Monday, October 31, 2016

'Cowboys' keeping the cattle under control.

Each one weighs about 44 pounds!

Cabbage delivery bike.

Typical 'Bush' school room with up to 75 students.

For the girls who need to have some privacy.

Tubing delivery.

Yep, 5 adults on one Boda Boda.

Madilyn just gave them a new soccer ball.

Grandma at work.

First water from new borehole.

Waiting to use the new borehole.

First customers.

They want to feel her hands.

Our new latrine.

Another new borehole.

Minister for women at school desk handover.

Water project at a hospital.

Handover at a latrine.

Handover.

Cute kids.

Grandma and Grandchild

School Kitchen.

School lunch - posho.

Transfer day.

Tranferees.

Transferees

Our mosquito net.

Two big trucks collided.

The Twins.

Our last Sunday at Njeru.

Friday, October 14, 2016

WATER IS LIFE  
In many poor and developing countries, including Uganda, more than 50% of the women spend as much as half of the daylight hours of every day of their lives on 4 tasks - fetching water, fetching firewood, fetching food and cooking. Tradition continues to place the responsibility for finding and collecting water for their families squarely on the shoulders of the females. They walk long distances, wait for hours in long queues and carry heavy water containers. The work is backbreaking and all consuming.  Often, because of the long distances, many choose to fetch water from a closer but unsafe source, and consequently suffer numerous and sometimes deadly, water borne illnesses. Additionally, many women are sexually assaulted as they fetch water far from their homes in the early morning or late evening hours.
Once they are old enough, girls join this effort and begin to suffer the same physical, sexual and psychological assaults. They, like their mothers begin to spend countless hours trying to provide this basic life necessity.
The number of hours spent by women and children, mostly girls, fetching water and firewood distorts their entire lives.  It deprives them of the opportunities to do other things that could benefit and improve their lives, their families and their communities, such as education and income-producing activities; and more importantly for the mothers, the opportunity to spend more time rearing their children.
Additionally, the women, much more so than the men, suffer from the lack of adequate sanitation; the often unspoken part of the water and sanitation crisis. The sanitation crisis for women can be summed up in one word, ‘dignity’. Around the world, fewer than one person in three has access to a toilet. This impacts health and puts their safety at risk. About half of all girls worldwide attend schools without toilets. This lack of privacy causes many girls to drop out of school when they reach puberty.
The dual aspects of the water crisis – lack of water and lack of sanitation – lock women in a cycle of poverty. If they cannot attend school, they cannot earn a decent income.  There is also an often overlooked correlation between school attendance and pregnancy.  Girls that stay in school are far less likely to become pregnant.
With safe water and proper sanitation facilities, the possibilities are truly life saving and life changing:
·        Increased school attendance, level of education and literacy rates.
·         Reduced child and maternal mortality as a result of access to safe water, sanitation facilities and improved hygiene during childbirth.
·        Increased dignity and reduced psychological stress when symptoms associated with menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth can be managed discreetly.
·        Reduced physical injury from constant lifting and carrying heavy loads of water.
·        Reduced risk of rape and sexual assault.
·        Increased recognition of women as having skills and knowledge outside their traditional roles.
·        Strengthened voice for women in their families and communities to negotiate their own needs.
·        New opportunities for women’s employment as well as greater autonomy and independence.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Days for Girls project with Ann
Days for Girls project with Ann
Days for Girls project with Ann

Two wheeled Pickup Truck

And no extra charge!

A plastic container with one side removed and a rope is great fun if your big sister will do the pulling.

Two legged pickup truck

At least it keeps the sun out of your eyes.

Human powered pickup truck.

Meeting with Akim (left) and Claudius.

That load would not even fit in a pickup truck.

Getting ready for the patients.  First stop, washing of the feet.

Last stop, disinfecting the wound.

Who needs a pickup truck!

Caution, Wide Load

The ward is growing by 'families'.

New desk.

They all want to be in the picture.

Very few homes in the rural areas have water on site, so fetching water is a daily task, borne mostly by children.

That was a strange site.  Not too many 'road' bikes here.

Cute kids.

That's a milk jug.

Yep. They're every where.

Too long for a truck.  Just right for a bike.

Yep, a motorcycle carrying a motorcycle.

There's always room for more.



Gillett's

Firewood for cooking and boiling the water.  The kids start carrying their weight early.

Rwanda border.

Border paperwork.

Slow, but who is in a hurry?

Perfect fit.

Miracle

Gecko?

George

Bishop Jaker and President and Sister Chatfield

Ronald

Isaac and Brenda

Baby Blanket donation.

They start taking care of their little brothers and sisters at a very young age.

Classroom

What is that in your hair?  

Visitor Book

Students going to fetch water.

It's a 1-1/2 hour walk each way.  Not much class time today.

Handover

Handover

Cutting the ribbon.

More cute kids that want to be in the picture.

My goat.

Madilyn's goat

Biodegradable scaffolding .

We've hit water,

and mud.

Catchment off the roof.

Tables

Desks

Latrine

Mobile knife sharpening service.

When it rains, the rivers rise.

Street market.

Lunch time at school.

Our desks.

Queue at the borehole.

The students always stand when we peek into the classroom.

More lumber haulers.

The band,

and the Mzungus.

Students at the handover.

Handover greetings.

More ribbon cutting.

Trying out the new borehole.

Another baby blanket finds a baby.

Trying out an old borehole.

Another baby blanket gift.

The recipient.

They really like the photo ops.

Water heading home.

Latrine pit.

Seems like it would be too much for the neck.

Bike on a Boda.

No water yet.  Just dirt.

Going deeper.

Tilapia on the way to the market.

'Fresh' beef and pork.

Children trying out the new borehole,

with Sister Howard at the helm.

The children always liked Sister Howard the best.

Traveling salesman.

Bike shop.


Repair stand.

Latrine pit that is now 'lined'.

Mud hut with thatched roof.

Madilyn just finished a lesson on SODIS.  They were getting their water out of the 'ditch'.

One size fits all if you can pedal 'through' the frame.

The kids with their new ball from Sister Howard.

I think Sister Howard has some treats.

The daily ritual.

Another two wheeled truck.

There's the driver.

Roadside shops.

Service project?

Another busy borehole.

More of our desks.  Note the 'CJCL'.

About 400 pounds of water!

He stopped so we could take another pic.

Cabbage on the way to the market.

Hauling water back to their homes.

The banana lady.

75 students in one class.

At least they can't get into trouble there.

Kindergarten - mud floor.
Tilapia served whole and eaten whole.  

Girls 'changing/wash' room.


Our friends at church.

I didn't.

There just isn't anything you can't carry on 2 wheels.

Our motorized borehole project in Bbaale.

6 taps, 3 on each side.

Is there a gas tank in there somewhere?

????????

Sister Howard donating another ball to the kids.

And the game is on.

Another admirer of Sister Howard.  Not so sure of me.

Another borehole handover.
73 year old with 3 wives donated the land for the borehole.

The first water goes to him.

Sister Howard pumps for the first customer.

Patiently waiting their turn.

Filling the larger Jerry Can.

More little ones waiting their turn.

Our best V.I.P. (Ventilated, Improved, Pit)  Latrine yet.

The students giving us 'Flowers' for the Latrine.

Another view.

Some of the faculty, government officials and students.

The only 'Bush' latrine in Uganda with a sink with running water and terrazzo walls and floors!

The first (dirty) water off the roof is captured here.

They like to touch the Mzungu's hands, and hair if you let them. 

Vents & Rain Water Capture Water System






Sister Howard and others - First Water

Maybe she has never seen a Mzungu.