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!
Sunday, 31 May 2009
Sunday, 10 May 2009
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!
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!
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