Life in Mbale

---

I feel like there is so much to write about, but not so much time. Things here at the UWCM and with Edith and David Wakumire are going great. I am getting exposed to many different things and people. They are both very involved in their community, work, and have huge extended families. Just wanted to write about a couple of things of recent.

First, currently Uganda is having their primary elections. It is madness. Everyday the news is full of stories of violence and corruption (poll rigging, ballot stuffing, vote buying). And what is sad is the violence is happening within one party, not among parties. The "dad" I am living with is very intelligent and outspoken, and has shared a lot of his views on all of this. He says the violence is due, not because the people running for office care about the people they are representing, but because they want the power and money. He also said, very clearly, that Uganda does not have a democracy, but a dictatorship hidden behind fake ballot papers. They put on a show for the rest of the world, so we think this is a democracy, so our government continues to give money and aid. The people here really admire and respect America for our true democracy, and really love Obama. I did get to go with my "mom" when she voted, and didn't know what to expect. But it was in a village polling station, and the people were very peaceful (which is the typical Ugandan), all sitting waiting patiently and making polite conversation with each other. One amusing thing that happened was when some illiterate people were casting their votes, they couldn't read or write their choices, so they simply shouted out who they wanted to vote for. The crowd all laughed, because it is supposed to be secret ballots, but those votes didn't know exactly what to do, so just publicly announced their choice.

Another thing that I learned recently involved people in the area getting electrocuted. It came up because a young girl's sister got electrocuted. I asked Edith what happened. She told me the gov't literally tells people here that they (the gov't) have provided electricity for the people to use, anyway they want. The reality is that most people cannot afford to connect and pay for electricity, so in essence, the gov't is giving them permission to illegally hook up the electricity. It is very common for a person to use some wimpy wiring and attach a hook to it, then toss it up to a high-voltage power line, and draw the electricity into their home that way. This is insane, and horribly unsafe. Many people have gotten shocked and even died because of this. The one girl got shocked after a bad storm knocked her wire off her rooftop, and while she was hanging laundry on the clothesline, got shocked so bad she should have died. Edith said this is a huge problem because of ignorance; people don't seem to understand the impact and risk of what they are doing. They don't understand that yes, they may have power for now, but the cost of it is people,including children, are being killed. She said their organization has even gone into villages to sensitize people to this problem, but the people see them as being anti-gov't, because the gov't is telling them to use the power anyway they want, and here comes this group telling them not to because of the risks. I am told the gov't tells the people a lot of unsafe, unwise things like this in order to get votes. Tell the people what they want to hear, and they will keep you in power. This includes encouraging polygamy and large families (like having 8,10,12 children, even if you can't manage to feed or clothe or give them medical care or educate them).

These were just a couple of life realities. What is awesome about the organization I am working with is that they advocate and promote education, empowerment, compassion, income generating activities, women's and children's rights, community involvement, taking care of the poor and weak, and so much more. They are holistically addressing the issues faced by people in their community, and approach them in a way that encourages personal responsibility, involvement, acquiring knowledge and skills, and so much more. I got to visit one of the projects in a village called CMMF (Community Managed Microfinance). In essence, a group is formed in a community by small number of committed people. They get together once a week, learn about money, participate in a savings program, after they have saved a certain amount, they have the opportunity to take out small loans for different needs (start a small business, pay doctors fees), and must pay the loan back in a short period of time. The loans have a low interest rate, and the group as a whole get to split the money earned in interest. This is an amazing opportunity for people here to learn about money-savings, loans, be able to earn money through the interest, and be a part of a support group. And it is all run and managed by themselves. What a small, but profound concept/group.

---

Comments

[Danyelle]

Eye-opening
Hey lady!! Miss you lots still and am very excited to see you soon! Sounds like a very eye-opening situation, and you have to feel bad for the people that know better but can't get anyone else to listen. A dictatorship in disguise - what a terrible situation. You get the illusion of hope, but the people that know better know that its empty. And "Sure you can have free electricity - we won't charge you a cent" but it comes at the cost of lives. More proof that there are lots of people in this world that won't see past their own wants and see how what they are doing is harmful to others. So many countries in Africa are headed up by power (and money) hungry thugs, it is so sad to see it. How disillusioning to know that its Uganda too. The illusion of democracy can hide many unpleasant things.