Ashley's Uganda Travel Diary

DAY 5:

I spent the entire day ‘in the field.' Rosemary and Willy walked me around Kikaramoja Village - I met seven Child Headed Households (CHHs). I took pictures and did some interviews on camera. Everywhere I walked, I was met by excited children yelling, ‘mzungu, how are you?' Older Ugandan women greeted me by bowing down on one knee and grasping my hand firmly. Everyone is desperate for attention, eager to share their hardship, and have their photos taken. Rosemary knew all the villagers - she was their ambassador, translator, and, in many instances, a source of strength. Pictures can communicate what I saw, better than words, but the few words that stood out were ‘food,' ‘mattress,' ‘clothes,' and ‘school fees.'  These were the needs that all the children asked me to share with my friends in the UK. They also wanted me to tell people they enjoy football and gospel music.

DAY 6:

I returned to Kikaramoja today and then headed to Lake Victoria to meet the remaining families. I had an impromptu meeting with the team about the future of the project over lunch. The day was overwhelming. I spent most of the evening alone worrying. Two stories kept replaying in my head...Yvonne inherited her deceased aunt's household of 6 orphans. None of the children has enough food or clothes. Yvonne has no job and is unhealthy herself. She's doing everything in her power to help the children, but it's not enough.

Lydia is 30 years old, HIV+, and epileptic. When she saw me coming towards her, she ran up to me, gave me a bear hug, and spun me around until we both toppled over. She was so overjoyed!  It's amazing that she has any energy at all. Local clinics do not carry the pills she needs to stay healthy. When she has epileptic fits, she is at the mercy of her neighbours. She falls often, sometimes knocking over the kerosene lantern that lights her shack at night....thankfully, her neighbours have been there, but she worries that she won't always be so lucky. She was enjoying adult education (learning to read and write in her own language) but her money ran out; now all she has to show for her time is the textbook.  Lydia's children are on school holiday this week. She hasn't been able to feed them. She is due to get her anti-retroviral treatment today and when she hasn't eaten, this makes her even sicker. Frequently, the children have to cook, clean, and bathe her. Besides dogs and snakes, her kids tell me that what they fear most is when she falls ill. Lydia introduced me to her friends, HIV/AIDS counsellor, and a grocer who has given her free food when she hasn't had money, in the past. When I left, I gave her 10,000 UGX (£3) to help her through the week. I will never forget how she greeted me...