acts of kindness

Yesterday when I was taking a taxi to meet a friend for dinner two young women sat behind me and immediately started touching my hair.  I turned around and smiled at them and they told me how much they loved my hair!  I thanked them awkwardly. Nothing like a good hair compliment!  A few minutes later one of the girls got off and the other girl sat down next to me.  She again complimented my hair and asked me a few questions about where I live and work.  We engaged in a short conversation and she was genuinely very nice, but I don't make a habit of making friends on public transportation.  She got off the taxi a few stops before me and as she did she told the conductor "don't let this one pay, I have paid for her."  I didn't have time to protest, so I just yelled out my thanks.  

Moments like this remind me that most people's curiosity is genuine.  Most people are good.  And random acts of kindness, like having someone pay your transport, can make a mediocre day wonderful. 

Hair compliments don't hurt either.

Scenes

Pictures from the last few weeks:

Rafting on the Nile.  Raft is in the process of flipping (clearly)

Uganda V. Kenya Soccer game

Roommates (L-R: Erin, Me, Erin, Shira, Daniela)

My coworkers and me with Ugandan musical group Radio and Weasel

Health worker training in Mpigi on reproductive rights

who's in charge here?

Working in the field of public health and international development can be challenging. There are no easy solutions; nothing comes without consequences down-stream. There are cultures to consider, limited resources to allocate, expectations to manage, and motivations to deconstruct. On the surface, Uganda is flooded with NGOs working towards development to such an extent that it can be argued that a middle class has been built on the business of development here. In my short ten minute walk to work, I pass offices for 5 different NGOs all working on different aspects of development (HIV advocacy, land and property rights, agriculture x2, and ICT access). Within Kampala I have friends working for disability rights, environmental conservation, community health in slums, sex worker rights, ARV access, poverty, malaria prevention, entrepreneurship, and the list goes on.

One-third of Uganda's budget is foreign aid, and the non-governmental sector is simultaneously inundated with foreign money (and foreign priorities, ideas, and goals) and deprived of adequate resources to successfully implement programs and have a measurable impact. In my experience, sincere efforts at community-based, participatory methods are extremely limited.  Development is donor driven. 

Despite vast (and possibly even sincere) efforts towards development, Uganda is a country with the highest malaria incidence in the world, where mothers give birth to an average of 7 babies in a lifetime, where 8% of adults have HIV, where more than half the population is living below the international poverty line, and where most demographic indicators have stagnated since the 1970s. All this despite effort, despite money, and despite the NGO renaissance taking place in Kampala.

But in the business of development, failure is not an option. However, reassessing our strategies should be. Although I have only been in Uganda for 5 months, the question I came here with still plagues me: Who is setting the development agenda and for who's benefit?  Everyday I get hints towards an answer that I am a little afraid of facing.  

anger management and public transportation

On my way to work a boda (motorcycle) driver pulls up in front of me.  "We go?"  He asks eagerly.  My face drops and I quickly go from enjoying the nice weather on my short walk to work, to annoyed.  "No, we don't go" I snap back.  My step becomes more determined and I no longer greet the people who walk past me.  Another boda driver pulls up next to me, this one had to go entirely out of his way to offer me a ride.  "Muzungu, where are you going?"  He questions expectantly.  Surely he is shocked when I yell back, "I am FOOTING" in pure frustration.  

Last week a taxi driver tried to charge my friends and I double the cost of the ride we took.  Having taken this route countless times, I knew the fare should be 500ush/person.  When the conductor rudely informed me that it was 1000ugx a person and then attempted to close the door before my friends could leave (essentially holding them hostage), I became irate.  I actually don't have a clear recollection of how the "conversation" transpired, but evidently I called the man an asshole, told him he was going to hell for lying, and threw money in his face.  He drove off while giving me the finger, and I felt uneasy for several hours after the altercation.

Public transportation makes me a crazy person, and these two anecdotes aren't even the tip of the iceberg.  My reactions of anger, however, are irrational and unproductive, and ultimately only harm me.  Intellectually, I KNOW why I am overcharged and offered rides when I don't want them.  I am well aware that I am living in a country where poverty is overwhelming, where even many professionals live on subsistence level incomes.  I appreciate that the economy here is making it harder and harder for people to make enough money to live.  And I am always conscious that I am beyond privileged, in almost every way.  Intellectually, nothing I am confronted with here is outside of rational.  If you thought you could make an extra buck (thereby doubling your income for the day) by overcharging a couple of muzungus who probably don't know the difference anyway, would you?  Probably, yes.  I imagine that is pretty easy to rationalize.  

So, why does it make me so inexplicably angry?  I honestly don't know.  But for my own well-being, I need to start acting on the intellectual understanding I have of the complex systems of poverty and inequality at play here and start treating people more compassionately.  

When I walk home from work later today a boda driver will inevitably pull up in front of me and say "Muzungu, we go?"  I will take a deep breath and smile while responding, "Not today, sebo."  I will continue walking, continue smiling, and continue working at being a positive presence in this world.  That's our biggest responsibility to ourselves and others, after all. 

Uganda in the news

Uganda has made several appearances in the news this week!  Here are links and quick reactions. 

 

Discontent Simmers in a Market as Uganda's Economy Staggers

The economy in Uganda is struggling, and it is clearly evident in my daily interactions with taxi drivers, shop owners, and coworkers.  Prices of everything from avocados to petrol have gone up substantially in my 4 months here (and the exchange rate has gone from 2400USH to the dollar to 2900USH to the dollar).  There have been contentious debates over the skyrocketing price of sugar, which has bisected environmental debates about where sugar can be grown in this country.  It is obvious that people are not happy and "many Ugandans say that their government is corrupt and that their president, Yoweri Museveni, who after 25 years has ruled Uganda for longer than more than half the country’s population has been alive, is dismissive of the people’s plight." 

3 Officials Quit Amid Scandals in Uganda

The entire country was tuned in to the Parliament debate over oil last week, and the corruption runs deep.  While oil could be a great asset to Uganda financially, they currently do not have the capability to cultivate (mine?) or refine it without outside investment and help.  Hopefully they won't go the way of other resource-cursed countries or be exploited by oil-hungry countries.  Ugandan's currently pay about the equivalent of $6 USD a gallon for petrol and have one of the weakest currencies in the world. 

 

Armed U.S. Advisers to Help Fight African Renegade Group

This article was the most upsetting to me.  There is peace in northern Uganda right now and the last thing people want or need up there is more conflict.  I am hopeful that this won't provoke anything, but worry that it is not a positive step for the US or Uganda.  The LRA is basically a 300 man insurgency, and though they certainly pose a threat they have been quiet for several years now.  Northern Ugandans have lobbied for amnesty for the LRA, and although it certainly won't be granted to Kony himself (due to involvement by the ICC), bringing in 100 US troops NOW hardly seems productive.  My coworkers have mentioned the possible ulterior motives by the US... namely, the newly discovered oil reserves.  Why would the US get involved now and not at any point during the 23 year war/terror when northern Ugandans were being systematically kidnapped, brainwashed, tortured, and killed by the LRA.  

In Uganda, Security Forces Clash with Protestors

There is another “walk to work” protest this week, which is known to incite violence.  Walk to work is organized by the opposition and is intended to stand against the high price of commodities and petrol.  I think it’s interesting for several reasons.  For one, Uganda is the only country I know of where walking to work is a political statement (in general people here don’t walk… walking is seen as a sign of poverty, hence why when I walk to work I am stopped about every 5 seconds by people wanting to give me a ride.  My walk to work is only 10 minutes!)  It is also interesting because walking to work seems so harmless and even beneficial—less traffic on the road, good exercise for the masses, less pollution, etc—but it is seen as a revolutionary, political act and is met with violence and persecution.  

october updates

My days have been pleasantly busy in Uganda.  In the last few weeks I have gotten to do several exciting things both in work-life and play-life.  As for work, I hosted a meeting at my organization to discuss the research we conducted last month and the reports that I generated from the research.  Basically, the research was a baseline survey trying to understand the extent and processes of gender and disability mainstreaming at the national, district, and sub-county (village) levels.  We wanted to know how women and girls with disabilities are included in all aspects of social, economic, religious, cultural, and civic life.  The research was fascinating and pointed out some serious, systematic gaps in how people with disabilities are treated in Uganda at all levels and in all sectors.  To know of these horrible discrepancies is a burden, but to act upon the knowledge we have collected will be liberating for thousands (and arguably millions, as some estimates claim that as much as 10% of the population in Uganda is disabled.  This is primarily the result of armed conflict and debilitating infectious diseases).

Along with this meeting, I was able to travel to the field in Bushenyi district (far western Uganda) last week to assist with and observe trainings of women with disabilities.  We trained on gender, group dynamics and formation, and disseminated the research we had conducted there.  I am a huge proponent of research dissemination and strongly believe that anything less than full disclosure is unethical.  People who are a part of research deserve to know the results and potential benefits of that research.   Luckily, western Uganda is arguably the most beautiful region in this country, and I was not disappointed with the time I spent there! 

Another exciting thing that happened at work was an impromptu meeting with a very popular Ugandan hip-hop music group!  These Ugandan super-stars have agreed to take on the advancement of women with disabilities as their personal project in the next few months, and in doing so will support the organization I work for greatly.  It was very exciting to meet with them and talk about the importance of reproductive health rights for women with disabilities.  They will certainly be great advocates for the rights of women and girls with disabilities in Uganda!

Outside of work I am keeping quite busy with weekly Luganda lessons, (soon to be regular) trivia nights, cooking with my roommates, and enjoying Kampala in its fullest.  For Rosh Hashana two of my roommates and I hosted a dinner for fifteen of our friends.  We did the same thing for Yom Kippur, only this time another of my roommates organized a great service, which helped us all reflect on our roles here in Uganda and development in general.  Last week I attended the Uganda v. Kenya soccer game at the Mandela stadium, despite warnings from the embassy not to go.  It was a fun experience, and I am glad that I went even though there were a few… questionable moments.  The stadium was beyond packed, and the crowds were wild.  It was intense to see Ugandan police officers literally lining the entire field with tear gas and shields, ready for riots.  Luckily, the event went down without any major incidents, but unfortunately the game ended in a tie, squashing any hope for Uganda advancing to the Africa Cup. 

This past weekend I went to an art opening at my favorite gallery in Kampala (AfriArt) and then headed off to Jinja for a weekend of expensive, adrenaline-packed thrills!  We went ATV-ing and then white water rafting on the Nile.  Let's just say, I ingested my fair share of parasite-infested Nile water when our raft flipped on a class 5 rapid.  I had never been rafting before, but I think it might be my new favorite hobby/extreme sport.  I also had a great time talking with my coworkers about why my skin "cooks" in the sun on Monday.  That is so not public health!