For nylig, den 15. februar, skete der noget fantastisk i min landsby. Takket være Mercy Scouts’ utrolige arbejde, bakket op af det større spejderfællesskab, fik vi endelig en helt ny brønd.
Det er det, Mercy Scouts handler om: at opbygge og styrke lokalsamfund gennem denne slags aktiviteter. For at vise dig, hvad det betyder, så skal vi en tur tilbage til min barndom.
Her var vand ikke nogen spøg. Vi havde kun to vandkilder at vælge imellem, og den nærmeste, en brønd var to kilometer væk. Det lyder måske overkommeligt at gå så langt, men tro mig, det var virkelig hårdt at slæbe 20 liters dunke frem og tilbage. Tricket var, at jo større dunken var, jo færre ture skulle man gå – men som du kan forestille dig, var det et meget hårdt job.
Rent vand tidligt om morgenen
Vi elskede brønden, fordi både børn og voksne kunne drikke vand direkte fra det uden frygt for at blive smittet med vandbårne sygdomme som tyfus og diarré. Men da det var den eneste vandkilde i nærheden, var der som regel trængsel: Om aftenen, når børnene var kommet hjem fra skole, og når de voksne var færdige med at arbejde.
Da det at hente vand normalt er en opgave, der er uddelegeret til børn, måtte jeg finde en måde at gøre min pligt på før eller efter skole. For at undgå de lange køer efter vand om aftenen og udmattelsen efter skole, vågnede mange af os før kl. 6 for at hente vand, så vi kunne nå i skole til tiden, som startede kl. 7. Derudover var det en udfordring for ældre mennesker, små børn og mennesker med visse handicap at betjene brønden for at få det til at fylde din beholder med vand, fordi det krævede meget styrke og udholdenhed.
På farligt eventyr efter vand
På de uheldige dage, nogle gange uger, hvor pumpen ved brønden brød sammen, var vi ude på et sandt eventyr! Vi blev tvunget til at gå mindst fem kilometer til en alternativ vandkilde – et ubeskyttet vandhul. Den havde klart vand, som skulle koges, før det var sikkert at drikke. Det var problematisk, især hvis børnene var uden opsyn, eller hvis man ikke havde brænde eller penge til at købe trækul til at koge det.
Men ved du hvad? På trods af alt besværet fik vi det bedste ud af det. At vente i kø ved vandhullet blev et sted, hvor man kunne hænge ud, spille spil og snakke med sine venner.
Livet ser lysere ud
Nu, med den nye beskyttede brønd i byen, ser livet lysere ud! Den beskyttede brønd handler ikke kun om at øge adgangen til vand, men også om at gøre livet lettere for alle i landsbyen, lige fra børnene, der ikke længere skal gå lange afstande for at hente vand, til de ældre, der kan være selvhjulpne og uafhængige og hente deres eget vand.
Derudover er vandet fra den beskyttede brønd meget rent, friskt og sikkert at drikke, fordi det er beskyttet mod vandforurenende stoffer, en ting, som den gamle brønd ikke var.
Så her er et stort skulderklap til Mercy Scouts, Spejderkaffe, Spejdernes Genbrug og det store spejderfællesskab for at få dette til at ske.
Daisy skriver på engelsk. Så hvis du hellere vil læse det på engelsk, kan du læse med herunder:
Are you ready for an adventure from Uganda?
A few days back, on February 15th, something awesome went down in my village. Thanks to the incredible work of Mercy Scouts, backed up by the larger scouts community, we finally got ourselves a brand-new well. This is what Mercy Scouts is all about: building and empowering communities through such impactful activities. In order to show you what this means, allow me to take you back to my childhood days, where getting water was no joke. We only had two water sources to choose from, and the closest one, a borehole, was two kilometres away. Now, walking that distance sounds doable, but trust me, lugging 20 litre jerry cans back and forth was a real workout.The trick was, the bigger the container, the fewer trips but as you can imagine, it was a very strength-taxing job.
We loved the borehole because both kids and adults could drink water straight from it without fear of catching any waterborne diseases like typhoid and diarrhoea. However, being the only closest water source, it was usually crowded especially in the evening when children were back from school and adults were done with work. Since fetching water is usually a task delegated to children, you had to find a way to do your duty before or after school. For some children, to avoid the long lines for water in the evening and the exhaustion after school, many of us woke up before 6:00 AM to fetch water in order to make it on time to school, which started at 7:00 AM. Additionally, operating the borehole to get it to fill your container with water was a challenge for elderly people, young children, and people with certain disabilities because it required a lot of strength, endurance, and stamina.
On the unfortunate days, sometimes weeks when the borehole broke down,we were in for a real adventure! We were forced to walk at least five kilometres to an alternative water source – an unprotected well. It had clear water which needed a good boiling before it was safe to drink. This was problematic especially if kids were unsupervised or you lacked the firewood or money to buy the charcoal to boil it. But you know what? Despite all the hassle, we made the best of it. Waiting in line at the borehole became a hangout spot, where we’d play games and catch up with your buddies.
Now, with this new protected well in town, life’s looking up. This protected well isn’t just about increasing access to water, it’s also about making life easier for everyone in the village from the children having to walk long distances to fetch water to the elderly being able to be self-reliant and independent to get their own water. Additionally, water from the protected well is very clean, fresh and safe for drinking because it is protected from water pollutants, a mechanism that the old well did not have.
So here’s a big shoutout to Mercy Scouts, Spejderkaffe, Spejdernes Genbrug, and the wider scout community for making this happen.
