Working on poverty issues effectively means living in poverty. Jerimiah, the founder of Mother’s Heart Uganda, deliberately choose to set up his home (and the home of NGO) directly in the middle of the community he is trying to serve. I think this was the most effective thing he could have done, but it also means a lot of new experiences for me. Here are a few lists of those experiences.
A List of Things I’ve Never Done Before Uganda
- Woken up by the (quiet loud) mooing of a cow at dawn. Rooster sounds too.
- Lived so close to farm animals. There are literally chickens, goats, cows, etc just roaming around.
- “Mulembe!” This means hello in Ligusu, which I’ve learned a few words of. Although English is an official language, there are still many dialects spoken in Uganda. In the region I am in, Ligusu is what is spoken.
- Drank fresh organic coffee. Like literally fresh. The neighbor next door grows them and grinds them. I don’t even like coffee but it is so delicious here!
- Walked by so many food trees. Located at the Equator with plenty of rain, Uganda is extremely fertile. So much delicious food grows here with no fertilizer needed. So far I’ve eaten jackfruit, passion fruit, papaya, casava, mutoto, bananas oranges and many more. I’ve also seen the trees they all grow on!
- Been starred at. Where I am at there are not many foreigners. So when a foreigner comes (which is usually obvious by the lighter color of their skin), everyone stares. EVERYONE. It makes me very self conscious at times but even after 3 days, I’m getting used to it.
- Called “Mzunga”, which means light skinned. It is also what most foreigners are called. Interestingly enough, when I first told people I was from America, some people thought I was “half-caste”, meaning a mixed American because my skin is not white. I just explained I was first generation American.
- Carried my drinking water for 10 mins up a hill. I live in a home with no running water so all our water for cooking, drinking, laundry and bathing must be carried. I’ve never realized how heavy water is before. 10 minutes is such a short amount of time, but when carrying water up a hill, it feels like eternity.
- Sat in on a rural school lesson. Literally one blackboard, no desks (but there are benches) and dirt floors. Its also interesting to see differences in teaching styles, especially in regards to the respect the teachers get.
- Sat in on a women’s training workshop. This was a class teaching women to tailor so they can earn money. Since it was raining outside, about 30 women were packed into a single room at the teachers house. This experience deserves it’s own post, but it was enlightening to be in a room of women with no men around.
- Went to church in Uganda. It had a lot more singing and dancing than in the USA.
- Slept under a mosquito net.
- Taken a bucket shower. This actually wasn’t that bad and we even boiled water so it was warm. I should have been doing this when I lived in California.
- Attended a university class in Uganda. I was able to sit in on an entrepreneurship class at the local nursing school. It was wonderful to be in a room of educated women in Uganda and see both sides of the spectrum existing here.
- Planted a jackfruit tree. Deforestation is a big thing here because people need wood for daily cooking (especially those who cannot afford charcoal). To combat this, every worker with Mother’s Heart Uganda plants a tree that will grow as the community grows.
A List of Things I’ve Only Done Before Uganda Because I’ve camped
- Washing dishes in buckets. One with soap, one for dripping, one for rinsing and one for drying.
- Used a pit toilet (although they use squatting toilets here). Don’t worry. I have soap and water to wash my hands.
- Cooked dinner by headlamp.
- Cooked dinner on a portable stove.
- Woken and went to sleep based on when the sun is out. Been waking up at around 6 am and going to sleep around 9 pm.
A List of Ways I Still Live in Luxury While Living in Poverty
- I can afford the 2,000 shilling (~0.75 cent) motorbike ride into town (each way)
- I live in a home that can afford soap, which means we can do laundry and dishes every day (in buckets)
- We pay the local tap owner to fill our jellycans with water which means a shorter walk by about an hour. It costs 200 shillings or 5 cents per can.
- I have 3 meals a day
- We have an actual latrine at the house.
- I have shoes meant for mud, not sandals.
- We can afford charcoal, which is more expensive than wood, but lasts longer. This allows us to have boiling water for coffee, tea and showers.
Things I’ve Learned about Uganda
- Ugandans are very friendly. Like the most friendly people I’ve ever met. They wave and smile to everyone and are so quick to smile and wish you well.
- Ugandas really care about their clothes and shoes. Although there is dirt (and mud) everywhere, somehow shoes are shiny and clothes are clean. Many dress “smart” in formal pants, shirts and dresses.
- Mosquitos are worse in Michigan than Uganda. I don’t have to be so liberal with the bug spray and it still works. They are deadlier here, however.
- Ugandans greet by shaking hands. But its not just a regular handshake, but instead its a 3 step shake. First a regular shake, then you grab wrists, then back to a normal shake.
- Guests are not supposed to do any work, such as doing dishes like I’ve been doing.
- The land is extremely fertile.
- Ugandans are very generous and hospitable, especially to Mzungas. Just being here 3 days, I’ve been given free cassava, beans, donut, and mutoto (a banana like potato). This lady was the one who gave me cassava.
There’s my short introduction to rural Uganda.
