One family ...

“F” is a nine year old girl who attends Breakfast Center “B.” Her home is literally steps away. Her breakfast center volunteer walked this reporter and his Ugandan translator to her house in order to gain insight into the living situation of beneficiaries of the NFSC breakfast program.

We cut through the schoolyard, which had drawn silent as classes had begun for the day. Approaching the house we were greeted outside by F’s mother. The volunteer kindly explained the purpose of the visit. While they were talking, I could not help but notice the rancid smell in the air. Looking down, flies surrounded my feet and slightly to my left, near the front porch appeared there was indeed what appeared to be where someone had recently urinated, likely from the front porch. Behind me was a dark pool of greenish feces that seemed too big to belong to any animal surrounding the house, which included two goats and a cat.

Three structures appeared on the property. The residential structure looked to be approximately 14’x 10’ and the mother informed us that over ten people lived inside, including three adults and six of her brothers and sisters. (Her husband does not live there.) The house is constructed with what appeared to be a dirt or mud base, which the translator termed a “not for blocks,” semi-permanent structure; though, it did have a tin roof. A second mud brick structure stood adjacent to the house. It was not readily apparent whether the building was in the process of being built or whether it had collapsed, but the mother informed that it was, in fact, being constructed. In addition, a kiosk stood in front of both of the buildings, similar to the kind lining the streets of the nearby village. F’s mother said that at one time, this kiosk was used as an income generating activity to support her family by selling tomatoes. However, the kiosk had collapsed and currently is unusable. F’s mother (and the rest of her family) have no steady source of income. Fortunately, she owns her own house and property, so her main concerns and responsibilities center on looking after her children, feeding them, and providing education. She mentioned that occasionally she is able to do part-time jobs such as laundry (which the translator estimated would bring in about $1.25 for several hours’ work) or occasionally bake.