Motoring stories in Uganda and Paper beads

To say that driving in Uganda is a challenge is an understatement of the century

Apart from the lack of discipline amongst the drivers, there are so many pot holes in the road that finding a road in the pot holes has become a game such as scrabble and the others. Our driver has got it down to a T, speaking of driving, it's madness here a free for all, and if you drive in Kampala the capital city and survive then you need a medal!

Then there is the cost of petrol, around 97p per L that is, if it is indeed petrol that has gone into your vehicle. Drivers are very worried about the cost of petrol as well as the fact that the man at the pump does not always sell you the correct amount that you have purchased and sometimes you are sold anything other than petrol. Apparently Shell filling stations are the worst culprits for this sort of thing so they are avoided at costs.

I wonder whether the folk at Shell international are aware of this? I am not quite sure how this is done but I accept that this is possible as a pump attendant fills your car whilst you wait and have no control over the process.


I am off to the slums of Kampala to meet one of our groups that weave mats out of palm leaves as a way of supporting themselves financially. This is a group of women that have been thrown out of their homes because of HIV/AIDs. I have a feeling I am going to need a large box of tissues

Catch you soon


Update on visit- the producers in the rural areas use whatever they can find the countryside or by rivers and lakes to produce handicrafts and the materials are freely available. The ladies in the slums have to buy everything including old calenders and magazines which they use to produce amazing magazines.

I was surprised that people sell old calenders to such poor women. I was further surprised that this slum is surrounded by amazing homes, think of your worst neighbourhood multiply it ten times or more and move it to the middle of St Georger's Hill in Weybridge.

Anyway my networking paid off, on the second day I was here, I had meeting with the folk at Saatchi and Saatchi, so I called them up and explained the women's predicament. By the end of the tel call, the women were promised as much free old magazines and calenders as they want. The same folk had introduced me to a local TV reporter whose superb, wine bar borders the place we were meeting, I called him up to and asked if he could help by raising awareness of these women's plight. He agreed to take their case to some of the local companies here. So a very good afternoon all in all

Paper beads