Click on map to enlarge

THE PEARL OF AFRICA

In 1906 in his book 'My African Journey' Winston Churchill called Uganda 'The Pearl of Africa'. And it was. But since then and particularly during the 1960's and 1970's under the regimes of Presidents Idi Amin and Milton Obote the pearl lost its lustre. And it has been struggling to find a new future for itself from those terrible years of devastation.

Landlocked Uganda sits across the equator. It is about the same land area as the UK and has a population of over 27,000,000. It is a population racked with AIDS. Tens of thousands of people die from this disease each year and for many years now the country has been recognised as the worldwide epicentre of AIDS.

Over 5% of the children in Uganda are living without a future. In Kabubbu alone there are more than 400 impoverished orphans. Is this a hopeless situation or can something be done? Can you make a difference?

Among the population of Uganda, there are over 1,300,000 children who have been orphaned because their parents have died of AIDS or HIV. Some have one parent remaining, although in most cases this parent is also ill with AIDS or the HIV virus with only a short amount of life left to live and a large family to bring up and support.

THINK OF YOUR LIFE

Think of any essential resources you take for granted in a western (first world) country like England and how you would cope without them - clean water, electricity, telephones, the local doctor, the health service, comfortable homes, shopping centres, credit cards, free schooling for your children, ample food, a good diet, and everything else that surrounds you.

Now think how you would cope if they were taken away from you. Not by your choice but by the actions of your country's leaders.

They threaten your life. They take away what wealth you have. They destroy your years of hard work. They wipe out whole communities and businesses. They ruin the infrastructure that you rely on for your daily life. They leave you destitute and unable to cope with the basics of living, let alone any possibility of generating a bright future. That's what happened to so many ordinary people in Uganda not so long ago.

And then your country becomes the worldwide centre for the HIV virus and AIDS, decimating even further a desolate and weakened population. You suddenly find you have at least 1,300,000 orphans to deal with. And you have no additional resources to cope with them.

The current government of Uganda is accepted as a positive, reforming body dedicated to enabling the people of Uganda to work toward a better, brighter future. But they cannot achieve this alone. They need us to partner with them in whatever way we can - whether in national, local or individual projects.

So, what is life like in Uganda?

LIFE IN THE CITY

The capital, Kampala, is full of people, noise and a bustling chaos. Getting to Kabubbu you pass a great deal of activity by the roadside.

There are hundreds of small shops and everyone seems to be selling to everyone else. Meat hangs off hooks in the open air, covered in flies. Chicken, ducks, pigs and goats are sold live in the marketplace and taken home for slaughter. Vegetables and plantain (vegetable banana) are everywhere as they form the staple diet. Everything is bought for use that day. All but the elite among the local people just cannot afford to go to a supermarket and buy a week or more of shopping. They will buy just what they need for their next meal - and no more.

The local manufacturers of household goods stack up their products by the roadside for sale - even coffins.

Ugandan society has made advances into the twenty-first century. An increasing number of people in the towns, and those who go into the rural areas from the towns, communicate by mobile phone. But there is still a strong pull back into their roots.

The local Witchdoctor is considered by many to be one of the most important figures of the community. His advice from the blood of sacrificed animals and from the spirit world is highly respected. The Witchdoctor is kept very busy.

But now, come on a walk with us through Kabubbu and surrounding area just 20 km north of the capital, Kampala.

LIFE IN RURAL AREAS

Once outside the noise, chaos and bustling traffic of Kampala, Uganda is immersed in rural poverty.

The metalled roads end where the "jungle" begins. They are replaced by heavily rutted dirt tracks that become impassable when it rains. Often the quickest method of transport is by bicycle or on foot along narrow tracks between the vegetation.

When you reach a village community, and they are expecting you, and you have come to see how you may be able to assist them in developing their future they treat you like royalty.

They have little they can give you but they 'throw a party' anyway. Noise and laughter fill the air. Singing, dancing and vibrant colour surround you. Everyone is dressed in his or her finest clothes. They kill the 'fatted chicken' to provide you with a feast. You are their guest and they honour you with fine long speeches - and just about everyone who is anyone in the village has something to say.

Be prepared for a long visit.

It is very humid for most of the year. Landlocked Uganda sits across the equator. Many of the people who live in the "jungle" do so in crudely constructed mud huts. Some are lined with animal dung. They are small, maybe 12 feet by 12 feet. There are few, if any, possessions inside.

There is no electricity. In the towns electricity is available when the Ugandan government is not selling it to Kenya or other neighbouring countries for much needed foreign exchange. In the "jungle" such things as foreign exchange are a million miles away.

There are no 'social services'. There are no medical facilities. If a poisonous snake bites you, or you contract malaria, or as a woman you have complications in childbirth, you will most likely die.

AIDS and the HIV virus have decimated the adult working population leaving the young children and the old people to fend for themselves. There are very few able to work the land to make a living.

Poverty is at its worst in the rural areas and Kabubbu is no exception. It is the area where Quicken Trust has done most of its research and is carrying out its main partnering programmes.

Details of these can be found throughout our website. HOME