Blogs from Uganda, Africa

I had a last weekend in Uganda before heading to Kenya. In the morning the ladies and I went for a canoe ride into the swamp area of Lake Victoria in search of the elusive Shoebill Bird. These prehistoric looking birds can reach 3 ft tall. They get their name from the large bill that resemble a shoe. We saw many lovely birds along the way until we finally saw the Shoebill. He watched us for awhile and then flew away much higher and faster than you would expect his large body to allow. In the afternoon we had a gathering with some of the women from the organization. It started with a discussion of what makes a good man. Then we broke for food and dancing. DJ Smooth (Irene) had the music going and everyone ... read more

Sparklers Mothers Club: These ladies were all in my mothers group for financial literacy as well as the tailoring courses I taught last year. They started a saving group to encourage each other at the same time. This is my only group loan thus far. They have started a tailoring shop together so they can work as a team. They received a $2,000,000 UGX ($600 USD) loan. They used the funds to buy materials and tools to start up the shop. They are currently renting the space next to RWO where the tailoring classes took place. I had a business planning meeting with this group to talk about how they want to expand in the near future. While they have made a great start there are still many things they need to work on as the ... read more

Despite being born and raised here, Hope and Irene had never been on safari. So I decided we needed a girls trip into the wild! We took a 3 day trip to my favorite park in Uganda: Murchison Falls. I switched it up this time and booked us on a small group tour. So there were two ladies who joined us from the UK. One is a doctor and the other a nurse, both volunteering for a month working in palliative care. The first day we went to see the Murchison Falls, or as the locals call them Kabalega Falls. They at the apex of Lake Albert and Victoria Nile and is the most powerful waterfall in the world. We hiked to view them from several vantage points including one where you get pretty wet from ... read more

March 8th, International Women’s Day is a public holiday in Uganda. RWO took the day to celebrate the accomplishments of the women they support. Last year when I joined RWO they had their hairdressing class taking place and I started their tailoring class. Each course takes 3 - 6 months to complete. As part of the financial literacy courses I taught we discussed saving for specific goals. At the completion of courses the district has a certification test. While attending the courses the women saved the money required for the exam. I paid for materials and the bribes required to get the exams scheduled. We learned in February that 9 ladies passed the tailoring exam and 12 ladies passed the hair dressing exam many with A+ results. RWO decided to use IWD day to commemorate their ... read more

Friday morning was our monthly meeting with all of the community leaders, mentor parents, and peer mentors. The updates started with Madam Abby who is a very impressive mentor parent. She gave a 4 page report on her group including details about each member and many of the goals that the women have in her group. This includes the saving group they have started so they can have capital for their business goals. After Abby we heard from another group that is still struggling with how they can engage with RWO. Most of her questions were related to what RWO would give her members once their lessons were completed. Before RWO could answer, Madam Abby answered for us: RWO is giving you the biggest gift you can ask for: an education. When you educate a women, ... read more