I've had a pretty busy week, so I'm spending this lazy, rainy Sunday catching up on everything I've neglected over the past few days (hence the two super-long blog posts in one day).  The reason for my hectic schedule has been the amazing opportunity I was given to participate in a week long training session on water crisis and climate change.  Adelphi, a German public policy think-tank, sent two trainers to Makerere to spend the week working with some students from our class.  The training included two full days at the university learning all about water crisis.  The first day, we learned how to identify water user groups, management groups and conflict between these actors.  We then learned how to map out these conflicts on an 'actor map.'  The next day, we learned how to identify marginalized populations and how to conduct culture sensitive interviews in preparation for the fieldwork that we would be doing later that week.

Driving through the mountains

      Wednesday is when the real adventure started.  We traveled over seven hours by bus to a small city in western Uganda called Kasese.  We were scheduled to leave at 7:30 in the morning.  Being the prompt individual that I am, I arrived right on time.  True to African style, I sat around and waited another hour for everyone else to show up.  However, by 9:00 we were on the road, all crammed into our little white van like a can of Ugandan sardines.  I managed a few hours of sleep in between all the potholes, speed bumps, and police checks that we hit every few kilometers throughout the entirety of the drive.  A few hours into the journey, we pulled over for a lunch break.  As soon as our van came to a stop, we were accosted by dozens of street vendors all sticking their heads through our windows, selling chapatis, roasted bananas, mystery meats on a stick, juices and cold waters.  I stocked up on some chapatis and bananas but wasn't brave enough to try any of the mystery meat.  As we set off again, the landscape around us began to change as we entered into the mountainous region of the country.  The air became cooler as dark gray clouds gathered above us.  Finally, after 7 long hours we pulled into our hotel.  We grabbed a quick lunch (which I considered to be more of a dinner since it was 4:30 in the afternoon by now) and then set off for a tour of the local copper mines.

Inside the mines

We first passed through a small mining village, which consisted of a few dozen dilapidated wooden houses tucked into the valley of the surrounding mountains.  Groups of blue-uniformed school children roamed the streets, but otherwise the area seemed eerily deserted.  We were given a quick tour of the copper mines which have been struggling lately, which is reflected in the run-down nature of the entire community.  We were even taken a few hundred yards into the tunnels of one of the mines.  I must say that I feel very blessed that I am fortunate enough to never have to do work like this.  We were shown the pits where miners spend hours harvesting the copper before having to haul the 45 kilogram packs out of the mines on their backs.  We then returned to the hotel where we were briefed by a local guide, split into interview teams and then spent the rest of the evening preparing for the next day's field work.  All of this evening business was made just a little more exciting by the constant electricity black outs that came and went throughout the night.

Some of the Basongora cattle

     The next morning, we had an early start as we headed out of town to begin our interviews.  Our first stop was a visit to the Basongora tribe.  The Basongora are pastoralist, which means that they raise cattle for a living.  Their community consists of a few concrete structures, some small huts, a primary school and lots of pasture land with grazing cattle.  When we arrived in the village, we were met by several Basongora members who were eager to show us around.  We learned that there used to be a water channel that ran right through the Basongora pastures.  However, when the local council changed leadership five years ago, government maintenance of the channel stopped and all of the water dried up.  The Basongora now have to walk 7 kms there and back to the nearest river, so their cattle can drink.  In the dry season, they have to make this trip twice....thats 28 kms a day just for water!

Interviews with the Basongora herdmen

    We were then split into our teams and given a chance to interview some of the locals.  Our team got to interview four of the local herdsmen, with a translator to assist us since none of the men spoke English.  We discussed all the problems that these men encounter in trying to fetch clean water.  We also discussed possible solutions to the water issues plaguing the Basongora community.  After about an hour, we had to leave to head to our next interview.  I was very sad to go since I had already fallen in love with the Basongora and their community.  Their land was beautiful....flat green pastures framed by deep blue mountains rising in the distance.  I was in awe of the people themselves, as well.  I can't imagine how difficult life must be for these people, having to work for hours every day for something as simple as water.  Yet, the herdsmen that we talked to were so poised and gentle.

At the source of the channel

      We headed into the mountains for our next set of interviews with the Bakonjo tribe.  First, we stopped of the see the source of the channel at the nearest river.  We then traveled further down the channel where the Bakonjo farming community is situated.  Although the Bakonjo are slightly more fortunate than the Basongora in that the channel has not yet dried up in their part of the community, the water that does flow in this channel is very dirty and not fit for consumption.  We sat down for our interview where we discussed the issues that the Bakonjo have in trying to obtain enough water for their crops and fish farms.  Our second interview was a little rushed since lunchtime was drawing near, and it is considered to be very rude to interfere with mealtimes in Ugandan culture.  After just an hour with the Bakonjo, we set off.

Interviews with the Bakonjo

 For our own lunch, we spent the afternoon at the HIPO Resort on the shore of Lake George.  We spent an hour lounging on the shore before enjoying a heaping plate of rice, matoke, groundnuts, vegetables, and tilapia (which I personally skipped).  The evening was spent battling several more black outs while trying to make closing presentations of the day's findings.  Within the next week, we will all be completing case studies of the water conflict taking place in the Basongora and Bakonjo communities.  These case studies will then be sent to Adelphi for them to use in the framework that they are publishing on water conflict and climate change.  Overall, I can honestly say that the whole experience was one of the highlights of my time in Uganda so far.