I first went to Maya with John Njendahayo about 14 years ago. He’d recently bought the plot of land which was on a minor crossroads of two dirt roads in the midst of a rural, not overly populated community on the edge of Kampala.
The plan was to construct a small health clinic which would provide primary health care for the the local community, and in particular women in need to ante- and post-natal support. There were to be some simple homes that provided accommodation for visiting doctors as well. I so clearly remember sitting with John, and chatting about these exciting plans together whilst eating the Ugandan lunch dish of Rolex (omelette rolled in chapatti – rolled eggs – rolex!)
As time went on, the clinic structure got built, and in John’s usual wise way he kept it simple in style so that the space was flexible and able to be altered if plans changed. He also built three simple homes, again with a flexible design that could adapt as needed. An experimental ‘tube home’ was created – literally a concrete tube about 2m diameter and 3.5m deep. Space to stand up in, lie down in, have storage space, a secure door, and able (theoretically) to be put onto the back of a truck and moved to somewhere new if the tube owner needed to relocate. NB this bit has never been put into practice as the need hasn’t arisen, but it was a great prototype for exploring an option to combat the challenge of temporary housing and land rights.
In the end the clinic didn’t become a clinic, as the bureaucratic requirements were too great, and the nature of the community changed leading to other government clinics being opened instead. However, John’s vision of using Maya to support those who live more on the margins of society hasn’t diminished.
For a while there was a dentist present who carried out clinics a couple of times a week, and many local people were able to receive dental care which had previously been inaccessible to them. Unfortunately, the dentist was unable to stay long-term, and it proved very hard to find another with the same philanthropic outlook to take his place. One of the homes was lived in for a long while by a grandmother who was living in very poor conditions whilst trying to care for several grandchildren – imagine the difference it made to that elderly lady to have a safe space to call home with a water-tight roof over her head that didn’t require perpetual maintenance. Another of the homes was used by a bishop who had fled from South Sudan and was living in exile in Uganda – the home provided him with a safe space in which to heal, and to continue his ministry albeit in a different format. The original Clinic building has been adapted and is now three apartments, all of them occupied, and all three of the other homes remain occupied (the grandmother passed on and her family have moved to a new part of Uganda out of choice).
The most recent addition to the complex that I was delighted to see on this visit is a pair of two-storey homes, semi-detached, that are almost at the point of being lived in. Not only will these provide homes to deserving families, but the rental income from all these homes is being ploughed back into initiatives to support the wider community in maya and beyond, all of which support those for whom the worry of poverty and food security is never far away.
One way in which that was done is that John has bought an additional piece of nearby land that has a natural spring on it. He is now able to access fresh water that he can pump to the homes in the compound as there’s none that is piped in the area. But the water is not going just to those homes, but also it is being made available for sale at a reduced price to other homes around. In this way, the residents have much lower water bills, they don’t need to walk far to get the water, and they can then use the water to grow crops and develop other small businesses that are a bit more water intensive (eg chicken rearing). John would love to have lain pipes to these homes, but unfortunately national water won’t allow that (and also won’t lay their own pipes), so low price standpipe water is the next best thing, and gives employment to someone who will be in charge of filling the jerricans and taking the money.
Another plan is to set up a washing bay for the boda-boda’s (motorbike taxis). Access to water is a big headache when it comes to washing the bike, and often bikers can be seen washing their bikes in puddles, rivers, and any other bit of run off water they can find. Obviously this tends to be dirty water that isn’t particularly good for the bike, and so for the boda guys to have somewhere that they can come with reliable, clean water is a big plus. It also provides employment for another local who will oversee the project.
The third new initiative in the plans is a small snack shop that will be in the same area as the washing bay. In this way, the boda guys can buy a soda or cup of tea etc to drink, and a mandazi (Ugandan doughnut) or samosa or chapatti or some other Ugandan delicacy to eat. And of course anyone else who is passing and fancies a snack is also welcome. It will bring another feature to the area, bring opportunities for employment to those who run the snack bar, and those who make the food, and will increase the awareness of the community generally leading to a greater footfall.
It has been beautiful to see the way in which the plans for Maya have developed organically over the years. I’m sure this isn’t the end of that journey, but that God has more in store for this community in ways yet to be revealed. But it is safe to say that while Maya continues to bless and to support those in the community, it continues to fulfil the original vision, but in the way that God foresaw, rather than the smaller view we had,
No comments:
Post a Comment