Copyright Glenna Gordon/Christian Science Monitor

A story from the lovely Jina Moore, with a few snaps by me. And all you ever thought you might need to know about those guys who swim the Bujugali rapids.

Through the river and over the falls

Siragi Wasige doesn’t have that many options.

Umwenda, the village along the Nile River where Mr. Wasige was born, is unremarkable, which is to say it has as little as most other villages in rural Uganda. But a guy with a wife and two kids at home has to earn a living, so Wasige spends his days along the river, waiting for tourists to wander by the famous Bujagali Falls. For just a few bucks, he does the trick that draws them to its banks: He hurls himself into a Grade V white-water rapid, wearing only his swimming trunks and holding an empty jerry can.

“You have to make sure the jerry can you use does not have an inlet for water – no cracks, no hole,” he says as he tightens the lid on his five-gallon yellow jug. “If there’s a hole, you sink.”

He slips a rope around his wrist and tightens the knot at the other end, around the handle of the jerry can. “It’s for emergencies,” he says with a smile. It’s an obliging nod to risk, but one he thinks is gratuitous. “I have a lot of faith in the jerry can.”

His may be the least capital-intensive job on the Nile, where white-water rafting has become a cash cow of Ugandan tourism. The river supports about 12,000 rafters each year, most of them foreigners, and another 200 or so fishermen, local leaders say.

But the fishermen need boats and nets and oars; the white-water guides need top-of-the-line rafts and safety equipment. Wasige needs an item so cheap and so ubiquitous that even the poorest African homes have them. Like millions of other people across the continent, Wasige uses the jerry can to haul water into his house – when he’s not using it to keep himself afloat. (MORE…)

And, some photos that didn’t make the cut:

I wish my still photos could have captured the way this guy twitched and flexed his left peck every time Jina and I glanced at him.

Lots of people bring shoes/books/toys from America or Europe to Africa. Westerners no doubt have these things in so much plenty that they become disposable. But, that doesn’t mean they should dispose of them in Africa.

From the BBC, an article about old computers sent to Ghana, with this funny photo and anecdote buried in the middle of the story:

To gain an idea of how people in the rich countries sometimes provide inappropriate gifts, you only need to take a look at Ibrahim’s footwear which he found abandoned on the same rubbish heap.

He is wearing a pair of red moon boots that once graced European ski resorts.

No, it has not started snowing in steamy Ghana. But this seemingly out-of-place attire provides good protection as Ibrahim trudges through the toxic sludge, smashing screens in search of scrap.

If you’re coming to Africa and want to give people material items, skip the overweight luggage fees, get here, ask people what they might want or need, and buy it locally to support the economy and the individual.

An opportunity from the Madvhani Foundation. For more information, download this document.

Zawadi Africa will offer Five (5) scholarships as follows: Two (2) Scholarships in Computer Science, ICT or Computer Engineering sponsored by Google to study in South Africa. The scholarships will cover all academic costs (tuition room and board) plus annual travel, and most living expenses.

Applicants must have the following qualifications:

a. must be a female Ugandan citizen, and a recent (past 2 years) graduate of a Ugandan high school

b. must have a minimum of 21 points in A Levels, with minimum grade point of A-6 in Mathematics and Physics

c. Interested in majoring in Computer science, ICT or Computer Engineering

d. must show demonstrated leadership capability based on activities in high school or in the community (head girl, sports captain, community volunteer)

e. demonstrated financial need

Application deadline for the Computer Science Scholarships is August 15th 2008

Three (3) General Scholarships to study in the United States of America.

The scholarships will cover annual travel, and tuition, room and board. Applicants must have the following qualifications:

f. must be a female Ugandan citizen, and a recent (past 2 years) graduate of a Ugandan high school

g. must have 23 points or better in A levels.

h. majors/area of study offered in a broad variety of areas except for Medicine or Law.

i. must show demonstrated leadership capability based on activities in high school or in the community (head girl, sports captain, community volunteer)j. demonstrated financial need Application deadline for the General Scholarships is September 1, 2008.

To apply, please send a brief letter of introduction providing your name, qualifications, desired area of study, and contact information. Please attach a copy of your A-level certificate. Please also attach a brief essay (1 page or less) stating why you believe you would be the best candidate for the scholarship that you are applying for and why you believe you would make the best use of the education you would receive if you win the scholarship.

Applications, specifying which category is being applied for, should be submitted to :

SECRETARY MULJIBHAI MADHVANI FOUNDATION ZAWADI / MADHVANI FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPSC/o. EAST AFRICAN DISTRIBUTORS LIMITED MADHVANI FOUNDATION BUILDING PLOT 20/2, JINJA ROAD, P.O. BOX 6361, KAMPALA.