A bit of Uganda
Published 7 Feb 2012 08:30
A bit of Uganda came to East Ayrshire Council's London Road HQ recently when a group of intrepid travellers from St Kentigern's Church were welcomed by Provost Stephanie Young.
The four, Ian Rennie, Archie McDonald, Sandy Brown and Jim McHardy came armed with a hand carved representation of the national crest of Uganda - a gift to the Provost from the Mayor of Arua in Northern Uganda which the men visited with a view to creating links of friendship and help with their home town.
As retired GP Jim McHardy explained: "Our visit to Arua was partly inspired by some work I did in Africa a number of years ago. I had spent some time in Arua and was keen to revisit it. As a team we all have different areas of interest and skills to offer and our trip was very much a fact finding mission to identify ways in which we could offer practical support to the community."
The team spent nearly a month in the town which has a population of 65,000, similar in size to Kilmarnock, and also visited the nearby rural area of Ociba. While there they established links with the Mayor's office spending time with the Director of Education, Medical Officer, Waste Disposal Officers and the Head of Roads. In Ociba they met a Building Engineer and clergy from local churches and their member groups.
The men took with them nearly £4000.00 which they had raised through St Kentigern's. This was used towards building the foundations of a 3 unit residential home being built to raise funds and provide an income for the local church and community of Ociba. They also took 600 mosquito nets for wards in the local hospital in Arua and games equipment for children.
Jim McHardy said: "Although we knew in advance some of the things which were useful, once there we got a clearer picture of just what is needed. One of the reasons we have visited the Provost is to see what assistance East Ayrshire Council and the wider community can give. The people of Arua are not necessarily looking for funds, more practical expertise and solutions to fundamental problems.
"For example we saw a beautiful three storey modern hospital building which cannot be used because it has no sewerage system. We are now looking for assistance to sort this and get the building open - a move which will vastly improve healthcare.
"So much of what we take for granted here is difficult in this part of Africa. Raw materials such as cement are much more expensive in Uganda than here. We saw women working for hours breaking rocks by hand just to have stone to mix to make concrete.
"We also came across pupils who are working extremely hard in school but without proper resources - the few textbooks they have are woefully out of date - they struggle to pass exams. And lack of proper rubbish disposal and recycling facilities mean there is a street filled with rubbish and a seven and a half acre site on the outskirts of town which is a haven for flies, vermin and disease, including cholera."
Since their return the men have already made headway in their mission to help Arua. They have obtained advice from East Ayrshire Council Cleansing Services and the NHS Ayrshire and Arran Public Health Department to try to combat sanitation and waste disposal issues. Graham Short, head of Education and Social Services has also agreed to investigate what can be done to help improve the curriculum and the team are keen to recruit more volunteers to lend their skills and knowledge to the project.
Provost Young said: "It was humbling to meet Ian, Archie, Sandy and Jim. At an age when most men are enjoying a leisurely retirement they undertook this arduous trip, putting up with basic sanitation, lack of electricity and conditions which proved challenging to their health. But the enthusiasm and fondness for Arua and its people which they have brought back is infectious. As a Council we will look at ways in which we can give practical assistance and support to the team and the people of Arua."
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