Realities

As we rode along a dirt road in south west Uganda, I spotted some large earthworks and asked what was happening. It was explained that there is a lot of work available breaking rocks from the cliff with fire and chisels, and then hammering those rocks into gravel. Building materials are in big demand. A wheelbarrow full sells for $2. A small truck load fetches $10. There were many people involved in this excruciatingly hard and boring work, including women and children.

I wondered how desperate one would have to be to spend from dawn until dusk hammering rocks. My friend Alan, in training as a guide, told me that when he left high school it was the only work available to him and he settled in for a spell as a rock crusher. Ambition and good luck have since led him to greener pastures. It is hard to find work when there is no work available. 

Alan happily posed for this picture of him as it used to be.