EdforDev, Anna

I've been in the U.S. for 7 days now, trying hard not to forget what I learned.  It's surprisingly difficult, even after only a week.

These are the before and after photos of Namirama Community Secondary School.  The first morning that I arrived in Namirama, there were tomato plants where the school would be.  Behind the field were mud houses whose imininent removal had already been negotiated.  By the time I left, this big building was there with all of the roofing timbers up.  By now, there should be iron sheets on the roof and the walls should be partially plastered.

The progress.  In the first photo, a mason ("fundi") is digging the foundation with a hoe. The second is the only female mason, Eunice, laying bricks for the foundation.  In the third photo, the engineer, John Watuwa, is at the far right.  The man in the middle is Joseph Khisa, Michael's brother and the chair of the Bubolo District.  The little kid next to him liked to follow me whereever I'd go.  He wouldn't say much - he'd just giggle and wave a lot.

In contrast to our well-guarded construction sites and helmeted workers, these workers came to work in flip-flops and often removed them for convenience.  It wasn't uncommon for little Namirama kids to be running around the site and trying to help for fun.  The second photo shows a "porter" mixing cement.

For those who didn't have to be at home doing work, the construction site (and the white person) were nice forms of entertainment, especially for the little kids.  Here, some kids were amusing themselves (and the white person :oP ) by plowing the open field with someone's cattle.  The buildings in the background of these photos are the government-funded Namirama Primary School.  The motorcycle in the first picture was my transport that day to Namirama.  It was a government motorcycle that Joseph had been using to ride around the district campaigning in favor of a multi-party system.  When Yoweri Museveni officially became president of the country, political parties were abolished in favor of one "Movement," which became the name of Museveni's group, as far as I can tell.  The goal was to prevent the kind of conflict between parties that had repeatedly led to overthrows of the nation's leaders.  While I was there, the government held a nationwide vote on whether the country should begin allowing political parties.  I'm not sure what led to this vote, but word on the street credited pressure from donors advocating democracy.  According to the government newspaper, 92.5% of voters voted to allow political parties.  Hard to believe, but they did admit a very low voter turnout.  On the surface, I suppose the vote looked like a great step in the direction of democracy, but on the ground, it was hard to figure out what it meant.  There were a lot of complaints that the people didn't understand what they were voting for.  Many boycotted for this reason.

Museveni campaigned in favor of allowing political parties, which made him look - at least to foreigners - like he was really supporting democracy.  However, not long before the vote, Museveni's parliament voted to abolish the limit on the number of terms the president is allowed in office.  So in the short term, the multi-party vote seems a little meaningless; I would bet a bunch of money that Museveni will win his now-permissible third term in 2006, and the "Movement" will maintain power.

As a foreigner, perhaps the most interesting part of the vote was the ballot.  It stated, "Do you agree to open up the political space to allow those who wish to join different organisations/parties to do so to compete for political power?"  The voter had two choices:  she could check the box next to the "Yes" and drawing of a tree, or she could check the box next to the "No" and drawing of a house.  The drawings were meant to accomodate the illiterate population, but they stirred a whole new controversy about the meaning of a house and a tree to people in the village.  I heard someone argue that villagers would be more likely to check a house because they'd rather have a house than a tree; I heard another mention the issue of the fact that the door to the house was closed, implying that others are not welcome, etc.  The things you don't think about when you live in a country that's 97% literate...

These are the Namirama Secondary School scholarship students.  The man on the far right of the first picture is Morton Sitawa, chair of the school's Board of Governors and donor of the land on which the school is being built.  The man crouching in the front with a paper in his hand is Alfred Bwayo, the school's headmaster.  The photo in the middle are some of the scholarship students' parents, a few of whom "signed" our form with a thumbprint.  The last photo shows a student named Teddy and her mother.  Teddy was first in her class last term.  The building behind them is the mud structure that the secondary school is currently using.

I'd like to post more photos, but it doesn't seem to want me to.

My plane flies out of Entebbe in less than 7 hours.  It's strange - a week ago, I wanted more than anything to stay for longer, but now that I'm in leaving mode, I'm ready for it.  I've packed my bags, said goodbye to everyone but Michael, eaten my last meal of matooke (mashed plantains).  Now I am in Kampala just to wait.  Compared to Bukhaweka, Kampala feels like Europe, so I sort feel as though I've already begun my journey out.

From what I hear, the roofing for the building is finished, or nearly so.  When I left, the only thing missing was the blue iron sheets, and they were supposed to be delivered yesterday.  The other day, I was admiring a secondary school building in Mbale that had white plastered walls and the same blue roof.  It looked shnazzy!  I wish I could stay to see the plastering and painting at Namirama done, but Michael will send photos.  When it is finished, the school is really going to change the landscape.  I've been wondering whether EdforDev should have budgeted for a sign post, but I've come to the conclusion that it's hardly necessary.  The other day, we drove up into the hills above Namirama and I could see the school from kilometers away.  The people in the hills above Namirama will see a big beautiful white school standing out from the farm plots and mud houses on the hillside.  And those below have probably already heard everything from their neighbors.  Word of mouth is a powerful tool in areas with no alternative.  At least 9 students have already come from other schools, wanting to apply.  And that was before the building had a roof!  I hope the Namirama community is right to think that the school will really change the place.  And hopefully they'll get enough students next year to actually pay the teachers something instead of making them give their service nearly voluntarily.

On Saturday, the chair of the school's Board of Governors threw me a going away party in a classroom of the Namirama Primary School.  There were many beers to be had, as is always the case when Mr. Sitawa is in charge.  Not long after I finished my second beer, we had to duck out because it began to pour.  Not surprisingly, one of our two vehicles got stuck in the mud, requiring the aid of several villagers, but they managed to dig it out.

I've been pondering the state of people living in poverty here and in the U.S.  One thing in particular has struck me:  although people in eastern Ugandan villages have little to no income, at least most have food.  I hear that in the north where the soil is dry and not fertile, hunger is a major problem.  So my comments refer only to the east.  Dare I say that it almost seems as though living in poverty in eastern Uganda is better than living in poverty in the U.S.?  Not only is the weather more tolerable in the winter, but you don't need money to have food.  Then again, there's no comparison between healthcare here and healthcare in the U.S.  We are just able to sustain life so much more successfully in the U.S.  I know that hunger is a major problem in much of Africa, but I didn't see it.  And malnutrition is undoubtedly an issue, but to my untrained eye, I didn't spot it.

There is so much more to say, but I have only 4 minutes left on my last internet session in Uganda.  I will post photos when I return...

It feels like a lot has happened since I last wrote.

The latest news from Namirama is that they finished laying the concrete slab today; on Monday, they plan to start putting up the walls.  I have not yet sat down with the engineer to discuss the
funding of the walling stage, but I will do that first thing Monday morning.  I wish I had had a chance to do it earlier because it is likely to involve cutting workers even after the walling has begun, but I wasn't in the village the past 3 days.  So we'll see what the engineer says on Monday.

I spent Thursday in Kampala.  First, I visited Kikaaya College Secondary School.  I was really impressed!  That headmaster sure seems savvy.  Getting corporate sponsorships and sending students to Europe and whatnot.  I was amazed.  The school combines the vocational training with academics.  Each student gets a standard academic education in addition to training in one vocation, be it carpentry, building, electrical installation, tailoring, catering, or nursery school teaching.  The inclusion of vocational training seems incredibly appropriate and smart for the time and place.  I mentioned it to Michael, and he suggested considering that type of partnership for the Namirama Secondary School and the new Bukhaweka Vocational Training School,
which he spearheaded.  The schools are a significant distance from one another, but these people are used to that.  It would be a good way to bring students to the vocational school and to give these Namirama kids some training that's more practical for them than theoretical physics.  An idea...

Although Bukhaweka does not yet have power, they expect to get it soon.  So they hope that the vocational school will include computer training.  Sadie says that Williams College has loads of fairly new computers lying around in storage that they might be able to donate.  She has already planted the idea in some computer guy's head, and he seems interested.  Does anyone
know anything about sending computers overseas?  Michael says that there's some way to coordinate with airlines.

Back to Kikaaya--

I met briefly with the 10 girls, although I would have liked to talk to them more. I didn't get to speak to them individually, but I gave a little speech to the group about being able to support yourself independently and yada yada.  I find myself making more impromptu speeches than I thought I'd ever be willing to make.  The headmaster was impressed that I was an engineer, so he used me as an example for them.  One of the girls - Agnes - seemed really excited to hear that I was an engineer.

While I was there, I watched a student debate.  The claim under contention was "Universal Primary Education has done more harm than good."  The Ugandan government, in cooperation with the IMF and World Bank, recently implemented free primary education for all children in the country.  The numbers of students skyrocked, but the funding is far from enough.  Many classrooms hold 100-200 students, and as a result, student acheivement has gone way down.  It was interesting to see these kids - most of whom are products of U.P.E. argue against it.

After visiting Kikaaya, I met with Herbert Muyinga of the Muyenga Rotary Club.  He's totally on top of things.  I brought him a list of the school supplies that Namirama is requesting, and he explained exactly what needs to happen next.  I need to go back and get more details about the supplies requested, including proforma invoices from suppliers.  I plan to do that this week.

Finally, about the Namirama scholarship students -

The headmaster has already made a list of 30 eligible students.  However, when the chairman of the Board of Governors read your letter about keeping the scholarships on the DL until they are given out, he admitted that he had already informed the whole school.  In order to at least make
the process seem fair to students and to parents, he advised interviewing every student instead of just the 30.  So, as tedious as it is, I have decided to interview every single S1, S2, and S3 student without knowing who the headmaster has chosen.  In the end, I can tell that the interviews will be far too short and incomplete for me to tell who really should get scholarships; the students really are all in need.  It seems that almost none of their families have any source
of income; the parents are all subsistence farmers.  So I am relying on the headmaster, who seems to have been able to pick 30.

So far, the students have been incredibly nervous in the interviews. A teacher, instead of me, has done most of the talking.  The teachers tell me that the students are nervous because I'm white and because interviews are always scary.  Perhaps that is part of it, but I also am disturbed by the teacher's harsh instruction.  It would certainly make me nervous.  Maybe they're used to it, though. About 30 have been interviewed so far.  I may continue on Monday or Tuesday.

There's a detailed update.  I'm happy to be back in Mbale after a day in Kampala.  It's amazing how quickly your perceptions shift; I arrived in Kampala and felt like I was in Europe!  After 3 weeks of being in this calm city, I've developed a real liking to Mbale.

I'm back in Mbale, after spending the weekend in Bukhaweka.  I seem to
be on a one-week high, loving everything.  Including my Pepto Bismol.
Heh.

It turns out that Michael doesn't actually live in Bukhaweka- he lives
in Mbale.  I am staying and being taken care of by his brother Peter.
It seems like Peter will be my main companion in work as well.

I plan to go the bank today to see if the money has come yet.  I don't
expect that it has, but just in case.  I gave the transport man 1
million shillings to get things rolling, and it has been effective.
He is very eager, and was ready with a truck full of hard core the
following morning.  Unfortunately, one of the bridges to Namirama is
under construction, so he was not able to take the materials all the
way to the site.  But they say that the bridge will be finished today
and things will begin to speed up.  Although I had only 50,000 with me
to give to the workers for initial work, they have finished digging
the foundation.  I have not seen the finished holes with my own eyes,
but this is what I hear, and I am learning that people can usually be
trusted here.  I saw them doing the actual digging, so I am quite
confident that they have done it.  The workers would like some more
money (and materials) before they continue, though.  So I am here in
town, in part, to get money for them.  Against your orders, I did not
actually see the 50,000 delivered to the workers.  Instead, I gave it
to the chairman of the Board of Governors, Morton Sitawa, and had him
sign a receipt.  I tried to ask that I go with him, but he insisted
that I stay and finish my lunch at his home and that he would deliver
it.  The workers wanted money at that moment so that they could buy
lunch.  I am wary of making them think that I don't trust them,
because it seems to be an important issue.  If you think I should be
more forceful, let me know, but I think it's going ok.  Everyone seems
willing and ready to provide receipts.

Although we have not yet settled on a number for the worker wages, I
gave the 50,000 (and 350,000 more today or tomorrow) based on the
"Excavation of foundation trench" number (400,000) in the budget.  I
was a little puzzled that a number for labor would be in the table,
because all of the other numbers are for materials, but Peter and the
chairman assured me that there were no materials to buy for the
"Excavation of foundation trench," and that the number was for labor.
They said that you generally pay more for digging than for other
labor.  I hope that was the right thing to do.

For the rest of the labor, we will soon settle on a number for wages
after talking to the engineer.  What you said about labor is
consistent with what I have been discovering.  20% is a very generous
estimate.  I haven't figured out how to know what the engineer's
salary should be.  It seems unwise to ask him directly.

Peter says that it is also customary to pay for lunch every day for
the workers - he estimates 7000/day to cover everyone.  That will
still keep us well under the 20%.  We have negotiated transport costs
with the truck man.  It was decided that each trip would be 40,000,
except for those to get coarse aggregates, which are far away.  Those
trips will be 50,000.  I estimate that the transport cost will be
$1000 for the whole deal.

There are a few things that are not on the budget that Peter and
Morton say we need:  2 wheelbarrows, some hoes, some spades, and a
drum for water.  After the building is up, they say that the school
will keep these things for future projects.  It sounds reasonable to
me - what do you think?

Michael's brother Joseph, who lives in Bukhaweka,
is apparently willing to drive me for free, as long as they have new
tires on the truck.  Also, I walked in one direction the other day,
and although it's long, it's doable if it's necessary once in a while.
That's the way they do it, after all.  I may have a trail of
children, but I'm getting used to that.  Trying to learn a little
Lugisu, in the hopes of communicating with kids in Namirama.

I am sorry to say that I went to church with Peter, and without my
realizing it, he announced to the church that we would be sponsoring
kids at Namirama.  So I expect to be approached a lot, but I'll keep
it as politically correct and fair as I can.

Namirama is beautiful.  As are the little kids in American hand-me-downs.