Written by: Lane & Lauren
Today was our crew’s first full day in Uganda! We started at sunrise, with a yummy breakfast buffet in the beautiful Fairway hotel. Then we were off for a full day of Kampala adventures! Our fearless bus drivers navigated us through the sea of motorcycles. We stopped by currency exchange, then headed to the supermarket for snacks and other goodies. Next, we split up to pick up medical supplies and transformers to deliver.
Our highlight of the day was visiting Arocha, an environmental organization that finds creative ways to promote sustainability and protect the Earth. Their friendly team cooked us a delicious meal before we split into groups to do different projects. We could choose between learning about sustainable farming, creating charcoal briquettes, making water filtration systems, and sewing fireless cookers. Lauren’s group learned about the benefits of fireless cookers, an invention by the Arocha team that increases cooking efficiency and gives women more flexibility to focus on their many other tasks. Lane’s group used cement molds to create water filters.
These filters used the natural forming bio-layers, created by a mixture of sand, gravel, and water, to filter contaminants.
After our time at Arocha, we went to meet with the women from Thread of Life. This is a group that works with single mothers in the slums of Uganda. By training the women to sew and tailor clothing, they are developing their self-reliance. The head of the organization said that their mission is to provide women with something more to do than to wait for someone else to bring money home. By keeping these women occupied and employed, they provide a better life for their children. After meeting with the group, we headed back to the hotel to play with cats and eat!