my connecting flight to London.  Everywhere I looked were familiar tones, expressions, body languages - and it felt very weird.  I had a snippet of this when I was staying at the hostel where I went rafting - but even there, the majority of the people I met were Volunteers or working out in Uganda.  Being in the airport lounge - it hit home how different the daily experience is.  Obviously it's expected to a point - but the contrast is really quite fascinating!  

If you've made it this far - I'm impressed!! :o).  I hope you've enjoyed reading about my experiences over the last 6 months... I'll try and get a few pics on here too - but right now i'm struggling to get them off my camera :os.  But for now... That's all Folks!  Keep safe, keep smiling, and don't be worrying about things you can't control!

 

Last 3 weeks...

After my last update - I had enjoyed the white water rafting so much - that I decided to go again! I had a couple of unexpected spare days, and the rafting company offered me a good deal - but to be honest - I didn't need much convincing. And it was soo much fun!!! I also did a bungee jump - but that's a story for later!

Following the rafting adventures, I headed back to the village. Thankfully we got one of the initiatives up and running - the free testing day. This saw us get the same number of patients in one day as we had been getting in a month. Worryingly, the majority tested positive for both the malaria and intestinal worms tests...

The other initiatives are still in the pipeline - unfortunately the language barrier meant there was confusion for the vaccination day - but I'm hoping the team will be able to get that up and running this week.

FUGA also started a collaboration with Makerere University (the main uni in Uganda) - whereby they will provide training locally to interested students. We did some community outreach - a very busy couple of days - but very interesting... it bodes well for the upcoming few months, and hopefully can be the catalyst for much more activity on the ground.

Clocks ticking - times running out, so bye for now!

White Water!!!

Exhilarating, Enthralling, and an Adrenaline rush - that's a few words to describe my Saturday - which I spent white-water rafting on the River Nile! I managed to free the weekend and head to Jinja - and it was sooo much fun! Flips, wipeouts, floating in the Nile, being thrown about by a few grade 5's, and of course swallowing a little bit of the most famous river... A treat is certainly was! The campsite I was staying at had an absolutely stunning view of the Nile... words cannot describe - so you'll have to wait for the pics...

Between my last update and the rafting... We made some progress with the Health Centre - including agreeing and obtaining approval for Immunisations Days with the support of the Local District, having a free testing day, and other activities to get the local schools involved in the NGO's activities. The next few weeks will hopefully see the launch of these activities, which would be great for the local communities! I'm currently in Kampala, but as you can probably imagine, I'm looking forward to getting my teeth stuck in to the next few weeks in the village...

So just a short update, but will be back soon...

Lights anybody?

Hey people,

After my last update - I spent the next day running around Kampala meeting various people from different organisations. It was a great day - and I got a brief insight into some of the activities the major organisations are focusing on within Uganda. The next day I was on a bus - I was transporting a bike for one of the colleagues - which made life quite interesting. On several occasions, the conductor and his friends tried to convince me that I had to pay for transporting the bike - and the rate varied almost each time... I continued to play one guy against the other - and ended up paying zilch! Much fun...

Following that, I've spent 2 weeks in the village. Even after 5 months, I think I'm still begrudgingly adjusting to the work ethic and time-keeping (although I think the situations that are arising are quite unique to this organisation). I've had the opportunity to talk to some local health centres and other interested parties - and as a result, have initiated a few potential collaboration activities. Now it's just a matter of getting the management to buy-in and proactively manage some of the activity, and thus motivate the rest of the staff!

The preparations for electricity are still on-going - I've learnt that contractors cause issues whatever the country! As such, quite a bit of work remains within the Health Centre, but the main lines are on track... I still can't imagine the difference it will make to the area. Just to give you an idea of the population in the immediate vicinity of where I'm staying - most of them are subsistence crop farmers - growing mainly beans, matoke (plantains) and ground nut, with some also growing Sorghum (mainly used for local brew - which is incredibly strong!), and a few involved in animal farming. The other main activity is a local tin mine - where there are over 500 men & boys working... this adds an interesting dynamic to the local area. There are a limited number of shops, and there is selling of firewood and other such amenities. Due to the limited crop produce - the main diet consists of matoke and beans.

So the waiting game continues... I've promised myself some whitewater rafting before I leave Uganda - so hopefully I'll be able to fit that in... but it's difficult to schedule with the ever changing itineraries!!

Until next time...

One month in...

Well - I've completed a month in Uganda - and besides the repeated waiting, it's been quite interesting!

From where I left off 2 weeks ago - I spent 4 days walking around Kampala - and it was great fun. It is a very interesting city with various areas within the centre of town that breath a unique environment... There's some areas with mass markets and street vendors, and other areas completely built up with shopping malls and a golf course. There's also a multitude of eateries serving all types of cuisine (though I've been mainly going eating local way which has been much fun).

In Ruhamma, my activity has been stunted slightly as key meetings were delayed, but when the team meeting finally did take place last Wednesday, it was quite fruitful. The staff will all be participating in developing plans and activities to improve the way the health centre operates, improve the patient numbers, and understand better the potential of self-sustainability for the core operations of the organisation. I'm hoping to get people really moving on this - but it's a battle :o). The meeting itself was very interesting as it was in a mix of English and the local language, with a bit of French thrown in as well!

Besides this, I've also had the opportunity to learn about various medical techniques - although I was being explained in French - so although I think I understood quite a bit, I did struggle to ask clarification questions! I've also got used the heavily motokee (aka plantain) and beans diet.

In the afternoons, we are often visited by a group of local kids... who like to sing and dance for us... which is really kewl. We've been trying to get them to speak English, and also trying to make them understand some of the English songs they sing... Much fun! Also - people are mad about the football here... During the big Man U, Arsenal and Liverpool games, over 100 people watch a 32 inch tv running on a generator and they cheer so loudly it can be heard for quite a distance!

A fellow volunteer who was working with FUGA since December is leaving for the UK tomo - it's been quite refreshing to have someone to bounce ideas off etc... I'll be spending the majority of June in the village, but apparently we're still on target to receive electricity in the 1st week of July - which will completely change the dynamics of the village. One more month of untainted night sky!

A few steps east...

So, thanks to one of my colleagues friend, I was escorted through the entire airport and briskly deposited at the departure gate for my flight... I didn't even have to think where I was going! On arrival at Kampala, I was greeted by the director and another volunteer of FUGA, and so the Uganda adventure begun.

I spent the rest of the day sorting stuff out in Kampala, and the next day at 6 am, me and the other volunteer departed for Ruhamma - a village 6 hours away. The journey was on a bus which left on schedule - so already a stark contrast to the Cameroon travel. But 2 hours into the journey, the radiator deserted us, and the bus had to pull over. We had to wait 3 hours for a replacement bus, but once it arrived, we continued on the journey.

In Ruhamma, Fuga are running a medical centre - which is the primary activity of the NGO. The town is not yet connected with electricity though the pillars and wiring are going in as we speak, and they hope to be connected by 1st July. The plan was to return to Kampala in a few days, but I ended up staying until yesterday. As a result, I had a 2 week beard - and was rationing my mobile phone usage to make sure it lasted till I returned to my phone charger!

Its been an interesting start - understanding how the NGO works, and learning a lot more about the operations of a medical centre. It's been very interesting living without electricity, and great admiring the untainted night sky! One of the staff also took me and the other volunteer to his farm over the weekend - and we got to see his farm in action - including cows grazing at night under the moonlit sky (and the moon is very bright!).

Besides that, the first two weeks have included quite a bit of waiting around, reviewing the months expenses and budgets, and meeting a few of the relevant local officers from the government. I should be in Kampala for a few days, before returning back to the village... It seems a city full of life, and I'm looking forward to exploring!

And thats me from Cameroon!

Hey peeps...

So after 15 whole days without the internet...I'm back in Kumba having said my goodbyes to Bangem (and having found out on my last day that they now have an internet connection in town installed in the town - d'oh!). It was definitely weird saying goodbye...

The last two weeks were spent putting finishing touches to a few of the docs that i've produced, helping my colleagues in their activities and really winding down getting ready for Uganda. I was able to attend a WWF Workshop on the demarcation of national forest - which involved various delegates and local chiefs, and a great couple of presentations providing some good education to the attendees, and a TFTF workshop on tree planting (and I did some planting too!).

Yesterday afternoon I was treated to a scrumptious good bye meal by the family i'm staying with. They prepared so much food!! and it was soo nice and very enjoyable.

The little things I'll def not forget from Cameroon - the cold showers, the variety of insects (wait till u see the pics), power cuts (I was left with half a haircut at one point), lightning storms and heavy rains, the great hospitality, and the chilled out mode of operations!

So I'll be travelling to Douala tomorrow, hopefully flying out to schedule reaching Uganda on Wed morning. I'll be picked up by the Director of the NGO I'll be helping - and will hopefully start to discover more about the adventure there. Things i know at the mo - the NGO has a medical centre, a community, a tree plantation and a few vehicles... and is looking to achieve self-sustainability using these assets. Though my primary location is in Kampala, the field activities are in a town called Ruhanna. But I'll write more about all this when I reach Uganda. (oh yeah - and there's white water rafting that I'm really looking forward too!)

Ciao for now...