Tusingwire's mighty hand that hits two birds with one stone in Acholi Quarters

Until October 31, New Vision will devote space to highlighting the plight of slum dwellers in Uganda. Today, CAROL NAMTOSI brings you Acholi Quarters in Banda, which has changed the lives of slum dwellers with a recreational facility

Imagine life without Kaveera (polythene bag)! Look around your house; from the bread you bought yesterday to the fresh vegetables from the market and the bottled water you take to cool off. If not all, most of these items come packed or wrapped in Kaveera or plastic container.

Ugandans are obsessed with plastics yet the proper disposal methods are totally lacking, resulting into environmental hazards. 

Polythene materials are known to 1,000 of years to degrade if at all they ever do. The floods in Kampala and many other areas in the country are largely blamed on used plastic items that are carelessly disposed of, and end up choking the drainage channels. The situation is worst in slums.

While Bwaise is well-known for flooding, Acholi Quarters in Banda, Nakawa Division has had its share of the devastating effects of plastic items. 

When filled with rain water, plastics become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Whereas the Government is trying to find ways of managing waste, the challenge is proving difficult.

But somewhere in Acholi Quarters, one man, by the name of Bruno Tusingwire, has devised creative ways of putting plastic waste to good use. Tusingwire is a lecturer of Kyambogo University.

Amusement park

Using waste plastic bottles, Tusingwire has created an amazing amusement park for children at St. Joseph Nursery and Primary School in Acholi Quarters. 

The park was designed for children in the slums with limited access to safe place for play and education. Tusingwire’s design gives the children a physiological and emotional lift through recreation. The use of materials and inventive structures has provided new ways for the children to learn from and engage with their environment. 

The project got the first 2012 TED Prize of $10,000 (about sh25m ) at the TEDx Summit in Doha, Qatar. TED X is an American-founded programme designed to give communities, organisations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through experiences at the local level. 

Inspiration for environment

Tusingwire, originally a gallery artist, began to focus on relief efforts geared at helping the community when he realised that Uganda suffered from extreme poverty and a lack of access to education.

He was inspired to build the amusement park when he got involved in eco-art (a type of art that focuses on the environment through use of visual arts and communication empowerment).

While an art and design student at Kyambogo University, Tusingwire began meeting other artists and together they started making artwork out of garbage.

Tusingwire says: “I shifted from doing wall hangings to doing art that solves community needs. It has helped me realise my value to society.”

He adds that art is unifying factor that can be used to for leisure, employment and to improve the environment.

Why Acholi Quarters?

Acholi Quarters in Banda came about in the 1950s, when labourers from Acholi sub-region were brought to work in tea plantations in the area. However, when former president Idi Amin expelled the Asians in 1972, the tea estate collapsed but the workers stayed in the area. 

Acholi Quarters is characterised by crowded structures, poor sanitation and lack of health facilities, a common occurrence in many slums in Uganda. According to the 2002 Population and Housing Census report, an estimated 1.26 million people live in slums. 

Tusingwire adds that he chose Acholi Quarters on the realising that there was no recreational facility for the children in this congested slum. 

Tusingwire says there are a lot of positive stories within the slums that never get to the media. This is because when someone talks about a slum, the first thing that comes to mind is crime, poverty, health problems and illiteracy. 

What about the good things like the young boy who is teaching others soccer, or giving computer lessons? What about the girl who is doing odd jobs just to keep her family alive?” he asks.

Benefits to community

Although it is a low-cost community initiative, the project has provided employment opportunities to the community. But the biggest beneficiaries are the children who are already enjoying the park’s facilities. 

Michael Khasete, the head teacher of St Joseph’s Primary and Nursery School, says before the project started, the school was about to close down.

There was no playground for the children and the number of pupils had dwindled due to lack of funds. However, things have since changed.

“We now have an amusement facility for the children. The number of children has gone up to 357 from less than 200 last year. The games in the park are supposed to challenge the children’s mind and equipping them with skills such as problem solving,” Khasete explains. 

He adds that the children have participated in the construction of the park and have learnt creative ways of using waste material to preserve the environment.

Why waste material?

Tusingwire says he wanted to create change within the environment without necessarily spending a lot of money. Most projects in Uganda, he says, fail due to insufficient funding and lack of creativity. 

“In my final year at Kyambogo University, I decided to work on a project that would create a positive change. The theme was visual art denoting a hand that speaks,” he explains. 

Local leaders speak out

The area LC1 chairperson, John Mutto, implores the Government to sensitise the communities on garbage management.  He explains that although Kampala City Council Authority has been sending garbage trucks to Banda, they never receive any in his zone. 

“The women in this community are the ones who have been moving around collecting waste,” Mutto says.

Future plans

Tusingwire, also the winner of the 2011Young Achievers awards, is hopeful that with time people will appreciate and join in his efforts.