Last week we traveled to Busana Village, about 1.5 hours from our home in Mukono. Per usual in Africa, the 1.5 hour trip actual took about 3.5 hours. Driving down the main road on our way there in a crowded bus, clay charcoal ovens covered the entire bus floor (a woman selling them had to transport them home), and 21 people were packed into the bus meant for 14. All of a sudden we screeched to a halt and pulled a quick 3 point turn before heading back in the direction we came from. Had we forgotten a passenger? Had we missed a turn? Was the driver drunk? Actually, he was speeding away from the police who had previously tried to ticket him for speeding, and who were right on our tail. After going uncomfortably fast down the main road, we veered onto a dirt, country road out into the middle of a tea plantation. The police were no longer following us, but saying the ride was bumpy and uncomfortable would have been an understatement. Another occasion where we found ourselves smiling at each other saying TIA (This Is Africa).
Busana Village is a small, very rural village north of Mukono with a population of around 500 people. Most villagers are poor, even by Ugandan standards, and barely surviving by western standards. Mud huts with grass-thatched roofs are the primary dwelling for most villagers; some sleeping eight people in a room meant for two. Farming is the main source of income here and also acts as sustenance to feed families. Although a few small shops dot the main street, fresh food markets and street-side vendors are the main businesses around. Chickens, ducks, goats and cows roam freely around the dirt streets and frequently in and out of the small dwellings. Children with runny noses, distended bellies, and torn clothing run down the roads, chase animals and play in the dirt. We are greeted by the village leader and welcomed into his home, where we meet his wife, children and neighbors. Because we are the first mzungu’s (white people) to ever stay here, a crowd of children and teenagers grows larger by the doorway, peering in and smiling at us by candlelight. We are served a late supper around 11pm of rice, eggplant, and gnut (peanut) sauce. After dinner, we are brought to our accommodation; a mud hut (approx. 3 by 3 meters) with a grass-thatched roof and two small mattresses on the floor. This is exactly the Africa we imagined, and we smiled at each other with a combination of excitement and nerves. We unrolled our sleeping bags, hung out mosquito nets on the bamboo rods running along the ceiling, and prepared for our first night of sleep in the village. As our eyelids got heavy, we heard small scratching noises followed by some squeaking. We quickly learned that we shared our small hut with a family of mice; awesome. Amy and I developed a policy towards critters in Africa earlier in our trip; she deals with the bugs and I deal with the rodents/small animals- it was finally my turn. Unfortunately our furry friends were hiding in the grass thatch, so it was impossible to find them never mind catch them. So we attempted a night’s sleep while worrying that our roommates would try to share our sleeping bags, or worse our pillows.
After a night of restless sleep, we had a meeting with the village leaders to discuss the issues their village faces. They described problems of sanitation, health, hygiene, domestic violence, poverty, and income generation. After identifying their top two concerns, sanitation and income generation, Amy used her Public Health knowledge to help them create a Village Action Team. The VAT would be responsible for modeling the lessons about sanitation and economic empowerment, doing assessments of nearby households, and disseminating the messages and information crucial to improving the living conditions. We were to meet the 15 chosen VAT members the next day, who would be responsible for 25 households each. Our afternoon was spent playing with the neighborhood children with the jump rope and ball we brought along. Amazing what basic things entertain children over here, it made us wonder about all the extravagant toys and gifts we play with back home and appreciate the basics.
We presented sanitation topics to two different primary schools in the area where we focused on face, hand, and clothing washing and germ transmission. We tried to make the presentations interactive by playing a few games, dancing, and getting the kids pretending to wash their hands. Following one of the presentations, two local boys decided to perform for us and their entire school. ‘Black’ and ‘Expert’ (the boys stage names) performed some local favorites “Angela” and then some Shaggy. We took a trip to the market to buy food for the rest of the week, fresh fruit and vegetables, rice, potatoes, and even some meat! Because of the lack of refrigeration and electricity, the meat at the markets tends to be very fresh. When picking out a cut of meat, I couldn’t help but snap a picture of the goats head, eyes still open sitting on the chopping block. The meat we bought was actually still twitching while the butcher went to work.
The next day we met with the VAT, explained their roles and responsibilities, and how FREDA could support them in development. After a question from the audience about the political power of the leaders and the top-down style of choosing the VAT members, we decided to hold a democratic election that could more fairly nominate community members. Another issue we noticed was the gender inequality. The feminist in me hated how the women were all seated on the dirt floor and all the men took the bench seats, how the women rarely spoke unless singled out, and how they knelt when approaching you like servants. Although this topic was mentioned, we had to focus on the issues at hand while making sure that women were equally represented in the VAT members.
I could write about so much more; the village experience is absolutely unforgettable, and the people are incredibly warm, friendly and generous. On our way home, about 30 members of the village (men, women, and children who stayed near us) walked us all the way to the main town to catch our bus; a personal parade! The chaos, dirt, and overall disorganization were tough to get used to, but more and more we realize how full of life Uganda is.
Xo Cait
