Umuganda

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today is what is known as umuganda. The last Saturday of each month when all residents have to go and do some community chores together, both as a means of getting to know each other and to get some stuff done I guess. This involves jobs such as clearing the verges.
Very few people have addresses out here and so the towns/villages are divided into divisions and then secteurs and then cells, so people’s addresses just contain their name and cell name and someone within that cell will know them! There must be a good hundred houses per cell and it is in these cell group that they do umuganda. One person per household is expected to turn up each month.
Apparently there aren’t even tools to go around and so people end up sitting and chatting for the majority of the time but I still think it’s a great idea and they should do something of the sort in the UK because soooo many people don’t even know what their neighbours look like.
It is very much enforced throughout the country with police stopping all public transport and making them wait 3 hours until it is over and every vehicle that goes by questioned. It has meant that this morning was very quiet with very little traffic or people walking to market - everyone either taking part in umuganda or hiding at home I presume!
It is also used as a chance to bring disputes between neighbours to a head infront of other neighbours - when people stand up and explain the problems they've been having with telle and telle person and get the reaction of the rest of the community.

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Comments

[Katy]

Briliant Idea!
I love it and think it's the best idea ever! I think every country should enact such a law.

[Helli]

This is such a brilliant idea! I can't imagine it would ever be successful here - no one is that community minded! xHelli