Future Projects

Well, for those of you that made it thus far- mad props! I just want to reiterate that this blog is my "thesis" for my masters degree; therefore, I have to try and keep it centered towards my projects and work in country. However, due to my dear friend Amanda, who has been after me to keep my blog up to date, I will now be on a regular schedule with posts and updates on FUN things as well! So a short description of future projects will now ensue:

I will be starting a Patriot Club. This will help to instill within the students national pride and information about Uganda, Africa and the world. This will also empower them to vote and to know that their voice is important and counts in the world.

I will be expanding the re-usable sanitary pad project to multiple schools (primary and secondary) throughout my district.

I am planning a career day- state style. Here in Uganda, they usually have a few speakers and they stand one by one and speak about their profession. I want to introduce the booths and multiple representations of professions so that students can get a more personal encounter and more in depth understanding of career options.

There will be a HIV test day, free to all students.

The Life Skills and So What! class will continue.

There will be a nationwide GLOW Camp (girls leading our world) in December that I will be an active member of.

The NGO database will be completed and workshops will take place: Finding Funding in a Competitive Market, Proposal Writing, Interoffice Organizational Management, etc.

I have a meeting with the Country Director in October to propose the idea of creating an East African Discussion Panel website.

The rabbit project will begin.

As a secondary project I will be working with another NGO in an effort to initiate an organized sports empowerment project for youth within the Lyantonde district.

Fundraiser Time

I planned a very large fund raising event for the newly formed Red Cross Youth Link that targeted all of the major local leaders and NGOs in the area. This will help to start their projects which include: Re-introduce rabbits to the area of Lyantonde and the surrounding sub counties as well as an agricultural project by where they will grow three different types of crops, including passion fruit trees, also, to help purchase T-Shirts for them (uniforms) for this link.

In continuation with the St. Noah’s Red Cross Youth Link, we have been diligent in planning a fund raising event for their branch. I have organized multiple meetings with the students to get ideas for this event. We have gone over what the branch needs in order to start and sustain their IGA activities and get t-shirts. It was decided that each member would contribute 2,000 Ugandan Shillings for their t-shirt and then the fundraiser would supplement the rest for this term. The meetings were many in regards to the planning stage. I inquired from other organizations, other youth link members, my organization, and community members for information regarding this event.

Prior to the event, I sent out over 60 invitations. I went and got cases of water, 5 cases of soda, 200 cakes, auction items and a pregnant goat. I called people to remind them about the event. Gave Edgar the money to get the sodas and pay the radio man. Finally, the day before the even was to take place, I went down and prepped the students on the next days activities.

The fundraiser itself was somehow successful. The venue and accessories (chairs, tables, sound system, stage, etc.) had been donated to us; therefore, I had to arrive early in the morning to set up. I then went back to the school and collected the goat, water, packets of the constitution and auction items. The students came at 10am. They had practiced their entertainment. Throughout this I was selling raffle tickets to win a phone and we auctioned the goat. It was supposed to start at 10 and no one showed. A couple people came around noon so we then began. I was seriously concerned by then as we had been calling all stakeholders throughout the morning. The director of the farm began to talk about rabbits and gardening. Shortly after her began speaking, the Head Minister of Health along with some other chair persons came and we all performed the Ugandan anthem. We then started the auction. The point of this was to buy something higher than the retail value for the good of the cause in order to make a profit. Some LC’s came later and, unfortunately, no one from RACOBAO came except for two people. We completed the auction, which I found to be very fun except I don’t know my numbers that well in Luganda so I ended up paying a lot for a couple things! People gave speeches, we gave out the soda, water, and cakes, and then we drew the winning number for the raffle. The students helped with the clean up and then we all went home. We raised 470,000 shillings which is about $200.00. I was very disappointed in the outcome but I think it was good for the students and even the community members who participated. Come to find out there were 3 other events that same day. It was election time for the local leaders so of course they were going where they could target the most votes, ours being very low on their scale. The event was a TON of work but at least we tried!

Red Cross Youth Link

I was successful in creating a Red Cross Youth Link with the St. Noah’s Vocational School. I have registered my organization as an official Red Cross Youth Link. This includes a plaque of authentication for the office and a membership for each student which, once registered, provides them with a year membership. The chairperson and spokesperson from St. Gonzaga, a neighboring school, came and registered the kids that attend the St. Noah’s Vocational School. During the registration, the youth were informed about what Red Cross does and what it means to be a member. This was followed by a vote among them to form an executive committee. It was gender balanced and democratic. The executive committee wrote a six page constitution and signed it along with two witnesses. A folder is kept that includes all the minutes of all the meetings and the constitution. As a Red Cross Youth Link they are required to have a project. They must all contribute some money towards the project. Once it is started, we can fill out a requisition form to the headquarters in Kampala and they will help with the funding. We had a meeting to vote on what projects they wanted to undertake. I have been facilitating the newly formed Red Cross Youth Link with their chosen projects which include: Re-introduce rabbits to the area of Lyantonde and the surrounding sub counties as well as an agricultural project by where they will grow three different types of crops, including passion fruit trees. I had to reiterate multiple times that this is not about money and receiving tangible things right away but it is the experience and education of getting to participate and take it home to teach others. Additionally, they need Red Cross tee-shirts. We came to the consensus that each student is to pay 2,000 USH and the rest of the money is going to be fundraised in August. They had one last meeting before break in which they discussed what is lacking at their school and what they need to do to fix it. They also conversed about the projects that they are going to undertake and performed a cost/benefit analysis. They talked in length about how to raise the money and how much everything is going to cost.

When brainstorming possible projects for the Red Cross Youth Link Members to undertake, I had the opportunity to explain to them that in America we work with our hands and raise animals the same way they do. The youth had been under the impression that in America, everything was done by machines and that we did not have to work. I was able to share with them that many people, especially in the state that I come from people do not have electricity, running water, or farm equipment. They were shocked by this and it started an interesting discussion forum.

Furthermore, I have found it difficult to motivate the Youth Link Committee as well. I have discovered that I have to train a patron to take over when I leave and the process of doing so has been difficult due to lack of motivation and communication barriers.


Additionally, we were able to obtain a signpost that was donated to us and the painting was done for free from a fellow Red Cross Youth Link Member who attends St. Gonzaga, a neighboring secondary school. We were then able to have a ceremony of posting it by the road! The signpost for the St. Noah’s Vocational School Red Cross Youth Link now sits comfortably at the end of the driveway to my organization for all who passes through to see.

NGO Network Forum Database

I will be creating an NGO Forum Database for the NGO Forum in Lyantonde. This project will investigate how the use of strategic communication in information networks is positively and negatively correlated with the success, or failure, of research and development projects within developing nations, in order to help formulate an integrative model that can further the success of development projects. Thus far, I have conducted the interviews with all of the NGOs and now have to type and configure the data. Once that is completed I can then begin the compilation process.

Additionally, at the next NGO Forum meeting, I will be presenting; educating those on the mission, vision, objectives, logo, application form, and the database itself. The members will vote and amend what is needed and from there they will sign up for interviews. Each organization is to fill out the form for the database and then I will come to go over it with them and write down additional information. Once every member has completed, I will compile the information into Access, a database software program. At the next NGO Forum meeting, I will be distributing the NGO database and afterward, the information will be compiled into Access.

Secondary Projects

I teach a life skills class 2 times a week at the St. Noah’s Vocational School. This class is entitled VIA (Vision in Action). The objective of this program is to highlight an effective method in preventing HIV/AIDS and promoting positive living within Lyantonde district by having the students share personal experiences and utilize an information network. The youth become the catalysts for change; a change that would manifest into a voice that would give the district the power of thought and of action. VIA includes people who are willing to be involved; ability to identify and access opportunities; leadership; moreover the capacity of the community will expand exponentially.

Thus far, I have conducted the following with my students:

-The bridge model and we discussed what we need to cross it. This is a visual tool to help convey behavior change. Information and knowledge verses action.

-We did a drama about a girl that has a friend that dropped out of school when she became pregnant and always advised her friend not to play sex without a condom and stay focused on school but the girl did anyway and became pregnant. We discussed this and how it relates to the bridge model/what the friend was missing. We went over the three categories of life skills and their sub categories.

-Overview of what bacteria, fungus, ameba, parasite, and viruses are.

-We went over the cell, nucleus and what DNA is and does. We then went over the immune system and its functions as well as what red and white blood cells are and their functions.

-Then went over the macrophage, the T4 Helper Cell, the B cell and the Killer cell and what they do. We discussed terms such as anti bodies and antigens. Then we talked about why HIV virus is different and getting tested and the window period for HIV to show up in the body and why; how the cells mutate from the virus.

-What opportunistic diseases are; the difference between HIV and AIDS. The treatment you can receive for HIV. Then we did the exercise where I got them into small groups and gave them pictures of people and had them guess which one had HIV and why.

-I taught HIV/AIDS Transmission and myths/facts about it. I told them about the test and what to expect. It was really funny because they did not know the anatomy of the other sex’s reproductive organs so I had to draw and explain it to them. Also, they did not know about oral sex so I had to explain that as well. There were many things that they thought to be true that were not, such as all gays had AIDS and that the rest of the world had AIDS because the Africans went there and gave it to other people.

Working with a vocational school as a secondary project is extremely challenging because: The students are only there for 2 years, they are orphans, most infected with HIV, most dropped out in Primary school therefore their English and education is limited, and the majority speak Runyankore where as I was trained in Luganda; therefore, I need a translator for everything.

It was extremely frustrating because I work with my students 2 hours a session twice a week. I have a translator that speaks both Luganda and Runyankore. I constantly ask if there are questions or if something needs clarification. I leave the notes up after class so that they may copy them. Before the exam I asked them questions straight from the test and those who were able to answer verbally were awarded extra credit. I had the translator there to answer any questions they could not read or did not understand. Despite all of the before mentioned, only 9 out of 44 passed. Those are just numbers, throughout the term I had boys tell me that even with the knowledge of AIDS and STI’s that they would still refrain from condom use because ‘it felt better’. I have had my girls tell me they would rather have AIDS than be pregnant because when a girl is pregnant she is ‘spoiled’ and is not physically attractive whereas when a girl has HIV/AIDS she can take free medicine to help it, people can’t tell you are sick and you can remain in school.

I can only hope that this term helps them to change their thought patterns and ultimately their behaviors.

As another secondary project, I am gong to be teaching a course entitled So What! This is going to be a student led class, from which they will chose the topics that they want to learn. The first one they chose was business. It went so well, they were all engaged and asked questions and kept up with what I had to say. We went over the following:
• The steps of starting a business
• What you want to sell- the product
• What supplies you will need for that product
o We did examples for mechanics, tailors and builders
o How much everything would cost and added it up
• How much your time is worth
• Market value: how much it is worth after the product is completed
• Market Research:
o What is the competition
o Asking people
o Is there a need
o Is there a want
o Is there a lot of that type of business already in the location
o Where you will sell
o Transportation costs
o Receipts and bookkeeping
• Profit Margin: what you make after expenses are accounted for
o High Profit: sell 1 of X for expensive
o Lower Profit: sell many of X for cheaper to sell fast
• Account for all expenses
o Employees/labor
o Land/rent
o Food
o Social
o Loans
o Transport
o Housing
• How to be competitive and network
• Savings
• Product + Time = Profit Margin
• Profit Margin – Expenses = Revenue

This term I am going to teach them how to conduct a feasibility study and SWOT analysis. After those tools are taught, they will be required to go to their village and write a report using all of the information listed above as a guideline. I feel that this will greatly benefit the students as they are at the school to learn a trait (woodworking, mechanics, tailoring and brick building). Many of them learn the skill needed but not how to master it in one’s own community.

Re-Usable Sanitary Pad Project

I successfully conducted a reusable sanitary pad workshop for twenty five girls under the age of eighteen who are HIV positive and orphaned. Before the workshop began, every girl was given a short questionnaire to fill out. Once this was completed, the workshop was set in motion. I had blocked out a three hour session for the girls; one to two hours of discussion and then an hour for the actual making of the pads. Our discussion lasted almost the full three hours. I discussed female anatomy, body changes and safe sexual practices. I had drawn a diagram of the uterus, what happens when a girl starts menstruating, as well as some common questions and their answers (like how to alleviate cramping, why do your breasts hurt, can you become pregnant on your period, etc.) They had so many questions and which led into discussion on masturbation and how to tell if a women or man is a virgin; thereafter, a question and answer session took place. The discussion went on so long that I was not able to start the actual making of the pads. I was very proud of the girls and was able to dispel many myths and misunderstandings that they beheld on the subject.

The following day I met with them again to construct the pads. As there were few follow up questions from the previous day, we were able to start almost immediately. After the questions were answered, the construction of the pads went underway. Each girl was given four pieces of material (23cm by 18cm). This material is the same used to make school uniforms. Each girl also received two buttons and two pieces of towel (20cm by 6cm) to use as inserts. Thread, needles, and scissors were not needed as I held the workshop at a vocational school where sewing machines were available along with those two items. Once the pads were completed, I briefly discussed hygiene and how to clean the pads. Additionally, I explained to the girls that it costs roughly 3,800 USH for one girl to make two shells with four to six inserts which will provide them with coverage for one to one and a half years whereas if they were to buy disposable sanitary pads every month they would spend over 45,000 USH. They worked meticulously and the process was slow but it went really well!! I showed them how to use the scraps to make the wings longer and I explained to them how to clean them and how to wear it and change the inserts. They did an excellent job. It was immensely gratifying to see them excited about something and how thankful they were towards me for helping them and spending time with them. I encouraged them all to use them over the break and to tell their family and friends about them.

I conducted a post survey of the sanitary pad project and all of feedback was very positive! All of the young women felt that the size of the pad was okay, as well as the thickness of the inserts and the type of materials used. They all proclaimed that they were able to share the idea of the pads with their families and community members. Furthermore, they all reported that they were able to share the information they had learned in the workshop about their bodies and how the menstrual cycle works. After collecting the post-surveys and conducting an open discussion with them about the process, I instructed them to do a SWOT analysis and feasibility study in order to see if it was practical to start this as an IGA in their communities. Overall, it was very successful and I feel that I learned just as much from them as they did from me!

The Infamous Dew Pond

On the first of April 2010 the Dew Pond was completed. This was a project that I undertook with 0 knowledge and 0 experiences. One reason why the Peace Corps is great: One can employ any project regardless of whether it may or may not work. One of the major projects that I have implemented and finished this quarter was a dew pond. The focus of this project is to equip the farm land with an experimental dew pond. A dew pond is an artificial pond usually sited on the top of a hill, intended for watering livestock, or in some cases to act as a water source for drinkable water. If built correctly, in theory, dew should collect on the surface of the water; thus, keeping the pond replenished even in the dry season. Dew ponds are used in areas where a natural supply of surface water may not be readily available. They usually are shallow, saucer-shaped, and lined with clay or cement, and banana leaves or bamboo shoots to insulate the bottom layer. To deter earthworms from their natural tendency of burrowing upwards, which in a short while would make the clay lining porous, a layer of soot would be incorporated. The clay is usually covered with the banana leaves or bamboo shoots to prevent cracking by the sun and, if necessary, a final layer of broken stone may be added to protect the lining from the hoofs of sheep or cattle, or a layer of plastic to help protect unwanted external materials to enter the body of water in an effort to keep the water clean and sanitary. The pond that we constructed is 9x9x5 and required two bags of cement, six bags of sand and a truck load of rocks. It is insulated with cement, along with a waterproofing additive, and large hard rocks. The cement and rocks have a high level of albedo, meaning that the rocks and cement do not absorb very much sunlight but actually reflect it; therefore, the water will be cooler than the surrounding earth allowing for the dew to collect on the surface of the water. We built a trench leading to the pond and insulated it with straw. We created two small pools with rocks to filter the water. Additionally, we built a fence around the pond with barbwire which we used from recycled material that was on the farm. The labor was free as the students came one to two days out of the week to work on the pond. The tools such as: Spades, hoes, shovels, jerry cans, and water were provided by RACOBAO.

In short, it is a 9x9x5 hole in the ground that is insulated with hard rock and cement (with a water proofing agent additive). The point of this is for the pond to be cooler than the surrounding earth so that it will release the heat absorbed throughout the day quickly so that dew can then form on the water surface; thus, replenishing the pond in the dry season. It is a replica of the ponds built in England; as the climate here is very different this is an experiment. Nonetheless, a great experience for the students!

Upon implementing the dew pond project, I encountered many challenges. The first was that of a communication setback. I was under the false pretence that my co worker, in charge of the farm, had informed the youth that attend the vocational school about the dew pond, what it is used for, what they would be doing work wise, etc. I was wrong. Unbeknownst to me, they were told to merely come and dig. In addition, I found out that they thought I had paid my co worker and he was not paying them. The youth also thought that I had money because I am white and American. The youth kept asking me for money while they were digging and, of course, that upset me greatly as this was an opportunity for them as well as a practicum. I found out later from another teacher that the youth felt that I was taking advantage of them because they were orphans. I was greatly disconcerted and immediately spoke to my counterpart. She instructed the headmaster to come with me to speak with the youth. After explaining the goals of the project, their roles and how they would benefit from the dew pond their attitudes changed immensely and we were able to move forward positively.

Another challenge I encountered with this project was motivating the women to come and cement the interior of the pond. There is a newly employed teacher at the Lyantonde Vocational School that used to be a student there herself. She was the only girl that participated in mechanics and carpentry, while the girls usually participate in the tailoring program. She was highly honored for her outstanding work as a student that upon graduation the staff of RACOBAO asked her to come teach brick building. After hearing of this, I had high hopes that with a role model it would motivate the women to work outside their prescribed social stereotypes. So when the opportunity presented itself, I was disheartened that none of the girls came to cement- it was only the boys. When I asked the teacher why none of the girls came, she relayed the message that the girls thought this type of work was only for boys and the activity did not interest them. This was an eye opening experience for me and even though it was a challenge, it shed light on the fact that my attention needs to be directed in this area; thus, allowing me to pursue more projects of this circumstance.

Another major challenge that I encountered with the dew pond was working with men. I was well aware of how they view women in Uganda and women in general, but had not yet experienced any negative interactions. Most of the encounters throughout the entirety of the construction of the dew pond were small; but nonetheless, frustrating and infuriating. When sharing my ideas and notions with my male co workers, they constantly told me that they would not work when I knew for a fact that they would. In trying to explain my logic to them I was ignored or talked over. Moreover, I was told that men are stronger than women; in consequence, a heated debate took place thereafter. However, this was turned around after a male Peace Corps Volunteer and his counterpart came to help me with a section of the pond. My fellow volunteer constantly encouraged the women to come help and insisted that the girls participate. He was adamant that the newly formed water committee be gender balanced. His counterpart discouraged this in front of all the youth, saying that the work was only for boys but the volunteer held his ground and stood up for the girls. I was utterly grateful and saw a major change afterwards from my male co workers and the male youth.

Now that it is finished, the trial begins!

UPDATE:

It is now September of 2010 and the pond has not been collecting water. I would like to blame the weather as the rainy season has been sporadic. There is also the problem of keeping the grass down and building a fence. A water committee had been formed and has continued to go to the site to maintain the area (slashing grass, fixing the fence, removing and covering the plastic sheets, etc.). They are supposed to report back to the rest of the school in monthly meetings about the pond and its progress; this often leads to a discussion about what is missing or what still needs to be done. However, I am having a difficult time motivating the water committee. They are not following up on their duties nor are they informing me of issues regarding the pond. I need to have consecutive meetings with them in order to make this sustainable.

Life Skills Workshop

On November 16th, 2009, a co-worker of mine and I went to 5 primary schools within one of eight sub counties with the intent of finding one school to host a life skills talk show forum. After we found one school to host the event, we traveled to four other primary schools to inquire whether or not they were interested in participating. All four schools all said 'yes'. We then asked each school to choose 10 students (5 boys and 5 girls) along with one teacher to represent the school and participate in this workshop.

On November 20th, 2009, we conducted the workshop. The main purpose of this training was for the children to talk to each other about the skills that they use in every day life to make healthy, proactive decisions. Each school had compiled a form of presentation for this training; therefore, each school had a turn in presenting information. The first school conducted a mock/role play where the moderator asked questions regarding life, AIDS and safety to the different characters, who took on the roles of LC's (Local Council), teachers, church figures, parents, police and so on. Each character answered in the appropriate manner. Another school presented a short song. One school offered a beautiful spoken word/song expounding that they are the youth of the nation and how much their safety means to them. This presentation in particular made me cry it was so touching. The other two schools shared small skits. After the schools were finished presenting, RACOBAO put forth three small skits and had a discussion regarding peer pressure. I drew a diagram of the bridge model and asked the children to contribute appropriate behaviors in order to successfully cross the bridge.

It was made quite apparent that these children were bright and eager to make their footprints in the world; however, it also depended my understanding that while these children might already embody vital information regarding safe life decisions, that with time, opportunities will arise that will change the perspectives of the youth. So while my organization and I were able to provide these children with a forum for which they could learn, I have discovered that it is going to take a lot more than sporadic workshops to instill a positive and proactive change within the community.