Uganda
Uganda is a land-locked country that sits on the equator in sub Saharan East Africa. Its neighbors are the
Democratic Republic of Congo on the west, Sudan to the north, Kenya on the east and Tanzania to the
south with just a small corner in the southwest connecting to Rwanda. (Map of Uganda)
Pallisa
The Pallisa District is north of the capital city of Kampala and has a population approximating 500,000.
Within the district the town of Pallisa has a population of 20,000 scattered across the surrounding 10 km
area. This is a rural area with a lot of subsistence farming and extremely limited public transportation.
(Map blowup showing Pallisa)
Chelekura
Chelekura is a very small village located in the “Heart of Africa”. It is seldom depicted on maps and you
have to really persevere to find anything about the area, most times googling it will be unsuccessful. It is
in the Pallisa District and it is located about 20 km northwest of the town of Pallisa. There is no
established town or village but more an area with a collection of tribal groups that are subsistence
farmers. (Map of Chelekura)
Climate
The country’s equatorial location and high average elevation bless Uganda with a pleasant tropical
climate and ample rainfall throughout the year. There are two rainy seasons. The first occurs between
March / June and a second happens during August / September. In spite of this, providing readily
available safe drinking water to the populace is a major problem. Average daytime highs range between
68 - 86 F.
Geography
The terrain within Uganda varies greatly. Not far from Chelekura is Mount Eldon, the second highest
mountain in East Africa with an altitude of 4,700 meters. In the immediate Chelekura area however the
land is relatively flat with low gently rolling hills and a rocky terrain.
Agriculture
More than 90 % of the employed in the rural communities around Chelekura are engaged in agriculture
and the majority of those are small subsistence farms. In general women contribute most of the farm
labor. Crops consist mainly of: cereals (maize, millet, rice), legumes (groundnuts, soybeans, green
beans), and root crops (cassava, yams, sweet potatoes, and bananas). The only cash crop which is grown
is cotton.
Water
Urban areas and communities where there are governmental offices generally have access to potable
water. In rural areas however obtaining clean water is often a daily, time consuming struggle. If there is
a local bore hole, people (generally children and women) walk many miles daily to queue up in long lines
waiting their turn to fill their bright yellow jerry can and then start the long walk home carrying the
heavy water cans. This daily migration of countless people walking the roads with their big yellow cans is
a too common sight in all of Africa. If there is no local bore hole, people must depend on water from
lakes, rivers, and streams. This water source is often contaminated and the source of many water borne
diseases. Schools establish wells so that children have access to good drinking water and people that live
in the vicinity of these schools are also able to benefit from this water source. However, establishing a
well is an expensive proposition. The current cost is approximately $7000. At John Paul Secondary
School we drilled for water seven times and were unable to find a source of water. Ultimately we
installed an 18,000 litre cistern and water collection unit to take advantage of the twice seasonal rains
to provide good water.