We began yesterday with a visit to Karongo Primary School for our first Roots and Shoots observation, headed by Frieda, the dynamic teacher, 20 or so P6 students armed with hoes and slashers or lugging bricks led the way to the community well or more accurately a spring.
While some kids slashed away at the undergrowth others cleaned the outflow stream. Under the direction of Robert, a local official, the bricks we stacked to form a retaining wall alongside the spring pipe and the ground around it was leveled. I can’t imagine American kids working that hard or being allowed to use such dangerous tools but these kids did a great job and Frieda obviously spent a lot of time preparing the activity.
We continued in to Masindi town, stopped for lunch at New Court View and dropped off the film from the R&S project since we promised Frieda a set of the photos. Connie secured the new JGI “float” in our bank account and we took care of the usual stops. We used the internet to check on arrangements for our Tanzanian safari. I think Fiona at ATR has done all she can to satisfy us regarding the safari and we will accept it even if it’s a little more than we had considered. Another “once-in-a-lifetime” “damn-the-expense” decision I guess.
We stopped at four more schools on the way back dropping off more R&S materials and visited the guy who has subcontracted our cabinets. They won’t be ready for another month because his daughter just died of malaria. I am glad we stopped and happy he got the work. His name is Vincent and he walks with the aid of a long stick due to his crippled leg. Some people just can’t catch a break but this is the way aid should be administered.
While people in Antarctica and Stewart Island, New Zealand, are bemoaning the lack of sunlight and Alaskans are basking in it for 24 straight hours, the solstice here on the equator will go mostly unnoticed. Daylight will still be about 12 hours and the temperatures somewhere around 80 degrees F. Just like every other day! As mentioned previously the weather is surprisingly temperate – high 60’s at night to low 80’s by day. Monotonous, yes, but it could be worse.
