Yearly Water Usage

A fun experiment I performed during the first year of my service was: How much water I used in one year. Now, this water was used for washing dishes, bathing, cleaning and drinking. Clothes washing were excluded from this because I was using a different water source. For the above mentioned, I collect all the water I use from a rain tank a few feet outside of my house. According to http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/qahome.html#HDR3 the average person uses 80-100 gallons of water per day. That equates to approximately 32, 850gallons of water per year that the average person uses. Throughout the year 2010, I used 871liters of water which equals 230gallons of water. On a side note, it is imperative that I take into account that I was away from my house roughly 110 days out of the year due to weekend visits, vacations, travel, trainings, etc. Nonetheless, I have managed to us 230gallons of water compared to the estimated 850gallons that the average person in America uses. That is a whopping 620gallons less than the average consumer. It is amazing how much water is conserved without flushing toilets and running water in general. Additionally, the process of having to collect your own water in jerry cans then haul it back to your house is a strong incentive to use it sparingly.

Bunny Love

After a long and arduous search, I was finally able to locate a woman that had rabbits. I was thrilled upon finding this, as starting the rabbit venture was high on my list of projects to accomplish before taking the close of my service in Uganda. I had written a 6 page proposal to my organization RACOBAO about restarting the rabbit project and had accepted my idea; allowing me to head the project with the support of co-workers in the organization. Being Uganda, I waited 2 weeks after my initial find to actually purchase them and bring them to their new home in Lyantonde. Such things as: Preparing the hutches, getting food, transport, etc. kept creeping up; so last week I was finally able to pick up 3 (2 females and 1 male) rabbits. We brought them back to the farm, obviously separating the females from the male. I bought them at 5,000ugx a piece which equates to approximately $2.80 a piece. They made it through the weekend just fine and we improvised on giving them grass and other fibrous eating’s until we could make the maze blend pellets. A boy that lives on the farm and attends the vocational school was assigned to take care of them. On Monday, Allias, the one in charge of the directing the farm, brought the maze blend and showed us how to make the pellets. It was a very easy process of mixing a little bit of water in with the flour mixture. After this semi-wet mixture was concocted, he filled the ‘grinder’ with the mixture, cranked the handle and allocated the pellets equally on the large metal plate. After the plate was full it was placed in the sun to dry; once dried they were ready to be given to the rabbits. Today we devised a watering contraption so that the water would be more readily available and less maintenance would be required. We also discovered an insect infestation in one of the wooden panels in the back of the hutch. This is a problem because the insects could carry diseases or create ear problems for the rabbits. We sprayed DOOM (a powerful bug killer) but it will call for a much more permanent solution. Unfortunately, one of the females died today- cause unknown. I am hoping that it was due to the stress of moving locations rather than some disease that the other 2 could also have. Let us hope for the best and in a few months time they will mature and be ready to engage in coitus, then the bunny boom will begin!

The Medicine Man

So, I finally got to hang out with a real life Traditional Healer, or as some prefer, witchdoctor. Robert was a shockingly fun and quirky man. I went with 2 other volunteers from Denmark, one volunteer from Iceland, myself and 2 Ugandan co-workers. Now a little history before I delve into the experience. Uganda has more traditional healers than actual clinics. Surprisingly, traditional healers are more expensive than clinics. This is namely because Uganda practices a ‘Universal Healthcare’ system. What that really means is you negotiate prices. When you are seen for something at a clinic you bribe them and depending on the circumstance you may or may not have to pay for medicine from the pharmacy. When you go to a witchdoctor, he only asks a small donation of what you earn, so that may be a few hundred shillings (5-20cents). Then when you are healed, he will ask you for something of value like livestock or a large sum of money. If you cannot give that to him then he will threaten to bring back your disease, sometimes even worse than before. Witchdoctors are many within subcounties but those who see them are those who usually do not practice an organized religion. For those who are ‘pure Christians’ it is frowned upon to do so, and if caught, you will receive ridicule; although, I have it on good authority that there are quite a few ‘pure Christians’ that still go to the witchdoctors. In order to become a witchdoctor you have to be chosen. For most, it is a family tradition and one inherits it from their lineage. Robert, he man we saw, his father had been a powerful healer and when he passed, the spirits summoned Robert to follow the path. Robert even said that the spirits kept him from going to school so that he could stay focused on his work as a healer. Interestingly, he said that there are not bad spirits but there are strong ones. They have the national leadership which leads all the witch doctors in Uganda, she is called Mama Feena. There are some false traditional healers and so this ‘clanship’ fights against them. Recently, there has been a lot of child sacrifice around the county in Uganda under the name of false healers. Some will say bring me the tongue of a child, or something along that line. So the traditional healers have to guard against fake practices. The false ones that are found will be given to the police for punishment. They perform a ritual every month, towards the 28th, where they slaughter a goat and give thanks to the spirits. Sometimes when he calls the ancestors, they appear in the form of a huge black snake and he places a cloth over it. He has herbs from the natural world for mostly everything; Mango leaves for cough; Mukikumbu for headache; Bones of a wild pig for curing spells; Eating the soup of a cow leg can cure joint pains- he only calls the spirits when he doesn’t know what to do. Sometimes, when he calls the ancestors, they attack the patient and he has to stab it with a special spear to make it go away. When he summons the ancestors they usually speak in tongues that he does not understand but they can find common ground through Luganda. Robert beats the drums, sings ritualistic songs to call the spirits and when they come forth he shies into a trance and communicates with the ancestors in another dimension. He cannot cure HIV, blood transfusions, dehydration, malaria but can cure the symptoms of those illnesses. Most come to the witchdoctor for mental problems. The man who took us to see the witchdoctor told us that his sister had been acting mad, which meant that someone had placed a curse on her or as they say ‘bewitched her’. This happens as a means of revenge. So he took his sister to the witchdoctor. Robert performed a ritual of drumming and singing to call the ancestors and he said they came and were screaming- moving all around the tent. After that his sister was fine and remembered nothing. I happened to have a sore throat when we went to visit him and he gave me bark, in the local language is called Abasi. I couldn’t find any information on this anywhere. I took a small bite of the bark and chewed it then swallowed. It was so hot! Like a cinnamon type of flavor just very intense. Sure enough, it cleared the pain in my throat and it has not returned since! Although, my taste buds are still a little out of sorts, it was worth it for a pain-free throat. This was an awesome experience and it definitely sparked my interest to continue such investigations in other parts of the world.

Male Circumcision- *WARNING* explicit content

*WARNING* some of the content is very graphic- please view at your own risk. So, this tradition is unique to only 2 tribes in the eastern region of Uganda. It occurs once every 2 years and one is not considered a man until the ritual is completed. Those who participate are to stay awake for 2 days time and parade around the town. They are then lined up and a surgeon cuts off the foreskin without the patient taking any painkillers. If the boy makes a sound or any facial expressions he is not a man and is out casted from his family. The boys do this in front of a large group of people. It is also interesting to note that if the surgeon misses and slices off anything that the boy wanted to keep or hinders his ability to have children the surgeon will face a mob justice killing. I have heard that there have been instances that the child has lost the ability to reproduce from the way he was cut and so the parents killed the surgeon; I mean after all, what good is a man if he can’t make more children. So there is a lot of pressure on the ones cutting as well. Also, once the boy is cut, he is given a house and land to start his own family (regardless of age). So a 8 year boy is expected to find a wife and reproduce just as an 18 boy is. I must say, it was a truly amazing moment to be caught up in the utter chaos of the festivity. All the men were rip roaring drunk and spitting an oatmeal home brew all over one another as a ceremonial right of passage; the women were dancing nonstop as if they had not a bone in their body; and everyone was jumping and shouting in excitement. After the cutting, the crowd broke up a little and the father of the youngest boy came forward and kissed him on the forehead. I don’t think I have ever seen a man so visual proud of his son than in that moment.
Also, those who are cut are not allowed to feed themselves or do anything really. They are waited on hand and foot- all food and drink given to them by their family members until they are ‘healed’. It was an amazing thing to witness but very intense.

Camp GLOW

At the fist ever camp GLOW to be hosted in Uganda I was a proud camp counselor of the Gorillas. I, along with my co-councilor Susan, was in charge of 10 girls. There were a total of 16 groups all with approximately 10-12 girls in each. Every group had a unique African animal as their mascot, mine were the Gorillas. This was a week long camp with a very intensive schedule. There were 3 directors, 3 media specialists, 10 staff members and 24 counselors. Arrival began on Sunday, December 5th 2010. Upon arrival, each camper had to fill out a pre camp questionnaire and register where they received their shirt, name tag, dorm assignment and group. When everyone arrived we all conducted team building activities and got to know our group members. We took dinner and talked, then met on the field to discuss an overview of the week and go over rules. Monday-Friday the schedule resembled this structure: Wake up call and bathing took place from 6-7:00am; 7-7:45am breakfast and group reflection; 7:45-8:00am morning message; 8-9:00am Sessions (lifeskills, teamwork, arts and crafts, GLOWing, healthy living); 9:10-10:10am Sessions (lifeskills, teamwork, arts and crafts, GLOWing, healthy living); 10:20-10:50am break tea; 11-11:30am Dear (drop everything and read); 11:40-12:40pm Sessions (lifeskills, teamwork, arts and crafts, GLOWing, healthy living); 2-3:00pm Talk from a woman speaker; 3:10-4:10pm Sessions (lifeskills, teamwork, arts and crafts, GLOWing, healthy living); 4:20-5:20pm Sessions (lifeskills, teamwork, arts and crafts, GLOWing, healthy living); 5:30-6:30pm Free time (chosen from a list of activities such as a nature walk, how to make friendship bracelets, dancing, etc.; 6:30-7:30pm dinner/bathing/cleanup; 7:30-8:00pm free time/journaling; 8-10:00pm group activity (game night, movie night, campfire, talent show). Through out the week, each group was to attend the 5 sessions each day but obviously at different times so that about 3 groups would be in one session at a time. There were many wonderful sessions that the girls were able to attend. Some of these included: making a money jar and talking about savings, gender roles, reproductive health and the menstrual cycle, how to be a good friend, put on the condom relay race, taking care of your body and puberty, what is sex, self defense, painting, HIV and stigma, HIV transmission, goal setting, the human knot, picture yourself in 10 years, HIV truths and myths, malaria, public speaking, blindfolded obstacles, developing Uganda and carrying on information (bringing it back to the community), water and food sanitation. I taught the session of ‘We GLOW with goals”. Myself, along with my Ugandan counterpart, explained the difference between a goal, a dream and daily choices. We discussed the different types of goals one could have (learning something new, beating an old habit, etc.). We then discussed SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time bound) goals. We went over each in much depth. Finally, we talked about how setting goals affects outcomes (choice, effort, persistence, state of mind), how to best stay committed and the process for achieving goals. We passed out a worksheet to each camper and gave them adequate time to complete it and if there was time, some had the opportunity to share with the rest of the class. The worksheet had two columns: one for short term goals and one for long term. The campers had to identify one short term and a long term goal and then for each goal they had to answer the following questions: the benefits in reaching my goal, what might stand in my way, what do I need to learn or do, who will encourage me, plans of action- steps I will take, completion date. All of the campers were open and participated enthusiastically. I loved teaching this session! Throughout the whole camp, the councilors were to stay with their campers at all times except for free time. I had an amazing group of girls. It took some time for some of the girls to open up but it was a great feeling when they did. I am thankful for the opportunity to have watched my campers arrive as scared and unsure girls and leave as open, confident and happy women. Can you imagine having never left your village your whole life and then traveling, for some, all the way across Uganda to spend a week with 150 girls whom you had never before met? My gorillas were extremely well behaved co councilor was amazing. We had a blast and I only had to discipline some of my girls but one time. I think my favorite part was when we had a cheer off and out of 16 groups my girls won first! It was a lot of work but I was so sad when it had come to an end. Some of my girls wrote me letters that made me cry they were so sweet. We had a great closing ceremony and then danced the night away. The next day all the girls went back to their respective villages. I am very thankful for the opportunity to have had such a meaningful role in the camp and wish Peace Corps Uganda the best of luck in regards to hosting another successful camp GLOW.

Boys Empowerment Day

I conducted a youth empowerment camp by which 60 OVC’s (orphans and vulnerable children) attended. RACOBAO, in partnership with Children in Africa, was given funding to target a total of 180 children over a three year period. This year, 60 children who had been living alone for three or more years within Lyantonde and Rakai districts, were chosen for the yearly 2 day camp. The focus of the camp is on: HIV and AIDS; Food and nutrition, Training in income generating activities; Sharing personal experiences as well as counseling from psychologists, but most importantly, improving the self esteem of these children. I created the logo (youth alliance creating hope), design and slogan for the t shirts. I also created the packets of information for all session of the camp and helped design the program. The sessions for the 2 days included: Youth roles and responsibilities; Pychosocial support; Behavioral change and nonverbal communication skills; Peer education skills and drama; Formation of groups to discuss steps in good decision making skills; Gender roles; Violence in the household; Family relations; Goal setting; HIV/AIDS updates and awareness followed by a question and answer session and myth busting; Family planning; Hygiene and sanitation in the household; How to construct a tippy tap; Games and recreational activities; Sharing of personal experiences guided by a councilor; Goat roast dinner and awards. I began the camp by passing out t shirts. Once the kids were settled and had finished eating breakfast I introduced myself and started talking with them about sanitation and hygiene. The session I conducted was proper hygiene and water/food sanitation. I went over all of the ways to make safe water, how long to boil it; how to cover your food and why flies are bad. I discussed: Diseases and what causes them; Nutrition and safe cooking; How to take care of the leftovers; Washing hands and how much water one should drink daily. After the question and answer session, we went and made a tippy tap. I had a girl and a guy explain how to use it. I then talked to them about how to make it emphasized the importance of hand washing. The whole camp went very well. The students were engaged and at the end of the camp, really seemed to open up with one another. However, I did feel that it was a lot of information to pack into 2 days. While the topics were important, I sensed that it was quite a lot for children to absorb in such a short amount of time. Other than that, I felt that it went wonderfully!

Youth Camp: Youth Alliance Creating Hope

So for this years youth camp I was able to create the program and t shirt design. The program was as follows:

DAY 1:

Breakfast
Devotion
Introductions
Youth Roles and Responsibilities
HIV/AIDS updates and awareness followed by a Q&A session and Myth Busting
Hygiene and Sanitation in the household
How to construct a Tippy Tap
Lunch
Peer Education Skills and Drama
Formation of Groups to discuss steps in good decision making
Gender Roles
Evening Tea
Games and Rec.
Goat Roast/Dinner
Sharing of personal experiences guided by a councilor

DAY 2:

Breakfast
Psychosocial Support
Behavioral Change and Nonverbal Communication Skills
Break Tea
Family Planning
Goal Setting
Lunch
Violence in Households
Family Relations
Evening Tea
Award/Prizes
Departure

There was much work that went into setting everything up, ordering the shirts and food, creating information packets, etc. The day finally came and everything even started on time. Once the kids were settled and had finished eating breakfast I introduced myself and started talking with them about sanitation and hygiene. I went over all of the ways to make safe water, how long to boil it, how to cover your food and why flies are bad. I went over diseases and what causes them. I talked about nutrition,safe cooking and about left overs. I spoke to them about washing your hands and how much water one should drink daily. Then we went and made a tippy tap and I had a girl and guy explain how to use it. I then educated them on how to make it and why it is important to wash your hands. It was a fantastic 2 day camp and the kids were able to take a lot from it!