Jan.2 - Jan.9

We have finsihed the digging of the 1.5 acre farm at the orphanage! Chris, the farmer we work with, mobilized 29 poeple to come help with labor in return for knolwedge of organic farming techniques. These 29 people along with us and the kids at the orphanage finished digging all of the garden beds and planting matooke (their main cash crop), mango tress, passion fruit, orange trees and pineapple are soon to come. We also started the nursery of tomatoes, onions, eggplants, and cabbage . These crops will be intercropped with the fruit trees and will be treated with organic pesticides, chicken manure, and charcoal dust.
It is truly amazing how quickly work can be accomplished when 29 poeple get together and help a community member in need. We learn so much working alongside Ugandans who have been working in agriculture their entire life. They work so hard and are very resourceful. Nothing goes to waste here. We have created many friendships working alongside each other and eating every meal together. Even when language can form a barrier, hard agricluture work can create a bond. We have even learned a bit about cooking Ugandan food: posho, beans, matookee, and chapatis.
We are also helping oversee the construction of a water harvesting tank DIG is funding for the Budundo Community HIV/AIDS Center garden. We tested the soil on site today with the builders and will start woek later this month. It is still the dry season and we have not seen a drop of rain in over a month. So, everyone must walk up to 3 km with a jerry can to retrieve water from the Nile river or a nearby bore hole. This tank will harvest water from the roof during the rainy season with metal guttering and be saved for days of draught. We will explain the sustainable brick building technique we will be using to build the tank as we get started. We are also looking into this option for the orphanage as well.
We have also dived into the Ugandan business world as we have to supervise our projects, pay laborers, and handle problems that arise. Things work much differently here and our patience is constantly tested as our western ways usually do not apply here. Unfortunately, we deal with alot of scam since many Ugandans understandibly see white people as money. We are constantly tested but have been fortunate to have much support from local Ugandans who help us with our business choices. These scams happen on project sites, in the market buying tools, and can even happen with your friends. Our cultures are very different and we have to be careful with the choices we make as seemingly positive help can ultimately be detrimantal to the community at large. These big picture lessons are what being in Uganda is all about.