THE REPORT ABOUT TISAI ISLAND

TISAI ISLAND

Tisai Island is an island located on the Eastern part of Uganda. This island is part of Kumi district and under ongino sub-county.

The Island is surrounded by water bodies of Lake Kyoga. The land is about 8sq/kms from North to South and 20sq/kms from East to West.

The land is occupied with a population of about 6000 people including children with a possibility of high growth of population (increase in the number of children and new settlements).

The people living in the island, the highest population are Iteso while other tribes coming from every part of Uganda are occupying small areas due to different interests; The Island has also got people from Rwanda and Kenya settling within the island because of business.

Furthermore, the island is under low standards of living, this is because Tisai Island is one of the areas in Teso which were affected by war especially by the cattle raiders who came from Karamoja. For a long time, the island also acted as a place of refuge for the law breakers and the criminals that is why the government was less concerned about the status of people living on the Island.

However, the Island is currently under Transformation due to new settlements by good people and also some interests of the government to offer security and

school construction, business and more importantly the setting up of Churches in the Island which is the great channel of transformation.

Also some NGOs have got interest to set up firms which would help the people living on the Island but the people in Tisai seem to have given up on the promses of many organizations because the promises which are given to them are not fulfilled.

On the other hand, the people on the Island of Tisai are social and welcoming, they are also ready for any development though nothing yet is on ground but they wish that the Island will one day become one of the best places to settle internationally.

SOCIAL SERVICES IN TISAI

Tisai is having a small center near the landing site at the lake shores constructed poorly using grass thatched houses. In these grass thatched houses, we find restaurants, saloons for shaving hair, stores houses and some are shelters for taking local beer.

BELOW IS THE TRADING CENTRE OF TISAI

Some people play gambling games (youth and old men) from morning to up to evening including some of the women.

Another population stays at home working in their farm fields and rearing livestock, and another population is busy at the river fishing and also offering transport services to the public travellers through the local boats into the Island.

TRANSPORT IN TISAI

The only way to Tisai Island is through water transport, this is provided by the business men who have rowing boats which are largely used and also two engine boats which have been introduced recently.

WATER TRANSPORT TO TISAI

While inside the island, there are no good roads but some roads which can be accessed by foot, bicycle, and motorcycles are there.

The roads are not good, thus sometimes it is not easy to ride using a motorcycle because of too much sand on the road and bushy roads.

THE ROAD WHICH CAN BE ACCESSED BY FOOT.

The people in the Island expressed need for tools like; slashes, hoes, rakes for clearing the roads. Also if there are other modern possible ways of constructing good roads in the Island it would be more helpful.

They wish to have good boats of engine which could make navigation into the island easy, in addition, if good rowing boats are provided it would be more helpful for transport into the island.

RELIGIOUS STATUS IN TISAI

There are so far, four major denominations in Tisai under Christianity and also the Muslim religion is up-coming.

The denominations of Christians in Tisai Island are:

Church of Uganda Roman Catholic Church Pentecostal Assemblies of God Reformed Churches.

All these Churches are constructed with grass on the roof, there is no worship place constructed on iron sheets or brick walls.

All the worship places are built by mud, the rest are without walls but they are raised with pillars of logs with grass thatched roofs.

THE PHOTOS BELOW ARE THE WORSHIP PLACES OF THE TWO BIGGEST CHURCHES IN TISAI

BELOW IS THE WORSHIP PLACE OF CHURCH OF UGANDA IN TISAI

BELOW IS THE WORSHIP PLACE OF PENTECOSTAL ASSEMBLIES OF GOD IN TISAI

Pastors are not trained except only one who is attending T4T training in Kumi Nyero (Moruikara)

Christians don’t have Bibles, and there is no church furniture like: chairs or desks, tables and the pulpits.

The Churches therefore need; Training the pastors.

They wish to have Ateso and English translated Bibles.

Need for permanent worship places and church furniture. They also request some missionaries to volunteer and visit the Island then teach their Church leaders and members.

On the other hand, the population of Muslims is quite small but with an opportunity to rise in the coming years, this calls for an immediate action to create the ground of mature Christians in Tisai island before Islam ruins them.

EDUCATION STATUS IN TISAI

At the current moment, Tisai Island has one private school which is to be changed to a government school in Tisai.

The Children study under the trees and under one shade constructed with a grass thatched roof without wall but supported by the pillars of logs.

BELOW IS THE BIGGEST SCHOOL IN TISAI

The school is bushy and has no toilets, bathrooms or urinal shelters except the ones they are expecting to construct soon.

There are no trained teachers in the school, the school is being run by volunteers in the local area. Some of them gave up to teach because of poor standards of work and life.

There are no school materials like curriculum and books, desks and other materials which are needed for a school to run its activities efficiently.

The numbers of children who study in this school are 150 pupils, the rest of the children and students cross through the water to find better schools outside the island. While the rest of the children remain seated at home but they wish to go to school.

The number of children who wish to go to school is not clear but its approximately 1500 children.

The leaders and the people in the Island requested the following:

They wish to have,

3 primary schools Trained teachers 1 secondary school

A vocational institute and teachers

THE HEALTH STATUS IN TISAI

The people living in Tisai Island are currently experience bad health conditions due to many diseases, poor sanitation and lack of health service providers.

The people in Tisai are depending on local herbs for cure and treatment for women in labor and other disease attacks on the people.

Women are at a risk of losing their lives or the lives of their babies because there are no Antenatal hospitals in Tisai, so they end producing babies under the trees and under the care of local doctors who are not trained.

At times the situation of sickness is too hard thus they are forced to cross through the water to find the good hospital on the other side of the lake at Ongino hospital.

There is no hospital or good clinic in Tisai Island, people are attacked by all kinds of diseases like: Malaria, HIV/AIDs, Cough etc. but by the grace of God, people are able to live on the Island.

There is no clean water for drinking and domestic use, people depend on the water in the river for domestic use. They have no boreholes or taps for clean water.

There are no constructed toilets, people depend on the bush to help themselves and some people have dug small latrines for home use.

There is lack of machines which help in processing the food eg: grinding mills or milling machines. So they have to cross over through the water to access milling machines in Ongino to process their food (floor and rice).

Also, there is lack of electricity in the Island.

The people of Tisai requested through their leaders that they wish to have:

Two hospitals and clinics in the Island Constructed toilets Mosquito nets Grinding mills or milling machines Solar electricity Improved roads in the Island Trained medical doctors and nurses

AGRICULTURAL STATUS IN TISAI

The land of Tisai is fertile and near the large water body which supports crop production and livestock.

The major agricultural activities available in Tisai are:

Crop production Rearing of livestock (cattle, goats, sheep etc) Rearing of Birds (Chicken and other) Fishing

The people in Tisai however request for the following to support their agricultural activities:

Training farmers, land management and modern farming Need for farm inputs Need for farming tools eg: ox-ploughs, pangas, hoes, slashes etc Need for improved farm seeds, breeds of livestock and chicken Need for vetenary services eg: providing treatment for livestock, birds and

pesticides or insecticides for the crops. Training for modern fish farming projects Construction of good food stores and access to food supply co-operative

All the above information, I witnessed the situation of the Island after visiting the Island and some data was also contributed by the Kumi local

government office, local leaders of Tisai, religious leaders of Tisai and some people of Tisai.

TISAI ISLAND

By ODAUK LAWRENCE