A DAY IN THE LIFE

The beauty of Nkuringo is striking. Golden sun shines through the dew-draped trees and mist-covered hillside that overlook the lush rainforest of Uganda’s world-famous Bwindi National Park. Tourists come to Bwindi from all over the world to trek to see the endangered mountain gorillas – but most will never see Nkuringo or its women.

On a typical day, a woman’s daily routine is full and busy – starting well before dawn and ending long after her family is fast asleep.

Rise and Shine

Waking before sunrise, women in Nkuringo set out for their walk for water in the pitch dark. The 2-mile walk takes them down to a murky watering hole shared with animals and back up the mountainous terrain, carrying a 40 lbs jerry can uphill on uneven paths. Women walk for the water that her family will need throughout the day for drinking, cooking, sanitation, and hygiene. The daily walk for water is a physically demanding and time-consuming task, and almost always falls to women.

  • At 80 years old, Gerulina is one of Nkuringo’s oldest matriarchs. Wise with the knowledge gained over nine decades, Gerulina has seen many changes over the years. But the one thing that has never changed is the walk women take for water. “For as long as I can remember, women have walked to fetch water,” says Gerulina. “Today, changes to the weather make it difficult to predict when and how much rainfall we will get.” Too old now to make the gruelling daily walk for water, Gerulina depends on her granddaughters. Women today walk much further to find a water source as many closer watering holes have dried up over the decades. Depending on the season, women may have to walk much further to find a water source.

The School Run

Returning home, mothers will use water to prepare breakfast and get children off to school for a day of learning. Even after an exhausting morning, she will have many more domestic chores on her to-do list. More trips for water may be needed for loads of laundry of children’s school uniforms and her husband’s work clothes.

Tending to the Garden

By midday, women head to their garden patches that cling to Nkuringo’s hillside, where they grow vegetables like potatoes, cabbage and onions.  Throughout the morning, she will have carefully considered how to sparingly use the water she collected to make sure there is enough to water the garden. Gardens provide vital sustenance, and when crops fail, there will not be enough food to feed the family.

  • Every day, young mum, Beatrice, walks for water with two young children in tow, just as she did during her two pregnancies. “My husband collected water and did the gardening from the end of my seventh month,” says Beatrice grateful for the extra help when the terrain became too difficult to navigate in her last trimester. The burden and weight of carrying a 40 lbs jerry can of water is straining for most, let alone for a pregnant woman. Most women in Nkuringo access on average of two antenatal care appointments at the nearby health centre - well below the World Health Organisation’s recommended four. Antenatal care throughout pregnancy is essential for every pregnant woman and her unborn baby to check for risks or conditions during pregnancy or at birth.

  • When labour pains began during her fourth pregnancy, Adrin knew exactly what to do and immediately went to her nearest health centre. While the local health centre offers basic maternal health services, there are limited birthing facilities and no emergency obstetric care. Adrin’s midwife suspected an obstructed labour and began discussing a potential emergency c-section. “I thought I would lose my life that day,” recalls Adrin “It would have been impossible to reach help in time.” The nearest hospital is over 37 km away on a largely untarmacked road down the mountain. The trip in her condition was unthinkable. Luckily, she delivered the baby without any complications. But her brush with death left her deeply shaken by the lack of emergency support in childbirth available locally. Local health centres in Nkuringo are currently not equipped for emergency obstetric care. Women are urged to give birth at the hospital but must make plans to do so before the onset of labour.

  • Evelyn is passionate that every woman should be able to choose the timing and spacing of her pregnancies. “Women want family planning services,” says Evelyn. “We want to have a manageable number of children.” Evelyn often encourages her sisters, and friends to find out more about the benefits of contraception. Yet, many women in Nkuringo struggle to access affordable and available contraception they want and need. The local rudimentary pharmacy often has empty shelves. And when contraception is available, the injectable contraception is usually the only option, which may be an incompatible choice for some women.

Handicrafts for Sale

Traditional handicrafts and carvings sold to tourists help provide women with an extra bit of money. Many women will keep the little money they earn as safe keeping for their family. Some will keep the money to ensure they, their sisters or daughters can travel to nearby hospital in advance of labour to give birth safely.

  • Sabina is a proud member of the local women’s group NCENT – a safe haven and beacon of hope for so many women here in Nkuringo. NCENT is a lifeline for local women, fostering strong friendships and providing a safe space to discuss pressing women’s issues. Thanks to NCENT’s sewing machines, Sabina designed and sewed skirts for every one of NCENT’s singing and dancing troupe with 40-odd women. Dancing women proudly wear their skirts during their traditional and cultural dances for tourists visiting nearby Bwindi National Park. After some convincing, Sabina is now sharing her love of sewing, teaching the other women to make baby clothes, school uniforms, and handicrafts. She encourages them to earn some extra money by selling at the nearby market or in tourist areas. Sabina wears her new dress she recently sewed, and beams with pride, her face radiating with confidence.

Family Dinner

Before dinner, women may need to walk for water again, depending on the size and needs of her family. Now home from school, children can accompany their mothers to help carry more water needed for dinner and bathing. The family will sit down for dinner – with most food grown from the family’s allotment. If there isn’t enough food to go around, the women in the family will be the first to go without.

Early to Bed

After getting children bathed and off to bed, many mothers will try to get to bed early to rest for the next day. Many women will put themselves last, ensuring their families are nourished and well cared for before thinking of herself. Yet women are the backbone of daily life in Nkuringo and deserve so much more.

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All funds from the 2022 Big Give Christmas Challenge will support our project – “Thrive: Addressing Water and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)” in Nkuringo, Uganda.

Photo Credit:
All images taken by Richard Huggard | SafeHands | Uganda | 2022