A fresh well of hope in Africa
FORMER Buxton Community School pupil Faye Boundy used her summer holiday to help bring a better water supply to a Ugandan village.
Twenty-year-old Faye, who is in her third year at Bristol Medical School, was given backing for the trip by Buxton charity The Bingham Trust.
Here Faye, who is currently undertaking clinical training in medicine at the Royal United Hospital, Bath, tells her own story of change and hope.
This summer I was lucky enough to spend eight weeks in Uganda as part of a group of six, representing an organisation at my university called the Bristol Volunteers for Development Abroad.
This charity sends volunteers to developing countries to run small-scale projects. Our main aims included improving water and sanitation facilities in a small community and also the building of fuel-efficient stoves.
Before our departure, we attended many training sessions, and funds were raised for the project over the preceding 12 months by organising band nights, cake sales and numerous sponsored events.
On arrival we sensed an immediate welcome by the local people who were extremely happy for us to be there.
We took lodgings in a remote village outside the town of Mbale. Facilities were sparse and we lived throughout our stay without running water, electricity and all the usual luxuries we all take for granted. Despite this we were all inspired by the warmth of our welcome and we were filled with the determination to help the locals to improve their lives in any way we could.
Local women would normally collect water from a dirty water hole, risking serious diseases for their families.
With the help of engineers and members of the community, this was converted into a clean, safe water source. The water was piped through a man-made filter into a clean area which was constructed to ease the filling of water containers.
Fuel-efficient stoves were introduced. Local women would traditionally cook on rocks positioned on firewood. This can produce excessive fumes which can cause severe lung problems for women and children.
The stoves reduce these toxic fumes by ducting them outside through a chimney. They are constructed from natural, readily available resources and provide a safer and healthier way of cooking.
The full article contains 380 words and appears in Buxton Advertiser newspaper.
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Last Updated:
04 October 2007 12:37 PM
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Source:
Buxton Advertiser
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Location:
Buxton
