Visiting a Rural Village

Friday, April 2, 2010

We took off this morning out of Kampala to visit a health clinic in a rural village. The drive itself was an adventure for me since I hadn't seen much of Uganda other than downtown Kampala and some select offices. It really helps to put things into perspective when seeing how people live and work. First, we had to carry an extra can of fuel in the car because there is a gas shortage. Uganda only has the capacity to store 10 days worth of fuel for the country. The drive out of the city was eye opening as we passed goats grazing in the medians and cattle grazing along the sides of the roads and in the garbage piles. The local creeks are used to wash clothes and motorcycles alike. Shacks and stone buildings are stuffed along dirt alleyways and makeshift vendor stalls appear wherever there is open space.

As we moved out of the urban area the landscape quickly changed and gave way to beautiful countryside. The goats and cattle were still everywhere as were the children tending them. It was common to see children as young as 4 working in the family garden, carrying firewood, or even carrying a younger sibling. We were on a main road that was undivided and traffic was constantly veering around potholes, livestock, cyclists carrying incredible loads, and motorcycles carrying up to four people. I was amazed to see women sitting sideways on the backs of motorcycles while holding on to an infant with one arm and the cycle with the other. Most living seems to take place outdoors as women bath their children, do laundry, and cook outside their mud huts or block buildings. Families all seem to have a plot of land that they cultivate. Many have a stand along the roadside to sell their produce, whether it be just a few pieces of vegetable or several items. Everyone seems to walk miles at a time. Women in beautiful traditional clothing are often seen carrying loads upon their head;. men and children too.

We arrived at our intended destination midday. The clinic was started on land donated by a local family and gradually built by volunteers from the US. We happened to be there when several medical professionals were volunteering during their spring holiday. The clinic serves approximately 2,000 people from the surrounding villages. The volunteers work with the simplest of supplies and with what medication they can secure. We were visiting because the clinic personnel would like to identify an individual from the community with promise, mentor them, then send them to nursing school, and have them return to the clinic to help their community. The hope was that TGF might be able to help. This of course is a model will whole heartedly support.

After our tour we headed out further into the country along dirt roads to a game reserve rarely visited by Ugandans no less Americans. It is amazing how many small paths led off the roads to tiny villages. The countryside was beautiful but the poverty became even more apparent the further out we drove. Several hours later we arrived at our destination, Katonga Wildlife Reserve. Quickly, local children gathered, for some it was the first time they had seen a white person. The children couldn't have been more delightful and we all had fun as we took photos and movies of the children and showed them their images on the screens. Having gathered the information we needed for our next days' adventure, we headed into town to find lodging.

The town consisted of perhaps 20 structures along a dirt road and our lodge was the nicest with a metal roof. We met a lovely family and got a real taste of local culture. We were served warm beer on the porch (no electricity) and relaxed while our dinner was killed and prepared. Our poor hostess was suffering from malaria and did her best preparing our dinner in three hours. While dinner was being prepared we became the object of much curiosity amongst children and adults alike as they lined the street and property line to watch us! A few brave young girls eventually ventured closer and again we used our cameras to entertain them and us.

We gathered in the main room of the home and had our dinner while the family looked on. We got an opportunity to learn more about them and were touched by the eldest son who was studying to be a doctor. Michael had tried once to gain entrance into a government program for medical school but had failed by two points. The openings are few and it is very difficult to be accepted. Michael has one more opportunity to repeat his courses and test again. This was an exceptionally bright young man with great compassion that wanted to return to his village and provide much needed medical services. His mother had managed to send him to boarding school in Kampala for his education but there was no way he would be able to afford medical school. It was heartbreaking to think that such a wonderful young man might not get the opportunity to help his country We continue to meet the most wonderful people with the purest of hearts that lack the opportunity to improve their lives and the lives of others. This further galvanized my commitment to the mission of The Gretta Foundation. Think of how many aspiring nurses there are in Uganda with little or no opportunities to meet their dreams? It is one thing to say "providing scholarships to impoverished people in disease burdened nations" and it is another thing entirely to put faces to the words.

After pondering such sobering matters, it was hard for us to complain about the pit toilet with leaf toilet paper, the crude beds with mosquito nets, or the single portable battery operated light bulb provided us. Hey, it wasn't as easy to see all the lizards and bugs crawling on the walls! The night's lodging for both of us was $7.50. We went to sleep to the sounds of a neighbor blasting their stereo off a local generator.

Tania