Village Visit
My colleagues were eager to get me out to the villages to both establish contact with village leaders and get a general feel for rural life in the area. I was more than happy to oblige and our first trip took us to a village about a half hour drive from the hospital. Although the village population is quite small, the houses are spread out to accommodate their pastoral lifestyle.
We initially encountered two gentleman who informed us that there was an incident in the village so the majority of people were occupied with the "trial". They agreed to show us around their "neighborhood", which consisted of a few clusters of their traditional round houses. One of the houses was used for sleeping while the other was a kitchen. We did a spot check on their drinking water containers and general sanitation. I was impressed they had plastic jerry cans with small openings and covers as well as having a relatively clean living space. We asked where their toilets were and they initially said they had a place around back where they went but when we asked to inspect it we were walked in a circle while they explained that actually, they did not have a toilet and they just randomly defecated in the surrounding area.
We then went to go to their water source. When we first asked them where it was they said it was very near but when we requested to see it they said it was very far. We walked for maybe 15 minutes and asked them several questions about the availability of water in the rainy season vs. dry season. They said that water was very scarce in the dry season (this time of year) and some people will bathe and collect the water to later use as drinking water. They also told us that everyone in the village has returned within the last three years due to the Lords Resistance Army and as a result the village and its members are still trying to reestablish themselves.
When we reached the water source I was shocked to say the least. Pictured above you can see the hole for animals to drink and next to it (directly in front of the man) there is a branch of a tree that covers the source for people to use. The villagers explained that they were aware that the feces from the animals could possibly contaminate their drinking water but simply had no other choice. Yikes.
We then made our way to the village center, where a "trial" was being held. Apparently someone had burned a house down (see background of picture) and the community was gathered under a massive tree to discuss the crime. The village elders sat in chairs and had apparently reached their judgement when we arrived. As we pulled up in the car, someone was literally escorting the guilty man to the center of the crowd, clutching a stick that I could only assume was going to be used for a public beating. My coworker jumped out of the car and apparently requested that they delay the judgement due to the nature of our visit and the presence of "guests". We took the opportunity to introduce ourselves and explain the nature of our visit as well as inform them we would like to come to hold some workshops with them. The community leader said we were very welcome and they would be willing to work with us. One man raised his hand and said that the community needed a bore hole for clean water. We explained to him that we were very aware of this but that was a huge long term goal and the first step was to build a positive relationship with the village. We explained to them that this was just the first step and we would be back to meet with the village health team and discuss things in further detail, as it was obvious they were busy and anxious (and possibly annoyed that we were delaying them) in finishing their judgement of the guilty man.
We initially encountered two gentleman who informed us that there was an incident in the village so the majority of people were occupied with the "trial". They agreed to show us around their "neighborhood", which consisted of a few clusters of their traditional round houses. One of the houses was used for sleeping while the other was a kitchen. We did a spot check on their drinking water containers and general sanitation. I was impressed they had plastic jerry cans with small openings and covers as well as having a relatively clean living space. We asked where their toilets were and they initially said they had a place around back where they went but when we asked to inspect it we were walked in a circle while they explained that actually, they did not have a toilet and they just randomly defecated in the surrounding area.
We then went to go to their water source. When we first asked them where it was they said it was very near but when we requested to see it they said it was very far. We walked for maybe 15 minutes and asked them several questions about the availability of water in the rainy season vs. dry season. They said that water was very scarce in the dry season (this time of year) and some people will bathe and collect the water to later use as drinking water. They also told us that everyone in the village has returned within the last three years due to the Lords Resistance Army and as a result the village and its members are still trying to reestablish themselves.
When we reached the water source I was shocked to say the least. Pictured above you can see the hole for animals to drink and next to it (directly in front of the man) there is a branch of a tree that covers the source for people to use. The villagers explained that they were aware that the feces from the animals could possibly contaminate their drinking water but simply had no other choice. Yikes.
We then made our way to the village center, where a "trial" was being held. Apparently someone had burned a house down (see background of picture) and the community was gathered under a massive tree to discuss the crime. The village elders sat in chairs and had apparently reached their judgement when we arrived. As we pulled up in the car, someone was literally escorting the guilty man to the center of the crowd, clutching a stick that I could only assume was going to be used for a public beating. My coworker jumped out of the car and apparently requested that they delay the judgement due to the nature of our visit and the presence of "guests". We took the opportunity to introduce ourselves and explain the nature of our visit as well as inform them we would like to come to hold some workshops with them. The community leader said we were very welcome and they would be willing to work with us. One man raised his hand and said that the community needed a bore hole for clean water. We explained to him that we were very aware of this but that was a huge long term goal and the first step was to build a positive relationship with the village. We explained to them that this was just the first step and we would be back to meet with the village health team and discuss things in further detail, as it was obvious they were busy and anxious (and possibly annoyed that we were delaying them) in finishing their judgement of the guilty man.
Any insights on the presumed arsonist's motives? Also, given your experiences in villages such as these, what are your thoughts on the validity of the statement "no other choice"? Is that generally true? Are there options simply not explored by the villagers? To what extent does lack of equipment prevent some of those exploratory ventures? One specific thought to use possibly as an example: dig a latrine. Or: set up a rain collection system. I realize water storage is itself an immense problem, though.
ReplyDeleteNo idea on arsonists motives, though I will inquire the next time we go there. I definitely think they have very few choices; the combination of the recent resettlement of the village(think collective communal experience), relative isolation and economic situation leave few options. Keep in mind this was a warzone as recent as 2006 and people have only started returning in the last few years.
ReplyDeleteDigging latrines is definitely something we will work on, at the very least consolidating where they defecate. Rain collection is a good idea in the rainy season but half the year it doesn't rain at all.