Hey thanks for continuing to tune in to the World Action blog! – It’s Nicole writing, back in Geneva after a very incredible trip to Africa. First, thanks so much to every one who came out to enjoy the Afrofunk music festival – from everything I heard it was a week of fantastic concerts up and down the west coast – thanks SO Much to Jeremiah, Sila and the Afrofunk Experience and other the other participating musicians for so generously supporting our partners at House of Hope during these concerts – with you’re your help we raised over $2000! THANK YOU!!!
Pedro and I have been back in Geneva for a little over two weeks now – missing our friends in Africa but appreciating the change of environment as well (ah, the beauty of free WiFi has enabled the addition of pictures to this and previous posts below). We had such an incredible trip overall, and in particular, during the last leg there in Uganda with Jenifer and the family at House of Hope. How can I even begin to express what we saw/felt/experienced there? It was a very moving experience in many, many ways. By staying with Jenifer at her home out in Kyzanga, a village about 4 hours drive south of Kampala and the site of the House of Hope project, we experienced firsthand some of the challenges our partners face there daily. It’s difficult to communicate what I saw without sounding artificial and academic; the poverty, lack of access to clean water, poor hygiene, no electricity, soaring food prices, little to no education or tuition assistance, untreated illness and disease – but this is the reality. The good news is that there is hope, and by seeing what this young woman (Jenifer) and her staff are doing there I left feeling rejuvenated and energized to double my efforts – with the help of the fantastic World Action Board – to raise the financial support needed for their work. What I saw in my time there and what I have experienced while developing my relationship with Jenifer over the past year (over email alone) is that she has the know-how and experience to accomplish the ever sought-after “development” in Africa. Jenifer is accomplishing what no amount of planning by western governments, aid organizations, UN bureaucrats or millennium goals has yet achieved in Africa; simply because she understands the local customs, has ideas that will resonate with her fellow community members, and knows the impediments to success and their antidotes. She has, like hundreds of other local grassroots leaders across that continent and in every country, the critical know-how and long-term commitment to better her community. It’s simple really, it’s happening all the time around us, all around the world. Local people – when given the chance, opportunity and support – will move to action. And this action will be more successful in the long-term than any external effort could ever be. And therefore it is my belief, as is supported by the mission of World Action, that local people know what is best for their own communities, and it is their work that is the true path to sustainable development – however it may look. All of the time, effort and money that is poured into grand schemes to lift Africa out of poverty cannot be fruitful in the long-term without the energy and ideas of its own people.
So, how about some details about your visit to House of Hope Nicole… ? Okay, so Jenifer has now 168 students enrolled in the primary school (Globalize school as its now known), which is the central focus of the House of Hope project. Of those students, 104 are officially part of the Project, which means they receive free tuition due to financial hardship – that sounds a bit misleading; hardship, i.e.: our children have virtually no means of paying for school, food, clothing, shoes or medical care. But they get it at House of Hope! Unfortunately, we have had to cut-out the morning bowl of porridge due to the shock of food prices, so most of our kids wait until lunch to eat for the first time each day. For lunch, a healthy portion of Posho is served, a mush made from maize and water, and accompanied with beans — which Pedro and I ate alongside the students and teachers while there. Some of the children also receive a meal at home for dinner, but for many, the lunch they receive at House of Hope is their one daily meal.
Jenifer has recruited a dedicated team of teachers: acting headmaster Peter (pictured below in the solo shot), five other teachers (most of whom have been with there since the school opened 2 years ago), a cook, a music teacher and a house matron. It was really beautiful to see the teachers with the kids because it is very apparent they care for the children in a deep way – it is much more than just a job. They are, as is Jenifer and headmaster Peter, far underpaid compared to the local government school. However, we hope to work on that this year. The kids are looked after in a truly holistic way: each child receives regular site visits at home by Jenifer, a staff member or a volunteer; their nutrition intake and home sanitation is monitored; they are given clothing and cleaning supplies; and they are taken to the doctor when they get sick or an infection. It is truly a community of care. However, that said, the need is great. I accompanied Jenifer on a home site visit and what I saw was disheartening. The living conditions are extremely tough, and unhealthy. The hardest part for me though I think, was seeing the change in demeanor of the children when seeing them at home versus while at school. At school, all the kids laugh and play and kid and joke and play soccer and sing and fool around – like any other schoolchild. But at home, they are visibly saddened – tired maybe – of having to live in squalor, drag big plastic heavy cans of water over 2 or 3 miles of hilly terrain each night, of having nothing to eat, or of having to make sure their younger siblings are cared for although they themselves are just kids. It was extremely difficult to see – it’s like their little spirits were broken. It’s a really bad thing to see a child’s spirit broken.
But – that brings us to the dorm project! We are almost there in raising the $10,000 usd or so needed to complete the on-site dorm at House of Hope, where 40 of our children in greatest need will come to live full-time. Yes, it’s a beautiful theory (and all the current rage among experts in child protection) that vulnerable children should be kept in their communities and raised by responsible guardians rather then placed in safe group homes. But unfortunately, the reality is that abuse exists – sexual and physical – of which many of our children have experienced. And in some cases, there is just no money to look after extra children. So we currently have 14 staying each night at the offices of House of Hope out of sheer necessity; our house matron Eva takes great care of them and they enjoy the comforts of home and laughter and safety there. But once the dorm is finished it will be a proper home and will allow all our children in need to move in.
I continued to be extremely impressed with the overall management of House of Hope and the school: given the challenges of operating in an environment with no electricity, virtually no assistance from the government and almost totally reliant upon support from donors, Jenifer and Master Peter have that school in top shape! Truly outstanding leadership at all levels, which makes our fiscal sponsorship of this project all them more humbling. House of Hope has also benefited from a stream of creative, energetic and committed volunteers thanks to Real Uganda, a fantastic local NGO that places foreign volunteers with small grassroots projects in Uganda. (Casey, a Real Uganda volunteer, is shown in one of the pictures closest to the bottom below.)
We have two older kids who have graduated from House of Hope and are now in secondary school (thanks to a generous donor all the way live from New Jersey;) ) Next year, we will need to find $250 scholarships for six more of our students who will graduate from House of Hope and would like to continue their education (equivalent of going on to middle school after completely the 5th grade). That is another interesting discovery about Uganda and its compliance with the Millennium Development Goals – the one that seeks free access to primary education for all children. Well, yes, in a way Uganda has complied, but on the ground, children arrive at school to confront fee demands for uniforms, books, supplies, teachers bonus, photocopies, “study packets” etc, etc, etc, all amounting to more that these children are able to pay. So, it is actually very far from free. We will work hard to support House of Hope until the government of Uganda figures out a better way. I do not believe handouts or long-term aid is any kind of solution for the development challenges Uganda – or any country – faces. But, I would also never want to see even one generation suffer as a result of its government’s ineptitude.
So with that, I ask, again, humbly, for your help. Whoever might be reading this blog – I ask you, we need your help. We need to get these kids a strong breakfast to start their day; we need to pay their teachers a living wage so they do not leave us and go teach at the government school where they will make twice as much; we need to get soap to each of our students houses so the cases of worms and fungus decrease; we need to get the dorm finished and furnished to get these kids in a safe, functioning environment. We need your help to do it. So, I’ll ask again; I know the economy is rocky, but what is $35? Donate easily at www.worldactionforhumanity.org. (all world currencies accepted via PayPal!)
Thanks so much for staying along for this verbal ride. Hope you’ve enjoyed it and we look forward to keeping in touch.
Much Love,
Nicole Carta
PS- some notes on the pictures since i am not tech savvy enough to figure out captions:
- the beautiful young Ugandan woman in several pictures is Jenifer of course!
- the dancers are none other than our own House of House dance troupe!
- in the picture with Pedro with the funny hat is Thomas, our very dear friend from Tanzania who works with Action Aid and was a former project coordinator with Boona-Baana, he traveled to Uganda with us on a small World Action travel grant to share stories, best practices with Jenifer and HOH team – great, great time
- In another photo, Thomas is helping us distribute de-worming pills that were purchased with money raised by teens across the US through new global citizens!
- In one picture, Pedro is shown during is class on women’s rights (he took the boys with Teacher Ronalds, while I went with Jenifer and another volunteer with the girls – very good class!)