Challenging road travel conditions
Travelling in Uganda is a very different experience. The Mission 4 Water team have travelled thousands of miles throughout Uganda in the past few years, typically off the beaten track, deep into the villages. The tracks are often very rugged, uneven and slippery with mud in the rainy season. Even the “main roads” are often poorly constructed and punctuated with potholes, some quite deep.
Anyone who has ever visited Uganda will agree that driving here is certainly a challenge. There are animals which frequently wonder across the road; boda-bodas (taxi motor cycles) weaving in and out of the traffic, sometimes on the wrong side of the road. Then there are the “taxis”, the minibuses which, fully-ladened with anything from mattresses to bunches of bananas, are always on the look-out for another fare paying passenger as they progress along the road, pulling in and out and stopping abruptly without any warning.
It was one such taxi, racing with another to the next trading centre, that suddenly pulled out across the road recently, straight into the path of Sunday in the Mission 4 Water 2001 Landcruiser, travelling in the opposite direction. The head-on collision caused a wheel to come off, meaning that our car was uncontrollable. It left the road and crashed into a building. We thank God that Sunday walked away from the accident completely unharmed, if shaken. It certainly was a miracle!
Options for a new vehicle
We were not surprised when the insurance company informed us that our vehicle was a write-off. We are grateful that we had comprehensive insurance with a reputable insurance company (not all insurance companies can be described as such here). However, once the excess has been deducted it leaves us with a very small budget to invest in a replacement. In the meantime we are having to hire a car in order to keep the show on the road.
Whilst our car was in very good condition, unfortunately that can’t be said of many cars in Uganda. There is no such thing as a service history; no MOT and no guarantees when buying a used car. Hence buying a second hand vehicle here is very risky. The best way to eliminate some of those risks is to buy a newly imported vehicle from the Bond, usually coming in from Japan. These cars are advertised for sale at a rate before taxes. Car sales taxes are numerous and high, including import tax, VAT, a further tax if a vehicle is older than 10 years (which is most), and an emissions tax. All these together can easily double the price of a car.
How you can help us get a replacement support vehicle
Before we invest in a replacement vehicle we are trying to raise some more funds and so we respectfully ask our supporters and followers please to consider if they can make a donation to assist us at this difficult time. Any donation, no matter how small will help.
Online Donation
Tap or click on this button to go to our online donation page using our online donation service.
Set up a standing order
Alternatively you can click or tap this link to download a standing order and gift aid form , or simply send a cheque made payable to Mission4Water, posted to our treasurer Mr Alan Field, 9 Sherwood Avenue, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 8JS.
Set up a bank transfer
For information about bank transfers to Uganda from places other than the UK please email [email protected].
We thank you in advance. Sue and Sunday