Big John greeted us at Entebbe airport, late on Christmas Eve. The airport was packed and the bag collection, customarily slow. We went straight to Naminaya and arrived to what had become a distant memory - no running water, no electricity and the “bork book book bork” of those bloody roosters.
Christmas morning started with an omelette (made with fresh eggs from the chicken coop) and deep fried Irish potatoes. Afterwards we walked down to Church, all the village people were lining the streets and dressed in their Christmas best. One very cute, probably three old-boy started yelling “Mzungu NO NO, Mzungu GO”, his face masked with a look of absolute terror. Conflicted between running away, leaving the protection of his brothers and cowering behind them, the little boy just screamed.
This response wasn’t a sign of things to come and we were greeted at Church with great friendliness. Both Tommy and were asked to speak to the congregation and we expressed our gratitude and Christmas wishes.
That night we took the 22 orphans to Barazza, an Indian run “resort” on the Nile. The convoy of cars, driven by Big John, Barbara and Tommy had kids piled across the backseats. Barazza itself was mayhem, but it was fun for the kids to experience live music, bouncy castles and break dancing! They feasted on fried chicken and chips.
Boxing Day was when the real Christmas festivities kicked off. The morning started by sacrificing a bull in the courtyard of the new orphan home. It was brutal. With no fuss the bull was dragged into the courtyard, some local guys rallied to start man handling the bull.
Back legs were bound tightly together with a rope. The same procedure followed with its front legs. The bull, now aware of its fate started to struggle. The men pushed it to the ground and with more commotion, Big John swung in jerking two fingers up its nostrils.
What followed was equally as brutal. One man extended the bulls neck, to tighten the skin between the head and the body, and another man without much a do, slit its throat with a machete. Given its throat was 10cm thick, some serious sawing action was required. A fountain of blood streamed from the wound. The kids were ecstatic.
Queue the death rattle. I watched on from a distant, it was gruesome. Some said they “feared” the bull and its death, but those few kids were a minority.
I’ll spare you the detail but once the bull was well and truly dead, the men began removing the skin and set about the butchering. And, butchering is was. Hacking at the meat with an axe, they did not demarcate areas of meat. Not one mention of Eye filet, Scotch or Porterhouse - it certainly was a one-size fit all approach.
A barbeque was erected over the killing site and the workers, together with the children and Big John began roasting the meat. It was a really happy scene.
The children were so excited at the rare treat of snacking on beef all afternoon. Everyone was involved with preparing the big meal. Three cooking stations were set up around the orphan home producing rice, matoka (a boiled banana delicacy), boiled beef, roasted beef, chapatti, avocado, fresh beans and tomatoes.
We had brought the kids Fanta and Coke from the Coca Cola depot in town – 16,000UGS to refill 24 bottles of Coke, that is equivalent to USD$6.40 for the lot. All the kids, particularly the younger ones, were necking bottle after bottle.
Jacqueline, a five-year who has a penchant for throwing rocks at goats, preceded to drinks three bottles of Fanta and throw up!
Festivities aside, I am really happy with the progress at Kidron.
The orphan home is almost finished and is shaping up very well. It’s big - with 5 bedrooms (providing capacity for 50 kids), a common room, ample cooking space, 4 shower rooms, 3 toilets, a washing area, an office, storeroom and an internal grass area. Once gates are erected across the entrance this will all be contained in the compound.
2 of the bedrooms are completely finished. The remaining rooms require plaster and concrete floors. While plaster is not essential, and many of the homes do not have this, I think it is important to ensure the buildings longevity.
Construction has been a bit slower than expected. Commodity prices in Uganda are pegged to the USD and prices vary accordingly each day and secondly the unstable political situation exacerbated by Museveni’s reluctance to step down has caused commodity prices to increase. Cement has increased form 23,000UGS to 30,000UGS over the course of the year. This is just one example, as there has been a uniform price increase across all of the goods used during construction.
I took the balance sheets Big John gave over last year and asked the South African manager of an established hotel in Jinja to check the figures. He assured me that prices used in the balance sheets were representational of the price fluctuations this year and that the approximated finishing costs were true to current costs. I trust Big John implicitly, but it is always reassuring to get confirmation from people who know what they’re talking about.
Chicken Coop
The chicken coop began producing strongly, 14 trays per day (which is equivalent to 420 eggs daily). Big John explained that the coop would break-even each day if 10 trays were sold. The 10 trays cover after feed, drugs, labour and the kid’s share.
Big John talked us through a few difficulties the project has encountered. Sickness among the chickens after a massive rainfall reduces their laying capacity. A shock from thunder or lightning has the same effect. Who knew chickens were so sensitive?!
A number of children were sick with Malaria in October and so in an effort to improve their strength, Big John increased the children’s’ allocations of eggs. All the children have now recovered.
Despite these set backs, the chicken coop is still providing the orphanage with a small income. Jobs were created and the children’s diet has improved.
Such projects are always going to face challenges, but for me the success lies in the fact that the chicken coop has become self-sustainable. Once the chickens become off layers in 14 months time, they can be sold to fund the next batch of chicks and the feed they need before they start producing eggs.
Salon
Francesca has built a good business using the hairdressing/manicure tools that we brought in February. She has been going to people houses and providing these services. In the run up to Christmas, she was working particularly hard, charging a premium for services on the 23rd and Christmas Eve. Commanding up to USD$10 per treatment!
Francesca applies the profits to the construction of her own salon. She was adamant that brick was the only material to be used and prepared to wait until this was possible. Rival salons have been known to eliminate the competition by setting a match to wooden structures.
After saving USD$300, Francesca has built the brick wall plate and the materials for the next stage of construction are ready to go once she has saved enough to pay for the labour. Buying for her only the tools and not the premises, has given her an incentive to work harder and in turn expand her business.
Big John said that Francesca success has had potential suitors arriving in droves. Under Barbara (John’s wife) watchful eye, she is wise to these guys, telling one persistent albeit unreliable caller to “stick by your promises”.
In Uganda it is often a mutual friend, pastor or village chief who suggests that two people are suitable for marriage. The male suitor must then seek the women during daylight hours only. Once they have “talked, talked, talked” the male will seek the fathers consent and if he acquiesces, they will negotiate a dowry.
The dowry usually consists of soft drink, bulls, chickens or land. Although, should the pair have already had sex or have child, the dowry is significantly more burdensome. The morally bankrupt will be punished!
Big John commented that the proliferation of mobile phones companies has seen women marry from a broader cross section of men. The ability to exchange phone numbers while on a bus, in a neighbouring town or when they meet on the street has given everyone more options.
Have a look at the videos I uploaded.
Happy New Year
Xx
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