There's a chicken coop in the compound where I'm living and, just like clockwork, the rooster crows each morning. The problem with this particular rooster is that he sounds like he has laryngitis; his crow is not majestic and by the last notes, usually ends up sounding more like a hacking cough. Earplugs don't help, I've tried :)
This week has been HOT! Today is the fourth day in a row with no rain and it is starting to really swelter. As I sit on my balcony writing this, it is only 8am and the mercury in my thermometer is already uncomfortably close to 90. (Incidentally, why doesn't America just go ahead and switch to the metric system and join the rest of the world?)
I decided to do my own learning this week and ventured out on my own to a few organizations that are conducting projects that I found to be of interest.
On Tuesday I went east to a town called Lugazi to check out an organization called YOFAFO (Youth Focus Africa Foundation.) That morning I taught social science to a class of seven year olds. We learned about different types of houses and the materials that go into making said houses. I had to draw each style of house on the chalkboard and we'll just say that I'm no Frank Lloyd Wright. I really enjoy hanging out with those little guys though, they're so grateful and welcoming! Plus, they sing and dance for visitors. Everyone told me that the kids here would steal the show with their cuteness and don't get me wrong, they're precious but the real cake takers are the women. African women are the most strong and stoic humans on the planet. They're like the real life version of all the ridiculous reality survival shows. They run this country for not a dollar or a word of thanks. Plus, they do it all with a baby strapped to their back, firewood on their head and jerry cans in each hand. They're magnificent and the more I see of their grace the more certain I am that empowering them is the key to progressing this land.
On Tuesday afternoon I went to a YOFAFO women's group that makes beads and jewelry to sell. It was a great time, sitting under the afternoon sun with these women, laughing and trying to make beads. All of their beads start off as long strips of paper that are rolled, glued and glazed into colorful nuggets. It was really quite intricate work and every bead I made was politely put aside into the discard pile. :)
On Wednesday I went back to YOFAFO to work with their micro finance project. Each Wednesday the "bank" sets up two tables under a grove of orange trees on a big sloping hill. It's idyllic. Although this is just a pilot project, they're currently lending to 70 people. A typical starter loan is 100,000sh ($50) at an interest rate of 1%/week. As the customers pay off these loans and seek new ones, each subsequent loan can increase by 50,000sh. The way that basic accounting was changing the community was amazing! As I walked around to look at the various projects that these loans have spawned, I was again and again taken aback by the determination and grit of the Ugandan people. The loaned money went towards everything from school fees and popcorn machines to cattle and homemade beer enterprises.
Also of note, on my mutatu ride back to Mukono I was thrown up on by a woman who was ill. Yes, it was disgusting and a huge part of me wanted to be horrified but this poor girl had two babies and three chickens in tow and I felt nothing less than terrible for her. And yes, chickens are a regular feature on mutatu rides. I always laugh at the idea of getting on a city bus and finding chickens pecking about.
Yesterday I accompanied two fellow volunteers to the school where they've been working. This particular school is of note because it willingly takes in children with disabilities. Typically, Ugandan children born with a mental or a physical handicap are viewed as throw away children. However, this school is run by people who are disabled themselves and obviously saw the necessity of educating all kids. The morning was spent reading and drawing with three year olds; these kids are taught in English from the moment they enter school and since so little is done to reinforce their language skills, the kids consequently tend to go through the first couple years of school understanding little. The woefully sub par teaching became more evident during lunch (Ever eat rice and beans with your hands? Not so clean!) when I had to correct a teacher who had been going over geography. No, New York City is not the capital of America, nor is Sudan the biggest country in the world.
All afternoon we played soccer with the kids, it was a riot! It was also like playing atop a small mountain range - so bumpy!
One of my friends who is working at the school has decided to sponsor a little girl there named Sharon. Sharon's school fees will be payed for the next two years, which is about $20 per trimester. After school let out yesterday we went to the Sharon's home to deliver the good news to her parents. It turns out Sharon's mother no longer lives with her and her father was off at the bar. However, one of the father's other wives was there so we attempted to convey the message to her. In an open and shut case of the problem with polygamy, the woman refused to talk to us because Sharon wasn't her daughter and she was too busy wiping down dried fish. It was heartbreaking to watch her sit, ten feet away, and refuse to acknowledge us. Since the family is already not paying Sharon's school fees, it's very feasible that this woman's silence cost Sharon her education. Her expression will haunt me for ages to come.
This week was a lot of highs and lows. It was stunning to see the determination of the women through YOFAFO; while the sadness and unfortunately, the prevalence, of a case like Sharon's is chilling. Personally, I've been missing my companions at home very much this week. There's a clear difference between being alone and being lonely;I relish my time alone here but find that when I'm in groups of Ugandans who are all chattering in Lugandan, it is a time of great loneliness. Something to think about. I have five more weeks in this country; I plan on curing and eradicating HIV/AIDS next week so I guess that leaves the remaining four to figure out the human condition of loneliness. I'll let you know what I discover :)
Cheerio!
Love,
Effie
If any of you are interested in reading more about women in the world's developing countries might I suggest Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn. It can be a little hooky at moments but on the whole is very user friendly and relevant.
No comments:
Post a Comment