To my right stands three concrete drop toilets, each
providing for five families of seven each. Half a dozen kids are sitting on the
surrounds of the toilet block, stopping their improvised games while they watch
us walk by. Just ahead a solitary tap is crowded with activity, women filling
large pots only to hoist and balance them overhead. Out of the 57 taps in the
region, 9 are broken. This tap feeds 45 families. Access to water is the
life-blood, and these taps serve as the daily epicenter of social activity and
personal conflicts.
An unsettling
howl causes us to turn as we see one dog attack another - a fierce lock around
the other's neck. One young men is lashing the dog from overhead with a belt
while another is throwing waste water at its eyes. The vicious dog is without a
leash, wreaking havoc with its rabid determination. Two dozen men and children
crowding around, the attacker is subdued and the poor victim limps away with an
upset 6-year old owner. Even in these areas there are ground rules -- dogs must
be on a leash.
Calvin (to be continued)
