Kate & Will leaving from Adelaide Airport on 15th December bound for Uganda.
Ian Windebank of Padthaway, Dr Joseph Odeke of Keith and Keith Goodall from Coonalpyn had a very successful trip to Uganda
Ian Windebank is pictured with a group of Ugandan farmers and a heartfelt letter of thanks to Australians who are giving them a helping hand
“Congratulatory Message. Dear Visitors, We are grateful for the knowledge skills and guidance offered to us. We also deeply happy with wonderful support rendered to us. When you go back send our regards to your home people and our dear friends all at Australia. May the Lord Almighty escort you back home. We wish you safe journey. Goodbye goodbye.”
Ian Windebank teaching a Ugandan farmer how to drive the tractor and use the implements
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Kay & Windy |
OUR TRIP TO KATAKWI
Kay & Windy
TUESDAY 19th JAN 2010 – TUESDAY 2nd FEB 2010
Joseph, Windy and Kay flew to Entebbe, Uganda from Adelaide on Tuesday 19th at 5.15pm via Perth and Johannesburg and arriving at 7.10pm on Wednesday 20th. Flying time 18hrs 50mins, waiting at airports for connecting flights 14hrs 35mins, a total of 33hrs.25mins.
John and George were there to meet us and drove us to Kampala, which is 35 kms. Arrived at the Hotel Migra very tired, showered and bed.
The next morning, Thursday 21st we had breakfast, fresh fruit and black tea. George drove us to the CBD to the bank for money and to a shop similar to Foodland to purchase water, cornflakes, long life milk, tea bags etc.
We left Kampala at 3pm and arrived at Soroti at 9pm where we bought a mattress, wash bowls and buckets. Bradley was our driver.
Left Soroti at 10.15pm and arrived at Joseph’s Uncle’s (Andrew) house at 11pm , where we stayed. The house is approx 2 Kms out of Katakwi. Andrew and his wife Joyce and family were very happy to see us again and looked after us very well.
Windy set up our camp shower which was a luxury and worked very well.
Friday 22nd after breakfast we drove out to Joseph’s village, Attiri, a 30 min drive from Katakwi, where the 2nd container was delivered.
There were many of Joseph’s village people there, (hundreds) some with Malaria, infected sores and cuts. They were very thin and very poor clothing if any. It was a very sorry and sad sight to see. In fact I couldn’t hold back the tears. These beautiful people still smiling and coming up to greet you with love in their eyes.
The day was spent unloading the container. The Fordson tractor no 4 in the center of the container had to be towed out as it was damaged in transit, with a burnt out clutch.
Windy & I were kept busy assembling machinery and attaching them to tractors and showing the boys how to operate them. Some of the boys were very knowledgeable and could assist Windy very well with his instructions, and without my help.
Unfortunately some of the equipment couldn’t be operated because the land was so very dry after the drought they have experienced.
They have 2 wet seasons over there, March and August, so they were all hoping and praying for rains in March to enable then to plough the land. Hence the importance of some form of irrigation, dams and bores etc. The water in some places is only 10 feet down from the surface.
We were given 3 chooks and a goat, which was very hard to accept as they have mainly Casaba to eat which is their main source of food for survival. It is similar to a potato and can survive without rain. The plant matures in 12 months and can be eaten after 6 months of growth. They can eat it as it is, cut it into chips to dry out in the sun to be stored.
From there it can be ground with sogum or millet into flour.
Sogum grows to 1 and a half mtrs. in height and is similar to corn. It matures in 4 to 5 months.
To harvest it they cut it and place it in the sun until it dries, then beat it till the seeds drop off and windrow the seeds and store it in bags.
Millet grows to half a mtre. in height, maturity is 4 to 5 months and they harvest it the same as Sogum.
The flour which is made from Casaba and Sogum or Millet is mixed with boiling water into a dough and eaten. It is brown in colour.
Joseph was very busy that day as all days distributing clothing, medical advice etc. to his beloved village people.
We drove back to Andrew’s house where Windy set up 3 lights within the home with his home made generator, which is able to charge mobile phones, batteries, cameras etc. He also set up our toilet seat for the loo.
The rest of our days spent there were Joseph organizing the next season of getting land ready to sow and plant crops, distributing clothing, hospital supplies, books etc and medical advice to the many people.
The 2 fridges were quickly claimed by Mr Edgelet and the KatakwiHospital.
Florence, the headmistress of Amusia primary school was elated to receive her motor bike. She had never driven one before so Windy started to give her instructions, followed up by Salim. She soon realized not to wear long skirts as they were being scorched by the exhaust.
Windy was kept very busy the whole time repairing tractor no 4 with the use of a hospital bed, plus other repairs to the remaining tractors.
They do not have trailers in Uganda, therefore vehicles don’t have tow bars, so we had a draw bar welded up in Katakwi to fit onto the trailer
to fit onto a tractor which was very helpful to cart water to the village from Joseph’s well.
We attended a Church service at AmusiaPrimary School on Sun 24th Jan. after which the children sang and danced for us which was great.
We also attended a Church service the following Sunday 31st at Joseph’s Village, Attiri, which was and always will be a highlight in Windy’s and my trip to Katakwi. There were hundreds of people there and the Chairperson of Katakwi, Robert, plus many dignitories attended. It was a very spiritual service and you could feel and sense the presence of our Lord.
It was so good to catch up with the people we met on our first visit, they were so pleased to see us again, and the feeling was mutual. Such wonderful, happy and loving people, with no complaints about their living conditions and survival, just so very thankful and appreciative for the help they have been given by us all who care. “THEY ALL CONVEY THEIR HUMBLE THANKS TO ALL OF US IN AUSTRALIA FOR OUR HELP AND UNDERSTANDING IN THEIR PLIGHT FOR SURVIVAL AND THEY CALL US OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS FOREVER”
It makes one feel so humble and thankful for our existence with so many luxuries and these beautiful people are so happy with nothing but diseases and famine, and above all LOVE.
I hope this report enlightens all of you as to how very grateful the people of Attiri feel about the support and love which has been given to them in their plight of survival from all of us here in Padthaway , Keith, Mundulla, Tintinara and surrounding districts.
Yours sincerely
Kay Windebank.