I’m pleased to tell you all that things are rolling along as smoothly as expected around here! We've begun construction of the first water tank in the village of Kabaya, the same village where we built Wilson’s home last year. I spent the morning hauling stones with the children and the men; they are always surprised to see me getting dirty and working! Instead of buying the big, plastic Crest tanks like we've done in the past, we are building a tank out of stones and cement. Stay tuned for photos and you’ll see how that is possible! The hope was that this tank would be just as big, but cheaper than the Crest tank. By the time we factor in hauling all the materials, the cost of labor and the many, many bags of cement this tank will use, I think it’s actually going to cost a bit more. They tell me that it is stronger and better though, perhaps that is just the builder talking and he’d rather have three weeks worth of work building the entire tank than three days worth of work building just the base for the plastic tank!? Either way, it is a learning experience and the village will have a nice, big tank to harvest the rain water when it falls from the sky! The first day I showed up in the village Wilson wasn't around so we sent some kids to find him, just moments later he showed up with his bare feet caked in mud. He had been out digging in the field, he looks strong and happy. I wish I could say he’s put on some weight, but he hasn't, he is still skinny like a broom but he is able to walk and even dig in the garden!
The search for a space to start the women sewing has proven to be slightly challenging. The biggest issue is either the place doesn’t have electricity, is completely filthy or it doesn’t have a toilet for the women to use. My friend, Thomas, found a beautiful brand new house (more like a condo or a tri-plex) that I wanted to rent but since it shares a compound with two other homes I’m afraid they won’t like women traipsing in and out of the compound all day. Thomas also told me that the rent for this place should be around 250,000 Shillings ($89. USD) per month, then the homeowner told me the rate would be 300,000 ($107. USD). So, of course, the question is always; is she overcharging for the house because I’m a Muzungu (white person)? It blows me away that this brand new beautiful place is only $107. per month, even if she is overcharging me! It is more house than we need though and it is also in a residential area. The following day, Uncle Alex, the director of Amazing Grace, and I toured around the area near the school, looking for more options. The best being the little room in town for only 50,000 Shillings ($18.) however, it comes with some downfalls and I’m not completely sold on it. The downfalls being that you have to walk through the pig pen in the back yard to get to the toilet, the room itself has a haystack in the center of it, which they tell me they can clean out in just two days but still the biggest problem is that there is no ceiling. The room is open to the tin roof above, which makes it not only VERY noisy during the rain, but also VERY hot during the days of sunshine. And so the search continues.
The hunt for the next water tank location has also been keeping me busy and has been mostly enjoyable. A full day of hiking through the rolling foothills of Mt Muhabura in the sunshine, greeting women and children while they dig in the fields is an ideal day for me. It is incredibly green, lush and lovely; bright green beans are sprouting from the rich, black soil and the blazing sun has scorched my forehead. We were lucky to have a hot, sunny day and not get caught in a downpour; the rain comes hard and fast around here! After seeing a hose poking up next to the road with water spraying out of it and people trying to maneuver their jerri-can under it to fill it Sam explains that the government put this underground tube in that supplies water from the mountain but, “the people destroyed it.” I think about how senseless it is to provide a service if those who benefit from it don’t even care enough to take care of it. By the time we are journeying home on the motor bike, I am tired and discouraged. I express my frustrations to Sam and Didas on the dusty, bumpy ride home. “Why should I work so hard and ask people at home to help when these people are not responsible, they can’t care for the water tap they’ve been given?" They reply with, “in the dry season people are fighting for water and only the strong ones can get water to feed their family.” I gulp. I swallow and I learn. It is the desperation and necessity of water that has destroyed the tap, not carelessness or negligence. I have never lived in desperation.
I continue to be entertained, educated and amused by so many little things. I’ve been told more than once, “Bonnie, you’ve added weight!” which of course, I just love to hear! It was also followed up with, “Oh, I forgot that’s not a compliment to you!” But, by far, the best entertainment is watching the kids sing and dance. Especially the little ones, they seem so grown up and when they are told to stand up and sing they do it obediently. They stand with their hands on their hips and very rhythmically swing them from side to side.
I’m planning to travel to Kampala by the end of the week; I will visit with the crafting co-op that has been making the many, beautiful paper beads we've been selling, I will visit some friends and I will buy sewing machines. The sewing machines will be loaded on a truck and transported to Kisoro, where a friend will meet them and deliver them to the space I’m sure we will have rented by then. There’s a lot of trust and a lot of factors that must fall into place for it all to come together, but I have no doubt that it will! I am continuously amazed by the mere fact that the system works, it seems to me like there is no system at all, but somehow it all works out!
Keep the Faith and Keep the Prayers Coming,
Love, Bonnie
“It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”
~ Mother Teresa
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