PRAfrica
Poverty Relief
…ですが、時間の経つのは本とに早く、毎年一度の帰国もひと月が経ってしまいました。当方ハイリスク高齢者ですので、ひたすら外出自粛、”巣ごもり”しています。もっと高齢の親、親類、友人たち誰一人にも会っていません。今のところ我々二人も、親、親類,友人たちにも”陽性者”は出ていないようです。
UGは、まだ感染者は少なく死者も出ていないとのことですが、私どもが支援している子供たちの家々や近隣周辺には水道も無く、劣悪な衛生環境からすれば、遅かれ早かれ、大変な事態に陥るのでは…？と震えがきます。図書館スタッフも子供たちもInt.ネットはできないので、手紙を書こうと思ったのですが、トロ~イ日本政府と違い、UGは既に『国外からの入国禁止』、『全国民の外出禁止』が発令したそうで、物流、交通手段も無くなり、EMS（国際宅急便）でも配達されないのであきらめました。UGへの帰路航空券は既に取ってありますが、①UGへの入国不可、②EKは全便運航停止中（帰路チケットは有効期限が1年延長に…）、③ぬるま湯日本でも遂に出国禁止勧告が出たので、①②③すべてが解除になるまでは、子供たちや人々の健康が守られるように、命が助かるように、遥か日本から祈り続けるしかなさそうです。
まさに”非常時”‼、皆様もどうぞご自愛の上お元気でお過ごし下さい。
PS: 支援物資をお送り下さるという有難いお申し出もいただいていますが、上の様な状況で、いつ現地で受け取れるか、利用できるか見通しが立ちません。帰UGの日が決まりましたら、お知らせいたしますので、お待ちくださいますようどうぞお願いいたします。
Time truly flies. One month has already passed since we returned to Japan for our annual visit home. As we are at high risk for
serious complications from the coronavirus because of our age, we are refraining from going out. We have not seen my mother, who is even older, or any of our relatives or friends. So far neither
we nor any of them has been infected.
In Uganda few people have been infected with the coronavirus, and there have been no deaths. But there is no running water in
the homes of the families of the children we support or in their neighborhoods. In light of the poor sanitation, we fear sooner or later the situation will be serious.
Neither the staff of the library nor the children who use it have access to the Internet, so we decided to send a letter to them. But, unlike the
slow-moving government of Japan, Uganda has already banned the entry of foreigners and instituted a lockdown. The use of private vehicles has been prohibited, and public transport has been
halted. International express mail will not be delivered, so we abandoned that idea.
We already have our airline tickets to return to Uganda, but 1) we are banned from entering the country, 2) Emirates has
canceled all flights (our return tickets are open with a one-year validity), and 3) even complacent Japan finally prohibited travel abroad. So, until these three circumstances change, we must
remain in Japan and continue to pray that the children and others in Kitgum stay healthy and that their lives are spared.
To all those reading this, please take care of yourselves too amid this crisis.
One final note: Some people have kindly offered to send emergency supplies to the library, but because of the current situation,
there is no way to know when we will be able to receive them there or if we will be able to use them. Once we know when we will be able to return to Uganda, we will notify you. So please wait
until then.
《写真は全てコロナ騒ぎが起こる前、今回の帰国よりずっと以前折々に撮ってあったものです》
毎日多くの来訪者がある県庁の敷地。部局ごとの多くの建物が散在。しかし、水道は敷地内に２か所の外付け蛇口があるだけ。清掃スタッフが管理し,彼女たちがお休みの時はロックされて使用不可。図書館の向いの立派な2階建て戦争ミュージアム。エアコンやWiFiといった設備が整ったこの建物内にも水道は無し！
The grounds of KTG district government headquarters, which many people visit every day. Various departments are housed in the many buildings. But there are only two water faucets outside. When
the cleaning staff in charge of the faucets is off work, the faucets are locked and cannot be used. The big building opposite the library is the National Memory and Peace Documentation Centre.
Although it has air conditioning and Wi-Fi, there is no running water!
帰国直前の日曜日、一般の図書館利用者の列。上述の事情なので、開館日はいつも 右端に手洗い用の雨水利用のタンクを用意。 Patrons line up outside the library waiting to get in. This photo was taken the Sunday just before we left to return to Japan. Because of the water situation described above, when the library is open we put a large bottle of rainwater (seen at right) outside the library for people to wash their hands.
Ktgのバスパーク。K'laやGulu、さらに奥の村々に行き来する人々はここから乗り合いバス（ミニバンや小型トラック）で移動。“外出禁止令”が出て、今は、乗り物も人々の姿も消えたそうです。この広～いバスパークにも水道は一つもありません！ This photo shows the bus station in Kitgum. People who want to travel to even more rural villages can catch buses (actually minivans or small trucks) here. But because of the lockdown, no vehicle and no one can be seen these days. No water is available at this big bus station either.)
藁屋根＋牛糞と泥の壁＋土間…の支援子供たちの家々。水道も電気も無し、換気をする窓もありません。 Homes of several students who are receiving support from PR Africa are seen in these photos. They have thatched roofs, walls made of mud and cow dung, and earthen floors. They have no running water, electricity or windows for ventilation.
