From Football to Land Rights; Karamoja has me challenged

It seems every time I say I’m going to write more that fails completely, so I will stop writing that now. In my defence the last couple of days have been very difficult with the power situation, so any time I have had power on my laptop it has been used for work, and work I seem to have a lot of lately!

The beauty of the mountains in Karamoja 

It is really amazing to see the KDF office actually up and running, with four people sitting here busy writing away every day. I know there remains a lot to be set up when it comes to the ‘Pastoralist Information Centre’, which will really become the hub of this office, but I’m impressed with the progress so far, and I’m so happy I have been able to be here for the setting up office phase! I remember coming here in December being a bit confused as to what I was actually supposed to do, as there was no office, no structure really, just Simon and Teba taking me around to various sites and events and encouraging me to learn. My walk to Rupa to find the artisanal gold miners and the day of traditional ceremonies in Kautakou still remains my favourite ‘office days’ with KDF. Hopefully I still have a few more of those days ahead of me before I leave Moroto.

The last few days have been a mix of a lot of work and random fun activities. A few weeks ago I asked Simon to bring me a football from Kampala, after I had gone to watch some football with Teba and realized that almost everyone playing were guys, well I guess I should say everyone except for one girl who was off playing basketball next to the football pitch. As my work out routine has been very limited here I thought it would be a great idea if we could get a football and I could find some girls to play with. Again so much happened in the last few weeks I hadn’t actually had time to do anything about it until this Monday, but on Monday I did actually play football here for the first time. Unfortunately the ‘big boys’ took our ball to play with and Karo, Perie and I were left to play with the kids with their home made ball, but I think from seeing the amount of smiles and laughter we had a lot more fun playing. The kids were amazing, one little boy in particular, little Edwin, he can’t have been more than 5, but he kept running off with the ball and scoring these awesome goals. 

Unfortunately he wasn’t on my team, but I had Perie on my team who just wanted to score more than anything, although not sure if that actually happened or not, but we ran until we were exhausted and then some. So officially now my favourite after work activity, although hoping I can wear shoes soon as I was running around barefoot playing after I put shoes on not flip flops for the first time in like 2 months the other day and got blisters all over. So hopefully after work today I will be running around the pitch again, maybe we’ll be successful in recruiting some more girls, and also hoping the guys will be a bit nicer and let us play with the actual football today!

If only I could carry more than half a bottle of water on my head, not quite Karimojong yet.

The past weekend was also one of new adventures. Karo had a bonfire at her house and her and a friend held a bit of an impromptu concert for around 15 people. It was so nice to sit around a fire under the stars and listen to live music, not quite an experience I pictured myself having in Karamoja, especially with two ‘muzungus’ playing music, but it was amazing nonetheless. And the dance party that took over after the playing was equally as entertaining, with Egyptian dancing from Muhammed and Perie doing some dance moves I can’t even describe in words, it turned into a long night around the fire. Although my favourite part of the night was listening to the music and seeing everyone around the fire with the biggest smiles on their faces, making you realize that it’s the little things in life that can truly make you happy. So thank you to Karo for hosting a night I will remember long past my time in Karamoja.

A magical night of music and dancing

The beauty of fire 

As my time here is quickly running out work is becoming more hectic. Teba and I have a deadline of getting the land report, titled ‘Take Anything, Leave our Land’ out by this evening. The report is a result of field research that KDF members conducted in the areas of Kautakou and Namalu, two areas that have been the sites of ‘land grabs’. In Namalu the prison grounds have been expanded and this has caused over 300 families to be evicted from their land, families who are now living under inhumane conditions, where 50 people have lost their lives as a result of having to relocate and losing all of their food and assets in the process. In Kautakou (where I took part in the traditional ceremony) land has been sold by an individual for the creation of an industrial park without the consent of the community which is using the land.

Kautakou protests 'land grab'

Both cases are highlighting the difficulties the Karimojong are facing in the emerging scramble for land in the region. Land rights have never been an issue I have been especially involved in, but in Karamoja it is impossible to avoid. Land rights are extremely difficult here because of the nature of communities and especially in regards to pastoralism. It is not as straight forward as it is back home in that one person owns a piece of land and if you want to buy or sell that will be the person whom you must deal with, here communities live and use the land together, and in many cases more than one community is involved. So how do you protect the rights of these people? The laws of Uganda do make an attempt at this, but I think the idea of communal land rights is a lot more difficult in practice than the government acknowledges.

I can’t say I have any magical answer to the issue of land rights in Karamoja, as I said I am still learning, but the process of writing the land report with KDF has really opened my eyes to how important this issue is. This is not just about pieces of land and assets, it is about people, their livelihoods and the future of Karamoja. So as the report will hopefully be out tonight, if not then at least in the next couple of days, I urge you all to read it and help give a voice to the people who risk losing everything in the struggle for land in Karamoja. They shouldn't be fighting this battle alone. If you are interested in the report leave a comment or send me an email and I will make sure you receive a copy.

Msvindseth89@gmail.com

The Balance of Life - Holding on to the Smiles :)

So a long overdue blogpost now. I have been meaning to sit down and write for the last week, but it just hasn’t happen. So as I just got back to Moroto after about a 12 hour day of travelling, this seemed like a good time to start. In the 12 hour of bus/car ride I have probably slept about half, so although the body is tired from bumpy roads and cramped cars, my mind seems to be awake. The last week has been a bit more eventful than I would have liked it to be, but I’ve had some amazing experiences, a few iffy ones and one not too good one, but I guess sometimes you have to have a little bit of mix. Let the good and evil in the world balance out, or something like that?

Firstly, our meeting that my last post was about preparing for, took place last Saturday. It was amazing to see everything come together. Especially all the volunteers that I had met and worked with the week before the meeting all really stepped up. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have never seen a team of volunteers work so hard, and it emphasised to me again the value of the work that KDF is doing. There is a reason why the local ‘youth’ of sorts are willing to give up their Saturday to come together and contribute to the voices of their people being given a forum to discuss their issues.

The meeting brought together people from all over Karamoja, as well as people from outside the region who were interested in listening and understanding the Karimojong take on the current issues facing their region. The majority of the discussions were held in Ngkarimojong, which obviously was the right way to do it as this was a meeting for the people of Karamoja, rather than ‘us’ outsiders. Unfortunately this made it a bit difficult for me to follow what was going on, but just seeing the elders, as well as young people getting so involved in the discussions made me feel like we did something right in bringing all of these people together.

I think the meeting was a good starting point for KDF to show that they are able to function not just as an online platform, but that people from all over the region can be mobilized in a short amount of time. Also showing that people here want to be informed, they want to discuss the issues they are facing and the further development of Karamoja, and they deserve to be an active participant in that discussion. My hope and belief is that KDF will play an active role in making sure that happens in the years to come.

Some amazing volunteers & I tried to be Karimojong for the day

So I could probably write another few pages about the meeting and what happened, but I will save that for another day when I have had the chance to go through notes and reporting of them meeting, so I can describe a bit more content as well as my own experiences. One thing though I know many of you have seen pictures of me dressed up in traditional Karimojong attire for the day of the meeting. I did this because I felt like it was the least I could do. I love the culture and the strength of people here, and I know it might seem a bit of bizarre way of doing it, but it was my way of showing how highly I think of the traditions and the people of Karamoja. And evidently the guys appreciated it as well, as I have never quite gotten that many guys asking to be my Valentine…and have to say the skirt did great things for my dancing abilities :)

So after what I believe was a successful meeting I set off back to Kampala on Monday morning. I had some errands to run in Kampala and I also wanted to see my little family in Jinja. The car ride down was a bit interesting as the car I was in kind of hit the car in front, although more of just a little bump than an actual accident. Regardless the guys in the car in front took this very seriously and began demanding money for what they said were damages for at least 500 000 UGX. This was not true as the little damage there was to their car was more of a little scratch, but as more and more people started gathering around the car and it was getting dark eventually the drivers of the car I was in paid them a bit less than half of that and we could finally get going again. The sort of mob mentality that I’ve luckily only witnessed a few times here, is a bit intimidating. The guys in this case kept saying things like: ‘you are from upcountry, you don’t speak Luganda, you’re not Ugandan’ and ‘we’re going to call all our friends to come here tonight to show you what real Ugandan’s are like’. The people I was with dealt with it all very well, but it upset me in that this is sort of verbal abuse is okay. I know Uganda has so many different regions, and I have written before about the discrimination against Karamoja that you normally run into in Kampala, but it was just disappointing to experience it in this way.

A little later than anticipated but I did make it to Kampala and I had a couple of days of relaxing and catching up with friends before I went to Jinja to see my ‘family’ there. The little kids were adorable as always and I got to see Aidah and go to her newly opened shop, which seems to be doing good. I got myself some soap and a soda to support the business. And also one of the little girls, Esther, is now grown up enough to be in boarding school, which was her dream last time I was there, so it’s good to see the little kids growing up happy and healthy.  They have so much energy, especially little Sammy, so it was nice to spend some time with them just running around and playing all day. A much needed break from sitting by a computer.

Mama Esthers shop and baby Ethan

The little smiles that melt your heart

The energy of 100, laughs and play all day

This next part I wasn’t sure if I should write or not. I don’t want people to get a negative image of Uganda, so first I just want to say that what happened to me could have happened anywhere in the world, and I have had far worse experiences in other parts of the world than this. But it did happen and I believe that dealing with these experiences whether they are good or bad is all part of a learning process, some days are just better than others.

Friday night was a different sort of night for me in Kampala. It started off really well, I had dinner with some friends, followed by a few drinks and then met up with some other friends to go out for a bit. I ended up at a place called Iguana’s, a place I used to go to a lot a few years back. Never really my favourite place, but people were dancing and the music was okay, so I can’t complain too much. Although it didn’t take too long until I was ready to leave, and go get some food and head home.

I walked out of Iguanas with a friend of mine, and we didn’t make it very far down the street before we were all of a sudden surrounded by a group of guys. They pushed us both to the ground, it happened so fast, I just remember laying on the ground with a guy standing over me kicking me asking if I have anything else with me than my bag that he had already ripped off of me. All I did was kinda roll into a ball and hold on to my necklace that I kept saying was a gift from my dad so don’t take it, and the guy didn’t, he just kicked me in the ribs and shoulder and seemed sort of scared of actually touching me, so I guess in that sense I was lucky. I looked over at my friend and saw him getting a much rougher treatment, a guy was strangling him and hitting him, and his head was scarily close to the main road where cars were flying by. The fact that this happened by a main road with lots of cars driving by was what surprised me the most. I just was not expecting it. Eventually a car stopped and the guys ran away, my money, key and phone long gone.

I wish I could say I was tough and handled this well, but to be honest I was really scared, and I think I cried more that night than I have in the last few years. I think it was just the thought of how bad it could have been that freaked me out. These guys holding me down and kicking me could have done a lot worse, and I know I am very lucky that I could walk away with just some bruises. I hate that it has made me a bit scared now. I don’t like that feeling. Luckily though I also had some amazing people in Kampala who took care of me Friday night, and for the rest of the weekend. Some amazing Indian food from Bobby, movie night and drinks with Katie and coffee dates in town made me feel a lot better. So I am very thankful for that, also the random Swedish guys who got me a place to stay on Friday night as my key was taken and helped me get in contact with my family.

I have to say though I was very happy to leave Kampala on Monday morning, and arriving in Arua and getting a hug from Teba and Momo, made it all a little better. And it felt good to be back at work and feeling a bit more useful. I will write more about our meeting in Arua tomorrow.

On my way to Arua I also saw two big elephants, they were blocking the road for the bus so we got to stop for a little while and watch these amazing animals. Something about elephants in the wild that just never gets old. Although did for a second consider what would happen if they decided to charge the bus, as the bus decided to stop in between two elephants, did not seem like the best idea. But after a few minutes we were on our way again, and we passed some impalas, warthogs and hippos. So if you’re looking for a cheap safari, the 30 000 UGX bus trip from Kampala to Arua with Gaagaa buses is highly recommended.

So it took me two days to write this post as power in my part of town is non-existent at the moment, good to be back in Moroto! I have so much more I want to write, but I will try to be more consistent in the next few weeks and not let it take too long before I sit down to write. I hope the next week to be able to do some field research on the mining issue as well as catch up on my writing for the strategic planning that seems to always be following me.

To my family who I know are worrying about me. In a month I will be home and snowboarding again which is probably a lot more dangerous than my life here so bear with me for the next weeks ;)

Happy, Healthy and back in Moroto

Saying that I can't believe I only have a month left before I get on a flight back to Europe. I can't even imagine saying goodbye to my friends and KDF family here right now, so will avoid that thought for a few more days.

#Anyoukarimojong KDF Valentines day 2015

The week of the ‘KDF Setting the Agenda and Food Security Conference’ is here! The office is buzzing with excitement as everyone is running around in KDF t-shirts, trying to do their best in the final mobilization and promotion of the conference. Teba is sporting the bright orange T-shirt through town today, and I will do my best to follow him, so at least we are visible in Moroto!

KDF Tshirts with the signature #Anyoukarimojong, get yours and promote KDF's vision for Karamoja

New T-shirts and quite a few laughs this morning

It is amazing to be part of a conference like this where the people who are organizing it are so passionate about the topic and the event itself. This isn't just a meeting about ‘Food Security’ as it is stated in our invitations, this is about Karamoja standing up and taking charge of their future. It is about making sure that every voice is represented and that every voice should be equal. Just because I went to university and have a degree does not mean that I necessarily know what is best for this region, often it is the people who stayed, the people who live off the land that have the most valuable information. KDF is trying to organize an event where everyone can come together and discuss the issues that are facing the region, in a way that is non-judgemental and hopefully constructive in creating a path further for KDF and Karamoja.

I have been lucky enough to work with all our volunteers in the last week and it has been amazing to meet all the different people, with such different backgrounds and professions, all coming together because they believe in what KDF is advocating for and are willing to take time out of their busy days to be part of KDF’s growing team of volunteers.

Some of my awesome volunteer models this morning, showing off the new KDF t shirts

Our Media team looking just a bit 'too cool' in their new attire

Join the fun as a KDF volunteer

My role in all of this at the moment is a bit all over the place. I spent last night with the media team of Vitalis and Mo2 trying to get our twitter hashtags going and looking for creative ways to get people excited about Saturday. As our meeting is held on Valentine’s Day there are bound to be some references to this, so although we don’t want to take the serious aspect out of the meeting, we need to play on some words when it comes to the day of love that we will all be spending with KDF. So maybe the KDF conference will be where you find your Valentine this year? At least you know I will be there!

KDF for Valentines? Love just might be in the air

This morning I met with more volunteers and worked a bit on our food budget before making some of our volunteers be models in the promotion of the KDF T-shirts that we will hopefully sell a few of during the conference. They will cost between 15 – 20 000 UGX which is about 7-8 USD? My math is not the best at the moment so excuse me if I am mistaken. They are the T-shirts in the pictures in this blog. So if you want to support KDF, get yourself a T-shirt!

If anyone is interested in joining us on Skype on Saturday I will be creating a group for that, so just let me know and I will make sure you are included. As we have limited data coverage up here we can’t really send the whole conference live, but we will try to find out what parts of the program on Saturday you find the most interesting and then we will have live feeds during the day, as well as having people updating you with pictures, videos and summaries.

Big smiles with the passion to match it

So as you can probably tell the majority of my attention at the moment is on Saturday and making sure that everything is in place, so I will now proceed to my third cup of coffee of the day and try not to get too overwhelmed by everything that is going on. I will keep you posted as we're coming closer to the meeting, and feel free to ask any questions, join us in person or online, Help us make this meeting a success, not just for KDF, but for Karamoja. 

From Preconceptions to Dance Parties - Karamoja makes me smile :)

So lately my writing has been a bit more serious in context, but today I want to share with you a bit of what makes me love living in Karamoja. As I've said before I want this blog to be a way I can introduce you to life here, the everyday life that includes the serious stuff as well as the drama, the fun and all those little things that make life what it is. There are so many preconceptions about what Karamoja is like, and I am happy to say that mostly all of them have been proven wrong to me, well except for the hot & dusty part..it has been very hot & dusty lately…but you learn to live with it, I feel like I've turned a slightly darker color as I am always covered in dust and as such sunscreen is not as necessary as the dust offers dual protection. The little things you learn to appreciate.

Goofy smiles in anticipation for the dinner

Yesterday Karo and I had the pleasure of having 3 Karimojong boys cook for us. Something I never thought would happen here. In all the time I have been in Uganda I have never had a guy cook for me, so pleasantly surprised that 3 guys actually stepped up and said they would make us dinner!

I have to admit I was a bit hesitant as to what these guys would cook, but they showed up at the house ready to take charge, and cooked for us a mix of meat, rice, pasta and potatoes. A bit of a bizarre mix if coming from the Norwegian perspective, but it all tasted amazing. So very impressed!

Before we were kicked out of the kitchen

An amazing dinner with excellent cooking

Sometimes I feel like the culture and just the social aspect of being here is so different from back home, and I do have moments when I do feel a bit left out, but yesterday just felt like normal. I know things are different here, I mean things are different from Norway to France, so it would be weird if it wasn't. People are different all over the world and our culture and the way we are raised shape the way we interact with others. But it was just so good to have a night where I just felt like the differences didn't matter, I mean they shouldn't. I felt just as comfortable with these guys as I would with my friends back home, and that is such good feeling.

I wanted to highlight that because I do think it matters in the grand scheme of things. If you look at it from a distance, how much do you really think a blond Norwegian girl from a suburb of Oslo would have in common with a boy from a small village in Karamoja in Uganda? Our environment and the way we were raised are completely opposite, but you can put us in a room together and we can become the best of friends and spend nights laughing, playing and dancing.

This is what should connect us all together. I think the more I've traveled the more I've realized how much we all have in common around the world. I've found myself with Congolese refugees in Kampala arguing over whether I can support Chelsea without being a football sell out, and I've had the exact same conversation with powerful and wealthy politicians in Switzerland. A general conclusion is that I should probably pick a better team to support…The similarities should be what we focus on, not the differences. So you might think Karamoja is far away and that the people are so different here that you could never relate to them, but I guess what I want to show you is that although there are clear differences, they don’t really matter. I mean it is part of what makes it interesting to be here, but it’s more valuable to understand how similar we all are.

So that was my non serious post that turned a bit serious. So I will tell you about my night now. The boys cooked dinner, which was amazing, and they could definitely compete with guys back home when it comes to cooking skills, they might even be able to teach them a thing or two. After dinner we played a game called ‘Jungle Speed’, which is kind of like an advanced version of the ‘Krig’ or ‘Gris’ game we play in Norway as kids. It doesn't require too much thinking, but just a bit of focus on shapes and colors and then a bit of competitiveness to grab the stick in the middle. A game that was made even more hilarious by a few drinks and Karo beating all of us over and over again, with Teba not being able to stop laughing and Vitalis helping me cheat when I was oblivious to the shapes in front of me. ‘Jungle Speed’ was followed by a card game that proved to be a bit easier for the rest of us to catch up on, the normal progression of how late it gets in the night the easier the games become. Halfway through a game I walked out to use the bathroom and returned to a full on dance party happening. So many laughs and interesting moves. I have some videos, but as I’m sure this post already contains too much information shared I will keep those private for now.

'Jungle Speed' 

What I found when returning from the bathroom - surprise dance party in action

I always feel a bit out of place with the dancing here, but I do love it. I grew up dancing ballet and doing rhythmical gymnastics, so my extent of dancing was just prancing around doing jumps by myself. I loved that too, but it made dancing for me into something that wasn’t exactly fun, it was more the result of tears of stretching too much and then finally being able to do the split or flip or whatever was on the agenda for the day. It was never about relaxing and just going with the music so I have a lot to learn on that front.

The basics in how to dance 'low'

Any move goes, as long as you commit, too many laughs

Here I feel like everyone dances like they were born with music in their body. Everyone just moves with no fear and makes the music come alive through their bodies. It doesn't seem to matter what moves you are doing, as long as you can relate it to the music everything is passable. So the rest of the night was an amusing combination of dance moves happening in the living room. I don’t think I have laughed that much in a long time, I got some lessons in how to dance ‘real low’ and it was just amazing to see everyone having such a good time. When the night came to an end I had a big smile on my face walking home under the most beautiful stars. 

A smile worth a thousand words? I would say so

Valentine's Day meeting - Be a Karimojong for the day

So I am in office today. Well where I have been the last few days. The KDF meeting on the 14^th of February is coming up now, so lots of organization to be done. Reminiscing of my days at the UN organizing for the Meeting of Experts in August, definitely a completely different experience, but have to say I do think I prefer this. Not running from C building to E building in the Palais des Nations with my Velcro tape that I was to guard with my life, and my close to giving up on life due to the many days and nights spent dealing with registration, visas and fax machines. Extremely thankful I have not seen a fax machine since I left the UN.    

Office life I have come to realize is equally as thrilling wherever you are in the world ;) At least here I can put my thoughts on the wall! 

The meeting here is based almost exclusively on volunteers, and it’s amazing to see so many people willing to step up and give up their Saturday to make this meeting a success. Every time I meet with a new person interested in KDF I’m struck by how passionate people become about it. I was asked by my dad the other day what I am actually doing here and who I am working with, so I realized as I hadn’t properly explained it to him I probably haven’t here either. So a little introduction to KDF for those of you who are interested.

KDF or Karamoja Development Forum is an NGO, but from my experience it acts more as a social movement within Karamoja. KDF is for Karimojong by Karimojong (well except for me luring my way in here). To understand why this is a crucial statement, a few facts about Karamoja are needed. The region here is said to be the ‘least’ developed in Uganda, it has the highest illiteracy rates and the highest infant mortality rates, poverty levels are high and job opportunities far between. So from the outside Karamoja looks like a place in dire need of attention and support, and the international NGO community has stepped up to that role. However Karamoja is not what most people perceive it as. Their performance within education and healthcare are far lower than they should, but this has more to do with failed government policies and development initiatives rather than the ‘backwardness’ of the people as it is often referred to.

The NGO’s working here do some great work, but the majority of them are foreign NGO’s who are coming in to supposedly fill a gap that the local community cannot. This has caused the town that I live in to become a sort of endless vacuum for NGO’s, they come, they set up projects, projects finish and they pack up and leave. The community gains a bit from this process, but the majority of projects I have witnessed are not the most sustainable. KDF wants this to change. They see the necessity of NGO work in the region, but this work needs to be with the consultation of the local communities and most importantly it needs to have a sustainable outcome.

KDF is working within three areas; Pastoralism, Land and Governance. They are now in the starting up phase after being funded by OSEIA to open a Pastoralist Information Centre as well as conducting research and producing papers on controversial issues in the region such as the human rights abuses connected with land grabs and the incoming mining industry.

So what makes KDF different from other NGO’s and projects here? Well in my mind it is different because the people I work with are not here on a temporary basis, this is their home, and as such they have every reason to see their projects succeed. They are proud and they believe in what they are working for. This is not another NGO setting up a WASH program or Food for work, the activities KDF will conduct within the next couple of years are directed at interacting and learning from the communities within which they work. KDF wants to give a voice to the communities who have given their voice away to simply become silent listeners to what NGO’s or government are telling them is the best way to go.

So KDF is essentially an organization advocating for the rights of the local people to have a say in the ‘development’ of their region. The hope is that the work KDF is doing will help bridge the gap between the local communities, NGO’s, government and incoming companies. Karamoja since disarmament is a rapidly changing region, and I hope KDF is successful in their mission to help Karamoja develop in the Karimojong way. This region is unique in many ways, and in that lies its beauty, hopefully it can contain that beauty through the coming years.

I am not sure if that made it any clearer what KDF is doing, it is a bit abstract, but that’s what makes it interesting and for me worthwhile being here.  The 14^th of February, Valentine’s Day, will be KDF’s first big meeting. This meeting will bring together young people, elders, academics and politicians from the region and beyond. The meeting is a ‘Food Security’ conference that as I mentioned in my previous post will discuss the impact of mining, land grabs as well as the survival of pastoralism, but it is also a meeting to set the agenda for what KDF will be doing in the coming years. KDF doesn’t just want to make plans for the next years without consulting the community, and so hopefully the outcome of Valentine’s Day this year will be that KDF will learn more about how 

they can do their work in a productive way that is beneficial for Karamoja in the long run.

The meeting will hopefully be online via skype, as well as with updates on Facebook throughout the day. So anyone who is not busy on the 14^th  I urge you to take a bit of your time and join our online part of the KDF meeting. Karamoja might seem a world away for many of you, but for a day put yourself in their shoes, be a Karimojong for a day.

Take a day and experience life from the Karimojong perspective

Any ideas on how to make this meeting more interactive and successful in any way is more than welcome! 

Volunteer your time or knowledge to a worthwhile cause this Valentine's Day

For those in Uganda we are still looking for volunteers for registration, ushers, media team and note taking on the day! – come sign up and be part of the best volunteer team there is at KDF, and help us make a difference J

The little girl who stole my heart and the boy I gave mine to - How Uganda became a home away from home

It’s almost coming to 5 years since the first time I stepped off the plane and found myself in Uganda. I keep getting asked why I always seem to come back here. There are so many other places to explore in Africa, but every time I’ve planned a trip here it’s never really crossed my mind to go anywhere else. Uganda is home to me, well my African home that is. So I figured I would share how and why I feel so at home here.

When I first came to Uganda I knew absolutely nothing about the country. I was 20 years old and honestly looking for some sort of adventure to distract myself as I had been going through a difficult time at home. I decided to jump at the opportunity to spend some months working in Kampala for Tumaini Aids Prevention Program. Again I had no previous experience working with HIV/AIDS, or any idea what Kampala would be like, but it would be a change, and that was all I needed. So after watching the movie ‘The Last King of Scotland’ I found myself boarding a flight to Uganda.

I landed in Entebbe early in the morning in 2010 and was amazed by how green and beautiful the scenery around me was. I was picked up at the airport by the ‘dad’ of the family whom I would be staying with. He was very welcoming, but I think even from the first conversation I had with him I realized our way of looking at the world was completely different. I remember sitting in the car on the way to Kampala thinking I just made a big mistake. Here I was in a country I know nothing about in Africa, with a very religious guy who has already told me off for not going to church, heading to what would be my home for the next months.

First I should probably say I have nothing against religion as such, but I am not overly enthusiastic about people who try to convince me their religion is the correct and the best one from the first second I meet them, and that they look down upon me and think I will eventually go to hell if I don’t go to church. So not the best of introductions to Uganda.

Anyways after a long hour in the car we made it to my new ‘home’ in Kampala, I would be living in Busega and commuting to work in Nakulabye. The family I was staying with minus the dad were all extremely friendly, and the youngest boy of the family was a beautiful little baby who I would spend hours playing with every day.

The work I did with TAPP in Kampala was some of the most difficult and frustrating I have and ever 

will do. I had never seen poverty at the level which I experienced it in the slum areas of Kampala. I spent my days going on home visits to women who were HIV positive or had developed AIDS. I would listen to their stories, try to offer some sort of comfort, and teach their kids some basic English and math. I remember walking into one woman’s home (a little shed) and finding her there in tears with a high fever and 6 small children around her, all sitting there not saying or doing anything, just staring at their mom. The youngest of her children was just a little baby and she was crying cause she didn’t have any more milk for the baby, and no food for the older ones. 5 of her kids were also HIV positive. The woman had been kicked out of her husband’s house after he found out she had HIV a couple of years back, which she most likely contracted from him. She had no money, no family that would take her in, so she turned to prostitution to be able to feed her children. She told me she tried to make the guys use a condom, but they refused and said if that was the case then she would have to lower the price, and lowering the price meant some of her children would not have food the next day, so she couldn’t do that.  At TAPP we worked with her to find alternative ways for her to support herself, she learned how to use the sowing machine at the centre and was able to make some money making and selling clothes from fabric that was provided for her. She lived for a year after that, her kids became orphans, the AIDS orphans you always hear about in fundraising campaigns. Often orphans here are not really orphans in the sense that there is always some family member that will step in, but these kids had no one. 5 of the kids were sick, one of them would always come to see me in the mornings and walk around with me all day holding my hand tight, no matter how high her fever was or how little she had to eat that day. Most days I just carried her around with me. She died before her mom, she was 4 years old. A little face I will never forget. The last time I saw her she wasn’t strong enough to walk, I picked her up and held on to her the whole day, she would always fall asleep clutching on to my hand, that day she didn’t even have the strength to hold on to my hand. Letting go of her that night was the hardest thing I have and hopefully ever will do. She will always be Uganda to me, a part I will always carry with me.

So that was the life I had in Kampala. I had days I just wanted to run away. After all, this wasn’t my home, I didn’t have to stay. But the people I worked with, they became my family. My boss would take me to his house for lunch every day and I would spend time with his young daughters, helping them to read and playing with the youngest one who still has more energy than any kid I have ever met. They made Kampala home for me.

Away from this life I also met many people travelling through Uganda, as I eventually had to move out of the house I was staying in because I couldn’t get along with the family there and so I lived at a hostel for the remainder of my time in Kampala. I liked the family I lived with first, but there was always tension, not just with the religious aspect, but other things as well. When I first moved in the little baby boy had no diaper on and they kept asking me for money so they could buy him diapers, as I was working every day with kids who had absolutely nothing I refused saying there was no need. After I clearly refused the baby had diapers again every day, so obviously they just wanted the money. A month later another girl came to stay for a couple of weeks and again the baby was there with no diapers, they asked the girl for money for diapers and the girl gave it to them. I know it’s a little thing, but I just don’t think using your baby in such a way is okay, and I did not want to stay there anymore so I moved out.

At the hostel I met a lot of great people who were either doing internships in Kampala, or travelling around Africa. We formed a little group and travelled to different parts of the country together on the weekends, and I got to go on safari and see some amazing parts of Uganda. I relied on them to get my nightly escapes from the work I was doing during the day, and it sort of created a balance for me that I could live with without becoming too upset about all the horrible things I was seeing around me.

So that was my first time in Uganda. After that I have come back several times and stayed for a month or two each time, usually staying with the little family from work in Kampala who have now moved to Jinja. They have taken me to their home villages in Eastern Uganda, where I’ve gotten to stay for a while, and with them I do have a proper family and home here, and I will always keep coming back to that.

A couple of years back when I was staying with this family in their home village of Mawanga in Eastern Uganda I met a little boy called Ryan. He was only four months old when I first met him, and he stole my heart from the second I saw him. He was sick, he had been born with excess fluid in his brain and the fluid was steadily increasing. I have seen many sick babies and adults here, but there was something about Ryan and I just couldn’t let it go. So within a week we managed to raise money so that Ryan could have the surgery he needed to relieve the pressure on his brain. Now Ryan is 2 years old, and thanks to my family who gave me the best birthday present last year of paying for a surgery to get his eye sight repaired, he is now a healthy little boy.

Baby Ryan

So these are the little things that have made it hard for me to let go of Uganda, and now as I’ve found friends and awesome co-workers here in Karamoja, Uganda feels even more like a home away from home. So my answer to why I keep coming back here; Uganda will always be to me the home of the little girl in Kampala who held on to me so tightly but who I couldn’t save, and the little boy in Mawanga who gave me the chance to do the right thing when I could.

My little family in Jinja

The Story of the Secret Beads

So the other day I met up with Teba to supposedly watch a football game in Moroto between the army and the local team, as army week is currently happening in town. The football game didn't end up taking place, but I did find myself at the bar in a late night discussion about polygamy, cheating and secret beads.

To explain the secret beads. Supposedly every girl here wears strings of beads around her waist, these beads are kept under the clothing and the only one who sees them is the chosen guy who eventually takes her clothes off. The amount of beads you have on signifies different things. To have 1 means you have never been touched, 2 means you have been ‘booked’ as the guys said, 3 means you are engaged, 4 means you are married and 5 means you are married with kids. The girls who were explaining this to me, would neither say how many beads they had on or what color, that is for that special guy to find out. An interesting concept, as it does sort of make it a bit more exciting in the sense that when you do get a girl to take her clothes off you do learn something more about her, and with knowing the colors of her beads and how many she has you are in a sense connected to each other after that.

Beads form an essential part of traditional dress here

Obviously I can't show a picture of the 'secret beads' but everywhere you go here multicolored beads are worn with pride

I always find it interesting to hear about relationships and how people go about it here, because it is so different from back home. I mean you go to the club here and people are dancing and grinding up against each other in ways you would never see at home, but other than that there is always a degree of separation between men and women. I am so used to from back home that when you do fall in love or you are beginning to date you show your love very openly, and seeing people kiss and hold hands on the street is perfectly normal and expected. Showing affection is to me a big part of being together, and I think I would struggle in a society where I’m not supposed to show these feelings. I know here a completely different world exists behind closed doors, and don’t get me wrong, that has its excitement as well, but I still prefer being able to hold hands and kiss that someone special wherever I am.

I do like the beads idea though, and I might invest in some beads here, take a little bit of culture with me.

So the other topics of the night were mostly focused on polygamy and also why it is more acceptable for a man to cheat on his wife than the other way around. These topics I never really know how to feel about. I know I am surrounded by a completely different culture and a different way of life, but I was raised to always think of marriage and relationships in the ‘normal’ form of being between one man and one woman. I am not saying that is the only way it should be, but I keep trying to picture myself in a polygamous relationship and it is just not happening. I would be way too jealous, I don’t like the concept of sharing a man, and I’m just picturing all the drama between the wives and the eventual children. I know the girls here explain it to me that the women do form a strong bond, that can be equal to that of sisters, but however open I wish I could say I was I think polygamy is where the line might be drawn for me. I think the concept I have of love makes it difficult to reason with. I know the love that I feel for one person, and the feeling I get from him reciprocating that love, and I just can’t see that in a plural form. So my conclusion on that topic, I have no problem with polygamy as long as no one ever tries to make me be in a polygamous relationship, I would be out that door and running away very fast. 

Sunsets & late night introductions to Karimojong life is proving to be my favorites here