...and back home in Edinburgh! My year’s adventure in Uganda has come to an end, and I have safely returned, although I’m aware that a large part of me has been left behind and is still in Kiwoko Hospital. In many ways it’s a miracle to have made it home (there seemed to be a conspiracy to keep me at the hospital!). First off was the planned UK airports strikes, cunningly designed to impact my planned date of flying! These were fortunately called off well in advance.
Then came the situation in Kenya. Although obviously devastating for that country, the violence that has erupted there in the wake of the disputed elections has a much wider impact on the whole region. Most of Uganda’s imports come through the port of Mombasa, passing through Nairobi on the way to the border. This trade route was effectively closed, with the result that Uganda rapidly ran out of fuel. Unlike a western country where there would be reserves and a control on prices, in Uganda the few stations still able to sell fuel were able to inflate the price enormously. I’ve heard complaints from the UK about petrol reaching £1/litre, but in the space of a couple of days after New Year, people were paying £5/litre. In a country where a large part of the population earn less than £1 a day, this is obviously unaffordable, and resulted in most transport ceasing. My planned route to the airport – a public share-taxi, usually costing a couple of pounds at most – would have had to charge four or five times as much to cover its costs, which no locals could afford, and so wasn’t running. Fortunately I was able to get a lift with Dr Rory, who was heading to Kampala for the weekend, but meaning I left a day early and spent time in hotels in the capital and Entebbe instead.
The send-off I got from the people in Kiwoko was a bit overwhelming. We held a ceilidh (Scottish dancing) on my last night, following which several people were in tears as they said goodbye. The Ugandan locals had obviously welcomed me completely into their community over the last year, and were very sad I was leaving. For my part, I have made many good friends who I will miss terribly, both among hospital staff and locals, and will definitely return to visit soon.
And so I’m now back in a very cold, wet, windy, dark and miserable Scotland - just my luck to return in the middle of a few days of appalling weather. It’s been good to spend time with my family, and good to start catching up with friends again. In many ways it feels like I haven’t been away, with so much just the same as before I left, but I’m also aware that a year has gone by in everyone’s life here, just as it has for me. It’s going to take a while to settle back into life.
I have managed to get things fairly well sorted out in my flat; I have so much stuff here compared with in Africa. Now I’m here, there are various talks I’ll have to prepare for various groups that have supported me this year, and then various admin jobs to complete, such as my tax return, and sorting out a parking fine dispute from November which actually concerns a white van which has cloned my car’s numberplate while I’ve been away! Unbelievable! Then comes the challenge of reintegrating myself into the UK health system, when I start work again at the beginning of February. I'm still not sure what job I’ll be doing…
Anyway, to all those who have been following my adventures this year, I hope that this blog has given a good idea of what life is like in one part of the Developing World. It’s been a fantastic experience for me, and one that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Please do continue praying for the work of Kiwoko Hospital, and the staff and patients there, as they show a practical expression of God’s love for all people, in an area of great need. Check out www.fokh.org.uk for more information about the hospital and how to support it.
God bless,
Steve
