Koboko

Sorry we haven’t been as faithful with our blog site as we would like to be. There are at least four factors contributing to the situation. First, we’re experiencing some technical difficulties in regards to the network/blog site. Second, things here just take more time to get done than they would in the U.S. The “washing machine,” for example, might not work because the electricity is down (Although we’re actually fortunate to have electricity most days for a full eighteen hours. The city generator is shut down between 12:00 P.M. and 6:00 A.M. Electricity wasn’t nearly so reliable in this part of the country even a few years ago.) The water here, as another example, needs to be filtered for health purposes before it is drunk. Third, we have been occupied even more than normal with a seemingly endless stream of ants welcoming us to Arua (Hosting our guests has taken up a surprising amount of time and energy). Lastly, we have been busy with travels. A couple of weeks ago, we took off to visit one of the projects we support in Nebbi diocese before making the long trek to Kampala to take a visitor from a partner organization to the international airport to catch his flight back to Australia.

KOBOKO, HERE I COME

Recently I (Eric) made a trip to Koboko archdeaconry to visit several of the self help groups that CRWRC works with indirectly via the Koboko Planning and Development Committee (KAPDC). The trip took me to remote parts of Uganda, to areas where: women still kneel when shaking hands with “distinguished” guests; a dry rainy season or long dry season is more than an inconvenience, as it leads directly to months of hunger for the family; time is marked by the rhythm of the planting seasons and market days; people all but cheer when a foreigner greets them in their local language or dialect; death, sickness, and hardship is accepted, not as an abstract, but as a very present reality; laughter, personality, and banter flow freely from adult and young alike; where four-wheel drive is a necessity and not a luxury; and where hospitality towards visitors (such as myself) is not just a nice idea, but a cultural requirement.

I visited a total of six groups out of the nine that the KAPDC supports. As this was my first visit to this particular archdeaconry, the trip was primarily for the purpose of introducing myself to, and getting to know, the various members of each group, as well as the KAPDC staff. Ugandan’s take such occasions seriously and they ensured that proper protocol was observed. This was the agenda at each of the six stops we made during my two-day visit.

We are offered seats at the front of the room with yours truly asked to sit in the very middle in front of the table that the group has provided to make things look official. To my left is the Diocesan Planning and Development Officer (DPDO) and to my right is the Archdeacon who is responsible for all activities within Koboko archdeaconry. On either side of them, in less comfortable seats, sits the KAPDC Chairperson and representatives of the KAPDC Executive Committee (or board).
The KAPDC Chairperson stands to introduces the KAPDC Executive Committee representatives traveling with us.
The board representatives offer brief greetings while remaining seated.
The KAPDC Chairperson stands to hand the floor over to the Archdeacon.
The Archdeacon stands to give his remarks, then introduces the DPDO.
The DPDO stands to offer her remarks, then introduces the CRWRC Representative.
I stand and make a few remarks. Typically I start with something like, “Kulia adinyo. Na ponda emeta nata.” In Kakwa (the primary language of Koboko) this means, “Greetings. Today, I am here to visit you.” Kakwa is one of many languages in Uganda.
The Chairperson of the self-help group stands after I have concluded my speal to offer a report of the group’s activities, successes, history, and needs.
The Archdeacon stands when the Chairperson is done to say a few words before asking the DPDO for any final remarks.
The DPDO stands to say a few remarks relevant to the report given, then asks if the CRWRC Representative has anything else to add.
I stand to say a few words of encouragement.
The KAPDC Chairperson wraps up the session and we adjourn to the site of the group’s work, if there is time.

This may sound tedious, but actually the trip was a success over all. There were signs of progress that I found encouraging. To give you an idea of the impact that CRWRC can have, by working through such partners as the KAPDC, allow me to introduce you to a couple of the self-help groups I had the privilege of visiting. Keep in mind that the Koboko project is a young pilot program that just started operating in 2003. Given this fact, think about how much impact it can have on the lives of interested community members over the long run.

AMITA SAVINGS AND CREDIT SCHEME

Amita is the name of a self-help group in Koboko that started in 2004 with 23 members, roughly half of them men and half women. The group initially formed when a KAPDC staff person held a meeting at the local church on the benefit of such groups. Once interested community members (whether part of the church or not) had congregated, the KAPDC staff person helped the group identify and prioritize their needs. The group decided, though a participatory process, that if members had more access to capital they could run small business that would generate income for their families. Out of this process the Amita savings and credit scheme was born. KAPDC offered a three-year loan of one million Ugandan Shillings (Aproximately 540 U.S. Dollars) to get them started. The members collected amongst themselves one thousand three hundred Ugandan Shillings to add to the fund. Over the next year, loans were made out to individuals from the pool of money on credit. Members used their new capital to buy products from the farm and sell them at the market for profit, purchase the equipment needed to properly bake and sell bricks made out of the local clay, and invested in sundry other ventures. Amita is currently worth three million two hundred forty thousand Ugandan Shillings (Approximately 1,751 U.S. Dollars – a gain of 1,211 U.S. Dollars) and is actively paying off it’s loan from the KAPDC so that that money can be used to assist the next self-help group interested in a savings and credit scheme.

OBIRIPRE FARMING ASSOCIATION

Obiripre is a self-help group that also started in 2004 with 20 members. KAPDC took them through the same self-analysis process as Amita. However, unlike Amita which decided to start a savings and credit scheme, Obiripre decided farming would be their best means of achieving better living standards for their families. The KAPDC gave the group the initial peanut seed they needed to get started. During the first season, the bag of seed they were given was planted and yielded twenty bags of peanuts. Productivity levels did not continue to be as high, however, due to unseasonably dry weather. In spite of this fact, the group managed in their first year-and-a-half of existence to make a profit, in peanut sales, of 324,000 Ugandan Shillings (Approximately 190 U.S. Dollars). In an attempt to diversify their projects to offset possible fluctuations in agricultural output due to weather conditions, the group invested the entire 324,000 Ugandan Shillings in a small business which has yielded 84,000 Ugandan Shillings to date. In the mean time, the group has continued their program of peanut, and now onion, growing.

OF MAN-MADE THINGS

This is how development work happens at the grass roots level. Groups form to shape their own future with the support of a locally organized and run institution, such as the church-based KAPDC. It should be noted that, though the gains made may appear to be small to some of you who are used to American salaries, even these small increases in member’s income can make a very real impact on their family’s standard of living. Children, for example, lose their eyesight daily in Africa due to a lack of vitamin A. A vitamin A treatment, which could prevent blindness, can be purchased for less than fifty cents. Each of the 43 total members that are part of Amite or Obiripre can now afford treatment for any child of theirs that might be affected by a vitamin A deficiency. Now consider the fact that, given the African system of caring for the extended family, each of the members is probably responsible for the welfare of up to fifteen dependants. The work that groups like KAPDC is doing ripples outward at many different levels. Ultimately, this is why I found the visit to Koboko to be encouraging.

At our last stop on the trip, we visited with a group that overlooked a deep valley. The view of the valley was beautiful and had a pleasant pastoral quality about it. It was here that the Archdeacon pointed to the lush, green hill that sat opposite us on the other side of the valley. He proceeded to tell me that a third of the hill belonged to the DR Congo, a third to Sudan, and a third to Uganda. I had reached a spot not too far from where all three countries collided. The thing that struck me was the fact that the grass looked just as green on all sides. This fact served to remind me of how artificial national borders really are. And just as the grass on the hill did not care about man’s demarcations, neither does poverty. I learned this lesson well during the five-plus years I worked with the unemployed and underemployed in what is the economic powerhouse of the world, the U.S. I have heard it stated that there is enough current agricultural output to feed everyone on this good earth, provided the environment is cared for and we all became conscientious stewards of our resources. Does this mean that both poverty and national boundaries are entirely man made? I wonder...

OF GOD ORDAINED THINGS

One of the central beliefs that I have arrived at at this point in my (still young!) life, is that we are all called to combat poverty, along with its myriad causes and effects. I have also come to believe that we are all uniquely and wonderfully made for just this purpose. A question that I have asked of people at times is, what form of poverty are you called to fight? Is it physical/economic, social/emotional, mental/intellectual, or spiritual/moral in nature? Perhaps a better question is, what unique combination of these malaises are you specifically gifted to combat? And where and how are you called to combat it? I suppose that if I were to answer this question right now, I might say that my calling for this period of life is to increase people’s (intellectual) understanding of the principles of development here in Northwest Uganda. The primary purpose of this is so that the groups we support can seek out effective solutions to their (economic) poverty? By encouraging people to pursue their own path toward economic stability, their (socio-emotional) sense of self-worth will increase and their identity restored. And, as this is done through the institution of the Church, my hope is that people will discover that God cares about all aspects of their life (including the spiritual).

I am guessing that most of you reading this do not feel called to face Third World poverty, or at least not to face it in the same way as I. You can combat it, however, when you encourage your kids, teach your students, arrange your flowers, drive your semi, hammer your nails, etc. We are all called to play a role in transforming this world. A transformed world, a world without poverty, is a world where God’s “will has been done on earth as it is in heaven.” This is the kingdom we are to pray fervently for and to single-mindedly seek after. This is the vision we must hold on to, the mission we have been called to. You must be careful, though. I have experienced it where, as I have confronted brokenness in the world, my own inner poverty has been revealed. Does God use our meager attempts at transformation to make out of us a “new creation”? Is this the ultimate and creative end that God is orchestrating? I wonder…

The Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day (s)

Today, if the truth be known, I (Martha) woke up not wanting to be in Uganda. Believe it or not, this can be a difficult place to live. Last week we made another trip to Kampala. The beginning of what seems like a difficult spell began on the way back.

My stomach has rejected the idea of living in Uganda from day one. This is made worse by rough travel. It is now the rainy season so roads that were rough during the dry season are just awful now. On our way back to Arua, we were forced to spend one night in Karuma. Without going into details, let me just say that I hope that we never have to stay in Karuma again.

When we finally arrived back home last Friday, I was feeling pretty under the weather. Probably flu so no big deal, but then on Monday I started feeling worse. I was having terrible pain in my right eye. I thought that I was getting another case of iritis. As I haven’t had iritis in almost 2 years, I was pretty discouraged. I postponed seeing a doctor, because the idea of seeing someone unfamiliar was too much. By Tuesday morning, it became essential that I see an eye doctor. A new found friend, Sarah who is here with SIL (Wycliffe), informed us that there is a new eye clinic in Arua that is a beacon of hope for NW Uganda. We decided to give the eye clinic a try.

I am not quite sure how to explain visiting a doctor in a foreign context like Uganda. I don’t enjoy going to the doctor in the US so magnify that by about 100 and it gives an idea of how much I did not want to go to the clinic. As it couldn’t be helped, I eventually sucked up enough fortitude to go. There were many people at the clinic, and as is true everywhere, Eric and I stuck out. As we waited for the doctor, I was noticing the other patients. There were a couple of children that would probably lose sight in at least one eye from something that would have been treatable if they had earlier medical attention. It was humbling. I was dreading the visit to the clinic but could do it very easily whereas many Ugandans will have to make a long journey to receive good medical attention.

When the doctor was able to see me, he diagnosed me with an eye infection and gave me some antibiotic drops. After returning home, we began putting the drops in my eye every couple of hours. Well as is true for most medicines, my body reacted poorly. I must have been allergic to the drops because by the end of the day my eye looked really horrible although it didn’t feel quite as badly. We had been instructed to come to the clinic every morning for as long as needed so we returned the following morning. My eye had greatly improved during the night (when I was not applying drops) but was still a bit red. This time there were five students or other optometrists or something in the room watching the doctor. I already feel on display here so having more people in the room staring into my eyes was not a good feeling. The doctor then decided that he needed to flip my eyelid and leave it like that while he examined my eye. I am sorry to those of you who as a child used this trick to freak people out, but I found it to be extremely uncomfortable. So now I had a lot of people staring at me, close around me, and my eyelid flipped inside out. I was ready to leave. The doctor eventually put my eyelid back to normal. However, my body did not let it go. I continued to have a strange feeling in my eyelid. I must have started to think about this, because before I knew it, I was feeling quite dizzy. I then looked over at Eric through the people around me and mouthed that I was feeling dizzy. Next thing I know I could feel myself sliding off of the chair and hands all over me. Then I came to on the floor. So what should have been a relatively easy eye exam turned into much more.
Because I had passed out and remained weak for some time, the doctor thought that there must be something else wrong with me. He phoned another physician to come check me out. While waiting for the physician, I started regaining some strength. When the second doctor arrived, he decided that we needed to rule out malaria or other infections. I guess that he didn’t believe me when I told him that I really think that I passed out because of the eyelid scenario. So now he wanted to do some blood work, and as many of you know, I don’t handle needles very well. I started feeling dizzy again before they even came in with the needle so I went outside for some fresh air. I am proud to say though that I did survive the needle without passing out, although if the procedure would have taken a minute longer, I might not be able to say the same thing. The eye doctor then gave me some different drops and three hours after arriving at the clinic we were able to leave. Since then my eye has improved quite a bit although it is still a bit cloudy.

When we arrived back at home, a visitor awaited us. We spoke for a little while and then before she left she said that she noticed that we had red ants and that we really should get rid of them. We walked around front with her where we very easily noticed the huge lines of ants going up our walls. Now while it may be hard to believe after the last story, I really do not fear many insects or rodents or anything like that just weird body things. However, I am scared, absolutely scared to death of ants. It was my nightmare that we would move to Uganda and that during the night our house would be invaded by ants. You can imagine then that I could not stand for very long watching the ants. I ran around the house and in through the backdoor. I went to the spare bedroom and with great trepidation pushed the door open. There were several columns of ants moving up the walls. Eric and one of the watchman then used many bottles of insect spray to kill the visible ants leaving corpses all over the house. Some of these corpses were in our bedroom and even on our mosquito nets.

Since then, we have contacted different folks here in Arua to find out a solution to our problem. We have employed all of them. However, to this minute, nothing has worked. They continue to come out of different wholes throughout our house. We are now in the fourth day of ants. Millions have been killed, (I love that!!) but they continue. We have been told that these ants are not common especially in houses like ours. They are also very dangerous as they have a horrible bite. The fact that I have slept in this house now three nights since the initial onslaught is a miracle. I was already having horrible dreams that wake me up at night from my anti-malarial meds. Eric and I have moved our bed to the center of the room and put white flour and poison around the legs of the bed. I guess that this usually deters ants, but as it has been unable to deter them in all of the other rooms, I don’t know why we believe that it will deter them from our bed. We have used bottles and bottles of spray along with other things like banana leaves, ashes, poisons in order to stop the onslaught. Right now Eric is using a syringe to apply another poison down the many, many holes that the ants are using. Most people have been shocked that we are being attacked like this as they have been here for X number of years without any ant problems. Lucky us! Believe it or not, this doesn’t make me feel any better.

Now mind you, I know that God is still in control in the midst of this but for me right now, honestly if you add up the bad eye, sick stomach, ants, and add in a little bit of homesickness, you may begin to understand why I didn’t want to be in Uganda when I woke up this morning. Maybe I should move to Australia (last line from The Terrible, Horrible, No-good, Very Bad Day book)

Eric's Work

“It is good that you are here. You could have just sent money, but money doesn’t transform people, people do.” These words, uttered by the energetic Bishop Joel during our brief initial meeting, gave me (Eric) hope that ours would be a durable and progressive partnership. His wish to see transformation occur closely correlates with the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee’s (CRWRC) goals and commitments. CRWRC has a vision, a vision of a world “where people experience and extend Christ’s compassion and live together in hope as God’s community”. CRWRC strives to make this vision a reality through transformational community development activities. To CRWRC, a community in the process of transforming is a community where:

People gather to shape their future together
People work together on programs that benefit their quality of life
Everyone’s gifts and talents are welcomed and used
Leaders are identified, developed, and affirmed
On-going learning leads to awareness and improved lives
Justice prevails, laws protect, and civic life is active
Mercy is generous and flowing
Input by the local Christian community is valued

CRWRC’s approach to community transformation is unique in the world of development organizations and agencies. It seeks to bring about transformation by developing partnerships with local institutions and organizations that have a stake in the community at a grass-roots level and that already have a track record of doing community development using local resources. The rational behind this is that in order for community development projects to be sustainable, the community must value the work being done. A project directed by an external donor may or may not be valued by the local community and, therefore, may not be sustainable.

In Uganda, one of our strongest partnerships is with the Church of Uganda, which is part of the global Anglican community. As a Program Consultant, I will be providing consulting services to two (Nebbie and Madi/West Nile) of several diocese, or regions. In Madi/West Nile diocese alone, there are approximately 800 churches with over 200,000 members. Given its size, the Church of Uganda has the capacity to positively impact many communities across this nation. It is also a strategic partner because it can bring a holistic approach to community development that encompasses both the material, economic, and physical aspect of life, as well as the spiritual and emotional.

I will primarily be working with the Planning and Development Committee (PDC) offices at both the diocesan and archdeaconry levels. Archdeaconries are the structural subdivisions within each diocese. The diocesan PDC is responsible for providing logistical support to the archdeaconries, coordinating the archdeaconry programs, and representing them to external organizations and entities. It is the responsibility of the archdeaconry PDC to work on the ground initiating and helping to implement development projects at the community level.

Some projects already in progress include the following: agro-forestry, animal traction, and other food security programs; bee-keeping, goat multiplication, and other income generating activities; diaconal, leadership, and civic training; etc. The purpose of my consulting work will be to enhance the diocesan and archdeaconry PDC’s capacity to make a more lasting and far-reaching impact in the lives of community members. A community may, for example, ask the archdeaconry PDC for assistance with setting up a village banking system. If this is not a strength of the PDC, I could network to get the training and/or resources necessary to implement a workable and effective program.

Needless to say, it is a big, but exciting job that can have a substantial impact on a community’s standard of living, if done right. I hope to keep you updated on the progress of the work so that you can get a sense of what community transformation looks like in less developed countries. I welcome your prayers for wisdom and for the work, for the Church and the communities it will be serving, and for Uganda as a whole. This is a dynamic land full of great potential, but also a land facing many challenges. It is projected, for example, that it will lose nearly 14% of its labor force to AIDS by the year 2020. Besides your prayers, I welcome your words of wisdom or encouragement, advice, recommendation, helpful resources, or stories of transformation you have witnessed in your own community, neighborhood, church, school, business, home, farm, etc. We can all be agents of transformation so long as we bear in mind that the process usually begins within.

Blessings and peace to you all as you continue this meandering journey called life…

Grasshopper

There have been quite a few unusual sightings since arriving in Arua. Some of these undoubtedly were things that some of the Ugandans saw Eric and I doing :), but we have also witnessed some eye-openers. These range from large herds of cattle with gigantic horns walking up the roads (I have seen large herds on the roads before, but some of the cattle here have the largest horns you can imagine. I am sure that eventually we will have a camera in tow when we see one of these herds.), monstrous cockroaches (don't get me started on this as they are my sworn enemy), and a couple strange grasshopper sigtings.

Eric and I were on our evening walk when from a distance, we saw what we thought was a line of soldier ants. As many of you know, this is a scary sight for me so it was a relief and a quandary when we discovered that it was a parade of grasshoppers. All different size grasshopper were hopping in a line across the road. I think that some of them were even carrying instruments and riding on floats. It may have even been larger parade than the Terre Haute Memorial Day parade.

The following day Eric came upon the king or perhaps queen (we really don't know the difference :) of all grasshoppers. He/she was HUGE and beautiful. I really think that the picture does not do this grasshopper justice. Right after the picture was taken, he/she jumped right onto me and proceeded walking up to my shoulder. When he/she finally jumped away, the flight showed that he/she had the most beautifully colored wings that glowed with different colors in the sun. I love little blessings like this. Creation is just astounding!

We've Arrived...

Eric and I just got hooked up to the internet today. We arrived in Arua last Friday evening with our possessions in tow. I wanted to quickly get a post published with a picture of our home before hurrying to make supper. Sufficed to say that we are very happy to be in our home. We thank God for having such a wonderful place to live. Any and all are welcome to visit... we are open for business.