mangoes, monkeys and Meryl!
on Mangos, Monkeys and Maggie (Uganda), 15/Jun/2009 04:50, 34 days ago
We were wondering what had happened to the troupe of monkeys we’d previously enjoyed seeing in the garden. Well, now it’s the mango season again and they’re back! That is, if Akim and Udetha will allow them anywhere near the mango trees. I occasionally hear the boys charging across the compound and wonder what on earth is going on, only to see them chasing the monkeys away. It’s been a good harvest this year with literally hundreds of mangoes between the six trees. We and our neighbours can’t eat them fast enough and we’re really enjoying the smoothies, the cakes, the desserts, etc. Of course, they’re delicious on their own too!The monkeys are not our only visitors. Last week we said goodbye to Kate, a medical student from the UK, who was staying with us for a month and then two days ago we welcomed Hayley, also a medical student from the UK, who will spend the next month with us.Yesterday a film crew from VSO UK arrived to make a promotional video to show potential volunteers. They are focusing (no pun intended!) on volunteers in health placements so came to Masindi to meet Chris and Pam the community nurse working here. They are also keen to portray daily life in Uganda so Chris and I were followed around the town and the market buying our provisions. Chris kept calling me Meryl Streep (of Out of Africa fame) but I don’t think she need worry about the competition! I must admit I couldn’t quite see the likeness in Chris to Robert Redford either!! It was good fun but, of course, it was only afterwards that I thought of all the things I really should have said.We managed to spread Chris’ birthday celebrations over two days last week. One night was spent with our VSO friends and another night some other friends arranged a small party for him. Of course he had a birthday cake and the flavour was …………..mango!The library sessions went well this week. It was really encouraging to get kids coming in to look at books in their spare time and not just when they were told to. During a session with a P2 group of about 60 children I asked how many of them have a book at home and no-one has! This library is going to be such as important resource to the community.MaggieAs well as getting older and being a film star I have also been obsessed with diarrhoea this week, at least it makes a change from malaria. As part of the Miirya Project Pam and I have been running workshops for the volunteers on prevention of diarrhoea. Obviously sanitation and hygiene is the basis of this work. It is only when you are out in the villages that you realise how difficult many peoples lives are here. We take latrines for granted but households without latrines are common here, many people just defecate in the bush. There are strong taboos especially regarding pregnant women and the use of latrines.Hand washing is not regularly practised and few latrines even in the hospital or health centres have hand washing facilities. We showed some practical ways of arranging hand washing using“ Tippy Taps” and hope we have convinced the volunteers to use them.They were impressed with SODIS or solar disinfection of water. This is a system using plastic bottles and sun light to make safe water. One thing Uganda is not short of is sun light and using this system should save people time and resources as it means they do not have to boil water. We have stopped buying bottled water for drinking I just put bottles out in the morning and can use them the next day.After lots of e mails we have managed to get ARVs. I am not sure if it is coincidence or whether my contacting USAID and the ministry did the trick but I am pleased that we did not have to discontinue anybody’s treatment. We still need other drugs but it is a start.ChrisAbove, Akim playing with one of his favourite toys in our garden.Also of Akim when he cheekily put on my pair of glasses. I took one photo of him and then without saying a word to each other he just started posing to have more taken - about 20 in all!