On the Open Seas - Africa Edition, Part Deux

Kibondo and the heart of darkness

2010-02-13T05:30:00.001-08:00

In January I headed to Kibondo, in western Tanzania. Although the area is nice- lovely rolling green hills, a cute small town, and wonderful fruits and vegetables, this location is acknowledged to be one of the harder places that JVA works. This is mainly due to the nature of the refugee population we work with there, Congolese people, and also some Burundians and Rwandese.

The history of political and ethnic conflicts in the region is long and complicated, and numerous refugees had fled for their lives on more than one occasion, making for my most challenging interviews and longest case histories to date. The acts of violence perpetrated against them were also quite gruesome, often motivated not only by political or ethnic issues, but also traditional beliefs and witchcraft. Many of the women had been gang raped on more than one occasion, some children had been forced to watch their parents slaughtered and mutilated, and members of certain tribes were targeted because their body parts were believed to have special properties to enhance effectiveness in battle.

These acts were most often motivated by ethnicity, and unbelievably often committed even by the refugee’s own family members who had turned against them. I had truly never conceived some of the evils that people could commit against each other. The even more tragic aspect of life for many of the refugees was that even after fleeing to the safety of another country, such as Burundi or Tanzania, they often still weren’t safe. I interviewed some survivors of a well known massacre that took place at a camp in Burundi. The attackers had crossed the border from DR Congo. Even within the camps in Tanzania, there were many reports of persecution or insecurity due to gender or ethnicity. One family had lost a child- he had been beaten to death by his classmates for being ‘too clever’ for someone of his tribe.

I have to say, I think the fact that I was so pressed for time during the days was really helpful to me, because I didn’t have a lot of time to internalize what I was hearing. All I could do try to ask the right questions to draw out the story, and then type my fingers off as it came flowing out. I really hope that each one of the families I worked with is received favorably when their cases are adjudicated, not only because they have suffered so much already, but also because the fact is that they would still be in danger if they were forced to go back. Unfortunately, the camps in western Tanzania are set to close by the end of this year, and many of those who did not get a resettlement case may be forced to do just that…

Below are a few links for more info on this very interesting region, and the challenges it has faced.

Wikipedia info on Rwanda, Burundi, and DR Congo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burundi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda

BBC timelines on events in Rwanda, Burundi, and DR Congo
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1072684.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1068991.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1070329.stm

Info on camps/refugee issues
http://www.pulitzercenter.org/openitem.cfm?id=1714
http://www.sheltercentre.org/news/feeds/943
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40389

Kibondo and the heart of darkness - Pics

2010-02-13T00:50:00.000-08:00

Pic - the view of our plane coming in to the landing strip. It was about a two hour flight from Nairobi, my first charter flight ever!

Pic - Fresh off the plane. You like my new ultra cool Kenyan specs?

Pic - Kurt, our team leader in the main 'office' at the transit center. It was all made of wood, including the ultra-hard chairs! The tin roof made it tough to hear during the frequent rainstorms!

Pic - Sunrise on the way to the worksite. It was about 25 minutes over a hilly road of that distinctive orangy dirt. One afternoon on the way back, we surprised some boys using a puddle near the road to skinny dip!

Pic - IOM compound. It was a nice, peaceful setting, with daily volleyball and badminton matches between IOM staff. Props to the staff who prepared the cafeteria style dinner each night, and to the 'cleaning fairies' who washed any article of clothing left out!

Pic - View of Kibondo town from hilltop. A nice little town, reminded me a little of Uganda. Our Kenyan colleagues told us that the Swahili spoken in this part of Tanzania is really 'proper' and refined compared to Kenyan Swahili!

Pic - Refugees looking on as the plane approaches. There was a group of approved folks headed out on there way to be resettled. It was so joyful to see folks on that end of the process, since I work with them when the future is still a big question mark. The first plane sighting definitely trumped first muzungu sighting for the refugee kids!

Pic - Mark and I at the 'airport.' Check out Mark's party shorts!

Christmas in Nairobi

2010-02-13T00:41:00.001-08:00

I hope that you all had a lovely holiday season, and that 2010 is off to a great start. I'm very thankful for the great ways that God blessed me in 2009, and look forward to seeing what He has in store in the year ahead. Most of all, I'm thankful for all of you, and pray that 2010 brings many blessings.

For me, the holidays were pretty low key. After so much traveling this past fall, all I wanted for Christmas was to stay in one place! I got my wish, and spent a lovely couple weeks enjoying Nairobi. I got to relax, read some good books, and visit some of those little spots around my neighborhood that I had not gotten around to seeing yet, like the lovely arboretum that's about a 15 minute walk away.

It's always hard to be away from home during Christmas, but it was great for our Vanilla Park crew to be able to host some of the other 'Christmas orphans' from work for a nice Christmas eve sleepover and Christmas morning brunch. It was also great to discover how cheap it is to use Skype to call the cell phones of friends and family in the US ($0.02/minute!) Enjoy a few pics below:

Pic - Lindsay and I don Christmas colors

Pic - Our little Christmas tree (courtesy of Lindsay's parents) surrounded by Secret Santa gifts and covered with 'spray snow.' I was the lucky recipient of that hoola hoop, by the way! The Christmas eve gift exchange was followed by a viewing of 'Elf.'

Pic - Our 'spread', which included quiche, cinnamon buns, pancakes, fruit salad, sausage, and mimosas! It was followed by a Christmas nap and a viewing of 'Love Actually.'

Pic - Yummy mimosa with real strawberries! Now that's brunch

Pic - Christmas 'orphans' enjoy brunch together around our new dining room table

Article on Eritrea

2010-01-03T04:31:00.000-08:00

ASMARA, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki said on Wednesday that Western intelligence agencies and special interest groups were persecuting Eritrea by inventing lies, rumors and defamatory reports.

The Red Sea state, which has faced criticism in recent weeks from international diplomatic and humanitarian organizations, denied any wrongdoing.

"It's been the cause of the all problems we see all over the world ... it's a network of (Western) intelligence agencies that serve special interest groups globally," the long-serving Eritrean leader told Reuters in an interview.

"It is sometimes very perplexing for me. Why all these lies? Why do you have to go and cook such statistics and make statements about the reality in Eritrea when you don't even know what's going on in this country?"

Isaias, a former rebel commander in power since 1991, said he was unmoved by the criticism.

ERITREA MALNOURISHED?

The Food and Agriculture Organization said in a report last week that Eritrea was dangerously underfed. The U.N. agency said as many as two in every three Eritreans were malnourished, something Isaias denied.

"It's not true, it's all lies. It's a fabrication," he said, adding that humanitarian organizations were motivated by the business opportunities crises and aid offer in other African countries.

"It's money-making for them. It's not solving problems. It's a collaboration of domestically corrupt special interest groups with international mafia that have a big interest in publicizing hunger and other crises," the 63-year-old leader said.

A recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission to Eritrea said the economy had weakened significantly in the last 12 months due to a severe drought in 2008 and the global crisis but Isaias had no time for such assessments.

"They (the IMF) make judgments on very limited knowledge and the government of Eritrea has been very skeptical all along of comments, judgments, suggestions that come from the IMF. I personally don't take them seriously."

WHERE'S THE PROOF?

A separate report this week by international advocacy group Reporters Without Borders named Eritrea, in an assessment of its press freedoms, as the worst country in the world for a third year running.

It said that no independent media is tolerated in Eritrea and that 30 journalists were in prison -- as many as in China or Iran but with a much smaller population.

But Asmara bristled at repeated accusations by rights groups that it puts independent journalists and non-Orthodox Christians in jail, tortures detainees, and keeps people indefinitely in military service.

The president insisted all such accusations, and his alleged role in destabilizing the region, were malicious fabrications designed to blacken Eritrea's name.

"Why these accusations about Eritrea's role in this region when there is no fact to prove what is being claimed?"

The former Marxist guerrilla leader has ruled one of Africa's smallest economies since its 1993 formal independence from Ethiopia. For supporters, he is a symbol of resistance and self-reliance, but critics say he is an authoritarian whose government brooks no dissent. (Editing by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura)

Salam Shire!

2010-01-03T03:29:00.000-08:00

The day after I got back from my whirlwind Uganda trip, I headed back to the airport again for my third JVA trip to Shire, in northern Ethiopia. This is a location that has a lot of bad hype among JVA staffers, due to the dust, isolation, and prevalence of virulent amoebas and stomach bugs.

For me, Shire did not at all live up to its 'bad' reputation. It is a nice small town, with lots of great local food options. I loved being able walk around easily from place to place, and being able to get easily out into the countryside for a run or hike. Our team for this trip was pretty stellar too, very fun folks. The airport was also interesting- we literally just landed on an airstrip, walked off the plane, and loaded our stuff onto the bus that had driven out to get us.

Shire is very near to the Eritrean border, and so we again dealt almost exclusively with Eritrean refugees. Because Ethiopia and Eritrea have historically poor relations, they are not welcome to assimilate into life there, and that's why resettlement is the most viable option for them.

They had many different reasons for leaving Eritrea: Some wanted to escape forced military service, some had been imprisoned for disagreeing with the government or for practicing their religion openly, and others were unfortunate enough to have accidentally crossed the border while taking their animals out to pasture!

Regardless for their reason for leaving, they all now face the same problem: it is against the law to cross the border, and once you have left Eritrea, you can expect prison time up to the death penalty if you return. Many people crossed the border because of pressing danger, with no time to say goodbye to loved ones. Their only hope of ever seeing their family members or their country again might be if the government changes.

I'm not going to say much about that regime here...suffice it to say that they don't do autocracy very efficiently... If you look at the number of actually loyal people who had to leave because they were falsely accused by the 'intelligence' of being spies, and the number of folks who escaped from detention by pretending to use the toilet it's pretty mindboggling! In my next post, I'll paste in an article one of my colleagues sent me. Given the testimony of the 60 refugees that I personally spoke with, I can only roll my eyes at some of what it has to say!

I also promised that I would say something more about the whole issue of irritability with the refugees (and interpreters!) When I first started, I heard others using an impatient tone of voice, or saying harsh things to refugees, and I was pretty taken aback. However, all too soon, I found myself doing it too!

If you can tell someone's lying to you, or you are just not able to wade through their convoluted logic, or you can't pin them down on their basic biographical data, or you can't get them to say what you know they need to say in order to have a viable case, or the interpreter is just not communicating information clearly, it can be pretty frustrating. This is especially true when there is time pressure, something I hate in any job!

I would really feel disappointed with myself after getting snippy with a refugee, because here they are, having already been through some really traumatic and dehumanizing experiences at the hands of others. With my snapping my fingers and telling them to speed it up, I'm adding another layer of insult on top of all that. I have had some good discussions with colleagues about this, and have come up with a few coping mechanisms that seem to work well for me:

- If we're getting bogged down in one area, like past education or address data, leave it, move on to something 'easier' for awhile and come back to it later. You'll just keep getting more frustrated if you keep hitting a brick wall and losing valuable time.

- If the interpreter is not getting the job done, send them out and get a new one! Seems harsh, but this is the refugee's life we're talking about, and it's better to hurt the interpreters feelings than have the refugee not be understood. If I suspect the interpreter might not be very strong, I've even taken to telling the refugee up front that it is their right to request that they be changed out (and many often do!)

- Control the conversation more tightly. If someone is getting off on a tangent, it's important to politely reign them in, and just start asking very closed-ended questions to ensure you get the information you need. This can be hard, because for many of these people, it's their first opportunity to be able to share their story, and every detail is important to them. I overheard one of my colleagues using a great phrase that I think I'll steal, "I would really like to listen to every detail, but I can't do that right now. Could you please just tell me..."

- If all else fails, and you do get a little snippy, it's not too late to salvage the situation. One of my other colleagues suggested even stopping the interview right where you are, apologizing to the refugee for getting impatient, and explaining the source of your impatience (ie I need you to give me more information about xyz so that you have a strong case.) This just lets the refugee know that you respect their dignity as a person, and while the process can be difficult, you're just trying to help them as much as you can.

Pic - check out the cute kid playing in front of the plane at the Shire 'airport.'

Pic - Our work trunks being loaded onto the bus. We all held our breath and closed our eyes as the guy climbed the ladder with trunk balanced on his neck!

Pic - Me during a hike of the pretty surrounding countryside.

Pic - Cute kids in the market

Pic - Nice view of Shire town from the hotel rooftop

Yalama! (or was it yamala...or yamaka...)

2010-01-03T02:25:00.000-08:00

The day after getting back from Djibouti, I headed straight back to the airport to board my budget 'Flight 540' flight to Entebbe. Ya gotta love an airline that picks bright orange as its signature color!

My colleague Laura happened to be traveling to Uganda too, so we enjoyed a nice chat (and an even nicer nap) as we crossed over Lake Victoria. At the airport, I was met by Dennis and his brother Emmie. My mission for that Thanksgiving weekend: to 'meet the parents!'

Dennis was heading to the US in early December to continue his residency program selection process, so it was our last chance for quite a while to meet up with his family together. I got to meet his mom, dad, step mom, all his siblings, and a number of cousins and other relatives.

It was definitely different from that side of things- when Dennis was coming to meet my family last summer, I just felt comfortable and excited, enjoying being home and fully expecting that both sides would make a favorable impression. As the one being brought home, I felt a little more nervous. I think it's challenging enough trying to find your fit in any new group, let alone a new family, let alone a family from a different culture.

I'll reserve the minute details for person to person conversations, but suffice it to say that it was a very great, very challenging, very emotional weekend. Dennis' family are awesome people, I can see that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree! Nevertheless, I really came face to face with the reality of what we might be getting ourselves into, in terms of splitting ourselves (and potentially our children!) between at least two different continents.

There is also a lot to learn in terms of culture and language. It took me at least a couple days just to learn to say 'thank you' in Ateso, Dennis' language. (The title heading includes a couple of the different variations that came out of my mouth during that learning period! The first is correct.)

At one point I told Dennis, "there's a million little things that every little girl that is raised here knows, that I just don't!" He of course assured me that he is more than ok with that. From my side, my main conclusion from the weekend was that, yes, it is going to mean being out of my comfort zone and putting forth extra effort, but this man is totally worth it!

Here's a few pics from the weekend:

Dennis and his mom in Soroti. She runs a UK-based NGO there that supports orphans and vulnerable children. A real spiritual powerhouse!

Me and Dennis trying out the new borehole that was put in at his mom's agency.

The mzungu girl here is Nicole. She's originally from Canada, and is engaged to Dennis' older brother Patrick. We had a great time hanging out with them. Here they're sharing the story of how they met.

Me and Dennis' Aunt at his dad's country home near Soroti. She was so excited to meet me, that she greeted us with shouts of 'ai yai yai' and carried me from the car to the house! (She also blessed me with many babies and presented us with a live chicken to bring home to Kampala!) By far the most welcoming welcome I've ever had!

Me driving on the left! Although I kept hitting all the wrong indicators at all the wrong times in the beginning, I got the hang of it. And, we only suffered one flat tire while under my leadership...not too shabby!

A family pic at Dennis' dad's place in Kampala. He and Dennis' step mom invited a bunch of cousins and other relatives over to meet me and say goodbye to Dennis as he headed to the states. Dennis' Dad and stepmom are seated in the front. Can you pick Nicole and I out of the crowd? ;)

Bonjour Djibouti

2010-01-02T02:30:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a whirwind fall season!
(Side bar- I never realized how ingrained in me it was to use the seasons as a benchmark for passing time until I came to a place without the four major seasons! Fall/winter/spring/summer- kind of meaningless here!)

My second work trip, to Djibouti, was one of the most coveted assignments among JVA staffers, not only because it is so beautiful and unique, but also because it is a very rare destination. Djibouti is quite frankly one of those places I had vaguely heard of a child playing geography trivia games, but never imagined I would actually visit! So, before you read on, here's a little pop quiz for you:

1. Name two countries that border Djibouti?
2. Which European country colonized Djibouti?
3. What is the name of the capital city of Djibouti?

(ANSWERS BELOW)

I'm finding that on any JVA trip, the main questions are:
- What are the accommodations like?
- What population of refugees are we working with,and what is the 'claim' we're looking for?
- What are the working conditions like, and what is there to do outside of work?

Accommodations:
In Djibouti, we stayed in the 'Sheraton Djibouti', a nice, though slightly outdated hotel sitting right on some lovely (but smelly) waterfront property. There was a hearty breakfast buffet included the hotel room, which also supplied lunch for those of us who had been smart enough to bring along some tupperware! Real classy, eh? ;) There was also a little gym in the hotel, which I LOVED. I finally got back into running a bit on the treadmill, and it was a great way to unwind after a stressful work day.

We each had our own hotel room, with multiple channels in French! In the evenings I got addicted to a French version of 'name that tune.' C'etait super! The bathrooms in the hotel room had not only a toilet, but also a bidet (a point of crucial importance later in my story.) Our fellow guests were mainly foreign military personnel, particularly German navy crew. The hotel owner threw a 'happy hour' each Wednesday so the guests could mingle, and we were regaled with stories of some of their run-ins with Somali pirates.

Pic - me in front of the Djibouti Sheraton

Pic 2 - The view of the water from the hotel pool

Refugee Population
The first few days in Djibouti, half the team drove two hours each morning to the province of Ali Sabieh. We processed lots of Somalis and Ethiopians out of the local UNCHR facility there. It was a long, dusty drive, but I was glad to have the chance to seem some of the countryside. It was a little stressful working out of that location, because of timing. The cases were rather complicated, and we still had to finish, pack up and be out of there by 4:30pm in order to be back in Djibouti City before dark (due to security concerns.)

While in Ali Sabieh, I saw one of the Kenyan staff doing the preliminary interview with an older lady, obviously uneducated. The staff person seemed to be having trouble getting the information they needed out of her, probably due in part to her age and illiteracy. I thought to myself, "oh boy, hope I don't draw that file for casework!"

Now, of course I did draw her file for casework! And man, was she difficult to work with! This is the tricky thing sometimes in this work- you just need certain information out of the refugee, and you need it quickly and accurately, because you have a quota of cases to meet for the day. This urgency and the resulting frustration when you have a hard case can sometimes war against the compassion you feel for the refugee's situation.

I was just on the edge of extreme irritability with this lady when we started getting into her story. It was almost like something out of 'Black Hawk Down'- some American soldiers had burst into her home fleeing from local militia. She took them out the back way and helped them to escape. When she came back to the sitting room, some of the local militia burst in and punished the family for helping the soldiers. They killed her husband and sons in front of her, and then raped her in a very barbaric way (almost made me physically ill to have to document it.)

What a lesson for me- hearing what she had gone through really helped to put things in perspective, push my irritability aside, and bring my compassion back to the forefront.

After a few days in Ali Sabieh, my team worked out of a detention center in Djibouti City. The population there was mostly Eritrean men who had fled across the border to escape mandatory military service or other persecution. (I'll write more on the Eritrean refugee plight in a later post about my visit to the town of Shire in Ethiopia.)

Because of the lack of proper facilities and poor relations between Eritrea and Djibouti, the refugees are being kept in prison. Although they are secure there, by international standards this is not acceptable. for this and other reasons, this is a high priority group with the U.S. government. One of the top officials dealing with African refugees at the American embassy actually came by the site for a visit!

The other JVA team worked out of the UNCHR office in Djibouti City, and tackled a hodgepodge of interesting 'urban' refugee cases. One of my colleagues there said that she had her "top five most interesting JVA cases of all time" at that site! These included one atheist family that had fled Yemen because they faced persecution for not being Muslim.

Working Conditions
Except for the large fly population and shared toilet facilities the work site was ok. However, I found the work there stressful because we had to do five cases per day, rather than four (due to the small case size.) Some of the UNHCR referrals were multiple pages long, and it was very time consuming match our stories against those, especially with the communication challenges. At times, I found myself almost shouting at the interpreter or refugee because of my frustration, and that made me feel pretty horrible about myself! (More about that phenomenon in a later blog post.)

The after work time was quite fun- I enjoyed bumming around the pretty downtown, trying out delicious local food, and enjoying the gym and French TV at the hotel.

All in all, I had a great time in Djibouti, though I would say 'out of work life' definitely trumped 'work life' in this location. One loose end to the story though... I mentioned the importance of the bidet...Well, I had gotten into the habit of shaking each refugee's hand once we finished our work together. However, on the last day of work, I neglected to wash my hands before eating lunch. A couple hours later, I felt something funny in my tummy, and knew I was in deep trouble.

I spent the next 24 hours purging whatever bug it was from every half hour or so (from both ends, so to speak.) The bidet was very strategically located to make this possible... ;) Some oral rehydration salts finally helped me to break the cycle. Although I had to miss the fun group boat trip that, the one good thing about being so sick was that I really, really appreciated it when I finally felt better again!

Pic - A shot of the architecture in the centre ville.

A 'Newby' No Longer
So, my stomach has officially been initiated into the JVA world, and I, having completed two trips, am no longer a novice caseworker! It sure feels good to be getting into the swing of things, and I look forward to experiencing other locations and refugee groups!

QUIZ ANSWERS (you're lucky I couldn't figure out how to turn these upside down!)
1. Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen (across the water) Amazing to me how Djibouti could be so 'together' given some of those neighbors! I guess it could have something to do with the foreign military presence...

2. France. Some downsides to colonization to be sure, but the French did leave behind some great architecture and a lovely 'cafe' culture. Besides French, Arabic is an official language, and Afar and Somali are also widely spoken. The Somali 'man skirt' is also quite common to see out and about :)

3. Capital City is Djibouti City, which is located in Djibouti province in the country of Djibouti! The population of the whole country is only about 700,000, of which almost half live in Djibouti City. That makes for a pretty sparse population elsewhere, as you can see in the pic below.

Pic - you can see our vehicle's shadow on our ride out to Ali Sabieh. Like I said, sparsely populated, though lots of camels!

Bonus pic - Our 'ride' was really quite something else! Decked out with fringe and various other adornments, the most impressive point in my view was the ornate side view mirror!

Halloween Fun

2009-11-04T05:34:00.000-08:00

As soon as we got back from Dire Dawa, Halloween was upon us. I was also blessed by a visit from Dennis. Here's a few pics:

Pic- Mark and Dennis grace our housewarming party with a charming duet

Pic- Dennis and Elissa helped Mark don his Halloween costume. In case you could guess, he went as 'God's gift to women.'

Pic- Dennis, Elyssa, Lyndsay and I stayed in to carve pumpkins and watch a creepy movie!

Pics- Dennis and I took a day trip to Hell's Gate National Park, about 1.5 hours from Nairobi (costs about $3 by matatu!). It's the only park in the country where you can ride a bike or walk, since there aren't any lions (most of the time anyway!). We took a little trek through some canyons, lead by a Masai guide who painted our faces like Masai. He also encouraged me to try my hand...er head...at carrying firewood like a true Masai girl. On our way out, the heavens unleashed a torrent of rain on us, making for a memorable end to an awesome day!

Fun times in Dire Dawa

2009-11-04T05:15:00.000-08:00

All work and now play makes for a long circuit ride! Here's a few pics that capture some of the fun times that team had during our Sundays off.

Pic- a visit to Harar, an ancient walled city about about 1.5 hours from Dire Dawa. Harar is perhaps most famous for its hyenas! Apparently the founders of the city made a pact with the leaders of the hyenas that they would give them access to the city and feed them each night, as long as the hyenas refrained from making a meal out of their kids! Apparently it has worked, and the hyenas and townspeople continue to have a solid relationship even today! We weren't able to stay long enough to see the feeding, but we did see the little hyena-sized holes in the city wall that guarantee open access for the four-legged friends. We also enjoyed a local museum and a walk along the city wall.

Pics- Dire Dawa Marathon Route
Doreen, our team leader, had been training for the Nairobi marathon, but was unable to run in it because of the trip. So, she decided to run, by herself, in the first ever Dire Dawa marathon. She mapped out the route with the help of our driver, and then she was off. The rest of us turned out to cheer her on, and the few local people that didn't think we were completely crazy joined in!

Pic - Last Day Fun
The interpreters enjoy some frisbee while we finish up work on our last day. Our fearless leader Doreen also treated us all to some 'thank you bunna.' That's delicious local coffee. She also hosted us for a goodbye dinner with some of our IOM colleagues.

Doing Dire Dawa

2009-11-04T03:34:00.000-08:00

Well, I returned from my first circuit ride about a week ago, and it was some experience! It all got kicked off when our team of about 10 people met up at Jomo Kenyatta airport. We immediately started loading up the huge blue metallic trunks containing the file of each case to be processed during the trip.

We also loaded our own luggage. Many of the others had brought huge bags, mostly filled up with snacks and goodies. If there's I learned during my first trip, it's that snacks are perhaps the most important item on the packing list, especially when you've had enough injara (ethiopian sour bread staple) for one day! Peanut butter in particular is a must!

After a lengthy check in process and some hefty overweight fees, we boarded the two-hour flight to Addis Ababa. When we arrived, we were detained for a little while by some overzealous customs officials who wanted to charge a heavy duty because we had more laptops than people! However, after a lot of arguing (and a little prayer on my part!) we were allowed to pass. We spent the night in Addis, and then woke up bright and early, around 4:30am, for our flight to Dire Dawa.

Pic - boarding Ethiopian Air

Dire Dawa is the second largest city in Ethiopia, and it's actually a pretty little town. Culturally, it's a bit different than other parts of Ethiopia, being mostly Muslim (rather than Orthodox), and having a large Somali speaking population. It's actually located not too far from the Somali border. We arrived around 9am, loaded up our trunks, and followed our UN escort to the hotel, where we had just enough time to stow our bags before heading to the worksite.

Pic - looking out at the refugee shelter at the worksite

Our worksite was a small community center on the other side of town. When we arrived, we found quite a large number of Somali refugees gathered, as well as a several interpreters. We worked quickly to set up our computer and photo equipment, and then got to work.

Pic: Me ready to dive into some files!

The population we worked with in Dire Dawa had mainly been brought in from the Kebribeya Refugee Camp. Most of them had been living there since fleeing Somalia during the political crisis in 1991- that's 18 years! Many of the younger refugees have actually been born there, and don't know any other life besides camp life. Being Somali families, the groups were often quite large- and average of 5-8 children per family. I learned quite a lot about the political situation in Somalia, and Somali culture by interacting with people and having to ask all kinds of questions about their families and why they had fled Somalia.

For the first week, Lindsay and I (the newbies) did formfilling and casework training, and helped out a bit with taking photos of each refugee. That was pretty hilarious at times, especially when there was a tiny baby that just started screaming its little lungs out. At that point everybody- photo takers, interpreters, and refugees alike- would join together in making fools of ourselves in an effort to provoke a little smile. We were very fortunate in that our team leader and colleagues were very patient and encouraging in helping us learn.

I have to confess that the learning process was frustrating at times- between being so new to the process, and dealing with difficult working conditions and technological difficulties- patience and humility are required in high supply!

Pic - trying to get a smile!

By the time the second week of the circuit ride rolled around, Lindsay and I were thrown into doing the full load of four casework interviews per day. These interviews are the final stage in the JVA process before the case is adjudicated by US immigration, so they are pretty important. In the first part, we verify with the refugee that all of the information that we have for them in our files is correct. In the second part, we speak with the principal applicant (usually the family head) about why they had to flee Somalia.

The main task for the caseworker is to capture background information about the refugee, as well as the story of why they had to flee, how they fled, and why they cannot go back. The 'claim' stated at the end of the case history, is the key element. It's basically a summary of why the refugee is unable to return to their home country based on their fear of persecution on one of the five grounds recognized by the US government: race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a social group.

Getting these stories can be quite an experience- emotional, draining, tedious, frustrating, even humorous! I had one case where it was 6pm, and most of my co-workers had already finished for the day. For some reason, I just couldn't find a way to get the refugee to express that he had a legitimate fear of returning to Somalia. I knew I couldn't let him go until I had done so, or his case would certainly be denied. Even the translator got frustrated and asked to be switched out with someone else. I finally ended up explaining to him about the five claims, and saying, "so, which one is it?" He went with race, and I think we were both equally glad to have the interview finally concluded.

Another day, Lindsay was questioning a woman in detail about how her father had been killed, in order to capture evidence of 'past persecution.' If you heard us questioning people, you might actually be shocked, because we do it so matter-of-factly- "Who killed him? How did they do it? Did you see him die?" We simply have to get the claim, regardless of how painful the memories might be. In this case, the woman finally told Lindsay, "if you ask me any more questions about my father, I'm going to cry."

I had another case one morning that had been pretty serious and straight forward. As we came to the end, and I was trying to get the refugee to state why he feared returning to Somalia. He had already mentioned a radical Muslim group that makes you kill if you join, and kills you if you don't. A very scary group, but I was happy because this group's name was like the 'magic word.' It made for a very solid claim on the basis of religion. I just needed the refugee to be a bit more clear about why he wouldn't join, so I blurted out, "explain this to me...why don't you want to kill people???" The refugee understood a little English, and he just started laughing. The translator also started cracking up, and even I was soon dying. It was just such a ridiculous question that it struck all of our funny bones! I had trouble keeping a straight face for the rest of that interview...

Our team processed about 2-300 cases during our 3.5 week circuit ride. My impression so far is that I really enjoy this work. It can be incredibly draining (as evidenced by the team's average bedtime of 8:30pm!) but I really enjoy the mix of detail-oriented procedures and personal interaction with the refugees. You also feel that you one link in a chain that will hopefully connect the refugee, who has often been through so much trauma, to a peaceful life and new opportunities. Dust, heat, flies, long hours, frustrating interviews and all- I am glad to be part of it!

Pic- me at my desk takin' care of business.

Fun, Forms and Feelings

2009-10-04T23:13:00.000-07:00

I've now completed about two weeks of work at the JVA Nairobi office. It's about a 30 minute/two matatu commute from my apartment, depending on traffic. The security is quite tight because of the nature of work we do, but the guards are all super friendly, as long as you have your identification badge! I have never worked at a place where the day was so precisely scheduled, and where all staff so willingly break off work for lunch and quitting time. It goes- 8:00am, clock in; 10:15- tea break; 1:15-lunch; 4:15- outta there!

It seems that Mark, Lyndsay and I came on board at a good time, because during my first full week, there was an all staff training for the field team. Apparently, it is extremely rare to see all of the Kenyan and expat staff that do the circuit rides together in one room at the same time. Even if most of the training was so detailed that it went right over our heads, we had a nice time getting to know everyone. The training week culminated in a 'wellness' day for all Nairobi staff. ('Wellness day' = staff party, except with lots more organized teambuilding activities!)
Pic - some of the staff during training

Pic - staff scaling an inflatable slide during a relay activity. My team, the red team just happened to take home the top honors of the day! :)

After taking the weekend to recover from our wellness day, we reported to work bright and early Monday morning. Mark and Rosie were due to head to the field early that week, where they would receive further on the job training. With most of the other staff either traveling or on out of the office comp time, it was just Lyndsay and I who were there training with Njeri, one of the Kenyan staff, and a great lady. She taught us one of three types of interviews we will be conducting with the refugees- Formfilling. We will learn the others- prescreening and casework- later in the field. These are the three interviews JVA does with all refugees to prepare their cases for review by US immigration officers for approval or denial.

Formfilling is generally done by Kenyan staff, but caseworkers are required to learn both so we understand it, and can help out if necessary. I won't go into the millions and millions of details and codes involved. Suffice it to say that there are many many different forms and database pages, as well as 47 pages of codes to use in filling them out. Gotta love government processes!

At first I was mostly just nervous to be face to face with the refugees, asking them questions. I quickly got over that, but then I was sure I would go absolutely crazy trying to document all of their answers. Njeri says it takes the average formfiller about an hour to fill in all the paperwork and data after the interview- it is taking me about 4 at the moment! Ah well, I guess practice makes perfect. And it had certainly better- one little error by us could cause the refugee's case to be delayed by months...or years...! No pressure or anything.

So, there's this heavy detail-oriented/administrative side to the job. But on the other end of the spectrum is the refugee, and their story. Even asking them routine questions about the whereabouts of their relatives can be very intense and emotional. The most common code for these is, "UNK = unknown." Parents, siblings, kids- since fleeing their country, many people have no idea where any of them are, or how they're doing. There are also some really difficult stories of persecution at the hands of various groups in the country of origin- detention, rape, death threats...one man we interviewed this week actually broke down in tears as he showed us the injuries he had suffered due to expressing his political opinions.

All in all, the "fun, forms, and feelings" of the first two weeks at work made for quite an intense learning experience. Now, I begin the next phase as I leave for my first trip to the field this afternoon. I'll be spending 3.5 weeks in Ethiopia, helping to process cases there. I look forward to updating you on how it goes, and in the meantime, enjoy your October!

Blessings,
Tammie

That's sooo vanilla!

2009-10-04T22:48:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Kileleshwa! That’s the name of my new neighborhood in Nairobi! It’s pretty residential with lots of trees and ‘luxury’ apartment complexes. And guess what? I somehow find myself staying in one of those! It has two balconies, wood floors, a ‘servants quarters’ (that’s the room I’m staying in by the way!), a pool, an electric fence, and 24-hour guards. We’re also very fortunate to have a matatu stage (stop) right in front of our building, so getting to work isn’t too hard, except for the infamous Nairobi traffic!
Pic - Me in front of the apartment complex. Can you believe the name of it is 'Vanilla Park'?? Oh, the irony. Actually, we're the only wazungu there...

Somehow, having four other roommates (Mark, Elyssa, Lindsay, Rosie, and myself, all new JVA caseworkers) has made it remarkably affordable, even if we have to enjoy it au natural for awhile until we can afford furniture! There are no appliances or furniture, so we’ve been having an interesting time over the last two weeks negotiating with each other and the carpenters/salespeople on prices and models of things. The good news is that this process has been a very nice bonding experience for the roommates.
Pic: Me, Lindsay, and Mark amusing ourselves by playing jump rope with the clothesline in our empty living room. "Hot fudge, call the judge, mama's gonna have a baby!" (Remember that one?)

Now, something we've found out already is that here in Nairobi, even a luxury apartment complex is not immune to its fair share of 'issues.' There are a number of problems we’ve been working for days with the property manager to resolve, including the fact that the place was never properly cleaned (as in mud an inch deep in the laundry sink), and that the water often does not work (as in about 50% of the time), and that some of the fixtures aren't too sturdy (as in gaping hole in the cement where the toilet paper holder once was). My first ‘shower’ here was actually with a bucket, just like back in good old Masaka. Seems the developers unfortunately were more into appearances than quality of materials!

Despite its quirks, it looks like Vanilla Park is going to a nice place to recuperate after our 3 week stints in the field. The roommates are also a great blessing- it’s worked out so well so far to be able to share our new experiences in adjusting to life in Nairobi. It’s always nice to have great people to share new experiences with!
Pic - Mark, Elissa, me and Lyndsay just after signing the lease. Rosie arrived about a week later.

Planes, trains, and matatus

2009-09-20T00:51:00.000-07:00

Habari! Well, these (dirty!) little feet have found themselves in quite some interesting places over the last week! Last Friday, I took the Greyhound from Rochester to NYC, commuter train to JFK, and then luxurious Emirates airlines to luxurious Dubai. After spending the night there, I finally flew into Entebbe airport in Uganda via Addis Ababa. (By the way, in case you're looking for a cute movie to kill some time, I enjoyed both The Proposal and Ramen Girl on the plane!)
Pic- the view over United Arab Emirates. In a word- sandy!

Grubby and a little bit grouchy after claiming my luggage, I stepped out into that hot equatorial sun and was completely (and pleasantly!) surprised to find that Dennis and three of his siblings had come to meet me at the airport. In case I haven't mentioned to some of you yet, Dennis is the amazing guy I am seeing (and I don't just say that because he will likely be reading this!)

From the airport, we headed to Masaka, and from Sunday to Wednesday I got to visit all the great people and places I've been missing over the last few months. Besides being told, "well be back," I was also informed that I look 'different' after my time in the States (translation = whiter and fatter!) I actually felt quite disoriented that first day back- like I didn't remember how to properly greet people and cross the street! I did get to see Mukiibi, who enjoyed baptizing my new camera with fingerprints and blurry snapshots!

Pic - Mukiibi at the help of my camera once again. Just like old times!

Wednesday, I began the journey to Nairobi. I have to admit that I was a little nervous to be traveling overland by minivan, boda, bus, and taxi with all my worldly possessions for the next 12 months! I was also nervous about the midnight border crossing. However, I was really blessed by kind and helpful people along the way, and arrived without any major incident to the apartment of some fellow caseworkers out in the Westlands area of Nairobi (where our office is.) I'll be crashing with them until I find a place.

Luckily, there are tons of places, and tons of new caseworkers looking for roommates, so it's just a matter of finding the right fit. Yesterday a couple other caseworkers and I spent the day walking and taking matatus around to see different possibilities. (Matatus are the minivans used for public transport around Nairobi. With their blaring music, you can think of them kind of like a discotec on wheels!) It looks like the accommodations will be quite a few steps up from my lovely, but basic 'flat' in Nyendo last year. Most compounds in the area have electric fences, guards, and even swimming pools!

When I got home, man were my feet filthy. Unfortunately, for the second day in a row, the water was not working. Having not washed my hair since thursday, I was starting to feel desperate and was even rationing my water strictly for toothbrushing. I think water shortages are definitely an issue in this part of the world, even in Nairobi (though certainly not as extreme as in other areas.)This morning, I was finally saved by the fact that the compound's pool and pool shower are functional!

I had my first day at the office last Friday, and it consisted mainly of getting to know some of the 100+ Kenyan and expat staff, and filling out loads of paperwork. It really feels good to have medical insurance again! Next week, after having Monday off for the Muslim holiday of Ede, all of the caseworkers will be back from their circuit rides for some training, and then I'll have another week in the office before my first ride, which will be a three week stint at a camp in Ethiopia (mostly Somalis there I think.)

I'll keep you posted as I learn more and get settled in. It seems the work I'm doing will be rather sensitive, so I'm not sure how many details I'll be able to share about that, but I'll still try to communicate the flavor of it all!

Have a great week!
Tammie

On the Open Seas - Africa Edition: Part Deux!

2009-09-11T01:38:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

After a delightful summer hiatus, I am back on board! I have to admit that the job search wasn’t always easy, and many of you know that I applied to quite a few jobs, from Sudan, to Burundi, to Cambodia before finally getting a bite! However, I am now happy to report that I will get to spend some more time around East Africa this coming year!

When I say, “around” East Africa, I really mean it! I will be working as a caseworker with Church World Service’s Joint Voluntary Agency (JVA). Though I’ll be based in Nairobi, this position will take me on “circuit rides” to refugee camps all around East and Southern Africa. My job will be to compile case histories for potential refugees to the U.S.

JVA/Kenya is an “Overseas Processing Entity” whose aim is to manage the resettlement of refugees to the U.S. from these areas.

Some info on JVA:
Since 1990, the Overseas Processing Entity has assisted more than 136,316 refugees from 22 countries in Africa to resettle in the United States. In FY 2007, the OPE/Nairobi resettled 13,386 refugees to the United States. OPE/Nairobi implements the resettlement program through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of State. OPE/Nairobi is responsible for processing refugees located in Eastern and Southern Africa, and for providing cultural orientation for those accepted for U.S. resettlement. (For more info, see the website link at the right.)

I start work exactly a week from today, on September 18, which means I need to move myself and my stuff to East Africa like yesterday! Actually, it will be today- I depart this evening, connecting through Dubai. I’ll spend a couple quick days saying ‘jabale ko’ to friends in Uganda, and then head to Nairobi middle of next week.

Though I’ve had a lovely gap, which involved awesome time with family and friends (and lots of tv and American fast food) I consider this stint in Nairobi to be all part of the same story that God started back in ‘Boston Harbor,’almost exactly a year ago as I embarked for Uganda.

To be sure, I’m much less ‘green’ this time around, having lots of adventures under my belt from last year, but I have a feeling there’s much to be learned, and many ways to bless and be blessed in the year ahead. I look forward to sharing it all with you!

Blessings,
Tammie

Almaz in Ethiopia

2009-06-08T06:16:00.000-07:00

Many of you may know Almaz, a fabulous woman and former roommate of mine who followed God's call a couple years ago to begin working with orphans in Ethiopia. I visited her in January 2007, and at that point she was just getting started so we spent a lot of time furniture shopping for cribs and little toddler chairs. This time around, operations are in full swing at Hannah's Hope, a home for children waiting to be adopted through All God's Children International.

Over the last two and half years, Almaz and AGCI have placed over 200 children with adoptive parents from the US. There are currently about 25 small babies and 35 toddlers and older kids living at Hannah's Hope as their adoptions are processed.
I actually got to see as four sets of parents picked up their kids- it was very emotional on all sides, as it is a long road for both the children and the parents. Besides adoption, the agency also has a sponsorship program to support poor families.

Almaz expressed that she sometimes feels she is 'getting eaten up' by the job, with its heavy demands and responsibilities. However, she also said that the story of any one of those 200 kids makes it all worthwhile!

Besides helping out feeding babies and playing with the older kids, I also just got to enjoy some fun with Almaz. We got a lot of coffee and Italian food around town, took a little weekend trip to a resort/lake south of Addis Ababa, went running together (just like the old days), and just generally enjoyed some good laughs and girl talk. Needless to say, I am very very proud of my old roomie!

Pics:
Just another day at the office for Almaz!

Running buddies reunited

Lots of mouths to feed!

Baking banana bread with the older kids

Tanzania/Zanzibar

2009-06-08T05:35:00.000-07:00

Group capacity building in Mbale

2009-06-08T04:53:00.000-07:00

On my way to Tanzania in mid May, I had the opportunity to stop off in Mbale, in eastern Uganda. Aida, my colleague from Buddukiro, had asked me if I would be willing to travel there to visit a few projects that her friend Joseph was working on. I stayed at Joseph's place in the village, about a 10 km boda ride from town. We had a whirlwind Saturday where we met with a youth group, a women's group, and a church group one after the other to take them through some strategic planning. Here's a few pics:

Youth Group - Because a lot of the youth are out of school and/or unemployed, delinquency can be a problem. This group was formed to give the youth around Mbale a productive outlet for their time an energy. They've done a lot of dramas to educate the community about HIV/AIDS, and have several income generating projects to raise money for schools fees for their members and other needy youth in the area. These include things like raising chickens and cultivating seedlings. As with each of the other groups, I took them through an exercise to identify the main accomplishments of their group so far, the areas of needed improvement, and their goals for the future. We then identified some key goals and made a more detailed workplan to flesh out a strategy for achieving them.

Women's Group - These 40 ladies gave me pretty much the most energetic welcome of my whole life when I arrived to the field where they usually meet- singing, dancing, hugging... the royal treatment! They were so excited to have an outsider show interest in what they've been doing- who can resist the urge to show off a bit when you've been working hard?! They formed to save money together and do income generating projects. They've also had some other training, such as in the production of energy efficient stoves.

Church Group - Joseph is the pastor of this awesome little village church. Though small in number and themselves poor, they have started up a project that helps dozens of orphans in the area. One of the things we discussed with them was their desire to build a bigger henhouse to house their chicken rearing project. They are also trying to build a new church, so we hit on the idea of focusing first on building the new church, and then using the old church as the henhouse. It was a special experience on Sunday worshipping with them in that little mud building, listening to the African drums during worship. After Joseph finished his sermon on 'Who is God?', I got to deliver a little 'word' myself about 'Who am I?' (basically about how we very beautifully and wonderfully made, and loved by God, the maker of the whole universe!)

Building God's House - Sunday morning after the service, the pastor asked the whole congregation (about 40 adults, kids and babies), to help out with the new building by helping to move the brick pile over to the building site. Even the little ones got their hands dirty helping out!

Rwanda/Burundi Pics

2009-06-08T04:15:00.000-07:00

Gisenyi, Rwanda - A nice view of Gisenyi, a small resort town a walkable distance from the DRC border/Goma. It's about a three hour ride from Kigali through beautiful winding green hills. In the background is the very active volcano that sometimes disrupts life there!

Southwestern Uganda - Amie standing outside the bus around 6:00am. We were waiting in a line of traffic for a few hours for an overturned truck to be cleared so we could make it to the border with Rwanda. Unfortunately, the accident caused a backlog at the border, which made for a hectic immigration experience. The buses will leave you if you take too long, and unfortunately we had to deal with an insane number of blatant 'queue jumpers.' Amie is usually the confrontational one, but I shocked even myself by raising quite a stink after like 10 guys in a row cut us at the front of the line on the Rwanda side. It started with my blocking the line with my body, escalated to me getting in their faces in French and yelling, 'back, back, back' as I gestured to the back of the line with my thumb, and culminated in Amie, me, and a Ugandan lady teaming up to cut all of them back! (After that move by us, the line pretty much disintegrated all together!)

Kigali, Rwanda - Overlooking Kigali, which is basically sprawled around hills overlooking a valley. It was an incredibly clean, orderly city with great roads, which I think can be partly attributed to all the reconstruction work following the genocide. I could hardly believe it's been 15 years since that was going on, and could hardly believe that it went on in these very streets. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to visit the genocide memorial this trip- perhaps next time.

Here's a few pics from my trip to Rwanda/DRC/Burundi. I went with a Amie, not only a great roommate but a great travel buddy as well!

Goma, DRC - Me standing in front of Lake Kivu in Goma. That's the UN compound behind me. It was a bit of a weird place- physically beautiful, but an odd mix of big NGO houses and vehicles, and incredibly poor people and evidence of the conflict that is still ongoing in many ways. Having just applied for a job with World Vision in Goma, I was trying to get a vibe for the place, and get a sense of whether I could see myself living there. While there, we stayed with a friend of a friend who works for Diane Fossey Gorilla fund, which was pretty cool! (This hilly border area between Uganda, DRC, and Rwanda is prime gorilla habitat). Sadly, that ubiquitous blue shirt I'm wearing in the photo was lost to me forever when I accidentally left it behind at the 'Sky Hotel' in Kigali :(

Bujumbura, Burundi - Here's a view from where I sat chillin' on the shores of Lake Tanganika in Bujumubura. You can see that I approve of the view! I liked Burundi- it was full of beautiful green hills and amazing produce (including strawberries!). There were also bakeries, and a more relaxed vibe than Kigali. I enjoyed dusting off my French as well!

The last leg

2009-06-08T03:47:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it is currently June 8, 1 day before my departure back to the U.S.! Where has the time gone?! I thought I'd better post a few updates before (yay!) seeing many of you in person later this week. My departure from Masaka has been happening kind of gradually over the last month. Here's a rundown of what I've been up to since my last post:

Wrapping up: I officially ended my World Vision internship at the end of April, and wrapped up a few loose ends with my other projects shortly thereafter.

Moving out: At the end of April, I moved out of the room that served so well for the previous three months. I've been a bit of a nomad ever since, sleeping either in hotels, on buses, or at Jenipher's place (during my stops back in Masaka).

Hitting the road: Because I wanted to focus on project activities, I kind of saved up my remaining travel for the month of May. The last 5 weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind as I've been to Rwanda, DRC (Goma), Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania (Zanzibar), and Ethiopia. Some crazy travel stories to be told, for sure!

Holding babies: For the last two weeks of May, I visited Almaz at Hannah's Hope in Ethiopia. This is a home for orphans in the process of being adopted by American families through All God's Children International. We had such a great time together, and it was so inspiring to see the developments since my last trip, when things were just getting started.

Looking ahead: I have been giving a lot of thought and prayer to where/what God's leading me to next. I'm thinking that I'd like to be in Africa again next year, and also that I'd like to earn a salary so I can begin paying down my grad school loans. I've applied for a couple jobs so far, including a position with World Vision in DRC. I've had a few phone interviews with them so far, but still waiting for the final decision. If that doesn't come through, I'll be more than happy to job search from the comfort of my parents' home as I cuddle my new nephew Caleb!

Saying goodbyes: The last several days have been a whirlwind of goodbyes. I'm feeling mixed emotions as I prepare to move on from Masaka- excitement to return home and see friends and family, but sadness at the thought that this chapter is closed, and it's now time to leave behind all the great people I've met here. Praise God that it is a bit painful to go, because it's a sign of how deeply He's blessed me with friends and meaningful work to do during my time here!

The joys of independent living

2009-04-17T01:20:00.000-07:00

Here, as a follow up to my entry on 'Adventures in Real Estate' are a few pics of the place I've been staying since moving out of the host family in late January. Despite breaking one of my windows the first day there, and getting unsolicited laundry lessons from the neighbor, it's been a wonderful experience overall- so great to have the independence to sleep in late with no judgment, or cook whatever mzungu food our hearts have desired (within reason!)

Front of our place- We have the end room in a row of rooms. It's nice and new, and freshly painted. The door was tricky at first though- you have to reach in the hole to unlock/lock the bars from the inside, and in the beginning that process took several minutes and left me with bruises all over the upper part of my arm. Just a wee bit embarrassing to struggle like that in front of the new neighbors!

My 'bedroom.' I sprang for the 25,000 Ush/$13.00 mattress which has been not not only comfortable, but also an important buffer against the creepy crawlies on the floor. The net also helps- I'm a big fan! We used lesu for curtains (cloth that ladies usually wrap around to protect their clothes while cleaning). Do me a favor and try not to notice how dirty my feet are in this pic- it's almost impossible to keep them clean during rainy season!

My roomie Amie (former international program coordinator for FSD, now volunteering with Right to Play), stands near our 'kitchen area' and in front of the doorway to her room. She was awesome to live with, I'm so glad that it worked out that our schedules matched up!

Brock and Hagar in the 'living room.' Since Brock and Hagar moved into a place nearby, we often came over to each other's places to cook dinner and enjoy music together. Notice the floor mats woven by Jenipher, and the sheet making a closet to hide anything unsightly (such as undergarments drying on the line!)

Our 'facilities.' I've spared you the internal view of the pit latrine and bath room. They are quite adequate, though we have to share them with a swarm of flies by day and giant cockroaches by night...

View of the compound - Nice and private. You can see the water tap toward the front- that's where we would fill our jerry cans for bathing, cooking, and washing water. Sometimes we also harvested rainwater using our various pots and basins.

A few project pics

2009-04-16T23:56:00.000-07:00

From December to January, I implemented the SOVCCAN Pilot Project through a small grant from FSD. SOVCCAN stands for Ssenyange Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children Community Action Network Project. Because the villages in nearby Ssenyange are a source of many of the children coming to the streets of Masaka, together with the staff at Buddukiro, I decided that my project should address the prevention side, mitigating some of the 'push' factors that drive the children to the streets.

The strategy was to form 'self help groups' for the caregivers of vulnerable, 'at-risk' children in two of the villages. The advantage of the groups is that they encourage saving and lending activity using members' own resources, serve as a sustainable mechanism for mutual support and self-advocacy, and encourage members to actively engage in addressing common community problems.

Although there were many points during the process when I feared the whole thing was going to crash and burn, things kept moving forward somehow, and we've seen a lot of positive impacts as the groups have been formed and trained. I'll write a separate post with more details on that, but for now here's a few pics.

Staff ToT - In December, we held a training for the Buddukiro staff to prepare them for working directly with the community, something that is new area for Buddukiro.

Introductory community discussion meeting - After identifying people in Ssenyange A and B that fell within our target group (using PRA), we invited them to a meeting to discuss the challenges they face, and brainstorm about potential solutions.

Home visits and interviewing - After the discussion meeting and some other orientation and training sessions, group membership started to solidify, and we began to do home visits to learn more about the kids living in the households. In this pic the lady in the jean skirt is the chairlady of the group for Ssenyange A. We call the lady who is seated on the ground 'the prefect' (because she's kind of the teacher's pet of the group but also super helpful). The social worker Aida is sitting on the bench interviewing one of the other group members outside her home.

Developing by-laws - After completing their basic training, the group members began to democratically develop the rules that will govern their operation. In this pic, the group from Ssenyange A is discussing their by-laws.

The team trekking back from Ssenyange - Cissy, Aida and John Bosco (Buddukiro staff) were real troopers, trekking up the hill to Ssenyange several Sundays in a row during the group formation and training (since Sunday was the convenient time for the community members to meet).

Teaching the ladies in Ssenyange B to write their own names. - For a number of reasons, things moved much more slowly with the development of the group for Ssenyange B. (Including burials and other cultural events that kept them away from several training sessions.) In this pic, they are finally together again to get things going. While they were waiting for the others to arrive, Cissy and the new education staff began teaching some of them how to write their names. The two village groups are very different, and whereas A is a younger, more literate crowd, B tends to be older and many are illiterate.

Ssenyange B - I love this shot of the chairlady for the Ssenyange B group on the left, and another jia jia (grandmother) holding up a tiny baby- one of many orphan kids she is caring for. Just look at her and you can begin to understand one of the major problems caused by HIV/AIDS in this area- many parents have died, leaving their tiny children in the care of grandparents, who may not make it all the way through their childhood...

Snapshots from daily life # 4

2009-04-13T23:46:00.000-07:00

When you see the marabou stork, you can't help but stare. Found mostly in urban areas, which supply its daily diet of fetid trash, it is somehow majestic with its spindly legs, sparse head of hair, and retractable acid sack (for slow external food digestion- positioned under the beak.)

There's a whole crew of these lovely creatures that grace the dumpster near my church, and the other day I snapped this incredible shot. Seemingly from two different worlds, it turns out these two are kindred spirits of the animal kingdom. (Check out the size comparison by the way- that was a huge pig and the stork is still bigger! All I could do was gawk with a mixture of fascination and disgust!)

Ready for their closeup...

For more info:
http://74.125.77.132/search?q=cache:U8jZwEA-JvcJ:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marabou_Stork+wikipedia+maribu+stork&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ug&client=firefox-a

He is Risen!

2009-04-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! I pray that this Easter "you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ!" (Eph 17-18)

Ugly Realities: Mob Justice

2009-04-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

When I returned from my trip to Kenya in early January, I received some disturbing news from my colleagues at Buddukiro. Apparently one of our former street children, now in his early twenties, was stoned to death in a neighboring village on New Year’s Day. His crime? Allegedly stealing a goat…

It’s not uncommon to hear this kind of story- a mob of angry community members catches up with a suspected thief, puts a tire around them and lights it on fire (…or lynches, or beheads, or stones…) him. This is a challenge the people involved with prison ministry at MPC have identified- even if a person has served their time in jail, anger often still smoulders against them back in their home village, and it may be unsafe for them to return.

In talking with some of my friends and colleagues, it sounds like part of what fuels this fire, so to speak, is people’s frustration and a pervading feeling that the formal justice system will not render justice, or will not do so in a timely manner. I’ve typed in an article below. It’s from the local newspaper and illustrates this point pretty graphically…

2 Beheaded in Kayunga
Daily Monitor, April 7, 2009, by Fred Muzaale

Residents in Mansa village, Kitimbwa Sub-county in Kayunga District yesterday be-headed two men suspected to be cattle thieves.

The district officer-in-charge of Criminal Investigations Department, Mr. Mohammed Kateregga, identified the dead as J__ M__, a bodaboda cyclist in Kayunga town, and another one only identified as M___.

Mr. Katergga said on Monday night, the two residents of Kanjuki village in Kayunga Sub-county went to Mansa village and allegedly stole one cow from Ms. Esther Nabakooza. “When Ms. Mabakooza discovered that her cow had been stolen, she informed area residents, who mounted a hunt for it until they discovered it hidden behind Mayaja’s house in Kanjuki village.” Mr. Kateregga said.

“On seeing the cow, the irate residents, who were armed with machetes, pounced on Mayanja and started hacking him but before he died he told the mob that he had stolen the cow with the help of his friend M___,” he added.

Mr Kateregga said the angry residents proceeded to the neighbouring Kyamimbi village where they arrested M__. “After arresting him, they dragged him to their village and beheaded him. By the time we arrived at the scene we found the two already dead,” he said.

He said Police was still investigating the incident and those who were involved in the murder will be prosecuted.

“Even though one is caught in any wrongdoing, no one has the right to kill him or her. If we get anyone taking part in acts of mob ‘justice’ we shall charge them with murder,” Mr. Kateregga said.

Cases of animal theft have been on the increase in Kayunga where more than 50 have been taken since the year started.

Meanwhile, Kayunga residents last week asked the government to provide them with guns to defend themselves against the landlords who were evicting them forcefully from the land they had occupied for long.

But Housing State Minister Michael Werikhe turned down their request citing increased violence.

A Police Crime report released recently indicated a 100% increase in cases of mob action from 184 in 2007, to 368 last year.

New routines

2009-02-27T00:04:00.001-08:00

Since returning from the Christmas break, there have been a lot of changes to my schedule, all of which I find quite exhilarating. Praise God for providing some great opportunities to continuing learning and serving Him. Here’s a rundown of my new typical week for this second half of my trip:

Mondays and Wednesdays: I go for the full day to for an internship at World Vision, at the area development project based in Kyabakuza (a 1000shilling boda ride from Masaka). So far, I am spending most time just observing and learning about the extensive programs and procedures World Vision utilizes to improve the lives of over 4,000 kids in the area, not to mention their families and communities. I’m really enjoying starting each work day with a staff devotion time- it has a nice way of putting things in perspective!

I’m also enjoying the opportunity to get out to some of the more rural areas. Last Monday I got to go out with one of the child sponsorship assistants to follow up with 8 kids who had received special gifts from their sponsors. We went to take pictures of the kids with everything they purchased so that we could report back to the sponsor. Usually the purchases included things like books, shoes, school uniforms, and some kind of small income generating project (piglets, cows, etc.) Seeing the impact it has on the ground, I definitely recommend you consider becoming a sponsor!

Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays: I split my time between church and Buddukiro. At church, I’m part of a team that is reviewing how we can restructure MPC’s community/mercy ministry projects so that they are more organized and have maximum impact. There are four main areas of ministry:
- Prison ministry;
- Assistance to orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC), and persons affected by HIV/AIDS;
- Assistance to the elderly and widows; and
- ‘Special initiatives’, which includes emergency assistance and start up capital so individuals who are struggling can become self-sustaining.

So far, we’ve designed a structure for a new church coordinating department, developed strategies for recruiting volunteers and mobilizing funds, and started raising awareness in the church through a ‘special Sunday’ where we highlighted some of the needs, and ways people could get involved. I’ll write about all these exciting developments in more detail in a later post…

At Buddukiro, I’m wrapping up my involvement with my project to set up self help groups for caregivers of OVC in Ssenyange. I’ll write more about that later too! Going forward, I’d like to continue to serve as a resource person as the staff carries the project forward, and as they prepare to implement a couple of other new projects there. In the evenings, I have a lot of fun visiting folks around the neighborhood for tea, hangout time, and Luganda lessons (with Jenipher and Mukiibi, Brock and Hagar, and Fred).

Saturdays - This is my day to take care of houseworky stuff. Man, after 3-4 hours of hand washing and cleaning, I feel pretty beat. I can’t imagine doing that every day like most ladies here do, and for multiple family members! Saturday is also a ‘fun’ day to hang out with friends and cook Muzungu food.

Sundays – Church in the morning, then usually some kind of training or workshop with my groups in Ssenyange through early evening. Usually a tiring but satisfying day.

All in all, I am very happy indeed, because I feel like all of the above constitutes time well spent!!!

A visit from muganda wange (my sister!)

2009-02-27T00:04:00.000-08:00

I had such a great time with Mark and Lisa when they came to volunteer in Uganda for the month of January. They were staying just a couple hours away, so we were able to visit back and forth quite a bit. They did a great job of getting adjusted, using their gifts and talents to contribute, and finding humor in daily life. Here’s a few pics:

Me with my stash- a special delivery from Santa (mom and dad), and friends. BTW, I polished that chocolate off within a week.

Lisa and Mark at the entrance to the hospital where he was working. Lisa was able to get involved in some cool ministry at a local church.

Lisa and Mark look over photos with Jenipher during a visit to my host family.

It’s my turn to be nurse as Mark examines all the kids at a home for orphans that is just down the street from my new place. He and Lisa were able to stop in there on there way back to the airport at the invitation of Lisandro, a Peace Corps volunteer friend of mine.

Lisa and Mark, what a blessing you guys were to me during your visit- thanks for everything!

Adventures in real estate

2009-02-10T05:25:00.003-08:00

Since my time with FSD is finished at the end of January, I have been looking for a room to rent after moving out of the host family. I decided that I wanted to stay around the neighborhood, since this is where all my ‘peeps’ are! My first question was, “How does this work here?” I don’t have access to any classified ads, and they certainly don’t seem to have Craigslist, Masaka. Should I just go knocking on people’s gates to see if they have an extra room in their compound?

Very fortunately for me, Buddukiro’s accountant, Sarah, has a brother named David, who happened to stop in to the center one day, and who happens to be very well-connected in the neighborhood since he grew up there! (Thanks Lord for the hookup!) He is one of five siblings that I now know in that family because two of the brothers are in my cell group!

Here’s a few of the stops we made along the way to finding my new home away from home. The main qualities I was looking for coming out of the host family experience? Quiet, privacy, and independence!

Wishing it didn’t have a well - The first place I looked was at the room Brock and Hagar didn’t take. It’s literally almost right across the street from Jenipher, down a dirt path toward the wetlands area. Though pretty, and quite private, it is rather claustrophobic, and with the tap out of commission, I’d have to lug water from the well down the path. XXX

Wide open spaces…(too wide and too open)! - This place is on one of the main dirt pathways up the hill from Jenipher. The lady was willing to rent me the two connected rooms for just 40,000shillings/mo (about $20), and even throw in a bed! Unfortunately, it was a bit run down, and completely open to the street. Given the crowd of curious kids that gathered at the door and windows just during the few minutes of my visit, it was clear that this place would not do! XXX

In excess of my decibel limit - At 30,000, very cheap. Within a gated compound (safe) and a water tap nearby. However, the room was very small and dark, nestled within a narrow alleyway between other tenants. Also, the place came with a soundtrack of Luganda radio and screaming kids that I thought I could do without. XXX

Ooh, that would have been perfect… - if were only 10,000shillings less! I fell in love with this place as soon as we passed through the private alley way and out into the pleasant, open, and equally private courtyard. There were a number of two-room apartments all in a row, and the one I looked at was brand new and bright and sunny, with all the details finished nicely. Unfortunately, it felt like a lot of space for just me and my few possessions, and at 50,000 the price was a little steep. Somehow couldn’t get this one out of my mind though, even as I continued to look at others… XXX

Way too big, aka just right? – Just as I was about to sign on to one of the simple 30,000/month rooms, David came back with an offer that was too good to refuse. There was a compound right next to him where the house was sitting empty because they were having trouble finding a buyer. For just 40,000, they were willing to rent me the whole house, including running water and indoor toilet (amenities that seem to be unheard of in the neighborhood.) Just as I was fearing it would be scary to be all by myself, Amie, the international program coordinator from FSD contacted me because she was in need of a place too! We would be the only ones in the compound, which meant no prying eyes to laugh at our awkward muzungu attempts at housekeeping.
DING DING DING! THIS IS THE ONE WE CHOSE, AND WENT AHEAD TO PUT DOWN THE DEPOSIT AND DRAWING UP THE HANDWRITTEN AGREEMENT.

***BONUS - Here’s some of the items on my must-have list- I’ve put the dollar values in just for fun so you can see the cost of setting up a household in Uganda! (The sad thing is these prices seem high to me by this point!):
1 large and 1 small jerry can – $2.50 and $1.50 respectively
2 basins- one for bathing and washing, one for dishes - $2.00 each
1 small mattress - $15
1 set of sheets - $5
3 lesus (cloths) to serve as curtains - $1.50 each
1 woven banana leaf mat to put under mattress - $0.75
1 colored woven mat to serve as a ‘couch’ for visitors $5.00
Clothes line for hanging clothes, laundry, and mosquito net- about $1.00
2-4 coffee cups, plates, spoons- about $5.00
1-2 pots – about $2-3.00 each
Paraffin cook stove ($4.00)
A place call my own – PRICELESS!

** Update- just a couple days after I paid the rent and signed the agreement (handwritten in English dictated by me!), the transformer blew, landing the whole neighborhood, including ‘my’ house, without power. David says with the customer service ethic of the power company, this is a problem that could take up to the full three months to rectify! So, Amie and I had to decide whether to go for the other 'perfect' two room place that had been on my mind.

This raised an interesting question- given the choice, which do I value more, privacy, or electricity? Electricity won, and so we moved into our two room palace! It didn’t even need to be 10,000 shillings less, because with Amie splitting the cost, it’s now 20,000 less. We’ve been there about a week so far, and are both pretty delighted by how cute it is. More to follow on the adventures of independent living!

Holiday Party at Buddukiro

2009-02-10T04:19:00.000-08:00

On December 19, we brought the kids from Nyendo and Masaka together for a holiday party. A good time was had by all! Some of the highlights:

- The kids drew some holiday pictures to decorate the drop in center(see below).
- They also prepared a song and skit about being safe while on the streets.
- There was a talk with the agency nurse Justine on safety and HIV/AIDS prevention.
- They were also encouraged to plan for their futures as 2009 approaches, rather than just thinking about day to day life on the street.
- There were prizes for some of the boys, such as most punctual, most clean, most helpful.
- We all drank soda, ate meat, and enjoyed some holiday sweets.

**Many thanks to the supporter whose donation helped to make this party possible!

Hakuna Matata part deux: Mombasa and Lamu

2009-02-10T03:41:00.001-08:00

Here’s a few pics from our trip to the coast. So this is what this side of the Indian Ocean looks like!

This is looking out from Mombasa. It was an interesting town- very different vibe from Nairobi, and much more hot and humid, with lots of cool colonial architecture. On our way out of Mombasa at the end of the trip, we enjoyed some AMAZING pizza and ice cream. There was also a street kid that went a little ballistic on us when we wouldn’t give him money- going on and on about how Kenya is his country, not ours, and how he would beat us if we ever returned to that neighborhood. No problem kiddo- I doubt I will ever again be in that section of Mombasa!

Lamu Island is a World heritage site. It has really narrow winding alleys, no cars but lots of donkeys and donkey droppings, and lots of ladies in muslim garb. In fact, Hagar and I were the only ladies on the boat ride over not wearing it! Here’s a few pics, including one of donkey races for the occasion of muslim new year!

I also stuck in one bonus pic with my good friend Karen, who we got to see while she was visiting from DC (her family is in Nairobi.) Kenya was definitely kind to us, and we arrived back in Uganda refreshed and ready to greet 2009!

Hakuna Matata in Kenya!

2009-02-10T03:26:00.000-08:00

Over Christmas, Brock, Hagar and I toured around Kenya. It took about 13 hours by Akamba bus to go from Kampala to Nairobi. With the right book and sufficient snacks, not at all a bad time!

One tricky part was the border crossing though. Akamba is basically obsessed with being on time, which is mostly a good thing. However, we pulled up to the customs office, and the driver said, "10 minutes." 10 minutes for a full busload of people to exit Uganda, run way down the road to the Kenyan border office, get visas, and reboard?! Brock and I were running behind, and literally just stepped back on the bus as it pulled away. I think they did actually leave someone behind!

Right over the border, we could immediately see a lot of differences between Kenya and Uganda, including that it is much drier, and there are much fewer trucks full of matooke going by! We arrived in Nairobi around 9pm after seeing some beautiful countryside. We were a bit lost at first, and nervous since even the guidebook calls the city, "Nairobbery." However, it didn't take long before things just all started to fall in place amazingly easily! We found a nice guesthouse, and Dorcas, who works there, was able to immediately arrange a three day safari for us at a good price.

Here’s a few pics from our trip to Kenya, ‘wild things’ safari segment, including the ‘big five’ of the game park! More to follow on the trip to the coast.

Leopard - One of the 'big five.' We were so lucky our driver got a hot tip on the first day of the safari, and we sped over in time to see him lounging in the tree. They are very rare to see!

Lion - Another of the big five. We got to see several of these guys, always looking very chill. It must be nice to be at the top f the food chain!

Elephants and Rhino (baby ones!)- On our last day in Kenya we visited an elephant orphanage where baby and adolescent elephants stay until they are old enough to fend for themselves in one of the parks. Their trainers do everything they can to mimic parent-child relations between elephants, including actually take turns sleeping where they sleep. Because elephants have good memories, they said that if they are a bit older when they are orphaned, they go through a long grieving process similar to what we go through! We also finally got to see a two-week old adorable baby rhino (the last of the 'big five'! He was found alone, and because he was born blind and would therefore be unable to defend himself in the wild, he will likely hang out at the orphanage for quite some time!

The Masai - us Muzungus dancing with some of the Masai villagers. They have found a very lucrative market for their very distinctive culture among safari goers!

Besides these guys we saw: ostriches, crested cranes, lots of hippos, lots of elephants and zebras, antelopey things, buffaloes, wildebeasts, and many varieties of birds.

A flash update- latest happenings and upcoming blog teasers

2009-01-05T07:24:00.000-08:00

I've been a little out of commission on the blog front over the holidays. Here's a quick update on what I've been up to. Consider it also to be a preview of blog posts to come in the new year, as many of these topics will be revisited!

Since my last post I have:
** Been awarded the grant from FSD
** Planned and held a ToT (training of trainers) for the Buddukiro staff to prepare them for implementing the project come January
**Enjoyed a Christmas party that brought the Masaka and Nyendo boys together for skits, food, and fun.
**Outwitted a rat that wanted to call my room home.
**Spent many hours in a bumpy bus to see all Kenya has to offer, including a beautiful capital, great animals, a picturesque coast and beachy coast, and my good friend Karen, home for a visit to her family!
**Enjoyed a lot of fun times with Brock, Hagar, and Fred, all of whom now live in my neighborhood!
**Gotten a great beach tan, as well as observations from Ugandan friends and co-workers that I have 'grown fat' since coming to Masaka.
**Learned about 'mob justice' and some of the other darker aspects of life here in Uganda.
**Experienced lots of emotional and spiritual highs and lows, and grown a lot in my relationship with God in the process.
**Made a decision to remain in Masaka after my FSD internship finishes at the end of January, which may involve moving into a place of my own, cutting back hours at Buddukiro and taking on a couple other projects (more to follow on that).

Can't wait to share more. In the meantime, I hope that 2009 finds you happy, healthy, and excited for all the new year may hold!

Blessings,
Tammie

Introducing a Baganda custom

2009-01-05T05:38:00.000-08:00

One Saturday in December, my host mom took me along to an ‘introduction ceremony’ she, along with the entire village, was invited to. Among the Baganda, these are a very important part of a young person’s life. It is the setting where the bride and groom to be are formally introduced to each other’s families.

The anatomy of a gomesi
This was quite an exciting event for us. My host mom bought a ‘gomesi’ for me. This is the the national dress for ladies, and mine was colorful, to say the least, though not as colorful as those some of the other ladies were wearing! I personally had no desire to own one of these, secretly ranking it near the bottom of the list of traditional clothing I’ve encountered in my travels in terms of aesthetic appeal. However, after the day, I have to admit that I had a newfound respect for the thing.

The gomesi is kind of like a sari with puffed sleeves and buttons. You put on the top like a shirt, and then gather in the extra fabric and hold it up with a thick belt, which it flops over in a very particular way. Basically, the bigger you are, the better it looks. You can’t see it in the pic, but I’ve got a wool wrap around skirt underneath that helps to add a little extra modesty and bulk. The shoulders are held aloft by netting inside, and the belt is meticulously starched and straightened so it sits just so. I could also stuff my cell phone, wallet, handkerchief, and camera into that belt, without any change to the look! You also have to wear a necklace, so if you look closely you can admire the faux pearly number Jennifer leant me for the occasion.

Since the shoes I brought with me are hopelessly sensible and flat, Sarah and Anita from FSD took me shopping for some gaudy heels, which are sold all around town. Unfortunately, it seems my muzungu feet are not shaped right (not one place had my size!). The one pair that came close ended up being a sensible, though stylish pair of black heeled sandals for $6. I was a little disappointed, but I think I’ll get a lot more mileage out of those than a pair of gold spike heels ;) I was certainly thankful for the choice during the 40 minute walk to the host’s home!

Aiyaiyaiyai! You look smart!!
Once Jenipher and I were outfitted (doesn’t she look great?! discreet gray…), we headed out. Almost as soon as I set foot outside the door, all of my friends along the road were very vocal about their approval of their muzungu’s new look! The ladies shouted aiyaiyaiyai, the men told me I looked very smart, the kids asked my for sweeties as usual, and the boda drivers asked me to marry them, as usual.

Amidst the ruckus, we made our way down the street to the hairdresser, who combed out Jenipher’s hair. Then Jenipher said, “and what about my daughter?” gesturing toward my soft, floppy muzungu locks. The hairdresser humored her and combed out my hair too, though we both knew it would slip back out of shape as soon as I moved my head. Let me just say the rest of the walk to the introduction ceremony site was long and eventful…

A marathon of hellos
The introduction was held at the home of the girl’s grandparents. They rented tents and plastic chairs, which were festooned with colorful swags of fabric and bows (yellow and lime green- I think the general sentiment at these type of functions is that the gaudier, the better.) They also tied up woven mats around the perimeter to shut out the prying eyes of the neighborhood kids. Now Jenipher, unlike many people here, really hates to be late, and so we arrived promptly at around 11:00a.m. We sat and sat as people trickled in and colored paper was spread around the front ‘stage’ area. We sat, and sat, and sat, and finally the event got started around 2:30 (!) with the arrival of the guy and his family. They were seated facing the girl’s family, with the little ‘stage’ area in between.

Pic- the bride to be (in gold) and two relatives dance over to greet the guy's family.

What followed was a virtual ballet of very elaborate greetings, singing, and dancing by various family members of the bride to be. The groom to be’s family responded by parading in a bevy of gifts for the bride’s parents. They carried in at least three rounds worth on their heads, including millet, pineapple, matooke, chickens, a cow, and a couch set! By the way, the invitation to the ceremony included an itemized list of all the gifts and their prices!! All of this was facilitated and narrated by a very animated master of ceremonies, hired specifically for that purpose.

Pic- you can just see the cow as it pulls up to the ceremony.

It was all very fascinating, but turned into a bit of a marathon for me, as I was ambushed by a perfect storm of distractions: Firstly, with everything in Luganda and my host mom too engrossed to translate, there were a lot of blanks to fill in. Then, it was hot and I was wearing a wool skirt under my gomesi. My allergies started to act up and I was sneezing and dribbling all over my hanky. My contacts got all filmed over due to the allergies, and after awhile all I could see was a whirl of colors. I had last eaten/drank at 7:30 in the morning, and no food or drink was served until nearly 8:00pm! I thought I was going to lose it seeing all the gift cartons of soda go by! We almost caved and left before the meal was served, but in the end were able to hang in there till the end!

Pic- the groom to be's family parades in gifts for the bride's parents.

The event ended up with a breezy boda ride home, seated side saddle next to Jenipher around 9pm. It sure was a lot of culture all in one day, but an unforgettable experience to be sure.

Tis the Season!

2008-12-07T23:59:00.000-08:00

While many of you are bustling about with Christmas shopping, and praying earnestly for a white Christmas, we here in Masaka are celebrating a different kind of season – that of the Ensenene (grasshoppers).

With the rainy season come these delightful creatures, much loved by everyone from child to adult (at least everyone local!) Not only delicious and nutritious, they are also an economic boon. Selling at 5,000shillings a cup, some people are able to buy cars off of their ensenene season earnings. I’ve tried my best to document all the steps involved in this much anticipated time of year.

1.) Put up the catchers - all around Masaka and Nyendo, you see these contraptions. At night, they rest huge metallic sheets against the supports, and put on floodlights. Attracted by the lights, the unsuspecting ensenene hit the sheet and tumble down into the barrel, from which they have no hope of escape. Somehow, even if the rest of the neighborhood is without power, they manage to keep the floodlights lit, and the ensenene look like snow falling as they swarm overhead.

2. Pluck off the feathers - The next morning, the catchers bag up the ensenene and sell them off in smaller lots. The buyers usually hire cheap labor (including many of our street kids) to pluck of the legs and wings of the (live!) ensenene. They really rip them off, paying just 200shillings for them to pluck a cupful, but I’ve noticed that all the boys have gained some weight this month as they shell out their earnings for all kinds of snacks and treats. Lots of new kids also come to the streets at this time, which is not good.

3. Go around selling them – Buckets full of raw (and still wiggling) ensenene bodies are carried around the streets and sold by the cupful.

4. Fry em up – Once you buy them, you fry them. No need to add any oil- their own juices do the trick quite nicely!

5. And enjoy – After frying, it’s time to enjoy the crunchy consistency and savory flavor. See how much I’m loving it? ;)

To be honest, I’ve only eaten 1/3 of an ensenene to date (made my colleagues take of the head and bottom.) The flavor is nice, but I can’t get over the mental image of having ensenene exoskeleton stuck in my teeth. I know my friends here might be disappointed by that, but what can I say, I’m still a muzungu at heart, with a taste for a different kind of holiday treat…

Holiday fun: when Jenipher had her bushes trimmed I grabbed a clipping to serve as my official Christmas tree!

Kids, the best entertainment

2008-12-07T22:42:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to share some LOL (that's 'laugh out loud', for the uninitiated) moments from the last several weeks, courtesy of the kids in my life here.

Mukiibi
One day while I was coming home from work, I ran into Jenipher and Mukiibi on the road. She was going to visit a friend (an older lady who is like a jia jia to Jenipher), and persuaded me to come along. When we got there, I was offered some soda. When they brought it out, Mukiibi had a little fit because he didn’t get one. He started sobbing and carrying on in a way that was so obviously fake and beneath his advanced age of four years, that I could only look at him, perplexed. The ‘adults’ relented and brought him a soda, but for the rest of the evening he had to endure Jenipher totally mocking him, “wah, I want a soda, wah!
Image: Mukiibi, one cool dude.

On the way home from visiting Jenipher's friend, we stopped off at Fred's place. Although it was late, Fred of course insisted on serving us tea. He put out the hot water and a loaf of bread. While he was out of the room getting the tea and sugar, the loaf of bread fell over, and several pieces landed on the floor. Jenipher and I exchanged glances, and I hurriedly picked them up and put them on back on the plate before Fred came back in. We went on to serve ourselves tea, but Mukiibi was the only one that took bread. After he was served, he made a great show of wiping off each side of bread before dipping it into his tea. Jenipher and I almost died laughing, and Fred of course was just confused.

Joy
For a couple weeks after her house girl quit, Sara (the accountant at Buddukiro) had to bring her three-year-old daughter Joy with her to work. Now, Joy is an assertive person, to say the least. She was ordering me, the other staff, and the street kids around like a little sergeant, and we were all loving it. Here are three giggles courtesy of Joy:

We have a number of educational posters hanging on the walls at Buddukiro, related to things like child labor, health and hygiene, and personal safety. One very graphic poster depicts a traditional healer running off carrying the head of a child, his bloody and headless body visible in the background. (Child sacrifice and witchcraft are still problems here, and we actually warn the street kids to sleep in groups to minimize the danger of being targeted.) Ok, so that’s not such a LOL topic, but it somehow became one when Joy looked up at the poster , pointed at the man, and shouted, “YOU STOP IT!” Out of the mouths of babes…

Joy was playing outside the Center for awhile, and when she came back in we noticed that she kept trying to put her finger up her nose. I scolded her to stop it. When she persisted, a couple of the boys tried to reach up to see if they could find whatever she was trying to fish out. They managed to pull out a few petals. Turns out, Joy had gotten it into her head that it would be a good idea to stick a daisy up her nose. Unfortunately for her, the central yellow part was really wedged up there, and it took a trip to the clinic to get it out! Ooh, that can’t have been pleasant!

Each day, Sara would try to lay Joy down for a nap, which she usually vigorously opposes. On one particular day, she must have been exhausted, because Aunt Cissy was only halfway through feeding her her porridge when she started to nod off, cheeks completely full of porridge! Joy is staying with an Auntie in Kampala these days, and we all miss her (and her antics) terribly!
Image: Joy with her cheeks full of porridge

Neighborhood Kids
Ok, I can only think of one story here, but it was pretty hilarious. There’s a school right behind the Nyendo drop in Center, and I get a lot of attention from the kids there. They often crowd around the door and look in to watch what I’m doing and say ‘bye Muzungu!’ One day, they were particularly eager and exuberant. One little girl of about three really outdid herself waving and craning her neck. Unfortunately for her though, the ground was uneven, and before she could catch herself, she lost her balance and totally face planted in the mud. She of course started to cry, so I came out to pick her up and brush the dirt off her face and out of her mouth (!). She immediately stopped crying, in awe at being touched by the muzungu!

Image: Some of the schoolkids near the drop in center.

HIV/AIDS: One Family's Pain

2008-12-07T22:21:00.002-08:00

Last Monday was World AIDS day. There was a lot of activity around here, including marches, speeches, and free testing and counseling. There was also a lot of coverage in the media. The article below is transcribed directly from the local newspaper, and though a bit melodramatic, the story it documents is really not that uncommon. As one of my colleagues said, there is really almost no family here in Uganda that has not been impacted somehow by HIV/AIDS.

Daily Monitor, Monday Dec. 1, 2008, pg 5
By Evelyn Lirri

Fewer families have felt the pain that can be inflicted by HIV/AIDS more than that of 64-year old Rose Odongpiny of Layibi Division of Gulu District. Ms. Odongpiny has seen seven of her eight children, and most of their spouses, succumb to AIDS.

She had to start taking care of the 13 grandchildren whose parents were snatched by the cruel hand of death. She soon learnt that six of the grandchildren were infected with the HIV virus.

One of Ms. Odongpiny’s infected grandchildren, an 18year-old girl, the eldest of the orphans, posed an even bigger challenge. As if the HIV infection were not bad enough, she was also pregnant.

Looking after her grandchildren would not have been a problem, had Ms. Odongpiny not discovered three years ago during one of the home-based voluntary testing programs- she too was infected.

According to Ms. Odongpiny, she is likely to have contracted the virus while taking care of her children when they were bedridden. Because she HIV/AIDS can only be spread through sexual intercourse, she did not take any precautionary measures while nursing her children.

With no one else to turn to, Ms Odongpiny- who lost her husband in 1972- must once again fend for her family, except this time she has been weakened by the virus and needs as much help as the very children she was supposed to take care of. Ms. Odongpiny’s ordeal mirrors that of many grandparents who bear the enormous emotional burden of caring for their grandchildren who have been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic.

Statistics from the Demographic and Health Survey 2006 indicates that Uganda has over 2,000,000 orphans, most of whose parents died of HIV/AIDS and about 110,000 children who are less than 15 years are living with HIV/AIDS.

Ms. Odongpiny’s first agony is where to get food. “Food is a constant problem. It has become even harder nowadays because I don’t have anything to feed these children on. I don’t have money.” She said.

If she is lucky, she eats one meal a day, usually a meal of green vegetables and bens. Yet at times she has endured more than two days without food. Milk is out of the question for her, while meat is a luxury she can only afford once a year.

According to the regional HIV/AIDS special for Save the Children in Uganda, Mr. Edmond Kero, access to HIV/AIDS services and increasing awareness among people living with HIV/AIDS, especially children, is a top priority. Kero said over the years, Save the Children Uganda has undertaken a project identifying children with HIV/AIIDS and enrolling them for the various preventative services like access to antiretroviral treatment from the communities like that of Ms. Odongpiny.

Although here are no specific statistics of how many children are living with HIV/AIDS in Gulu District, the Uganda HIV/AIDS report 2007 puts the northern region to have the second highest prevalence rate in the country at 8.2 %, compared to the national average of 6.5 percent.

Ms. Odongpiny and her grandchildren are not yet on the life prolonging ARVs, but have been put on spetrin prophylaxis to prevent opportunistic infections.

Heatlh Alert, an organization that is undertaking preventative programs for HIV/AIDS in Amuru and Gulu District, has been assisting the family to access treatment at the health facilities.

According to the project coordinator for Health Alert, Mr Francis Oubutu, the project, with support from Save the Children in Uganda, has been supporting children with HIV/AIDS and their caretakers by making followup visits to their homes.

Mr Obutu said, for the most vulnerable people like Ms. Odongpiny, Health Alert has come to provide some basic requirements like sugar, soap, and milk for mothers who are on the prevention of mother to child transmission program.

Ms Odongpiny’s granddaughter is one of those HIV positive young mothers enrolled with Health Alert to not only cope with HIV/AIDS pregnancy, but also access information on how to prevent mother to child transmission.

But Ms. Ondonpiny’s despair is not only where she will get her next meal, she also worries about her grandchildren’s education. As she reflects on her life, Ms. Odongpiny says the worst consequence of the epidemic for her is not the death it has come with, but the helpless orphans that are being left behind.

The faces of potential

2008-12-01T01:10:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we had a 'Users Meeting.' Once a month, Buddukiro brings the boys from the Masaka and Nyendo centers together to give them information and advice, and have them share about any issues they're having.

When my turn came to give them a little 'soundbite' of advice, I mainly stressed how much potential we see in each of them, and how important it is that they take advantage of, rather than waste, the opportunities Buddukiro presents them with.

Here's a photo of the group, including BCA staff. behind each set of eyes, there is a story- trauma and hardship, but also dreams and oodles of potential. For example, Ronald, in the middle with the red and blue striped shirt, is an orphan. He lives with an aunt who has taken in several other orphans from different members of her family, and they all live together in Nyendo. Though he has a place to stay, his aunt can't afford to pay school fees for all those kids. So, although extremely bright, he's been out of school since last May. We're hoping Buddukiro can sponsor him to go back when the new term begins in February, and in the meantime he's been joining Buddukiro's education sessions each day to try to keep his mind sharp. I killed me to hear from him during a recent group counseling session, when we asked why his week had been a good one. He said that it was a good week because he because his family held the last funeral rites of his mother over the weekend(one year after death), and he had gotten a lot to eat that day.

I know it's a little hard to see, but it would be awesome if you could take a little time to look at each face, and pray for each boy, that he will safely navigate this crucial time in his life, and become all that God created him to be...

Note on pics: I'm having the toughest time getting any photos to upload recently, hence the blank spaces in some of these entries. I'll keep trying though...

Five things I’m thankful for

2008-11-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Turkey Day!

I’m sure many of you have the tradition of going around the table on Thanksgiving and each saying something that you’re thankful for. Here’s several of my somethings this Turkey Day.

This year at Thanksgiving I’m thankful for:
1.) God’s provision and love for me. Through some bumps in the road this past year, His presence has been a really crucial constant.

2.) This opportunity here in Uganda, doing something I really care about and enjoy. Also for the skills and experiences I’m gaining here.

3.) All of you. For what you’ve meant in my life, and for the moral and financial support you have provided to get me here to Masaka.

4.) My family, for their love and support, and for the new niece or nephew on the way!

5.) New friends here, including the other interns and folks at church. It takes an experience to a whole new level when you have great people to share it with.

Image- I was letting some of the boys at Buddukiro play with Microsoft Paint, so I decided to have some retro Thanksgiving fun myself!

Snapshots from daily life: #3

2008-11-27T04:51:00.000-08:00

I realize I’ve never formally introduced you to the food here. So here is a pic of a typical lunchtime meal. It is ‘mix’ with sauce. Here the sauce is beans. You can also get gnut (peanut), meat, or fish. The mix usually consists of various starches, including matooke (made from plantain steamed in banana leaves, the staple food here), posho (made from maize flour), and rice.

The other pic you see was taken near Masaka market, and it shows matooke as it looks fresh off the tree. You see people carting it all over the place on heavily-laden bicycles or trucks. People here call matooke ‘food’, and don’t feel as if they’ve really eaten unless the meal includes matooke. They always seem very surprised to hear we don’t have it back home!

In terms of my usual meal schedule, here’s what a typical day might look like:
* Breakfast: A mug of tea, a mug of millet porridge, a butter sandwich, a boiled egg, and if my host mom forces me, a banana or plate of greens or beans.
Morning tea: Tea (as always with whole milk and like 4 teaspoons of sugar!) and a snack (such as samosa, banana pancake, or fried cassava)
* Lunch: Rice and beans. I never choose to take matooke at lunch if I can avoid it. Once per day is enough!
* Afternoon tea: Tea with either another butter sandwich or a chapatti (like a tortilla)
* Just wanted to interject and say that I'm starting to feel like a Hobbit here...must take a break from fighting evil for elevensies...
* Dinner: matooke, rice, or potatoes with greens, fresh avocado, and some kind of sauce, and my favorite- passion juice (made fresh from half orange/half passion fruit, water, and lots of sugar!)

Although I sometimes just crave a good slice of pizza, I can’t complain overall. Everything is boiled to within an inch of its life, which kills germs, and it’s about as fresh as you can get (as in, beans just out of the pod and bananas just off the tree!)

Update on what I'm up to

2008-11-27T04:49:00.000-08:00

So I thought I’d post a little more about what’s been occupying my week days. Here’s a look at my usual schedule. I’m enjoying it so far!

Typical Day
I usually leave home around 8:00am for the 25-30 minute walk/ride into Buddukiro. The weeks vary a little, but usually on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays I’ll go direct to Masaka, and on Tuesdays and Fridays I’ll start off at the Nyendo Center and head to Masaka after lunch. Before arriving at the center, I often start with outreach, which basically means walking up and down the streets to pass by the corners where the boys gather and encourage them to come to the centers.

The two sites are really different. Whereas the Nyendo boys are younger, very regular attenders, and somehow a little more innocent, the Masaka boys tend to be a little older, and their streets somehow seem a little more rough. In Nyendo, I usually give an English lesson once a week, or come up with some activity for the music/drama time on Fridays. In Masaka, I usually play badminton or soccer, or give a little informal computer lesson to the kids, and do ‘office’ work the rest of the time.

I eat lunch with the other Buddukiro staff at one of the little restaurants that we’ve contracted to also feed the boys once per day- usually at “Mama Eddy’s.” Sometimes I head out mid afternoon to the internet café if I need to do some research online. I usually have some activity or another going on right after work, and then head home to Jennipher’s by 7:00 or 7:30. After that it’s tea, play with Mukiibi, bath, dinner, bed!

Mini Project
I mentioned in a previous post that we had been doing a needs assessment in Ssenyange. Last week I turned in the proposal for the ‘mini project’ we came up with to FSD. I’m calling it the “Ssenyange orphans and other vulnerable children community action network project,” or Ssenyange OVC C.A.N. If this gets funded, it will begin to take up a lot of my time with things like materials development, training, and follow up visits.

I’ve pasted the exec summary in another entry because I’m in the post deadline phase of feeling too sick of the thing to write any more about it, but you’ll get the gist. I’m excited about it because I think if we could get the groups set up and functioning (including the savings and loaning function), they have the potential to make an impact in the lives of the kids in those households, and to help the caregivers sustain and advocate for themselves over the long term. Also, working on the ‘prevention’ side is something Buddukiro’s been wanting to get into as part of their new strategic direction, so this has the potential to move them where they want to go as an organization. We’ll find out later this week if it gets funded or not, so keep your fingers crossed!

Other Possibilities
I’ve been praying about what else I should get involved in during my non Buddukiro time- like how to get involved at church, in my community, after my time at Buddukiro is up at the end of January, etc. One interesting possibility is helping my friend Fred, who has a vision to start a Christian computer/resource complex in Masaka with a pastor friend of his. I’ve been able to use some of my MBA knowledge and materials to help them begin thinking about the business plan. Fun! Another idea I have is that my church would like to get something started working with orphans. Not sure yet what I could help with there, but it caught my attention…

Pics and proposal exec summary

2008-11-27T04:48:00.001-08:00

Pic 1: Ssenyange (sprawled along the hillside overlooking Masaka

Pic 2: Me with one of the families we interviewed for the needs assessment- a grandmother living with three orphans- two from two of her own children that died of HIV/AIDS, and one that she is unrelated to but had compassion on and took in off the street.

Executive Summary

Every child has a right to grow up in a nurturing environment where they can realize their full potential. However, for the approximately 112,000 orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) in Masaka District of Uganda, this is often not possible due to poverty, domestic violence, and other challenges. Ssenyange Parish in particular is heavily impacted. However, the few existing service providers operate in a limited capacity, and community members are not organized to collaboratively address the challenges they face. BCA has determined that there is a strong linkage between this underserved OVC population and the influx of the children from Ssenyange coming to the streets of Masaka town. Once there, they become even more vulnerable to an array of dangers.

In response to this situation, BCA is proposing the Ssenyange OVC C.A.N. (Community Action Network) Project. The goal of this pilot project is to target OVC households in Ssenyange with interventions that will improve the welfare of OVC and prevent them from coming to the street, while also enhancing the overall capacity of the community to respond to their needs. This project has three main objectives: to establish OVC community action groups; to enhance the ability of group members to meet the basic needs of OVC in their households; and to promote community sensitization and mobilization around OVC issues. BCA is requesting a grant of $900.44 from FSD to carry out the first phase of this project. With this support, two groups will be formed and 3 will be trained, directly impacting 30-45 OVC households. Additionally, two sensitization sessions will be held for a minimum of 50 community members, and groundwork will be laid for additional action on OVC issues.

With 50% of the population below the age of 15, an investment in orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) through the Ssenyange OVC C.A.N. Project will make a vital contribution to the long-term development of the region. The groups will serve as an enduring structure for promoting welfare of OVC in Ssenyange, and lessons learned can be leveraged to reach out to other needy areas with similar interventions. The project will also fill a major service gap, and position BCA to make significant future contributions to this high priority issue.

Wild Things!

2008-11-10T22:31:00.000-08:00

The other interns and I have been feeling antsy to get out of Masaka and see more of Uganda, so this past weekend we packed into a car with three of my Ugandan friends from church and headed to two wildlife parks west of here- one at Lake Mburo near Lyantonde, and the other called Queen Elizabeth park, along the border near DR Congo in the west (separated from DRC by mountains, so no worries there!)

You basically pay an exorbitant (by local standards) entrance fee, and then drive around the trails of the huge park. Ours was the only 'normal-sized' car amidst a sea of jeeps and SUVs, and it sure took a beating! Here are a few pics from this amazing trip! Besides those featured here, we also saw monkeys, baboons, antelopey things, things that looked like fuzzy llamas, and lots of cool birds.

***Hippos! We were lucky to catch a bit of them at the lake- their heads and cute ears, and more of some fighting each other off in the distance. Apparently there are hundreds submerged just below the surface, and apparently they are also very mean. Anyone want to go for a swim?

***Zebras! There were so many at Lake Mburo, and I guess their stripes are as unique as our fingerprints!

***Elephant Crossing! We were so lucky to happen to make a wrong turn (one of many!) and come across these guys.

***Pumbas! Along the way, we also surprised a couple of the warthogs as they were taking mud baths!

***The Group - overlooking Lake Mburo: me, Hagar, Fred 1 (who drove), Fred 2(mentioned in my previous post), and Nicholas, Fred 2's little brother. Brock is taking the pic.

***Overlooking Queen Elizabeth - lots of variety in the landscape there!

***Changing the flat tire - we it got on the way back in a huge pothole (it was totally trashed!) That journey home was a trip unto itself. Thank goodness the flat tire happened there and not in lion country! (We didn't unfortunately didn't manage to spot any of those :(

Attitudes that kill me

2008-11-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Why are these people poor? This is the question I kept asking myself over and over during my first few weeks here. Compared to other areas in Africa, Uganda has a lot of resources, not the least of which is very fertile land. So what is going on here? The answer is that it’s complicated- there are a bajillion reasons which I will perhaps attempt to tackle at a later time. One reason, which I will elaborate on here, most certainly relates to attitude.

Two families, different outcomes
In preparation for writing a grant proposal to FSD, I’ve been doing a needs assessment over the last couple weeks in Ssenyange subparish, the hill behind Masaka. It's an area Buddukiro has identified as a major source of kids coming to the street. Yesterday, two of the families I interviewed highlighted an interesting theme that keeps repeating itself in the people I meet.

In the first family, there were two able-bodied parents with one child, aged 16, who was out of school due to lack of fees (more on that in my other post). Like many, they were struggling to make ends meet through occasional odd jobs. The second family, a single mother with six kids, all in school, was struggling but managing somehow. She is a ‘fishmonger’ (seller) in town, and also belongs to a savings group.

I’m sure there are many factors involved, but I can’t help but look at the two families and wonder- why is the one with the seemingly harder circumstances somehow making it work while the other cannot? This is another question that I keep asking myself- Why, when faced with similar circumstances, do some people manage to scratch out their food from the soil, and others don’t have enough to eat? Why are some able to cobble together school fees for their children while others cannot? I think the answer is very much rooted in attitudes.

The downside of giving
Every day, people see that I am a muzungu, assume I am rich, and ask me for money- kids, adults, poor people, seemingly well off people, co-workers, total strangers. Even the teacher I talked to at Ssenyange Public school (see previous post), came out and told me that she’s a widow with six kids. She’s having trouble paying their fees, and can’t I help her? I know it sounds harsh, but I was thinking, “Take a number and get in line lady.”

Granted, it may be true that I, even without an income at the moment, am comparatively rich. However, there is an underlying attitude here that is extremely problematic for Uganda’s future. For so many years, Uganda was facing war and calamity, and international aid agencies flooded in to provide help. Good, people in crisis need assistance. However, among too many, this has left a legacy of idle hands, held open to receive help, rather than being set in motion to change the circumstances.

Aid/development work is actually pretty big business here- I think it might be the 2nd or 3rd largest industry in the economy. Most everyone associates NGOs (nongovernamental orgs) with money, and looks to them (rather than the government) for the majority of their services. Among Ugandans there is also a culture where anyone who manages to earn a decent living faces a line of people in their own family expecting a handout. (There are some aspects of this generous, family-oriented culture that I really admire, but there's a down side too in terms of incentive.)

Two types of people, two different outcomes
There seem to be two main types of people that I am meeting, who seem to have very different outcomes in life:

Go-getters
**There are people like my host mother Jenipher (see my previous blog entry about how, when widowed, she went from crying for help to working hard to make a way for her six kids).
**There is also Frank, who was one of the first street kids Buddukiro supported. He just completed university with a degree in development studies. He hopes to start a project to help vulnerable kids, like he once was.
**There is also my friend Fred, who worked his fingers to the bone to earn his school fees after his mom died when he was 12. He is now a doctor who is managing to pay the school fees of his younger siblings, create jobs for his unemployed friends, and build dreams of starting his own hospital one day.

Characteristics Jenipher, Frank, and Fred share: ambition and drive, a willingness to work hard, an eye for the long-term, a tendency to make the most of opportunities, and a feeling of responsibility for their own destiny and that of those they love.

Pic: Frank standing tall at the Buddukiro drop-in center, where he began as a street child and grew into the first college graduate in his family.

Sit-and-give-me-ers
**There are others who are able-bodied, but either unable or unwilling to make the leap to find a way to pull themselves up. Jenipher herself said that for two years after she became a widow, she wasted her time crying and looking for someone to help her, before finally realizing there was no one but herself to look to.
**Some of the boys who were in Buddukiro at the same time as Frank were also supported by BCA to go to school, but decided to drop out. These days those same boys, now men, are often still on the street, or even in prison, and ask him for money when they see him around town.
**One classmate of Fred's was supported by a sponsor for all of his school fees, but somehow lost steam and dropped out in Senior 6 (just before finishing.)
These individuals seem to share: a feeling of entitlement, a short-term focus, a tendency to squander rather than capitalize on opportunities, a feeling that good outcomes are the result of ‘luck,’ rather than hard work.

Pic- Asheraf, a 17 year old that Buddukiro recently placed in a year-long carpentry apprenticeship (his third and final opportunity, as he has dropped out of two other programs already.) This past week, he skipped out three days in a row. (Did anyone else just hear the sound of my compassion being exhausted?)

What makes a ‘go-getter’ versus a ‘sit-and-give-me-er’? Is the go-getter, entrepreneurial attitude innate, or can it be learned? Perhaps both. One thing is for sure- in considering my ‘mini project’ in Ssenyange, I would sooner do nothing at all than contribute to perpetuating the ‘sit-and-give-me’ attitude. The ‘bone’ I’m gnawing on here is how to design a project that encourages the community to work together, using its own resources to address its own problems, rather than looking to me, the muzungu, with open hands.

Stats that kill me

2008-11-07T04:02:00.000-08:00

“School fees, school fees!” This is a phrase I have been hearing over and over like a broken record since I arrived here. It seems to be among the top 2-3 challenges people face: “How to pay the school fees for all these children I’ve produced?” That is assuming, of course, that they value education enough to concern themselves about this (which some do not).

What’s in a school fee?
I’ve been asking around, and there are some higher quality boarding schools that are maybe 300,000Ush (about $175) per year. Even for a ‘lower’ quality school like Ssenyange Public (see photo below), fees are about 30,000 per term, times 3 terms, plus another 50,000 for uniform, books, etc, for a total of 140,000 per year (about $80). Multiply that by 6 or 7 children at 12 years each, and you’re looking at what, for many families, is an insurmountable barrier to education. (Hard even if there are parents in the picture, which there often aren’t- the number orphans is another stat that kills me!)

Pic- Ssenyange Public School (not UPE, despite the name). A teacher there told us that half the student body was recently dismissed due to unpaid school fees. Even for those that manage to pay the fees and remain, many sit through the entire school day on an empty stomach because folks at home can’t manage to send them with anything for breakfast or lunch.

Houston, we have a problem!
In Masaka District, 50% of the population of around 770,000 is under the age of 15. There is, in theory, a government policy of Universal Primary Education, meaning that primary school is free and every child should be able to go. (More on UPE vs. private education later). However, in reality, even if there is a UPE school anywhere nearby, which there sometimes is not, there are still fees that become cost prohibitive (books, uniforms, porridge).

The stats say that 94% of school aged kids in Masaka do in fact enter primary school. However, the retention rate is dismal, and only 14% (!) of those who enter primary school make the transition to secondary school. Now, I was never any good at statistics, but if only 14% of 93% of 50% of your population is getting beyond primary school, I’d say, “Houston, we have a problem!”

Without even looking closely, I see school-aged kids out of school- everywhere, every day. This is in the relatively privileged town area (as opposed to the much worse off rural villages.) It’s like watching precious water being poured out and wasted in the middle of a desert. Right now, at this very moment, as I watch, almost 50% of the population is losing the chance for a better future not only themselves, but also for Uganda. How is the country going to move forward if the majority have either never been to school, or never made it beyond grade 3 or 4? It kills me!

I’ve been mulling this over like a dog gnawing on a bone- what to do? No answers yet- I’ll keep you posted ;)

Rock the vote!

2008-11-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

I already did! People here were pretty impressed that our country is organized enough to have gotten this to me! I am too!

Snapshots from daily life: #2

2008-11-03T06:53:00.000-08:00

This is the view off to my right as I walk each morning from my host family in Kayarikiti village to Nyendo town. Most of the land around here is pretty densely populated and cultivated, but if I understand correctly, this ‘swamp’, or wetland area is a protected environmental area. I think it’s pretty!

Snapshots from daily life: #1)

2008-10-25T04:33:00.001-07:00

In this picture, taken looking out from the Buddukiro drop in center (located in Nyendo’s slum area), you can see some of some of the most common household items used here in Masaka. There are the ubiquitous basins, used for anything from washing clothes or dishes, bathing, and carrying away clippings from the garden. You have your little wooden stool- the perfect height for sitting next to one of those basins as you wash! (This is the rectangular model- I prefer the circular one myself.)

Next to the basin, you have the yellow ‘jerry can’, used for toting water from the neighborhood faucet back home. You can see even very little kids carrying full cans on their heads. You also have some black dress shoes. You may notice that they are very ‘smart’ (think British meaning) and perfectly polished. Ugandans put a high priority on looking smart, and most press their clothes and polish their shoes before each wearing. (I’ll try to get a snapshot of the charcoal-powered iron next time…)

Bonus- in the background you can see a chicken. They, like the goats, tend to roam freely during the day, foraging for themselves, and then somehow remembering where to return home come evening.

Hooray for my fellow FSDers

2008-10-25T04:20:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I appreciate the staff and my fellow interns at FSD? It’s been so great to share the highs and lows of this experience so far with them, and the FSD office has served as a little oasis amidst all the cultural adjustment. Here are a couple pics:

Hagar, Brock, me and Karen, the four interns this term, help ourselves to a typical meal of starch, starch, and starch.

Ned (outgoing international coordinator), Amy (former intern and incoming coordinator- more on her later-she’s awesome!), and Anita, the program director. I'll have to post another pic of Sarah, the in-country coordinator.

MPC - church home away from home

2008-10-25T04:13:00.000-07:00

I’m very happy to report that I think I’ve found a church to attend in Masaka. The first week I had attended a catholic church with my host family. There was lovely African style music and smartly dressed people. There was also a baptism ceremony for like 30(!) babies all in one pop. It was nice, but it’s just not my style, especially in a language I don’t understand.

The next week, both Sarah, who works for FSD, and Aida, the social worker at Buddukiro, recommended that I try the English service at their church- Masaka Pentecostal. It’s where the ‘Born Agains’ go (I’ll write more on my impressions of religion in Uganda in a later blog entry.)

It was pouring rain the following Sunday morning, but I was so ‘thirsty’ that I was determined to get to church even if I had to build an ark to do it! I was glad I did- there was something very powerful about the worship, out in the open air of the half completed church building (thankfully the roof was in place at least!) Some of the songs were familiar, and it made my spirit sing to be instantly part of a family, even among strangers in a strange land.

The teaching was good, and later in the service, they of course welcomed the first-time visitors from up front. The pastor said, “Ah, on my way here this morning, I saw someone walking with an colorful umbrella, but when I saw that it was a muzungu I thought, ‘no, she wouldn’t be going to church!’, but here you are! That’s the thing about you muzungus, you’re easy to spot!”

The following Thursday, I was also been able to check out the church ‘cell group’ (or small group) that meets in my neighborhood. It seems that will be a great way to get to know people better and learn what’s on their hearts and minds. I also got to have a great chat with Pastor Sam about potential ministry opportunities, and the church’s vision for working with orphans and others in need. There are some parts of the ‘Christian culture’ here that will take some adjustment, but praise God for providing a place to call home!

Pic- the front of the church (which is actually located a two minute walk from Buddukiro.)

The two faces of Mukiibi

2008-10-25T03:59:00.000-07:00

In one of my early blog entries, I mentioned that Mukiibi, the four year old grandson of my host mom, and I have an interesting relationship. You might chalk it up to a clash between two ‘strong-willed’ people. Here’s the story of how things have developed so far.

The first day I arrived, Friday, Mukiibi was very shy, so I approached him. He subsequently started to cry (freaked out by his first Muzungu sighting.) The next morning, he had warmed up a bit, and knocked on my door. I was in the middle of unpacking, but eager to win him over, I let him in. He was extremely curious, and before long had commandeered my headlamp, glasses, and digital camera. It was the beginning of a good day together as he and the other kids enjoyed the toys I had brought them, including Hot Wheels, crayons, balls, and some small dollar store flashlights. (By the way, all these toys, except the Hot Wheels, were decimated into little pieces within hours.)

Pic- Mukiibi wearing my glasses and head lamp.

Unfortunately, I soon found that I may have sent the wrong message by my Saturday open door policy. The next morning, Sunday, the mosque ‘went off’ at 5:00am. I managed to fall back asleep, but at 6:12am, I heard another knock at my door. Mukiibi. He was up and ready to play with ‘his’ muzungu. I groaned and ignored him for a few minutes, but when he kept knocking, I finally let him in.

I humored him for about 15 minutes, showing him pictures in my Lonely Planet Africa book. Finally, I motioned that he should leave because I wanted to get a little more sleep. He wouldn’t leave. So, I physically picked him up and set him outside my door. In order to close the door, you have to lock it, so that’s what I did. I figured that would be the end of that, at least for another 45 minutes while I finished my last REM cycle. I was mistaken, and about to learn that if you frustrate this child on one front, he just ups the ante.

He started by knocking on my door, and this quickly switched to pounding, as if to break it down. When I told him to stop, he ran outside and started shouting at me. He screamed, “Something something something MUZUNGU!” as he tried to climb up the bars on my window. When he came back inside, and I could hear that he had my umbrella. He started threatening to do something to it if I didn’t let him in. Meanwhile, I’m lying huddled in my bed thinking, “Where is the grandmother, why doesn’t she stop this kid, and what am I doing in this country??” (She had already left for church- there seems to be an unusually high correlation between Mukiibi’s misdeeds and her absences. ;)

Finally, after about 20 minutes of tantrums and general mayhem, I came out, locking my door behind me. I tried to remember everything I ever learned on Supernanny- get down to his level, use a low firm tone to communicate that the behavior is unacceptable. I gave up on getting any more sleep, and went to sit out in the living room, staying in his line of sight so he would calm down. Hmm, this wasn’t working out like it does on for Jo on T.V….

Over the next week, we had more of the same- both delightful moments and tense run ins. Now granted, he is only four years old, but he really added to my already high cultural stress, making my host family situation less than comfortable. Other examples of the two “faces” he presented:

Face 1 – Jenipher sends us out together to get milk from the woman down the street who owns a cow. As we head down the path, Mukiibi slips his hand into mine and looks up at me lovingly. Awww!!
Face 2 – Mukiibi gets mad because I won’t let him draw on the table with his crayon. He looks at me defiantly, holds up the crayon, and very deliberately breaks it in half. Argh!!

Face 1 – Mukiibi and I sit together and go through the story book I brought him. He points to the three bears and Goldilocks and says the words I taught him, “Daddy, mommy, baby, porridge,” and tries to teach me those words in Luganda. Awww!
Face 2 – Mad that I won’t let him throw his Hot Wheels into the coal cookstove, Mukiibi picks up a pan of matooke as if to throw it. I in turn pick him up, put him out of the kitchen, and lock the door. He proceeds to run down the path and almost into the busy and hazardous street. I run after him, and carry him back to the house as he kicks me and pulls my glasses off my face. Argh!

Face 1 – Mukiibi turns up his collar and dances like a little hip hop star to the music on the radio, too cute for words, and totally rivaling Joshua on SYTYCD (if you don’t know that show, you need to watch!) Awww!
Face 2 - There is only a shower curtain covering the bathroom door, and after a near miss, I ask Jenipher to tell Mukiibi to please stay away while I am in the bathroom. That evening, just as I finish my bath and slip a towel around myself, I spy a little Peeping Tom at the curtain. Argh!
Pic- Mukiibi dancing with his Uncle Bonnie (my host brother)

That last run in with the shower curtain was both the low point, and the turning point for us. Afterwards, I very calmly told Jenipher, “I really don’t want Mukiibi near the bathroom while I’m bathing.” In response, she pretty much went ballistic on him, spanking him like crazy and sending him to bed without supper. Oooh, not quite the response I wanted. It made me cry, actually, to have been part of that conflict- as much as he was being a brat, it broke my heart to hear him sobbing “Jia jia sonyiwa!” (Grandma, I’m sorry!) She saw my distress, but said, “Let me do this so he learns.”

I have to say, as much as child rearing in Uganda involves more corporal punishment than I am generally comfortable with, Mukiibi hasn’t given me any other problems since that evening. In fact, he’s been very polite, sweet and helpful. Maybe it’s because he now knows that I’ll tattle…or maybe it’s because we’ve both somehow learned how to best ‘handle’ each other.

The road home for F, F, and M

2008-10-19T06:10:00.000-07:00

Note – whenever talking about a specific child, I will not give the full name, just to protect their identity as a vulnerable child.

Last week, three boys walked into the drop in center. Although they said they were 11 and 12 they looked about 8 or 9. One was M, who had been to Buddukiro before. When he was on the streets before, he was hit in the head by one of the townspeople, and almost died. The other street kids got him to the police, and Buddukiro was able to help with him to get medical treatment and to prosecute the person who injured him. After recovering, he was resettled back in his home village. Unfortunately, he decided that he liked town better than his home situation, so he returned, bringing two friends with him.

F and F were friends of M’s from his home village. They each had a very dramatic story about why they left home, neither of which was true, as we found out later. (In her database, Aida actually has special pages to record each new version of the child’s story as they tell it, and as she observes it during home tracing.) Buddukiro places a large emphasis on resettling the children back in their home communities as soon as they are willing to go. After a counseling session with Aida, all three boys indicated that they did indeed want to go home, so we arranged to resettle them the next day.

The next morning, when they didn’t show up, one of the staff was able to find them in town. They had been waiting for reimbursement for some small work they did for a shopkeeper, who was now refusing to pay. They finally came along to the center, and the journey home began, and as it turned out, it certainly was a trip.

Pic- The boys taking part in the music lesson with Robert just before their departure. It was amazing to see them light up and express themselves. F, F and M are the small boys.

Taxi I
Me, Aida, and the three boys left the center, walked down the road, and piled into one of the white taxi cars that is constantly running on the main road between Masaka and Nyendo. This was the first of several stages of the trip. We had been driving for a few minutes when the driver realized that there was a police check point set up ahead. He apparently didn’t have his license in order, because he proceeded to throw the car into reverse at full speed, in search of an alternative route.

Unfortunately, he didn’t realize that the brush on the side of the road was concealing a huge ditch, and suddenly we were sliding backwards straight down the hill! At the bottom we were all fine, but the car was pretty well stuck. We got out and headed up the hill in search of another. From the distance, I saw about 10 of the workers who were around that area lifting the car straight up out of the ditch, and sending the driver careening off again on his way.

Boda I
No other car wanted to take on as many people as we were, given that there was the police checkpoint ahead. We walked for a little while, and then finally found some boda boda drivers willing to take us. Boda bodas are motorcycle taxis that can comfortably fit the driver and one other person on the back seat, though I’ve seen a family of four squeezed on there. We put me and one boy on one, and Aida and the other two boys on the other (we ladies of course very properly seated side-saddle.)

Taxi II
The boda bodas drove about 10 minutes down the road to the place where the next set of white taxis depart for the town we were going to in the west. As we dismounted, there were about 15 ‘handlers’ who swarmed around us trying to arrange our transport. We followed one, and piled in for the 2 hour drive to the main town near the boys’ village. Now, when I say piled in, I mean piled in. In that normal-sized car, we were seven people in the back (4 adults, 3 kids), and four in the front (including the driver). One of the Ugandan men sitting next to me commented that he had rarely ridden so comfortably- usually there are 8 adults in the back!

As we started down the road, we noticed how grey and heavy the sky looked. “Uh oh”, I thought. Sure enough, it soon started to POUR down rain, just as we left the paved part of the road. As we started slip-sliding up and down the hilly and rutted roads, I started to pray. Aida later told me that she did also! While we prayed, the Ugandan guy next to me started to doze off, obviously completely comfortable and at ease! The windows had been closed and were soon fogged up on the inside and mud-coated on the outside. I won’t even mention how uncommon deodorant is in Uganda, because mine failed even me at that point. About halfway through the drive, the boy on my lap started to look mighty green around the gills, and I got him a plastic bag just in time to catch his breakfast.

BodaII
We pulled into the town and extricated ourselves from the taxi. One of the shopkeepers was kind enough to offer us a place to wait out the worst of the rain before boarding our next set of bodas up into the boys’ village. After about 30 minutes, we got on headed a ways up the path to the first boy’s home. Now, I’ve been told that Ugandan women have even been seen breast feeding on boda bodas, but I’m not quite so adept yet, and so I held on for dear life as we bumped up and down the dirt path.

The great escape
We came to M’s house first. Aida went inside with him and his father, leaving me outside with F,F, and the two boda drivers. At one point, I saw F start to go up the hill to the brush. I thought to myself, “oh, he must have to go to the bathroom after such a long ride, I’d better avert my eyes.” Silly, gullible Tammie. Aida came out and said, “where’s F.” Oh dear, he ran away! I felt awful, and then of course it started to pour down rain again, and I’m thinking “this kid is going to get pneumonia and die, and it’s all my fault!”(Thankfully it turned out he ran home, so we found him there when he went to visit his family. Chalk it up as a lesson learned I guess!)

As we visited each boy’s home, Aida did a lot of counseling to them and their families in Luganda. She was warning them of the dangers of the street, reminding them of the their responsibilities as parents, and strategizing with them about ways to prevent the child from returning. It was pretty emotional and challenging.

Pic - F, the "runaway", standing in front of his home with his brothers and sisters.

Main reflections/realizations from the day:

Wow, I can see why follow up is a challenge. One of the areas where Buddukiro came out weak in their recent program evaluation was in the area of follow up services. Now I can see why this would be a challenge. Five hours, three homes, and many layers of mud later, as well as several thousand shillings lighter, I came home pretty exhausted. With Aida as the only social worker on staff at the moment, giving the kids the follow up needed to make it a successful resettlement is a huge task.

Wow am I gullible. I tend to wear rose-colored glasses, but those need to come off. This is a tough population, and the kids are very traumatized and tend to pick up bad habits on the street. In her database, Aida actually has several different pages to record the different versions they give of their stories. It takes a knowledge of the way they operate to find the balance between being approachable and kind, but tough enough not to be bamboozled (like that word, eh?)

Wow, this is for real. Seeing the homes the boys returned to broke my heart. I could see why they would find some appeal on the streets, where at least they can earn a little money to eat well. I was struck by how these are real lives being affected, right now, and into their future. Providing a quality intervention is really important to helping the kids find their way through their present difficulties so they can conceive of greater possibilities for the future.

Introducing “You know you’re not in Kansas anymore!” Moments

2008-10-19T06:07:00.000-07:00

Moment 1
You know you’re not in Kansas anymore when:

You have just waved hello to the cow who provided you with the milk for your morning tea (and it’s still body temperature warm…)

Wait a minute, maybe some people in Kansas do do that?!?

Getting to know Buddukiro Children's Agency

2008-10-19T05:47:00.000-07:00

Since coming to Masaka, I have been working with the Buddukiro Children’s Agency (BCA), which is dedicated to helping street kids, child laborers, and other vulnerable children in Masaka District. “Buddukiro” means “refuge” in Luganda, and is a name that was chosen by the street children themselves when the agency was first founded.

I’ll write up a separate entry about the children we serve themselves, some of the reasons they have for coming to the street, and the challenges they face. In the meantime, I’ll introduce you to the services and staff of BCA.

Buddukiro works in the following areas:
- Rehabilitation, which involves: withdrawal from the street or child labor situation; provision of access to services at the drop in center (counseling, cleaning facilities, food, ‘catch up’education class); home tracing, family counseling, and resettlement back home.
- Resettlement, which involves: after the return home- assistance with entry into the formal school system or a vocational training program, and follow up counseling and advising.
- BCA would like to do more advocacy/networking with other child protection agencies, and would also like to start doing some prevention activities to address the root causes of kids coming on the streets.This is an area I may be able to work on while I’m here…

So far, I really enjoy the environment at Buddukiro, and the people I’m working with.Introducing some of my new colleagues:

Pic - Aida and Cissy in the Nyendo classroom

Mr. Cassim Wamono, project manager Mr. Wamono is originally from a different tribe in eastern Uganda, so Luganda is his second language.He has been with Buddukirofor several years.So far, he strikes me as a very logical thinker, and it feels like we’re somehow on the same wave length as we discuss issues.I really appreciate this, because it helps things to flow smoothly.

Aunt Aida, primary social worker.(We are all called ‘Aunt’ or ‘Uncle’ by the kids.)Aida has been with BCA for about a year.She is responsible for all aspects of outreach, intake, assessment, counseling, hometracing, vocational training placement, etc (a big job!).She is also 29 and also a believer (anyone else sense a really cool friendship potential here??) She is from the same tribe as Mr. Wamono, and she is the first woman from her village or any of the surrounding ones to complete a university degree (having studied social work/social administration).

Aunt Cissy, education coordinator.Cissy has been with Buddukiro since the very beginning over ten years ago.She is involved with all aspects of education, including conducting ‘catch up’ basic education classes at each of the two drop in centers, and with working with the teachers of kids who have been placed back in school.

Uncle Robert ,the music/drama teacher. He teaches the kids to play local instruments, has them recite poetry, and teaches them songs that he himself has composed about issues like HIV/AIDS, respecting the environment, and faith. During these kids of activities, it's so great from seeing the kids go from looking quiet or traumatized to laughing and enjoying themselves like kids should.

Other folks I’m still getting to know better are the nurse, the sports teacher, Sarah the accountant, and Jarrod the ‘everything’ person!

For my first week, I mostly read up on organizational literature, and shadowed staff as they delivered services at the two drop in centers in Masaka and Nyendo town.It's important that I try to learn Luganda ASAP, because the boys (the kids are all boys so far) mostly do not speak much English, not having had much formal schooling.
It's a little awkward, but sports and games have been a great way to communicate even without words.

Pic- me giving the boys the sports equipment I brought along- they really love the soccer ball, and had never seen badminton before!

I also discussed my potential role with the project manager, and have been developing a work plan to guide how I spend my time. As of right now I’m thinking that maybe I will spend about 20% of my time on direct service (sports or English lessons with the kids, participating in home tracing, outreach, and resettlement trips); another 30% on organizational development for BCA (trying to identify new funding sources, grant writing, maybe giving some in house training).

I’m thinking that I will spend the remaining 50% of my time on my ‘mini’ project I am supposed to develop for FSD.I could really use prayer for wisdom and creativity as I move through the ‘needs assessment’ phase of the project during these next few weeks.In talking with all the folks at Buddukiro, it looks likely we will try to design and implement some kind of pilot prevention project (to work with the communities where the kids largely come from, to avoid having them come to the streets in the first place.)It feels like just a small spit in a big ocean though, so prayer for an idea that leads to effective use of time and resources, for maximum impact, would be greatly appreciated!

Top Five Special Moments So Far

2008-10-11T05:44:00.000-07:00

Lest I give the impression after that last post that I am anything less than thoroughly thankful and excited to be here, here are a few of the moments I’ve experienced so far that I will likely remember fondly for years to come:

1. Waking to the sound of torrential rains as I lay cozy in bed underneath my mosquito net. The rainy season makes everything lush and green.

2. Sharing evening meals and listening to the radio with my host family by the light of Jenipher’s little ‘Firefly’ solar lamp.

3. Joining Jenipher and her ‘Good Life’ team to give a session on family planning in a local village, and seeing them take pride in and ownership of the well-being of their community. I didn’t say much myself, but they got a real kick out of it when I introduced myself as ‘Nabatanzi” from the Lugave clan. (pic - Jenipher and I in our gear)

4. Taking time out of the busy chore schedule to sit down with Jenipher, Justine, and Mikiibi over a lively game of Uno, and taking turns slamming each other with the dreaded ‘Draw 4.’

5. Bonding with the street kids at the Buddukiro Children’s Agency drop in centers over Uno, badminton, soccer, and ‘zoomie zoomie.’ More to follow next week on my work so far with BCA.

Top Five Triggers of Culture Shock

2008-10-11T05:37:00.000-07:00

If you’ve ever left your home country, chances are that you may have experienced the confusion, fatigue and overall irritability that can accompany your encounter with a new culture. This ailment, commonly known as culture shock, has already afflicted me here in Uganda. In these moments, I stand there, having chosen to come here of my own free will, full of noble aspirations about loving the people here, and all I can think is, “What on earth is wrong with these people?!?”

In my travels across the years, I’ve noticed some common ‘triggers’ of these feelings of culture shock, at least for me:

1. Feeling like a child. In a new place, because there are so many things that are done differently, and because you don’t speak the language, you can feel like you’ve reverted to nursery school. This is actually what my host mom told me after I finished my first mat weaving lesson the other day. I felt pretty good about my first strip of woven material, but I noticed that hers was much wider. This was because she started me with a much simpler version, which involved fewer strands. Starting me at ‘nursery level’ mat weaving was probably wise of her, but it sure took some of the air out of my pride! Or the other morning, I wanted to help out with some chores, and not be a lazybones, so she let me stir the millet porridge for breakfast. I stirred like a champ, but when she came in to check on me, instead of noticing the lack of lumps, she said, “This has become too thick, why didn’t you add water to it!” Um, maybe because I’ve never made millet porridge over a charcoal fire before?? Everyone likes to feel competent, but the fact is that in a new place, sometimes you just aren’t! (Pic - me weaving)

2. Lack of control over food. There are so many cultures, including this one, where it seems to me that anything less than a superhuman feat of consumption is a source of major disappointment to your host. Case in point, I consume a plateful of matooke (steamed, veeery dense plantain), half my weight in beans, and a heaping pile of rice, and still my host mother wonders what’s wrong that I didn’t take more. Being overweight is desirable here, and she’s determined to send me home twice my original size! Fully recognizing the good intentions behind this kind of hospitality, for me personally, this pressure, and the related pressure of not having much say over when, where, and what you can/have to eat tend to make me feel out of control and a little irritable.

3. Conflict within the host family. Sometimes when you don’t understand the language, all you have to go on is the tone of voice. Here in my host family, there are four small kids. I’ve noticed a lot of differences in the philosophy toward child-rearing. I hear both Jenipher and Justine using such a harsh tone with them at times, or hear the kids screaming and crying without really understanding what’s wrong with them. If this catches me at the wrong moment, it just makes me want to hide away in my room with my pillow over my head!

4. Subtle (or not so subtle) negative comments about my home country. I don’t mind a little cultural comparison, or even debate. Where I come from, and where I now live are very different places, each with their positives and negatives. However, there are certain people that always seem to insert a little dig into every comment. For example, the college-aged grandson of one of Jenipher’s friends was comparing family size in the U.S. and Uganda (the average number of kids here has got to be at least 6-7…). His take on it: “People have fewer children in the U.S. because they are greedy and want to keep all their money for themselves.” Even if these types of comments may have some grain of truth in them, they rub me the wrong way and put me on the defensive.

5. A language/culture lesson when I’m already sooo done for the day. I have a lot to learn, I get it. But there’s a proper time and place for every lesson. Today, after a long day already filled with many new experiences and lessons, I was walking home through the “gauntlet” that is Villa Road (it’s just lined with kids and boda boda drivers, the two main sources of ‘bye Muzungu’ comments). A young Ugandan man fell in step next to me and greeted me in complicated Luganda fashion (more on greetings later). That was fine, but he continued on walking with me for awhile, trying a little patronizingly to correct me and teach me new intricacies of the language. I’m thinking, “Okay buddy, I’m sooo not in the mood right now, my brain is done!” I just kept saying, “Uh huh”, with a polite smile plastered on my face until he went away.

A few bonus triggers:

Too much down time.

Not enough down time.

Not being completely understood for who I am, due to language/cultural barriers.

Being viewed as if I had a big $ on my forehead.

The bottom line on culture shock
I’m still working through it, but I think the key word is: Patience! I just have to be patient with others, understanding that they are behaving in a logical way given where they’re coming from, and understanding also that their intent is almost always to help me learn. I also have to be patient with myself, and be willing to heed the harbingers of culture shock by grabbing ten minutes of down time alone in my room, or by eating a Snickers bar!

Jenipher - An Amazing Lady

2008-10-11T05:08:00.000-07:00

My host mom Jenipher is basically an amazing woman, with an amazing life story. My first evening at her place, we sat on the porch and she told me some of her story. She left secondary school part way through to get married, and very soon found herself with five small childen, and another on the way. Her husband was an insurance salesman, and from the photos she’s showed me, it seems they were doing fairly well for themselves in those days.

Unfortunately though, when the Tanzanian forces swept in to rid Uganda of Amin’s regime in 1979, this took a heavy toll on Masaka and the surrounding area, which was one of the first places they hit. Jennifer’s husband was shot and killed, and the house (where I stay) was almost completely destroyed. Like many of the residents, she gathered up her children and fled to the bush until it was safe to return.

In reflecting on that time, Jenipher told me, “After becoming a widow, I wasted two years crying and looking for someone to help me. Finally, I woke up one day and realized that no one was going to help, and that I had two hands and a brain in my head, and I would have to use them and work hard for my kids.” She did work hard, farming and doing handicrafts and other small businesses to rebuild her home and raise money for school fees to put all of her children through school.

These days, Jenipher is a jia jia (grandmother), and well-respected member of the community. She is the member/chairperson of a number of voluntary groups, including a women’s savings and credit group through FINCA, and a “Good Life Team” that volunteers to go out and provide training to nearby villages on health and hygiene, family planning, and HIV/AIDS prevention (see photo of Jenipher in her uniform). She takes a lot of pride in her income generating and voluntary work. I’m very lucky, because she likes to bring me along to her group meetings, which is an amazing “in” for a muzungu like me.

One other thing about Jenipher is that she loves to laugh, and to shout ‘hallelulah’ to the Jesus she credits with bringing her through some very tough times. That’s one thing the other interns and I have noticed about many of the people here- that both laughter and faith have helped them to persevere and keep smiling through some very tough times.

More Host Family Pics

2008-10-11T04:59:00.003-07:00

Blogger wouldn't let me put more photos in the last post (where you saw my mosquito net/bedroom). Here are a few more:

- Our yard where my host mother has her banana (matooke) plantation

- Mikiibi (standing), Alex (crawling), and Justine (sitting)

First Weekend with the Host Family

2008-10-11T04:43:00.000-07:00

We left the relative comfort of each other’s company last Friday to head out to our host families. I think all of us were a little apprehensive as we embarked on this next phase of our journey, and I’m sure our families were a little nervous about meeting us too…

My host family is located in Kylikiti village, which is about a 15 minute walk from Nyendo town, which is in turn about a 15 minute ‘white car taxi’ ride from Masaka town. All in all, it’s not a bad commute, except for the fact that I have to walk past no less than five schools on my way, making me an easy target for shouts of ‘Bye Muzungu!’ Here are a few of the particulars about my new home, and I’ll fill in more details as time goes on:

The family
Jenipher Semakuula is the name of my host mother. She is the mother of six grown children, and is of the Lugave clan of the Buganda people. (This is how I was assigned my Ugandan name of ‘Nabantanzi’, which is of the same clan as Jennifer- more to follow on clans later.)

In Jenipher’s home there are:

Mikiibi - her four-year old grandson who lives with her and goes to school down the street. He was one of two of the children who cried when they first saw me (scared of the weird white Muzungu). We have an interesting relationship so far. More to follow in later entries about the ‘two faces’ of little Mikiibi…

Bonnie - Jenipher’s 31 year old son. He used to live and work in Entebbe (where the airport is), but recently got laid off. He plays a mean game of chess, and has helped me to figure out how to get around the neighborhood.

Justine - a hardworking woman who doesn’t speak a ton of English, but who seems very nice. She is the ‘second wife’ of a man who sometimes comes to visit her and his kids, but it’s a tough situation since she is making do on very limited income. She has shown an innate aptitude for Uno!

The twins and Alex – Justine has three kids. The twins are three, and though they were shy at first, now they’re all over me. I love to come home from work and play with them! Alex is one year old, and he’s very cute. He mostly just sits placidly and takes everything in.

The house
The house is quite nice by local standards. The clay brick is fortified with cement, and it is painted a cheerful yellow in the front. Around the back is a little courtyard and row of buildings where Justine and here three kids live, and where the kitchen and henhouse are. The house is surrounded by a large yard that is home to my host mother’s banana plantation, garden, piggery, and the burial area for family members who have passed away.

Inside, it is pretty basic, but nice and clean. The walls do not go all the way to the ceiling, which is made from mats my host mother wove herself. In some rooms there is no ceiling blocking the view of the tile roof, and I’ve noted there’s some dripping action that happens with heavy rain J I have my own nice room, complete with mosquito net enshrouded bed. The bathroom is inside the house, which is a treat, but there is only a shower curtain covering where the door is, which makes me a little nervous with a four-year-old running around. There are fixtures for plumbing and electricity, but neither work at the moment, so lanterns, buckets and basins reign. The kitchen is very different from what I was used to in Boston, and will be another blog entry unto itself…

One other note about our location- lest you get too many romantic notions about our bucolic ‘village life’, we are right across the street from a huge gas station, and literally right next to a very active mosque! (Prayers 5x a day starting at 5:00am, oy!)

Home sweet home
The first weekend felt a rather long just because of the natural awkwardness involved with moving in with strangers. All in all though, it seems like a wonderful family, and nice place to call my home away from home.

Bye Musungu, you are most welcome!

2008-10-06T08:35:00.001-07:00

Bye Musungu, you are most welcome!

First of all, a warning in advance that I’m still trying to figure out how to manage technology here, between power and internet outages (about 60% of the time), and the physical distance to the nearest internet café (30 minutes)! I’ll try to get into a regular rhythm once my routine is more set.

So, I touched down in Uganda a little over a week ago. It was pretty surreal that first morning, to wake up from underneath my mosquito net and blink my way out into the equatorial sun. I kind of felt a mix of ‘what in the world did I do?!’ and ‘yay! It’s finally started!’

That first day I went into Kampala with some medical students from New Zealand that I met in the hotel. I was glad they invited me along, because I’m not sure I would have had the nerve to brave the minibus taxis by myself, and they were also able to pass on lots of tips for me as a newcomer (they had been here about 5 weeks already)! While there, we walked around the city, watched a Hindi movie and ate Chinese food! Not bad for the first day in Uganda!

The next day, I met up with the rest of my group. The other interns are Karen, a businesswoman from Colorado interested in microfinance who is also 29, Cornelia who is 45 and visiting all the FSD Africa sites, Hagar, a recent BU grad originally from Israel, and Brock, a Canadian biology major. The FSD staff who greeted us were: Anita the Ugandan program director, Sarah, the in-country program coordinator, and Ned, the international program coordinator. They took us into Kampala, and one of the first things we did was to buy a cell phone so we would blend in with just about every other person in this country!

After a couple days of briefing and site-seeing in Kampala, including a visit to the Buganda tombs (more to follow on the Buganda), we loaded into a ‘private hire’ taxi for the two hour drive to Masaka. On the way, we crossed over the equator (see pic). Once in Masaka, our first home was the Hotel Zebra, where the staff is friendly and the matooke is plentiful (the staple food- more to follow on that.) It was a quick walk down the green/rust- colored hills to the FSD office, where for the next week we got our introduction to community development how-to’s, Ugandan culture, and the Luganda language. Then, on Friday the immersion began as we were dropped off at our host families. Lots more to follow on that very fascinating experience!

So a note on the post title- Musungu is the word for foreigner here, and anywhere you go, kids especially will shout at you ‘Bye Musungu!’ There is no negative connotation- they are simply really interested to see you! So as a ‘hello’ to Uganda, I have received many ‘bye’s! Also, one thing that we were told, and which I have found to be very true is that Ugandans overall are extremely welcoming and friendly people. Whenever you enter their home or shop, they often say, ‘you are most welcome’, and you get the feeling that they really mean it!

Much love, Tammie

There aren't enough words to express...

2008-09-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

...my thanks! It's the eve of my departure, and my 'mood' is 'thankful and blessed.'

The dream that that has taking shape for some time is about to begin, and it's due in large part to the encouragement and support of all you dear family, friends, and colleagues! I am so privileged to carry the seeds of what you've sown in my life and plant them half a world away, and look forward to updating you as they begin to take root!

The next entry will most likely be from the flip side. Until then, have a great rest of your week!

Below: Some of the crew who came out for the farewell shindig the ladies from my church small group graciously threw for me.

A note to "blog followers" of different faith backgrounds

2008-09-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

So you may have noticed that I tend to mention God a lot in this blog. I just can't help it! Everything I am and do is inextricably wrapped up in my faith in Him. I hope you don't mind that the experiences I document will be filtered through this lens. I definitely welcome questions about this, or comments from different perspectives.

Getting Ready for D-day: 9/24

2008-09-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I hope that you've had an enjoyable summer! Well, the last month has been a whirlwind of preparations, but it's now official...I booked my ticket! I depart on September 24 for Entebbe, Uganda (via Amsterdam and Nairobi). Here's a little update about what I've been up to in the meantime:

Getting mentally ready
The last couple months have been a time of major reflection as I get ready for this transition. That first Monday after my last day of work on Aug 1, I had a little bout of anxiety, a sudden "what in the world am I doing?!?" moment. It's been helpful to remember that this trip to Uganda is just one step, the next step. I don't know what the longer term future will bring, but I do know that I need to go, and learn, and do well with the task in front of me right now.

The big yard sale!
It's been great to have some extra time to take care of all the details involved with moving overseas for several months. One of the more interesting experiences I've had was holding my very first yard sale!

Though I posted about the yard sale on a few online bulletin boards, I was afraid nobody would show up, so I was up at 7:00am that Saturday to post my colorful signs all around the neighborhood. I needn't have worried...people were already swooping in like vultures by 7:30, two hours before my start time.

It's a weird thing to have a bunch of random strangers picking through things that were so recently of great value to you, and arguing over whether they're worth $0.50 or just $0.25! I learned a lot about human behavior through the experience, and also realized that I am not nearly the minimalist I thought I was. Besides what I sold, I brought bags and bags of stuff to the Salvation Army!

Quality time with fam and friends
As August marched on, I headed to DC via the good old Chinatown bus (Chinatown to Chinatown to Chinatown! Boston/New York/DC). While there, I was able to visit with a bunch of great friends and procure my visa- I got a little thrill walking into the Uganda Embassy!

Then, last Thursday I packed all my remaining stuff into "Big Red" (my '98 Chevy), and headed due west to spend some time with my family back in Rochester. We've had a great time hanging out together, and competing in everything from volleyball to to guitar hero! We've also done some 'staycationing', enjoying the great sites Rochester has to offer, including a little cruise on the Erie Canal, and a dip in the 'pristine' waters of Lake Ontario (left).

While here, I also sorted through all the 'Tammie' boxes that still reside in the rafters at my parents' house. It's been kind of cool looking back over pictures and keepsakes that represent all the major benchmarks of my life so far, and reflecting on who I am, where I've come from, and how God has led me to where I now stand!

Final prep
I'll return to Boston next week to take care of some last preparations before heading out later this month. More to follow as the time draws closer...

Much love,
Tammie

Ways you can get involved!

2008-07-24T06:46:00.001-07:00

Hi Friends! I just wanted to let you know that there are several ways that you can help make this trip to Africa possible:

1.) Moral Support - Being so far from home, it would mean a lot to me to have a virtual community of "friendly faces."

Ways to give moral support:

Read and comment on this blog. You should see a link at the bottom of the page inviting you to 'subscribe.' This will make it easier for you to keep informed about updates to the blog.
Share it with any of your friends who might be interested in Africa, community development, etc.
Pray. For starters, I could use prayer for the following (updates to follow):

Smooth preparations- figuring out logistics, raising funds, getting mentally ready.
Safety and health while traveling, especially an accepting stomach for the local food!
Wisdom to do a good job, and an open heart and mind to adapt to the culture. Also for a quick brain to learn the language!

2.) Financial Support - I'm going to need to raise about $8,000-$10,000 to cover expenses for the year. Please consider supporting me at any level- $5, $50, or $500- every little bit will make a huge impact!

Ways to give financial support:

Donate at the link on the right - this will come to me directly through PayPal.

If you prefer not to give online, you can make a check payable to me and send it to: 91 Glenwood Rd, Somerville, MA 02145.
This will cover expenses like airfare, insurance, visas, vaccinations, and in-country travel.

For a tax deductible donation - make checks payable to the Foundation for Sustainable Development, and put my name in the memo line.

Mail any checks to me at the address above. If you prefer to make an electronic donation through FSD, email me at tlwarmus@hotmail.com for instructions.
This will go toward my program fee, which includes lodging, training, and a mini-grant to my host organization.

Click OFTEN on the advertising links at the bottom of the blog- I accrue a little income with each click!
Let me know if you're interested in donating directly to the local organization or to a specific project. Any extra funding that I am able to raise will go toward the work with the community.

Waybale!
(That's 'thank you' in Luganda. More to follow on the language!)

God bless His little creatures

2008-07-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

While I was teaching in China from 2001-2003, I was exposed to some, shall we say, exotic, food. Camel hump and jelly fish, eel stew and goose head- each presented its own unique challenge. So I prayed, "Dear God, please help me to eat all the little creatures you have made."

I anticipate that one of my bigger challenges this time around, as those who know me can attest, may be to deal with the creepy crawlies that also call Africa their home. So this time I pray, "Dear God, please help me to be a good friend and (gulp!) roommate to all the little creatures you have made."

Amen

P.S. See the poll on the right to let us know which aspect of travel you find most challenging!

On the Open Seas

2008-07-14T13:18:00.001-07:00

On the Open Seas...
This was the image I felt God impressing on my heart last fall. I didn't know quite what to make of it at the time, but recent circumstances have led me to conclude that it's time to cast off from the calm, delightful harbor that Boston has been in my life these past five years. He is leading me to venture out onto the high seas, a place of greater uncertainty, but greater possibility; of greater need, but greater provision.

Leaving Boston
My time in Boston has involved forays out into the unknown, against the backdrop of the Himalayas of Nepal, the Blue Nile of Ethiopia, and the volcanoes of Nicaragua. These trips, as well as the friendships, church community, professional experiences, and graduate education I've been blessed with while here have all prepared me for this next step - Africa.

I've had an impulse to go to Africa since even before starting grad school in 2006. I've worked in the field of international development for several years from here in the US, but am ready to draw nearer to the work in order to focus my passion. So, I've decided to take the next 6-12 months to volunteer with local grassroots organizations dedicated to meeting the needs of the poorest of the poor.

A New Home in Masaka, Uganda
On September 25, I'll depart to begin volunteering in Masaka Uganda, most likely serving with the Buddukiro Children's Agency. Buddukiro works specifically with street children in Masaka, addressing issues like HIV/AIDS prevention, access to education, and vocational training. This is an amazing opportunity to get really hands on experience, while making a difference in the lives of AIDS orphans and other vulnerable youth. (See the box on the right for more info about AIDS in Uganda.)

This is a placement through the Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD, see 'related links' on the right for more info). In addition to the internship, FSD will place me with a host family and provide specialized training. I'll be in Masaka at least through December, and at that point will most likely move on to another location (TBD).

The Transition
As exciting as this is, it's also a little scary. Whereas Asia now feels like home, Africa is a whole new continent! The move involves a big transition too, getting rid of as much of my "stuff" as possible, leaving the apartment where I've lived for FIVE years, and saying goodbye to dear friends. It all seems a little daunting right now, but I know that as soon as I settle into the plane seat it will all feel worthwhile!

I'll keep you posted in the coming weeks as I continue with preparations. Thanks so much for your interest and support, and for joining me on this journey! Please check back often for updates, prayer requests, and embarrassing moment stories, which I am sure will be plentiful!

Much love,
Tammie

"You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds,O God our savior.You are the hope of everyone on earth,even those who sail on distant seas." (Psalm 65:5)