Made in Katete

While waiting for the rain to stop in the village of Katete to make my way back to Mukono I realize now is a good time to write my new blog. The last few days I have been here to do some experiments with the yoghurt under the somewhat more primitive circumstances this factory offers. As we do not have a water bath that can keep the temperature of the milk warm enough during fermentation, we had to come up with other methods. One idea was to heat up some stones, and place the milk pans on them after inoculation. However, we soon realized the stones did not keep warm long enough to have the desired effect. Fred, the factory manager, suggested simply using a labcoat as a blanket to keep the pans at the right temperature throughout the night. I followed his advice, and the next day I was happy to conclude that this was an effective method, when comparing the Yoba milk to another pan I had not placed under the cover. Further experimentation is required but progress had been made!

When I was not busy working I was able to spend some time with my newly made friends here, Olivia and Tim. Olivia is a hairdresser from Mukono, teaching local women how to style hair so that they can make a living from it (one of the projects initiated by Tiziana). Tim is a bright 17-year old kid, who unfortunately did not have money to go to school this year. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, he decided to pull up his sleeves and work his way back; with the help of Fred he is setting up a garden, where he grows his own carrots. Herewith he plans to make enough money to be able to finish high school. By the time he is in school he plans to have people working the garden for him, so that he can keep paying the school fees.
I enjoy my time in the village. It offers a stark contrast with Mukono, which due to its large university can enjoy a more vibrant lifestyle, but I can´t help but appreciate the peace and quite, the friendly greetings, the wonderful walk to Lake Victoria and helping Tim in the garden, planting his seeds towards his own future.

It seems that the rain has stopped, so I will pack up and leave again. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!

Cheers,

Christiaan Broekman