Day 4: Rakai

Saturday Feb. 17: Rakai

During my search for opportunity/work in Uganda I was connected with Dr. Fred. Ssewamala) through family friends, thus making me his “American sister.” He is here in UG, his homeland, on research leave from Columbia University, and was kind enough to take me to the south part of the country, near the Tanzania border, to visit some of his research sites and meet some involved folk.

Fred picked me up at the crack of dawn and we drove south with his sister Ida, and a recent graduate of Makerere, a soon to be teacher named Brian. On the drive Fred introduced me to many things I had yet to encounter, such as the massive anthills that dominate the roadsides. Apparently they are full of white ants, which people cook and eat...


We passed markets and many people ran up to the car upon slowing down, to sell you foods/drinks/animals/children(joke)/anything you want:


I had the privilege of passing from the northern hemisphere to the southern and back in the span of a few hours...


We stopped for a breakfast meeting with a higher up (the equivalent of governor) in the local government of Masaka to discuss the role of Fred's research with the 17 partner schools (details below). The local leader was dynamic and forthright, inspirational as well, as many of the points he raised are elements that I will be looking at in my upcoming work with CARE's INPACT initiative.

Fred’s work is in economic and social development with orphans and child-headed households. His research is looking at how, through monetary and savings education, along with Child Development Accounts (CDAs), vulnerable children will thrive and succeed more fully. His innovative work is receiving lots of attention – through some prestigious funding/donors he has set an initiative that creates an individual bank/savings account per child involved, provides financial training, and then matches the financial contributions of the child/their family 2 to 1. The funds are reserved strictly for educational purposes and can later be used to pay for secondary education (the equivalent of middle school in the states), which is not compulsory, but is not free either. The research is suggesting that higher attainment is reached primarily through the incentive and knowledge base of hope. And thus the project’s name, SUUBI.

With the 'governor':


We reached the school, an hour after breakfast - and so many "African" stereotypes were fulfilled - from the degrees of modernization, to the friendly smiles, to the religious indoctrination of all elements, etc. The main office for the SUUBI program is within one of the 17 primary schools involved in the research, which is situated within a Parish, that has a religious school, church, and living quarters.





A map of Rakai district:


Inspirational messages dot the grounds...


Fred and one of the Fathers of the Parish led a discussion with many of the parents/caregivers/community stakeholders to explain some of the economic dimensions of the project:





Monique is one of Fred's MSW students at Columbia; she is interning this term and living at the Parish.


thanking Monique and Dr. Fred:



The parents decided to give me a Ugandan name, after learning I am more than a mere tourist...Namawejje! I don't know what this translates as, but I'm not asking either. After an hour long discussion in Luganda, which I don't understand, I was ready to head outside and meet the children.

At the school:


We stepped out from the classroom setting and the kids all flocked around me, a foreign muzungu!


The Father wanted a picture of us together, as it was a rather joyous time:



We all celebrated with cake (sweet breads) and hung about for awhile as parents paid their respects to Fred and the Father.


This group of children had many questions for me -- name, age, where from, and then, "What is your Tribe?":


These kids had such a difficult time believing me, to the point they said I was lying to them, when I told them I didn't have a tribe or clan. I considered telling them that I am Jewish, but figured that I would save that explanation for another time...

One of the older boys of the Parish, Ivan:


Monique and Proscovia, or Prossie #1:


Back at the Brovad hotel for dinner:


Prossie #1, Monique, and Prossie #2:


It was such an experience traveling to Rakai - it was the "Africa" that we all picture from our air-conditioned homes. Except that perhaps my picture is different than your picture, seeing that few of my friends and family members have the same interests in Africa that I seem to have developed. That said, the people were so warm and welcoming, and also entertained by me. For some individuals I think I may have been one of the few white people they've seen or met before. When we would stop for drinks, the children would run up to the windows, point, scream "Muzungu, Muzungu!" and say hello before laughing themselves into histerics and hiding their faces at the site of a whitey like me. I couldn't help but laugh back.

The drive back to K'la (Kampala...) was full of awesome spottings; Matoke, or plantains/bananas are a staple crop in Uganda. Matoke is the cooked, mashed, starchy food that is served with nearly every Ugandan meal I've had. Accordingly, when traveling, you'll see buses, bicycles, motorbikes, and pedestrians carrying a backbreaking load of bananas, along with banana leaves in which they are steamed, and bags of charcoal to create the fire on which they are heated. This one was particularly enchanting:


Notice the chickens along with the rider:


Uganda sits on the shores of the world's second largest fresh water lake, Lake Victoria. Accordingly, fresh fish is a major food source. In the smaller villages near the lake people will catch fish and sell them roadside, hailing down passing cars. Upon stopping and rolling down the window, you'll be approached by many vendors.



Now, what is one to do with a rope-load of wet, cold, fresh fish as they drive home to the capital? PUT IT ON THE FRONT OF THE CAR!



While this certainly seems like a dietary hazard to me, there are plenty of people here doing this daily -- the air passing the fish at 80 or 90 km per hour certainly keeps the fishes cooler than the backseat.

And what if you have no backseat? This is one of the scariest, yet most telling forms of transport I've ever witnessed.


Motion vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of death in Uganda - the stories are horrible.

On that note, I am flying out to Arua by week's end. Wish me luck!