There's No Easy Answer

Some more thoughts from my first couple weeks in Uganda:

When discussing development, what exactly are our goals? I mean, what is “development?” What does that actually mean? Should we be trying to pave every road in third world countries? Bring skyscrapers to their cities? Clean water for everybody? Employment opportunities for all? Are we trying to make their lives “just a little bit better” than they were before? What are we really doing? I ask this because, as I’m sitting here, I have no answer, and it frustrates me.

In the northern hemisphere, we are typically white and typically rich. (I know those are broad generalizations, but in comparison to the southern hemisphere, they’re pretty true.) We hear certain things about life in developing countries: there’s no food, no water, poor living standards, huge health issues, low life expectancy, high infant mortality rates, high illiteracy rates, and on and on and on. So we rich white people, who live superior lives, out of compassion decide to help our “lowly brothers and sisters.” (I realize I sound very cynical right now, I’m just taking you through my thoughts. Please judge not.) But we often overlook the dangers of our own culture: an unhealthy desire for wealth and success, devaluing relationships, hoarding our wealth, and gorging ourselves with “pleasure.” Is this what we want to pass on to developing nations already entrenched in their own problems? And can’t we learn from the poor: their interdependency, sense of community, pride in their family/heritage, and a slower pace of life that leads to “fuller” lives in the form of relationships (in comparison to the multitude of rich, busy, empty Americans).

So in thinking about all of this, I’m almost hesitant to want to engage in “economic development.” However, there are two things that stand out and make it seem worthwhile: security and relationships. Most people in Uganda, and the rest of the developing world, don’t have the security we have in America. They often have enough money to get by day-by-day, but no way to cover for emergencies. For example, if a family is subsistence farming, and doing well, but then the rains don’t come in season, then what? Or when health problems arise (strokes, surgery, malaria, HIV/AIDS)? People simply do not have the necessary funds to cover for these types of problems. Because there is not a culture of savings, there is very little security for unforeseen future problems. So regarding microfinance, educating the community about the importance of savings is huge.

Regarding development as a whole, relationships make the work worth the effort. When I look at the world from a broad perspective, I find a very pessimistic outlook. There is always going to be poverty, hunger, famine, war, political corruption, injustice, death, diseases, pollution, and on and on and on. So even engage in development work? If these problems will always be there, why even attempt to make the world a better place? Because we have the ability to affect lives, to change them for the better. We have to look at it case by case, person by person, to see that there is some hope in doing development work. I’m excited to start working in the community here, to start seeing lives changed in real way. When I look at development on a personal level, placing value in relationships rather than purely economic empowerment, then it all seems worth it. And it gives me a hopeful outlook on development in the future: if enough people are all doing their part, just a little bit, then big things can really happen, and the world can truly become a better place.

Community Development: How Does It Work?

During the first week of my internship with FSD, I acquired some valuable knowledge about the world of “community development.” I studied some about this topic at SPU, so I was relatively familiar with the subject as a whole. But the biggest new thing I learned about is the importance of community buy-in. There are more organizations that anyone wants to count that are trying to do “community development,” “sustainable development,” “alleviate poverty,” “economic liberation,” “helping the poor,” whatever you want to call it. But how many of these organizations factor in whether or not the community in which they are working is excited about their work?
When the aim of development work is for it to be something that will be sustainable, something that will be long-lasting, the support of the community plays the biggest role. Large sums of money are great, but more often than not these contributions won’t last very long. They may help some population get access to water, food, or health services, but what happens the next time these people are in urgent need of help? They should just rely on other donations? That doesn’t sound like a sustainable plan to me.

When an organization embarks in development work, there must be some form of community buy-in. This is most often seen in the form of that community committing resources to the project, so they feel like they contributed something to what was built or developed, rather than “the white man” coming in and trying to help them. And even if the community does not contribute its resources to a project, the organization must at least consider the community’s culture and have their support for the project for it to succeed in the long run.

Here’s one example of a large organization forgetting the importance of community buy-in. An unnamed organization was working here in Uganda, building wells so the community could access clean water. They had huge amounts of money, and brought in hundreds of people to build these wells. But while they were here, they did not involve the community in this project. Then, when the wells were finished and it looked like so much good work had been done, they left. The locals were supposed to start using the wells and benefitting from all this work that had just been done, but that’s not what happened. The community continued life as usual, simply ignoring these wells. No one had instructed them on how to use the wells, and this organization never talked with the community about the possible impact these wells could have. A year later, when representatives from this organization came back to check up on the work, they were surprised to find that the wells had never been used. So this organization’s money, resources, and time produced no tangible results, no improvement in the quality of life of the community.

So what’s the solution? I don’t know. Big NGOs have the ability to bring in large sums of money and the infrastructure to work efficiently. But they sometimes do not have a corresponding impact on the community. But small grassroots organizations aren’t perfect, either. They are often inefficient, lacking the resources to make a large-scale impact. But they tend to make at least some lasting change in the community.So how do we combine the community emphasis of small organizations with the efficiency of big organizations? I think we need to continue seeking new, innovative means of successfully fighting world poverty through sustainable and holistic community development. (I know, that’s not really an answer. But I’m not the one with all the answers, I’m just asking questions.) And in the meantime, we need both big organizations and small ones to continue doing work in the developing world.

Weather, Food, and Life in Uganda

It has been mostly sunny here, which I’m guessing is a little nicer than it’s been in the great Northwest, but it has been hot. It’s a tropical climate, being just south of the equator, so it’s rained in the morning a few days. The funny thing, though, is that people won’t “move in the rain,” as they call it. They say that because they don’t have rain jackets, they’ll get sick if they are out in the rain too much. Now this is pretty comical for me to think about, coming from the Northwest, where we are out in the rain a lot when it’s 40 degrees and not 75 like it is here.

The food has been okay, but I can already tell it will get repetitive. It’s a very starchy diet: lots of potatoes, matooke (like mashed potatoes, but with bananas), and rice, with a sauce, veggies, avocado, and delicious fruit (the pineapple here is amazing – better than Hawaii). There’s not very much meat or calcium in the diet either. At first I thought, “Oh well,” but I’m sure a nice cheeseburger and milkshake will sound pretty good in a few weeks.

It still doesn’t feel like “home” yet, but as the week’s gone by, I’ve gotten more acclimated to the area. I’m starting to at least feel a little bit more comfortable and relaxed here. And speaking of “relaxed,” the concept of time here is great. Very slow pace of life. I don’t think I’ll have much stress for the next few months : )

As time passes, you get used to walking by cows, goats, donkeys, chickens, and turkeys in the fields and villages. It’s kind of fun to watch them, but then you realize they’re everywhere, and it loses its luster a little bit. The other thing that is fun at first but I can already tell will get old really quick is my celebrity status here. All the children will yell, “Mzungu! Mzungu!” as I walk by (which is the generic name for any white person). And on my walk from town back to my house, I walk by the Masaka prison (which I found out today half the inmates are born-again Christians), and they will all shout “Mzungu” at me too. Basically, most locals will want to talk to me as I walk by them, which only works for so long (not very long).

All in all, it’s been a roller coaster week emotionally. There have definitely been high times when I have felt so confident about being here, but also times of loneliness and feeling out of place. I have to remind myself that I have plenty of time to be here, and I can’t expect everything to fit all at once. The Lord has been so good in allowing this trip to happen, and has provided health and safety so far. I feel so blessed to be here right now. I have already learned so much and I look forward to God continuing to teach me about His love for people everywhere.

Thanks for reading : )

Ugandan Transportation

It’s nuts! The driving here is insane. First of all, the roads are pretty narrow, and rarely paved. The highways and main roads are paved, but everything else is just clay roads. And these off-roads have huge potholes and divots everywhere. To get a sense of what it’s like, have you ridden the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland? You know how the vehicle is just rocking back and forth the whole time, with all four wheels rarely on the same level of ground? Well, driving in Uganda is about like that. And after it rains here, the potholes turn into lakes. Not puddles, lakes; and there’s no way of telling how deep they are. So not exactly the quality of roads we have in America, but who expected they would be? Not me.

But what threw me off even more was the crazy driving of the locals here. Aside from the cars, there’s “boda bodas” here, which are just like motorcycles that act as taxis. They’re actually a fairly useful way of getting around the city, but as for how safe they are … eh. The boda boda drivers don’t follow any rules, so they just come flying onto the main roads, swerving in and out of cars. Then there’s the fact that people are always walking along the side of the road and crossing the street “recklessly” (but I guess they know what they’re doing). And “bumper to bumper” traffic in America is nothing compared to this, especially in Kampala. It was literally one bumper right next to another. Most cars even have grills on the front of the car and on the back corners, covering the lights, so they’re protected, I guess. Oh yeah, and they drive on the left side of the road, and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. Still getting used to that.

So it sounds crazy, but in reality, after a week here, I’m figuring out the safe way to walk along the side of the road, where to check for cars and bodas crossing, and the best ways to get around town (which is mostly walking). Yep, good ol’ transportation in the third world : )

Ugandan Culture: Initial Thoughts

On one hand, the culture here in Uganda is not all that different from that of American society and Western culture. They watch football matches (soccer) – and follow the English Premier League with a passion. They watch movies, play sports (though on dirt fields), have cell phones, and go to concerts, dance clubs, and bars. So as far as “entertainment” goes, it is more similar here than I thought.

On the other hand, some differences are easily noticeable. The lack of running water, taking bucket baths, using a hole in the ground for a toilet, eating essentially the same food every day, the high unemployment and low wages (and we think the economy is bad in the US!), and tons of health issues.

My Host Family

The first couple nights in Masaka, I stayed in a hotel by myself. Which was great. It was nice to be able to retire to my own room at the end of the day and have some solitude to process everything that was going on. But I also wanted to unpack, and really “move in” here, so I was excited to go to my host family’s home. I have my own room, with enough space for a bed, small desk and chair, and my stuff. And that’s about it. Simple, but enough. There’s electricity and running water, but I will still be taking bucket baths and using a hole in the ground to relieve myself (if you’ve ever been to Mexico, think about using a baño for four months).

My host mother is pretty young – I’m guessing she can’t be much older than 30. She is a teacher, she loves music, and she is very relaxed. There are four kids at home: three daughters – 14, 9, and 5 – and one son, who’s almost 2 (his name is Doctor, because they want him to grow up to be a doctor. No joke). The young daughters are cute and like to play, but I need to set some boundaries about when I need my own space in my room. The mom, Rehema, also has 5 brothers, three of which live in the same compound as us. They are 20, 19, and 18, so it will be fun to hang out with them. They all speak English pretty well and are willing to show me around the community, which will be nice. I haven’t met the father yet, because he works in Kampala during the week (he’s an engineer). So all in all, living with this family will be a great way to be immersed in the Ugandan Culture and begin to understand what the day-to-day life is like here.

Orientation Week with FSD

Wow. The first week was jam-packed. Not in the way that every minute was filled with activity, but the fact that there was so much information thrown at me that I was pretty exhausted by the end of each day. First piece of news regarding my internship: I’m the only intern right now. FSD has five sessions throughout the year, and it just so happens that in Masaka, I’m the only one for this session. There were supposed to be 3 other interns as well, but they all canceled for various reasons. Because of this, the schedule was a little bit more flexible, and the training was geared more specifically to my needs, but at the same time it would have been nice to have other people to go through this experience with. Oh well.

A good chunk of the week was devoted learning Luganda, the language spoken here. This turned out to be a lot harder than I thought. I’ve learned English, Spanish, and French, which have similar roots for many words. But Luganda is nothing like those languages. So needless to say, it might be a while before I feel comfortable with the language. I was very surprised by the lack of good English that is spoken here. I was under the impression that English was the “official language” in Uganda, but that must be more of a political thing than anything. Sure, it is taught in the schools, but people will generally prefer to speak Luganda (which makes sense). The part that makes it difficult is that even if they do try to speak English, there is still the accent to deal with – both theirs and mine – that communication has been difficult at times. I’m sure my ears will become more accustomed to the local accent, but initially, it has made it a challenge to interact with and relate to the people here.

Along with the language training, I was introduced to FSD’s principles of “sustainable development” and what the expectations are for my internship. Since I haven’t started working with my host organization – Masaka Elders Cooperative Savings and Credit Society – I don’t exactly know what I’ll be doing yet. But by the end of the next couple weeks, I should have learned enough about the organization and its clients to find where there is room for improvement and be able to develop a work plan for my time here.

Lots to Say ...

Ok everybody, here’s the deal. There’s SO MUCH that I could write about, even though I’ve only been here a week. It has definitely been a busy week, and there has been so much learning and understanding that has taken place in such a short amount of time. So, I know there will be varying levels of interest in what I’ll have to say in this blog, so I’m going to try to format it in a way that you can read only what you’re interested in. I will try to keep the posts on the shorter side (I said “I’ll try” … no promises) and write about a specific topic with the title indicating what the post is about. Make sense? I hope so. Well, here’s the first batch : )

I'm Here!!

Hey everybody! I just wanted to let you all know that I made it to Uganda safely. Right now I'm in Kampala, but I am heading down to Masaka later today. The traveling definitely took it out of me, and I was exhausted when I got here, though my adrenaline did get me through the first day! I saw a lot, and will write about that more later. The whole "culture shock" thing hasn't really hit me yet. I've been to third world countries before, so that wasn't all that new, but I think when I get to Masaka, meet my host family, and see the community that I'll be in for the next four months, it might start to sink in a little bit.
Anyways, this week is all orientation: language and culture training, safety and health precautions, development training, etc. I should have most of my questions answered by the end of the week (at least that's my hope), and should have a clearer idea of what my time will look like here.
I look forward to updating you all when I get the chance. Thanks for your prayers!

It's Finally Here!!

After waiting patiently :) for the past five months, it’s just about time for me to leave for my adventure in Uganda. I fly out of Portland on Thursday, but I won’t land in Uganda until Saturday afternoon (Uganda time, which is 11 hours ahead of Pacific Time). I have a 12-hour layover in Amsterdam, which gives me some time to leave the airport and tour the city for a bit. But any way you slice it, 38 hours is A LOT of traveling.

I just want to say thank you to those of you who have been praying for me over the past few months. As I have prepared for this trip, there have been definite times of anxiety, nervousness, and fear. But an overwhelming majority of my emotions have been positive – joy, excitement, trust, and awe – as I look forward to an incredible learning experience and one that will surely affect me in ways I cannot yet fathom. I look forward to updating you on my life in Uganda while I’m there.

Your continued prayers are always welcomed and appreciated:
• Safe and smooth traveling in the coming days
• My health as I enter a high-risk malaria zone
• My integration into the culture and community in Masaka

Thanks,
Scott

P.S. For those of you that aren’t exactly sure what I’m doing, here’s a brief summary:

This past summer, after graduating from SPU, I began looking for opportunities to travel and work overseas. During my search process, I was referred to the Foundation for Sustainable Development (www.fsdinternational.org). The FSD matches interns like me with community development organizations in the developing world. Thus, I applied and got accepted to the internship program. I’ll be doing economic development and microfinance work with a Uganda-based grassroots organization in Masaka, Uganda.

During my time in Masaka, I will be living with a host family, providing a way for me to immerse myself in the culture and community there. While I will be working directly with a Ugandan organization, I will also receive assistance and support from the FSD site team in Masaka. The first two weeks of my time will be occupied by an orientation with the FSD and my host organization, receiving a crash course on ‘sustainable development,’ as well as the language, culture, and community of Masaka. This will be followed by two weeks of performing a “needs assessment,” in which I assess the needs of my host organization, the community in which it works, and the clients it serves. Once this assessment has been completed, the core of the internship follows: writing and implementing a sustainable development plan. I don’t have many details yet on what this will be, since it will largely depend on the results of the needs assessment. Overall, I think this will be an incredible learning experience for me – culturally, personally, professionally, and spiritually.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me (scottfillingame@gmail.com).