Dear loyal readers,
Today we had our first large-scale distribution of Yoba yoghurt! As you may have read in Bernd’s last post, after weeks of struggling in the lab to get our beloved Yoba taste back we were finally able to produce the healthy drink again. This meant quick action had to be taken in order to bring it to the village as soon as possible. I called Fred for a meeting, explaining I would like to perform a large production in his plant, and distribute it to the small consumers in his village. We decided to distribute it to the nearby school, where children are usually able to have a cup of porridge on the lucky days that there is no money shortage. So after some initial planning I was back in Kateete, with my labcoat on and 75 liters of milk at my disposal. This morning, after having one last taste and a nod of approval, Bernd, Fred and me were carrying 2 big milkcans across Katete to the primary school. Children were enthousiastic to learn about this new product (or just excited about the added variety in their school break), running to the big containers and politely standing in line with their cup. Thanks to the very helpful teachers the whole process went smoothly. After approximately 200 cups were filled the kids were able to take a rest in the shadow and enjoy the very first probiotic yoghurt produced on Ugandan soil. If all goes as planned, this will be only the first event of a long lasting school feeding program, allowing children in the villages of Uganda to take a Yoba break in school, improving their immune system and therewith allowing them to concentrate more in class!
On a personal front, I am starting to realize more and more that less than 3 weeks are left for me to join my shivering, freezing European friends in my little snow-covered country. Although I must say walking around in flip-flops at 30 degrees Celcius in February is quite amazing, part of me is looking forward to being back in good old Netherlands. Even the thought of having to bike through the wind, wearing multiple layers of clothing, a scarf and gloves is somewhat charming in my mind. Let’s see in March if I will have completely skipped winter this year, or if my wish of having one snowball fight in the near future will come true!
As for now, warm greetings from the beautiful hills of Mukono!
Chris
