Amazing Omeza

Meet Omeza. He is 25 years old. He spends most days working as a capenter. He earns less than $5 per week. He lives in a shack made from old pieces of wood near the river. The mosquito problem is pretty bad down there and he has no net. To make matters worse, he has no television! (Or electricty or running water). But Omeza is actually one of the lucky ones. He is healthy and can earn money. Many cannot.

Perhaps the biggest problem in Omeza's life is that he thinks Germany can win the world cup. Donate today and we can afford to send Omeza for a brain scan. I mean really, Germany?! Is he mad??

Mzungu

Mzungu (Mmm-zoo-ngooo):  

"One who wanders aimlessly" --Swahili.

More often than not when a group of small children see me approaching they will stare in wonderment before a braver one will shout out: "See-you Mzungu !!" Then the rest will follow, running and screaming:

"Mzungu! Mzungu! Bye Mzungu!"

Imagine, me, a white male, interracting happily with children I do not  know. Imagine that happening in a Western Country. How long would I last untill I was reported to the police for 'strange behaviour' or worse, 'grooming'?

Our so-called 'devloped' society has 'devloped' so much that adults fear talking and playing with children. Western Civillisation still has some things to learn, or re-learn...

You say tomato, I say, er - -tomato too actually.

I had a craving for some tomatoes so I ventured out to try and find some. Luckily for me the local shop had some fresh fruit and vegetables in stock. Very reasonable too, 100sh (2 cents). "Oh," I said, "I think I can stretch to that, let me check my wallet!"

Subsistence agriculture still dominates the economy in Uganda. As a result, it remains highly vulnerable to fluctuations in weather conditions. Most people are just one heavy rainstorm away from ruin.

A River Runs Through It

There is a profound relationship between the people who live and work in Kawempe and the earth. The intricate braids woven into the hair of young girls and the braiding of small streams as they trickle down the hillside; the ochre hue of the soil and the rusted complexion of corrugated iron roofs; the labyrinth of tumble-down wooden shelters and the puzzle of how many can have so little and how so few can have so much.

In Uganda, the cause of death for 17% of children aged 5 or below will be diarrhoeal disease related (WHO2003).

Pledge to HCFA

A New Term Begins

HCFA's, Kenny, delivers participatory tools and activities to the Yudesi Day and Boarding Primary School, Kazo, where the new school term begins today.

Provided by www.aidsalliance.org, the toolkit is designed so that community members can take responsibility for addressing HIV themselves.


HIV-related stigma and discrimination, fear and ignorance, and a lack of information, skills and resources all undermine a community’s capacity to respond to HIV effectively and humanely. Community mobilisation for HIV can educate and engage communities to ensure better health for all and actively link community action with essential health and social support services.

We're all DOOMED (not)

Africa: The Dark Continent.

Africa: Moquito infested swamp. 

Africa: Lawless.

Just three of the most common assumptions westerners have about Africa. Of course there are exceptions, but if you plan to volunteer, you'd be very unlucky to get lost in the dark, contract malaria, or get shot. You might even learn something (imagine that).

The ladies of Kawempe love men who wear DOOM, the new fragrance from Uganda Laboratories. Truth is, I have only had to spray anti-mosquito repellent a couple of times and even then the second time was an over-reaction to a large moth.

I thought word of an odd Mzungu hanging around had gotten out and I was being hunted down by the LRA so I hid and took what I thought might be my last photo. It was only the police patrolling.

Mmmm, nothing beats a warm cup of Ebola with a Marburg croissant in the morning to get you going.  Look, you have more chance of winning the lottery twice than even meeting someone who has Ebola, let alone catching it yourself. Get a grip.

Forget what you have heard, come and volunteer.

Networking in Mukono

                                                                                                

Golden Crane Hotel, Mukono Town.




A workshop organised by Beacon of Hope Uganda gave the chance for small NGO's to share ideas on how best to attract, retain, get the most out, and give the most to volunteers. The successful mini-summit afforded a great networking opportunity for the attendees.

Post Flood Club

               

Reality-check, the PTC is still slightly damp, so we undertook a quick mopping-up exercise.

Settlements, built on low-lying wetland areas where drainage is poor, were hit particularly hard by recent floods. Property was washed away; staples such as sugar, maize flour, rice, groundnuts were destroyed. As the flood water rose (to knee-high levels in some places) so did incidents of cholera and other water-bourne illnesses. To make matters worse, spring water wells were also contaminated.

Over 60% of Kampala's population is believed to live in these low-to-no income settlements. Half of them have no access to clean santiation.

No flood, just mud: One way to reach the PTC in Kawempe.

Get involved here: http://www.hcfafrica.org/

The Ladies of the Post Test Club

First the drip, drip, drip. Now the dry, dry, dry. Now the rains have finally stopped in Kawempe, Uganda, local residents can get back to business.  Residents such as the women who volunteer at HCFA's (Hope Children's Foundation Africa) PTC (Post-Test Club).  

The PTC is where local women who have had an HIV test can share their experiences in an effort to lower the stigma associated with taking the test.


The ladies are trying to get a handicrafts business up and running in an effort to earn some money for themselves and their community.  For More Information: Project Details