A New Coordinator

A core volunteer since the early days, Sam completed his degree in Development Studies this past December. He is now taking on the responsibility of coordinating our activities in Buhugu.

Sam is also a key participant in the Low Cost Websites pilot, and has been in Nairobi for the past week, training, meeting partners and clients and building websites.

Now back in Uganda, Sam will spend time between Mbale and Buhugu working on both buhugu.org and buhugu.com.

Sam gazing into the rift valley from Ngong Hills, Kenya

Wangwe Rogers

It is true that the way we operate, our approach, is quite unorthodox, to say the least.

We don’t fundraise, we are team of volunteers and we are quite happy to try things, even when we think they have a small chance of succeeding, but feel it’s worth a try anyway.

All of this creates much confusion within the community. When they see a young man, working tirelessly, without pay, often against tough odds, they scratch their heads, or worse, assume that he is getting payment under the table.

Wangwe Rogers first came to our attention when during one of our first community meetings, he stood up and asked some biting questions to the leaders and elders present, such as: “you may be promising all this support to this project right now, but a year down the line, will your commitment still be there?” [paraphrased]. He was not yet twenty at that time.

He soon became one of our volunteers, though he was working fulltime at a nearby clinic. As the clinic closed towards the end of 2008, Rogers became a core volunteer spending more and more time at the computer center and the library.

We can now say that Rogers has single handedly ensured the continuity of our many experiments in Buhugu, during 2009. From liaising with the community members, managing community expectations, improving processes on the ground, taking care of the various assets, and generally being the face of the project in Buhugu, there are not enough words that can be said about how much he has contributed.

What drives him? He will laugh and say that he just wants to help people come up.

As mentioned in an earlier post, Rogers was recently hired by the Sironko District to work as an immunization coordinator at the rural health center at Buteza, some distance from Buhugu. However, Rogers now has a young family in Buhugu and we are happy that he will be near us when not in Buteza.

Thank your Rogers for all you have done, for us and others.

Together in Buhugu

A young man we met in Budadiri

Last week found many of the core volunteers of I Buhugu together for the first time in over a year.

Sam, Wangwe Rogers, Masiga Rogers (Geoffrey) and Sri were all in Buhugu during the week and it was good to take stock of things, talk about how far we have all travelled since first coming together, in ’07, and chat about the path ahead.

The young volunteers, Saad (in secondary school) and Wobaka Simon (final year of primary school) also joined in for some of our discussions.

Thank you to Carol and Beth for the good food!

And Happy New Year everyone!

Some Quiet Time

This blog is going to be a little quieter over the next few months due to travel. However, the eventual destination is expected to be in the vicinity of Buhugu, so we'll bring you fresh posts after the break.

If you are not already subscribing to our feed, may we suggest you sign up to have new posts delivered to your inbox?

For those of you in the "North", have a great summer, and if you are in the "South", stay warm. And if you are in Uganda, well, it's always beautiful there, isn't it?

If You are in the Bay Area

We recently received a mail from Books For African Schools. They are currently holding a book drive to benefit Buhugu Senior Secondary School.

So, if you are in the Bay Area, and have books you'd like to donate, please consider dropping them off at their collection point at 1261 Campus Dr., Berkeley.

For a list of books that are most needed, please see their books we want section. Books that are not needed for the school, but can be sold locally, are also helpful, as they help cover the shipping costs.

Please help spread the word.

Briefs

• Meeting: last weekend, the volunteers gathered in Buhugu for a meeting. Charles travelled from Kampala for the occasion. The progress as well as the challenges were discussed. We are now processing this feedback and planning for the path ahead.

• Positive Feedback: students who sat for national exams last year have now received their results. We are getting feedback from the community that the library has had an impact. During exam season, students used the library resources, especially the text books, to prepare and the word is that it seems to have helped. The best performer in the final year (S6) at Masaba Secondary School, the main secondary school in the region, is from Buhugu.

• Sharon: one of our core volunteers, Sharon, also sat for the exam (S4). She passed, but not with great results. The advice she has received so far, from family, friends and mentors, is that she should not continue through the final two years of schooling, which is essential for those aspiring for university education. Keen to study further, she is considering her options from teaching, nursing to IT.

Writing Our Own Manual

Last month we encountered a hitch - to do with money. Every month, the volunteers in Buhugu come up with a budget. It is discussed and items prioritised and the amount needed starts its journey from the US, via Kampala and Mbale before reaching Buhugu and being disbursed.

And last month, part of the money didn't reach its intended recipients. Many of the volunteers were discouraged at this news. We try, sometimes hard, to keep things honest and transparent, and this was a surely a blow.


But some reflection tempers the emotions and adds perspective. What does this piece of paper mean? For some, it's simply the equivalent of a few dollars. For others, it is something they can exchange for a product or service they dearly want or need. And for others, it represents a small fortune, an amount they have rarely possessed.

In Buhugu, the lives of all such people intersect. And as a result of this collision of worlds, the meaning of what this piece of paper means is regularly challenged.

Perhaps the hitch happened because there was a greater need (what if one's child was sick?). Or perhaps not. But, there are no quick conclusions.

How we deal with this will have a bearing on the "soul" of the project. What is our priority? Is it a clean balance sheet? Or is it achieving goals we set while pragmatically sweeping aside such indiscretions? Or is it openly sharing with each other the challenges, growing together, and seeing what comes of it?

It remains to be seen, for we are still talking about how to best resolve this. This is how one of the volunteers put it: "things are getting tricky but we will manage it... yes we can"

It hasn't been easy to share this publicly on this blog, for it is tempting to write only about what's good, the progress, the achievements. But that would be painting a skewed picture of the reality of things.

Looking Back with Gratitude

A brief look at the year that has passed.

A library was launched and Internet came to the village. A nursery school opened its doors. Reading, art and sports each became a fad. IT services were delivered to the community and to clients in the US, and chickens were studied closely. Friends from near and far dropped by and kids wrote letters to each other.

We used our own resources, received help from friends and didn't apply for any funding.

We learned new things, made mistakes, at times worked hard, other times dodged work, we argued, played, laughed and even cried.

It has been a journey of discovering new horizons, of altering perspectives. It was a year of magic and mischief.

The Team:

Buhugu: Geoffrey (the chief), Rogers (the healer), Sam (the gangster), Sharon (the chick), Chairman Alex (the elder), Mzei Ndugu (the senior)

The travellers: Charles (the kayungirizi), Sri (the idiot), Oliver (the preacher), Nicole, Tristan

Kampala: Susan, Jeff

Virtual: N

Special Thanks:

Annet, Rebecca, Bulombi Simon, Saad and Wobaka Simon in Buhugu. All the young people who helped out with the renovation and continue to pitch in. The mums, Richard and Juliet for sharing their home with the travellers and the generous care. Esther and Zitah, the staff at the nursery school.

The elders and the leaders who so passionately made the case for this project to the community. The advisory committee for helping us steer this project. And everyone in Buhugu who supported the efforts and encouraged us.

Jeanne for visiting us in Buhugu with books and chocolates.

Peter, Dorothy and Don for the friendship, advice and support from three different continents.

Henk, Noah, Hyongjeen, Cindy, Moez, Ben and many others in the US for the laptops, books, support and encouragement.

And the readers of this blog, we sincerely thank you for sharing the journey!

At a Crossroad

The journey so far has been marked by a sense of freedom that is almost unreal.

Life is dynamic here in Buhugu, each day bringing new discoveries, opportunities and challenges. We have been able to prioritise and optimise on the go precisely because we, the volunteers, together with the community, have complete control over the reins.

We've figured out a way to cover the operational costs by delivering IT services locally and internationally. Our friends have pitched in, some in small ways, others big, without putting restrictions on us, that has helped us to expand.

We've never applied for any funding.

Now that the nursery and the poultry pilots are underway, we are contemplating life after the pilots (which starts with the new year - 2009).

It is clear that if the nursery school is to deliver on its promise of quality, its operations have to be subsidised. And while the poultry project can run on its own, there is a need for heavy investment up front.

Should we now seek funding? Or should we continue to find ways to run on our own instead? Or should it be a bit of both?

There are compelling reasons to not seek funding, and for seeking it. The debate continues.

Kids and Chicks

It seemed like a good time to seek new challenges. Over the last few weeks the core volunteers of I Buhugu have been holding a number of discussions.

Now that the library is in place, countless have become comfortable with a computer and Buhugu is connected to the World Wide Web, what's next?

Some possibilities have emerged and we have just kick-started a couple of pilot initiatives.

One involves young children and another chickens!

It's a new phase in the short life of the Buhugu Initiative. We can't help but be excited about the new possibilities.

We look forward to sharing the journey with you as it unfolds.

The New Organic Buhugu Tee! Made in Uganda.

Annet and Sharon, I Buhugu volunteers.

The cotton is grown in Uganda. It's processed in Uganda. The t-shirt stitched to specification in Uganda. And it's 100% organic. It's the all new Buhugu Tee.

Get your own Buhugu tee today!

Simply send us an email. Or if you are in the US, you can also order them through our friends Aardvark Tee Shirt Emporium.

Proceeds to benefit I Buhugu of course.

Photos

We've uploaded some new photos to our Flickr album: http://flickr.com/buhugu

More coming soon!

Community Meeting

We have invited over thirty members of the community for a meeting this Saturday.

We want to update them on what's happened so far, answer their questions, and also get advice from them regarding the way forward.

Just Who are We - Officially Speaking?

Are we a Community Based Organisation (CBO) or a Not-for Profit one? Should we register in Uganda only or also in the US? What about other countries from where we might receive help? If we register outside Uganda, will that compromise the role of the community members in Buhugu as partners?

What about Buhugu IT? Should it be registered as a limited liability company, even though all profits are to go towards funding community projects? Which countries should we register it in? Under what legal framework will the volunteers who contribute their skills and time to this company work?

There is much debate concerning these questions at the moment.

By next month we hope to have arrived at some answers and begin the various registration procedures.

It is important that whatever organisational entity we create enables us to work together as partners, not hinder it. It also matters that we don't end up serving the organisation, instead that the organisation serves to facilitate what we want to achieve.

The Money Business

Sending money to Uganda from the US has proved to be quite a challenge - till now.

We first tried Western Union, but gave it up in a hurry. Sending $100 currently costs $20 on top of an unfavourable exchange rate.

Bank transfers, are just about impossible.

So, we came up with a work around. Two members, one in the US and one in Uganda opened a joint bank account in the US. The process was rather simple and an ATM card was mailed out to the member in Uganda.

Now, transferring money is a breeze. Once the money is deposited in to the account in the US, it is available within minutes in Uganda at an ATM.

Though there is a small fee for using the ATM (we are not sure exactly how much this is yet, but think is around $2), the exchange rate is quite reasonable. And it comes with the excellent customer service of the bank in the US - they were happy to call a number in Uganda to resolve an issue.

But, this is a work around. The question remains. Why is it so expensive to send money? Especially given that remittances are incredibly important in many parts of the world.

"In Africa, the amount of money remitted by diaspora workers - $17 billion per year - is larger than the amount of foreign direct investment in Africa, and rivals official development assistance grants or loans ($25 billion per year)."

The quote is taken from an interesting post on this topic by Ethan Zuckerman.

Live on Cyberspace

We are live at last!

Our aim is to share with you our journey in words and pictures. And we welcome you to share with us your thoughts and ideas.

The Beginning

This is the beginning.
Almost anything can happen.
This is where you find
the creation of light, a fish wriggling onto land,
the first word of Paradise Lost on an empty page.
Think of an egg, the letter A,
a woman ironing on a bare stage
as the heavy curtain rises.
This is the very beginning.

Billy Collins, “Aristotle” from Picnic, Lightning. Copyright © 1998 by Billy Collins.

Preparing for the Journey

"Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day, teach them how to fish and you feed them for a lifetime.", this is the underlying premise of the Buhugu Initiative. By focusing in-depth on Buhugu, teaching people a variety of skills, and granting them autonomy over the project we hope to better serve the community. In order to obtain autonomy over the project, the community will need a sustainable source of income. Sri is hoping that an IT company will provide the finances necessary for facilities like a library and computer center.

Meanwhile, as we prepare for the journey, Sri has been held hostage at Noah's and my apartment for several hours at a time answering myriad questions about Buhugu and Uganda in general. We have discussed topics ranging from writing utensils to the Ebola virus. Some of the most poignant ideas that have surfaced are the possibility of a pen pal program with an elementary school here in Gainesville, Florida and donations of primary school books.