One of the most amazing things about our visit to Uganda has been the variety that we have experienced. We’ve traveled to central, western, and eastern Uganda. We’ve spent time in urban areas as well as rural areas, rainforest-like jungles to drier savannah ecosystems, and while we’ve been here we’ve seen the beauty and prosperity of the country as well as hardship and despair.
May 27 was particularly emotionally draining, following the same pattern of despair and beauty co-existing what seems like mere steps away from each other. We traveled to Jinja in the eastern region of Uganda to experience home-brewing of alcohol. What we found was the community of Makenke, approximately 600 people who work and live in the space of perhaps 2 football fields. The conditions here had been described to us as “Hell on Earth” previously, but we had no way of understanding the gravity of it until we saw it with our own eyes. The fumes, from toxic chemical byproducts and fire were overwhelming and burned our eyes and lungs. Because of unregulated conditions, the toxic byproducts of the alcohol production ran in small streams throughout the area that people worked and lived in. The people who worked there built crude planks over them in order to cross safely. Children of the workers who also lived here were playing barefoot in the environment, deftly dodging the toxic waste, fires, and industrial sized drums of unknown but most likely harmful substances. Some workers were wearing flip flops, some barefoot, and some with thick industrial boots that appeared as if they were in the process of being melted off. Within 5 minutes of our arrival, one of these chemical drums exploded and sprayed a liquid onto a young girl that the people there said will eat away at her skin. Members of the community ran to her aid, splashing water on the burns and offering rudimentary first aid because as would be explained to us later, medical services cost almost 10 times their weekly income. The people explained to us that this life is their only means and accidents such as these are commonplace, “We die and we bury here, we grieve and we resume working because we have no other way”. Then we were prompted to proceed to an area near the rear where the people in the community there collectively welcomed us with song and dance, and some of the leaders addressed us. They explained that despite the conditions, this community has only grown due to the number of displaced people who have come from the the war-torn areas in northern Uganda.
A common theme during this trip has been that wherever we encounter the effects of tragedy we also find an organization dedicated to helping those afflicted, and today was no different. After lunch we visited an organization serving the Makenke community called ring of hope which offers community based rehabilitation services for those affected and effected by drug and alcohol use. There we met children from the surrounding community whose lives have been affected by parental and personal drug use and addition. They participate in various enrichment activities. They acted out anti-drug and alcohol scenes for us before inviting us to dance with them, which was amazing. Before we left the children were presented with some of the donations that we brought with us from the US, sports jerseys from a local high-school in the states, and the smiles that this gesture brought these children is something that I will never forget.
I am reminded of a saying, ‘Above the Clouds there is Always Sunshine’ , when I recall that day. Despite the magnitude of hardship that some of the people faced, it will always be paired with the determination of some to fix the conditions that they face. This gives me hope, and faith that hope and light will always prevail.