Day 5 - Microenterprise

Day 5 – Microenterprise

Clean water isn’t the only thing Water Missions provides to the communities they work with. There has got to be more. We’ve only been to five villages, and two of them have had water systems implemented in the past that have failed, leaving those communities with a sense of failure and abandonment.

If you were to go to the doctor because you were sick and they gave you medicine, you’d continue to go back to that doctor to seek healing for your sickness. But, if the doctor taught you how to avoid getting sick, you’d be more apt to protect yourself from sickness in the future. In the same way, Water Missions isn’t trying to prescribe a pill and leave it at that. They’re addressing the root of the problem, and they train the people of the community to avoid or overcome problems in the future.

We had the opportunity to sit in on a microenterprise conference yesterday in Bugoto, a village on the shore of Lake Victoria. The committee members from surrounding villages got rides from boda-boda’s and taxi’s to Bugoto for a day-long training conference. By this time, they’ve all been trained on how to upkeep the equipment installed in their communities. Yesterday’s meeting was specifically created to teach the village leaders how to operate a microenterprise. The way it works is, the clean water is sold for up to 95% less than the people have been spending, in years past. Villagers used to pay 1,000 shillings to fill their jerry can, often with unsanitary and unsafe water. Now, villagers can fill their jerry cans with safe water, for 50-100 shillings! This is providing the village with enough income to cover operational expense as well as put money in savings. If they don’t understand how to save, they will not have money for maintenance and repairs in the future. So, Water Missions teaches the importance of saving and preparing for the future. In these courses, they put the leaders in hypothetical situations and they worked together, with leaders from the surrounding communities, to resolve the situations. Then, they would present their answers and explained why they chose that method of resolution. For some people there, this was the first time they had ever participated in this sort of training. (This is very effective, particularly in Africa, because Africans are very communal people. They care a lot about their relationships, and look for ways to build new ones.) Upon completion, they were awarded with a community-specific “Safe Water Team” ball cap, a certificate of completion and literature containing the Gospel and information about sanitation.

The people left that day with a feeling of accomplishment and a better understanding of the importance of saving and preparing for the future. If they apply what is learned, they will guarantee sustainability for the water purification system, as well as the health of their community.

I am extremely grateful for Water Missions and the way they strive for excellence. Their community development teams work hard to train and equip the leaders and people of the villages. The technicians and engineers work full days of planning and problem solving. Together, the Water Missions Uganda team is working hard to change lives, for good. I am now even more proud to support and work with such an amazing ministry.

Reminds me of an ancient Chinese proverb, “Give a man a water purification system, he’ll have water ‘til it breaks. Give a man a microenterprise business, he'll have the ability to sustain and improve.”

Grace and Peace,

Kyle

Day 4 - Musubi

Day 4 - Musubi

12/7/2011

As I woke up yesterday morning, I didn't know what my day was going to be like. Our program for the day said we were going to Musubi, the community that received a water purification system from the Change for Change fundraiser. Mixed emotions jumbled my mind as I thought about what everything was going to be like. It's been such a humbling experience already, being in Uganda, but the people Darryl and I were about to meet were given a new chance at life because of the water system we helped provide.

On our way to Musubi, we rode on some of the WORST "roads" I've ever been on. It was a two hour drive of my head bouncing and bobbling. As we pulled onto the dusty path that they call "Musubi Highway", I was just overwhelmed when looking at the people. They didn't look any different, their mud huts weren't any better or worse than the rest, but I felt like I knew them, somehow. There are actually three villages in the Musubi area. The furthest out was a good two or three mile drive, to the landing site. I knew when we got to the landing site, there were hundreds of people awaiting our arrival. Children surrounded the van, as usual. When we got out, we were immediately invited to move to the beach to watch swimming and boat races. This was just the beginning of the festivities that would fill our day.

As we set up our cameras to snap pictures and shoot video, children just mobbed us with wide eyes. I wish they understood me when I talked to them. They simply just wanted to be around us. Any simple motion would put a smile on their face and start a quiet children's chatter. They were so astounded about how I watched boat races.

After the races, we were invited to sit on a porch in a centralized location. The staffers from Water Missions fired up their portable sound system and introduced us to the people. After her presumably warm introduction, leaders from the community came onto the porch to share a few words on the microphone. Meanwhile, all the children sat on the ground in front of the porch, while the older people bordered the children and watched from porches nearby. The leaders were very excited to share their appreciation and give testimonies to how the water system has improved their lives. Their reports shared information about how their search for safe water has been simplified to just going to one of the community taps. They also told stories about how they've noticed much improvement in health and a decline in sickness in disease. Keep in mind, they've only had the system for just a few months.

Next, villagers came forward to show their appreciation by performing in many different ways. First, four girls came forward to sing and dance for us. Then two men came forward to demonstrate their boxing and acrobatic skills. Next, the villagers had races from the top of the hill. One of the boxers also tightrope between a porch and a tree. He was barefoot and the rope was far from tight. It was quite intense, even though the rope was only about 15 feet long.

Next, the chairperson for the Safe Water Project had lunch prepared for us. Lunch consisted of rice, matoki (a sort of banana that cooks into a mashed potato consistency and taste), fresh chicken and fish, both cooked in "soup". Musubi people are fisherman by trade and they raise their own animals, including chickens, goats, cows, ducks and more! Everything was killed that day and prepared fresh. It was humbling to be served by the leader of the community, not to mention I had to be adventurous enough to try the foods prepared (I'm really thankful there were no grubs or anything like that.)

After that we were able to give gifts to the community including shirts, socks, soccer balls, balloons and pens. Doesn't seem like much to us, but the people were very excited to receive these gifts. Then, unbeknownst to us, they had gifts for us. They presented us with two handmade baskets and a goat. Yes, I said a GOAT!

So much of the day will be remembered for as long as I live, but one thing in particular that wrecked me was when a young man came up to me and Michael, a WM employee. The man rambled off a bunch of stuff I didn't understand, but his smile just wouldn't go away. Michael also smiled, leaned over and told me that he just wanted to thank me for everything I had done. He proceeded to tell me about how it changed his life and that he was so honored to meet me. I was glad that I had sunglasses on, because there was no stopping the tears. Who am I to him?

I was very grateful that we had a chance to talk to the people (with the help of a translator.) I was very excited to share the Gospel with them. I didn't have much time, but I was just leveled by the fact that I was just like them. Because, God showed compassion to me, by sending Jesus to die in my place. Before I had Jesus, I too, was drinking contaminated water. But, Jesus gave me living water, so I would no longer thirst. I tried to point them back to the Gospel and give credit to God. Please pray that they will forever remember that God used some Mzungu's to show them his love.