Bolton family will help build well in Uganda

August 10, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Bill Rea
A Scouting family from Bolton is soon going to be assisting with the alleviation of water problems.
This work is going to be done in a village near Kampala, the capital of Uganda, as part of the Water for Life project.
Ted White is a Scouter, and his son Zachary is in the 1st Bolton organization as a Venturer, which his daughter Alexandra, both 17, is a medical Venturer in the 1st Palgrave group. Their older brother Jarid, 19, is a Rover who is spending part of the summer working at Haliburton Scout Reserve.
Ted said they will be joined by Scouts from Watford, near Sarnia. They will be leaving later this month, returning Aug. 31.
The project will include drilling a well, and he said the work might have actually been started before they get there.
He explained villagers currently have to carry water from springs or surface ponds. In a lot of cases, the water is contaminated, which can lead to such illnesses as cholera and dysentery. It’s also seen as a main cause of infant mortality.
Zachary observed not many people would be willing to drink that water.
“You’d have to be really, really, really, really desperate,” he said.
“Doing the well really changes the lives over there,” his father added.
He added the villages don’t have any money to do anything about it.
“They’ve got manpower and you can usually get supplies,” he observed.
He said there will be 11 in the party, working on the well and visiting local schools with supplies. They will also be building a new bunk house at the National Uganda Scout Camp. The bunk house will be called “Canadorm.”
“It will be painted to reflect its name,” he added.
Ted said a drilling rig was sen over to Uganda in 2013, so the equipment is already there.
Not surprisingly, both young people are looking forward to the journey.
“We’ve never been to Africa,” Zachary said.
“We get to experience a different culture,” Alexandra added.
Ted said he heard about the trip and put the idea to the three Scouts in the family.
“All three of them said ‘yes,’” he said.
“No details,” Alexandra added. “just ‘yes.’”
Although there will be a lot of work involved, they are also looking forward to seeing some of the sights of Africa, including the animals.”We are allowed to have some fun while we’re there,” Ted observed.