Oh, Kyrumba! (Thursday, Oct 23)

So a couple of blogs ago, I claimed that I had just driven the most difficult road ever in my life. Well we went back to the same place yesterday and, again, I was driving. Just when we thought we’d found the worst road ever, we were shown otherwise. It had rained the last few nights in Kagando, so it wasn’t a surprise that the ground was wet and the roads slightly muddy. However, it had apparently rained hard enough for one of the streams to take out part of the road, leaving behind a gap about two feet deep and a foot wide all the way across! I think our first thoughts were something along the lines of, “Oh well, guess we’re not going to Kyrumba today…” which then turned to, “It can’t be THAT bad, you think we could get across?” followed by, “Yea, pretty sure we can do this, we’re engineers!” And so, with the help of some passer-bys, we built a sort of bridge/dam using banana trees and rocks to drive across. In the end, it took a lot of maneuvering coupled with a few “what have we gotten ourselves into” moments, but we made it across, and managed to get in a full day of work at Kyrumba. However, all three sources that we examined came back with E. Coli, meaning that, at the end of the day, we weren’t much farther ahead than if we had just turned back…

On another note, after three nights in Kagando, we returned to the Kasese guesthouse tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll be heading north to Kitswamba to visit a couple of new sources that the LCIII, head of the sub-county, has identified. Kitswamba is widely known throughout the Kasese district as being the area in greatest need for water, so it would be wonderful if we could find water to bring to the people in the communities there. So far, we’ve looked at a couple possible sources but they have either turned out to have insufficient flow, poor quality, or both. And while we want to be optimistic, in reality, if we don’t find a good source this time around, chances are that we won’t be going back to Kitswamba another time. Tomorrow night, we’ll be camping out somewhere between Kitswamba and Kaswa and then head to Kaswa on Saturday to see another source. This is also an important visit as we need another clean source in Kaswa to add to the flow from the existing sources we have already found. We currently have enough water for about half of a project proposal, which will serve about the population in one parish; however, we’re hoping that with another source, we’d be able to make it one complete project proposal, and be able to supply the two bordering parishes with water as well. In short, the next two days are quite important in that the results may confirm, or cancel, the potential for any water projects in these two locations.

EDIT: The internet café was closed when we went tonight so this won’t be posted til after we get back on Saturday night, at which time I’ll be able to post the results as well.

Water!

Yes, it took almost three weeks, over thirty visits to possible sources, and countless hills climbed, but we’ve now finally found a water source sufficient to fulfill the criteria for a CIDA proposal. Even better, we’ve probably got enough water for two full separate projects, and possibly one more that we just haven’t had the chance to see yet. I can’t tell you how elated we were when we arrived at the source on Thursday to see (and hear) the water that we’d been searching for since the beginning of the month. The picture above shows the valley that we are hoping to serve with one of the water sources.

To give you a little background, a typical ACTS project aims to serve about ten thousand people with a source that yields 3 litres per second. Until Thursday, none of the sources that we had seen had even come to half of our desired amount of water. So it was quite the event to finally find an adequate source, and one that actually gives 5 litres per second. Now Yona, who is actually the one who deserves the credit for finding the source, has ambitious plans to serve twenty thousand people, essentially everyone in the valley down from the source. And while we’re not as optimistic that we’ll be able to do complete such a large project, at least all in one go, the problem of how many people we’ll be able to bring water to is much more enticing than trying to figure out when/if we’d ever find water. So for those of you who have been praying for our work, this is definitely a HUGE prayer answered.

Next week, we’ll be staying at the diocese guesthouse in Kagando, and maybe even camping out in the hills, as we’ll be much closer to the sources than the guesthouse in Kasese. Now that we have sources, the next step is to meet with the local community leaders to begin gathering information about the local population that we’ll be aiming to serve. We’ll also be mapping out the topography of the area to be able to do calculations. Once we’ve got all the information, the actual design of the pipeline is actual the quick and easy part and we’re hoping that, if all goes well, our hopes are to have at least one complete design by the end of this week.

I think I can, I think I can... (Friday, Oct 17)

So I drove some roads that I wouldn’t have thought possible before today. It really gives a whole new definition to off-roading, except that we were actually driving on “roads”! We were headed out to check out some sources in the Kyrumba Sub-county, and in some spots, the road was most probably the worst that I’ve EVER driven, and I’ve been on some pretty questionable roads, especially during my time in Uganda.

Unfortunately, none of the pictures we’ve got from today do justice to the steepness, narrowness, or overall perilous condition of the road. (This may have been in part due to the fact that everyone was holding on for dear life during the best photo opportunities/most harrowing moments.) And of course, this adventure wouldn’t have been with the same if we hadn’t gotten the truck stuck in two places. The first time required the help of a group of about 8 bystanders to pull/push the rear tire of truck back onto the road after it had partially slid into a ditch. The second time was basically during a torrential downpour, as I tried to keep control of the truck as we drove (slid) down the same hill that I had gotten stuck on the way up, take a sharp corner while crossing a stream, and get up an equally steep uphill with a rock face on one side and a valley on the other. The rain had turned the road to mud meaning that the little traction that I had on the drive up to the source, no longer existed on the way down. And with the truck perched precariously, half straddling the stream, we were forced to stop and pretty much cover the uphill side of the road with large rocks to get through the several inch thick mud that had earlier been a road.

But, at the end of the day, we managed to get where we needed to go, check out the sources AND find water, get through safely, and have some new adventures to share! However, because we found water there, we’ll need to go back to map out the area and complete a design for the pipeline. I call not driving…

The picture is from the first time I got stuck. Notice the crowd that’s gathered to watch, no pressure at all, eh?

Camping in Uganda!

We’ve spent the past three days camping out in a church in the Katunda area, about two hours from Kasese, in search of water sources in the region. It was quite the experience for both Yona and Asaph, as neither of them had used tents, or even sleeping bags, before! The view here, at about 1800 meters above sea level, is amazing, the people are even friendlier than usual, the hospitality has been wonderful, AND we’ve found a few decent sources that have potential for projects! The roads, on the other hand, are less than stellar, even by Ugandan standards. In fact, as you can see in the picture, they are more like small footpaths than anything meant for a truck to drive on (Notice the amazing view in the background, though my camera totally doesn't do it justice.)

So, here in Uganda, it seems that there is a chairman/person for everything. Accordingly, there is a water chairman for the two sub-county’s where we were working. We met him on our way up to the site on the first day, and after hiking up and down hills all day in pursuit of water, he walked another thirteen kilometers back home. Even more incredibly, he was back at 7:30 the next morning, and the morning after that as well. To top it off, the chairman is in his sixties, and he always wears dress clothes, complete with a blazer! Hahaha, yes, it is a little bit embarrassing, and inspiring though, as I struggle to pull myself up yet another hill, to look back and see him with no sign of sweat or fatigue.
There is a definite sense of hope and excitement from the chairman and the other community leaders whenever they meet with us and it is obvious they have expectations for us to help their communities. And with that comes a degree of responsibility to produce, which is why it is all the more rewarding when we do find an adequate source with which we can put forth a proposal for.


On that note, we had a very encouraging meeting with the Kasese District Water Office today. We had hoped to get some information regarding possible sources and they were able to do one better, by providing completed designs for potential projects. It turns out that both organizations share the same goal, which is to bring clean water to as many people as possible. The office has already identified many priorities in the district and developed plans for these communities, but has no funding to carry out the projects. ACTS, on the other hand, is looking for projects for which we can construct with funding from the Canadian government. So it appears that our two organizations may be a perfect compliment to each other and I really pray that we will be able to work together, for the benefit of the Ugandan people.

Seeing Spots! (Monday, Oct 6)

Yes, that’s right, I’ve seen a leopard, up close, in real life, in the wild… kinda.. We were on our way up to Kasese (where me, Mike and Asaph will probably be working for the next month) when we spotted the leopard, not more than 15 metres from the road. Two weeks ago, on our way back from a preliminary trip to Kasese, we spotted a group of elephants, but this leopard easily tops that! It is particularly awesome because leopards and lions are the most elusive of all the animals, even safaris often do not see them, but we got to see one just metres from our car. (I was driving at the time and haven't yet got Mike's pictures of the leopard, so this picture is just pulled off google... =p)

I’m currently staying in the town of Kasese, working with the South Rwenzori Diocese of the Anglican Church of Uganda. While in many places throughout the world, water systems are the jurisdiction of the government, that is not completely the case in Uganda. The diocese here has its own water engineer, who is working with us to identify feasible potential projects that ACTS can help construct. Thus far, we’ve spent two days at two different possible project sites. However, both initial test results indicate that the quality of the water sources are not clean enough to retain funding for a project. The water engineer, Yona, has identified these two locations as the most urgent needs within the Diocese. However, without clean test results, we won’t be able to help these communities. Yona is an extremely faithful man, and he has been earnestly praying that God would provide some adequate sources for us to be able to help these communities. So as we head back up to these sources this coming week, I ask you pray that we would receive clear direction, in the form of test results, in regards to the future of these two projects.

On a side note, the motherboard in my laptop has died (or so Dell tech support tells me) and is on its way home back to Canada, where the warranty is valid. Thus, I no longer have a personal computer to use. On the bright side, we discovered this on the morning just before we left for Kasese, so we were able to bring another laptop along. Had my laptop died later that day, that wouldn’t have been possible and then, we would have had a real problem. So, I guess the lesson of the day is that God’s always got things worked out; if we’re just willing to serve, He’ll take care of the little things, as He always does.

Finally, I ask that you pray for the relationships between me, Mike, Asaph and Yona as essentially, we’ll be a team for the next month. With bad water quality results from the past few sources, as well as some unsuccessful meetings with local district and community offices, we (in particular, me and Mike) are beginning to feel some pressure to find some viable projects soon. So once again, my two main prayer requests at the moment are for:
1. the four of us to work well together as a team, and
2. that we would be able to find at least one adequate water source in the coming week.

Country of a Thousand Hills...

I am now back in Uganda after an awesome weekend in Rwanda! We spent two days in Kigali, which is quite small and peaceful, especially for a country’s capital city, and two more days in a town called Gisenyi, on the coast of Lake Kivu near the border with the Congo. Overall, Rwanda is a beautiful country and arguably, the safest and most stable country in East Africa. This is even more impressive considering the tragedy of the genocide, which took place just fourteen years ago, and it’s pretty incredible how far the country has come since then. The Hotel Mille Collines, made famous by the movie Hotel Rwanda, is located right in the heart of the city and as we walked the streets of Kigali, it was difficult to imagine the atrocities that probably happened in those exact places not that long ago. The visit to the national memorial was somber, but necessary, and while it is clear that the Rwandan people have worked hard to get past the horrific results of ‘94, they are also determined to remember it in order to prevent anything of the like from every transpiring again.

Our time in Gisenyi was also quite memorable, as me and Chris met an awesome group of Rwandans on the beach the first afternoon we were there. Most of them spoke some English in addition to French, the official language in Rwanda. It was perfect because I was able to practice my French and vice versa for them. It was quite the memorable day, and I truly felt as if I was really able to understand, appreciate, and experience the Rwandan culture. It was pretty funny to see the Rwandans, as they came to recognize how similar we all really are, even though we look different and come from such different upbringings. In a sense, it was more of a cultural experience for them, than it was for us! After the beach, we had a candlelight dinner together (there was a power outage), and it was really awesome to see how much it meant to them. Several of them told me that it was the first time they’d ever eaten at the same table with a “Muzungu” (African for white man), and obviously, an Asian, as well. Another highlight of the trip was finding a restaurant offering a heaping plate of rice, beans, sweet potato, spaghetti, and chips (essentially, potato wedges) for 200 Rwandan Francs (equivalent to about 40 cents Canadian!) This was a particularly good find because me and Chris decided to set a budget of 10000 Francs ($20Cdn)for the day we left Kigali. This had to get us to Gisenyi, feed us three meals, and pay for lodging for the night. Breakfast and the bus set us back 4000, but lunch only cost 200 and we found dorms in the Presbyterian church guesthouse for 1200 a bed. So, we ended up having enough money leftover to pay for dinner for 14! We revised our budget to 5000 francs for the next day, which still proved to more than enough to get by comfortably. Overall, Rwanda proved to be quite the captivating country, full of new experiences, awesome people, cheap food, and a ton of great memories!

A few pics...

I'm not sure how to line up the captions with each image in a more aesthetically pleasing/organized format; so just consider it a game of matching up each caption with the corresponding picture...

Just the rookies (the interns plus Geoff and Ros) and our awesome Ryankole teacher!














The first possible source that we visited. Unfortunately, it didn't have the capacity that is needed to secure funding for a project from CIDA.












The current source of water for one of the local communities. This picture basically tells it all, and ultimately, is the reason that we're working here in Uganda.














Just a typical Ugandan road. (The trucks needed a "running" start from the bottom of the hill to be able to get up and over to the church on the other side.)
















One of the many wonders of God's creation. We can't stop taking pictures of them so I'll keep posting pictures of 'em.











Another one of God's creations, we don't appreciate these guys as much though. Here they are enjoying Julia and Steph's doughnuts.











And finally, how many people can you fit in a pick-up truck?

Answer: We're still not sure, but the current record we've witnessed is around thirty. Yea, we lost count...

And we're OFF! (Wednesday, Sept 24)

First of all, while we were in Mbarara on Monday, we were able to get Mike's phone configured for the internet; hence, the reason that I can check my email and post again! This will have to be quick though as I'm quickly running low on power. With the rainy season comes little sunshine which means less power is generated by our solar panels, the camp's source of power. I just wanted to say thanks to those of you who are continually praying for me as well as those of you who have emailed. As you probably already expect, it maybe awhile before I'll be able to get back to you so please consider this update as kind of a partial response! =D

Today, we tested the water from the source that we visited on Monday that we were considering as a possible project. We had had high hopes for the results to show that the water was clean, the first requirement to be able to submit a project proposal for funding. Unfortunately, four of the five sources that we tested contained some amount of E. coli and the source that was the most used was the worst, with E. coli in 69 of 96 samples. It was a bit tough for me when I realized that this water, which would be considered to be of wastewater quality back in Canada, is already the best option for many people in this community. They have either this water or the swamp to choose from, and as it turns out, the former isn't actually a whole lot better. It is even more difficult to comprehend the fact that, even though we have two sources that are much better quality, because they are not perfectly clean, the project would not qualify to receive funding to complete. Thus, as far it goes for ACTS, and our involvement, we can do nothing to help these people. So I ask that you would keep these people in your prayers, both in this community of Nyaruhandagazi and the over 5000 people that live there, and in the countless other communities with the same problem of contaminated water. This community even had the awareness and initiative to come to ACTS with a proposal and request for help. But in this case, and I'm sure in many more to follow, there isn't much that we can do to help them.

One of the taps along the pipeline that brings clean water to local communities -->


Tomorrow marks the last work day before the "off", where everyone at camp gets five days off. For many of the Ugandan crew, this monthly break is the only time that they can spend at home with their families. For the interns, we'll be heading down to Rwanda for several days, a decently short four hour (hopefully) bus ride from camp. Because of the large involvement of the Canadian military during the Rwandan genocide, I've had many opportunities at school to study and learn about the tragedy that happened there. Thus, I'm both excited, and a bit apprehensive, at the opportunity to actually visit the genocide memorials, some of which are places where the massacres took place.

Anyway, I just wanted to update before I head off and once again, to thank all of you who are taking the time and care to pray for me and follow the work that I am doing. Through my reflections and devotions, I am often reminded of how blessed I am to have the prayer support and encouragement that you all provide.

ps. I can't take the credit for most of the pictures that I've posted/will be posting up. It turns out that there are a bunch of avid photographers on our team and I figure that they and their cameras are much more capable of capturing our experiences justly so most of the pictures you'll see are probably not mine. =P

Week 3 (Saturday, Sept 20/Monday, Sept 22)

The team, from left to right: Chris, Nancy, Bern, Steph, me, Julia, Geoff, Naomi, Rosalind, Andrea, Mike, Jaquelyn, and Valdine.

So we had a pretty awesome jam session, in English, after the normal worship ended last night. Most of you already know that music isn't exactly my fortè, but at camp, I've taken to playing the drum that the Ugandan crew uses during worship (it's similar to the jembè except bigger, and you can play it with sticks as well as hands). Anyway, it was a great time worshiping and I guess, bonding with the other interns because most of us were away from camp for periods of the past week, and in general, we don't see a lot of each other during the day as we are usually traveling and working at different sites. And while I really enjoy the Ugandan worship and learning to sing songs in Ryankole, it isn't the same as worship in English. A part of me couldn't help but wish that I was back in Kingston worshipping and fellowshipping with many of you.

So a prayer request would be that we would be able to continue to grow spiritually even without the fellowship and church environment and support that most of us are used to. It's something that I've talked a bit about with a couple of the other interns and while I think that it is definitely harder without having a church service to go to or a fellowship to attend; ultimately, this time will really be an opportunity for us to spend more time reading straight from God's word and allowing Him to speak to us without the same distractions that we often experience back home.

This past weekend was a bit slower than our last one, where we setup a zipline (the first time the Ugandan crew had seen one and they enjoyed that a lot) and played a long match of football (or soccer, as I'm more used to saying) with a bunch of the kids in the community. September marks the start of the rainy season and it has not disappointed, I could almost read by the light from the lightning last night, which lasted most of the evening. Friday was Steph's birthday, and we went all out... on creativity anyway.... Mike made guacamole and Nancy made Hummas which we had with chippati's that Enid, our awesome camp cook, made. We also had a very North American style campfire, with roasted bananas and chocolate instead of smores, and made honey roasted g-nuts (as far as we can tell, they're exactly like peanuts).

Oh, I finally have internet because the roving team (me, mike, and Asaph) went to check out a source for a possible project and it was far enough away that we could not make it back to camp before sundown. Many of the roads here, especially the "highway" between Mbrarara and our camp, are harzardous enough during the day with full visibility. Thus, we don't drive on any main roads past sundown. Add that to the fact that spending a night in Mbarara means internet, a warm shower, and some options for food, and you can understand why Mike and I weren't exactly disappointed that we didn't make it home tonight.

Internet! (Tuesday, Sept 16)

Well, I've finally got the internet! I'm staying the night in a town called Kasese, just outside of the Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda. The four engineers, along with Charles, one of the Ugandan construction crew members, are here to do a quick project that began last year. Last year, ACTS was approached by Broadway Church in Vancouver to build a water pipeline to a school that it sponsors here in Kasese. The pipeline was built, passing nearby a community, so Broadway Church agreed to sponsor an extension to provide water to that community as well. So we'll be staying in Kasese just long enough to survey and mark out the pipeline path, and next week, the ACTS construction crew will come to lay down the actual pipe.

This past week has been quite a mix of different activities and work. From hiking up mountains, looking for possible water sources, to making inventory of remaining pipe from previous projects, to taking samples for water quality testing from past projects, to going to presentations/celebrations, it has been a busy and eventful week. This picture above was actually taken during the Sunday worship service. It is normal here for people do offer vegetables, or in this case, a chicken, in place of money as tithing. There is an auction part of the service where all the offerings are auctioned off with the money going to the church. Mike outbid me for the chicken, and bought it for a mere $20,000 Ugandan shillings (about $12US). Also customary is for the successful bidder to donate the winnings back to a poorer member of the church, so no, we didn't get to have chicken for dinner that night.

**The internet just cut out so I won't actually get to upload this entry, which is, essentially, about getting internet access. Ironic….