It’s been exciting this week on the Kaliro front. Kaliro as I’m sure we all remember is the site of our new project. Our partners here, an organisation that we formally and informally call WAACHA, who we previously partnered with in stove distribution and who we have developed a very good relationship with were out in the field and managed to complete the feasibility assessment for new boreholes to be rehabilitated under our water program. Next week we should have a clearer way forward and it is very much something to look forward to. We were also able to get a review of our Efficient cookstove LOA which is a big step forward to implementation of that project. From my corner it looks like things are looking up for co2balance in Uganda and it will be an interesting many months ahead.
This week was a bit more sobering as well. Social media has been abuzz with a campaign dubbed #bringbackourgirls. it is unfortunate that in this day and age, in the 2nd decade of the 21st century, innocents can still be put in such harms way. It reminded me of previous albeit similar occurance. At the height of the LRA rebellion in 1996, 10 years before the Northern insurgency ended, 139 female students were similarly abducted by the rebels. It brought unprecedented international attention to a a war that had been raging for almost 10 years and in a world without social media, alot of what we knew was from the BBC and the local papers. It is sad that 18 years after that the same thing could happen to another group of young girls.
I am always of the opinion that great wisdom is in taking care of our young ones. In Africa, your brother’s child is your child. Investment in the child is the greatest investment for any individual because they hold the future. In historic times, despite many births, children died at a young age from preventable diseases, many of which were water borne. There is still a high incidence of these diseases but it is quite heartening to see how the rates of these diseases goes doewn once a a safe water source has been made accessible. When we develop projects with communities we take pride in them passing the health test. At all stakeholder meetings, we emphasize improved health as one of the benefits of improved cookstove projects and safe water projects as well and we make sure we work to deliver that. Developing a water project requires that whatever doubts there may be are dispelled and we have developed a monitoring program that covers the bases sufficiently. One thing we pride in is excellence so we aim at being as meticulous as possible with every project. When we start off rehabilitation in Kaliro, we shall have one eye on improving the water access situation but we shall have an eye on making life easier for the children as well.
As I rise on Monday I will have one eye on Kaliro. however at the same time, I will spare a thought for the African child. i hope the young ladies that were abducted do get to return home.