Life in Uganda

Writing the first part of this on Friday 4th December waiting for an WAR CHILD Canada vehicle to arrive to take me and a few others to Gulu – a relatively large town about 2 hours from Pader on potholed but then ok roads.

 

Apparently Gulu has a couple of nice coffee shops/cafes, an Indian and an Ethiopian restaurant, a few shops that sell Pringles and a large market where you can get fresh fruit. The vehicle was meant to be here this morning but it’s now 2.30pm and still no sign nor any idea what is happening. Africa time!

 

From Gulu meant to be heading to Murchison Falls National Park early tomorrow morning for a 36 hour safari.

Likely to see elephants, hippos, giraffes, various antelope, crocodiles and if lucky lions and chimps. Also a stunning waterfall apparently.

The weeks are settling into a pattern so not going to bore you with the routine stuff.

 

Work is progressing well and I except too have completed the vast majority of the financial needs assessment by the end of next week. WAR CHILD and the three partners all seem to have similar issues – using spreadsheets as their principal accounting system rather than an ‘off-the-shelf’ package, not preparing management accounts or forecasts and hence not financially managing their activities and no IT networks, back up or security.

 

Spent a lot of the week in meetings with the finance staff of the WAR CHILD partner organisations – local NGOs. At one of them, that runs a secondary school and a vocational education college, I had a pretty humbling time.

 

The girl’s school is basically for child mothers who missed out on an education  due to the war and were forced into becoming child labour and then sex slaves for the militia. They are now getting a secondary and a vocational skills education in things like clothes making, hotel management and catering. The school has closed for the year (school year here is Jan - Dec) but some of them are still around as they don't really have anywhere else to go.

 

Chatted to a few of the young mothers and they seemed to me to be like normal local teenage girls even though I knew in general terms some of their backgrounds.

A few of the girls who have finished the vocational skills college have set a small cafe/restaurant - pretty basic but ok food - next door the school. Went there for lunch with the school accountant and somehow felt weird being served by smiling friendly staff that had been through so much.

 

While chatting with the school accountant, Lilly, discovered that she worked full time, had 4 kids of her own and was also now responsible for 4 nephews/nieces since her brother and sister in law had both died of HIV Aids.

 

Outside of work:

 

• got to watch Arsenal v Chelsea last Sunday in the Oasis bar/restaurant – Arsenal were clearly the locals favourites so they were disappointed with the result

• Completely outplayed in 3 games of pool at the Gods Mercy local bar

• Unwittingly played in the trials for Pader Town v nearby town football match – somehow don’t think Monos (white men) are allowed to play in the actual match!!

• One evening at the guesthouse chatting to a Ugandan called with Isa who is a part time international election supervisor, a school governor, the founder of a local charity and is trying to set up a Scout and Guide group at the school.

• Got a haircut for less than £1 and when I was paying was asked if I wanted a good looking woman –unclear if this was at extra cost to the haircut

• One evening bumping into John from Friends of Orphans (one of the WAR CHILD partners) and being invited to meet his family and see his home – a tiny brick building beside a couple of straw/mud huts near the middle of Pader surrounded by other straw/mud huts. One of John’s family’s huts was for cooking and the other for sleeping in during the dry season as it was cooler. Went inside and pretty dark but definitely cooler. Met John’s wife and 9 month old daughter called Kevin and chatted to them for a while about Uganda, UK, my life, their life etc.

• Went to the bank to exchange $ to Ush (Ugandan Shillings). For some reason that I still don’t understand, got a better rate for large denomination notes ($50, $100) than for small ($10, $20). Checked up and apparently this is the norm and not a con. But the same doesn’t apply to sterling! Weird.

 

Things I wish I’d taken:

 

• Radio with shortwave to listen to World Service

• Better camera

• High denomination US$ notes

 

 

Things I did take that are turning out to be useless:

 

• Plug in mosquito repellent – no electric after 10.30pm

• 2 lightweight fleeces

• Radio that doesn’t have shortwave – I packed the wrong one

• Tie

• Low denomination US$ notes!