Jinja – day 16
Had a good couple of days doing Lively Minds stuff.
Yesterday there was no field work – quite unusual. Phone calls were made as usual but insufficient commitment was made by villagers and the car has broken down so it was decided to postpone the days visits. I spent the afternoon on annual leave with full pay. I got a coffee in a local café and made it last a couple of hours while I made use of their WiFi. I had to produce an important publicity document for my exhibition in Bristol by 1 April.
We’re having connectivity problems with our dongle so I notice it has been taken away for the weekend. I’ll have to drink lots of coffee in cafes.
Went to Bugongwe today in a hired car to provide a workshop on the use of the box of games. Villagers were able to clarify how certain games should be played. Some of the picture books had confused them so Salma took them through the kind of questions they could ask about each book. Also jigsaws seemed to confuse them. I found myself watching as none of the villagers could piece together a 5 piece jigsaw designed for young children.
Grace had arranged for me to meet one of the Village Health Team members – a Mr Ngoye. He had a little English so I had a quarter of an hour chat with him. I think he is responsible for 18 local villages and wishes he had a bicycle to get around to them all. He gives talks to villagers on things like sanitation and using clean water carriers etc.
Mr Ngoye and Salma in the church building in Bugongwe
robjohnsey in Africa 