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| Jinja's colonial-era post office. |
Uganda has often been called the Pearl of Africa, and it's
not hard to see why when you first set eyes on this verdant green land, teeming with life. The heart of a country is its people
and Uganda does hospitality by the minibus load, offering you warm smiles and welcomes wherever you go. The whole country
is a tapestry of vibrant colours, music, and laughter.
Standing on the lush banks of The River Nile, Jinja is Uganda's
second biggest city. The town itself has a vivacious, multi-cultural feel to it, and tourists flock from all over the world
to see where The Nile starts its long 6,500km journey north. Many go on to take up the challenge of the river's mighty grade
five rapids, which are now one of Uganda's main tourist attractions.
Jinja became an economic boom town at the start
of the twentieth century due to its strategic location close to the river and Uganda's capital city Kampala, which is only
80km away. Its central position in Uganda's industry was cemented in 1954 with the building of the Owen Falls Dam, providing
it with cheap, accessible (if not very reliable), electricity. Within a few short years, the community had expanded to include
many Europeans and Asians who were keen to settle in this bustling industrial hub.
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| A Jinja street. |
Jinja's successful history sadly took a turn for the worse during the Amin years. What
had once been a multicultural boom-town was destroyed by the expulsion of all Asians from Uganda in 1973. This was a particular
blow to the community as the Asian population had owned many of the town's businesses, and the people who replaced them had
no experience and no qualifications. In no time at all they had run the town's businesses into the ground. The town hit an
economic slump, from which it is still recovering today. Grand colonial buildings were left to deteriorate and the paint began
to peel off the signs lining the shops of Main Street.
Today Jinja is once again an economic hub in Uganda, even if
it is very sleepy compared to the chaos of the capital, Kampala. The long, central Main Street is flanked by green trees and
partially renovated buildings, where Ugandans and ex-pats alike gather under the shade for chilled sodas during the town's
clear-blue sunny days. Wealth always attracts both the rich and the poor of a nation, all of whom want to share in a town's
success. Too few people look beyond Main Street to see the misery of street life that hides behind it. How a town can have
such a show of grandeur and riches, living alongside such abject poverty is a mystery. Too many people just walk past the
street children as though they are invisible.
It is in this fascinating town that S.A.L.V.E. International has decided
to focus its attention, seeking to help those invisible children become part of the vibrant community they live on the edge
of. Why not travel to Jinja yourself and see the work we are doing? You will always be welcomed, both by S.A.L.V.E. and by
Uganda as a whole!
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© 2008 SALVE International
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