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May 13, 2008 UPDATE

Rain!!!! We have never seen it rain so much for so long. Out of the two weeks Dr. John was here, there was only one day of sunshine. Normally, everything is at a standstill but people showed up to see the dentist in fair numbers. Out of the 8 days the dental clinic was open, 57 patients showed up. He extracted 58 teeth, filled one and 12 others which included consultations and examinations. More importantly, Dr. John set up a basic dental clinic and provided equipment that now continues every Wednesday by a qualified Ugandan dentist who agreed to take time from her own practice to visit the village. so far, in the 2 weeks she has come to Tekera, she has seen 22 patients. She has done 25 extractions, one dental abscess and one examination. It seems that word has gotten out to other communities and there will be many coming each week.

Before Dr. John left, he provided 200,000 for any dental equipment that was needed. Dr Erin went to Kampala and purchased 4 extractors. We hope that one day, we'll have the equipment to provide residence with complete dental care. 

April 14, 2008
The residence of Tekera are will have the services of a dentist for 2 weeks. This is great news since the closest dentist is in Masaka, over 15 km away and there is no public transport.

This opportunity was funded by the Chilliwack Rotary Club. Dr. John Innis is a retired dentist and has agreed to provide his services to the people in the area. Because there is no power, the doctor will only be able to provide basic care such as extractions, cleanings and minor fillings. Our solar power doesn't have the capability to run a machine and it is not feasible to buy a generator for that short time frame. We're expecting a very large turn-up. Since Dr. John has had some experience of working in a third world country before, I'm sure he knows what to expect. We hope that other volunteer dentists come forward and donate their time and efforts also. Of course we are ever mindful of dental equipment and a power source for the equipment. We'll update this story at the end of the two weeks

 

 

April 2, 2008

The first term of the new school year is almost finished. We introduced P6 this year along with a nursery class. Our new teacher for nursery has been kept very busy. With 32 students, she has no time to relax. Overall, the school now has 187 registered students. It’s a good sign to see the numbers increasing. Too many children miss out on going to school either from a lack of money or distance to a school. The porridge programme has encouraged more to come to school, according to the teachers. Several students are attending school for the first time, including a 13 year old who entered P1.

It seems like the craft club are getting better every day. The quality of work has been very good. Also, with the number of students wanting uniforms, the ladies have been spending a lot of time at the sewing machines, making uniforms for the students.

Sometimes I wonder if the construction will ever stop. The latrine for the clinic is almost finished. Now we only need door. This ill also be used by the teaching staff since it is very close to the new residence. There were also two shower stalls attached for staff. Perhaps some day, there will be water for the shower. I the meantime, a jerry can full of water will have to do.

The new kitchen will also be finished soon. The temporary kitchen has been used much longer than we wanted. Pots were balanced on bricks and sooner or later, there was going to be an accident. The porridge pot was likely the first to go. The new kitchen will have a more fuel-efficient stove (still burning wood, though) and exhaust. There is lots of room for storing wood and keeping it dry.

Our old truck just keeps chugging on. With all the abuse it takes on these Ugandan back-roads, I’m surprised it hasn’t quit yet. Parts have been welded (in some case, re-welded), tires replace (again) and oil leaks sealed. If there was ever an ultimate endurance test, this would be it.

The Farmer’s co-op will soon have a new driver. Ntume Paulo has been practicing for about 2 months and now appears ready to take over all the deliveries.

I arrived back from Canada recently, more stressed than when I left. I think its reverse culture shock. While there, I talked to a couple of future volunteers and they have some exciting things lined up.  

January 6, 2008

With 2007 at an end, we look back at what has been done over the year. Did we achieve our goals that we set out at the end of last year? Did we improve on our first year goals? Let’s first take a look at what we had hoped to accomplish:

Establish a farmers co-op
Develop and increase new cash crops
Build and register the primary school and hire qualified teachers
Begin development of a secondary school
Provide regular health and hygiene classes and counseling
Begin dental care on a regular basis
Develop a water retention system
Improve cash flow from farm
Develop a good nursery

A farmer’s co-op was established and a committee was elected. The registered members now total 32 and it is expected to increase in 2008. French beans, lettuce, zucchini and carrots are new crops for the local farmers and they are beginning to respond with a small amount for sale. A secondary school will not be possible until 2009 at the earliest. Two health & hygiene classes have been held and will be more held for students in the upcoming school year. We have been in discussions with a dentist from Canada who is willing to volunteer some time so this looks possible for 2008. All efforts to obtain a local dentist failed due to the shortage of dentists and the high cost. Fund for the water retention system have been raised in December of 2007 and construction should begin at the end of January. The farm, along with the co-op, has been generating a small net profit which should increase in 2008. A functional nursery was built early 2007 with hopes of building a larger, more permanent one in 2008.

Our goal for (2008) is ambitious. Implementing a medium and long range plan for income generating projects is high on the list. Expansions of health care and, of course, the primary school are also in focus. Equally important is the need to generate funds to build and maintain the projects. Once in place, income generated should sustain all services and little or no money will be needed in the future from outside sources.

1. Construct 2 more classrooms, a library and school office.
2. Add P6 and one teacher/headmaster
3. Expand the clinic area and add dental care
4. Have a physiotherapist at the clinic
5. Obtain land and plant trees, minimum 20 acres (pine and/or cashews)
6. Increase sales for farmers co-op by 25%
7. Install a water retention system
8. Build a latrine for the clinic.
9. Build a permanent nursery
10. Begin computer training for students
11. Obtain a reliable vehicle for the farmer’s co-op

We will also try to arrange some regular transport to and from the area to assist those that need to travel. Bodas alone are not a long term solution.
There are several other things that have happened that have an overall impact. Several new families have moved into the area, a few new stores have opened (like a barber shop and beauty salon), there are more bodas coming into the area and the consumption of alcohol has decreased. More women are taking control of their lives with family planning and more people are looking forward with positive attitudes. Blood donor clinics have been very successful and more mothers are bringing their children for immunization. We were able to save 3 lives that would have otherwise died without available transport. A few others waited too long to see us or could not be saved after arriving at the hospital. We made runs to the hospital with sick patients on average of twice per week. We do not see that changing in 2008.During the Christmas/New year season, government health clinics were closed for 2 weeks!! We were astounded by this and as a result, the clinic was very busy. Several people from 10-12 km had heard about us and came for treatment.

In the past six months, farmers received over 3.5 million shillings from the farmer’s co-op. This has provided a good stimulus for the local economy.

The craft club had a terrific year. Initially, there were 4 members but it quickly grew to over 50. Profits went to buying 2 sewing machines and now people are working by making school uniforms.

We became a member of the Ugandan Library Association. Our library consists of one wooden cabinet and two benches outside but it’s a start.  

A porridge programme was introduced into the school in November. We wanted to see what results could be obtained. Since many students only eat one meal per day, it was good to see the added benefit of a cup of porridge (maize flour boiled with sugar added). Students were more relaxed in afternoon classes. All the teachers agreed that this programme needed to continue so the children could concentrate better on their studies. Some of our fund raising efforts are directed to this programme.

During 2007, we had several volunteers come to help out. These people, Frances, Diana, Gabrielle, Ester and Arjan along with those that helped in their home country like Pieter & Carmen have made this project what it is today. They have given their time, raised funds and worked tirelessly to provide a better environment for the residence of the area. Their efforts have touched the hearts of a great many people.

Our financial records for 2007 are almost complete and should be posted on the site within the next 2 weeks.

On behalf of the people of the Tekera area and all the people involved in the Centre, we thank everyone who has participated in the development of this project.