Category: » Africa | The Advocacy Project

Weaving Art

October 22, 2015 3:19 pm 106 Comments

Weaving Art

Now that my fellowship have come to an end. I will dedicate this last blog entry to the women’s fascinating knowledge on weaving and their art. Since I arrived in Ain Leuh, the women of the cooperative have been working on different orders of carpets. Customers will sometimes ask for certain product that the women had previously made. The most interesting facet of their work is their ability to memorize patterns, work through colors and what seems as an infinite number of threads.

Mahma working her way through numerous threads to create a pattern

The people of Ain Leuh are part of the bigger Beni M’guild tribe. The region where they live is characterized by cold snowy winters. The rugs made in this area are thick in pile knot used to protect families from the cold. Beni M’guild rugs are made on vertical looms and have geometric designs running the length of the carpet against aubergine or red backgrounds, sometimes even blue ones. When I arrived here, I was expecting to see this kind of rug but I quickly came to understand that the women at the cooperative have accumulated considerable knowledge and can make different kinds of carpets using different techniques. The women master flatweave carpets, knotted pile carpets and woven ones. They are at ease working with wool, cotton, synthetic materials or blends.

The women are also very versatile in their work. Besides, Beni M’guild rugs, the women can make rugs with other designs from other regions of Morocco. During my ten-week stay with the women I have seen them weave Zerbia (knotted pile carpet), Henbel (flat-weaved), Djellaba (a thick fabric used for traditional garnment), Heddouna (Moroccan wedding blankets), Bettania (banket using Taderrazt technique), Hiytti (woven material used to decorate walls), and Boucherwit (a carpet made using scrap fabric). I have also witnessed the women collaborating with some artists who would give them sketches that the women would bring to life in a carpet.

Khadija and Saadia with their finished product

You might think that they are weavers and should be able to know all of these things. However, when you realize that these women do not have any patterns or sketches to remind them of a certain design or technique. They solely rely on their memory and each other to execute their art. The women say that this was the way they learnt and that they do not feel the need to use patterns or sketches. They know exactly how many threads on the to hold forward and how many need to be backward to make a lozenge or a saw.

As admirable as this is, I fear the loss of this art form in the near future. The last apprentice to come in to the cooperative is Jamila, who joined the women about ten years ago. When I asked the women why they are not taking in other apprentices, they said they cannot afford to teach other women due to the cooperative’s financial situation. They explained that in order to have an apprentice, they need to make enough money to allow for mistakes and material to be lost. They also pointed to the fact that young women prefer to learn other skills these days such as sewing, cooking or hairdressing. These skills give them the choice to migrate to cities and find jobs. Carpet making does not guarantee a stable income anymore.

Making a carpet can take a woman up to two months and she might only receive the equivalent of about a hundred dollars for her work. Consumers now have access to cheaper products made industrially and for cheaper prices. I am not sure what is the best way to preserve this art form and ensure the women of the cooperative a steady income and sustainability of their art form, but the Advocacy Project is working with them through Peace Fellows such as myself.

So thank you to the Advocacy Project for helping people in my country keep their traditions and ensuring them a dignified life through your advocacy.

Thank you to all the women who welcomed me to the cooperative and to their homes.

Thank you to the people of Ain Leuh for making me feel at home.

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Weaving Art<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Now that my fellowship have come to an end. I will dedicate this last blog entry to the women\u2019s fascinating knowledge on weaving and their art. Since I arrived in Ain Leuh, the women of the cooperative have been working on different orders of carpets. Customers will sometimes ask for certain product that the women had previously made. The most interesting facet of their work is their ability to memorize patterns, work through colors and what seems as an infinite number of threads.<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n\t
\n\t\t

$\"\"$
\nMahma working her way through numerous threads to create a pattern<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/td>\n\t<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

The people of Ain Leuh are part of the bigger Beni M\u2019guild tribe. The region where they live is characterized by cold snowy winters. The rugs made in this area are thick in pile knot used to protect families from the cold. Beni M\u2019guild rugs are made on vertical looms and have geometric designs running the length of the carpet against aubergine or red backgrounds, sometimes even blue ones. When I arrived here, I was expecting to see this kind of rug but I quickly came to understand that the women at the cooperative have accumulated considerable knowledge and can make different kinds of carpets using different techniques. The women master flatweave carpets, knotted pile carpets and woven ones. They are at ease working with wool, cotton, synthetic materials or blends. <\/p>\n\n

The women are also very versatile in their work. Besides, Beni M\u2019guild rugs, the women can make rugs with other designs from other regions of Morocco. During my ten-week stay with the women I have seen them weave Zerbia (knotted pile carpet), Henbel (flat-weaved), Djellaba (a thick fabric used for traditional garnment), Heddouna (Moroccan wedding blankets), Bettania (banket using Taderrazt technique), Hiytti (woven material used to decorate walls), and Boucherwit (a carpet made using scrap fabric). I have also witnessed the women collaborating with some artists who would give them sketches that the women would bring to life in a carpet.<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n\t
\n\t\t

$\"\"$
\nKhadija and Saadia with their finished product<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/td>\n\t<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

You might think that they are weavers and should be able to know all of these things. However, when you realize that these women do not have any patterns or sketches to remind them of a certain design or technique. They solely rely on their memory and each other to execute their art. The women say that this was the way they learnt and that they do not feel the need to use patterns or sketches. They know exactly how many threads on the to hold forward and how many need to be backward to make a lozenge or a saw.<\/p>\n\n

As admirable as this is, I fear the loss of this art form in the near future. The last apprentice to come in to the cooperative is Jamila, who joined the women about ten years ago. When I asked the women why they are not taking in other apprentices, they said they cannot afford to teach other women due to the cooperative\u2019s financial situation. They explained that in order to have an apprentice, they need to make enough money to allow for mistakes and material to be lost. They also pointed to the fact that young women prefer to learn other skills these days such as sewing, cooking or hairdressing. These skills give them the choice to migrate to cities and find jobs. Carpet making does not guarantee a stable income anymore.<\/p>\n\n

Making a carpet can take a woman up to two months and she might only receive the equivalent of about a hundred dollars for her work. Consumers now have access to cheaper products made industrially and for cheaper prices. I am not sure what is the best way to preserve this art form and ensure the women of the cooperative a steady income and sustainability of their art form, but the Advocacy Project is working with them through Peace Fellows such as myself.<\/p>\n\n

So thank you to the Advocacy Project for helping people in my country keep their traditions and ensuring them a dignified life through your advocacy.<\/p>\n\n

Thank you to all the women who welcomed me to the cooperative and to their homes.<\/p>\n\n

Thank you to the people of Ain Leuh for making me feel at home.<\/p>“,”class”:””}]}[/content-builder]

Spaces of Ain Leuh
3:01 pm Leave a Comment
Spaces of Ain Leuh

View of Ain Leuh from Cafe La Cascade (Waterfall Cafe)

Today, Youssef came in to the cooperative looking for me. Youssef is a young man from Ain Leuh who studies English at the university in Meknes, the closest major city to the village. He had approached me a few weeks earlier at the local coffee shop in Ain Leuh as I was trying to find a reliable internet connection. Youssef spoke to me in English thinking I was a foreigner. When I explained to him that I was Moroccan and an Advocacy Peace Fellow as Silvia was last year, he asked if we could still finish our conversation in English so that he could practice the language. He was eager to learn more about what I was doing and to speak in English.

I had not seen him since then as Ramadan came about and the coffee shop closed during the holy month. As soon as Youssef entered the cooperative, Lhachmia asked him abruptly what he was doing there. He answered he was looking for me but after noticing that there were only women in the cooperative’s atelier. He quickly apologized saying that this was probably not a good time and he left in a hurry. The women asked me if I knew him, and I said that I had met him in the coffeeshop earlier. Jamila jumped to inform the ladies who he was as she knew his older sister. The women started joking about how I had found a potential husband in Ain Leuh and then quickly moved on to talk about how the young generation does not respect any rules anymore. I looked at them a bit wary and said almost justifying myself: “But I only met him once, I don’t know why he’s here.” But my relationship with him did not matter whatsoever to them, what they were talking about is a man entering a women’s space without permission or real purpose.

Space is very gendered in Morocco and even more so in Ain Leuh. The Ain Leuh Cooperative’s premises are not only a space for the members to work in but it is a space where they socialize, where they talk about their problems, sorrows and good news. It is a space where they talk about everything from sex to politics. It is a space they consider theirs, where no man can interfere. As soon as they come in, most of the women take off their veils and some only wear sleeveless tanks, something they would never go out to the street wearing. The only men you can see regularly at the cooperative are Hassan, the association’s treasurer, and Driss, Khadija Aabdi’s husband. Hassan takes care of all the cooperative’s correspondence as he can use a computer and can speak English. Khadija Aabdi and her family live in the cooperative’s premises but Driss’s hours are well known to the women at the cooperative, plus the family’s living quarters are somewhat separate from where the women make their carpets. Both Hassan and Driss knock loudly on doors before coming in. The women occasionally get visitors, such as tour guides bringing in tourists or candidates for elections, but most of them call before they come and the women prepare themselves to have visitors. I have now been here for eight weeks and I can see see distinct patterns of how space is used and gendered, space is sometimes even reserved to different age groups.

A woman running a small restaurant but most of her clientele are men

For example, the main plaza in the village is surrounded by cafes that are mainly reserved for men. I happened to sit in one of those one to realized few minutes later that I probably was not supposed to as I was the only woman-costumer and was surrounded by men. The women at the cooperative even complained about how many cafes there were and how it has almost become impossible to walk through the plaza because they didn’t want to see and be seen by so many men. The cafe that is open to both men and women sits on top of the village and its terrasse is a view point on the small waterfall of Ain Leuh. But even this cafe and especially its terrasse is only frequented by teenagers and youngsters in their twenties. They usually come to meet each other or take advantage of the wireless internet network, well when there is internet in Ain Leuh…

The internet connexion might be one of the biggest issue facing the women at the cooperative. There are weeks when the whole village cannot access the internet. And when the internet is available, the women are reluctant to go into the cyber cafe, reserved for male teenagers mostly, or to cafes where young girls connect using smartphones, tablets or laptops. Two of the women have smartphones but 3G has not yet reached the village which means that uploading pictures online of their products is quasi-impossible. I am able to do this for the women during my weekly trips to the city but I wonder how long it will take for tele-communication companies to bring in reliable internet connexion to rural areas. I will not be here that much longer but let’s go back to our conversation about space.

There are different parks in Ain Leuh equipped with benches and even fountains. Even these are separate spaces, separate between men, women, elderly, youth, couples and even musicians. It only takes a walk through town to realize which park is reserved for men. It has a bright light under which the men play chess and petanque. There is a park where most women hang out while kids play together. The elderly usually hang out in this park too. If you walk a little further, where the trees prevent the light from reaching the sidewalk, you will notice some couples chatting in the evening. As dating is somewhat taboo, it is better to do it discretely far from where all the village dwellers hang out. And even further from there, in the soccer field of Ain Leuh, a group of young men hang out in the evening to play and practice their music.

Private space is also separated. Khdouj Ouchkak invited me to her brother’s house when his son had a baby. She wanted to show me the traditions of the region. In Ain Leuh, when a women has a baby, her family, friends and neighbors come to congratulate her. Did I mention that it is only female relatives, friends and neighbors who come? There were no adult men in the house. In fact, Khdouj’s nephew, who just had the baby, was sitting outside of the house talking to other men until everyone left.

I am not sure where I want to go with all of this or how I want to analyze these patterns. It seems that women tend to stay in closed spaces more than open ones. But as an outsider to the village, I had to notice the patterns and adapt to the segregation even though no one had ever asked me why or not I am here or there but the locals know where to go and where not to.

[content-builder]{“id”:1,”version”:”1.0.4″,”nextId”:3,”block”:”root”,”layout”:”12″,”childs”:[{“id”:”2″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”

Spaces of Ain Leuh<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
\n
\n\t
\n\t\t

$\"\"$
\nView of Ain Leuh from Cafe La Cascade (Waterfall Cafe)<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/td>\n\t<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Today, Youssef came in to the cooperative looking for me. Youssef is a young man from Ain Leuh who studies English at the university in Meknes, the closest major city to the village. He had approached me a few weeks earlier at the local coffee shop in Ain Leuh as I was trying to find a reliable internet connection. Youssef spoke to me in English thinking I was a foreigner. When I explained to him that I was Moroccan and an Advocacy Peace Fellow as Silvia was last year, he asked if we could still finish our conversation in English so that he could practice the language. He was eager to learn more about what I was doing and to speak in English.<\/p>\n\n

I had not seen him since then as Ramadan came about and the coffee shop closed during the holy month. As soon as Youssef entered the cooperative, Lhachmia asked him abruptly what he was doing there. He answered he was looking for me but after noticing that there were only women in the cooperative\u2019s atelier. He quickly apologized saying that this was probably not a good time and he left in a hurry. The women asked me if I knew him, and I said that I had met him in the coffeeshop earlier. Jamila jumped to inform the ladies who he was as she knew his older sister. The women started joking about how I had found a potential husband in Ain Leuh and then quickly moved on to talk about how the young generation does not respect any rules anymore. I looked at them a bit wary and said almost justifying myself: \u201cBut I only met him once, I don\u2019t know why he\u2019s here.\u201d But my relationship with him did not matter whatsoever to them, what they were talking about is a man entering a women\u2019s space without permission or real purpose.<\/p>\n\n

Space is very gendered in Morocco and even more so in Ain Leuh. The Ain Leuh Cooperative\u2019s premises are not only a space for the members to work in but it is a space where they socialize, where they talk about their problems, sorrows and good news. It is a space where they talk about everything from sex to politics. It is a space they consider theirs, where no man can interfere. As soon as they come in, most of the women take off their veils and some only wear sleeveless tanks, something they would never go out to the street wearing. The only men you can see regularly at the cooperative are Hassan, the association\u2019s treasurer, and Driss, Khadija Aabdi\u2019s husband. Hassan takes care of all the cooperative\u2019s correspondence as he can use a computer and can speak English. Khadija Aabdi and her family live in the cooperative\u2019s premises but Driss\u2019s hours are well known to the women at the cooperative, plus the family\u2019s living quarters are somewhat separate from where the women make their carpets. Both Hassan and Driss knock loudly on doors before coming in. The women occasionally get visitors, such as tour guides bringing in tourists or candidates for elections, but most of them call before they come and the women prepare themselves to have visitors. I have now been here for eight weeks and I can see see distinct patterns of how space is used and gendered, space is sometimes even reserved to different age groups.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n
\n\t
\n\t\t

$\"\"$
\nA woman running a small restaurant but most of her clientele are men<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/td>\n\t<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

For example, the main plaza in the village is surrounded by cafes that are mainly reserved for men. I happened to sit in one of those one to realized few minutes later that I probably was not supposed to as I was the only woman-costumer and was surrounded by men. The women at the cooperative even complained about how many cafes there were and how it has almost become impossible to walk through the plaza because they didn\u2019t want to see and be seen by so many men. The cafe that is open to both men and women sits on top of the village and its terrasse is a view point on the small waterfall of Ain Leuh. But even this cafe and especially its terrasse is only frequented by teenagers and youngsters in their twenties. They usually come to meet each other or take advantage of the wireless internet network, well when there is internet in Ain Leuh\u2026<\/p>\n\n

The internet connexion might be one of the biggest issue facing the women at the cooperative. There are weeks when the whole village cannot access the internet. And when the internet is available, the women are reluctant to go into the cyber cafe, reserved for male teenagers mostly, or to cafes where young girls connect using smartphones, tablets or laptops. Two of the women have smartphones but 3G has not yet reached the village which means that uploading pictures online of their products is quasi-impossible. I am able to do this for the women during my weekly trips to the city but I wonder how long it will take for tele-communication companies to bring in reliable internet connexion to rural areas. I will not be here that much longer but let\u2019s go back to our conversation about space.<\/p>\n\n

There are different parks in Ain Leuh equipped with benches and even fountains. Even these are separate spaces, separate between men, women, elderly, youth, couples and even musicians. It only takes a walk through town to realize which park is reserved for men. It has a bright light under which the men play chess and petanque. There is a park where most women hang out while kids play together. The elderly usually hang out in this park too. If you walk a little further, where the trees prevent the light from reaching the sidewalk, you will notice some couples chatting in the evening. As dating is somewhat taboo, it is better to do it discretely far from where all the village dwellers hang out. And even further from there, in the soccer field of Ain Leuh, a group of young men hang out in the evening to play and practice their music.<\/p>\n\n

Private space is also separated. Khdouj Ouchkak invited me to her brother\u2019s house when his son had a baby. She wanted to show me the traditions of the region. In Ain Leuh, when a women has a baby, her family, friends and neighbors come to congratulate her. Did I mention that it is only female relatives, friends and neighbors who come? There were no adult men in the house. In fact, Khdouj\u2019s nephew, who just had the baby, was sitting outside of the house talking to other men until everyone left.<\/p>\n\n

I am not sure where I want to go with all of this or how I want to analyze these patterns. It seems that women tend to stay in closed spaces more than open ones. But as an outsider to the village, I had to notice the patterns and adapt to the segregation even though no one had ever asked me why or not I am here or there but the locals know where to go and where not to.<\/p>“,”class”:””}]}[/content-builder]

Do We Expect Everything For Free?
2:49 pm Leave a Comment
Do We Expect Everything For Free

Khadija Ouchkak working on her latest Hanbel

I was having tea the other day with Khadija Ouchkak, the cooperative’s treasurer, when she asked me the following question: “Why doesn’t the government build homes for people instead of just building roads?” I paused for a moment and responded that maybe it was because houses were for private usage while roads are meant to be shared by the public.

I went home for lunch and started thinking about her question. I was asking myself why Khadija saw it the responsibility of the state to provide citizens with housing. I was thinking about how much the government had already given the cooperative. When Khadija and her peers started learning the art of carpet-making, the government was the one to provide them with training. Ain Leuh Weavers Cooperative was established in 1979 with the help of the government. It provided them with the premises to work in. The cooperative received training from the government on carpet making but also on management and accounting. Training sessions are regularly held in the region. In the eighties, the young women and girls who came to learn the craft at the cooperative received a monthly allowance of food staples, namely: wheat, sugar and cooking oil. This was a government program to encourage them to come and learn the craft. This way their parents would not keep them working in the fields. Working at the cooperative meant that they would later secure an income, benefit from literacy classes and receive staple foods. To this day, the cooperative still does not pay anything for the atelier and is exempt from taxes.

After all of this, I asked myself why Khadija had asked me that question. I also asked myself why it was that we thought so differently about the role of the state and its duty to its citizens. I grew up in an upper-class family in the city of Marrakech about 400 km southwest of Ain Leuh. My parents paid for my private education until I had reached the seventh grade when I integrated the public system. After a few years, I left Morocco to get a higher education in the United States and so on. For all those years and until today, my parents were the ones to provide for me. In my mind, I had never asked the state for anything … or maybe for some years of public schooling. And then I thought about my privilege. Yes, my PRIVILEGE. Privilege is something that we tend to forget when comparing our mindsets to others. I was privileged enough to be born and raised in a city with a booming economy relying on tourism and agriculture industry. I was privilege to be born to parents who were educated and cared very much about my education, who gave up so much so that I could achieve my dreams and are still giving.

My father works in tourism. I have known about Moroccan carpets ever since I could remember. I know they are expensive but I had no idea about how they appeared in shops in Marrakech ready to be bought by wealthy Moroccans and tourists alike. I did not know about the middle men who bought them cheaply from women like Khadija to sell them for the double or triple of the price they gave to women like Khadija.

Yarn sold at the local weekly market

I also did not take into consideration how the government, while still helping these women, had stripped their land of its economic machine when it decided to move wool production to coastal cities. Farmers in the region saw themselves obliged to sell raw wool to big factories in Casablanca, for example, who would turn into yarn in an industrial process. The farmers and women who made carpets then lost their primary material. They now had to make long trips to the economic capital to buy their wool or depend on low quality one that is available in the weekly markets. They lost the production of what makes their carpets. They also have to send their carpets to be sold in the cities. Women of the cooperative and others alike, are the main holders of carpet making knowledge, yet with the modernization of the economy makes them just another link in the production chain. I can also talk about globalization and how cheaper it is now for the average Moroccan to buy a carpet made in China in huge factories than to buy a local one that probably took a woman about two months to make, but that would be a whole new conversations.

Now I can better understand Khadija’s point of view. Since the government could take away one of their primordial money-makers, it had to provide them with some livelihood essentials.

[content-builder]{“id”:1,”version”:”1.0.4″,”nextId”:3,”block”:”root”,”layout”:”12″,”childs”:[{“id”:”2″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”

Do We Expect Everything For Free<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
\n
\n\t
\n\t\t

$\"\"$
\nKhadija Ouchkak working on her latest Hanbel<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/td>\n\t<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

I was having tea the other day with Khadija Ouchkak, the cooperative\u2019s treasurer, when she asked me the following question: \u201cWhy doesn\u2019t the government build homes for people instead of just building roads?\u201d I paused for a moment and responded that maybe it was because houses were for private usage while roads are meant to be shared by the public.<\/p>\n\n

I went home for lunch and started thinking about her question. I was asking myself why Khadija saw it the responsibility of the state to provide citizens with housing. I was thinking about how much the government had already given the cooperative. When Khadija and her peers started learning the art of carpet-making, the government was the one to provide them with training. Ain Leuh Weavers Cooperative was established in 1979 with the help of the government. It provided them with the premises to work in. The cooperative received training from the government on carpet making but also on management and accounting. Training sessions are regularly held in the region. In the eighties, the young women and girls who came to learn the craft at the cooperative received a monthly allowance of food staples, namely: wheat, sugar and cooking oil. This was a government program to encourage them to come and learn the craft. This way their parents would not keep them working in the fields. Working at the cooperative meant that they would later secure an income, benefit from literacy classes and receive staple foods. To this day, the cooperative still does not pay anything for the atelier and is exempt from taxes.<\/p>\n\n

After all of this, I asked myself why Khadija had asked me that question. I also asked myself why it was that we thought so differently about the role of the state and its duty to its citizens. I grew up in an upper-class family in the city of Marrakech about 400 km southwest of Ain Leuh. My parents paid for my private education until I had reached the seventh grade when I integrated the public system. After a few years, I left Morocco to get a higher education in the United States and so on. For all those years and until today, my parents were the ones to provide for me. In my mind, I had never asked the state for anything \u2026 or maybe for some years of public schooling. And then I thought about my privilege. Yes, my PRIVILEGE. Privilege is something that we tend to forget when comparing our mindsets to others. I was privileged enough to be born and raised in a city with a booming economy relying on tourism and agriculture industry. I was privilege to be born to parents who were educated and cared very much about my education, who gave up so much so that I could achieve my dreams and are still giving.<\/p>\n\n

My father works in tourism. I have known about Moroccan carpets ever since I could remember. I know they are expensive but I had no idea about how they appeared in shops in Marrakech ready to be bought by wealthy Moroccans and tourists alike. I did not know about the middle men who bought them cheaply from women like Khadija to sell them for the double or triple of the price they gave to women like Khadija.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n
\n\t
\n\t\t

$\"\"$
\nYarn sold at the local weekly market<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/td>\n\t<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

I also did not take into consideration how the government, while still helping these women, had stripped their land of its economic machine when it decided to move wool production to coastal cities. Farmers in the region saw themselves obliged to sell raw wool to big factories in Casablanca, for example, who would turn into yarn in an industrial process. The farmers and women who made carpets then lost their primary material. They now had to make long trips to the economic capital to buy their wool or depend on low quality one that is available in the weekly markets. They lost the production of what makes their carpets. They also have to send their carpets to be sold in the cities. Women of the cooperative and others alike, are the main holders of carpet making knowledge, yet with the modernization of the economy makes them just another link in the production chain. I can also talk about globalization and how cheaper it is now for the average Moroccan to buy a carpet made in China in huge factories than to buy a local one that probably took a woman about two months to make, but that would be a whole new conversations.<\/p>\n\n

Now I can better understand Khadija\u2019s point of view. Since the government could take away one of their primordial money-makers, it had to provide them with some livelihood essentials.<\/p>“,”class”:””}]}[/content-builder]

Let’s Dance!
2:05 pm Leave a Comment
Let’s Dance!

A picture of an Ahidous performance where women are lining up in front of men and are going around while maintaining the same distance between the rows and always staying aligned

This must have been one of the most eventful summer weekends in Ain Leuh. For the past fifteen years, this small village at the foot of the Middle Atlas mountain range has been hosting the National Ahidous Festival. Ahidous is a traditional musical and dance art form very popular among the Amazigh population of the Middle and High Atlas. Women and men stand side by side to form flexible and undulating circles accompanied by singing and punctuated by the traditional round drum called ‘Bendir’.

Ahidous is known to be the favorite entertainment of the Amazigh people of central Morocco and their most complete and alive means of expression. Ahidous is danced in all kinds of celebrations and during the summer, after the harvest, it is danced every night in the villages. The dancers form a circle, a semicircle or two rows facing each other, men in one row and women in the other. Some alternate between men and women, they stand closely packed, shoulder against shoulder to form a block. The dance is punctuated by a tambourine and hand clapping. The movement is collective. It is a trampling, an earthquake that travels, interspersed by large waves such as the image of the wind on wheat fields. Their togetherness and ease demonstrate a remarkable sense of rhythm.

Sometimes, they are lead by a Maallem or master who acts as an orchestra conductor. Moha Oulhoussein Achiban must be the most famous Ahidous conductor in Morocco and the world. He was nicknamed the “Maestro” by Ronald Reagan. When mentioning Moha, it is important to also talk about the political role of Ahidous. This traditional dance form relies heavily on poetry. In the past, when conflict rose between tribes or villages, it was settled through Ahidous. The opponents would basically dance off and enter a poetic competition to resolve their different. Thus Ahidous was a resolution conflict method. In fact, it is still used as a political tool. The group who inaugurated the festival made it a point to sing a poem in Darija, the Moroccan Arabic dialect, and not in the Amazigh language as different officials and ministers were present. As communal and regional elections are coming in September, the poet chose to sing about the meaning of democracy, citizenship and the dangers of corruption while warning officials and counseling fellow citizens.

As for the Ain Leuh Women’s Cooperative, the women were so overwhelmed that they decided to take the three days of the festival off. Ain Leuh’s population quadruples during the Ahidous festival. The women’s relatives came for the duration of the festival and the women had to take care of their guests. Khdouj Ouchkak’s was so full of guests that some of them slept in a tent on the rooftop. Even I had guests during the festival, three of my family members came for the festival. My family and I had actually never seen an Ahidous performance live but only on TV. So we took advantage of the event.

My mother and aunt standing among the Ahidous troupe from Guercif, about 285 kilometers North-East of Ain Leuh

On the first day of the festival we went around the village. There were 37 troupes participating in the Festival from different cities and villages around the Atlas Mountains. They all set up traditional Amazigh tents, Khaima, where they served food and played music for the public during the day before the performances on stage started in the evening. Each music troupe had their name and where they came from written on their tent, some of them arranged the space inside with carpets and sofas as in traditional Moroccan living rooms, others had chairs and tables to host the public.

The festival was also a chance for people to sell and buy goods. On the sides of the main road of Ain Leuh, vendors set up to sell all kinds of goods. Some of them were selling clothes and others cooking utensils. Some came from other regions to sell their weaves and others all the way from other countries to sell jewelry. Food vendors were gathered in a section of the village close to a water source. The festival acts as an annual gathering where people share goods, ideas, where they dance, sing, laugh and share moments. It also creates economic opportunities for the people of the village as they rent out rooms for visitors, sell food and also are able to buy goods from different vendors.

The festival lasted for three days. Three days during which the sound of drums never stopped. Three days during which people were celebrating, dancing and singing even when it started raining on the second day. However, on Tuesday, after the end and when the cooperative reopened, the ladies were happy that the calm was restored in the village.

[content-builder]{“id”:1,”version”:”1.0.4″,”nextId”:3,”block”:”root”,”layout”:”12″,”childs”:[{“id”:”2″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”

Let’s Dance!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\n
\n\t
\n\t\t

$\"\"$
\nA picture of an Ahidous performance where women are lining up in front of men and are going around while maintaining the same distance between the rows and always staying aligned<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/td>\n\t<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

This must have been one of the most eventful summer weekends in Ain Leuh. For the past fifteen years, this small village at the foot of the Middle Atlas mountain range has been hosting the National Ahidous Festival. Ahidous is a traditional musical and dance art form very popular among the Amazigh population of the Middle and High Atlas. Women and men stand side by side to form flexible and undulating circles accompanied by singing and punctuated by the traditional round drum called \u2018Bendir’.<\/p>\n\n

Ahidous is known to be the favorite entertainment of the Amazigh people of central Morocco and their most complete and alive means of expression. Ahidous is danced in all kinds of celebrations and during the summer, after the harvest, it is danced every night in the villages. The dancers form a circle, a semicircle or two rows facing each other, men in one row and women in the other. Some alternate between men and women, they stand closely packed, shoulder against shoulder to form a block. The dance is punctuated by a tambourine and hand clapping. The movement is collective. It is a trampling, an earthquake that travels, interspersed by large waves such as the image of the wind on wheat fields. Their togetherness and ease demonstrate a remarkable sense of rhythm.<\/p>\n\n

Sometimes, they are lead by a Maallem or master who acts as an orchestra conductor. Moha Oulhoussein Achiban must be the most famous Ahidous conductor in Morocco and the world. He was nicknamed the \u201cMaestro\u201d by Ronald Reagan. When mentioning Moha, it is important to also talk about the political role of Ahidous. This traditional dance form relies heavily on poetry. In the past, when conflict rose between tribes or villages, it was settled through Ahidous. The opponents would basically dance off and enter a poetic competition to resolve their different. Thus Ahidous was a resolution conflict method. In fact, it is still used as a political tool. The group who inaugurated the festival made it a point to sing a poem in Darija, the Moroccan Arabic dialect, and not in the Amazigh language as different officials and ministers were present. As communal and regional elections are coming in September, the poet chose to sing about the meaning of democracy, citizenship and the dangers of corruption while warning officials and counseling fellow citizens.<\/p>\n\n

As for the Ain Leuh Women\u2019s Cooperative, the women were so overwhelmed that they decided to take the three days of the festival off. Ain Leuh\u2019s population quadruples during the Ahidous festival. The women\u2019s relatives came for the duration of the festival and the women had to take care of their guests. Khdouj Ouchkak\u2019s was so full of guests that some of them slept in a tent on the rooftop. Even I had guests during the festival, three of my family members came for the festival. My family and I had actually never seen an Ahidous performance live but only on TV. So we took advantage of the event.<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n\t
\n\t\t

$\"\"$
\nMy mother and aunt standing among the Ahidous troupe from Guercif, about 285 kilometers North-East of Ain Leuh<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/td>\n\t<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

On the first day of the festival we went around the village. There were 37 troupes participating in the Festival from different cities and villages around the Atlas Mountains. They all set up traditional Amazigh tents, Khaima, where they served food and played music for the public during the day before the performances on stage started in the evening. Each music troupe had their name and where they came from written on their tent, some of them arranged the space inside with carpets and sofas as in traditional Moroccan living rooms, others had chairs and tables to host the public.<\/p>\n\n

The festival was also a chance for people to sell and buy goods. On the sides of the main road of Ain Leuh, vendors set up to sell all kinds of goods. Some of them were selling clothes and others cooking utensils. Some came from other regions to sell their weaves and others all the way from other countries to sell jewelry. Food vendors were gathered in a section of the village close to a water source. The festival acts as an annual gathering where people share goods, ideas, where they dance, sing, laugh and share moments. It also creates economic opportunities for the people of the village as they rent out rooms for visitors, sell food and also are able to buy goods from different vendors. <\/p>\n\n

The festival lasted for three days. Three days during which the sound of drums never stopped. Three days during which people were celebrating, dancing and singing even when it started raining on the second day. However, on Tuesday, after the end and when the cooperative reopened, the ladies were happy that the calm was restored in the village.<\/p>“,”class”:””}]}[/content-builder]

Elections: Democracy and Culture
1:45 pm Leave a Comment
Elections: Democracy and Culture

At the Ain Leuh Weavers Cooperative, candidates started showing up as early as late June leading their campaigns for the professional elections to be held on the 7th of August, 2015.The first meetings were held for the candidates to listen to what the women had to say and to try to address their concerns. These candidates are to represent different carftsmen and craftswomen in the local Chamber of Artisans.

The first meeting with a candidate was held on June 28th. The candidate, Hdan, came with two other people: a woman who was helping him with his campaign and who happens to be the president of the regional association for beauticians, and a representative of the Rassemblement National des Indepedents (The National Rally of Independents), a rather prominent political party in Morocco.

They sat in a circle with the women and the conversation started with certain formalities such as checking how many women are registered with the cooperative, double-checking names and ID numbers. Then, the conversation moved on to the importance of equality between men and women and the role women play in developing and keeping alive the traditional crafts industry.

I couldn’t help but notice however how the equality discourse still put masculinity over femininity. I remember the candidate addressing the ladies and saying that “you are men not just women anymore, you can work just as men do…”.

The conversation was often going in two different directions, maybe even opposite ones. It seemed as neither side was listening to the other.

When the candidate was speaking about capacity building, the members of the Ain Leuh Weavers Cooperative were upbraiding him for only coming to visit when it was time for elections. And when the women were voicing their concerns about a decline in sales or the deterioration of their atelier, the candidate was asking them to join his party using terms to advocate the party such as futurist look on the industry. The women hosted the candidate in the cooperative for a good two hours and upon him leaving, they started their own conversation.

Most of them were already set on who they were to elect. It was candidate of the Parti Authenticite et Modernity (Authenticity and Modernity Party). The ladies know him personally and have told me how he has helped them many times in the past even when he was not in office. He ran in the previous elections and the women praised him for being present for the past five or six years even when not elected.

In Morocco, every 6 years, elections are held to elect the members of the Counsel and of offices of different professional chambers (commerce, industry & services, agriculture, artisans & maritime fishing.) There are 12 Chambers of Artisans throughout the Kingdom. Candidates can affiliate themselves to the different political parties who have instituted parallel organizations to assist small-business owners, artisans and traders in their journeying. These professional chambers are meant to be bridging institutions that build the capacity of economic operators, artisans in this case, and enable them to support their projects vis-a-vis political, legislative and consultative institutions.

The women did not pay so much attention to which political party the candidate was part of. They knew the name and the symbol of the party but did not necessarily care for what the party stands for since they cared more about the relationship they held with the candidate. Some political parties are aware of these personal relationships that are very important in Moroccan society. And rather than sending out their own candidates when elections approach, they choose candidates who already hold these strong relations with their entourage and try to win them over to join their respective party. This entourage will become their constituency once they present their candidature to elections.

The women discuss the events of the election day after casting their votes

In fact, professional chambers are often used as a stepping stone for the economic elite to access elective office, in particular the Chamber of Representatives of the national parliament through their arranged communication networks. When in theory , these institutions are to achieve what economic operators cannot achieve individually, thanks to their presence in the Chamber of Representatives, in prefetural and provincial boards, administrative boards of a number of institutions…, and their prerogatives.

What is interesting here is how imbued democracy is by local culture and customs. You can introduce an electoral system but this does not mean that citizens will vote for candidates because of the vision they hold or the values and promises of a given party, they will vote for the ones they personally know and think can serve their interest. The old ways will not go away, they will rather be institutionalized.

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Elections: Democracy and Culture <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

At the Ain Leuh Weavers Cooperative, candidates started showing up as early as late June leading their campaigns for the professional elections to be held on the 7th of August, 2015.The first meetings were held for the candidates to listen to what the women had to say and to try to address their concerns. These candidates are to represent different carftsmen and craftswomen in the local Chamber of Artisans.<\/p>\n\n

The first meeting with a candidate was held on June 28th. The candidate, Hdan, came with two other people: a woman who was helping him with his campaign and who happens to be the president of the regional association for beauticians, and a representative of the Rassemblement National des Indepedents (The National Rally of Independents), a rather prominent political party in Morocco.<\/p>\n\n

They sat in a circle with the women and the conversation started with certain formalities such as checking how many women are registered with the cooperative, double-checking names and ID numbers. Then, the conversation moved on to the importance of equality between men and women and the role women play in developing and keeping alive the traditional crafts industry. <\/p>\n\n

I couldn’t help but notice however how the equality discourse still put masculinity over femininity. I remember the candidate addressing the ladies and saying that \u201cyou are men not just women anymore, you can work just as men do…\u201d.<\/p>\n\n

The conversation was often going in two different directions, maybe even opposite ones. It seemed as neither side was listening to the other.<\/p>\n\n

When the candidate was speaking about capacity building, the members of the Ain Leuh Weavers Cooperative were upbraiding him for only coming to visit when it was time for elections. And when the women were voicing their concerns about a decline in sales or the deterioration of their atelier, the candidate was asking them to join his party using terms to advocate the party such as futurist look on the industry. The women hosted the candidate in the cooperative for a good two hours and upon him leaving, they started their own conversation.
\n<\/p>\n\n

Most of them were already set on who they were to elect. It was candidate of the Parti Authenticite et Modernity (Authenticity and Modernity Party). The ladies know him personally and have told me how he has helped them many times in the past even when he was not in office. He ran in the previous elections and the women praised him for being present for the past five or six years even when not elected.<\/p>\n\n

In Morocco, every 6 years, elections are held to elect the members of the Counsel and of offices of different professional chambers (commerce, industry & services, agriculture, artisans & maritime fishing.) There are 12 Chambers of Artisans throughout the Kingdom. Candidates can affiliate themselves to the different political parties who have instituted parallel organizations to assist small-business owners, artisans and traders in their journeying. These professional chambers are meant to be bridging institutions that build the capacity of economic operators, artisans in this case, and enable them to support their projects vis-a-vis political, legislative and consultative institutions.<\/p>\n\n

The women did not pay so much attention to which political party the candidate was part of. They knew the name and the symbol of the party but did not necessarily care for what the party stands for since they cared more about the relationship they held with the candidate. Some political parties are aware of these personal relationships that are very important in Moroccan society. And rather than sending out their own candidates when elections approach, they choose candidates who already hold these strong relations with their entourage and try to win them over to join their respective party. This entourage will become their constituency once they present their candidature to elections.<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n\t
\n\t\t

$\"\"$
\nThe women discuss the events of the election day after casting their votes<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/td>\n\t<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

In fact, professional chambers are often used as a stepping stone for the economic elite to access elective office, in particular the Chamber of Representatives of the national parliament through their arranged communication networks. When in theory , these institutions are to achieve what economic operators cannot achieve individually, thanks to their presence in the Chamber of Representatives, in prefetural and provincial boards, administrative boards of a number of institutions…, and their prerogatives.<\/p>\n\n

What is interesting here is how imbued democracy is by local culture and customs. You can introduce an electoral system but this does not mean that citizens will vote for candidates because of the vision they hold or the values and promises of a given party, they will vote for the ones they personally know and think can serve their interest. The old ways will not go away, they will rather be institutionalized. <\/p>“,”class”:””}]}[/content-builder]

The Miracle of Shea Butter
October 4, 2015 3:23 pm 225 Comments
I recently visited Kayo, a village about an hour and a half outside of Bamako in Koulikoro region with AP director Iain Guest, Zivik partner Valentin Wasilew, and Sini Sanuman president Siaka Traore. The purpose of our visit was to see how shea butter, a key ingredient in one of our soaps and a popular skin and hair product, is produced. Koulikoro used to be home to a large soap factory, and Siaka grew up there and many of his family members and neigbours are in the shea butter business.

We met a group of women who were eager to show us the process from beginning to end. The Shea fruit trees (or Kariteurs) found in the village belong to the whole village and no one is allowed to cut them down. When the fruit fall at the beginning of the rainy season, anyone can collect it. Almost all of the women in the village make shea butter, as it is one of the few income-generating opportunities available in Kayo.

Shea Nuts

After collecting the pits/seeds of the fallen fruit, they are stored in a hole where they are eventually heated. We were able to watch one of the women break the husk off the nuts using a rock. The next step is to put the nuts through a machine that turns them into a reddish-brown paste. For this step, the women have to walk a few kilometers to Koulikoro town, as there is no machine in the village.

Breaking the husk off the nuts

The women then dilute the paste with water and mix and beat it with their hands until it becomes lighter in colour. This takes about two hours and uses the whole body. After some thorough mixing, they add more water and the white butter rises to the top of the container. They then collect the butter in a separate container.

Mixing and beating the paste

Collecting butter that has formed on top

Finally, they heat the butter on the fire and extract the oil. The oil is then allowed to sit overnight until it solidifies. I took home some oil and was able to see it gradually solidify and change color.

The women we visited are part of a group of 40 women. In a season, each woman has five to ten productions, but they help each other. While the older women collect the nuts, the younger women mix and beat the paste.

Monitoring Vandalism
September 21, 2015 12:12 pm Leave a Comment
It’s been a few weeks since I returned from Uganda. Looking back on the fellowship, it was a life-changing experience. I made many friends and grew a lot both as a professional and on a personal level.

I’ve been in touch with GDPU still. I left feeling like my time with them was too short, but it is good to stay in communication and help them remotely. I put Simon in touch with a Program Officer from the Open Society Foundation, and I was hoping they would meet up in person shortly after I left. Unfortunately, things have come up to delay that meeting, once when Simon went to Kampala, and again when Boaz, the OSF Program Officer, came up to Gulu. They have plans to meet September 25 to discuss scaling up the program so I am hopeful that it turns into something.

In the meantime, Simon has been making site visits to Tochi for GDPU according to our monitoring schedule that we built. He will be making these visits twice per month until November to see how things are progressing into the new school term. In his last visit, he reported a major issue that we had been worrying about, vandalism of the toilet.

There had been some reports from teachers about people from the neighboring community using an illegal pathway which cuts through Tochi school grounds. Some teachers who live on the school’s land saw people loitering around the toilet at night. We were afraid they would do something, but since we couldn’t identify their motives, we waited to see how things played out.

Despite having multiple local officials and community leaders speak out against vandalism at the Opening Day festival and giving the project their blessing, the issue still persists. Simon found that they had destroyed the tap to the water tank. They were not able to cause much more damage, due to the safeguards we built, but they still have caused us headaches.

Prevention now seems the only way to move forward. It will be a challenge but Simon, GDPU, Tochi, and AP must work together to find a trustworthy security guard that can be hired to protect the facility for a few months. We need to develop some deterrence and build a live-fence to block off the pathway. It is the only way to protect the facility.

Meet Sini Sanuman’s Outreach Coordinator: Mariam Seck
September 15, 2015 5:43 pm Leave a Comment
Sini Sanuaman’s outreach coordinator, Mariam Seck, has always been passionate about the rights of women and children. She has been working for the organization since 2009. Initially a community outreach worker, her role quickly grew as she also began to train other outreach workers, community leaders, groups of women and youth, and people involved in civil protection such as policeman on communication, excision, reproductive health, violence against women and children, and human rights.

With the outbreak of the political and security crisis in 2012, and the expansion of Sini Sanuman’s work into empowering survivors of armed gender based violence and displacement, Mariam became the lead on all rape cases.

With a background in sociology and anthropology, Mariam has always cared about issues in society and finding solutions to them. When she completed her Master’s in 2004, she wrote her thesis on the obstacles women face to participating in public, political, and economic life in Mali, looking particularly at the case of Bamako’s commune 2.

An eager researcher, during and after her studies, she conducted surveys or inquiries on violence against women, malaria in children, and sanitation and rubbish collection in Bamako. She believes learning does not have to stop after school and she continues to teach herself more about the rights and health of women by reading, using the internet, and speaking to people, such as doctors.

Mariam Seck speaking about sexual and reproductive organs and rape at the Sini Sanuman Center

Mariam is passionate about the rights of women and children because she believes that they suffer the most. Children are important for the future and development of the nation; if they are not educated they are at risk of becoming delinquents or thieves. Yet in the large families common to Mali not all of the children are able to eat well, let alone go to school.

According to her, women do not have the right to speak up and are not represented in politics. They work very hard all day, going to the market in the morning, going home in the afternoon to cook, and then taking care of children. However, they only make a little bit of money, which they spend on feeding the family. Girls get pulled out of school to get married, and as a result they are illiterate and cannot read their children’s medicines or get office jobs.

Prior to joining Sini Sanuman, she worked with World Education on the rights of girls and boys to go to school. And when the opportunity to work with Sini Sanuman arose, she looked forward to working on issues like excision and sexual and reproductive health. Sexual health is a topic that is not discussed in Malian society, and so she thinks it is important to educate and sensitize people about it.

Traditional Dance and the Local Music Scene
September 14, 2015 6:21 pm Leave a Comment
One Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago, I drove to Nafadji, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Bamako, with my housemate and her husband to check out a dance troupe. I had previously mentioned to my housemate that I was interested in taking a traditional Malian dance class.

With so many different ethnic groups, Mali had many different styles of music, a keen interest in daily articles about country music and life, and dance. This group’s style of dance turned out to be exactly what I was looking for – Mande music and dance. The Mande people (which includes the Bamana, Mandinka, and Maninka groups) make up 50% of the Malian population.

When speaking with the leader, Djibi, at the end of the session, I learned that he knew a man I had taken Malian dance classes with in Boston, Joh. In fact, his father, a prominent dancer, was the one who first took Joh to Boston. It is a small world indeed!

We have been dancing for a couple weeks now, and so far we have learned three dances – Tansole (a djembe rhythm), Madan (a djembe song and dance), and Soungouroubani, (soungourouba is a young girl who has reached adolescence, and soungouroubani is when the men in the village go looking for girls to celebrate them and dance with them).

Tansole

All three are very high in energy with lots of fast footwork and shoulder/chest movement. It is very different from traditional dance in Botswana, borankana, which is mostly footwork and does not involve the upper body much.

In the past few weeks I have also been to a few live music shows, most recently to see Sidi Toure and his band. Sidi Toure is a Sonrhrai guitarist and singer from Gao, in Northern Mali.The Sonrhai make up 6% of the population. His sound is very distinctive and reminiscent of the African Americans blues sound popularized by Tomboctou born musician Ali Farka Toure. In fact, the blues is said to be derived from traditional Sonrhai music.

Sidi Toure, Photo: NPR (Jonathan Crawford)

I have also seen Sadio Sidibe, a female singer, dancer, and choreographer influenced by the griot tradition and the popular Wassoulou singer Oumou Sangare. Wassoulou music is mostly performed by women and its lyrics tend to explore topics such as childbearing, fertility, and polygamy. It is usually accompanied by the djembe drum, kamale ngoni (lute), and other instruments. It originates from the Wassoulou region, mostly populated by Bamana people.

Sadio Sidibe, Photo: mixetmetisse.com

I look forward to learning more about this country’s rich musical culture. Stay tuned to hear more about how dance classes are going!

Filling Out the Project Management Professional (PMP) Application
August 25, 2015 6:36 am Leave a Comment
If taking thе Project Management Prоfеѕѕіоnаl еxаm is a consideration in thе nеаr future thеn whаt іѕ needed tо рrераrе for іt? It іѕ rесоmmеndеd to fіrѕt оf аll peruse thе рrоjесt management іnѕtіtutеѕ (PMI)® wеbѕіtе аnd gеt fаmіlіаr wіth thе rеԛuіrеmеntѕ еxрlісіtlу ѕtаtеd tо take the exam. Thе PMP® іѕ an еxtеnѕіvе рrосеѕѕ that rеԛuіrеѕ lot оf fосuѕ and іndіvіduаl еnеrgу. From аррlісаtіоn tо passing thе PMP® can take frоm a few wееkѕ tо ѕеvеrаl mоnthѕ іn рrераrаtіоn. It is not a process tо bе tаkеn lіghtlу if ѕіnсеrіtу fоllоwѕ actions. Ensure enough рrоjесt mаnаgеmеnt hours have bееn оbtаіnеd thrоugh work experience аnd еduсаtіоn. A gооd rule of thumb іѕ to document project еxреrіеnсе hоurѕ gаіnеd wіthіn thе lаѕt 8 уеаrѕ аnу experience bеуоnd that саn bе рlасеd оn аррlісаtіоn but сrеdіt nоt gіvеn toward thе required аmоunt оf hours nееdеd tо take thе PMP® exam. Eduсаtіоn еxреrіеnсе muѕt bе dосumеntеd within the lаѕt 3 уеаrѕ.

Nеxt would bе tо fіll out thе Prоjесt Mаnаgеmеnt Professional credential аррlісаtіоn whісh іѕ online frоm thе PMI’ѕ wеbѕіtе. Bеfоrе fіllіng out the application gеt a worksheet to assist. The wоrkѕhееt similar tо the wоrkѕhееt соmрlеtеd whеn fіllіng out tax forms іѕ a ѕtаndаrd hеlр. Gаthеr аll dосumеntѕ and соntасt dеtаіlѕ іn аdvаnсе to рrеvеnt searching аnd gеttіng оff tаѕk. The fоllоwіng dосumеntѕ аnd evidence nееd to bе handy when fіllіng out the аррlісаtіоn wоrkѕhееt. Lосаtе name аnd соntасt dеtаіlѕ оf a mаnаgеrѕ оr ѕеnіоr colleague thаt саn verify еxреrіеnсе. Onе of the mаіn details to capture is thе nаmе, email аnd рhоnе numbеr аnd description of асtuаl project to dосumеnt on аррlісаtіоn. Knоw thе ѕtаrt аnd еnd dаtеѕ of рrоjесtѕ thаt hаvе been wоrkеd find data in соmраnу rесоrdѕ іn аdvаnсе bеfоrе filling іn thе wоrkѕhееtѕ. Click here to download pmp application examples pdf.

The рrоjесt іnfоrmаtіоn is broken down іntо the рrоjесt management рrосеѕѕ groups оr the рrоjесt life cycle. Once thе information іѕ brоkеn dоwn іt іѕ furthеr dесоmроѕеd into ԛuеѕtіоnѕ rеlаtеd to how thе PMI® thеоrу wаѕ аррlіеd tо thе асtuаl рrоjесt. The рrосеѕѕ grоuрѕ іntеrrоgаtеd іnсludе іnіtіаtіng, рlаnnіng, еxесutіng, mоnіtоrіng and controlling and сlоѕіng. Prоjесt mаnаgеrѕ реrfоrm these tаѕkѕ on рrоjесtѕ tо mаnаgе them ѕuссеѕѕfullу. The fоllоwіng breakdown оf questions аrе аѕkеd оn thе аррlісаtіоn аnd thе hоurѕ ѕреnd оn еасh tаѕk durіng thе project muѕt bе fіllеd іn.

The fіrѕt ѕеt of ԛuеѕtіоnѕ dеаl wіth initiating a project and the number of hоurѕ ѕреnd оn performing the tаѕkѕ on a рrоjесt.
• Cоnduсt project selection mеthоdѕ tо еvаluаtе thе fеаѕіbіlіtу of nеw рrоduсtѕ оr services
• Idеntіfу kеу stakeholders and реrfоrm аnаlуѕіѕ tо gаіn buу-іn аnd rеԛuіrеmеntѕ fоr thе success оf the project.
• Dеfіnе the ѕсоре оf thе рrоjесt based оn the organization nееd tо meet thе customer рrоjесt еxресtаtіоnѕ.
• Develop the рrоjесt charter аnd rеvіеw іt with kеу ѕtаkеhоldеrѕ to confirm project ѕсоре, rіѕkѕ, іѕѕuеѕ, аѕѕumрtіоnѕ аnd соnѕtrаіntѕ аѕ wеll аѕ obtain project сhаrtеr approval frоm the project sponsor.
• Idеntіfу and dосumеnt hіgh lеvеl rіѕkѕ, аѕѕumрtіоnѕ and соnѕtrаіntѕ uѕіng hіѕtоrісаl dаtа and expert judgment.

Thе second ѕеt оf ԛuеѕtіоnѕ dеаl with planning a рrоjесt. Quеѕtіоnѕ thаt аlіgn with рlаnnіng a рrоjесt are саtеgоrіzеd as ԛuеѕtіоnѕ аnd thе hours оf tіmе spent fоr еасh tаѕk documented according to thеѕе саtеgоrіеѕ.
• Identify key рrоjесt tеаm mеmbеrѕ аnd dеfіnе rоlеѕ аnd rеѕроnѕіbіlіtіеѕ to сrеаtе a project оrgаnіzаtіоn structure to dеvеlор a соmmunісаtіоn рlаn.
• Crеаtе thе work breakdown structure wіth thе tеаm tо develop thе соѕt, schedule, resource, ԛuаlіtу аnd рrосurеmеnt plans.
• Idеntіfу рrоjесt risks tо dеfіnе risk strategies аnd develop the rіѕk mаnаgеmеnt рlаn
• Obtаіn рrоjесt рlаn аррrоvаl frоm the сuѕtоmеr аnd conduct a kісk off mееtіng with аll kеу ѕtаkеhоldеrѕ.
• Define аnd record dеtаіl project requirements, соnѕtrаіntѕ аnd assumptions with the stakeholders tо establish thе рrоjесt dеlіvеrаblеѕ.
• Dеvеlор thе сhаngе mаnаgеmеnt рlаn tо define how changes wіll bе hаndlеd tо mаnаgе thе trірlе соnѕtrаіntѕ.

Thе thіrd ѕеt of ԛuеѕtіоnѕ dеаl wіth executing thе project.
• Mаnаgе рrоасtіvеlу thе rеѕоurсе аllосаtіоn by ensuring that appropriate rеѕоurсеѕ аnd tools аrе аѕѕіgnеd to thе tаѕkѕ according tо thе project рlаn.
• Exесutе the tаѕkѕ dеfіnеd іn thе рrоjесt рlаn іn оrdеr tо асhіеvе thе рrоjесt gоаlѕ.
• Enѕurе a common understanding and ѕеt еxресtаtіоnѕ thrоugh соmmunісаtіоn to align thе ѕtаkеhоldеrѕ and tеаm members.
• Imрrоvе tеаm performance by building team соhеѕіvеnеѕѕ, lеаdіng, mentoring, trаіnіng, аnd mоtіvаtіng іn order tо fасіlіtаtе соореrаtіоn, ensure рrоjесt еffісіеnсу and bооѕt morale.
• Imрlеmеnt a ԛuаlіtу mаnаgеmеnt plan to еnѕurе thаt work is bеіng реrfоrmеd ассоrdіng tо required quality ѕtаndаrdѕ.
• Imрlеmеnt аррrоvеd сhаngеѕ according to thе Change Mаnаgеmеnt Plаn.
• Obtain рrоjесt resources іn ассоrdаnсе with a рrосurеmеnt рlаn.
• Imрlеmеnt the аррrоvеd actions and wоrkаrоundѕ rеԛuіrеd tо mіnіmіzе thе іmрасt оf рrоjесt rіѕkѕ.

The fourth ѕеt оf ԛuеѕtіоnѕ deal wіth mоnіtоrіng аnd соntrоllіng thе рrоjесt.
• Mеаѕurе рrоjесt реrfоrmаnсе uѕіng аррrорrіаtе tооlѕ аnd tесhnіԛuеѕ.
• Vеrіfу аnd mаnаgе сhаngеѕ tо the рrоjесt ѕсоре, project schedule аnd рrоjесt соѕtѕ as dеfіnеd іn the сhаngе management рlаn.
• Mоnіtоr the status of аll іdеntіfіеd risks, іdеntіfу any nеw rіѕkѕ, tаkе corrective асtіоnѕ аnd update thе rіѕk rеѕроnѕе plan.
• Enѕurе thе рrоjесt dеlіvеrаblеѕ соnfоrm tо quality ѕtаndаrdѕ еѕtаblіѕhеd іn thе рrоjесt quality рlаn.

The fіfth ѕеt оf questions dеаl with сlоѕіng a рrоjесt
• Fоrmаlіzе and оbtаіn fіnаl acceptance fоr thе рrоjесt.
• Identify, dосumеnt and соmmunісаtе lеѕѕоnѕ lеаrnеd.
• Arсhіvе and retain рrоjесt rесоrdѕ, historical information аnd dосumеntѕ (е.g., рrоjесt ѕсhеdulе, project plan, lessons lеаrnеd, ѕurvеуѕ, rіѕk аnd іѕѕuеѕ logs, еtс.) іn order tо rеtаіn оrgаnіzаtіоnаl knоwlеdgе, соmрlу wіth ѕtаtutоrу rеԛuіrеmеntѕ, аnd ensure availability оf data for potential uѕе in futurе рrоjесtѕ and internal/external audits.
• Obtain fіnаnсіаl, legal аnd аdmіnіѕtrаtіvе рrоjесt closure (e.g., final рауmеntѕ, warranties, соntrасt ѕіgn-оff).
• Rеlеаѕе all рrоjесt resources and рrоvіdе performance feedback.
• Crеаtе аnd dіѕtrіbutе fіnаl рrоjесt rероrt.
• Measure сuѕtоmеr ѕаtіѕfасtіоn аt the end оf thе рrоjесt.

Opening Day
August 15, 2015 9:09 am 1 Comment

The Completed Disability-Accessible Toilet at Tochi Primary School

The build-up to Opening Day was immensely stressful. The school was frantically trying to get a hold of the budget because although we had contributed to funding the festival, the majority of expenses were not covered. The Parent-Teacher Association and other members of the community pulled together more than $300 in addition to our $200 contribution to make sure the event was a huge success.

Winning Student Painting From Art Competition on What Tochi Students Visualize as an Inclusive Environment

The school invited church leaders, the head teacher from neighboring Bwobo Manam Primary School, parents, members of the school management committee, and government officials from the lowest levels to the highest public office official in the Gulu District. Some members of the local press were also in attendance, including a local radio station, Mega FM, and Kampala-based News Vision. In total about 1,000 people showed up for the festivities.

Lacor Community Pastor Father Justin Luum

We started off the day with prayers and some speeches by the Lacor community’s pastor, Father Justin Luum. He gave blessings to everyone in attendance and led the mass before we went outside the school church for the next activity in the program.

Lacor Community Pastor Father Justin Luum and Two Priests Blessing the Toilet

Christine, the head teacher, and her deputy, Brian, did a walk-through of the school with the guests of honor. They not only showed the guests the new toilet, but also the construction of 8 new ramps and entrances for the classrooms. Motivation, a UK-based donor, was so impressed by the project that they choose to invest $3,000 for accessibility improvements at Tochi out of 5 schools under consideration.

Construction of 8 Ramps for Classrooms at Tochi Primary School

John, the Construction Contractor, Preparing a Ramp’s Foundation for Alignment

Overall, it was a marvelous festival. The project galvanized the community, and one by one, as community leaders and government officials came up to express their gratitude for the project, each of them made public commitments emphasizing their support for maintaining the facility and ensuring it was not vandalized or otherwise disrespected.

P-5 Student Okumu Luriu Translating a Speech into the Local Sign Language for his Parents in the Crowd

The local budget ombudsman, one of the lower level government officials in attendance, promised to use his power to ensure Tochi’s administration was emphasized in next year’s budget. He praised Tochi for being the leading school in the community on cleanliness and said that other schools should look at Tochi as the gold standard.

A Group Photo of Tochi Staff and the GDPU Team, Mr. Tadeo Walter is Kneeling on the Left-Center of the Picture

Other speakers, such as the Gulu District School Inspector, Mr. Tadeo Walter, and members of the school administration and school management committee expressed their gratitude and pledged to ensure the toilet was maintained by establishing a special maintenance fund for restocking cleaning supplies and draining the toilet when the time comes to empty the septic tank.

The Tochi Toilet on Opening Day

Next the head teacher from neighboring Bwobo Manam Primary School, Ms. Okidi Lydia came up to speak about how impressed she was and that she hoped more projects like this would come to the area. She joked however that if her students had such a nice toilet, they might sit inside all day rather than attend class.

Local Council Chairman Mr. Okumu Luriu Speaking at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

The last speaker was a very special guest of honor, Mr. Okumu Luriu, the Local Council Chairman for Ongako Sub-County of Gulu District. He spoke of how special it was to receive such a high quality sanitation facility. He cited a nearby village saying the people there had no public toilet and that many of the poorer members of the community, who could not afford their own private toilet, resorted to open defecation, a practice which spreads disease.

Local Council Chairman Mr. Okumu Luriu Opening the Locks on the Toilet’s Hand-Washing Tank with Head Teacher Madam Christine

Local Council Chairman Mr. Okumu Luriu Thanking GDPU Chairman Ojok Simon for the Project at Tochi

Mr. Okumu Luriu also warned against vandalism of the new facility with an analogy from his childhood. He recalled receiving new desks and chairs at his school before the war from a generous donor. He said that he knew some kids from class who would sneak into the school after hours and defecate on the desks and chairs. However, he told of how such disrespect has consequences. His forewarning was emphasized when he told the audience of how those people died during the war. His lesson: respect the things given to you by well-wishers or karma will come back to get you.

Local Council Chairman Mr. Okumu Luriu Cutting the Ribbon

However, perhaps the most impressive person at the event, at least in my opinion, was a young boy in the P-5 class at Tochi. His name is Olal Santo. Both of Santo’s parents are deaf and this student was translating everything for them into the local sign language. He had his own chair next to the table where speakers came up and he had a front row seat during the ribbon cutting ceremony which officially handed over the keys for the new facility to the school.

P-5 Student Okumu Luriu Translating Acholi and English into the Local Sign Language

P-5 Student Okumu Luriu Translating During the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for His Parents

After the speakers and the ribbon cutting ceremony, students presented poems on what good hygiene means and presented a drama on the story of Ivan Olanya, the student with a disability whose story helped raise money for the toilet’s construction. Then GDPU announced that seven high performing students at Tochi would have their school fees paid for next term. We also presented an assortment of gifts, such as pens, pencils, notebooks, and mathematical sets to be used for the students’ upcoming exams.

The Tochi P-2 Class Preparing to Recite a Poem on Good Hygiene and Sanitation

Students from the P-5 Class Presenting their Poem

Three Students in a Drama Presentation on Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in School

P-4 Students Signing During the Drama Presentation

GDPU Chairmon Ojok Simon (Left) Announcing the Gifts for Tochi with GDPU Project Coordinator Ojok Simon (Right)

The chairman of GDPU spoke briefly about the organization’s mission and how important the issue of accessibility is. He concluded by presenting the cleaning supplies we bought for Tochi to use in maintaining the facility, but referred to Mr. Okumu’s statement that it was now the school’s responsibility to keep these supplies stocked and use them properly. Lastly, the chairman announced a special gift for the teachers and one by one, they were called up to receive a button-down shirt and get their picture taken with Mr. Okumu Luriu.

Shirts GDPU Gave to the Tochi Staff in Appreciation for their Efforts During the Project

Head Teacher Madam Christine Accepting an Award from Local Council Chairman Mr. Okumu Luriu

From Left to Right, P1 Teacher Ajok Sarah Josephine, AP Peace Fellow Josh Levy, and Head Teacher Madam Christine

I felt incredibly proud of how this one project brought together a community. It helped organize GDPU around the issue of accessibility, and it made an immediately tangible impact on the lives of 16 students at Tochi who live with disabilities. Also, given how many people with disabilities do not attend school because of how challenging it is to access an education, as so many of the speakers emphasized, it is likely that these 16 students are just the beginning.

Opening Of the Tochi Toilet

Once the word spreads throughout the community that there is a school nearby which is completely disability-accessible, students living with a disability will flock there knowing that they will not struggle to enter classrooms or use the toilet.

A Young Boy at Tochi Playing a Game To Find the Coca-Cola Bottle While Blindfolded

In fact, what is even more impressive is that the school became more inclusive as a result of this project. On their own accord, students and teachers played games at the festival which helped students relate to what it is like to have a disability in a light-hearted way. Teachers placed a bottle of soda in the field and blindfolded students who had to walk ten paces away from the bottle before turning around and trying to find the soda without the sense of sight.

Deputy Head Teacher Oisiry Julius Brian Blindfolding a Student for a Game

When I asked Simon, the man I’ve trained to continue this project after I leave, what he thought about it all he told me that, on Opening Day, we were celebrating the achievement of our goal to bring education to children with disabilities. He said we created an “inclusive educational program by building an accessible environment and this leads to reduced illiteracy among children with disabilities“.

Students Performing a Traditional Acholi Dance

If I had to summarize what we all felt and put it in a word, I would say “Success”.

A P-7 Student Performing a Traditional Acholi Dance

A conversation with Assetou Touré, passionate community outreach worker
August 8, 2015 7:49 pm 1 Comment
Towards the end of a very busy day of financial donor reporting the power went off, and with it went the Wi-Fi connection, the cool air from the fans, and the battery of my laptop that I had just started charging. Power cuts are pretty common; in the hot season, they occur almost everyday for a couple hours, but since the rainy season began they have become much more manageable. Luckily I was almost done; I sat outside, filled in the last few excel cells, checked my formulas and formatting, and saved my work.

When I walked back into the office, one of Sini Sanuman‘s community organizers, Assetou Touré, was just finishing a conversation with a mother she was trying to help to not excise her daughters. The woman did not want to excise their 12 and 14 year old, but her mother in law was adamant that the girls be excised when they go to their native village for their school vacation, and her son, the girls’ father, was powerless against his mother.

Assetou had spent a lot of time speaking with this couple, and on this particular afternoon, gave the woman a document about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Convention of the Rights of the Child. She hopes this will help her convince her mother in law that excising her granddaughters is wrong.

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking about beliefs about excision in Mali, the importance of mothers communicating openly with their children, and Assetou’s prior work protecting the rights of sex workers.

I mentioned that someone had told me that excision is practiced in Islam to reduce women’s sexual desire. We agreed that harmful practices such as excision and early marriage are justified by a fear of young women dishonoring their families by engaging in risky sexual behavior. The response is to attempt to control women’s bodies and behavior, rather than educating both men and women about the possible consequences of unprotected sex – such as unwanted pregnancies, which can lead to rejection from families, sexually transmitted diseases etc.

Assetou, a true community outreach organizer, believes in the power of communication and education. She explained to me that she speaks to her children openly about sex and the negative consequences that can come with it, and that as a result her children can talk to her and have thrived. She wishes that more parents spoke to their children the way that she does.

She told me about her past work educating sex workers about their rights and the importance of insisting on condom usage. She found that several of the young women got involved in this work because of bad relationships with their parents and a lack of communication, which resulted in them leaving home and engaging in sex work to feed themselves. She cared so deeply about these young women that she helped a few of them find alternative employment in places like hair salons.

Assetou is a very passionate, loud woman, who is not afraid to say whatever comes to her mind. She speaks very openly about anything and everything, like the unsanitary conditions children are excised in, how they are not informed of what is about to happen to them leading to trauma, and how she had to be careful about who saw her in bars talking to sex workers because her husband is very jealous.

Usually out in the field, any time she is in the office she enjoys a lively debate with the men in the office. She also has great taste in music and can be found singing and dancing along to Flavour or Oumou Sangaré.

Gender, Religion and Politics: Conversations from Ain Leuh (Continued)
August 3, 2015 11:06 am Leave a Comment
Religion and Extremism

As I come into Fatima’s house, Anna, a Fullbright researcher, is already sitting around the table while Fatima is bringing the last dishes to the table. I can’t help but notice that there are two tables being set up in the same room.

Fatima looks at me and says: The Fqih from the mosque next door comes to have Ftour with us everyday. He has just been appointed to this mosque and has no family here so my husband invites him for Ftour everyday. That’s why I set up two tables, I hope you don’t mind.

Me: Of course, not at all.

A little after the call to prayer, Mr. Laaroussi, Fatima’s husband, and the Fqih come in and sit in the table where Mehdi, the son, has already started eating. Mr. Laaroussi loves to have guests around and is very funny. He engages Anna and I in all the conversations. We talk about everything and nothing, from football to space discovery. All of a sudden, Mr. Laaroussi turns to his guest, who is rather shy, and asks: Who is that new guy at the mosque? He’s not from Ain Leuh.

The Fqih: Who are you talking about?

Mr. Laaroussi: The tall skinny one, who always wears black.

The Fqih: Oh yeah! He’s a new guy, nice and quiet.

Mr. Laaroussi: Hmmm I don’t know about that, he scares me a little.

The Fqih: Why?

Mr. Laaroussi: I think he does a little bit too much of everything.

The Fqih: What do you mean?

Mr. Laaroussi: You know, when we’re doing our ablutions, he takes out something from his pocket to wash his mouth. I think it’s too much, you’re only supposed to rinse it.

The Fqih: Naaah, he’s a nice kid, you have nothing to fear.

Mr. Laaroussi: I don’t like quiet people, you never know what’s on their mind. I am telling you he scares me. Have you noticed that every time he’s in the first row, I’m in the back and vice versa. You never know, he might be a follower of ISIL or something and explode in the mosque some day.

We all burst out laughing even if a bit nervously.

La piscine

Ten o’clock on a Tuesday morning. I’m getting ready to get into my car and go down to the cooperative. The hostel where I’m staying is a short five-minute drive from the main street of Ain Leuh. A group of young girls are coming down the hill and ask me for a ride. They get into the car and I start driving.

Me: Were you girls up at the pool?

I can’t really tell who is talking as I am coming down a curvy road and have to keep looking straight ahead of me.

One of the girls reply: yes, we went up to swim this morning.

Me: Isn’t it too early to come down?

Another girl: well yes but we had to go a 7 am. In fact we haven’t slept yet. After Shor, we cleaned up the houses and came up without even our parents knowing.

Me: how come?

Same girl: They don’t like us going to the pool during Ramadan and we make it a point to leave at 10 am before the boys wake up and start coming. You know, they can’t see us with our bathing suits and wet clothes during Ramadan.

Me: What grades are you girls in?

They start answering one by one, the oldest is in her sophomore year of university and the youngest is in third grade. They also tell me that they’re all either neighbors or from the same extended family.

Me: So what do you think of this?

Another girl, the one in 8^th grade: You know what they say: “Halaloun 3alayna wa 7aramoun 3alayhoum” (Allowed for us but forbidden for them.) They always make up rules in favor of the men but we still go around them, we want to swim too. You should come with us someday.

Me: I will. As soon as Ramadan is over.

Yes, even though I lived abroad for about 9 years now and can talk extensively about feminist political ecology and women’s access to water, I’m still Moroccan, very aware and careful of unwritten rules.

Children having fun at the municipal swimming pool of Ain Leuh.

Gender, Religion and Politics: Conversations from Ain Leuh
10:57 am Leave a Comment
Elections:

One quiet afternoon, upon a candidate leaving, Jamila, Fatima and Mahma are sitting in front of their looms each one weaving her respective carpet. Mahma is singing as usual and Jamila and Fatima are chatting in Amazigh, the native language of Morocco that I cannot fully understand when suddenly they switch to Arabic.

Jamila: I’m going to run for elections in the next term, who’s with me?

Mahma stops singing and looks at her: I’ll vote for you. Which party are you going to register with?

Jamila: Well, I kind of liked the guy from the “Dove” party but I’ll stick with the “Book”, they’re the ones I am most familiar with. What do you say Fatima?

Fatima: Hmmm I can run on the same ticket as you.

Jamila: Well I’m in District 2 and you’re in District 3, so how about we each run in our districts and rally for the same cause?

Fatima: That’s a good idea, what’s your cause? I want to know before I get into anything.

Jamila: Women’s rights of course. I want a new system to be in place: one day on the women and one day on the men.

Mahma: What do you mean?

Jamila: Well, we now work outside of the home, right?

Mahma and Fatima both nod at the same time

Jamila: I say that house work needs to be split as well if outside work is being split. I mean that one day you, Mahma, prepare the Ftour and one day your husband does. One day you clean the house, the next he does and so on.

In the meantime, Khadija has entered the room and has been listening.

Khadija: But our work outside of the house is not the same, we are still sheltered in this cooperative and do not have to be out all the time.

Jamila: What do you mean? Doesn’t your husband have a doughnut shop where he is sheltered all day? Maybe Mahma can say something about this since her husband is a forest guard.

Mahma keeps quiet while Jamila continues: All I am saying is we can do the same jobs they do. Remember when my brother was sick? I was the one to go with my father to the market to buy cattle and I worked for a whole week at the butcher shop. All I am saying is that if we can do the work they do outside, they should be able to do the work we do inside.

Khdouj comes in and says: Well Driss used to help me in the house until my kids got old enough to start making fun of their father for doing the woman’s job and now he stopped.

Jamila: You’re the one who asked of your daughter to help you with everything around the house and never asked your son to help even if he is the oldest one.

Fatima: Well ladies, it is time for me to head home and start preparing the meal.

The other ladies start packing up as well.

Jamila: Alright, you go run around that kitchen like a crazy person while he takes a nap as he comes back from work just like you did.

Mahma: I don’t know that we have the choice.

Jamila: I know. I have to go help my mother as well. My brothers don’t come home until it is about time to eat. Hopefully, someday the situation will change but remember, we have to be part of that change.

The electoral candidates meet with the women of the cooperative to try and gain their votes.

Economics of Prostitution

Rachida: I heard the police came to your alley yesterday. What happened?

Khdouj: Yeah they came here and caught what’s-her-name with a man from the Sahara region. Someone, you know, her neighbor, told on her to the “Ikhwaniyyinn” and they came and locked her door from the outside and then went to the police who came and took them to the town jail.

Rachida: Iwa Allah yester, may God preserves us all.

I have a vague idea of what the women are talking about but choose not to say anything. I am sitting next to Khadija and she looks at me asking if I understood. I motion my hand and say: So-so…

She starts explaining: Well you know how Ain Leuh has been known for centuries for prostitution.

Me: Yes but they are not here anymore.

I had heard about this. I had seen a film called “The Dry Eyes” depicting a women-only village in the Middle-Atlas region where men from other villages would come to spend one night each week with the women. Each day of the week was reserved to the men of a specific village. The women would cook a meal, entertain the whole night and have sex with the men. Whenever one of them gave birth, they would keep the girls and give away the boys as the weekly market of the region. I am not sure to what extent this is true but stories like this are common in Morocco.

As for Ain Leuh, it is a bit different. The village sits on top of hill overlooking plains filled with agricultural land. Some 5,000 people live here of all ages and sexes. The French used to have a small base in the village. I do not want to attribute prostitution to colonization but I am guessing the organized prostitution, where certain streets and districts of the village were reserved solely to prostitutes has something to do with the base being in town. However, these streets and districts seem to have disappeared. The New York Times ran an article in 2012 about the situation http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/world/africa/moroccan-villages-war-on-prostitution-draws-critics.html?_r=0

Khadija: Yeah the “Ikhwaniyyinn” took them out but there are still very few of them.

Me: What do you mean they took them out? How could they do that?

Khadija: Well they went to the judge asking him to “clean” the village. The judge told them that even though prostitution is illegal, he couldn’t do anything since the economy of the town relied on it. He would need a petition signed by the majority of the village to do so. So the “Ikhwaniyyinn” started a campaign against the high prices of water and electricity. Their main argument was that water is abundant in the village and the dwellers shouldn’t have to pay such high prices for water. They told us to come sign a petition in the village’s square. Of course, we went and signed the petition without reading it or knowing what was written on it. It was all done legally but we were duped.

Me: Could you not tell the judge that they took advantage of the people?

Khadija: Well, we weren’t ready to admit that we were tricked, plus do you really think anyone is going to go in front of a judge asking for prostitution to stay in town?

Me: You’re right, not only is it illegal but it is also against the societal norms in a way.

Khadija: Exactly! So they started removing them little by little.

Me: Where did they take them?

Khadija: Most of them were not from here so they only put pressure on them to go back to their towns. Then the Ikhwaniyyinn told those who owned their homes to stop their practice in return for 300 dhs (around USD 30) a month.

Me: How can they live on such amount?

Khadija: That is the biggest problem. No one can live on so little money and they did not give them an opportunity to work in anything else. And they’re not the only ones suffering. The whole town’s economy has gone down since this happened.

Me: What do you mean?

Khadija: You know the street adjacent to the cooperative? That used to be a prostitution street. The men would come out of there in a good mood and buy our products for their wives and mothers. We haven’t been able to sell anything from the cooperative since the Ikhwaniyyinn came into town. We used to make a little bit of money at least. And we’re not the only ones who are having a hard time. The butchers are not working anymore. You know, the women would organize parties for their clients and so the butcher would sell them meat, the grocer vegetables, the musicians would play music, some women would cook in their houses and sell them the food and so on and so forth. They were really supporting the town.

Me: And who are these Ikhwaniyyinn?

Khadija: They are young men from Ain Leuh who were lucky enough to get good education to be able to have jobs as teachers or government employees not to worry about the economy of the town. They turned conservative on their people and think they know religion better than us.

The street adjacent to the atelier of the cooperative used to be a popular prostitution district.

Reaching Communities about Harmful Practices
August 2, 2015 2:01 pm Leave a Comment
Sini Sanuman has ten community organizers – 7 in Bamako and 3 in Bourem – and an outreach coordinator. Each of these organizers is allocated a zone and is charged with raising awareness about sexual and gender based violence and female genital mutilation within that community. The main way they do this is through group meetings.

In Bamako, the community organizers work in Commune I, one out of 6 communes that make up Bamako. Each is assigned to a different zone and has several groups they meet with regularly. The topic of discussion varies from one meeting to the next.

The first meeting I attended in Djelibougou led by Mariam Seck focused on sexual and reproductive organs, a topic that is usually taboo and that women do not know much about. In addition, the outreach coordinator described what rape is and how it affects the body and mind. This includes trauma, depression, unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted diseases, stigma, and rejection by husband and families. In Doumanzana, community organizer Oumar Konaté focused on the impacts of war on women and the different consequences of rape.

Oumar Konaté speaking with a group of women in Doumanzana

In Sotuba, community organizer Fanta Keita focused on child marriage and forced early marriage, which occurs when a girl is under 18 and the marriage is usually facilitated by her family. In the meeting, the women began by citing the reasons why families marry of their daughters. Some believe that young girls are easier to manipulate. Some are afraid that their daughters will lose their virginity before marriage, so they want to avoid having their daughters dishonor their family. Others engage in this practice because of poverty; giving their daughter away means she will be better taken care of.

Most of the women agreed that girls should not get married before the age of 18, and we discussed the negative health consequences of young girls having sex and having children. The women participated actively and passionately, throwing out things like young girls are more likely to have pregnancy complications and difficulty giving birth. This can lead to obstetric fistula, a condition in which a hole can develop between the vagina and either the bladder or the rectum after prolonged obstructed labor, causing leaking of urine and/or faeces. Worse still, both the mother and baby can die due to pregnancy and labour complications.

However, not everyone was convinced that these issues were consequences of child marriage; one of the participants pointed out that women could experience these difficulties at any age. Fanta Keita explained that young girls are at greater risk for pregnancy complications, particularly in smaller villages without access to adequate medical care.

Another community organizer in attendance, Assetou Touré, told the story of a 14-year-old girl who had been excised and for two nights her husband tried to penetrate her but could not because her body was not ready. When he told his mother-in-law, she asked him if he was a man or a woman. According to her, a man would be able to take a 14-year-old girl’s virginity. Humiliated and angered by his mother-in-law, he then forced himself onto his wife. Her internal sexual organs immediately fell out, including her ovaries and fallopian tubes. Her body was destroyed and she bled out.

Assetou Touré telling the story of a 14 year old bride

Following this, other participants realized that they were aware of similar stories. Another woman told the story of a man forcing his young bride to have sex. Despite her body not being ready and him having difficulty penetrating her, he pressed himself upon her. She bled so much during sex that she lost most of the blood in her body, but was fortunate enough to get to hospital early enough to be saved.

Finally, a third woman spoke about a 15-year-old girl who was having trouble giving birth. She lost a lot of blood and had to be taken to hospital in Bamako from Segou, a 235km trip that takes over three hours. Sadly, the combination of her young age and the lack of adequate medical resources meant that she did not survive.

Stories like this are very painful to hear and are a reality for too many women in Mali, particularly in rural locations where resources to protect women are limited. Mali has one of the highest child marriage prevalence rates in the world with 55% of women being married by the age of 18, higher than the Sub Saharan Africa average of 37%. Furthermore, young brides are more vulnerable to intimate partner violence and sexual abuse than women married later. Talking about these practices, and acknowledging that they exist and are harmful, is an important first step in reducing the violence on women’s bodies.

Painting and Acting Out an Inclusive and Hygienic Environment
July 26, 2015 12:34 am 5 Comments

The day had finally arrived when we would begin the art competition at Tochi. For a few days beforehand, it was quite stressful. We met several times with the school to make sure they understood what was going to happen and how we needed their help. We bought supplies and I prepped Simon on his role. I was a bit groggy because I had trouble sleeping the night before, but it was a very important day in our project so my energy level was still high. However, things did not turn out as planned.

The day was chaotic to say the least. First of all, it is important to note that we managed to get through the day and some students created some really incredible paintings. Also, we found out after the activities were over that this was the first time in their lives that any of these students had held a paint brush. In hindsight, we should have spread out the painting activity over multiple days to get students warmed up beforehand.

But these technical glitches were minor problems compared to the real underlying issue. A lack of hygiene education at the school. I discovered it while we were at Tochi waiting for the teachers to get organized. We showed up a bit early to see how construction was progressing and to get ourselves prepared for the day’s activities. As it turns out, construction is basically complete! We were just waiting for them to paint it at this point.

But as we were looking on in awe, I noticed a young girl walking out of the old latrines. She walked straight past the hand washing tank and went to class. I called out to her and made hand motions to help communicate my question to her: “did you wash your hands?” She looked at me confused and walked away.

Simon stayed behind to continue talking with the contractor. We had more work to give him so there was a lot to discuss. Our project has been so successful that we managed to attract the interest of Motivation, a group that manages grants from UKAID. Motivation was going to invest another $3,000 – $4,000 in Tochi for accessibility improvements because they saw how incredible the toilet was, but lamented at the state of the classroom ramps. Now Tochi will have both an accessible latrine and accessible classrooms!

Meanwhile, I followed the young girl and looked for Christine, the head teacher. I had mentioned to her earlier that we wanted to give an awareness workshop before the activities began so we could discuss what proper hygiene practices were and give the students ideas about what to paint. I found her in the office just as she was giving out supplies and sending teachers off to their respective classrooms. I hardly noticed that the teachers were walking past me with paper and pencils in hand because I wanted to bring up this issue of hand washing with Christine.

Why were they not using the water tank? Why did students have to walk all the way to the other side of the school compound to use the bore hole to wash their hands? Why not fill the water tank and put soap out there?

Her response to my concern was that they would make sure things were different with the new latrine. I certainly hope so because we have done our best to make it very easy for that change to take place. After harping on this topic for a few minutes, I asked when we could begin speaking to the students. In a bewildered look that clearly indicated she forgot about the awareness workshop, she told me that the students had already begun drawing.

In a slight panic, I asked her what they were drawing and why they had started without us. She said that they wanted to show us the drama and poem they had prepared so they wanted to get through the drawing quickly. She also said they were drawing pictures of the new latrine. Oh no, this was not good.

I ran over to Simon and explained the problem. We decided it was too late to speak to everyone, but we could at least get our message across to half of the school. We went to the upper classes first because they had the best chance to understand what we wanted to communicate and shift gears on their paintings.

We managed to speak to P7, P6, and P5 about good hygiene and inclusion. It took so much time to explain to them what we needed to say and also how to use the paint, that we had no chance of reaching the lower classes. In fact, while we were speaking to P5, the students from the lower classes began to surround the classroom, looking on in curiosity at the older kids as they used paint.

Sadly, the lower classes did not get a chance to paint. They had drawn their pictures instead. Apparently, it is very important to spread out this activity over the entire length of construction and to begin even before ground is broken. One class per day is the maximum speed we should move at. We also need to slowly integrate the teachers by showing them what we mean instead of just explaining it to them.

They did not understand the importance of the painting activity. The reason we had placed so much emphasis on this is because it engaged students to think about how an inclusive and hygienic school environment are inter-related. The story of Ivan and his bullying in the latrines is adequate proof of this linkage.

Regardless, the students were able to create some good pieces. Even the younger children who we didn’t speak to managed to produce some impressive artwork. I wouldn’t say it was a total disaster, but I would say that we learned a lot about how to avoid pitfalls for next time.

After salvaging the painting activity, Simon and I sat under a mango tree as the students prepared to show us their drama and poem. This was a recital for them so they could practice before the Open Day Event on August 10.

We laughed and smiled as they acted out scene after scene. Then when it came time for the poem we realized that actually, hygiene education is still a part of their engagement. Both the drama and the poem emphasized hand washing and other hygienic practices, like cleaning the latrines. There was still hope that the school would be changed as a result of our program.

We concluded the day by enjoying a traditional Acholi dance and music performance. After all, a community gathering just wouldn’t be complete without one!

Tochi and Beyond
July 20, 2015 11:37 am 5 Comments
“Scouting Schools for Phase Two”

Teachers at Koch Goma Primary listening to Patrick

Koch Goma Primary and Koch Goma Central are two other schools that we have been considering as potential targets for scaling up this project. Each school has more than 1,000 students, and they are sorely in need of accessibility improvements.

The biggest differentiator between them is how prepared they are to become a host for the inclusion program that we have developed. Our program aims to strengthen the environment in terms of how welcoming it is for students with disabilities, but the program is not a silver bullet for the deep cultural stigma that prevents Acholi children with disabilities from being integrated into the community.

Teachers at Koch Goma Primary listening to Patrick

On July 16, I trained a group of teachers from Koch Goma Central with some of my colleagues from GDPU. Ojok Simon had to leave for a seminar in Rwanda and Patrick needed some assistance conducting one of the trainings.

GDPU had conducted an accessibility audit on these schools last year and wanted to provide them with feedback from their report. In addition to that, they setup a training program similar to the one we did in Tochi.

Emma, an office assistant at GDPU, discussing language and labeling with teachers at Koch Goma Central

Standing in front of these teachers, I saw firsthand how powerful the stigma, in Acholi culture, against people with disabilities is. The teachers at Koch Goma Central I tried to engage during the training were constantly pushing back at the ideas we discussed. For instance, we talked about the proper language and labels to use when addressing people with disabilities, but after that portion of the training, a few teachers raised their hand to tell us a story.

The teachers said that there was one student who everyone called by his nickname, ‘Mulema’. That nickname literally translates to “the one whose leg does not function.” The teachers claimed that the student was perfectly fine with this nickname and that everyone called him by it so they didn’t even know what his real name was. Therefore, they concluded that it was fine to call him by this name. After all, who were they to change this trend set in motion by the broader community?

I responded by telling them “why not simply ask what his name is?” They stared at me with a blank face as if the thought never crossed their minds. I told the teachers that due to their position, they had the ability and the responsibility to shape the lives of these students. They were leaders in the community and they did not have to take a backseat to circumstances like this. In fact, they were responsible for changing this trend by finding out what this student’s real name was and making sure everyone addressed him by it at school.

Teachers at Koch Goma Central telling us their thoughts on language and labeling

Still, the teachers would not accept this new paradigm I was encouraging. They told me that it is the parent’s responsibility to address this issue. They were simply paid to teach math, science, English, etc. Shifting the blame and the responsibility to others was a prevalent topic throughout our training.

On another occasion, I asked a male teacher to give me one idea for a daily activity that students with disabilities might struggle with. He told me that his idea was already said and when I pressed him for new ideas, he gave me that familiar blank stare.

One teacher at Koch Goma Central looking at a picture depicting good and bad communication methods

After training, I met up with Patrick, who was simply electrified. The training he conducted went very well. Everyone was participating, and we found out that one of the teachers has a disability. Not only, does this school have a strong need for our program, but it also has the desire to become more inclusive and staff who understand the circumstances students with disabilities face.

When comparing the two schools as potential targets for scaling up the accessibility and inclusion program, it is easy to identify the variables that would contribute to success. Most importantly, the head teacher must be organized, motivated, and inspiring for other teachers to follow their lead. At one of these schools, that was clearly the case, but in the other, we quickly discovered it was not. Secondly, the staff must have a minimal level of disability sensitization and special needs training.

Teachers at Koch Goma Central thinking about the communication methods training session

At the school Patrick was working in, there were 3 staff who received special needs training, but at the school I was working in, no one had received such training. It is because our program provides structural improvements and invests significant time and money into the school that these variables are crucially important. If we start investing in a school that is not ready to become inclusive, then the project will be doomed to fail.

“Updates from Tochi”

A boy student at Tochi Primary School on his way to class after using the latrines

Thankfully, our work in Tochi has not encountered the kinds of problems I saw during this training. The head teacher is an incredible leader and the environment is ripe for this program to blossom into success.

The students at Tochi have been preparing for a poetry recital and an art competition. The head teacher has been so engaging and her leadership has helped to push the rest of the school to take an interest in the inclusion program. They have even started practicing the drama presentation for the Open Day Event! The plot for the drama will be focused on bullying in the latrines, and may even take some inspiration from the story about Ivan, which we used to fundraise for the Tochi Toilet.

Meanwhile, the pathway for the toilet is starting to take shape, and our team is building an incredible bond with the construction contractor. I honestly feel like this relationship is growing into a quasi-public-private partnership, with GDPU taking on the role of providing public services while the contractor is employing private sector skills to enhance the efficiency of our program.

From left to right, Josh Levy the AP Peace Fellow, Ojok Simon the Project Coordinator in training, Geoffrey and his partner the construction contractors, and Otika Walter GDPU’s driver

Although, we still face developing world problems like inconsistent electricity. The contractor is afraid that the lack of consistent power might delay construction. He needs electricity to weld the steel doors onto the outside of the latrine as well as for the internal and external handrails. Regardless, he is trying his best to stay on track and we are grateful for his enthusiasm.

Students at Tochi Primary School gathering under a tree during recess

A construction worker evening out the cement walls of the new latrine

There were major rains recently as the mini-dry season seems to be coming to an end. Hopefully that doesn’t create more problems for the pathway’s construction. I saw them begin preparations for foundation alignment, but I am unsure if the rains caused problems for them. We will find out soon. This week is very important for us. We have the art competition coming up and construction is scheduled for completion by July 22. In due time, we will see what challenges lie ahead.

A construction worker evening out the cement walls of the new latrine

Henna and Bassan: A Malian Wedding
July 19, 2015 9:38 am 266 Comments
This week, one of my coworkers, secretary and accountant, Sitan Konaté, celebrated her religious wedding. The whole office, as well as the community organizers attended and celebrated with her.

It was held on the 26th day/ 27th night of Ramadan, which is considered a blessed day to get married. So, as you can imagine, everyone in town had a wedding to prepare for and get to. The grand marché was filled with women getting their hair done, their eyebrows shaped, getting fake eyelashes, getting their nails done, and henna painted on their hands and feet.

Sitan with Djeneba, the center’s cook

The grand marché is always bustling, but towards the end of Ramadan celebrations it is even more so. Street vendors beat drums and sing and dance on the road, not leaving much room for cars to get through. Walking through the market, it is not uncommon for them to follow women around persistently trying to sell bassans (fabric with a sheen worn for special occasions) to them.

When we arrived at the wedding, all of the women were dressed in their best and shiniest bassans. They would go indoors to greet and congratulate the new bride and take pictures with her, and then move to sit in the yard to make room for the next group of women to go in and see the bride.

Sitan with Mariam, Sini Sanuman’s outreach coordinator

While this took place, the men went to the Mosque for a special prayer. The whole celebration was over in less than an hour. Normally, the religious wedding takes place some months before the civil wedding at city hall. In some cases, they are both celebrated on the same day. In this case, the civil wedding followed by a reception will take place in a few months.

More Than Just a Toilet
July 15, 2015 10:26 am 4 Comments
July 13, 2015

Construction has been progressing at an astonishing pace! It seems like only yesterday I was watching a worker dig the pit, snapping a photo of him as he laughed, but today we just came back from a visit to Tochi and the entire structure of the toilet was staring me in the face! Now, the next challenge is going to be planning for the Open Day Event, keeping GDPU motivated, and ensuring the sustainability plan has legs.

This program is about more than just a toilet. We are trying to develop an inclusivity program, and despite the apathy I feel from some of the staff at Tochi, the head teacher Christine is keeping the ship on course. I am discovering through this project that the single most essential component, which will help determine whether or not it is successful, is the head teacher.

Meanwhile, GDPU is still spread out thin, trying to stay afloat after their major projects come to an end in a few months. Ojok Patrick has been visiting different parts of Uganda, working on various programs related to the Youth Development Program, so I have been training Ojok Simon on how to manage this project and all of its future iterations. He is a very capable individual. He was one of the many victims from the conflict and now lives with a disability. It is easy to forget he has a visual impairment, simply because of how great he works in the field.

I’ve also noticed that the School Management Committee has been visiting the construction site. I can tell because of the signatures in the contractor’s visitor book. This is great news because it means the community is taking an active role in the project; it means they are becoming invested in its success. We spoke previously with the School Management Committee and the Parent Teacher Association about creating a funding mechanism for maintaining the toilet. I’m optimistic that when we meet with them next, we will find out more details on how this plan has progressed.

In order to create the kind of social change that this program aims to achieve, we need to rally the school community around the ideas of sustaining this toilet as well as promoting inclusion and accessibility for all students. That’s why we are planning an awareness workshop, an art competition, a poetry recital, a drama, and a debate with the head teacher.

These activities are instrumental to engaging the students on the issues good hygiene, inclusion, and accessibility. I recently found out that the school has a terrible system for cleaning the latrines. They simply make the students who arrive late responsible for cleaning them. That kind of system makes cleaning the latrine a punishment rather than a responsibility.

After talking this over with Ojok Simon and the head teacher, we discussed how GDPU handles this issue with the students in their Youth Development Program as a model for the students in Tochi. At GDPU, the skills trainers organize students every morning and assign roles such as filling the jerry cans, cleaning the latrines, restocking supplies, sweeping the compound, etc.

We will create a similar system at Tochi. Each class will elect a prefect and will be assigned a responsibility for the day. The prefect will ensure his class carries out their responsibility and a supervising teacher will check to make sure everything is in order. If something is not done properly, the teacher will talk to the prefect and get that class to redo their role. If that doesn’t happen, then a new prefect will be elected until the responsibility is carried out.

These students may have a right to accessible latrines, but it is also their responsibility to maintain them. Without a better system for cleaning the latrines, this project won’t be sustainable and the toilet will quickly become unhygienic.

GDPU and the teachers will hold an awareness workshop to explain the importance of cleaning the toilets, and afterwards, we will engage the students with the art competition based on the theme of what good hygiene means to them. The teachers will judge this competition and award the winners with a prize as well as points towards winning a term’s worth of school fees after all the activities have taken place.

I’m excited to see how these activities play out. Hopefully we see the same kind of progress on the inclusion program that we have seen with construction.

Meet Sini Sanuman’s Program Assistant: Awa Sangaré
July 13, 2015 3:41 pm Leave a Comment
The person I have been working closest with at Sini Sanuman has been the program assistant, Awa Sangaré. Awa, 34, was brought on as an English-speaking assistant to help the organization communicate in both English and French. We produce reports, newsletters, and other documents in both languages together.

Prior to joining Sini Sanuman last year, she spent 8 years in Nigeria with her family where her husband was in the diplomatic service as the second councilor to the Malian ambassador to Nigeria. While there, she learnt English, which most Malians do not speak.

Awa first heard about Sini Sanuman from her mother, a court clerk at the court of justice in Bamako’s 6^th commune. Her mother had met Mariam Seck, the outreach coordinator and head of Sini Sanuman’s community organizers and thought that Awa may be interested in working with them because of their work with women and children.

An educator by training, Awa has always loved children and spent some time working with vulnerable children while she was still an MSc Education student at the University of Bamako, where she also received her Bachelor’s degree in Education. She worked primarily with children aged 0-3 who were either orphans, abandoned, or had mothers with mental illnesses at an infant care home (Poupponière de Bamako), keeping track of their health and nutrition.

Upon returning from Nigeria, Awa spent nine months interning with Sini Sanuman before settling into her post as program assistant. She primarily did community outreach with Mariam Seck, the outreach coordinator. She was able to learn about excision, GBV, communication, and awareness raising or public education techniques.

She feels very fortunate to be doing work she cares deeply about in a country where youth unemployment is a real problem and opportunities are scarce even for highly educated young people.

Awa believes in Sini Sanuman’s work because they are helping poor people and educating the population, especially women, about topics that are often taboo. She sees excision as a bad practice because it of its many negative consequences, such as trouble urinating, hemorrhaging, and other pregnancy complications that can lead to death. Although the practice continues, she says that some people are beginning to change their beliefs.

She thinks gender-based violence, which includes rape, sexual aggression, physical aggression, denial of resources, forced marriage, and emotional abuse is physically, medically, and psychologically damaging. Women do not know their rights and therefore do not report their cases, which would eventually decrease GBV. They blame themselves or believe it is completely normal.

For these reasons, she believes in the importance and power of raising awareness of these issues. In particular, she thinks the best way to reach women is through community outreach – meeting with groups, giving them information, and allowing them to ask questions. While radio, television, and billboards are effective, community outreach is more affordable and interactive; people are able to ask questions and have a discussion.

A Story of War Rape
July 8, 2015 11:33 am 3 Comments
Fatoumata*, a 40-year-old woman from Gao, is a war-rape survivor of Mali’s bloody civil war.

As soon as we ask the first question – Where are you from? – tears well up in her eyes. Fatou lost her husband to natural causes/old age before the conflict began. When Tuareg rebels stormed Gao in 2012, Fatou had only her older brother to protect her and her six children. When armed rebels showed up at their door, they killed her brother to get him out of the way by hitting him on the back of the head with a rifle, and raped her. She was left traumatized and alone to raise six children.

Fearing for her life and her children, she took them and fled to Bamako. UNHCR and other volunteers were providing free buses for people to flee the North. But she was not free from the violence of the war: on the road to Bamako, armed rebels attacked their bus, tied up all the men, and raped all the women, even the little girls aboard.

Miraculously, they were let go.

And, once in Bamako, she found a place to rent, but often had trouble getting enough to eat for her children. She heard about Sini Sanuman from an acquaintance and decided to attend one of their educational meetings. She later approached the community organizer leading the session.

She says that she feels at ease at the Sini Sanuman center; she eats well and her regular appointments with the psychologist have helped her find some peace. Furthermore, she has learnt a lot about excision and sexual and gender based violence as they are used to control women.

While speaking about what she has been through brought back sad memories, her face brightened up when we asked to see some of her embroidery. She wants to put this, and other income-generating skills she has learnt at the center to use to care for her family.

This story is not unique.

Most of the women at Sini Sanuman describe stories like this. They were attacked at home or on the river, at school, or along the road by a group of armed rebels or otherwise unidentified men. They were assaulted for not covering their heads – or for no discernable reason at all. The men in their families were beaten or killed in front of them, and they in turn were raped in front of these helpless male relatives. These families are all terrorized in service of the war, engendering complacency for one side or the other.

Yet, their suffering does not end there.

Having lost everything, they struggle to find housing and to feed themselves. They are unable to enroll their children in school without their files and documents. Or they cannot afford the registration fee, cost of school supplies, transportation, and school meals.

Rape during war is immediately destructive and damaging, both physically and emotionally. When compounded by the difficult living conditions of being a refugee or internally displaced, it is clear to see that women and children face unique challenges.

*Name changed

The Insider/Outsider: what it is like to be a native in the field
July 5, 2015 9:09 pm 1 Comment
So my first week went well but also slow. I arrived to Ain Leuh on a Tuesday and found an adequate room at a hostel in town. By the time I arrived to the cooperative’s local, only few women were there working. I met with Khadija Aabdi, the president of the cooperative who welcomed me with one of my favorite meals: fried spiced sardines. I couldn’t have asked for better. We talked a little bit and she informed me that Wednesdays are off days as the weekly market takes place just outside of the village and all the women go there to do there shopping, she also told me that Fridays are days off. And there goes my first Kenza-f’Douar moment: but weekends are Saturday and Sunday??!!! Then I thought to myself: that’s no big deal, if I have to get something done in the city, I can use those days without taking off from my work with the cooperative? Problem solved.

On Wednesday, I went to the market with Khadija and met another one of the women, Hachmia. We went shopping for wool for the cooperative and also for their weekly grocery list. I had not been to a weekly market in the country side for so long and it was refreshing to see that they are still happening around the country side of Morocco. The women’s grocery list was extensive as Ramadan was around the corner. Ramadan was actually the next day. In Morocco, Ramadan is announced the night before it starts and we follow the tradition of watching the moon. So when I went down to the cooperative on Thursday, none of the women were there as they were all busy preparing the specialties of Ramadan served at sunset to break the fast. This when I realized that it is expected from them to be housewives first before being income earners. I also remembered the wise words of the Advocacy Project director, Iain Guest, “You’re going to want to hit the ground running, but you will see that it is a little more complicated once you’re there”. And so Friday was a day off and we agreed to finally hold our first meeting on Saturday.

The first meeting went smoothly. This is when I became aware of my insider/outsider paradox. When I met Silvia, the fellow from last year, she told me that none of the women spoke Tamazight and the young ones were even proud not to speak it. Tamazight is the language of Amazigh people, the native people of Morocco. However, when I held the first meeting, I quickly noticed that besides Darija, the Moroccan Arabic dialect, the women also spoke Tamazight. And when I asked, they said only a few of them did not speak it but they all at least understood it. We held the meeting in Darija but whenever the women wanted to say something without me understanding, they spoke in Tamazight.

Amazigh. Now the insider part of me knew what language was spoken at any given moment but the outsider part of me did not understand one of those languages. My tamazight is very weak and being from a different region, I noticed that even the sentence structure is different even when some words are still the same. The women also laughed at my Marrakchi accent and thought it was cute that I did not call them directly by their names but preceded each name with the honorary “Lalla”. I had no idea that in other regions people did not use it when addressing each other.

There were also other regional differences that I noticed such as the order in which the Ftour, Ramadan evening meal to break the fast, is served. In Ain Leuh, the Harira, Moroccan soup, is served at the end while in Marrakech, it is served first. The first time I was invited at Khadija’s house, I just assumed there was no Harira and like that because it is not my favorite. And then they served it, I was already more than full but I could not refuse it as it is rude to do so. I still forget every single time but I’m getting slowly used to the pace of life here, to the different dialect and customs.

Did I mention that every time I ask about a store, I say ‘epicerie’, which here is strictly used for liquor stores and ‘hanout’ is the word used for regular food stores, I get a shocked look? How can she be asking about alcohol, and even worse during Ramadan?!!! Oops! That’s just the word we use in Marrakech, sorry.

The Tochi Toilet: Nature Called and We Picked Up
5:09 am 7 Comments

Power’s out, nothing unusual about that. Except this time we really could use the light. It’s late in the afternoon and a torrential downpour is pounding the sheet metal roof, making it quite noisy.

You could cut the tension in the room with a knife, or at least it felt that way to me. Negotiations with Geoffrey, the construction contractor, were climaxing. We had been going back and forth for quite some time over details such as the payment scheme, project valuation, and designs for the latrine, but we were finally about to come to an agreement.

I was stressed because I had made some major changes to the contract only yesterday. I revised the numbers in the contract, shaving off about 1 million Ugandan shillings, and I altered the payment scheme so that Geoffrey would have to demonstrate his commitment by implementing and completing 30% of the project before any compensation was given.

I also made some alterations to the contingency fund we established. I revised it down from 3% to 1.5% of the contract’s value and I wrote that Geoffrey would only receive this money if (a) the material expenses did not exceed the agreed upon amount, (b) strict accountability procedures were adhered to, and (c) he completed the project ahead of schedule while still maintaining the high quality standards we outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

What I didn’t tell him was that I still had USD $100 set aside to take care of any unanticipated hiccups. He didn’t need to know that right away or that I was ready to spend it all to ensure this project was successful. I wanted to see how things developed first and establish some degree of trust between GDPU and Geoffrey so I could see how this relationship would blossom.

After what felt like hours of silence, broken only by intermittent mumbling between Geoffrey and his colleague or my interjections to explain whichever part of the contract I saw them pondering over, they put down their flashlight and asked for a pen. He agreed to our terms! Now the challenge was going to be implementing this program.

As I’ve said in previous blogs, this project is about more than just building a drainable latrine which is accessible to all students. It is about creating an inclusive school environment, which means that GDPU was going to need to invest a lot of time and effort into this program. That was going to be a significant challenge considering the situation GDPU was facing. They, like many community-based organizations in the developing world, operate on a shoestring budget and survive from one project to another.

Sometimes they have had to suspend salaries for all of their staff. This time they were running up against multiple deadlines. Two of their biggest programs, a Youth Development Program which trains young people with disabilities on how to engage in income generating activities and a cerebral palsy awareness program which trains parents and care givers on how to support the needs of children with cerebral palsy, are expiring in the next few months. Once these programs dry up, so does GDPU’s coffers.

Yet here I am, pushing the two most capable, hardest working members of GDPU’s staff to devote precious time and energy towards the Tochi toilet project. I completely understand their need to ensure the sustainability of their organization, but I also want to instill in GDPU a belief that this toilet can unlock a whole new avenue of advocacy. The way we have designed this program is such that the elements are tied together by the idea of promoting inclusion and accessibility.

For example, through this program, GDPU is bringing structural accessibility improvements to Tochi Primary School via a new latrine, but they are also training teachers and staff on the critical elements of creating an inclusive environment. The training sessions we had last week on topics such as language and labeling, communication, and understanding how students with disabilities participate in daily activities as well as the unique challenges these students face, are a way of making the school more welcoming to students with disabilities.

The idea is that these training sessions will equip the teachers with knowledge and tools for supporting students with disabilities. The MOU also states that GDPU will hold awareness workshops for parents, teachers, and students in order to address the issue of bullying. Additionally, GDPU will be working with teachers at Tochi to organize a series of activities and competitions. Students who participate and perform well will receive scholastic materials such as pens or notebooks, while the grand prize of one term’s school fees paid will be awarded to one student from each class.

Hygiene education and inclusion will be the general themes for each activity, but the objective is to engage students in an innovative way, motivate them to take it seriously, and promote values which are conducive for an accessible school environment. For instance, one of the activities will be a mural painting that is going to require teamwork skills. Students who bully others are not going to score well.

Most importantly, GDPU will be required to monitor the project and collect data for evaluation reports. There is a small portion of the budget allocated for salaries to incentivize the GDPU staff to commit time to this project and ensure it is sustainable.

Sustainability is a hugely important component of this project. That’s why we also had a meeting with the Parent Teacher Association, the School Management Committee, and the Head Teacher to discuss maintenance and how to ensure the toilet would last. They agreed to raise money from increased fees for parents in order to cover the cost of draining the latrine when it was full and resupplying the hygiene materials when they were empty. We even had meetings with the city engineer and local officials from the Department of Education to ensure they were on board with the project.

The planning is finished, ground has been broken, and all stakeholders have been engaged.

It’s time to build some toilets.

[content-builder]{“id”:1,”version”:”1.0.4″,”nextId”:3,”block”:”root”,”layout”:”12″,”childs”:[{“id”:”2″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:” $\"20150630_134258\"$ <\/a>\n\n $\"20150630_134330\"$ <\/a>\n\nPower\u2019s out, nothing unusual about that. Except this time we really could use the light. It\u2019s late in the afternoon and a torrential downpour is pounding the sheet metal roof, making it quite noisy. \n\nYou could cut the tension in the room with a knife, or at least it felt that way to me. Negotiations with Geoffrey, the construction contractor, were climaxing. We had been going back and forth for quite some time over details such as the payment scheme, project valuation, and designs for the latrine, but we were finally about to come to an agreement. \n\nI was stressed because I had made some major changes to the contract only yesterday. I revised the numbers in the contract, shaving off about 1 million Ugandan shillings, and I altered the payment scheme so that Geoffrey would have to demonstrate his commitment by implementing and completing 30% of the project before any compensation was given.\n\nI also made some alterations to the contingency fund we established. I revised it down from 3% to 1.5% of the contract\u2019s value and I wrote that Geoffrey would only receive this money if (a) the material expenses did not exceed the agreed upon amount, (b) strict accountability procedures were adhered to, and (c) he completed the project ahead of schedule while still maintaining the high quality standards we outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). \n\nWhat I didn\u2019t tell him was that I still had USD $100 set aside to take care of any unanticipated hiccups. He didn\u2019t need to know that right away or that I was ready to spend it all to ensure this project was successful. I wanted to see how things developed first and establish some degree of trust between GDPU and Geoffrey so I could see how this relationship would blossom.\n\nAfter what felt like hours of silence, broken only by intermittent mumbling between Geoffrey and his colleague or my interjections to explain whichever part of the contract I saw them pondering over, they put down their flashlight and asked for a pen. He agreed to our terms! Now the <\/span>challenge was going to be implementing this program.\n\n $\"20150701_135901\"$ <\/a>\n\nAs I\u2019ve said in previous blogs, this project is about more than just building a drainable latrine which is accessible to all students. It is about creating an inclusive school environment, which means that GDPU was going to need to invest a lot of time and effort into this program. That was going to be a significant challenge considering the situation GDPU was facing. They, like many community-based organizations in the developing world, operate on a shoestring budget and survive from one project to another. \n\nSometimes they have had to suspend salaries for all of their staff. This time they were running up against multiple deadlines. Two of their biggest programs, a Youth Development Program which trains young people with disabilities on how to engage in income generating activities and a cerebral palsy awareness program which trains parents and care givers on how to support the needs of children with cerebral palsy, are expiring in the next few months. Once these programs dry up, so does GDPU\u2019s coffers.\n\n $\"20150701_133652\"$ <\/a>\n\n $\"20150701_133938\"$ <\/a>\n\nYet here I am, pushing the two most capable, hardest working members of GDPU\u2019s staff to devote precious time and energy towards the Tochi toilet project. I completely understand their need to ensure the sustainability of their organization, but I also want to instill in GDPU a belief that this toilet can unlock a whole new avenue of advocacy. The way we have designed this program is such that the elements are tied together by the idea of promoting inclusion and accessibility.\n\n $\"20150701_133840\"$ <\/a>\n\n $\"20150701_152507\"$ <\/a>\n\nFor example, through this program, GDPU is bringing structural accessibility improvements to Tochi Primary School via a new latrine, but they are also training teachers and staff on the critical elements of creating an inclusive environment. The training sessions we had last week on topics such as language and labeling, communication, and understanding how students with disabilities participate in daily activities as well as the unique challenges these students face, are a way of making the school more welcoming to students with disabilities.\n\nThe idea is that these training sessions will equip the teachers with knowledge and tools for supporting students with disabilities. The MOU also states that GDPU will hold awareness workshops for parents, teachers, and students in order to address the issue of bullying. Additionally, GDPU will be working with teachers at Tochi to organize a series of activities and competitions. Students who participate and perform well will receive scholastic materials such as pens or notebooks, while the grand prize of one term\u2019s school fees paid will be awarded to one student from each class.\n\n $\"20150701_152447\"$ <\/a>\n\nHygiene education and inclusion will be the general themes for each activity, but the objective is to engage students in an innovative way, motivate them to take it seriously, and promote values which are conducive for an accessible school environment. For instance, one of the activities will be a mural painting that is going to require teamwork skills. Students who bully others are not going to score well.\n\nMost importantly, GDPU will be required to monitor the project and collect data for evaluation reports. There is a small portion of the budget allocated for salaries to incentivize the GDPU staff to commit time to this project and ensure it is sustainable. \n\nSustainability is a hugely important component of this project. That\u2019s why we also had a meeting with the Parent Teacher Association, the School Management Committee, and the Head Teacher to discuss maintenance and how to ensure the toilet would last. They agreed to raise money from increased fees for parents in order to cover the cost of draining the latrine when it was full and resupplying the hygiene materials when they were empty. We even had meetings with the city engineer and local officials from the Department of Education to ensure they were on board with the project.\n\n $\"20150703_121609$ <\/a>\n\nThe planning is finished, ground has been broken, and all stakeholders have been engaged.\n\nIt\u2019s time to build some toilets.\n<\/span>\n”,”class”:””}]}[/content-builder]

A Week With Winston
June 27, 2015 9:10 am 5 Comments

Feeling the wind while riding on a boda boda is normally quite refreshing, but on this occasion, my mind was consumed by fever and worrying thoughts. Suddenly I hear the cluck of a chicken and see a blur in the corner of my eye as someone’s future supper runs directly into my leg. Did I just kick a chicken from a motorcycle on my way to the hospital? Yep. That appears to be the case.

Thankfully, I was not diagnosed with Malaria or some other grave illness. It was merely an infection, probably from eating dirty food. I was worried that I caught some terrible disease from the newest addition to my family, a Vervet monkey named Winston. He was perhaps the most human-like creature I have ever met, but he was also bothersome at times.

I feel like my experience in Uganda is aptly reflected by my experience with this wonderful yet irritating Vervet. Despite the joy of watching Winston play fruit ninja on my wife’s ipad or drinking soda from a straw, there were times when he pushed my limits. Winston was adorable, intelligent, and a joy to be around, but he could also be a handful and a general nuisance. I couldn’t leave a single thing out of place without finding him tearing through my stuff.

Winston Playing Fruit Ninja

Likewise, the rhythm of life in Gulu can be relaxing but also quite frustrating. Perhaps I’ve grown accustomed to the speed of living in New York, but I get the feeling that everyone here just moves at an astonishingly slow pace. It has been over 3 weeks since my arrival in Uganda and I am only now beginning to make progress on the Tochi toilet project.

We collected bids from a few contractors and started a haphazard negotiating process with one of them. It was a mess because if they discovered that a Muzungo (white person) was working on the project, they would immediately jack up the prices on everything. Regardless, it’s about time to finalize everything so that we can begin implementation.

On Friday, June 26, GDPU and I made another site visit to Tochi. We were leading an inclusion exercise with parents and teachers where we trained them on proper language to be used for persons with disabilities, the rights of persons with disabilities, and a game called ‘life’ which illustrated the societal gap between able bodied Acholi people and Acholi people with disabilities. This is the groundwork that makes the Tochi toilet project a unique and innovative endeavor.

We are building an accessible toilet, but it is more than just a toilet. We are advocating for the rights of students with disabilities to have equal access, and we are changing perceptions of students with disabilities by empowering them to educate their community about proper hygiene practices.

At times, it is astonishing how unhygienic the people in Gulu really are. Just the other day my wife and I were eating at the local Indian restaurant and chatting with a patron named Hadi. He was fascinated by Winston because his species of monkey is apparently a physical representation of a Hindu deity. Hadi gave Winston a mango to eat but it was too much food for him to finish. Winston threw the half-eaten mango on the ground, and Hadi picked it up a few minutes later to give it to a young girl who was staring at Winston. The girl ate the rest of the mango and walked off.

That scene was appallingly shocking to me. Here I was recovering from a stomach bug, washing my hands every 10 minutes because I was afraid Winston would give me some kind of infection, and people around me are so blasé about consuming a mango half-eaten by a monkey and covered in dirt? When I asked people about this, they just shrugged and told me that most Acholi kids don’t even wash themselves on a regular basis.

The Tochi toilet project is designed to make schools more accessible to students with disabilities, but it is also about empowering those same students with knowledge that they can use to improve their community. Hygiene education is sorely needed in Gulu. Students with disabilities need something to help them bridge the societal gap in Acholi culture between themselves and able bodied individuals. Bringing accessible toilets to schools as a tool for hygiene education can empower students with disabilities to make meaningful contributions to their community.

That’s why this is more then just a WASH program.

After all, WASH programs are so simple, even a monkey could do them.

[content-builder]{“id”:1,”version”:”1.0.4″,”nextId”:3,”block”:”root”,”layout”:”12″,”childs”:[{“id”:”2″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”

$\"Winston4\"$ <\/p>

Feeling the wind while riding on a boda boda is normally quite refreshing, but on this occasion, my mind was consumed by fever and worrying thoughts. Suddenly I hear the cluck of a chicken and see a blur in the corner of my eye as someone\u2019s future supper runs directly into my leg. Did I just kick a chicken from a motorcycle on my way to the hospital? Yep. That appears to be the case.<\/span><\/p>

Thankfully, I was not diagnosed with Malaria or some other grave illness. It was merely an infection, probably from eating dirty food. I was worried that I caught some terrible disease from the newest addition to my family, a Vervet monkey named Winston. He was perhaps the most human-like creature I have ever met, but he was also bothersome at times.<\/span><\/p>

$\"Winston1\"$ <\/p>

$\"FullSizeRender2\"$ <\/p>

I feel like my experience in Uganda is aptly reflected by my experience with this wonderful yet irritating Vervet. Despite the joy of watching Winston play fruit ninja on my wife\u2019s ipad or drinking soda from a straw, there were times when he pushed my limits. Winston was adorable, intelligent, and a joy to be around, but he could also be a handful and a general nuisance. I couldn\u2019t leave a single thing out of place without finding him tearing through my stuff.<\/span><\/p>

Winston Playing Fruit Ninja<\/a> <\/p>

$\"FullSizeRender\"$ <\/p>

Likewise, the rhythm of life in Gulu can be relaxing but also quite frustrating. Perhaps I\u2019ve grown accustomed to the speed of living in New York, but I get the feeling that everyone here just moves at an astonishingly slow pace. It has been over 3 weeks since my arrival in Uganda and I am only now beginning to make progress on the Tochi toilet project.<\/span><\/p>

We collected bids from a few contractors and started a haphazard negotiating process with one of them. It was a mess because if they discovered that a Muzungo (white person) was working on the project, they would immediately jack up the prices on everything. Regardless, it\u2019s about time to finalize everything so that we can begin implementation.<\/span><\/p>

$\"2015-06-23$ <\/p>

On Friday, June 26, GDPU and I made another site visit to Tochi. We were leading an inclusion exercise with parents and teachers where we trained them on proper language to be used for persons with disabilities, the rights of persons with disabilities, and a game called \u2018life\u2019 which illustrated the societal gap between able bodied Acholi people and Acholi people with disabilities. This is the groundwork that makes the Tochi toilet project a unique and innovative endeavor. <\/span><\/p>

We are building an accessible toilet, but it is more than just a toilet. We are advocating for the rights of students with disabilities to have equal access, and we are changing perceptions of students with disabilities by empowering them to educate their community about proper hygiene practices. <\/span><\/p>

At times, it is astonishing how unhygienic the people in Gulu really are. Just the other day my wife and I were eating at the local Indian restaurant and chatting with a patron named Hadi. He was fascinated by Winston because his species of monkey is apparently a physical representation of a Hindu deity. Hadi gave Winston a mango to eat but it was too much food for him to finish. Winston threw the half-eaten mango on the ground, and Hadi picked it up a few minutes later to give it to a young girl who was staring at Winston. The girl ate the rest of the mango and walked off. <\/span><\/p>

$\"Winston5\"$ <\/p>

That scene was appallingly shocking to me. Here I was recovering from a stomach bug, washing my hands every 10 minutes because I was afraid Winston would give me some kind of infection, and people around me are so blas\u00e9 about consuming a mango half-eaten by a monkey and covered in dirt? When I asked people about this, they just shrugged and told me that most Acholi kids don\u2019t even wash themselves on a regular basis.<\/span><\/p>

The Tochi toilet project is designed to make schools more accessible to students with disabilities, but it is also about empowering those same students with knowledge that they can use to improve their community. Hygiene education is sorely needed in Gulu. Students with disabilities need something to help them bridge the societal gap in Acholi culture between themselves and able bodied individuals. Bringing accessible toilets to schools as a tool for hygiene education can empower students with disabilities to make meaningful contributions to their community. <\/span><\/p>

That’s why this is more then just a WASH program.<\/span><\/p>

After all, WASH programs are so simple, even a monkey could do them.<\/span><\/p>\n”,”class”:””}]}[/content-builder]

June 20: World Refugee Day and Mali Peace Deal
June 26, 2015 9:22 am Leave a Comment
June 20^th marked World Refugee day, originally Africa Refugee Day, a day that honors and raises awareness about the conditions of those who have been displaced by violence and conflict.

This year, June 20^th also marked the day that the Tuareg and Arab rebels, known as the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), signed the peace agreement already signed by the Malian government and other loyalist armed groups. It is fitting that these two events fell on the same day. One can only hope, the agreement will lead to an end of the conflict and a beginning of lasting peace in Mali.

Representative of the Coordination of Movements for Azawad signs peace agreement in Bamako. Photo: Stringer/Reuters

The conflict was sparked by a coup in 2012 that allowed for Tuareg separatists to take over towns and cities in the North. Despite French military intervention and efforts, the country stays divided by ethnic conflict. For decades, the Tuareg and Arab people of the North have felt marginalized by the more prosperous South. In April 2015, pro-government groups took Menaka from Tuareg rebels, which has led to more deaths as conflict continues between the two groups. On Friday June 19th, pro-government armed leaders started to leave Menaka ahead of the signing, raising hope that peace will be restored.

Sticking to the peace deal will be a challenge given that the rebel groups do not feel that their demands and needs for their region to be recognized are really being met. Tuareg and Arab rebels in the North, or Azawad, demand territorial separation, self-rule, and for 40% of the government’s budget to be spent on development in the North. However, the new peace deal only allows for decentralized local administration.

According to the UN, 86% of the world’s refugees live in the developing world. In Africa, there are about 15 million people of concern: refugees, asylum seekers, stateless people, internally displaced people (IDPs), and returnees. In Mali, about 267,000 remain internally or externally displaced due to the conflict in the North. There are 86,000 internally displaced persons in Mali and 16,000 returnees who sought refuge in other countries after 2012 but have since returned to Mali. In addition, 32,000 Malian refugees are sheltered in Burkina Faso, 52,000 in Mauritania, and 49,000 in Niger. Mali also hosts several refugees and asylum seekers from Côte d’Ivoire and the Central African Republic.

Malian refugees in Niger. Photo: UNHCR

Conditions in these refugee camps are unfavorable, particularly for children. Children who have fled violence experience a lot of suffering; their refugee parents don’t have the time to look after them and so they are in danger of abuse and violence. They also miss out on important months of school, falling behind and increasing their chances of dropping out. Having access to school or education allows them to lead a more normal life of learning and playing with other children.

School in Mbera refugee camp in Mauritania. Photo: Joe Penney/Reuters

Within Mali, many people continue to be displaced in places like Gao, Ansongo, Timbuktu, and the border areas with Niger. Bourem, which is 95km north of Gao, is under the control of the Malian military, but lacks essential state facilities and services as a result of the conflict. Many internally displaced people fear returning to Bourem, including civil servants, so few schools have reopened, health facilities are limited, and there is little protection for locals. A lot of them would need food assistance to return home. IDPs face many problems, including food, health, and housing. Several have had to register with IDP centers that help them receive basic services, professional training, cash transfers, and maternal care. Many IDPs are now living with relatives in Bamako and as a result these relatives are overburdened and have to ask for aid.

For this reason, Sini Sanuman has opened a center in Bourem in addition to the center in Bamako. Many of the women Sini Sanuman works with in Bourem and Bamako have been displaced and have fled their homes. They have fled out of fear, shame, and embarrassment. They could not stay amidst the violence and those who have experienced sexual violence face stigma. Of those who have fled to Bamako, a few live with relatives or acquaintances, but most live with host families. Thus, they need to earn a living so that they can eat and continue to live in Bamako, which has a higher cost of living than other parts of the country.

Participating at the centers, meeting with the psychologist, learning new skills, and forming relationships allows the survivors to recover their confidence and re-enter society. It gives them the opportunity to do something different when they leave the centers, so that they are not in the same place or situation as before.

So an end to the conflict would directly benefit the women of Sini Sanuman, the nation, and the region of West Africa as a whole. It would mean that state services and safety could be restored, and that children who are refugees could get back to school. Other refugees and IDPs would also be able to return home and start rebuilding their lives and the country.

Kenza F’Douar
June 23, 2015 2:06 pm 226 Comments
About two weeks ago, I was in Washington DC for the Advocacy Project fellowship 2015 training. We were a group of students going on summer fellowships in countries as diverse as Nepal, Bosnia or Uganda. I will be spending ten weeks this summer in a village called Ain Leuh in the Middle-Atlas mountains of Morocco working with cooperative of women carpet weavers to develop their business and set up a cultural center. During my stay in DC, I was able to meet with Silvia, who was in Morocco last year as a fellow for the Advocacy Project. As we started talking, Silvia asked me if I had seen a Moroccan sit-com from last year called Kenza f’douar (Kenza in the country side). We immediately started laughing. The sit-com was a comedy depicting the life of a woman named Kenza in a village where she was sent from the city to gather signatures for a petition. The show tried to highlight the striking differences between her lifestyle in the city and that of the people in the village. Her daily interactions with the local people put her in, sometimes, very funny situations. And, of course, some of it was exaggerated but I can see myself in some of the situations she found herself in.

So here I am now, on the plane, heading to Morocco. As I am from the country, I will first stop by Marrakech to see my family and head on to Ain Leuh to start my fellowship. I am excited for what is to come this summer but I also have to admit that I am a bit scared. There are a couple reasons for that. Yes, I have previously lived in three foreign countries, on three different continents where I had no problem communicating and living with the locals. After all, I am from here and this should be easy, I speak the language, I know the customs and the country fairly well. However, I have never been to the region of Ain Leuh. Even though Morocco is a relatively small country, regional differences can be considerable at times and having lived abroad for so many years does not help. There must be several things I do on a daily basis that have become normal for me and that might seem odd to my hosts. At the same time, there are also many Moroccan habits and ways that I am not used to anymore. Every time I go back to Morocco for a visit, I tend to notice these changes in myself and it will be even more interesting in an environment where I do not necessarily know the people and vice versa. It will also be interesting to see how the locals perceive me as a Moroccan, from the city, and who has had the privilege to study abroad and is coming back to learn from them and share what I have learned through my academic career. I am afraid of saying or doing something that might offend the people. I will have to think carefully of everything I say or do as I do not want to come off as rude or careless.

I am also afraid of not performing well. Going through the training process in D.C. Definitely helped. However, I have to meet with the women of the cooperative and discuss with them what they are expecting of me. This is exactly why I chose to apply to be a peace fellow with the Advocacy Project. The program does development work differently from the major agencies. It does not impose any development discourse on its partners but seeks to provide exactly what they need through a dialogue. In fact, during the training, we have learned about different services we can provide during our fellowship, however we were told to first discuss with the partners exactly what they would like from us. This new way of thinking in development gives more power to the partners in owning and deciding their path towards a better future. I am very much excited to part of this and I hope that, by the end of my ten weeks in Ain Leuh, I will have served my community-based organization well.

I am now three days away from the start of my fellowship and I can’t wait to meet the women that I will be spending the summer with and I hope my life there does not resemble that of Kenza in the sitcom so much. I am looking forward to learning from the women and sharing with them what I have learned throughout my academic career.[content-builder]{“id”:1,”version”:”1.0.4″,”nextId”:”1″,”block”:”root”,”layout”:”12″,”childs”:[{“id”:”2″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”About two weeks ago, I was in Washington DC for the Advocacy Project fellowship 2015 training. We were a group of students going on summer fellowships in countries as diverse as Nepal, Bosnia or Uganda. I will be spending ten weeks this summer in a village called Ain Leuh in the Middle-Atlas mountains of Morocco working with cooperative of women carpet weavers to develop their business and set up a cultural center. During my stay in DC, I was able to meet with Silvia, who was in Morocco last year as a fellow for the Advocacy Project. As we started talking, Silvia asked me if I had seen a Moroccan sit-com from last year called Kenza f’douar (Kenza in the country side). We immediately started laughing. The sit-com was a comedy depicting the life of a woman named Kenza in a village where she was sent from the city to gather signatures for a petition. The show tried to highlight the striking differences between her lifestyle in the city and that of the people in the village. Her daily interactions with the local people put her in, sometimes, very funny situations. And, of course, some of it was exaggerated but I can see myself in some of the situations she found herself in.<\/span>\r\n\r\nSo here I am now, on the plane, heading to Morocco. As I am from the country, I will first stop by Marrakech to see my family and head on to Ain Leuh to start my fellowship. I am excited for what is to come this summer but I also have to admit that I am a bit scared. There are a couple reasons for that. Yes, I have previously lived in three foreign countries, on three different continents where I had no problem communicating and living with the locals. After all, I am from here and this should be easy, I speak the language, I know the customs and the country fairly well. However, I have never been to the region of Ain Leuh. Even though Morocco is a relatively small country, regional differences can be considerable at times and having lived abroad for so many years does not help. There must be several things I do on a daily basis that have become normal for me and that might seem odd to my hosts. At the same time, there are also many Moroccan habits and ways that I am not used to anymore. Every time I go back to Morocco for a visit, I tend to notice these changes in myself and it will be even more interesting in an environment where I do not necessarily know the people and vice versa. It will also be interesting to see how the locals perceive me as a Moroccan, from the city, and who has had the privilege to study abroad and is coming back to learn from them and share what I have learned through my academic career. I am afraid of saying or doing something that might offend the people. I will have to think carefully of everything I say or do as I do not want to come off as rude or careless.<\/span>\r\n\r\nI am also afraid of not performing well. Going through the training process in D.C. Definitely helped. However, I have to meet with the women of the cooperative and discuss with them what they are expecting of me. This is exactly why I chose to apply to be a peace fellow with the Advocacy Project. The program does development work differently from the major agencies. It does not impose any development discourse on its partners but seeks to provide exactly what they need through a dialogue. In fact, during the training, we have learned about different services we can provide during our fellowship, however we were told to first discuss with the partners exactly what they would like from us. This new way of thinking in development gives more power to the partners in owning and deciding their path towards a better future. I am very much excited to part of this and I hope that, by the end of my ten weeks in Ain Leuh, I will have served my community-based organization well.<\/span>\r\n\r\nI am now three days away from the start of my fellowship and I can’t wait to meet the women that I will be spending the summer with and I hope my life there does not resemble that of Kenza in the sitcom so much. I am looking forward to learning from the women and sharing with them what I have learned throughout my academic career.<\/span>“}]}[/content-builder]

Ramadan in Bamako
June 19, 2015 4:06 pm 238 Comments
This week, I’m branching out; I’ve decided to start walking to and from work. It is about a 20-minute walk and I figured a little bit of exercise would be good for me. Previously, I was taking the Sotrama, which stands for “Société de Transport du Mali”, to work because everything seems far when you are unfamiliar with it. The Sotrama is a minibus that is one of the most common (and the cheapest) forms of public transportation.

If you’re familiar with public transport in Southern Africa, the Sotrama is like a combi, complete with a conductor who shouts out the route or direction attracting anyone who will listen. The only differences are that Mali’s minibuses are bright green and the conductor communicates with the driver upfront by banging on the door.

The road I take to get to work, complete with a Sotrama above

Taking the Sotrama is quite confusing. I knew how to tell them where to stop on my way to work (Just say “Amandine,” a housemate told me. “It’s a restaurant everyone knows”). But this was much less helpful on my way back; there wasn’t any restaurant or landmark that I was aware of. As you can imagine, I often get off further than I intend after a lot of hand gesturing.

Walking is another story all together; the roads of Bamako are hardly what we would call pedestrian friendly, or even car or moto friendly for that matter. Pure chaos is the only way to describe it. There is always a steady stream of cars, so crossing the road takes a lot of fearlessness, good judgment, and speed. When you add the motos to the mix, just walking along the side of the road is a gamble. Although they have their own lanes, there is no guarantee that you won’t get run over. You’ll be honked at even if you stay off those lanes and walk on the dirt.

The main road, the moto lane, and the dirt

With the first day of Ramadan on Thursday, the roads were extra chaotic with everyone dizzy with low blood sugar, rushing home to break the fast. It must have been a rough day for most, especially since it was a particularly hot day. One of my coworkers, who is fasting, was exhausted and drained by the end of the day. She talked about looking forward to breaking the fast so she could have her favorite drink, bissap.

I have been told that things slow down considerably during Ramadan (something I noticed in Senegal as well), so it may be difficult to organize people. Women, in particular, have to leave work early to prepare food for their families to break the fast, and this will affect work at the office as well as out in the community. In addition to training, Sini Sanuman has animateurs (organizers) who go out into the community to raise awareness about sexual and gender-based violence, including FGM, and recruit women to participate in the training. They are very well connected in their communities and I am eager to be a part of the experience. I have asked to attend a few animation sessions, and I have been warned that attendance by women will not be very good during the month of Ramadan, or le mois de Karem as it is known here.

The director of the center mentioned that the regular schedule might change to accommodate women’s different Ramadan roles and responsibilities. Hopefully I will be able to attend a session next week. Perhaps I will have to wait until after Ramadan to have a fuller understanding and appreciation for the important work that these organizers do, but I’m willing to wait. Maybe I’ll even fast a day or two in solidarity with my coworkers.

The Pearl of Africa
June 16, 2015 10:32 am 97 Comments

Before leaving for Uganda my wife told me how she wanted to see a Ugandan wedding. Well, it just so happened that on our second day here, while we were walking in the Gaba District of Kampala, we crashed a wedding. We were flies on a wall for some time, but then people started to approach us and welcome us into the celebrations. They taught us some dance moves, dressed us in traditional garbs, and shared their food and drink. I’m beginning to see why this place is called ‘The Pearl of Africa’. Uganda is a gem and its people are among the kindest I have ever met.

A few days later, after traversing hundreds of kilometers on unpaved roads and experiencing the joy of feeding Baboons some bananas from the window, we finally arrived in Gulu. Despite its many challenges, this town is a wonderful place. The people are friendly and life is simple.

My first week at GDPU has been equally pleasant. The staff are warm and welcoming, the youth at the compound are engaging, and I quickly began to feel like I had joined an extended family. Tony was one of the first people I befriended. He is an established metalworker, owns a small business, supports his ill mother, and helps his cousins pay for their school fees. Not only is he extraordinarily generous with his kin, but he is also deeply committed to helping members of his community.

Tony is one of the trainers for youth with disabilities at GDPU who are participating in a skills development program. It was special to witness how GDPU gives these kids a new lease on life by providing them with the ability to generate income.

I also got the chance to meet some of the children at Tochi. This brief field visit opened my eyes to the tremendous need for proper water and sanitation facilities here. It is one thing to hear about the plight of another person, but it is entirely different to experience their situation firsthand. Empathy comes from our senses, and so if you don’t hear, see, smell, and feel it for yourself, it is hard to truly understand the reality faced by people who are suffering.

Despite the challenges in their life, these students sang, smiled, and greeted me with the utmost elation. Seeing their positivity in the face of such poverty is incredibly inspiring. Uganda is called ‘The Pearl of Africa’ because its people shine bright like gems despite being deprived of essential public services which we take for granted in the developed world every day.

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$\"DCIM100GOPROG0301116.\"$ <\/p>

Before leaving for Uganda my wife told me how she wanted to see a Ugandan wedding. Well, it just so happened that on our second day here, while we were walking in the Gaba District of Kampala, we crashed a wedding. We were flies on a wall for some time, but then people started to approach us and welcome us into the celebrations. They taught us some dance moves, dressed us in traditional garbs, and shared their food and drink. I\u2019m beginning to see why this place is called \u2018The Pearl of Africa\u2019. Uganda is a gem and its people are among the kindest I have ever met.<\/span><\/p>

$\"DCIM100GOPROG0311120.\"$ <\/p>

A few days later, after traversing hundreds of kilometers on unpaved roads and experiencing the joy of feeding Baboons some bananas from the window, we finally arrived in Gulu. Despite its many challenges, this town is a wonderful place. The people are friendly and life is simple. <\/span><\/p>

$\"DCIM100GOPROG0611252.\"$ <\/p>

My first week at GDPU has been equally pleasant. The staff are warm and welcoming, the youth at the compound are engaging, and I quickly began to feel like I had joined an extended family. Tony was one of the first people I befriended. He is an established metalworker, owns a small business, supports his ill mother, and helps his cousins pay for their school fees. Not only is he extraordinarily generous with his kin, but he is also deeply committed to helping members of his community.<\/span><\/p>

$\"20150612_150353\"$ $\"20150612_145803\"$ <\/p>

Tony is one of the trainers for youth with disabilities at GDPU who are participating in a skills development program. It was special to witness how GDPU gives these kids a new lease on life by providing them with the ability to generate income. <\/span><\/p>

$\"TochiToilet\"$ $\"TochiToilet2\"$ <\/p>

I also got the chance to meet some of the children at Tochi. This brief field visit opened my eyes to the tremendous need for proper water and sanitation facilities here. It is one thing to hear about the plight of another person, but it is entirely different to experience their situation firsthand. Empathy comes from our senses, and so if you don\u2019t hear, see, smell, and feel it for yourself, it is hard to truly understand the reality faced by people who are suffering.<\/span><\/p>

$\"TochiSchool1\"$ <\/p>

Despite the challenges in their life, these students sang, smiled, and greeted me with the utmost elation. Seeing their positivity in the face of such poverty is incredibly inspiring. Uganda is called \u2018The Pearl of Africa\u2019 because its people shine bright like gems despite being deprived of essential public services which we take for granted in the developed world every day. <\/span><\/p>

$\"SchoolFriends\"$ <\/p>\n”,”class”:””}]}[/content-builder]

Music and Kindness as Universal Languages
June 13, 2015 3:39 pm 2 Comments
During my first week in Bamako, I have been struck by how kind and generous people can be with their time. Prior to coming here, I heard about the kindness of Malians from a few different people, but I have still been pleasantly surprised by how willing they are to go out of their way to help others. While trying to find housing a day or two after my arrival, someone got a cab to agree to take me to see a house, wait for me, and bring me back for a very discounted rate. I ended up not liking the house and choosing a different one, but I really appreciated the cab driver’s patience since I knew nothing about the city or where anything was. He even gave me the number of someone helping people find housing in the neighborhood I was trying to live in.

View from the window of my new home

Similarly, on my first day of work with Sini Sanuman, despite having seen the office a few days before, I had no idea where to go; I couldn’t tell one place from another. I asked at the gate of the Sleeping Camel and someone generously offered to show me the way on his motorcycle (or moto, as they are known here), a very common method of transportation.

I was told to be at the office by 8am, but I quickly learned that that meant that people only start arriving half an hour later and the actual work doesn’t start until at least a couple hours later. Fortunately, being from Botswana and having spent some time in Senegal, I was very familiar with African time. On one of the mornings this week, a co-worker, who previously lived in Nigeria for 8 years, and I got to connect over some West African music as we waited for the office to be unlocked. She played songs by the popular Malian musician, Salif Keita, a Guinean artist, and since she remembered that I loved Nigerian music from a conversation the day before, she played some of that as well. It was a great way to start the day and made waiting a more pleasant experience.

We visited the center where the project training takes place in Bamako so that I could be introduced to the team and meet some of the survivors. Everyone was very welcoming and sincere. I met the director, the outreach coordinator, and some of the trainers, and they all seemed to really care about their work. I was struck by how young many of the survivors were. Most of them are between the ages of 18 and 24, and some are as young as 13. Many of them are from Northern Mali and have experienced sexual and gender based violence during the conflict, including rape, psychological violence, and early marriage.

Making soap at the Sini Sanuman center

The center provides the survivors with very necessary psychosocial support through meeting with a psychologist, learning new skills, gaining opportunities to earn an income, and having a support network of women who have been through the same thing. The director showed me around the center – all 30 women are receiving training in soap making, clothes making, embroidery, and home economics. I got to see the ingredients used to make the soap, such as palm oil and shea butter, as well as the tools used to mix and cut the soap into bars.

This first week has been very busy with working on a report of the first two months of the project but everyone has been very helpful with allowing me to learn as much as I can about how the project works and what is has achieved so far. One of my co-workers even took me to get Senegalese food and I got to practice my Wolof!

A Tale of Two Cities: One Built by Immigrants, the Other by Migrant Workers
June 6, 2015 7:25 am 5 Comments
June 4, 2015

Having just finished a week-long training with The Advocacy Project to prepare myself for the next few months of my life, I have been keenly aware of the need to give voice to the voiceless. Lengthy discussions on human rights, moral philosophy, and geopolitics combined with jam-packed days of classes on photography, videography, and social media storytelling left me with a sense of empowerment.

In the words of Edward Everett Hale, “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” It is with this spirit that I set out to build toilets in Northern Uganda. However, there was also something nostalgic to the beginning of this journey.

Maybe it was realizing that I would no longer hear the daily screech of the subway as it roared past me on the platform, or perhaps it was the blur of goodbye lunches, dinners, and drinks I had with friends. Whatever it was, that feeling of nostalgia is hazy now as I sit here in the Abu Dhabi airport at 5:00am, unable to sleep, waiting for my flight.

The last 20 or 30 some-odd hours of near sleeplessness have been a mixture of emotions and experiences. I got a chance to soak up luxury in a pool beneath the tallest building in the world, but I also learned of the plight faced by countless migrant workers whose blood saturates the foundations of that building.

I’ve said goodbye to Dubai and New York. One a city I love and another a city I hate. New York, the global melting pot of cultures, is famous for its history of being built by immigrants to the United States. They all had dreams of creating a better future and New York presented itself as an opportunity to many. It took over a hundred years for this city to rise up to its iconic world class status.

Dubai, on the other hand, is like something out of a science fiction movie. The incredible dichotomy between rich and poor makes you feel like you are in the capital city of The Hunger Games surrounded by destitute wasteland and poor districts.

And yet the international character of this city is astonishing. It seems like there are more foreigners living here then locals, but everyone I spoke to about their life here hates it. Even the people who seem to be well off expressed a desire to move away. These foreigners seem torn between wanting to leave but being unable to do so. However, after I spoke with people who were less well off, I discovered the true nature of Dubai’s illusory promises of a better future.

Dubai burst into existence in the blink of an eye. Construction is happening at a blistering pace here, and it is being built by migrant workers who were lured by hope and trapped by corruption. Modern day slavery in Dubai consists of laborers working in extremely hazardous conditions in 10 or 12 hour shifts around the clock, 7 days a week, to erect skyscrapers, luxury apartments, and malls. They are paid a subsistence wage and treated with no regard to their well-being.

I spoke to a Pakistani man named Ali Raza about the conditions migrant workers face in Dubai. He told me stories of economic strife, dreams of a better future, and an illusion that sucks in its victims, trapping them in a web of corruption.

After arriving in the city filled with anticipation to begin working, government officials in Dubai withheld Ali’s passport, thus preventing him from leaving the country, and refused to grant him entry due to a misspelling of his name in the visa they issued him. This forced Ali to reach out to his family for more money so he could repurchase another visa and get his passport back.

This is reminiscent of the slave-like conditions faced by migrant workers in Qatar who came into the spotlight due to the World Cup. Still, Ali, like so many others, came to Dubai for a better future, and so he continued trying to start his new life here. After paying exorbitant fees for a work permit, Ali struggled for a further 6 months, relying on his family back home for support, until he was able to gain the ability to work. 5 years later, he is barely breaking even and can only seldom afford to send money home to his family.

Fortunately for Ali, he does not face the deadly conditions of construction workers, who encounter similar obstacles, but also face long days working in the brutal sun, earning barely enough to get by. Some workers resort to eating once or twice a day and share a room with as many as 8 people in order to keep their cost of living to a minimum.

If a migrant worker gets injured or seriously ill, he receives extremely poor medical care and can be turned away from the hospital even with a broken leg or other emergency. Ali testified that he faced similar circumstances, and he says there are many who lose hope and resort to suicide.

Subsistence wages, extremely hazardous work conditions, and the confiscation of passports are all hallmarks of modern day slavery. Hundreds of workers die each month while building monuments like the Burj Khaifa, but no one hears their cries. Ali Raza’s stories remind me of why I joined The Advocacy Project, to give voice to the voiceless.

So now I prepare for Uganda with the knowledge and understanding that although I am only one person, I can still do some good. I expect that I will finish this journey, but just as I experienced in my brief stay in Dubai, I have no idea what I will encounter along the way.[content-builder]{“id”:1,”version”:”1.0.4″,”nextId”:”1″,”block”:”root”,”layout”:”12″,”childs”:[{“id”:”2″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”June 4, 2015<\/em><\/span>\r\n\r\nHaving just finished a week-long training with The Advocacy Project to prepare myself for the next few months of my life, I have been keenly aware of the need to give voice to the voiceless. Lengthy discussions on human rights, moral philosophy, and geopolitics combined with jam-packed days of classes on photography, videography, and social media storytelling left me with a sense of empowerment.<\/span>\r\n\r\nIn the words of Edward Everett Hale, \u201cI am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.\u201d It is with this spirit that I set out to build toilets in Northern Uganda. However, there was also something nostalgic to the beginning of this journey.<\/span>\r\n\r\n $\"Nostalgic$ <\/span>\r\n\r\nMaybe it was realizing that I would no longer hear the daily screech of the subway as it roared past me on the platform, or perhaps it was the blur of goodbye lunches, dinners, and drinks I had with friends. Whatever it was, that feeling of nostalgia is hazy now as I sit here in the Abu Dhabi airport at 5:00am, unable to sleep, waiting for my flight.<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe last 20 or 30 some-odd hours of near sleeplessness have been a mixture of emotions and experiences. I got a chance to soak up luxury in a pool beneath the tallest building in the world, but I also learned of the plight faced by countless migrant workers whose blood saturates the foundations of that building. <\/span>\r\n $\"Taking$ <\/span>\r\n\r\nI\u2019ve said goodbye to Dubai and New York. One a city I love and another a city I hate. New York, the global melting pot of cultures, is famous for its history of being built by immigrants to the United States. They all had dreams of creating a better future and New York presented itself as an opportunity to many. It took over a hundred years for this city to rise up to its iconic world class status.<\/span>\r\n\r\nDubai, on the other hand, is like something out of a science fiction movie. The incredible dichotomy between rich and poor makes you feel like you are in the capital city of The Hunger Games surrounded by destitute wasteland and poor districts.<\/span>\r\n\r\nAnd yet the international character of this city is astonishing. It seems like there are more foreigners living here then locals, but everyone I spoke to about their life here hates it. Even the people who seem to be well off expressed a desire to move away. These foreigners seem torn between wanting to leave but being unable to do so. However, after I spoke with people who were less well off, I discovered the true nature of Dubai\u2019s illusory promises of a better future.<\/span>\r\n\r\n $\"Desert$ <\/span>\r\n\r\nDubai burst into existence in the blink of an eye. Construction is happening at a blistering pace here, and it is being built by migrant workers who were lured by hope and trapped by corruption. Modern day slavery in Dubai consists of laborers working in extremely hazardous conditions in 10 or 12 hour shifts around the clock, 7 days a week, to erect skyscrapers, luxury apartments, and malls. They are paid a subsistence wage and treated with no regard to their well-being.<\/span>\r\n\r\nI spoke to a Pakistani man named Ali Raza about the conditions migrant workers face in Dubai. He told me stories of economic strife, dreams of a better future, and an illusion that sucks in its victims, trapping them in a web of corruption.<\/span>\r\n\r\nAfter arriving in the city filled with anticipation to begin working, government officials in Dubai withheld Ali\u2019s passport, thus preventing him from leaving the country, and refused to grant him entry due to a misspelling of his name in the visa they issued him. This forced Ali to reach out to his family for more money so he could repurchase another visa and get his passport back.<\/span>\r\n\r\nThis is reminiscent of the slave-like conditions faced by migrant workers in Qatar who came into the spotlight due to the World Cup. Still, Ali, like so many others, came to Dubai for a better future, and so he continued trying to start his new life here. After paying exorbitant fees for a work permit, Ali struggled for a further 6 months, relying on his family back home for support, until he was able to gain the ability to work. 5 years later, he is barely breaking even and can only seldom afford to send money home to his family.<\/span>\r\n\r\nFortunately for Ali, he does not face the deadly conditions of construction workers, who encounter similar obstacles, but also face long days working in the brutal sun, earning barely enough to get by. Some workers resort to eating once or twice a day and share a room with as many as 8 people in order to keep their cost of living to a minimum.<\/span>\r\n\r\nIf a migrant worker gets injured or seriously ill, he receives extremely poor medical care and can be turned away from the hospital even with a broken leg or other emergency. Ali testified that he faced similar circumstances, and he says there are many who lose hope and resort to suicide.<\/span>\r\n\r\n $\"Tallest$ <\/span>\r\nSubsistence wages, extremely hazardous work conditions, and the confiscation of passports are all hallmarks of modern day slavery. Hundreds of workers die each month while building monuments like the Burj Khaifa, but no one hears their cries. Ali Raza\u2019s stories remind me of why I joined The Advocacy Project, to give voice to the voiceless.<\/span>\r\n\r\nSo now I prepare for Uganda with the knowledge and understanding that although I am only one person, I can still do some good. I expect that I will finish this journey, but just as I experienced in my brief stay in Dubai, I have no idea what I will encounter along the way.<\/span>“}]}[/content-builder]

Peace Fellow Training, Camel Soap, and Ali Farka Touré
June 2, 2015 6:53 pm 3 Comments
In just three days I will arrive in Bamako, the capital city of Mali. I am both excited and extremely nervous about what awaits me. Moreover, I am relieved—my mother especially so—to have safe housing and other logistical matters nearly figured out. I will stay at the infamous Sleeping Camel for my first few nights, and I will go and see two rooms in a house with other expats in Bamako.

Even more relieving, I finally have my visa (which was lost in the Mali embassy for a fortnight, meaning I did not have an accepted form of identification). I have also met the director of Sini Sanuman (and he understood my French!) and he will meet me at the airport.

On the Advocacy Project side, I am glad to have survived an intense week of training and to have a clearer idea of what to expect and of what is expected of me. On the other hand, I have also been experiencing an existential crisis of sorts with graduation and people close to me all going in their different directions. And, although I could not dream of embarking on a different journey than this one, new chapters are always bittersweet.

In Bamako, I will be working with community-based organization Sini Sanuman, which translates into Healthy Tomorrow in Bambara. My main responsibilities will include helping the NGO to be more organized in their collecting receipts, using excel, donor reporting, and producing a funding proposal for next year, as well as potentially improving their website and social media presence, producing a promotional video, and finding a larger market for the soap produced by the project’s beneficiaries – there has been talk of camel brand.

Originally formed to fight female genital mutilation, Sini Sanuman’s main work focuses on economic empowerment and psychosocial support of female survivors of armed sexual violence. Sini Sanuman accomplishes this through training women in soap making, clothes making, and embroidery and to sell these items in local markets. Sini Sanuman also has a team of animators (not the drawing kind; it loses something in translation), who go out into the community to raise awareness about armed sexual violence and to recruit women to participate in their trainings.

This is the second year of the Advocacy Project’s partnership with Sini Sanuman and the first year of the project in full swing. It will be a very important and challenging seven months. I will have to hit the ground running in order to produce a report with the Sini Sanuman about the first two months of the project. It will also give me the chance to learn about the team and how the project is going so far. I am excited to offer what I can, but I know I will always learn more than what I can give. I am also looking forward to learning more about Malian music and culture; Ali Farka Touré has been on my playlist for the past couple months. It will be an exciting and rewarding seven months. Stay tuned for the adventure!

[content-builder]{“id”:1,”version”:”1.0.4″,”nextId”:3,”block”:”root”,”layout”:”12″,”childs”:[{“id”:”2″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”In just three days I will arrive in Bamako, the capital city of Mali. I am both excited and extremely nervous about what awaits me. Moreover, I am relieved\u2014my mother especially so\u2014to have safe housing and other logistical matters nearly figured out. I will stay at the infamous Sleeping Camel for my first few nights, and I will go and see two rooms in a house with other expats in Bamako.\n\nEven more relieving, I finally have my visa (which was lost in the Mali embassy for a fortnight, meaning I did not have an accepted form of identification). I have also met the director of Sini Sanuman (and he understood my French!) and he will meet me at the airport.\n\nOn the Advocacy Project side, I am glad to have survived an intense week of training and to have a clearer idea of what to expect and of what is expected of me. On the other hand, I have also been experiencing an existential crisis of sorts with graduation and people close to me all going in their different directions. And, although I could not dream of embarking on a different journey than this one, new chapters are always bittersweet.\n\nIn Bamako, I will be working with community-based organization Sini Sanuman, which translates into Healthy Tomorrow in Bambara. My main responsibilities will include helping the NGO to be more organized in their collecting receipts, using excel, donor reporting, and producing a funding proposal for next year, as well as potentially improving their website and social media presence, producing a promotional video, and finding a larger market for the soap produced by the project\u2019s beneficiaries \u2013 there has been talk of camel brand.\n\nOriginally formed to fight female genital mutilation, Sini Sanuman\u2019s main work focuses on economic empowerment and psychosocial support of female survivors of armed sexual violence. Sini Sanuman accomplishes this through training women in soap making, clothes making, and embroidery and to sell these items in local markets. Sini Sanuman also has a team of animators (not the drawing kind; it loses something in translation), who go out into the community to raise awareness about armed sexual violence and to recruit women to participate in their trainings.\n\nThis is the second year of the Advocacy Project\u2019s partnership with Sini Sanuman and the first year of the project in full swing. It will be a very important and challenging seven months. I will have to hit the ground running in order to produce a report with the Sini Sanuman about the first two months of the project. It will also give me the chance to learn about the team and how the project is going so far. I am excited to offer what I can, but I know I will always learn more than what I can give. I am also looking forward to learning more about Malian music and culture; Ali Farka Tour\u00e9 has been on my playlist for the past couple months. It will be an exciting and rewarding seven months. Stay tuned for the adventure!\n<\/span>\n”,”class”:””}]}[/content-builder]

Reflecting and Moving Forward
December 23, 2014 11:18 am Leave a Comment
GDPU staff outside the office

As the year winds down I thought is was important to both recap the last six months and also unveil some of the exciting new components we at GDPU are working on. In 2014, one of our biggest successes was putting the bus park toilet into working order. Between GDPU’s tenacity in politics and my technical knowledge we were able to open the toilet for use. The toilet was also evaluated this summer by 15 persons with disabilities living and working in the immediate area. We found that there is a great need for the facility and many PWDs intend to use the toilet. In 2015, GDPU will continue to monitor the toilet and provide feedback to both the vendor and the local government, who now have ownership of the facility. We have received extremely positive feedback from those who have used the toilet so far.

Our second major project in 2014 was undertaking a needs assessment of 10 schools in Gulu District. The assessment featured observations, interviews with the headmasters, and focus groups with students. This needs assessment has greatly informed our 2015 project and the proposals which I am currently working on. In the assessment we found many schools attempted some form of accessibility, but none of the schools met Ugandan accessibility standards. For example some toilets had ramps to a step, handle bars with no sitting provision, or doorways too narrow. In 2015, GDPU and AP would like to fundraise to provide model accessible toilets at three primary schools, as well as, work with the local government to ensure that accessibility standards are created so that every sanitation project meets the correct specifications.

In the needs assessment it was also found that the after water and sanitation concerns, bullying was one of the major problems faced by students with disabilities. Click here to see some of the drawings by students by disabilities. In an effort to include both bullying and “soft” components in our 2015 program, I have been working with Tochi Primary School’s headmaster and music, dance, and drama teacher to create an educational program, which could be modified for use at all schools in the district. The program combines sensitization of teachers and administration, activities year-round for students focusing on a one week competition, and an event for the community to participate in. Topics included in the program include disability awareness, bullying, and hygiene. The program would support the infrastructure in that students and the community would be aware of the importance of the latrine and help to sustain it. It also will work to include students with disability into both their school and wider community. This program is extremely unique as no other program has been implemented in schools with a designated focus on disability. This program is exciting as it can be implemented in combination with the building of an accessible toilet or on its own at a low cost.

On behalf of Gulu Disabled Persons Union and myself I would like to wish everyone a happy holiday season as we reflect on the successes and challenges of 2014 and look towards to new possibilities for change in 2015.

Six months: Mali ô Mali, on est toujours là!
December 5, 2014 6:35 am 2 Comments
Today marks my six months in Mali. I arrived to Bamako on the night between June 4th and 5th, I didn’t know what to expect from this adventure, the night was hot and humid, and as soon as I made it to my room at The Sleeping Camel, it began storming. I remember being thirsty and worried about how to get from the airport to the hostel, I remember getting to the hostel and realising that I was, once again, in a far far away country, and that my life would have a whole different colour scheme for the following months. I had no idea what the work and the country would bring me, but I can honestly say, six months on, that this experience has profoundly marked me, both personally and professionally.

Today also marks the first time that I spend six months in one country without crossing any borders. My life as an Italian living abroad, and then living away from home, meant that I was constantly travelling between countries, to visit family, friends, go back to school, etcetera. Maybe it’s a coincidence that Mali is the country where I have been able to “stay put” for more than half a year, maybe it’s due to its sheer size (it’s HUGE!), maybe it’s due to the nature of our work – a six months project hardly leaves any time to hop over to Burkina Faso or Cote D’Ivoire.

Mali is a country worth exploring, with its complications, challenges, questions (and very few answers). Malians are a people worth knowing, with their kindness and hospitality, diversity, culture and colour. There is so much to know and understand, from the mystic Dogon villages in the South East, to the life and activity in Bamako, to the mystery and poetry of the desert. Six months gave me just a taste of all of it, and it made me want to see and learn more. Although my time here is almost over, there is still much to do and still a lot to discover.

Maybe the six months mark also calls for a small “compte rendu”, feedback, a resume. Sini Sanuman have been kind enough to let a stranger into their offices, to let me try and help with a whole new programme and they opened their doors to me. Sure, it has not been without its ups and downs and its challenges, but those are also part of the journey. For the first time, I was confronted with stories experiences that I had only read about it books and articles, stories of rape and sexual violence, the faces of the survivors, their inner strength, their struggles. The sensitivity of this subject is such that not much can be shared widely; even creating profiles of women at our centres, sharing their names and telling their stories would be unfair to them, and could potentially pose risks. I have shared, and will share, their stories in a coded format, their names won’t figure on the article. The world should be aware of happens in the remotest corners of the world, in tents in the desert, in the darkness of the slums of Bamako and improvised IDP camps.

Six months in Mali and I don’t want to leave. Six months in Mali and despite of all the dust that I really need to wash off, I am not tired. I have found wonderful friends and accomplices in this city, in this country; I feel that this project, that I am fortunate to be part of, has the potential to have a real impact, and indeed already has it. Below is one of the photos that made it all worth it: survivors of sexual violence, strong women at our centre, wearing the clothes that they learned to make, and being proud of showing them off.

The Women of GDPU: Empowered and Educated
December 1, 2014 12:06 pm 1 Comment
Acen Franka

In 2003, Acen Franka dropped out of Senior 1 at the age of 19 when she conceived a child, shortly after which she got married. Her husband promised he would take her back to school after giving her a break to raise the young child. The years past and Franka and her husband had another two children. Her husband then refused to take her back to school.

The tipping point came when her nearly 50 year old husband brought another wife into the home, a 17-year-old, was also pregnant. The two wives and their husband all lived in the same room and even slept in the same bed. This wife, however, the husband took back to school after giving birth.

Franka never gave up on her dreams and left her husband in 2012 to continue studying. Franka is now in Senior 3 and is not giving up hope. “If you’re not educated you can’t do anything. You can’t afford to food to eat or pay the school fees of your children” said Franka. Since she left the village, her husband has disallowed her to see the children, yet she remains hopeful about visiting them this Christmas. On her husband she noted, “short man can delay to grow old.”

Franka works with the GDPU as a caretaker of children whose parents train at the vocational program.

Aciro Moreen

In 1995, Moreen dropped out of Primary 7 due to financial problems. She began working in a clinic as a cleaner. In 1997, at around 20 she got married and had three children with her husband.

Life changed drastically in 2004 when her husband, a driver for World Vision, was murdered by the LRA during fieldwork. World Vision gave her compensation, however her brother-in-laws came and took everything: the monetary compensation, two motorbikes, the land, her home, and all belongings in the home. They left Moreen with nothing, an unfortunately common instance with widows in Uganda. “They say women have no power over anything” said Moreen. They rationalized that they were taking the belongings for another niece, whom her husband was helping to support.

Years later Moreen found out World Vision had offered to pay school fees for her children, yet her brother-in-law had enrolled his kids under the names of Moreen’s children. For three years her brother-in-law’s children were going to school without paying fees. When she found out she went to World Vision, but instead of correcting the mistake the stopped paying school fees altogether.

In 2011, Moreen decided to go back to school enrolling in Senior 1. “I want to become a mid-wife, but my level of education did not match [the requirements]” said Moreen. Today Moreen, the Office Assistant at GDPU, takes night courses and is currently in Senior 3, which happens to be the same level as one of her sons. When I asked her son what he thought of his mom in the same level as him, he said he was very proud. Moreen says she “just does what pushes my life to tomorrow.”

Ajok Betty

Betty finished Senior 6 at age 20 and was immediately off to England where her new husband lived. While living in England for five years she had her son. She left England as her marriage began to crumble and the feeling of isolation grew. “The social life was bad. You stay without knowing your neighbors,” Betty said.

Back in Uganda she attempted several times to finish an Associate’s Degree. The first time she dropped out due to money issues, her husband refused to give any payment as he falsely believed she had remarried. The second time dropping out because she was offered a job as a secretary for the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) during peace talks. Finally, on her third attempt she finished her two year degree.

Today, Betty teaches literacy and numeration at the GDPU for students at the vocational training. On the weekends she is completing her Bachelor’s in Development Studies. Using her son as inspiration, Betty is working hard to provide a better life.

Photo Gallery: This is Uganda
November 25, 2014 6:44 am Leave a Comment
Below are just a few of the many photos I have taken during my fellowship. To see more check my Advocacy Project Flickr account. These are the faces and places of Uganda.

Ivan is a 14 year old student with physical disabilities at Tochi Primary in Gulu

Student at Tochi Primary in Gulu

Nancy almost dropped out of school because other children bullied her for being disabled

Uganda’s national bird: The Crested Crane

Straw weavers feet

National Mosque Minaret

Chameleon along the Bwamba Pass

Joining the straws

Ugandan flower in the Rwenzoris

Ugandan National Kayak Team Member on the Mission

Sharing African Beer

Rooftop cat in Kinawataka

Kids outside Reach Out clinic in Kinawataka

If you yell muzungu at me I will not feel bad about taking your picture

Zebras outside Lake Mburo National Park

Girls in Kinawataka

Nile kayaker dropping into the surf on Club Wave

Monkey in Bujagali

Collecting straws to recycle

Sanitation Challenges for Disabled Children in Uganda
November 19, 2014 7:03 am 3 Comments
Two weeks ago, I traveled to Gulu with Advocacy Project Executive Director Iain Guest to visit my fellow Peace Fellow Katy Dutile. Katy and I both arrived in Uganda in early June and she has been working with the Gulu Disabled Persons’ Union focused on water, sanitation and hygiene for Ugandans with disabilities. Katy has made tremendous progress during her fellowship and I really enjoyed meeting her GDPU colleagues and learning about their critical work in Gulu.

Katy and GDPU assessed water and sanitation conditions in 10 primary schools in Gulu and identified three high priority locations to build accessible toilets and hand washing stations for students with disabilities. Iain and I joined Katy and GDPU Program Coordinator Ojok Patrick to visit two of the priority schools identified by their team as potential sites for the project. The below video I filmed describes several of the challenges faced by students with disabilities at these schools.

Nov. 19th World Toilet Day: Children with disabilities in Gulu lack basic sanitation
12:00 am 1 Comment
“I give a shit, do you?” – World Toilet Day Slogan

In 2013, the United Nations declared November 19^th World Toilet Day. Within the last few years the issue of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) has come to the forefront as one of the major development issues- rightly so. Diarrhea causes 1.5 million death each year, with the primary factor being unclean water and poor sanitation. Although NGOs and government’s understand the importance, there is still an immense amount of work to do in order to bring clean water and sanitation to each person.

I decided to focus on WASH during my graduate work as I felt there were so many large development and public health issues, which there is no clear solution. WASH is not one of those issues. We know the necessary progression of infrastructure and the healthy practices required. The most complicated issues within WASH are actually related to strong institutions and good governance.

As part of my Peace Fellowship I’ve had the opportunity to move to about 15 schools within both the municipality and rural for a water and sanitation needs assessment, focusing on accessibility. While, it is clear the government and NGOs attempt to cater for basic water and sanitation, gaps remain in terms of cleanliness and inaccessibility to children with disabilities. In an attempt to reach the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people without clean water and sanitation, it is often the easiest and fastest cases which are provided for. During the school’s needs assessment, my GDPU colleague and I asked children with disabilities to draw of write their challenges. The number one drawn challenge was related to water and sanitation, followed by issues of bullying.

The need for clean and accessible latrines is there. So what are we going to do? At Gulu Disabled Persons Union and Advocacy Project we are working on piloting a project by the end of year which would build an accessible latrine at one school and include a holistic education program where we could tackle issues such as hygiene, bullying, and inclusion. Our long term goals include building about more toilets at schools in need, building a District wide inclusive education program, and working with local government to ensure accessibility standards are met by every sanitation project within the District. In order to complete this pilot project we are looking to raise an additional $1,000 USD. I encourage you to donate through Advocacy Project via this link and say “Yes. I give a shit!”

Take a look at what children with disabilities in Gulu District say their challenges are at their school:

Three students with physical disabilities in Gulu District school wrote about their challenges

These students drew classrooms and a handwashing station

Students at this primary school drew their challenges as the latrines (the building reads boys and girls in Luo). They also captured a basketball court, as previously a wheelchair basketball club existed.

Students at this school drew a latrine and handwashing station as their challenges

“I think my biggest problem is our toilet. They are not clean.”

“We need water in out school. We need our latrine.”

Students at a rural school similarly drew challenges of latrine as well as tables and chairs.

These students described their challenges of an overcrowded borehole. At all the schools the community and school share a borehole.

Two female students are describing there school and the location of the path and borehole. They want students to “wash your hand after visit latrine.”

This schools challenges are of consistent water, ability to wash hands, and lack of doors to classrooms.

“There’s no toilet”

News from Bamako
November 18, 2014 5:31 am 1 Comment
I didn’t want to have to do this, but I think it may be good to inform and reassure the supporters of the Advocacy Project.

While the news hasn’t quite reached all four corners of the world, unfortunately Mali has become the fourth West African country with an active Ebola outbreak (more…)

Bus Park Toilet is Open!
2:41 am Leave a Comment
I am happy to announce that last week Gulu Disabled Persons Union (GDPU) officially opened the bus park toilet. The ceremony joined together GDPU and the Pece Division Local Council to see the final product.

Stephen Okello, the Vice-Chairperson of Pece Division delivered remarks during the ceremony. “We the government thank you. We have to work with partners to achieve our goals. Together we will try our best to improve the lives of persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities are considered not to contribute like other persons. However, they have much to contribute to our society. We really thank you” said Okello.

All repairs were completed in October with inspections made by the Pece Division Inspector of Health, Patrick Ogwang. GDPU will now take on the role of closely monitoring the toilet and maintaining strong relationships with the local government, in order to ensure sustainability.

Vice-Chairperson Stephen Okello and I shake hands at opening of bus park toilet

Checking out the new toilet

Projects, Proposals, and Budgets Oh My!
November 14, 2014 4:38 am 1 Comment
Women of KIWOI

While I have been hard at work here in Uganda, I have been slacking on my blogging. Just to check in, I am in fact still alive and well with the women of Kinawataka! Over the past couple of months the focus of my fellowship has evolved. Initially my goal was to implement the AP deliverables providing capacity building training and support on NGO management and communications under the 5by10 module. While I am still supporting both of those areas, my focus has shifted to fundraising and project development.

I’ve been at a loss about what to blog about relating to work, management and proposals aren’t necessarily the sexiest of topics. However, as AidSpeak blogged: “If you want to save lives, make the spreadsheet cells calculate properly.”

So what exactly have I been up to?

Since September I have been conducting outreach to embassies in Kampala on behalf the Kinawataka Women Initiatives and Gulu Disabled Persons Union. Several embassies provide small grants to community based organizations. My goal is to submit at least five proposals by the end of the year. So far I have sent one off and am in the finalizing steps of another.

Collecting straws in Kinawataka

A major aspect of my fellowship is getting KIWOI into a place where the organization can be competitive for funding opportunities. This has been a lengthy process. We have formalized our board of directors, drafted an annual report, changed our bookkeeping practices and created expense reports. I created a detailed budget for the organization and each of our proposed projects. This was significantly more challenging than one might imagine. A lot of the information needed had not been tracked and determining costs was quite the process. Excel and I have come to terms though and the budget is finally complete.

What am I fundraising for?

While we are seeking funding to cover the core costs of the organization, another major aspect of my work these past months has related to project development. We have several exciting programs in the pipeline for 2015. Nearly all of the groundwork to implement these programs has been completed and once we gain funding KIWOI will be off and running!

Plastic bag reduction campaign

Plastic waste constitutes a major threat to the environment in Uganda. In order to combat the plastic threat KIWOI has developed a project for the upcoming fiscal year to remove 100,000 plastic bags from the Kinawataka slum in 2015. The project would involve the distribution of 400 reusable and durable straw bags to five stores in Kinawataka, six community trainings, and the development of a campaign to remove plastic bags from Uganda. A pilot program was implemented in 2012 and to promote the use of reusable bags rather than single-use polyethylene bags. The project was a major success and customers continue to utilize the reusable bags and the expansion of the program holds much promise

Trainings in quail raising, tailoring and mushroom growing

In order to create self-sustainability for women in Kinawataka, KIWOI plans on hold three trainings on the income generating activities of quail raising, tailoring and mushroom growing. Each of these trainings provides significant dividends for the women in Kinawataka. These trainings were requested by the women in the community and would significantly improve their quality of life by giving them new skills, which can be used to generate an income.

Working with women in prisons

Uganda’s prison system is focused on punitive rather than corrective incarceration. Prisoners leave the system with little means or skills to improve themselves often leading to the resumption of crime due to lack of perceived alternatives. KIWOI began working in women’s prison and trained over 70 women to produce straw bags and crafts from recycled drinking straws. However, the trainings were discontinued due to lack of funding. Kinawataka hopes to renew the trainings and expand them to additional prisons providing training on straw product production and other income generating activities.

Peace Fellows Shannon and Katy with KIWOI Founder Benedicta

Before I came to Uganda, the majority of my experience had been in conducting research, writing memos and reports, and advocating on human rights issues. I had never drafted a grant proposal, developed a project, wrote a budget or annual report, or completed a log frame analysis. These are all critical skills and I’ve enjoyed learning them. The work has been a challenge, but one that I have been keen to complete. I’ve grown quite attached to the women of Kinawataka and am dedicated to doing my best to get them funding to sustain this innovative organization. I have three videos in the pipeline and do my best to everyone updated so stayed tuned exciting work is happening in the slums of Kampala!

Calm amongst the chaos: embroidery
November 3, 2014 9:36 am 1 Comment
Eleven thirty AM in Bamako, Mali. News of civil unrest in neighbouring Burkina Faso and the end of Blaise Compaoré’s 27-year rule dominate conversations everywhere, taking over from an intense week of debating over the incubation period of the Ebola virus, following the news of a two-year old girl’s death by Ebola in the north-western town of Kayes. In the meantime, the northern regions of Gao and Kidal are still not entirely secure, with sporadic news of clashes between peacekeepers and jihadists and rebels. Some might say that we are quite literally surrounded by instability.

The reality in Sini Sanuman’s centres in Bamako and in Bourem is far from the chaos and uncertainty of the north, east and south. While women stay in the centre in each other’s company they have the opportunity to spend their days working side by side to learn new skills that will some day help them to produce soap or mend clothes, so to earn a little bit of an income. One of the biggest activities in the centre is the embroidery training, which benefits not only the women, but also the Advocacy Project itself.

Embroidery is almost a magic tool that is able to, at once, create a sense of community (women sit and do the embroidery together, as pictured below) and also create a space in which to express themselves.

The Advocacy Project’s “signature product” are advocacy quilts, used to showcase the work of AP and its partners from around the world all over the world. Quilts send a powerful message; with just a few embroided panels, they have the opportunity to tell a story. Sini Sanuman is a new partner for AP, and one of my tasks as the first Peace Fellow in Mali is to create a quilt to tell the story of our women and advocate for our project in Mali. During Iain’s visit to the project we spent a long time discussing this… quilting business. The women, as shown below, were mostly drawing flowers on colourful pieces of cloth, but we needed to give this activity a direction.

We discussed this with them, exposed the idea of a quilt to be showcased in different galleries and exhibitions around the world, essentially asking them to tell us “what do you want to say?”.

Although timid at first, they agreed that they would, with the help of a couple of artists, draw scenes that they had lived through or witnessed during the crisis in 2012-2013. Embroidery is still a work in progress, with women hard at work as a type, but here are some of the shocking and powerful designs that they came up with.

More soon, looking forward to sharing more pictures from our beautiful and exciting work in Bamako and Bourem.

Bullying of Children with Disabilities
8:07 am Leave a Comment
“They tell you you’re ugly.” 13-year-old female

“Sometimes they abuse you and tell me that I should go away because I don’t see.” 12-year-old female with visual impairment

“People use abusive language. They say that my hand is just like my mother’s, but it’s not.” 16-year-old female with physical disability

“For me, I don’t like the isolation. It’s both teachers and children, it’s all around. ” 17-year-old male with visual impairment

“For you, you look like a dead person.” 16-year-old female with visual impairment

“Other students beat me in class.” 10-year-old male with intellectual disability

“They say hurry up disabled person the rain is coming.” 12-year-old male with physical disability

“Others they abuse. They say there is no space for you here, you should study from home. Others even play with my crutches.” 9-year-old male with physical disability

“He’s a mad person he should go to the hospital and get medication” 12-year-old male

“I will think about transferring.” 11-year-old female

“For me I would change attitude of people towards persons with disabilities and tell them to treat everyone equally.” 17-year-old male

During our water and sanitation needs assessment we conducted focus groups with over 150 children with disabilities in ten schools within Gulu District. While many of the focus group questions surrounded the state of water, sanitation, and hygiene we also left room for students to openly discuss challenges they faced at their school. While there were many students open to discussing bullying it was clear the problem was even larger when we asked students to draw or write their challenges. We has students pair up into groups, with those who cannot draw giving their idea to their partner. After water and sanitation structural problems, bullying was the second most drawn topic, with pictures depicting painful realities they faced from their peers at school.

Tochi Primary School

St. Mauritza Obiya Primary School

Layibi Central Primary School

“They are quarreling” Tochi Primary School

St. Mauritz Primary School

Gulu Primary School

St. Jude’s Primary School

This assessment was extremely important as we seek to build a schools program. Originally GDPU and AP planned to build accessible toilet and include a hygiene program, with a small element of bullying prevention. With this assessment we were able to find out that the majority of students are adequately accessing hygiene education at school in both the classroom and during assembly. From our focus groups with students however, it is clear that instead our educational program should focus on bullying prevention and sensitization of both teachers and student.

Ugandan Time
6:21 am 1 Comment
Things in Uganda move at a different speed than in the United States. The streets and sidewalks are busier but at the same time, things to get done at a much slower pace. They talk about African time in relation to punctuality. When booking a bus ticket to Kenya, the bus driver emphasized, “We leave on Muzungu time, not African time!” yet we still departed 30 minutes late.

Two of my many flaws are procrastination and sleeping-in, which seem to be common side effects of African time so I have had to struggle not to fall into the relaxed flow too much. Dealing with African time has certainly taught me patience. This place could break a Type A person. Every time I travel to Africa, there is an adjustment period where I shift my expectations of time. Arriving 45 minutes late to an interview or important meeting here is commonplace, whereas in the U.S. it would almost certainly lead to a negative outcome.

At a training session for students on entrepreneurship at Makerere University here in Kampala, the speaker stressed with the audience that we must create a “Ugandan time” to create efficiency. The crowd burst into laughter, nodding in agreement but also disbelief that is would be possible.

KIWOI Executive Director and Ugandan Time Pioneer Benedicta Nanyonga

One of the reasons the founder of Kinawataka Women Initiatives, Benedicta Nanyonga, has been so successful is her diligence with time. She rises before the sun does to take care of the cow, pigs and chickens that live in her backyard and prepare the orphans she raises for school. When I leave in the evening she is still hard at work and sometime goes into the late night and early morning to make sure the job is completed. The office is connected to her home and work encompasses much of her life. While she may not look it, Benedicta just turned 67 years old, which makes her stamina all the more impressive.

At a recent meeting for members of KIWOI, women rolled in over the period of an hour. It was the first meeting we had held in some time and only 4 out of the 20 were on time. For those who showed up an hour after the meeting begin, Benedicta sent them away. When I asked why she wouldn’t let them participate she explained that they would not learn to be prompt otherwise. If anyone is going to help pioneer the concept of “Ugandan time” Benedicta is certainly the woman for the job.

5 Days, 10 Schools, 1 Needs Assessment
October 29, 2014 4:03 am 246 Comments
Between October 16th and October 22nd two members of the GDPU and I visited 12 schools, although we only assessed 10, within various sub-counties of Gulu District. We had three goals with the assessment. 1.) Understand the need to children with disabilities (CWDs) in school in terms of water and sanitation 2.) Gather important data which can be used by GDPU to write proposals and present at conferences on this issue 3.) Determine locations of accessible latrines we plan to build.

I can say we have succeed in all three of our goals and learned an immense amount on the way. GDPU plans to turn this data into a complete report in November, but here’s just a snapshot of our findings.

On water and sanitation:

Borehole at Akonyiebedo P.7.

• While some NGOs attempt to build accessible latrines for students they are often taken over by teachers or administration for personal use
• Communities surrounding the school heavily uses latrine and borehole causing extreme wear and tear
• While NGOs often attempt to provide accessible water and sanitation, it is not up to standards required for persons with disabilities (i.e. doors are too narrow, ramps too steep, no sitting provision)
• No school has attempted to modify the borehole to allow it to be accessed by CWDs
• There is a lack of coordination between NGO service providers and disability advocates

Attitudes towards CWDs:

Students drawing challenges at their school

• Bullying of children with disabilities is one of the largest issues facing children with disabilities
• Majority of public schools offer no services to children with disabilities
• Teachers are unsure of how to assess and often do not assess students with disabilities
• Teachers and administration are aware of issues related to children with disabilities, but lack knowledge of solutions

School Environment:

While this school has new toilets, which have made some provisions for CWDs, the path is clearly inaccessible.

• While ramps may be at the school, paths around school are often rough

Renovations at the Accessible Bus Park Toilet: Photos
October 22, 2014 12:10 pm 1 Comment
With the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with the local government, the plumber was able to begin renovation work at the bus park. The plumber, Ronald, was chosen after receiving bill of quantities from three contractors and plumbers. I met our chosen plumber in the new main market (a World Bank project) when Simon, the GDPU Local Coordinator, and I were accessing whether the market met accessibility standards for sanitation. The Municipal Engineer pointed out Ronald during the assessment and I scribbled his number down underneath a sink. He works on a team with his brother, who is a contractor and his associate degree in Civil Engineering. Ronald has finished both plumbing craft I and II, followed by advanced Plumbing Services Lismore. He works throughout Uganda saving up money to go back to school for an eventual associates in Water Engineering. Thеrе аrе mаnу reasons tо hire a plumber. Yоu соuld bе іn thе process оf building a new home аnd hаvе nоw reached thе phase whеrе thе plumbing needs tо bе installed. Or уоu соuld bе tackling a remodeling project аnd уоu need a reputable plumber tо mоvе plumbing tо a new area оr install plumbing tо accommodate new fixtures. Check more helpful hints for appointing best plumber. A thіrd scenario thаt mіght fіnd уоu іn need оf a plumber іѕ whеn уоur plumbing needs repair. In thіѕ instance, thе need fоr a plumber іѕ mоrе thаn likely аn emergency, оr іt соuld bесоmе оnе soon. Duе tо thе urgent nature оf thіѕ scenario, іt іѕ easy tо overlook thе need tо fіnd a reputable plumber whо does quality work. For the experienced plumber services visit us now. Thіѕ саn bе a costly mistake іn terms оf nоt оnlу money but аlѕо additional inconveniences іf thе plumber wаѕ nоt wеll versed іn thе trade. Plumbers offer a wide variety оf services. But the quality of his services can be tested via visit my website. Thеѕе include thе ones thаt immediately соmе tо mind ѕuсh аѕ installing new plumbing systems fоr new houses, fixing leaky faucets аnd оthеr repairs, аnd unclogging sinks, tubs аnd toilets. You can see it here qualities to check before appointing any plumber. It mау соmе аѕ a surprise, hоwеvеr, tо learn thаt plumbers muѕt аlѕо know hоw tо rеаd blueprints correctly. In addition, a plumber mіght еvеn bе thе person tо create thе blueprints ѕіnсе a plumber wіll bе aware оf thе applicable codes. Thе regulations thаt govern plumbers vary frоm state tо state. Hоwеvеr, mоѕt states require thаt a plumber fіrѕt work аѕ аn apprentice undеr a master plumber fоr a certain аmоunt оf work hours. Thіѕ аmоunt саn vary bу state. In addition, schooling іn a variety оf trade specific courses іѕ required. Mоѕt оf thе courses wіll focus оn thе systems thаt utilize plumbing ѕuсh аѕ sewage systems, drainage systems, аnd systems thаt manage drinkable water. Aftеr successfully completing thе course work, іt іѕ typical thаt a state test muѕt bе passed bеfоrе thе plumber wіll bе licensed аnd able tо practice thе trade.

At the bus park GDPU and Advocacy Project are focusing on three main areas of work. Firstly, the toilet facility needs to be replaced. The accessible toilet closed a few month before I arrived because the cistern broke under the excessive water pressure, as attendants were using jerry-rigged cans to provide water to the flush toilets. To fix this problem the new cistern is lower to the wall and secured tightly using L-hook anchor bolts. Our second area of focus and most important, is connecting the flush toilet to water. The plumber connected to the water line and funneled it to a tank now on the roof of the toilet. The tank is important as it will hold water when power is out (allowing the toilet to still flush) as well as provide greater water pressure to the toilet. Lastly, the hallway is being re-leveled for drainage, as when it would rain, water would flood in the toilet stance.

Check out the progress:

Ronald checks water pressure to sink

Success!

Ronald’s brother Billy tears up the old hallway to re-level the concrete for drainage

Better late than never
October 18, 2014 11:53 am 2 Comments

I have no excuse for not having written a blog for over a month, except the usual: I was busy. And this time, I really really was. It all started with our German partners and funders, who required a first interim report last month (one every month and a half), which, as you can imagine, took a long time to complete.

After that I received a visit from my mother, now on her second trip to West Africa for me. We were gone from Bamako for about a week, and I was finally able to see the rest of Mali and realise just how wonderful a country it really is. Our trip took us to Djenné, Timbuktu’s sister city and the Pays Dogon, a mystical part of the country where the Dogon people live in small villages on a rift and on the plain. Trekking through nature and meeting wonderful people helped put things into perspective. After the Pays Dogon we visited two of Mali’s bigger cities: Mopti and Segou. Back in Bamako, my mother left as the Advocacy Project’s ED Iain Guest (you all know him) arrived.

Iain elevated busy to a whole new level. The goal of Iain’s trip was to assess the project, meet the beneficiaries, talk to the team and write an evaluation report. Having Iain here meant that what I’ve been doing for the past four months had to be discussed and displayed in less than two weeks. A whirlwind of visits to our centre, the market, meetings, interviews, photographs, videos, dinners, endless conversations about the project, etcetera. We also received a much welcomed visit from our Bourem team after trying, without success, to get up to Gao ourselves.

Thanks to Iain I learned a lot about my role as Peace Fellow and how to think strategically about the project and the long term vision of the Advocacy Project, particularly in Mali. He helped me focus on the positive and let go of frustrations, particularly when they serve no purpose. The project is going very well and we are all very happy with it, but, like anything, it’s not always easy. I think I needed a power boost, and Iain’s visit certainly did the trick.

Dear AP followers, blog readers, whoever you may be, I am sorry for not having written for so long. We are running a new project here in Bamako, challenges flourish day after day, and internet isn’t always available. I have a lot to write about and I can’t wait to do so. Until then don’t forget about us. We are still in Mali, loving it more and more each day.

The Sacred MOU and Global Handwashing Day
October 15, 2014 5:25 am 1 Comment
Catherine, a participant of GDPU’s vocational program, washes her hands

A MOU or Memorandum of Understanding is the contract that binds partners and defines roles, responsibilities, and what happens if you don’t fulfill said roles and responsibilities. In order to formalize GDPU and Advocacy Project’s pilot bus park toilet partnership with local government and give GDPU a strong platform for effective monitoring, we needed to sign a MOU with local council. This week after a back and forth between GDPU and the local government the MOU was signed by both GDPU and Local Council. This means we can go full ahead and start necessary plumbing repairs this week following the guidance available at northernhillspool and get the toilet up and running by the end of the month. Well you can visit here to know hoe much pipe relining can cost or other factors to for your plumbing work.

Getting to this point has not been easy from dealing with bureaucracy to understanding tender concerns. While I can’t say there is any best solution for the bus park toilet, our best bet for sustainability is being able to hold local government accountable. We’ve also worked to solidify a stronger relationship between GDPU, local government, and the tenderer. While forming public-private partnerships, as we are trying to do in the program, there are obvious differences in the parties’ main goal. From a public standpoint it’s providing a needed service, from private the goal is profit. In order for this project to work all need to make a compromise. You can click here for info about pipeline cost.

It only seems fitting that we get the news of the signed MOU on October 15th Global Handwashing Day. With this news there has been a rejuvenation of the staff surrounding this project, which is now full steam ahead. Today the Plumber Near Me Melbourne will sign his contract with GDPU for the repairs which will begin immediately. Tomorrow the GDPU team and I will start a five-day water, sanitation, and hygiene needs assessment of ten schools in the District. This assessment will give us strong research to inform the next component of the project, an accessible school latrine and an innovative educational program focusing on hygiene.

Advocacy Training with Gulu Women with Disability Union
October 7, 2014 2:55 am Leave a Comment
With funding from Disability Rights Fun for capacity building Gulu Women with Disability Union, GDPU’s sister organization whom we share a compound with, held an Advocacy and Partnership training. The training was facilitated by UN High Commission on Human Rights (OHCHR).

While the first day of the training covered the material of the average undergrad human rights course, it was hearing the issues and context from the outspoken and fierce Board Members of GOWUDU the stood out significantly. As the facilitators were broad on rights, the Chairman of the Board brought the facilitators back to the grassroots level they work on. For GOWUDU staff and board having human rights is all well and good, but in a culture where formally children born with disabilities were “thrown into water,” getting the community to see the child as a human, and an equal is a difficult task. As the facilitators asked, “why do we have rights?” A board member quite gracefully responded “We are the same. The same process that bore me, bore you [translation].” As the GDPU Chairman, Teddy states, “how do you expect outsiders to treat you if your own parents think you are a curse?”

The second day of the training was extremely practical and thought provoking on how advocacy works. The OHCHR split all participants into groups of three using case studies. We were to take the case study through the process explained on the first day of training. The process started in understanding problems, choosing a problem to advocate for, then coming up with an advocacy plan. My group consisted of both GDPU’s Chairman, GOWODU’s Chairman, and a GOWODU board member. Through working within the group I realized one of the biggest weaknesses is the lack of ability to focus in on one issue. It’s true within the case study, as well as, in their work there are A LOT of problems. However, to make a strong case in advocacy it’s better to stick to one concise problems with well thought out solutions.

Another of the largest take-aways is often the lack of clear planning that happens before advocacy meetings. Before going in we should know exactly what change we want, a clear change. It’s not awareness raising or dialogue, that’s not advocacy.

Gulu Women with Disability Union

Building Cooperative Relationships
September 16, 2014 4:55 am 1 Comment
Ensuring accessibility at the main market in Gulu

Over the last few weeks most of my time has been spent on the back of a boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) running from one local government office to another. Gulu itself is both a municipality made up of four divisions and a District which is comprised of the four divisions and twelve sub-counties. Each of the divisions and sub-counties have their own local government offices, which are presided over by either the Municipal, which is autonomous, or District government. With both of the pilot projects we are implementing, (1. Ensuring access to public flush toilets at both the Bus Park and main market under construction; 2. Building an accessible toilet at one school and incorporating hygiene and disability education), the GDPU team spends a considerable amount of time creating partnerships at different levels of local government.

In the last two weeks the team has visited several different officers within both the District and Municipal Educational Officers, and the Municipal Engineering Department. Through several meetings with the educational officers I was able to get data on the number of children with disabilities and a further breakdown of disabilities at each of the schools within our target area. I also discussed our proposed pilot program and both the District and Municipal officers gave their support. With the data received the GDPU team is currently narrowing a list of key schools, where we will carry out a needs assessment to identify a pilot school.

The meetings with the engineering department conversely focused on ensuring access to public flush toilets. We were able to have the municipal engineer inspect our efforts at the bus park and allow us access to the main market to assess accessibility of their current facilities. At the bus park the engineer was able to point out some key areas of improvement. At the main market we were able to see clearly that accessibility was considered in the construction. We did, however, find that the doorways to the toilet were too narrow for the accessibility standards under Uganda National Action of Physical Disability. We will take these findings to the local council and hope that, as they are still constructing the doorways, they can be widened. The Municipal Engineer was extremely happy that the GDPU had the initiative to inspect the toilets, before the building was finished. He remarked “whether you like it or not disability will be there, we must cater for our people.”

Our goal in these visits are simple, AP and GDPU want sustainability and we will not accept anything less. Bringing local government on board both increases the chances of a program’s success, but also that our efforts to mainstream disability into water and sanitation service provision will continue past any project length. It’s surely not easy jumping through the hoops of bureaucracy in any country and certainly not in Gulu, but it is our belief that building these partnerships will lead, with time, to full accessibility in Gulu.

Things for Uganda
September 12, 2014 10:09 am Leave a Comment
When I was preparing for my fellowship I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect. I had never lived outside of Virginia before, let alone on a different continent. For future fellows and world travelers, I compiled a list of things I am incredibly glad I brought along with me and things I wish I had considered.

Top 10 things I’m glad I brought to Uganda:

Chacos: I love my Chacos. They have been on countless adventures with me for over 8 years. For the long walk to work they are super comfy and supportive. Plus they produce really sexy tan lines.

Canon T3i: I’ve taken so many photos! It’s a fun way to share my experiences and document the organizations work and the T3i takes quality shots.

Pepto-Bismol: I’ve eaten some questionable food here so I’m thankful for my pink friend to clear up poor decision-making.

Motorcycle helmet: Riding boda-boda’s can be terrifying; I don’t know how there aren’t more wrecks here. I value my mental capacity and therefore my helmet. Plus my helmet has Bluetooth so I can rock out on the morning commute and little kids look hilarious wearing it.

Rain gear: It rains a lot here, even during the dry season. There were 3 weeks in August and early September that it rained everyday. My Arcteryx Beta rain shell and pack cover have sure come in handy.

External hard drive filled with movies and TV shows: Nice way to relax in the evening after work. Plus all these photos and video take up a lot of space.

Kayaking gear: The Nile has world-class whitewater and since it is only 2 hours away, it’s the perfect weekend escape from the craziness of Kampala. The river is my happy place.

Nalgene and Camelback Water Bottles: We are about protecting the environment by reducing plastic waste here at KIWOI so I’m happy for my indestructible water bottles.

Steri-Pen: I don’t want to have to buy water or boil constantly so glad I’m brought my Steri-Pen to produce some high quality h2o.

iPod: Even the most frustrating situations can be at least partially remedied by a good playlist.

3 things I wish I brought to Uganda:

My banjo: I miss playing music and it would have been a good way to spend the down time plus one of my roommates plays guitar and fiddle so could have had a jam partner.

Camping Gear: There aren’t many reasonable day hikes nearby so a tent and sleeping pad would have been nice. Squeezing into a 2 person tent with 3 people and 1 sleeping pad just doesn’t do the trick.

A warmer jacket: Even though Kampala is only 30 minutes from the equator, it can get surprisingly chilly here.

Allez les aigles!
September 10, 2014 12:38 pm Leave a Comment
As I write our first report to our German partners in the office, allow me to move away from my usual blog posts about work, and make blog number 11 (you’ll get it in a second) a post about something I rarely (if ever) talk about: football.

People have defined football (and I mean “soccer”, for the Americans out there) as the religion of the people of Italy. Although Italian, I do not follow football. While here, I was lectured about Italian players and Italian teams by Malians, who seemed rather surprised when I had to ask who won this year’s Serie A (it’s Juventus, apparently).

But when I was asked to go to a football game at the Stade du 26 Mars here in Bamako, I could not resist. The Malian national team was playing Malawi for the first game of the qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations of 2015. On a Saturday night, and as I said, I could not resist.

I was accompanied by a male Malian friend (ok, yes, I wouldn’t have gone otherwise), who supplied us with Malian swag to go show our support. As we got into our taxi on Saturday evening, the proverbial cats and dogs were falling from the sky, and began falling with more fervor and strength as the taxi drove towards the stadium. Once arrived and stepped out of the car, I lost sight of my friend as he rushed to get us tickets from some guy standing by the entrance, surrounded by about a dozen other guys. Right away, I knew the night was going to be interesting.

As we walked towards the entrance of the stadium, I realised just how white, how girl and how non-Malian I am. The other (million? It sounded like a million!) people were all young, restless, male Malians. We ran inside, the rain still pouring. I was wet and I was an outsider to say the least, but the atmosphere was joyous and incredibly energetic.

The match, however, never happened. The field was too wet to play on, and the game was moved to Sunday. Naturally, my friend and I waited for the stadium to empty out and simply went onto the field.

I never thought I would walk onto a football field in an empty stadium on a wet Saturday night in Bamako.

The next day, we took his motor bike, rode to the stadium and, just like the day before, ran inside. It wasn’t raining this time, but the energy was there and running felt like the right thing to do. As we entered the stadium the players were already warming up. I am no big fan of football, but I immediately realised that watching those 22 young men play was not going to be the worst way to spend a Sunday afternoon. And Mali won 2-0.

Mali’s next game is tonight, playing against Algeria in Algiers. All I can say now is: Allez les aigles!

“I was safe when I was there”: Evaluations of accessible toilet
September 8, 2014 3:33 am Leave a Comment
One of my key objectives during the course of my six month fellowship with the Advocacy Project and Gulu Disabled Persons Union is to interview persons with disabilities (PWDs) on the bus park toilet as part of the monitoring and evaluation process. For new readers to this blog the bus park toilet was project undertaken by GDPU and AP to provide an accessible toilet at a central location within Gulu Municipality. The interview was formulated to ask PWDs questions such as the use of facility, impact toilet had on PWDs life, and feedback on design among many.

To complete the survey we’ve been using what’s known as snowball sampling, which essentially means that we are using both GDPU contacts and the contacts of those we’ve interviewed to identify PWDs who could complete the new survey. Many of the interviewees we’ve been able to interview at their place of work, for example a large number of PWDs mend shoes under umbrellas near the bus park. I need to thank Stephen, GDPU Program Assistant, for venturing into town with me on this mission and translating for me. While I have not yet completed the official report on the survey we have interviewed about fifteen PWDs and I would like to share a small sample of results.

– More than 80% of the interviewees were aware of accessible bus park toilet

– Majority heard from GDPU chairman about toilet

– Although hand washing facilities, soap was not there (soap should be provided by vendor)

How did accessible toilet impact your life:

– “I was safe when I was there”

– “It reduces distance we were moving”

– “Makes our life easier. We will not contract disease”

What challenges do you face using public toilets?

– “Water is flooding everywhere. People leave their droppings anyhow”

– “If you don’t have glove it could lead to infection [for PWDs who crawl]”

– “There’s nowhere [to go to the toilet], if I want to go to latrine I will go to GDPU because at least it is designed for people with disabilities. Other toilets the challenge is crawling because some are very dirty and I can get some very bad things. The toilets which is mixed is always dirty.”

– “At market is should be accessible because there are latrines for ables should also have for all disabilities.”

Constructive feedback on design:

– Floors should be rougher. With tile floors if they get wet those using crutches can slip.

– Crossbars (railings) should be painted red

Personally, some of the results of the survey are surprising, hearing that people just leave their “droppings” on the floor. The majority of the people we interviewed were using a tri-cycle device, which were made to handle the Ugandan terrain and the long distances people move; however, the problem becomes fitting this large device in any room, let alone a toilet. Cleanliness and a sitting provision then become clear priorities for development in this area.

Through the interviews we found there was in fact a strong need for an accessible toilet. It’s a right PWDs have under the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, so that they may have the highest attainable standard of health.

I want to thank all those who have donated to the accessible water and sanitation program. We are continuing to raise funds to advocate and build accessible latrines in schools within Gulu Distract.

News from Bamako
September 5, 2014 10:36 am 2 Comments
Last week Sini Sanuman officially opened its reintegration centre in Bamako.After countless hours of searching for a suitable location and qualified trainers, assembling beds and setting up sewing machines, the centre finally welcomed its beneficiaries, thirty women survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, for the first full day of training. The women immediately began their recuperation with the help of psycho-social treatment and skills training.

Though Sini Sanuman did encounter a few challenges along its path, its programme in Mali’s capital is now also well underway. The drive of Sini Sanuman’s staff is heartwarming, and it also thanks to them that the atmosphere at the centre felt comfortable right away. The centre hosts more than 30 people during the day with the possibility of hosting up to 5 people per night. Although the programme was originally designed to have women stay overnight for a month in order to recuperate away from family obligations, it quickly became clear that culture and customs would not allow it. It simply would not be possible for women to leave their families for a month, so Sini Sanuman decided to offer lodging to those who request it or need it
the most.

The centre is aimed at both the social and economic reintegration of the beneficiaries through social and psychological help as well as skills training. The first day involved mainly the beginning of sewing and embroidery trainings. These trainings will help women become more financially independent in the long run, but they also have the power to instill confidence and make women regain their self-appreciation in the short term.

The next four months will undoubtedly show us what works best, and what might need to change, but for now I think that it is important to make sure women get the support they need from Sini Sanuman’s psycho-social services and from the trainings, both in Bamako and in Bourem.

By H3J1U
August 26, 2014 1:27 pm 2 Comments
This story comes from Bourem, Gao region, Northern Mali.

By H3J1U

“I was at home alone with my mum that Thursday, and it was around noon when two rebels showed up at our door with guns. They were shouting “where are the men”. My mum replied saying that we were alone, and that my father had passed away. She then asked what they wanted, and one of the rebels pointed at me and said: “that one, that one is what we want”. My mother replied in kind saying “she’s my daughter, leave her alone, she has done nothing wrong”.

One of the rebels said in the Tamasheq language [the language of the Tuareg] “take the girl”, then they began hitting my mum. I began crying, and my mum was crying too, telling them to leave me alone, that I’m all that she has left, and that I’m already an orphan. They took me in the shed in the courtyard by force and one of them jumped on me, tore my clothes off and began having sex with me; when he was done the other one did the same thing. I cried until I lost my voice. No one was around to come to my rescue and I lost consciousness.

When I woke up, I was hurting badly and I was bleeding – my mum cleaned me up, then I spent one week locked indoors, crying. I don’t know what to do now.”

H3J1U is currently in the company of twenty-nine other survivors of sexual and gender based violence in Sini Sanuman’s reintegration centre in Bourem. She is being followed by a psychologist who is helping her recover from her trauma, and she is following group skills training to regain confidence in herself and her abilities.

Building a long term program
August 25, 2014 9:43 am Leave a Comment
Over the past two months my primary goal was formulating a three year accessible water, sanitation, and hygiene program. We’ve (a combination effort on the part of GDPU staff and AP staff) completed many drafts, with slightly varying objective, timeframes, and budgets. Our overall goal has remained the same: ending discrimination of persons with disabilities in the provision of water, sanitation, and hygiene services.

In the program’s original conception we had planned to survey key public facilities including health centers, sub-county and division headquarters, and primary schools. Based on this assessment, toilet facilities would then be built. Through our rigorous revision process it was decided to target only schools for both an assessment and site latrines will be built. This decision was made for several reasons:

To give the project proposal as Iain (AP Executive Director) would say “laser-like focus”.

Evidence schools and schoolchildren are a good entry point for changing behaviors and attitudes both of children themselves and of community members.

Poor state of latrine facilities, which can cause water-borne disease such as diarrhea, which would cause students to miss school

Interviews with several children who identified that problem of latrines in schools

Ability to market school latrine program to donors

With that revisions continued. Our plan was to survey 25 schools, a quite large assessment which would give us quality baseline data, research which we could present to Net Law Man at regional conference, and strong data to advocate for change with the local government. In 2015, we would then build a large number of latrines with educational programs and begin to challenge institutional norms and strengthen the legal requirements. However, several weeks ago the project suffered a setback common in many programs. A donor pulled out a large donation. It was extremely frustrating for both GDPU and Advocacy Project. Due to the unforeseen circumstances, we once again continued with our drafts of the program.

With a reshuffling we now have a detailed program for 2014 and will focus on writing project proposals for phase two by the end of the year. In 2014, our primary objectives are establishing need, completing repairs on bus park toilet to improve flow of water, and establishing a successful pilot toilet and educational program at one school.

To repair the bus park toilet we will continue to build a cooperative relationship with Pece Division (the area of Gulu which the bus park is in) and the District Engineer, which we have already begun. We will then sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Pece Division which will specify responsibilities. With this document repairs of the toilet will begin. Simultaneously, GDPU will begin to identify a pilot schools. The original needs assessment will be condensed to a smaller sample size. However, at each school we will gain a large amount of data through physical observation, interviews with the head teacher, senior women teacher, and special education teacher (if there is one), as well as a focus groups with students themselves. A MOU will then also be signed with school administration. The agreement will also specify the importance of a sensitization program with administration and students so that all understand the importance.

Based on a successful program and lessons learned we can then write a large proposal or work smaller donations one school at a time. In 2015 and 2016 the objectives will also shift with a primary emphasis on ending discrimination through challenging government attitudes and institutional norms as well as scaling up the number of schools with accessible water and sanitation.

To donate to this program and contribute to our mission of ending discrimination click here. Please write GDPU in the comment section.

South
August 20, 2014 7:34 am Leave a Comment
“I have mixed feelings”, my friend told me last night. “Sometimes I think Bamako is full of life, vibrant and exciting”. “Other times”, he went on to say, “I think it’s a disaster”.

Bamako has been defined as one of the fastest growing African cities, and it is definitely noticeable. Although most big cities in Africa are congested, polluted, dusty and overcrowded, Bamako’s ascent to massive urbanisation truly resembled an explosion. Of people, cars, mopeds, houses. Bamako itself became overwhelmed by the masses flooding into its streets. The city is so vast one truly wonders where Bamako ends and where the rest of Mali begins. Bamako, meaning “the city of the three caimans”, was rather unknown to the international community until 2012, when the world’s attention was directed to it and we were all forced to look it up on a map. “Mali, uh”. “Oh, Timbuktu is in Mali?”.

Although the northern regions of the country were the worst hit by the rebel uprisings of the Tuareg-led separatists and the various jihadist groups (see my previous blog post, “North”), southern Mali, of which Bamako is part, was hit by a different “version” of the conflict. Bamako was flooded with IDPs fleeing the northern regions and hit by a coup d’état in March of 2012, which severely destabilised the capital, mirroring the unrest in the rest of the country. According to UNHCR data from the end of last year, there were 254,800 internally displaced persons (IDPs) within the country, of which an estimated 50 to 70 thousand live in improvised housing in the capital. There are no refugee camps in the urban area, which often means that IDPs are forced to live in appalling conditions.

Sini Sanuman moves very swiftly and comfortably within the confines of Bamako due to its vast experience in the city; many communities are already familiar with the team, and the team are familiar with them. This is a great advantage for Sini Sanuman as the task is facilitated by the already strong relationship and trust that was built through the years. The situation in Bamako today, however, is far more complex than in the past.

Our animators (community outreach persons) have begun working with local communities to lead workshops on gender-based violence, and it is through this means that they are able to identify survivors to refer to our reintegration centre to benefit from training and psycho-social support. Our centre will officially be opening very soon, but survivors have already been identified. The demand is great, and the cases that our animators encounter are primarily IDPs survivors of rape by rebels, the military or their own family members as well as survivors of sexual violence at the time of the coup d’état in Bamako and the subsequent general unrest. The south, and Bamako in particular, was affected by a far quieter conflict and went through more subtle, yet still devastating, violence, often perpetrated by national authorities.

The stories that have come back to us in the office are difficult to repeat. Rodrigue Dembelé, one of our best animators, told me of stories that, despite his years of experience, brought him to tears. A woman being raped by four men in front of her husband, who was being forced to watch, two sisters gang-raped by a group of eight men, a woman who cannot bring herself to love her rape-conceived child. The trauma of these women and men is great, but their major concern remains secrecy.

Bamako is a micro-cosmos of all that happened in Mali in the past few years. Northern Mali has been brutally attacked by different groups, but the scars that the South bears are equally as deep.

Women Cream Sweater – Crane Bird Print
August 16, 2014 8:31 pm 90 Comments
The appeal of this sweater from dresshead.com can be found in the prominent bird designs on the front. The birds are black and are portrayed as touching their beaks on top of a cream colored background. The contrast of the colors makes the design stand out clearly. As a result, the sweater is very eye-catching in any crowd, and the elegant birds easily remind those around the wearer of the type of nobility associated with birds on the shirt. However, the soft cream and round neck collar provide a soft and youthful look to any outfit that features this sweater as part of its ensemble. A woman wearing this shirt wants to stand out in a crowd, but she also wants an outfit that is sophisticated. This women cream sweater is also very practical. It is made from a high-grade thin wool material. This makes the sweater an excellent choice for staying warm, but unlike thicker wool, it will not be irritating against a woman’s skin.

Overcoming the Challenge of Plastic in Uganda
August 4, 2014 9:53 am 3 Comments
My mother is an environmental educator who taught my sister and I about the dangers of littering at a young age. Even my aunt never threw her broken plastic and rather fixed them using Bondic. You can read about how it works on the American Inventor Spot website. I was organizing trash cleanups in elementary school, which was definitely not on the priority list of the kids in my school. My friends used to joke that I wanted to put a giant Band-Aid on the earth. If only that would do the trick…

Here in Kinawataka, kids climb trees above giant trash piles and play in them without a care in the world. People pile plastic and other waste into massive heaps next to houses and beside roads. The piles are burned sending foul smoke flouting throughout the area. In the slums, plastic bags have become fused to the roads as they mixed into the mud during the heavy rains.

In my latest video I explore the challenge of plastic in Uganda and what the Kinawataka Women Initiatives is doing to protect the environment. Check it out to learn more!

My mother is an environmental educator who taught my sister and I about the dangers of littering at a young age. I was organizing trash cleanups in elementary school, which was definitely not on the priority list of the kids in my school. My friends used to joke that I wanted to put a giant Band-Aid on the earth. If only that would do the trick.

Here in Kinawataka, kids climb trees above giant trash piles and play in them without a care in the world. People pile plastic and other waste into massive heaps next to houses and beside roads. The piles are burned sending foul smoke flouting throughout the area. In the slums, plastic bags have become fused to the roads as they mixed into the mud during the heavy rains.

In my latest video I explore the challenge of plastic in Uganda and what the Kinawataka Women Initiatives is doing to protect the environment. Check it out to learn more!

Jennifer’s Story: Inaccessibility of schools in Gulu District
August 3, 2014 9:11 am 3 Comments

“For the success of persons with disabilities at least every school should be having ramps and an accessible toilet”

– Adokorach Jennifer

Jennifer’s story of her time in school is not unique. It is a story she shares with the majority of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Northern Uganda. When Jennifer finished primary seven she was admitted to Sacred Heart Secondary School, an all-girls public school within Gulu. She was admitted, however, without the schools knowledge of her physical disability. At the time Jennifer was using a wheelchair. To access buildings and classrooms, students had to help lift her wheelchair. Using the same pit latrine as other students posed additional difficulties to access, as she would have get down from her wheelchair to use the latrine used by her classmates. According to Jennifer, “some people don’t know how to use the toilet properly and there is waste on the ground. It is terrible.” These daily routines proved challenging, but she didn’t see any alternative and was committed to her education.

Administration at the school saw Jennifer as a burden. At the end of the term they wrote a letter to Jennifer’s guardian, her sister, asking that Jennifer not return to the school because it was not accessible.

Jennifer’s sister instead decided to seek out human rights organizations and the Gulu Disabled Persons’ Union. With the pressure of these organization the school reluctantly made small modifications such as ramps to the classrooms and an accessible toilet. However, after the completion of these project, the negative attitudes of the school administration and students towards her made going to school almost unbearable. Now no one would assist Jennifer in moving around the school and teasing increased.

The majority of PWD’s drop-out of school. According to Jennifer, issues of accessibility, cost, low self-esteem, and teasing are the major reasons. Jennifer, however, persevered and graduated from Uganda’s top university, Makerere University, last year. Jennifer is now a small business owner and board member of Gulu Women with Disabilities Union.

Author’s note:

I learned about Jennifer’s story through discussions with Simon, GDPU chairman, and Patrick, Project Coordinator, as we discussed our long-term water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) plan. On Thursday, I was able to interview her while she attended a meeting at GDPU. While originally our WASH plan focused widely on public buildings, GDPU and Advocacy Project have decided to narrow our future projects on providing accessible WASH facilities and services on schools in the district. It is stories like Jennifer that solidify this decision.

Donate here to help end the discrimination of children with disabilities in the provision of water, sanitation, and hygiene services in schools in the Gulu District. Simply write GDPU in the comment space.

Dear diary…
7:27 am 278 Comments
Wednesday, July 23rd

Zaliha O. Maiga, one of Sini Sanuman’s animators, hands me her left hand before walking away from the office in downtown Bamako. A left hand handshake symbolises an incumbent long journey, all the while retaining the hope of a future reunion. Zaliha is always upbeat, focused, bubbly, and hopelessly determined to teach me Bambara, despite being Songhai herself.

She and two other members of the Sini Sanuman Bamako team are being deployed to Bourem, in the Gao region, northern Mali. When Zaliha extends her left hand to me, suddenly everything becomes very real. I read about left hand handshakes in my guidebook, yet it is only when I shake Zaliha’s hand that I understand the power of this gesture. I look at her and I tell her I’ll see her soon, in Bourem. I hope that my next five months here give me the opportunity to travel to the region of Gao and make good on my promise – as of yet, however, the climate is simply too unstable to know. All I do know is that, as per our handshake, we both hope to meet again.

Thursday, July 24th

Germany speaks. The funds are ready. The president and director of Sini Sanuman, Siaka Traoré, sends me an email to translate. Good news, the German foreign office announces that they are ready to send the first portion of the funds. I jump up and down and start clapping in mid-air. I won’t lie, I do a little dance. In the meantime, the Gao-bound bus that the Sini Sanuman team are on is on route. The project coordinator, Alpha Boubeye, is amongst them. He welcomes the good news as strong encouragement for their 30+ hour bus journey.

Friday, July 25th

Zaliha, Alpha, Aziz and Vincent arrive in Gao as I lead a meeting with the Bamako team to deliver the good news and formally deploy the animators and the psychologist in the nine different neighbourhoods of the Commune I of Bamako. Their tasks: to get in touch with the communities, civil society, women’s groups and lead workshops on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), identify survivors of SGBV and refer them to the appropriate services and identify survivors of sexual violence linked to the Malian conflict to refer to our reintegration centre.

It’s been raining and life in Bamako is not easy after a storm, but I am sitting around the table with the ten animators answering their questions and concerns despite the runny noses and wet feet. As I look around the room I realize once again that it is them that constitute the heart and soul of Sini Sanuman, and that the best is yet to come.

Monday, July 28th

Eid is here, Ramadan is over, and Bamako is in party mode. The streets are empty, men are dressed entirely in white headed to the mosque, women are more beautiful and colourful than ever, children are clean, perfumed and, well, they are wearing shoes. I head to the presidential palace for the first time – the home of Ibrahim Boubakar Keita, or IBK, is located on a hill overseeing Bamako, in a very presidential fashion. Bamako’s youth is gathered at the national park, at the foot of the hill, so naturally my friend and I decide to join. It’s a whole new Mali. People are radiating with joy, each wearing their newest and best outfit, dancing and laughing. It’s a beautiful day, turning into a beautiful night, and everything is ok.

I wanted to capture those joyous and youthful moments in Mali’s capital, but my camera is currently taking pictures in Gao and Bourem at the hands of Alpha. I cannot wait to get a photographic taste of the environment. Stay tuned for sandy and dusty pictures of northern Mali, coming soon, Insha’Allah!

Proud to be a Woman in Uganda!
July 31, 2014 5:45 am 1 Comment

Shannon and Benedicta at Book Launch

July has been an exciting month for the Kinawataka Women Initiatives. We launched our brand new website and KIWOI Executive Director Benedicta Nanyonga has been recognized in two books celebrating inspirational women in Uganda. The first acknowledgement was from CEDA International, which launched their book to identify unsung heroes who act as role models for young girls in Uganda. The second book was supported by the Ugandan government and recognized 78 women in Uganda for their vital work.

Footmarks: Scaling Heights provides in-depth profiles of the women from across Uganda. The book got its name from the effect the women recognized have made in their communities. They have left their mark wherever they have gone like footmarks in the sand.

Many of the women were given the opportunity to share words of wisdom for young girls in Uganda. The women told girls in Uganda that “nobody is better than you” and “don’t let anyone define you.” At the end of each statement the crowd repeated that we are “proud to be a woman in Uganda!” One of the speakers noted that in Uganda, we used to have to import our heroes but now the country is filled with sheroes.

Women recognized in Footmarks: Scaling Heights

Sam Kutesa, the Ugandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the 69^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, was the keynote speaker for the event. He joked that Footmarks might be the heaviest book in Uganda since it was so full of powerful women. He emphasized that no country can move forward if women are left behind and stressed the importance of educating girls and women noting, “If you educate a girl you educate a nation.”

It was heartwarming to watch Benedicta being honored among so many other impressive women. It definitely made proud to be a woman in Uganda.

“Do Not Keep Quiet”: Demanding water and sanitation rights
July 28, 2014 9:46 am 2 Comments
What is the difference between sanitation and hygiene? What does your home need in order to be hygienic? What is missing in your community? These were just some of the questions asked during a water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sensitization workshop held at GDPU on Friday.

Around thirty persons with disabilities (PWDs) of every age from the Laroo Division (one of the four areas in downtown Gulu) came to the engaging workshop facilitated by the Laroo Division Inspector of Health. The workshop was funded by AMREF, who provided a small transport refund for participants. As the workshop was conducted in the local Luo language, GDPU program assistant Stephen quietly translated to me.

The discussion was lively and respectful with facilitators making clear that everyone here was adults, but that their main goal was that PWDs “do not keep quiet.” If there was a latrine being built, PWDs should make sure that it was accessible, that by speaking up they would better be able to engage with community projects and push forward their needs.

So, what is the difference between hygiene and sanitation? Participant answers ranged from “hygiene is good health”, “hygiene means having a good latrine”, “hygiene is keeping your body healthy”, “hygiene is having rubbish bins.” The facilitator then explained that hygiene refers to the practices you do to keep your body health, while sanitation refers to the environment. The next question, what does your home need in order to be hygienic? Participant answers were typical with answers like “latrine”, “good water point”, and “rubbish bins” with the facilitator adding a clean kitchen and bathing area. The most interesting answers came when the Inspector asked “what was missing in the community?” Many community members answered that there community was missing proper latrines and no rubbish pit. The most surprising would be that people often climb inside the water points and stand while getting water. The largest conversation came when it was mentioned that people often sleep in the same room as their animals, which the inspector warned against. An elderly lady then tells the facilitator that what else is she supposed to do, someone will steal her goats at night if she does not put them in her house.

While talking to the facilitator after the event it was clear they were attempting in many ways to follow the Community-Led Total Sanitation philosophy which attempts to initiate change by making participants adverse, or even disgusted, with their own unsanitary behaviors. CLTS, however, is often more graphic in nature showing participants clearly that, where they do their business affects what they eat or drink. The facilitator made it clear there’s no real budget here for constructing accessible facilities, but what we can beneficially do is promote behaviors and teach PWDs to speak up on projects happening within their communities.

This program, although small in scale, helped encourage and spark conversation within GDPU on our own program, to provide accessible toilets, and with working with the government to mainstream disability in WASH programming. This program also shows that the local government is aware of the struggles PWDs face in accessing clean water and sanitation. My questions is now that they are asking PWDs to demand their WASH rights, are they ready to provide? Can we (GDPU and members of the community) make institutional change a reality?

Francis Ojara’s Vision
July 21, 2014 5:07 am 2 Comments

Francis Ojara, 26 years old, has been repairing shoes next to the GDPU gate for five years. His smile and positive outlook are infectious. He started his business with just a sewing needle and thread sitting under a tree. His business progressed and he has slowly able to buy rubber soles and other products before acquiring construction materials to build a temporary structure. Francis has big dreams of returning to school and continuing among the other students before taking the skills he learned to the village to teach other PWDs technical skills “so that they too can become somebody.”

As I asked Francis about his years in school, his life like almost all in Gulu, recounts the struggles of the LRA occupation with the added challenges of having a physical disability. During the occupation both of Francis’ parents were killed while attempting to go back to their garden in the village. In senior school Francis attended a boarding school for those who had been displaced. The administrators at the school told him not to attend as they did not have the services for PWDs, but instead of being discouraged Francis got in touch with the GDPU chairman at the time. Francis and the Chairman then, rightfully, convinced the school he could learn the same as his other classmates. Francis notes that this was before rights of PWDs were recognized. Instead, at this time most people believed that having a disability was a curse from god.

Although Uganda has progressed, Francis still believes the community needs greater awareness of services required by PWDs. Churches he explained, while supposed to be a place of acceptance, are extremely inaccessible to PWDs. He has moved church to church and not one has had an accessible toilet. In the community there are so many types of people he explained and all disability is different, some not even visible.

When I explained to Francis that my goal in Gulu was to work on models of accessible toilets, he agreed it was a worthwhile mission in that it would open the eyes of many people without disabilities to the types of serviced needed by PWDs. He also explained if someone used the accessible bus park toilet, if they for example had a brother or sister with a disability, that they could build a toilet similarly and increase accessibility for a family member. For Francis he tells me he uses the facilities at GDPU which are accessible with a wide opening and a sitting provision, but using other toilets is “extremely terrible.”

Please support Gulu Disabled Persons’ Union and the Advocacy Project Give a Shit campaign so that we can come one step closer to mainstreaming disability and providing accessible sanitation in Gulu District. Please “like” Gulu Disabled Persons’ Union of Facebook or follow @GiveaShit2014 on Twitter.

Reality and gender-based violence in Mali
July 20, 2014 9:36 am 1 Comment
As a student of conflict resolution and as a former student of war studies I always knew, and I suppose I always hoped, that one day I would come to experience working in a conflict setting. Living in Bamako does not quite qualify as that, but the reality is that Mali is a country at war. With parts of its territory effectively controlled by rebel and terrorist groups, with rockets being fired and suicide attacks carried out in the western and northern regions of the country, what I am seeing in Bamako really is only a small portion of reality.

This past couple of weeks have, again, been very busy in the office at Sini Sanuman. We finally got an advance from the bank, which will allow us to send out team to Bourem (Gao region) to at least begin to settle in and put the wheels of the project in motion. As a student of war studies and conflict resolution, I am for the first time being affected (albeit very indirectly) by the consequences of conflict. I can’t help but be concerned for our team in Bourem. Things in northern Mali are heating up again, with around 35 people killed last week as the French Operation Serval leaves Mali to make room for the Sahel-wide Operation Barkhan and peace talks are due to begin in Algiers.

We very well know that the need in Bourem is great; violence against women and girls and gender inequalities are being exacerbated by conflict and by the strict rules adopted by radical islamist groups in the northern regions of Mali. Awareness of the phenomenon of sexual violence during conflict has gained momentum in the media thanks to the recent global summit in London and the attention it attracted, but the #timetoact campaign can do little to effectively stop the practice on the ground.

One of the biggest lessons I have learned in my six weeks in Mali is that the number one obstacle to stopping and responding to GBV (in or out of conflict) is the deep, deep stigmatisation that survivors come under if they reveal what happened to them. Women, men, girls and boys go in hiding after being sexually assaulted. Very few of them seek help, and when they do all measures are taken to make sure that their identity is not revealed.

The international community is calling for justice for all victims of sexual violence. The reality is that only very few people seek legal help for fear of being marginalised and shunned from their family and community. In countries like Mali, moreover, justice is hard to come by, and it is often those who have more power that come out victorious. “Justice for victims” is a false equation. “Justice” can be dangerous and well, there are no “victims”, there are only survivors.

As a peace fellow I am here to help Sini Sanuman effectively manage their partnership with international donors and carry out their activities in Bamako and Bourem. As a student of war studies and conflict resolution I am here to observe, understand and learn from those who have experienced much more than me. My colleagues travelling to the north will be at the forefront of the battle for peace. As much I am concerned for their safety, I am also in awe of their bravery and heart, and will do all I can to support them from afar.

KIWOI Executive Director Recognized in Top 40 Most Inspirational Women in Uganda
July 18, 2014 12:31 pm 2 Comments
Benedicta’s page CEDA book

Last week, the Century Entrepreneurship Development Agency International (CEDA) recognized the Kinawataka Women Initiatives (KIWOI) Executive Director, Benedicta Nanyonga, in the launch of the first directory of inspirational women in Uganda. The Inspiration Women of Uganda Directory: The Un-Sung Heroines Amplified profiles 40 women from across the country that are role models for youth in Uganda.

Beyond recognizing women undertaking critical work in Uganda, the purpose of the book is also to provide a directory of women that youth can look up to and learn from. The women come from a wide-range of backgrounds including social activists, entrepreneurs, professors, government officials, teachers and community leaders. Benedicta was recognized for her entrepreneurial spirit and work to “conserve the environment, while earning from it.”

Benedicta talking about KIWOI with MP Hajjat Saida Bumba

Hajjat Saida Bumba, a Member of Parliament and the former Minister of Finance, was the guest of honor at the event. She spoke about the need for education for youth in Uganda and increased opportunities for employment for women and youth.

As part of the book launch, CEDA hosted an event attended by Ugandan youth who broke into groups to discuss topics such as women’s economic empowerment and political and social services slum areas. Much of the discussion was in Luganda so I could only pick out a few pieces for most of the event. While I couldn’t understand everything, it was much more important for the youth to be able to communicate in a language they are comfortable in so I didn’t mind.

In the group on economic empowerment in slum areas, Benedicta talked about her work and shared her story. She advised the youth that in order to achieve success, you must be creative and persistent. When she first began collecting straws her neighbors and family thought Benedicta was losing her mind. By persisting through the criticism to undertake her creative work of recycling used straws into crafts she has produced a successful organization that has an impact far beyond what Benedicta thought was possible.

KIWOI Mobilizer Nalongo Nsimbe and Benedicta showing off straw bags

The Environmental Impact of Polyethylene Bags
July 11, 2014 6:57 am 328 Comments
Single-use plastic bags pose a global threat to the environment with over 1 trillion plastic bags used and disposed of each year. In the United States, over 500 million plastic straws are used each year; the number across the world is beyond count. Plastic overwhelms landfills, clogs gutters and poses a risk to animals when improperly disposed.

Plastic usage and disposal is especially a challenge in developing countries where garbage collection and recycling services are often not available or inadequate. While Uganda does have trash collection, it is still often disposed of in the streets or burned releasing toxins into the atmosphere. Unfortunately recycling is not a common value and the need to protect the environment is not a priority. In the month I’ve been in Uganda, I’ve come across few public trashcans and no recycling bins.

In the Kinawataka slum and elsewhere in the country, plastic covers the roads and clog drains causing flooding. Life is much more communal here with goats, chickens and ducks roaming the area freely. Livestock are a major commodity and provide sustenance and income for the community. Animals commonly become ill or are killed from ingesting plastic and other trash.

The Kinawataka Women Initiatives (KIWOI) attempts to address this environmental problem by recycling used drinking straws into reusable bags. In addition to offering eco-friendly alternatives to polyethylene bags, KIWOI provides training to groups across the country to educate Ugandans on the need to recycle.

While these trainings have a positive effect in local communities, change is needed across the country. In order to have a major impact across the country, the Ugandan government must take ownership and establish a nationwide recycling initiative where the reusable bags are incentivized and recycling is taught as a common value.

Silver Linings: Learning about HIV and disability
July 9, 2014 7:41 am 1 Comment
At the GDPU’s office the power comes and goes. Sometimes it’s just our line or it’s the entire town. I have now become more surprised when the power is on when I get to the office, than when it’s off. On Wednesday, it was typical no-power day. This time it was all of Gulu, meaning it would take longer than usual to get the power back on. By 10am my laptop had died and I was trying to sort out what I could do without my computer. When Okema Moses, a Project Officer at GDPU, told me he was heading to the TASO office for a meeting I jumped at the opportunity. Last year when I was in Uganda I had been impressed by the work of TASO in reducing the prevalence of HIV in Uganda. The prospect of visiting their office and learning from the many partner organizations was one I wasn’t going to pass up.

The meeting as I found out was called among HIV/AIDS organizations in Gulu to share experiences and challenges. Moses, of GDPU, was the first to speak. Although GDPU does not currently have an operating HIV program, the organization sometimes works as a linkage between the disability community and local HIV organizations. Moses spoke of the challenges in getting information and services to persons with disability (PWDs). Most often HIV organizations only go to the central part of town, which is often difficult for those who have a challenge with mobility, and never have a sign language interpreter with them. He then discussed the discrimination persons with disabilities face as a result. Many of those in the community often believe that PWDs are the safest in community, in regard to the transmission of HIV. They often forget that PWDs have the same desires as any other community member, yet are easily overlooked in this regard. There are also factors that put PWDs at a higher risk of infection such as low self-esteem, higher instances of sexual abuse, and rumors that having sex with someone with a disability will cure HIV or AIDS.

At the end of his short presentation, Moses urged other organizations to join with GDPU and work together to reach those PWDs who have been long ignored. In the world of competition between NGOs for grants and resources it unfortunately breeds lack of cooperation between organizations. To implement change, however, partnerships between NGOs is necessary; as the current competition between groups only harms those which are meant to be served and represented.

WWW: Women Weaver’s Wisdom
July 7, 2014 10:23 am Leave a Comment
First week of Ramadan has gone by and I am still striving to adjust to the new pace of life here in Ain Leuh. Nor do the ladies seem to actually be affected by the deprivation of food and sleep, their rhythm of work being basically unchanged, if not actually increased with the beginning of the Holy month. Indeed, I still find it hard to understand when do they find time to recharge, since – far from my own idyllic idea of a relaxing time in the rural countryside of Morocco – I strive to keep up with them and I often can’t help but falling asleep in the less appropriate moments (my boss would be relieved to hear that this took place outside working hours!).

As it occurred to me a couple of nights ago, when my host, Khadouj, invited me to join her for a sadaqa, the first of a three-day long vigil for a dead neighbor. Despite the difficulty I encountered to keep my eyes open given the late time, I am grateful to her and the ladies sitting in the room that night for letting me, a total stranger, taking part to even the most intimate and private aspects of Moroccan and Muslim life, which I indeed consider a privilege to be treasured of.

This also served to remind me how easy death can occur in conditions of deprivation and poverty, as it happened this same week to one lady who lost her baby of miscarriage for the hardships of working in the cherry picking and the lifting of heavy weights that this job entails. Or to Rouquia, my host’s niece, who has almost risked her life out of a simple infection, and the difficulty of her mother, Fatima, in paying for her medicines, which obliged her to contract debts with neighboring shop-keepers for basic foodstuff she would not be able to pay for a while.

On my part, I learnt the weavers’ way to ward off bad luck, which I am explaining in the following video, shot during a tour I happened to give in occasion of the visit of a group of American volunteers serving in the nearby village of Toufsalt. Enjoy!

[content-builder]{“id”:1,”version”:”1.0.4″,”nextId”:3,”block”:”root”,”layout”:”12″,”childs”:[{“id”:”2″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”First week of Ramadan has gone by and I am still striving to adjust to the new pace of life here in Ain Leuh. Nor do the ladies seem to actually be affected by the deprivation of food and sleep, their rhythm of work being basically unchanged, if not actually increased with the beginning of the Holy month. Indeed, I still find it hard to understand when do they find time to recharge, since – far from my own idyllic idea of a relaxing time in the rural countryside of Morocco – I strive to keep up with them and I often can\u2019t help but falling asleep in the less appropriate moments (my boss would be relieved to hear that this took place outside working hours!).
\n
\n As it occurred to me a couple of nights ago, when my host, Khadouj, invited me to join her for a sadaqa<\/em>, the first of a three-day long vigil for a dead neighbor. Despite the difficulty I encountered to keep my eyes open given the late time, I am grateful to her and the ladies sitting in the room that night for letting me, a total stranger, taking part to even the most intimate and private aspects of Moroccan and Muslim life, which I indeed consider a privilege to be treasured of.
\n
\n This also served to remind me how easy death can occur in conditions of deprivation and poverty, as it happened this same week to one lady who lost her baby of miscarriage for the hardships of working in the cherry picking and the lifting of heavy weights that this job entails. Or to Rouquia, my host\u2019s niece, who has almost risked her life out of a simple infection, and the difficulty of her mother, Fatima, in paying for her medicines, which obliged her to contract debts with neighboring shop-keepers for basic foodstuff she would not be able to pay for a while.
\n
\n On my part, I learnt the weavers\u2019 way to ward off bad luck, which I am explaining in the following video, shot during a tour I happened to give in occasion of the visit of a group of American volunteers serving in the nearby village of Toufsalt. Enjoy!
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\n<\/iframe><\/center>“,”class”:””}]}[/content-builder] </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/were-in-it-now-learning-ugandan-politics/" title="Permalink to “We’re in it now”: Discovering Ugandan politics" rel="bookmark">“We’re in it now”: Discovering Ugandan politics</a></h2> <time datetime="2014-07-07" pubdate> 7:39 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/were-in-it-now-learning-ugandan-politics/#comments">3 Comments</a> The fact finding mission of the bus park toilet, GDPU’s project from the last two years, has now been ongoing for over two weeks, including several visits to the toilet with GDPU staff and contractor. Through discussions with the contractor and the vendor for the project, it was found that the major problem with the toilet is the water connection. Since there have been difficulties connecting the facilities to a water source, the vendor has been resorting to pouring large jugs of water into the top cistern. As a result, the cistern subsequently collapsed from the weight, either from the water itself, or the jugs being leaned against it in during the pouring. At this point the contractor had three suggestions for repairing the facility. The first option was tapping the main line underground. The second option would be if we could tap a line from another water tank nearby. The last and most costly would be installing a water tank directly next to the accessible toilet. With these options presented, Coordinator Ojok Simon, the contractor, and I sat down to make a strategic plan for discussions with local government. We made a plan to first discuss the technical aspects of the water connection with the District Engineer first then move to the division office where we would discuss the upkeep, as the division is responsible for hiring the vendor who is responsible for the cleaning. The meeting with the District Engineer went fairly smoothly. He reassured us that the process for securing water to the toilet was fairly simple. Although, unfortunately, the engineer did tell us that, most likely the GDPU would need to provide a new tank next to the accessible toilet as the tank in place for the other toilets is much too small. He then told us he wouldn’t hesitate to grant permission for us to install the new tank if we went to the division and had all the formal arrangements sorted. Following our meeting with the District Engineer, we quickly left for the division office. After we entered the office of the official, Simon introduced us and our objectives for the meeting. Things quickly escalated when the official told Simon that whoever was in charge of the project previously, whether that was Handicap International or GDPU, did not come and see him before the project had begun. He then blamed the drainage problems of the entire bus park on the accessible toilet. The official then addressed me for the first time in the meeting by saying the drainage issue must be fixed and “the cost may be high.” In that moment I knew he saw me as the dollar sign in the room. As the meeting settled down we came to an agreement to work together and that this was the new starting point, the division will now recognize this structure. He urged GDPU to write a formal letter to the division and we will continue from there. I left the meeting in a slight daze, it certainly wasn’t the casual dialogue meeting I was expecting. As I walked out I whispered “we’re in it now” to the student intern who had joined us. Within this project we had started our descent into the foggy realm of Ugandan politics. In our sit down after the meeting Ojok Patrick, the head Coordinator rebuffed the claims that one toilet could possibly cause drainage problems in an entire area. The problem, he countered, was in the vendors who the district hires in clearing away the sand and debris to allow the water to pass freely. I don’t know exactly what happened two years ago in the conception of the project, but it makes it clear the need for a memorandum of understanding before any project is to begin. Sustainability is necessary in any project, which means creating formal understandings with the local government before any project begins. Sustainability also means maneuvering when necessary and finding compromises. Politics is a game in itself with a steep learning curve, a game that is not limited to Uganda but also in America. I can’t even pretend to know my way around Ugandan politics, but I’m sure with the GDPU I will begin to learn. As a small organization championing rights for persons with disabilities, they have surely navigated through Ugandan politics many times. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/crossing-bridges/" title="Permalink to Crossing bridges" rel="bookmark">Crossing bridges</a></h2> <time datetime="2014-07-04" pubdate>July 4, 2014 8:20 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/crossing-bridges/#comments">130 Comments</a> July 1st came and left, and field activities haven’t begun yet. As I mentioned in “North”, zivik’s money is late and Sini Sanuman cannot start implementing the programme with no funds. It’s a little distressing, our hands are tied and I feel a little powerless in the face of these issues. Ideally, the bank will be able to advance some of the money to at least put the wheels in motion, travel to the north, pay the deposit and first month rent for the centres we need to acquire. It is absolutely imperative that activities begin soon, identifying victims through workshops and community meetings is the first step towards an effective programme for the next six months. Without this first portion of the project, nothing can be put in place. While I’m feeling a little restless on zivik’s side of things, UNICEF has been keeping us very busy in the office, where we’ve been working on revising our proposal and budget for them non-stop. Now I know proposal-writing and budgeting aren’t anyone’s favourite pastimes, but working on those has truly been challenging. Again, as I mentioned in my previous post, UNICEF decided to support Sini Sanuman through funding for their activities in the north, which is great news for us, but mostly for the communities in the Gao region. Harmonising zivik and UNICEF’s projects while adding the “northern” portion was a lot of work. Going through the proposal and budget with my colleagues, moreover, opened numerous doors into a deeper understanding of their work and how activities are being implemented. Working so closely on this inevitably sparked a few debates and (friendly) discussions. Crossing the bridges of culture, gender, age and world view isn’t always easy, and the past week has proven that for me. I began thinking intensely about the system that we are working within, talking to different colleagues and trying to make sense of why so much money is being allocated to items that simply don’t seem they should be worth that much. Per diems, coffee breaks, food and travel costs. Ceremonies. And trainings, so many trainings. I began researching issues linked to this, stumbled upon a paper by the African Development Bank from earlier this year entitled: “The Uses and Abuses of Per-diems in Africa: A Political Economy of Travel Allowances”. The paper asks the question I, too, am asking: do per-diems really increase motivation or is it only a means to get people to the table? The AFDB aside, I am trying to accept the amounts allocated to Sini Sanuman’s secondary beneficiaries at the expense of our primary ones. I’ve challenged my colleagues, probably irritating them from time to time, but I am told people simply wouldn’t show up if there’s no decent (and expensive) food, if reimbursement for travel is less than what is made public, if there are no per diems. Mariam, who is quickly becoming my rock here in Bamako, confirmed my suspicion: it’s the system, and that’s just the way it’s done. On a brighter and unrelated note, I’ve now been in Mali for one month, and officially extending my time here for another six action-packed ones! To celebrate that, I used my stove top for the first time and made: coffee. This photograph, I was told, “has the right amount of African flavor with a touch of nostalgia that only a coffee maker can express for us Italians” (cit. FP). <a title="Coffee" href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2902/14586599263_6349ba11db.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" title="Coffee" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2902/14586599263_6349ba11db.jpg" alt="Coffee" width="375" height="500" /></a> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/being-a-muzungu/" title="Permalink to Being a Muzungu" rel="bookmark">Being a Muzungu</a></h2> <time datetime="2014-07-04" pubdate> 2:47 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/being-a-muzungu/#comments">2 Comments</a> When walking home or to work here in Uganda, I’m often followed by many kids like little shadows trailing my path. Sometimes they follow silently just a few paces off my own, growing in number as I walk. However, most of the time they are loud and lively yelling “MUZUNGU! MUZUNGU! HOW ARE YOOOOUUUUUUU!?!” This is a phrase that is shouted at me on a daily basis here in Uganda. Muzungu is the word used for any non-African person and the children here love to remind me that I am in fact one constantly. While there are quite a few muzungus in Uganda, there are not many in the area where I work in Kinawataka slum, and no other female ones that I’ve seen. The children’s jaws drop in awe of the pale blond beast. I seem to have developed a following of Ugandan kids who know where I work and run past on their lunch breaks and when they get out of school to yell at me until I respond. A few particularly impatient ones even threw rocks at the building to get my attention. <a title="Muzungu fan club" href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5473/14531992503_7663340ba3_m.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright" style="float: right;" title="Muzungu fan club" alt="Muzungu fan club" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5473/14531992503_7663340ba3_m.jpg" width="159" height="240" /></a>The conversation usually goes like this: “Hey muzungu! MUZUNGU! MUZUNNGGUUU!!!” – Children “Hello” – Me “Hahahahaha! Muzungu how are you?” – Children “I am good. How are you?” – Me In unison: “I am fine!” – Children This conversation repeats itself multiple times a day. Most of the time (if I am lucky) they run away laughing. Other times they stand outside the door peering in at the newest attraction. This can last over an hour. Several of the people in the Kinawataka slum are newcomers to Kampala and have spent much of their lives in the villages without ever seeing a muzungu before so I don’t usually mind too much. After all, kids are supposed to be curious and it can be kind of adorable. A few have rubbed my skin to see if it is like their own and are puzzled by the wavy mess of hair. I do sort of miss the anonymity of blending in. I get away with nothing. People I have never met approach me and tell me they know where I work or where I live. As a de facto representative of the muzungu clan, it is good motivation to always make a positive impression. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/accessible-toilets-for-all/" title="Permalink to Accessible Toilets for All" rel="bookmark">Accessible Toilets for All</a></h2> <time datetime="2014-06-29" pubdate>June 29, 2014 6:33 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/accessible-toilets-for-all/#comments">6 Comments</a> Opiyo Samuel, an 11 year old boy from the Parbon Quarter of the Gulu District, is a success of Gulu Disabled Persons’ Union (GDPU). Two years ago through GDPU’s parent group Samuel was given his first wheelchair. With continual support of GDPU and physical therapy, he was able to transition from a wheelchair to crutches, also provided by the union. This transition enabled Samuel to get to school on his own and stop much of the bully he had received, as other students would often push him out of his wheelchair. Last week Coordinator Ojok Simon and I went to interview him, with Simon serving as the translator and myself quickly scratching down notes. During the interview I was particularly interested when Samuel’s mother, Akello Rita, shared Samuel’s experience with the toilet both at school and in the community. When Samuel was using the wheelchair he would be forced to get out and crawl on his hands and knees to the toilet. An act which his mother feared put him at risk for disease. In fact 1.5 million people die annually from diarrhea, the second leading cause of deaths for children under five (UNICEF, 2009). If sanitation was addressed, this number would be a third less. Now on crutches he is able to make it to the toilet on a rough path and inside the narrow entrance. However, Samuel said that he still has problems balancing without hand rails and a sitting provision, making it clear that it’s important to expand thinking on why accessibility is important. Facilities without a ramp, handrails, and wide entrances don’t just exclude those using a wheelchair, but many members of a community. This discrimination, while mostly unintentionally, is done not just through the physical infrastructure, but also the institutional culture. Accessibility and disability is often not part of the conversation. In GDPU mission to end discrimination in the provision of water and sanitation, it can’t possibly change all the physical infrastructure, therefore the key is to focus on areas where a change in the institutional culture can be made. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" title="Opiyo Samuel" alt="Opiyo Samuel" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2935/14346014328_6ef2673871.jpg" width="500" height="375" /> Opiyo Samuel </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/finding-the-toilet/" title="Permalink to Finding “the toilet”" rel="bookmark">Finding “the toilet”</a></h2> <time datetime="2014-06-22" pubdate>June 22, 2014 1:24 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/finding-the-toilet/#comments">2 Comments</a> When I arrived to Gulu via the bus from Kampala, I expected one of the first things I saw to be “the toilet” located in the bus park. The toilet, I’ve heard about for months. A toilet which began its conception in 2011, when Rebecca Scherpelz, the then-GDPU fellow, wrote a raw blog describing how a person with certain disabilities would have to use an average toilet in Uganda; essentially, crawling on their hands and knees into a public latrine. A degrading and unhygienic necessity of life, despite access to water and sanitation being considered a human right by many institutions, including the UN Human Rights Council. An access to a right, which is extremely difficult for many persons with disabilities. Alas, I arrived to Gulu envisioning arriving to the bus park to see a long ramp and hopefully an accessible toilet, although I was fully aware of what could have happened within this last year. Instead I was disappointed when the bus dropped me outside a grocery store along a red dusty road. With a quick call to the Project Coordinator, Ojok Simon, I was picked up by GDPU and drove off to the hotel. Although I was determined to find this toilet in all its glory, my jet-lag took over and I quickly drifted to sleep once I reached the hotel. <a title="Inside Bus Park Toilet" href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3887/14531129914_d88b487ba8.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft" title="Inside Bus Park Toilet" alt="Inside Bus Park Toilet" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3887/14531129914_d88b487ba8.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a> The next day after a short staff meeting I made sure to ask Simon to see the toilet. After a quick boda-boda ride, a motorcycle taxi, we entered the bus park from the lower entrance. The toilet wasn’t immediately noticeable, hidden behind a building along a concrete path. We greeted the vendor and he took out his keys, which I immediately knew that couldn’t be a good sign. I asked if it was okay to take pictures and internally noted how strange it must be for a “muzungo” (foreigner) to take photos of a public toilet. We stepped into the entry way to the toilet to find water jugs lined up in the hall, surely not accessible, to find the piping to the toilet completely gone and dust covering the entire room. Through discussions with Simon and the vendor I found that the bathroom has been in this state since March. Although this initial news was certainly discouraging, the site is not beyond repair. So what’s next on the mission to accessible and sustainable toilets? In order to move forward in our mission, we need to create more accessible toilets, we need to understand both what was successful with this project and also the exact weaknesses, especially in design and sustainability. This is my next mission. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/advocacy_project/14531129914/in/set-72157644686951774"> </a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/advocacy_project/14531129914/in/set-72157644686951774"> </a> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/kinawataka-sharing-the-power-of-empowered-women/" title="Permalink to Kinawataka Sharing the Power of Empowered Women" rel="bookmark">Kinawataka Sharing the Power of Empowered Women</a></h2> <time datetime="2014-06-19" pubdate>June 19, 2014 3:29 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/kinawataka-sharing-the-power-of-empowered-women/#comments">3 Comments</a> <a title="Benedicta in Geneva" href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3881/14477389513_cf6e5a541d_m.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright" style="float: right; cursor: default;" title="Benedicta in Geneva" alt="Benedicta in Geneva" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3881/14477389513_cf6e5a541d_m.jpg" height="240" width="217"></a>My first week at Kinawataka Women Initiatives (KIWOI) proved to be a big moment for the organization. Last week KIWOI’s the Executive Director, Benedicta Nanyonga, traveled to Geneva to present at the <a title="Power of Empowered Women Conference" href="http://power-of-empowered-women.net/participants-2014/" target="_blank">Power of Empowered Women Conference</a>. The Group of Women Ambassadors in Geneva and the International Trade Centre hosted the conference, which was attended by an estimated 600 officials from the UN, NGOs and several multilateral organizations. This was a significant experience for the organization and Benedicta who has never spoken at such a large-scale event. She participated in an interactive panel discussion focused on women’s empowerment and economic development, which included speakers from Afghanistan, Haiti and India. Benedicta delivered a speech on how the Kinawataka Women Initiatives turns “trash into cash” to support local women and promote recycling. The days leading up to the conference were hectic. Benedicta and the women of KIWOI were diligently pressing, weaving, trimming and stitching the 100 clutch purses for UN ambassadors and small shopping bags for co-sponsors of the conference, which delighted conference participants. The event provided significant exposure to the essential work of KIWOI. Benedicta told me, “The conference was a major opportunity for the Kinawataka Women Initiatives to share how our organization creates jobs, empowers vulnerable women and conserves the environment in the slum areas in Uganda.” <a title="Benedicta on UN panel" href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3839/14455921144_8a7f4a8cd3.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" style="cursor: default;" class="aligncenter" title="Benedicta on UN panel" alt="Benedicta on UN panel" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3839/14455921144_8a7f4a8cd3.jpg" height="375" width="500"></a> She argued that while the UN has done a good job of providing aid to those affected by poverty and conflict, they must focus on training so that women can lift themselves up to provide for their families. Benedicta shared a quoted a proverb on the significance of empowering women stating, “If you give me a good woman and I’ll give you a good world.” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navy Pillay, delivered the closing remarks for the conference asserting, “We need strong female role models to convince girls they’re as good as boys.” Benedicta and KIWOI certainly do this on a daily basis by working with women and girls to provide not only income, but also a sense of importance and accomplishment. <a title="POEW" href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2932/14457039665_73c9355d00_o.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" style="cursor: default;" class="aligncenter" title="POEW" alt="POEW" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2932/14457039665_73c9355d00_o.jpg" height="114" width="442"></a> [content-builder]{“id”:1,”version”:”1.0.4″,”nextId”:3,”block”:”root”,”layout”:”12″,”childs”:[{“id”:”2″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”<a title=\"Benedicta in Geneva\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3881\/14477389513_cf6e5a541d_m.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img class=\"alignright\" style=\"float: right; cursor: default;\" title=\"Benedicta in Geneva\" alt=\"Benedicta in Geneva\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3881\/14477389513_cf6e5a541d_m.jpg\" height=\"240\" width=\"217\"><\/a>My first week at Kinawataka Women Initiatives (KIWOI) proved to be a big moment for the organization. Last week KIWOI\u2019s the Executive Director, Benedicta Nanyonga, traveled to Geneva to present at the <a title=\"Power of Empowered Women Conference\" href=\"http:\/\/power-of-empowered-women.net\/participants-2014\/\" target=\"_blank\">Power of Empowered Women Conference<\/a>. The Group of Women Ambassadors in Geneva and the International Trade Centre hosted the conference, which was attended by an estimated 600 officials from the UN, NGOs and several multilateral organizations.\n\nThis was a significant experience for the organization and Benedicta who has never spoken at such a large-scale event. She participated in an interactive panel discussion focused on women\u2019s empowerment and economic development, which included speakers from Afghanistan, Haiti and India. Benedicta delivered a speech on how the Kinawataka Women Initiatives turns \u201ctrash into cash\u201d to support local women and promote recycling.\n\nThe days leading up to the conference were hectic. Benedicta and the women of KIWOI were diligently pressing, weaving, trimming and stitching the 100 clutch purses for UN ambassadors and small shopping bags for co-sponsors of the conference, which delighted conference participants.\n\nThe event provided significant exposure to the essential work of KIWOI. Benedicta told me, \u201cThe conference was a major opportunity for the Kinawataka Women Initiatives to share how our organization creates jobs, empowers vulnerable women and conserves the environment in the slum areas in Uganda.\u201d\n\n<a title=\"Benedicta on UN panel\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3839\/14455921144_8a7f4a8cd3.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img style=\"cursor: default;\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Benedicta on UN panel\" alt=\"Benedicta on UN panel\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3839\/14455921144_8a7f4a8cd3.jpg\" height=\"375\" width=\"500\"><\/a>\n\nShe argued that while the UN has done a good job of providing aid to those affected by poverty and conflict, they must focus on training so that women can lift themselves up to provide for their families. Benedicta shared a quoted a proverb on the significance of empowering women stating, \u201cIf you give me a good woman and I\u2019ll give you a good world.\u201d\n\nUN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navy Pillay, delivered the closing remarks for the conference asserting, \u201cWe need strong female role models to convince girls they\u2019re as good as boys.\u201d Benedicta and KIWOI certainly do this on a daily basis by working with women and girls to provide not only income, but also a sense of importance and accomplishment.\n\n<a title=\"POEW\" href=\"http:\/\/farm3.staticflickr.com\/2932\/14457039665_73c9355d00_o.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img style=\"cursor: default;\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"POEW\" alt=\"POEW\" src=\"http:\/\/farm3.staticflickr.com\/2932\/14457039665_73c9355d00_o.jpg\" height=\"114\" width=\"442\"><\/a><\/span>\n”,”class”:””}]}[/content-builder] </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/on-bamako-the-office-and-reflections-thereupon/" title="Permalink to On Bamako, the office, and reflections thereupon." rel="bookmark">On Bamako, the office, and reflections thereupon.</a></h2> <time datetime="2014-06-15" pubdate>June 15, 2014 1:18 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/on-bamako-the-office-and-reflections-thereupon/#comments">1 Comment</a> This is a short blog post, my thoughts are fairly scattered. Before I find a way to convey them coherently, I better stick to just a couple of paragraphs. Sunday in Bamako, ten days in. Ups and downs as predicted, interesting experiences all the way. From lunches with my co-workers, to meetings at UNICEF, to encounters with Malian football fans, with Ivorian businessmen, from thunderstorms and lost kittens, to a fashion show at MINUSMA, from spending one hundred dollars in rent, to getting a glimpse of the UN world, watching frisbee at the US embassy and eating pizza and gnocchi al pesto. All that in a setting of heat and dust, traffic jams and occasional tropical storms. The chaos of the outside world is not entirely reflected in the office. This first full week has been a little slow at work. It’s the planning phase, I am trying to understand the bigger picture of the project, create a timeline while at the same time also attributing roles and responsibilities to each team member. This is also to better understand where I fit in. Sini Sanuman, the national NGO that I am working with here in Bamako, has been doing intensive work on female genital mutilation and how to create awareness on the issue for more than a decade. Today, Sini Sanuman’s role consists in supporting victims of sexual violence through psycho-social activities, particularly in the aftermath of the 2012 crisis in Mali. This is something they will continue doing in the future through the new programme I’m helping to set up, and hopefully more UNICEF projects as well. As I get to know my co-workers more closely and maybe visit the existing activities and centres I hope to continue to draw my mental picture, understand the issues and what some of the best practices could be. It’s an intense process which will require patience and long conversations, and I look forward to it. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/rainy-day-in-kampala/" title="Permalink to Rainy day in Kampala" rel="bookmark">Rainy day in Kampala</a></h2> <time datetime="2014-06-09" pubdate>June 9, 2014 3:15 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/rainy-day-in-kampala/#comments">1 Comment</a> Today is my third day here in Kampala, Uganda and it has poured rain all morning. The rain washes all of the garbage that lined the gutters into the streets making the motorcycle taxi drive, known here as bota-botas, a bit more perilous than it already was. The red mud cakes my boots.   While the rain has made my commute a bit more challenging, it does have it perks. The mornings are often loud with people, traffic and animals making it hard to sleep past 6:30am. The rain changes that and everything is silent except for the sound of falling water. It calms the red dirt that normally coats the slum. It cools the normally warm and humid air. When it isn’t raining, life in Kampala is busy. There are people, cars, buses, bota-botas, chickens and goats everywhere.   I work in the Kinawataka slum with the Kinawataka Women Initiatives (KIWOI), which works with marginalized women to collect straws and recycles them into bags, jewelry and mats. To use the buzzwords of the development community, it is eco-friendly women’s empowerment. Kinawataka is on a dirt road with a mix of buildings and small shacks built with random pieces of plywood and sheet metal in close proximity to one another. I haven’t had a chance to explore much yet but look forward to getting to know the area. The active life of the slum can be heard from inside KIWOI at all times, except when it rains.  <a title="Women of KIWOI" href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2910/14198294599_ea97c5c1f1.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" title="Women of KIWOI" alt="Women of KIWOI" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2910/14198294599_ea97c5c1f1.jpg" width="500" height="320"></a>  <div> The organizations founder Benedicta Nanyonga told me that people in Uganda do not understand the value recycling. The lack of focus on the need to recycle is part of the reason the streets are now covered in debris and trash after the rain. The plastic all over the roads was a clear illustration how necessary KIOWI’s work is to reduce the use of plastic bags by recycling straws.   On my first day I met several of the women that work with Benedicta to produce the straw bags. Some spoke English, others did not, but they were all incredibly friendly. I think that is a really beautiful quality of Uganda; people are exceptionally welcoming and kind. I am very much looking forward to my summer here with the people of Kinawataka. Will report back with more when the sun (and hopefully electricity) return.  [content-builder]{“id”:1,”version”:”1.0.4″,”nextId”:3,”block”:”root”,”layout”:”12″,”childs”:[{“id”:”2″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:” Today is my third day here in Kampala, Uganda and it has poured rain all morning. The rain washes all of the garbage that lined the gutters into the streets making the motorcycle taxi drive, known here as bota-botas, a bit more perilous than it already was. The red mud cakes my boots.  <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n While the rain has made my commute a bit more challenging, it does have it perks. The mornings are often loud with people, traffic and animals making it hard to sleep past 6:30am. The rain changes that and everything is silent except for the sound of falling water. It calms the red dirt that normally coats the slum. It cools the normally warm and humid air. When it isn\u2019t raining, life in Kampala is busy. There are people, cars, buses, bota-botas, chickens and goats everywhere.  <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n I work in the Kinawataka slum with the Kinawataka Women Initiatives (KIWOI), which works with marginalized women to collect straws and recycles them into bags, jewelry and mats. To use the buzzwords of the development community, it is eco-friendly women\u2019s empowerment. Kinawataka is on a dirt road with a mix of buildings and small shacks built with random pieces of plywood and sheet metal in close proximity to one another. I haven\u2019t had a chance to explore much yet but look forward to getting to know the area. The active life of the slum can be heard from inside KIWOI at all times, except when it rains. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<a title=\"Women of KIWOI\" href=\"http:\/\/farm3.staticflickr.com\/2910\/14198294599_ea97c5c1f1.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Women of KIWOI\" alt=\"Women of KIWOI\" src=\"http:\/\/farm3.staticflickr.com\/2910\/14198294599_ea97c5c1f1.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"320\"><\/a>  <div>\n\n The organizations founder Benedicta Nanyonga told me that people in Uganda do not understand the value recycling. The lack of focus on the need to recycle is part of the reason the streets are now covered in debris and trash after the rain. The plastic all over the roads was a clear illustration how necessary KIOWI\u2019s work is to reduce the use of plastic bags by recycling straws.  <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n On my first day I met several of the women that work with Benedicta to produce the straw bags. Some spoke English, others did not, but they were all incredibly friendly. I think that is a really beautiful quality of Uganda; people are exceptionally welcoming and kind. I am very much looking forward to my summer here with the people of Kinawataka. Will report back with more when the sun (and hopefully electricity) return. <\/span><\/span><\/p>“,”class”:””}]}[/content-builder] </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/mali-day-1-1/" title="Permalink to Mali, day 1 (+1)" rel="bookmark">Mali, day 1 (+1)</a></h2> <time datetime="2014-06-06" pubdate>June 6, 2014 7:33 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/mali-day-1-1/#comments">2 Comments</a> Hello world, Bamako here. My intention was to write about my very first impressions on day one, except I quickly realised my colossal failure to into account just HOW TIRED I would be. So here I am, day 1 + 1 in Bamako. And still no photos, I have to get used to taking my camera out. Voilà, writing from the bar of Auberge Djamilla, my second home and hopefully my last stop before I find a room of my own (YES, and if anyone knows of any room openings in a shared flat or house in Bamako, let me know!). I spent yesterday and today in the office at Sini Sanuman, where I was welcomed with more warmth than I could hope for. I spent some time talking to the wonderful Mariam yesterday, who told me a lot about Sini Sanuman’s work for the prevention of female genital mutilation as well as their more recent efforts to identify cases of gender-based violence after the war. Or crisis, as it is called. As we were talking in the stuffy, hot and humid office I was trying with all my strength to keep my head up and my eyes open. Battling the fatigue from the trip, the drastic change of climate and my general tiredness I listened to her stories in complete awe. The question that kept coming up in her recounts of sexual violence, rape and the social stigma and denial that follow was: pourquoi? Why? Tradition, customs, beliefs? I asked Mariam: what is it that made you so open minded, so different from everyone else? Mariam said it was education. What a powerful thing to say, and I even realised that in my semi-absent state of mind. Day 1+1, and I am slowly creating a mental image, an intricate graph almost, something I am trying to use to grapple with the information I am receiving. What a silly thing to do, no linear design could ever represent reality. This is how I am dealing with it though, I can’t help it and every new piece adds onto my image, without my permission: I came to Bamako to help Sini Sanuman open centres of reintegration for victims of war rape. During war, rape is used as a tool to mobilise, terrorise and weaken the enemy. The body of a woman, and sometimes of men, becomes the battlefield. However, I am realising more and more that there can be no clear-cut dividing line between forms of sexual violence in war and peace. Mariam’s stories were mostly stories of violence during peacetime. In war sexual violence has a goal, but the tool, in its essence, is the same. My image is far from complete, and will probably never be. It just helps to keep in mind that before war there is peace, and after the war, one day, there will be peace again. How do Malians want that peace to look like? </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/preparing-for-take-off/" title="Permalink to Preparing for take off" rel="bookmark">Preparing for take off</a></h2> <time datetime="2014-05-29" pubdate>May 29, 2014 6:26 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/preparing-for-take-off/#comments">3 Comments</a> One week to go before I head oversees to Uganda. I have traveled to East Africa for work before, but this will be the longest I’ve stayed in another country. I will be leaving for the capital of Kampala to work as a Peace Fellow with the Kinawataka Women Initiatives (KiWOI). While I’ve worked with women from marginalized communities before, it has mostly been from the comfort of my desk in Washington, DC. This time it will be on their turf in the Kinawataka slums in the capital city. <div style="text-align: center;">  <iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/47IsmQrYGdE" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" width="530" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">

KiWOI collects drinking straws and recycles them to create crafts such as bags, baskets and mats. The eco-friendly work empowers local women from Uganda by helping them gain new skills and income. In addition to my clothing, bug spray and boots, I will be transporting a straw-pressing machine. Pressing straws by hand is a difficult process. Women use knives to press the straws flat, however this is time consuming and very labor intensive. The new straw-pressing machine will save the women enormous amounts of time. The machine flattens around 15 straws in 25 seconds, which will enable KiWOI to increase their production of bags, mats and other crafts from the straws. I can’t wait to deliver this machine and myself to Kampala.

The past few days I have been going through training with the Advocacy Project to prepare the 2014 peace fellows for the field. It has been a great experience meeting the other 11 fellows and hearing about their backgrounds and interests. We are being trained in videography, photography, IT, NGO management, communications and media and fundraising. Once in our host countries, we will use these skills to train our partner organizations on two of the modules they think will be most beneficial for their work. I am looking forward to using these skills to help support the work of KiWOI in Uganda!

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One week to go before I head oversees to Uganda. I have traveled to East Africa for work before, but this will be the longest I\u2019ve stayed in another country. I will be leaving for the capital of Kampala to work as a Peace Fellow with the Kinawataka Women Initiatives (KiWOI). While I\u2019ve worked with women from marginalized communities before, it has mostly been from the comfort of my desk in Washington, DC. This time it will be on their turf in the Kinawataka slums in the capital city.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/span><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n <\/span><\/p> KiWOI collects drinking straws and recycles them to create crafts such as bags, baskets and mats. The eco-friendly work empowers local women from Uganda by helping them gain new skills and income. In addition to my clothing, bug spray and boots, I will be transporting a straw-pressing machine. Pressing straws by hand is a difficult process. Women use knives to press the straws flat, however this is time consuming and very labor intensive. The new straw-pressing machine will save the women enormous amounts of time. The machine flattens around 15 straws in 25 seconds, which will enable KiWOI to increase their production of bags, mats and other crafts from the straws. I can’t wait to deliver this machine and myself to Kampala.<\/span><\/p>\n\n The past few days I have been going through training with the Advocacy Project to prepare the 2014 peace fellows for the field. It has been a great experience meeting the other 11 fellows and hearing about their backgrounds and interests. We are being trained in videography, photography, IT, NGO management, communications and media and fundraising. Once in our host countries, we will use these skills to train our partner organizations on two of the modules they think will be most beneficial for their work. I am looking forward to using these skills to help support the work of KiWOI in Uganda! <\/span><\/p>“,”class”:””}]}[/content-builder] </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/mali-o-mali-2/" title="Permalink to Mali, ô Mali!" rel="bookmark">Mali, ô Mali!</a></h2> <time datetime="2014-05-29" pubdate> 4:14 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/mali-o-mali-2/#comments">224 Comments</a> – Me, they married me. The first night, my husband came. The second night, another husband came. And the third night, yet another one. It was like this until the end of the week, when the first one came again. He thanked me for his friends. And then he hit me. – Why did he hit you? – To punish me. – Why punish you? – For marrying too much. I managed to escape, dressed like a boy. (Mali, ô Mali, Erik Orsenna – own translation from French original) I am going to Mali in one week, and Mali, ô Mali has been my trusted companion in an effort to become more acquainted with the reality that Malians are living. I know that no amount of research and planning will be able to prepare me for what I will experience, but, to be quite honest, I don’t want to know exactly what awaits me. Learning as I go will be part of the beauty. Putting aside my Brandt and Petit Futé guides though, I picked up Orsenna’s book, following my mother’s advice that literature teaches far more than anything else. Indeed, this has proven to be the case (better not let her know). Orsenna’s book recounts the story of Madame Bâ, a Malian woman who has been living in France for a very long time and goes back to Mali after the rebellion to try and do something to help her country. The excerpt above is part of a conversation she has with two victims of sexual violence; the topic is delicate, and often taboo in a conservative society such as Mali. I am flying to the mysterious Bamako next week to begin my work with Sini Sanuman, a Malian organisation that has long been working on issues of female genital mutilation and that is now beginning a new project in light of the events of the rebellion on 2012. As rebels from the north advanced through the desert in an effort to gain territory, they used rape as a systematic weapon of war in order to terrorise families and entire communities. The repercussions of these practices are still felt today as victims of war rape find it extremely difficult to deal with their physical and mental trauma and reintegrate in their families and communities. Sini Sanuman is joining the effort of creating reintegration networks for victims in Mali. This is a new project for them and they are a new partner for the Advocacy Project, which is both extremely exciting and daunting at the same time. I am very passionate about the topic and the work that Sini Sanuman are doing, but I can’t help but feel a little nervous. Will I be of support to my host organisation? Will I learn how to work around such a delicate topic? Will I be accepted in the community? Will I find a place to live, and will be the incessant tropical rain be an obstacle to the work over the summer? Will Ramadan put a halt to our efforts? While I know working in Bamako will be a steep learning curve, while I know there’ll be ups and downs and challenges to be faced, I am both humbled by the efforts of organisations such as Sini Sanuman and extremely grateful for the opportunity to help their work and learn from such inspiring people. Mali, ô Mali, on y va! </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/anticipation-and-expectations-advocacy-project-fellowship-in-gulu/" title="Permalink to Anticipation and Expectations: Advocacy Project fellowship in Uganda" rel="bookmark">Anticipation and Expectations: Advocacy Project fellowship in Uganda</a></h2> <time datetime="2014-05-29" pubdate> 3:22 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/anticipation-and-expectations-advocacy-project-fellowship-in-gulu/#comments">1 Comment</a> In less than three weeks I’ll be departing from Maine to Northern Uganda. I’ll be working with the <a href="http://www.guludisabledpersonsunion.org/" target="_blank">Gulu Disabled Persons Union (GDPU)</a> , a union of several organizations, including the Gulu Blind Association and the Gulu Women with Disabilities, promoting human rights for persons with disabilities. Through the Advocacy Project my fellowship mission will be to support the work done by the fellows before me in building handicap accessible toilets and also to begin lobbying the local government on behalf of disability rights. In the interview for this fellowship I was asked, “What is your goal for the program?” My personal goal is simple, to support the Gulu Disabled Persons Union (GDPU) in any way possible. For me the most important aspect of development is that fine line between supporting the community, and harmfully overstepping. I certainly don’t have answers, in fact for someone with a Master’s of International Development I rarely feel as though I could ever “master” development, but rather I am a person full of questions. Yet, my expectation is to actively contribute. From the discussions I’ve had via email with staff at the GDPU, the areas they are looking for support in primarily surround funding opportunities and nonprofit management. I believe I can prove to be beneficial in these areas. I know many challenges will present themselves as I work to support the GDPU and those they represent. As persons with disabilities are often marginalized within their communities in Northern Uganda, I want to work to challenge the viewpoint towards those with disabilities. I don’t expect to reverse longstanding norms within the community, but instead, chip away and work towards the ultimate goal of the GDPU, “empowering persons with disabilities to lead dignified lives.” <iframe loading="lazy" width="460" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/LFbXXEnztTE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">

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In less than three weeks I\u2019ll be departing from Maine to Northern Uganda. I\u2019ll be working with the <\/span>Gulu Disabled Persons Union (GDPU)<\/a> , a union of several organizations, including the Gulu Blind Association and the Gulu Women with Disabilities, promoting human rights for persons with disabilities. Through the Advocacy Project my fellowship mission will be to support the work done by the fellows before me in building handicap accessible toilets and also to begin lobbying the local government on behalf of disability rights.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

In the interview for this fellowship I was asked, \u201cWhat is your goal for the program?\u201d My personal goal is simple, to support the Gulu Disabled Persons Union (GDPU) in any way possible. For me the most important aspect of development is that fine line between supporting the community, and harmfully overstepping. I certainly don\u2019t have answers, in fact for someone with a Master\u2019s of International Development I rarely feel as though I could ever \u201cmaster\u201d development, but rather I am a person full of questions. Yet, my expectation is to actively contribute. From the discussions I\u2019ve had via email with staff at the GDPU, the areas they are looking for support in primarily surround funding opportunities and nonprofit management. I believe I can prove to be beneficial in these areas.<\/span><\/p>I know many challenges will present themselves as I work to support the GDPU and those they represent. As persons with disabilities are often marginalized within their communities in Northern Uganda, I want to work to challenge the viewpoint towards those with disabilities. I don\u2019t expect to reverse longstanding norms within the community, but instead, chip away and work towards the ultimate goal of the GDPU, \u201cempowering persons with disabilities to lead dignified lives.\u201d<\/span>

<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/iframe><\/p>\n”,”class”:””}]}[/content-builder] </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/if-you-educate-one-girl-child-you-educate-a-whole-community/" title="Permalink to “If You Educate One Girl-Child, You Educate a Whole Community”" rel="bookmark">“If You Educate One Girl-Child, You Educate a Whole Community”</a></h2> <time datetime="2012-08-01" pubdate>August 1, 2012 10:52 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/if-you-educate-one-girl-child-you-educate-a-whole-community/#comments">1 Comment</a> The saying that it takes a village to raise a child has never proven to be so true until my recent visit with four orphan girls (ages 11-13) who are beneficiaries of the Kakenya Dream Organization’s (KDO) financial support and mentorship. Within Maasai culture, men are typically the bearers of money, land, cattle, property, and are permitted to take more than one wife. It is often common for a child to have several stepmothers and stepsiblings. In some instances, a father may be gone for several weeks or months, while he fathers the children of his other wives. Often, these polygamous relations can result in husbands and fathers abandoning their other wives and children. An “orphan” as we know it in Western society therefore takes on a different meaning in Kenya. It often means paternal abandonment, despite other family members being a part of the child’s life. My recent visit to one of our girls home brought reality to what girls go through to achieve their education. “Thank you for helping me,” 13 year-old Nelly says after wiping away her tears in an hour-long interview I was conducting. Nelly is one of several KDO beneficiaries. She receives guidance and financial support to supplement what her family members are unable to provide. Nelly’s parents divorced when she was born. She has three sisters and one brother. She is the second to last child. Nelly is from Sikawa, about an hours drive south of Enoosaen. She lives with her youngest sister and her older brother. Her other two sisters live with her father and have been forced to undergo female genital cutting (FGC). <a title="KCE Student Profile" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7628660428/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7279/7628660428_6597cec295.jpg" alt="Nelly lives with her mother, younger sister and older brother" width="281" height="500" /></a> I have repeatedly heard teachers and parents say, “A woman never forgets where she comes from. If you educate one girl-child, you educate a whole community.” This saying has been fixed in my mind throughout my fellowship. Its truth can be best understood by speaking to those who benefit the most from the support of KDO. I was able to stay with Nelly at her home during the half-term break as a part of a series of interviews I was conducting with some of the KCE girls. Just five minutes from the main swampy road, a small community river intersects with a narrow muddy path where KCE teacher, Francis Kisulu, and I walked to the quaint clay home of Nelly’s family. “Nelly!” Francis called out. No more than a few seconds passed before Nelly’s little sister, Nashipai, a two-foot tall girl in a bright yellow-topped dress, stood at the doorway entrance of their mother’s home. Not yet fazed by the shyness of older girls, Nashipai ran up to greet us. She bowed her head as the traditional Maasai greeting. “Takweya,” I say as I touch the top of her head, Francis quickly did the same. Their mother had just walked up to the neighboring field to milk cows. We were given small stools, underneath the shade of a tree near their home, as we prepared to interview Nelly. With the help of Francis to translate from Kiswahili to English, I was able to freely interview her. In her own words we were able to capture a glimpse of Nelly’s life: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I say. “I want to be a police.” “Why?” “I want to maintain order and peace in our country.” “Have you always wanted to be a policewoman?” “Yes.” “Do you have a good relationship with your mom?” I ask. “Yes…She likes me, and she likes to support me in my education,” Nelly says quickly and softly. “Has she always supported your education?” “Yes.” “What about your father?” The mentioning of her father alone triggered tears in her eyes. She clasped her hands together and held them in front of her face. “He doesn’t support me…,” Nelly whispers under her choked up breath. I wait for her to breath. Nashipai innocently watches her sister hunched over crying. Her brother, Gideon approaches her and asks if she is okay. She giggles and clears her throat out of embarrassment. <a title="KCE Student Profile" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7499816534/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7499816534_9bdd1b4911.jpg" alt="Nelly's brother consoling her while she cries after talking about their father" width="450" height="253" /></a> “Why doesn’t he support you? Is it against his value system?” Girl’s education in Maasai culture is typically not favored by the male figures of a girl’s family. “Yes…he dislikes me,” Nelly replies in a soft voice. Nelly tells us that her father feels resentful since his divorce with her mother. Unlike her father, Nelly’s mother has been very supportive of Nelly’s educational pursuits. We also learned that it was her brother who encouraged her to apply to KCE. Since her enrollment in KCE she has been able to focus on her studies. “In boarding school I can learn at night,” Nelly says. “Do you feel you are getting a lot of support that you did not have in Sikawa primary?” Nelly is silent for a minute before she answers, “At Enkakenya I can go to ask the teacher questions I don’t know.” “How has going to Enkakenya changed your life?” She answers in Kiswahili; her hands cover her mouth while she sobs and talks. Francis says to me, “She says that they pay for her school fees and provide her with the school uniform.” At that moment I hugged her and said, “You are very brave and strong…thank you.” <a title="KCE Student Profile" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7500052610/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/7500052610_cd65b1e6a5.jpg" alt="In higher spirits Nelly quietly ponders over our interview" width="450" height="253" /></a> This is one interview in a series that profile the impact that the Kakenya’s Dream Organization has made in these young silenced lives. Young girls such as Nelly have been given the opportunity to focus on their education, avoid FGC and being married off. A girl-child without a father often becomes a financial burden to other family members who have their own daily challenges. Though difficult to change, KCE works to reshape Maasai culture by nurturing its young women through the use of the same tools it does their boys. Girls are thus given an opportunity to participate in the human capital of their communities. In my experience here so far, I have learned that KCE has become more and more a prominent part of this village working to raise its children and in doing so, foster a healthy future especially for those less fortunate. ***The children’s names have been change to protect their identity***         </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/ink-and-color-maasai-girls-lives-expressed-through-writing-and-art/" title="Permalink to Ink and Color: Maasai Girls’ Lives Expressed Through Writing and Art" rel="bookmark">Ink and Color: Maasai Girls’ Lives Expressed Through Writing and Art</a></h2> <time datetime="2012-06-27" pubdate>June 27, 2012 2:29 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/ink-and-color-maasai-girls-lives-expressed-through-writing-and-art/#comments">8 Comments</a> At the age of 11, what would you write if you were asked to tell your life story? You’re young enough to remember very early childhood but not old enough to know that your lifestyle may be different from how others live, and therefore unique. For the past couple weeks, the KCE girls have filled the room with the fragrance of fruit-scented markers as they fervently draw their personal stories. Other than the occasional giggle, soft jazz and classical tunes set a tranquil mood for these young artists to express themselves. For the past two weeks, I’ve been facilitating art workshops to 32 students from class 6, ages 11 to 13 years old. I’ve specifically designed the workshops so that the girls have a safe space to talk about their lives and celebrate the un-harmful aspects of Maasai culture. Several girls drew themselves being taught how to milk cows. Netaya drew her mother teaching her how to cook. Naomi drew her dream to build a hospital. <a title="KCE Art Workshops" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7418827720/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5339/7418827720_e5fa1955c1.jpg" alt="Naomi can't help but giggle while she shares with me her autobiography drawing and dream to build hospitals" width="253" height="450" /></a> I begin the exercise by asking the girls to shout out specific memories, life obstacles, life lessons, and the responsibilities expected of them. “Just shout them out,” I say as I write them in lime green on the chalkboard. “Milking cows…beading…taking care of my sisters and brothers, learning how to cook, collecting firewood…helping my mom clean…going to school…taking the cows to graze…” We continued like this until the entire board was covered in notes. As I peered over shoulders in the writing session, I saw the following: “I was taught in Enkakenya how to protect myself and my life. I was taught to say no to F.G.M., parents who circumsise girls are [being caught]. I was taught about early marriages girls are not supposed to be marriage early,” Christine, 12 yrs old wrote in her autobiography. Damaris, 11 yrs old wrote, “I told my mother that F.G.M. is not good circumcision she told me I will be circumcised you I told her that girls “say no to F.G.M.” they taught us in camp.” <a title="KCE Art Workshops" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7418822878/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5075/7418822878_6148c39a7c.jpg" alt="Class 6 girls calmly create their autobiography drawings " width="450" height="253" /></a> Many of the girls’ stories focused on saying no to FGM to their parents. Typically when a girl reaches adolescence she is expected to undergo circumcision in preparation for marriage. Saying no to FGM is a very bold move and a few years ago was typically unheard of in Maasai culture. However, as the KCE girls have expressed, finding the ability to say no to a deeply embedded cultural practice, such as FGM, is working to dislodge the notion that culture can’t be changed. Through their writings and drawings the girls have expressed their desire to change this paradigm within the community. In addition, many of their stories highlight the importance of learning how to milk cows, cook, bead, and look after their siblings while their mothers are taking care of the shamba (garden). <a title="KCE Art Workshops" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7418914734/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8160/7418914734_10bd1328a8.jpg" alt="Nemashon proudly holds up her entire autobiography depicted in drawings" width="281" height="500" /></a> <a title="KCE Art Workshops" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7418918456/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8006/7418918456_179673e696.jpg" alt="Nemashon was one of many that drew themselves milking " width="450" height="253" /></a> “I like milking because it is a Maasai culture. Very early in the morning I wake up and go to the homestead of the cows and start milking,” Nasieku , 13 yrs old wrote. Naserian, 13 yrs old wrote, “I learn to bead in the age of eleven years. In every bead I make I put a white colour, because in our country a white colour means peace. Also because my name is peace in our culture.” All girls have learned very early on that FGM, early-marriage, and taking over their mother’s roles, as caretakers of the children and home, are respected within Maasai culture. Through the convergence of art and writing in the KCE curriculum, the girls have become stronger communicators, more able to narrow down their personal goals and better express their emotions. In addition, they are better able to articulate relevant memories that they may otherwise not feel comfortable sharing. To an outsider the girls may appear very shy, but in art class they make up a collage of strong young women who are working to create their own destinies. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/onevoice-meets-many-at-kce/" title="Permalink to OneVoice Meets Many at KCE" rel="bookmark">OneVoice Meets Many at KCE</a></h2> <time datetime="2012-06-13" pubdate>June 13, 2012 3:37 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/onevoice-meets-many-at-kce/#comments">6 Comments</a> Giggles of excitement filled the room moments after the recorder instrument lesson started. After a consistent chorus of toots, squeaks and laughs, the girls were finally able to play a simple melody. “Now we can sing with it!” Class 4 student Naanyu exclaimed joyfully after playing a note on her recorder. KCE girls sing and dance together any chance they can get. This inclination toward music became even more apparent last week when the DC-based non-profit <a href="http://onevoicecommunity.org/">OneVoice</a> visited the Enoosaen community. OneVoice aims to encourage peace and to connect and empower children worldwide through music, singing and art. The organization has worked with schools in Tanzania and Uganda, and now has come to our school in Kenya as well. KCE girls thirst for outlets for their musical creativity and artistic expression. They never seem to get enough of it! Perfectly suited to this love of art and music, this past week, four guitarists, two singers, and one visual artist came to KCE prepared to musically invigorate the girls. When KCE girls sing together their soprano voices unite to form one striking sound. The entire school immediately grew fond of the quirky and fun OneVoice team after learning and singing several songs and strumming on the musicians’ guitars. While most of the girls were thrilled and wanted <a href="https://equipboard.com/posts/online-guitar-lessons">guitar lessons</a>, some were quite amazed by their newfound ability to play, sing and dance to the new tunes.  <a title="OneVoice Visit to KCE" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7182965639/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5460/7182965639_d6fd336eda.jpg" alt="KCE girls happily learn to sing "Lala Love" by OneVoice members, Eddy Marshall and David Reynolds " width="450" height="253"></a> In the singing workshops the girls learned several new songs, some of which incorporated dance moves, like the hokey pokey. The girls quickly caught on and even shared a few traditional Maasai songs and dances with OneVoice. The OneVoice team didn’t hesitate to jump in and dance alongside the girls. <a title="OneVoice Visit to KCE" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7336223892/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7237/7336223892_781abfe75e.jpg" alt="OneVoice Founder and Director, Robbie Schaefer teaches and records the strong voices of girls as they sing "Lala Love"" width="450" height="253"></a> Simultaneously, the other classrooms were filled with girls using paint for the first time. The girls had never seen such vibrant colors before: royal blue, forest green, teal and neon red, just to name a few. They were hardly able to keep themselves from dipping into the paint before instructions were given. I assisted the art instructor, Jolene Hemeon, in teaching this half of the girls about color schemes and artistic techniques. <a title="OneVoice Visit to KCE" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7362838028/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7077/7362838028_b7e2a90ce6.jpg" alt="Painting your hearts desire takes concentration and silence" width="450" height="253"></a> We started off by asking the girls to write down their dreams and their “heart’s desire”. Each of the girls designed a heart with their biggest desire imprinted on it. The finished pieces are to be exhibited in Washington, DC in December 2012. The exhibition will be used to fundraise money for Kenyan children suffering from heart disease. The idea is to raise funds through a tangible and creative “heart to heart”. Class 7 student, Elizabeth Yiamat, wrote, “My hearts desire is to travel to another country, to help the needy, to build more hospitals and to have a good life in the future.” As I went around the classroom passing out paint, I noticed that most girls wrote that their dreams were to become doctors, lawyers, and teachers, as well as help to their families and their communities. I wondered if perhaps after this workshop some girls would want to pursue music, the arts, or dance. Although the arts are present within the school curriculum, they often aren’t considered to be a viable career path for young people.  The girls tend to aspire to career paths that are more widely spoken of, or looked up to, such as medicine. Yet music holds an important role in these young girls lives and is often an inspirational tool for communication, particularly communication about taboo issues. What better way to give voice to the voiceless than through song and dance? This past weekend allowed KCE girls to not only find their voices, but also to raise them together.             </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/kce-girls-design-their-dream-uniform/" title="Permalink to KCE Girls Design their Dream Uniform" rel="bookmark">KCE Girls Design their Dream Uniform</a></h2> <time datetime="2012-05-26" pubdate>May 26, 2012 8:24 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/kce-girls-design-their-dream-uniform/#comments">3 Comments</a> “This is how we iron our uniforms since we don’t have an iron,” young KCE student, Joy, age 13, humbly explains to me while she pulls one end of her skirt and her friend pulls the other end until it’s as straight as a ruler, carefully folding the skirt at each pleat. Joy then lifts her mattress to carefully place it underneath. This ensures that the uniform will be flat as a board by the following morning, when it is time to get dressed for school. But it doesn’t stop there. Joy reaches for her black shoe polish and begins to tirelessly polish her formal school shoes. Some may consider this uniform maintenance a burden while others take it as a fun part of their routine that reaffirms their participation in school. In Enoosaen school uniforms are a part of a young person’s identity. Uniforms distinguish he or she as both a student and by which school he or she attends. Girls are required to wear a one-piece dress or skirt with a blouse and pullover. Boys must wear shorts or pants with a shirt and pullover. Though each school varies in uniform accessories, every student studying in school is required to wear one. In 2003, primary public education fees in Kenya were waived but uniforms remained mandatory. The need for uniformity put pressure on parents to purchase uniforms, ranging $20-30 per outfit. When 50% of the population is living under the poverty line, you can imagine the impact that this expense has had on families. The cost still undoubtedly prevents some economically disadvantaged children from attending school. The purpose of school uniforms is to obscure any social or class differences amongst students, which might be evidenced by their apparel or hairstyle. Owning two uniforms is often a privilege, owning one is a challenge. Therefore KCE students proudly care for their uniforms everyway that they can. KCE girls told me that they enjoy wearing their uniforms because they are bright in color and are unique. The plaid plum red skirt and white shirt topped by a bright magenta sweater is considered unique in design and fashion outside of school hours. <a title="KCE Everyday Life" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7269247318/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7238/7269247318_d6daf43f5a.jpg" alt="KCE girls often play jump string after school, a game similar to Chinese jump rope" width="450" height="338" /></a> Unfortunately, these school uniforms are made from cheap fabric and aren’t designed to withstand the yearly wear and tear of a young girls life. After 365 washes, a uniform’s vibrancy is lost, the seams are weak, colors faded and one hole quickly leads to many. <a title="KCE Everyday Life" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7269231380/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7212/7269231380_6959190410.jpg" alt="Everyday at 5:30PM the girls wash their uniforms" width="405" height="304" /></a> KCE parents and students (classes 6 and 7) were recently given a chance to analyze the durability of their uniforms like never before. They were asked several questions about the pros and cons of the uniform. This analysis was spurred by a visit from eight members from Nike Inc. and two from the Nike Foundation, who help to sponsor KCE. <a title="Nike Foundation Uniform Project" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7269174290/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8144/7269174290_3b5fc56496.jpg" alt="Kakenya facilitates the Nike Inc. and Nike Foundation team discussion about KCE uniforms with classes 6 & 7 mothers" width="450" height="338" /></a> This week they visited Enoosaen with the intention of creating a uniform design that is more cost-effective, durable, fashionable, and will enable a local tailor to reduce waste and increase productivity. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7272282160/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7238/7272282160_9d86076b78.jpg" alt="Stephen owns a tailor shop right down the road from KCE, this is where KCE uniforms are sewn " width="405" height="304" /></a> The girls’ parents were more than enthused to participate in such a process, given they had never before been consulted on their kids uniforms before. This was also a special opportunity for the girls because it allowed them to participate in their design by collaborating with professionals to make it a reality. <a title="Nike Foundation Uniform Project" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7273238036/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7097/7273238036_fc4c72f966.jpg" alt="Girls having a great time drawing and piecing together their paper dolls" width="450" height="338" /></a> This exercise concluded that the girls want uniforms made of high quality fabric, bright in color, sharp in pattern and appropriate to fashion outside of school. Thanks to Nike Inc. & Foundation the girls will be given a chance to wear their dream uniforms that they participated in designing. Their new uniforms will surely be treasured and well taken care of. <a title="Nike Foundation Uniform Project" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7269200008/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7080/7269200008_3884068843.jpg" alt="The girls taped their paper dolls up on the chalkboard to compare their dream uniforms" width="450" height="338" /></a>     </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/self-defense-workshops-kick-camp-into-motion/" title="Permalink to Self-Defense Workshops Kick Camp into Motion" rel="bookmark">Self-Defense Workshops Kick Camp into Motion</a></h2> <time datetime="2012-05-13" pubdate>May 13, 2012 3:38 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/self-defense-workshops-kick-camp-into-motion/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> Back elbow to the throat, front kick to the groin, bottom palm to the chest! These are just few of the self defense moves our KCE camp participants learned in this year’s workshops. The Nairobi-based self-defense organization, <a href="http://iwdkenya.org/">I am Worth Defending</a> kicked off this year’s camp. “Screaming is a sign of fear, whereas yelling is a sign of courage and confidence,” workshop facilitator, Alfred Makabira, tells the thirty beaming faces. The I am Worth Defending workshop slogan is, “Your security is your responsibility.” One aspect of the workshop involved teaching the girls to shout, “I love my body. I will protect my body. I say NO to FGM!” Throughout the entire week the girls recited this message. The all-day workshop taught the girls how to be effective communicators by denouncing sexual harassment and unwanted attention as it occurs. They were taught to use their voices as tools of self-defense by yelling the specific violation in order to humiliate the attacker and notify those around the premises of their misconduct. This tactic demonstrated a shared responsibility for girls’ protection within the community. <a title="I am Worth Defending" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6986642244/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7262/6986642244_d7b9f74112.jpg" alt="The palm strike was the first physical self-defense move the girls were taught " width="450" height="253" /></a> The workshop ended with the facilitation of physical self-defense techniques aimed at primary targets on the human body. At first, most of the girls were too shy to try the moves. They covered their mouths and giggled with embarrassment, but by the end they were kicking, punching and exercising their ability to say, “No!” <a title="I am Worth Defending" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7131283103/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/7131283103_9aa7c3fa3b.jpg" alt="Volunteers practice the front kick to the groin, their peers watch in amazement" width="450" height="253" /></a> After we all worked up a sweat, the day concluded with a question and answer period where the girls (ages 9 to 16) could anonymously write about their own exposure to some of the issues discussed that day. The exercise created a safe space for the girls to ask questions about sexual and reproductive health, self-protection, and those queries that adolescence often forces us to ask. Although the workshop’s slogan specifically puts the responsibility of protection on the girls, it also fostered a spirit of self-worth, reinforcing the belief that “I am worth defending.” <a title="I am Worth Defending" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7132666531/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7114/7132666531_327c8cd6ec.jpg" alt="The knee kick to the groin is one technique the girls really mastered" width="253" height="450" /></a>   </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/i-love-my-body-i-say-no-to-fgm/" title="Permalink to “I Love My Body, I Say No to FGM!”" rel="bookmark">“I Love My Body, I Say No to FGM!”</a></h2> <time datetime="2012-05-10" pubdate>May 10, 2012 1:38 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/i-love-my-body-i-say-no-to-fgm/#comments">5 Comments</a> This is one of the slogans repeated by participants of the KCE Health and Leadership camp, a six-day seminar focused on girls’ empowerment, encouraging them to pursue their educational goals and to say no to the harmful traditional practices in their community. The Camp is hosted by the Kakenya’s Dream Organization and held at the Kakenya Center for Excellence school. Through a series of workshops and group activities, the camp aims to boost the girls’ self-esteem by teaching them to take ownership of their bodies and protect themselves from violence. Last year we invited sixty girls to take part in two camp session, one in April and another in December. This year, our goal was to double the number of participants in each session. As the Camp Coordinator, I invited twenty-six different schools within the Keyian Division to select two girls from grades 6 and 7 to attend. We ended up with 105 girls at our April camp from over 24 schools! <a title="April 2012 Health and Leadership Camp" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7132772945/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7094/7132772945_bcd0a9521f.jpg" alt="This year we doubled the amount of attendees, reaching out to as many girls as possible" width="450" height="253" /></a> Often Maasai girls are socialized to acknowledge the needs of others over their own, leading to an absence of self-prioritization. Being outspoken, particularly on issues of sexual violence or harassment, is not typically a part of a girl’s upbringing. Because of this, there is a critical need for these types of workshops in the region. In addition, it is through the workshops that many of the girls are taught about sexual and reproductive health for the first time, as it is traditionally a taboo subject the home. <a title="Health and Leadership Camp, April 2012" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7171674536/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7171674536_45bda213a9.jpg" alt="One volunteer from each Menstruation and Hygiene workshop was asked to perform a sanitary napkin demonstration " width="450" height="300" /></a> In a discussion with Mama Kakenya and her daughter, Naserian, I was told that when a girl in Keyian District experiences sexual abuse, the tradition is to bathe her in healing herbs while the perpetrator is punished through a communal beating and the confiscation of his largest cow. When I asked if the man is ostracized from the community after his public humiliation, I was told that the victim is the one who is humiliated. The humiliation experienced by the victim prevents exposure of the abuses. After the incident of sexual abuse, she is considered impure as an adult. Although there is a local court and police station (the closest is an hour away), these matters aren’t typically resolved through the legal structure. <a title="Health and Leadership Camp, April 2012" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7171534064/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7243/7171534064_49e7715810.jpg" alt="Beatrice Wanyonyi, a teacher at a neighboring primary school, facilitates the Communication and Life-Skills workshop" width="450" height="300" /></a> Throughout the camp the girls are taught how to love and protect their bodies from FGM, sexual violence, and the contraction of HIV and STDs. The camp is a unique opportunity for girls to learn about puberty, hygiene, substance abuse, self-awareness and women’s health. Most of the health topics covered in the workshops are still taboo for a majority of the communities in the Keyian Division. The issue of self-protection is clearly very important, given the lack of a legal structure that actively prosecutes perpetrators of violence and pegs the responsibility on the victims. The KCE’s Health and Leadership Camp is responding to these needs and is one of the first of its kind. Its unique approach pairs its message of self-protection with girls’ empowerment through education and leadership. View a <a href="http://www.flickr.com//photos/advocacy_project/sets/72157629668871906/show/">slideshow</a> of the questions anonymously asked by camp participants at the end of the six day workshops. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7239/7172091104_5834ed2fa1.jpg" alt="This is one of many questions anonymously asked and answered on the last day of camp" width="450" height="338" />                                                                       </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/volleyball-victory-kce-girls-win-the-district-championships/" title="Permalink to Volleyball Victory: KCE Girls’ Win the District Championships" rel="bookmark">Volleyball Victory: KCE Girls’ Win the District Championships</a></h2> <time datetime="2012-04-14" pubdate>April 14, 2012 12:28 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/volleyball-victory-kce-girls-win-the-district-championships/#comments">1 Comment</a> “Sports.” The word in and of itself stimulates a dozen smiles by the KCE girls’ volleyball team. Having won the District Championships for the West Transmara District, Keyian Division last month, the girls only had two more games to win to qualify for the County Championships. The KCE volleyball team has defeated dozens of teams in order to get to the District level. Just to give a little context, school sports teams begin their seasons playing in a zone, winners go to the sub-zone and then up to the division level and on to the district, county and finally the national. Thus, they were competing against the following divisions from separate districts: Pirar, Loligorian and Kilgoris. <a title="KCE District Championships" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7060205119/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5461/7060205119_94672031d6.jpg" alt="KCE girls' volleyball team is the first all girls' team to represent the Keyian Division at the District Championships" width="450" height="300" /></a> In Kenya, school sports work a bit differently than they do in the US. When a team wins a game, they recruit the best players from another school’s team, giving rise to a team made of star players from many different schools. This was actually not the case for KCE’s team. All of the girls representing the Keyian Division during the district championships were from KCE, which made their victory all the more exciting for their local community. <a title="KCE District Championships" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7060117629/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5236/7060117629_e395c0f1da.jpg" alt="KCE girls watch in amazement as their peers win the Championships " width="281" height="500" /></a> “Concentrate, concentrate,” Mr. Bett the athletics teacher says time and again during their championship play against the Loligorian Division. The importance of the game was worn on their faces, some quite stern, others nervous. While watching these girls practice under the direction of Mr. Bett, I had taken notice of their speed, agility and the seriousness in which they play. Though these girls are small in size compared to most of their opponents, they play strategically and with an energy and enthusiasm that has enabled them to win. The confidence that these girls emit is one that many KCE girls possess in a culture where girls’ sports competition is relatively new and therefore significantly lacking in resources. <a title="KCE Volleyball Practice" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6880175382/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7252/6880175382_7a825abeec.jpg" alt="Athletics teacher Mr. Bett coaching the girls after school" width="450" height="253" /></a> For example, the same day as the girl’s competition, the boys District Championships were taking place at the neighboring Secondary Boys High School. The boys’ team appeared very professional, they had thousands of attendees, sports commentators on microphones, numerous food stands, and the equivalent of box office seats for those highly respected of the audience members. <a title="KCE District Championships" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7060117639/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5271/7060117639_bbe07143f4.jpg" alt="Fans gathered around the volleyball court" width="450" height="253" /></a> The girls’ District Championships took place at Enoosaen Secondary High School. The game was delayed for sometime, few chairs were placed outside, and the audience was sparse. There were more whispers than cheering. <a title="KCE District Championships" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7060117633/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7235/7060117633_785062fbb6.jpg" alt="KCE volleyball team warming up before their big win" width="450" height="253" /></a> Though our audience was fewer in numbers than the boys, those that trickled in said they were there just to watch KCE play. I also didn’t hear any complaints about these differences from the team. Rather they were pleased to have received second place against the Kilgoris Division, eager to continue competing, determined to play their way to the top.       </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/a-visit-to-a-healing-ministry/" title="Permalink to A Visit to a Healing Ministry" rel="bookmark">A Visit to a Healing Ministry</a></h2> <time datetime="2012-04-08" pubdate>April 8, 2012 2:34 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/a-visit-to-a-healing-ministry/#comments">4 Comments</a> As the only foreigner for miles, it is often easy to feel like an outsider. It isn’t that I am devoid of attention, quite on the contrary, but upon my arrival making true connections has been more challenging than I had anticipated. After the first few weeks of constant stares but few hellos, I realized that it was up to me to make an effort to overcome the differences that weren’t going to change. Mama Kakenya and her sister Juliana Chengetich have been my outlets to the Massai culture and to a broader social circle that might have otherwise been impossible. It is through Mama Kakenya that I have learned how to plant maize, make ugali and establish friendships and working relationships within the community. She has introduced me to teachers, students and pastors. She also introduced me to a family friend Loice, who taught me how to milk cows. <a title="Loice roping the next cow to be milked" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7056048205/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7185/7056048205_4603d0501a.jpg" alt="On average Loice milks thirteen cows a day" width="450" height="253" /></a> Juliana has taught me several Kiswahili words while preparing meals, like mboga (vegetable), moto (fire) and maji (water). In an effort to spend the pastime as the locals do, I earnestly accepted when Juliana invited me to Outreach Ministry in Kisii for mass last Saturday. Although I don’t consider myself Christian, I was intrigued by Juliana’s stories of the two pastors who are notorious for their ability to heal the sick.<a title="Megan Milking" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7056013147/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5450/7056013147_7b11f68631.jpg" alt="Loice took a snapshot of me milking one evening after I taught her how to use my camera" width="450" height="300" /></a> One night while washing dishes with Juliana, she shared with me her personal story of healing at her Ministry. A few years ago Juliana was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Some of her friends had claimed that they were healed through the pastors at the Ministry. These stories inspired Juliana to attend mass despite the two hours walk from Enoosaen to seek a spiritual remedy. Juliana claims that it was after this mass that she had regained her strength and was no longer showing signs of her illness. In both a state of awe and disbelief of her story, I continued to listen intently as she told me other similar healing stories. She claimed that one woman had been cured of AIDS, while another woman’s disabled son had regained the ability to walk. While attempting to overcome my skepticism and the imminent potential danger in some of these beliefs, I was anxious to meet these women who had these alleged miracles bestowed upon them. <a title="Julianna_Rocky Walk to Kisii" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7026330717/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/7026330717_bd9c532c3a.jpg" alt="Juliana walks a two hour walk to Kisii every Saturday" width="405" height="228" /></a> That Saturday, we walked up steep, narrow, rocky paths and crossed small rivers. The land of Kisii is tropical and home to primarily tea, coffee and sugarcane plantations. Houses and crops are nestled together leaving just enough grass around each home for their cattle to graze. Upon arrival, I was welcomed with great warmth and many cups of tea by the community of Kisii and Massai peoples. Unlike the decadent stained glass windows and altar I was used to, the mass took place in a small dim mud hut with a few long benches. Pastor Reuben preached the words of God in Kiswahili and his brother Alphaeus translated them for me. An hour and a half later, after much singing and praise Pastor Reuben opened up the floor for people to be healed and blessed. One woman was to be baptized that same afternoon at the local river. <a title="Outreach Ministry baptism" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7056082699/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7178/7056082699_9fe6cd6d7d.jpg" alt="Outreach Ministry Preacher Alphaeus Okeyo baptizes Zippaa Mokeira" width="450" height="350" /></a> I was also invited to be blessed. A bit nervous and emotionally torn at the prospect, but determined to embrace the experience, I reluctantly walked up to the Pastor. He looked into my eyes, paused, and then cradled my head with his hands. <a title="Julianna O._Zippa Mokeira_.Alphaeus OkeyoJPG" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7026330703/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/7026330703_705231dac2.jpg" alt=" Juliana is excited for me to take a photo in celebration of Zippaa's baptism" width="400" height="225" /></a> He closed his eyes and in a deep reverberant voice he called out to Lord to bless me. Juliana and the other twelve adults and children in the room had their hands raised and their eyes closed, they all sent me their blessings and asked God to protect me. <a title="Pastor Reuben Momanti_Mliika Obonyo" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7026330705/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7219/7026330705_44d64629e4.jpg" alt="Pastor Reuben Momanti talks with member Mliika Obonyo whose crippled son is claimed to have regained the ability to walk" width="281" height="500" /></a> I felt a strong sense of gratitude at the feeling of acceptance, particularly by this fairly remote community that has had little to no exposure to foreigners. <a title="Outreach Ministry_Children" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7026330719/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7180/7026330719_f31069b9f8.jpg" alt="Outreach Ministry community " width="450" height="253" /></a> I do not consider myself a devout Catholic, Christian or an atheist, but growing up I was brought to church every Sunday. In all of those Sunday masses I had attended, I had never really felt the same spiritual connection to those around me as I had at this Ministry. I wondered if it was because of the context in which I was attending, the comfort I found in the familiarity of the church space, or perhaps the feeling of being invited into this communal ritual. Nonetheless, the exposure that the mass had highlighted for me was both the importance of Christianity in Massai and Kisii cultures as well as it being a safe space of togetherness and acceptance. I don’t think this will necessarily change my religious beliefs when getting home, but it certainly opened the door for more friendships and trust by the community.       </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/t-y-p-i-n-g-together-a-sentence-at-a-time/" title="Permalink to T-y-p-i-n-g Together One Sentence at a Time" rel="bookmark">T-y-p-i-n-g Together One Sentence at a Time</a></h2> <time datetime="2012-03-22" pubdate>March 22, 2012 11:41 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/t-y-p-i-n-g-together-a-sentence-at-a-time/#comments">214 Comments</a> “If you can hear me clap twice. A few students clap. “If you can hear me clap three times.” With most eyes and ears tuned in I ask class four, “Now class what is our computers first and last name (username and password), everyone this time?” “Administrator and admin!” Welcome to one of my computer classes at KCE. For the past two weeks I have been teaching all classes, four through seven. We have covered what computers are used for, its hardware components, how to log on, how to maneuver on the desktop using the mouse and we recently began a lesson on typing. <a title="Welcome to Computer Class" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6846092622/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6846092622_10f0b903fa.jpg" alt="First week of computer classes and three questions to introduce the days lesson" width="450" height="253" /></a> My class four has thirty-nine students, class five has twenty-eight, class six has thirty-two and class seven has twenty-two. There are sixteen HP PC computers, thanks to a donation in 2011 made by Hewlett Packard. Computer classes aren’t only a lesson on IT, but also on the nature of sharing. The girls must take turns using the mouse and keyboard. <a title="Girls Taking Turns" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6846092630/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/6846092630_55ff00be68.jpg" alt="Class seven girls taking turns typing" width="450" height="253" /></a> Typing was the most challenging yet most exciting activity so far. For each class I split the girls into groups and had them vote on who they wanted to write a letter to. Of course aunts, sisters and grandmothers were some of the people mentioned but each class wanted to really write to <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cnoia">Cleia Noia</a>, <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/2011/03/07/from-here-to-enoosaen/">Charlotte Bourdillon</a>, Antonia Piccone and <a href="http://kakenyasdream.org">Kakenya Ntaiya</a>. It was a pleasure to help these girls write to past AP Peace Fellows, both of which taught computer classes. <a title="Class 4 Girls" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6846092624/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6846092624_c69fa3591a.jpg" alt="Class four girls excited to write a letter" width="450" height="253" /></a> After some time the majority of the girls began to understand and recall how and when to use the spacebar and enter key. <a title="Nine to a Computer Station" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6846092628/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/6846092628_99139b27da.jpg" alt="Nine to a computer station can be tough but they manage by helping each other" width="450" height="253" /></a> I was impressed by how well the girls worked together. For instance, when in need of a question mark, a partner would demonstrate how to hold down the shift key. Indeed finding the correct letter on the keyboard was always a challenge. I have yet to introduce how to use both hands when typing, the index finger tends to do all of the work. Some of the things the girls wrote were very sweet and touching. Here is an example of a letter class seven wrote to Kakenya: “I hope you are fine and healthy.”- Nampayio Olosimba “We are fine and hard working.”- Jackline Kantai “We are doing well in our studies.”- Peyiai Kortom “Goodbye, may God be with you.”- Gladys Ntoror Once each group finished I read the letters out loud. The girls got a kick out of hearing how each of their individual sentences came together to form one uniform letter. That was a unique and rewarding part of the exercise that I believe they were not expecting. <a title="Class Seven Girls typing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7005916801/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7202/7005916801_1fb2a43897.jpg" alt="Class seven girls typing a letter in Microsoft Word" width="450" height="253" /></a> Recently a few girls from my computer class five stayed after dismissal to continue with the day’s lesson, typing a letter. If the opportunity for more one on one time is there it will most definitely be taken advantage of. <a title="Class Four Dismissed" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/7005520211/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6229/7005520211_a5b6608d7b.jpg" alt="Class four is dismissed and so are their chairs" width="450" height="253" /></a> There may be only one of me but there are many girls open to overcoming any challenge for their academic success.     </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/future-kce-pilots-dream-to-be-connected-to-the-rest-of-the-world/" title="Permalink to Future KCE Pilots Dream to be Connected to the Rest of the World" rel="bookmark">Future KCE Pilots Dream to be Connected to the Rest of the World</a></h2> <time datetime="2012-03-08" pubdate>March 8, 2012 7:41 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/future-kce-pilots-dream-to-be-connected-to-the-rest-of-the-world/#comments">3 Comments</a> The World Wide Web is a concept, not a source for communication in Enoosaen and its surrounding areas. There are three main ways that people communicate, they are face-to-face, radio, and cell phones. With the exception of a few businesses, most of the local population does not use the Internet, have not seen and do not own a computer. One of my tasks while here is to work towards turning this concept into a reality for KCE girls. I hope to get an Internet connection for the computer lab. This goal came to mind one recent afternoon when I experienced the normalcy of the digital divide. I sat my laptop on a top bunk bed in the girl’s lively dormitory with a Safaricom USB modem connected for network access. My predecessor <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/">Charlotte Bourdillon</a> in the fall of 2011 collaborated with 24 girls from class six to produce a series of quilt panels based on the theme, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Most Maasai girls are not given the opportunity to decide this for themselves. Maasai customs expect girls to undergo female genital cutting (FGC) and early-marriage as soon as they reach puberty. KCE education has given these girls a chance to claim their freedom and learn about their rights. I showed the girls pictures of last years finished quilt and the artists profiles posted on The Advocacy Project website. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6947014333_27be71cb18.jpg" alt="Girls listen intently as I being to share their photos" width="329" height="185" /> One by one we clicked on <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/page/maasaigirlsquilt">each quilt panel</a>. These girls were fascinated and completely plugged into the reality that they were on the Internet. I witnessed the empowerment of these girls as an effect of their connection to the world. I saw the dire need to help alleviate the ever-widening digital divide. <a title="KCE Class 6, 2011 Quilt" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6948523711/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" alignleft" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7064/6948523711_f9ba248917.jpg" alt="Class 6 Quilt, 2011" width="446" height="450" /></a> Many girls want to build schools for the disadvantaged, become doctors, build homes to help their families, buy a computer, but many interestingly want to become pilots. Proven by the finished quilt panels and by my simply asking, their reasons for this are as follows: To go to the United States, to travel, to live in another country and to do it quickly. <a title="Sheer Excitement" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6947014325/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7177/6947014325_5dba0517f2.jpg" alt="The girls are ecstatic about their online presence" width="405" height="228" /></a> If one thinks about it in terms of the digital divide, dreaming to become a pilot means quenching ones thirst for connection to the world and instantaneous entertainment. Metaphorically speaking, using the Internet is like flying. Our “wings” are the mouse and the “wind” is the network. It enables one to have access to anywhere and any information in the world at virtual speed. <a title="Big smiles" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6947014311/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6947014311_94c0d89c9a.jpg" alt="Big smiles all around" width="450" height="253" /></a> The joy and labor that went into the creation of this quilt along with many others created in partnership with The Advocacy Project, were exhibited at the “Women are the Fabric” show on March 8 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York city to celebrate Women’s International Day. This news was shared that same afternoon, but it unsurprisingly did not interest them as much as being on the Internet. No one seemed to know what the UN is or does. The city New York did not ring a bell either. I look forward to the day when the girls can surf the net to explore and discover the impact their quilt and school has had on the rest of the world. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/a-glimpse-of-nairobi-and-its-neighboring-slum-kibera/" title="Permalink to A Snapshot of Nairobi and the Second Largest Slum in Africa, Kibera" rel="bookmark">A Snapshot of Nairobi and the Second Largest Slum in Africa, Kibera</a></h2> <time datetime="2012-02-23" pubdate>February 23, 2012 4:20 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/a-glimpse-of-nairobi-and-its-neighboring-slum-kibera/#comments">2 Comments</a> Habari! (Hello, how are you? in Kiswahili). It has been two weeks since my arrival in Kenya. My first week was spent in Nairobi. I was very fortunate to have been hosted by Kakenya and her family. I became well acquainted with Kakenya and her two adorable sons, Nathan, 4 years old and Liam of 8 months. Right away my name changed to Auntie Megan. The city of Nairobi is bustling! There is no shortage of street vendors, shops, noise, air pollution, people and taxis. A matatu (bus) ride is like a rollercoaster ride. Squished like sardines everyone copes. Drivers tend to be ruthless and money collectors hang from a bar just inside of the entrance/exit of the matatu, coaxing people to load and unload. Their diligence is impressive. <div class="mceTemp" style="text-align: justify"> <dl> <dt><a title="Bustling Streets" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6776640736/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" " src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/6776640736_f1c9dbfc9f.jpg" alt="" width="405" height="228" /></a></dt> <dd></dd> </dl> </div> Road conditions are like one speed bump after another, a smooth ride without potholes is unlikely. One must be very cautious when crossing the street as proven by random matatu anti-reckless driving stickers. Literally no one follows traffic laws in Nairobi. Sidewalks and some roads are made of red earth. Sidewalk dust is consistently kicked up into the atmosphere, leaving cars, plants, animals and people colored in a red tint. I accompanied Kakenya to multiple meetings all over downtown Nairobi, that enabled me to experience the capital in a very unique way. We went to The Republic of Kenya Parliament, the Nairobi Club, and many more. Each meeting was very informative and fruitful, one of which made quite an impression on me. In need of guidance and mentorship to expand <a href="http://kakenyasdream.org">KCE’s</a> work and mission to empower girls through education, Kakenya and I met with Hillary Omala, Interim Executive Director of the NGO <a href="http://www.aidforafrica.org/member-charities/carolina-for-kibera/">Carolina for Kibera</a> (CFK). CFK is stationed in the heart of the second largest slum in Africa just outside of Nairobi. CFK was founded by a North Carolina University graduate. <a title="Kakenya and Hillary" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6776640744/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" alignnone" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6776640744_ed1bd6bb46.jpg" alt=" Kakenya and Mr. Omala chat outside of CFK headquarters" width="400" height="225" /></a> The city of Kibera is home to hundreds and thousands of people. CFK’s mission is to promote economic independence, social growth, ethnic and gender equality and health for youth in Kibera. <a title="Kibera Slum" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6922727719/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" " src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/6922727719_c08e3d7bd7.jpg" alt="A snapshot of life in Kibera" width="450" height="253" /></a> CFK accomplishes this through housing a girl’s center, a health clinic, a sports program that emphasizes leadership, empowerment and entrepreneurship as well a Trash for Cash program. Trash for Cash is a micro-credit program that teaches youth business and financial literacy by recycling waste into products for sale. <a title="Smoke in the Slum" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6922727715/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/6922727715_12831dc16c.jpg" alt="Burning trash is not an uncommon site in Kibera" width="405" height="228" /></a> Mr. Omala provided us with invaluable insight and a brief tour of CFK facilities and its neighboorhood. <div class="mceTemp" style="text-align: justify"> <dl> <dt><a title="Carolina for Kibera sign" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6922727721/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6922727721_c3cd44a765.jpg" alt="" width="360" height="203" /></a></dt> </dl> </div> This experience left me with a great sense that anything is possible if a vision is clear in the eyes of people whose hearts are invested in its growth.       </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/preparing-for-departure-2/" title="Permalink to Preparing for Departure" rel="bookmark">Preparing for Departure</a></h2> <time datetime="2012-01-26" pubdate>January 26, 2012 8:25 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/preparing-for-departure-2/#comments">64 Comments</a> With only a few days left to prepare for my departure to Kenya to work as a Peace Fellow for the <a href="http://kakenyasdream.org">Kakenya Center for Excellence</a>, I have come to the conclusion that no matter how many predecessors I speak with, my experience will be unique. The projects that I will begin and see through to the end will be fruitful in ways that I cannot even begin to understand until I am there. This vlog demonstrates my preparation for my departure. This trip will be my first time traveling abroad and to Africa! Enjoy and please join me on this wonderful journey to Kenya by following my blog. Critiques and comments much appreciated. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYOVjhYAGAU&feature=youtu.be">httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYOVjhYAGAU</a>   </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/election-day-plus-two-ripples-of-trouble/" title="Permalink to Election Day Plus Two: Ripples of Trouble" rel="bookmark">Election Day Plus Two: Ripples of Trouble</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-11-30" pubdate>November 30, 2011 3:13 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/election-day-plus-two-ripples-of-trouble/#comments">163 Comments</a> After yesterday’s somewhat guardedly optimistic blog about Congolese Election Day, it is becoming clearer that many Congolese people are unhappy about the voting process and the possible outcome, and many more are fearful of violent reactions from political groups. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/world/africa/congo-election-board-may-annul-tens-of-thousands-of-votes.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss">According to the NY Times</a>, the head of CENI is threatening to disqualify thousands of opposition votes, due to attacks on polling stations in areas mostly loyal to Etienne Tshisekedi and other opposition candidates. This, along with all the stories of voting fraud and violence filtering in from around the country, is sure to leave many Congolese feeling disenchanted with the entire process. In addition, many international observers have described the voting process as chaotic and “problematic”. A few independent organizations have<a href="http://radiookapi.net/actualite/2011/11/29/elections-du-28-novembre-les-observateurs-de-laeta-de-leurac-denoncent-de-nombreuses-irregularites/"> publicly denounced voting irregularities</a>. In even more interesting news, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15948152">the BBC is reporting that 4 opposition candidates</a>, including Vital Kamerhe, are declaring the entire election fraudulent and demanding an annulment of the results. These candidates are specifically accusing the CENI and Joseph Kabila of being <a href="http://radiookapi.net/actualite/2011/11/30/rdc-presidentielle-4-candidats-demandent-linvalidation-du-scrutin/">responsible for voting irregularities</a> (see the link for a list of the alleged irregularities). Again, potentially troubling, as further delays and further mistrust in the process may signal an increase in violent confrontations between opposition supporters and state security elements. Kabila’s constitutional mandate will end on December 6th. If there is no clear winner by then, or if the loser(s) reject the declared winner of the election, it may be the start of a new era of violence and unrest in the Congo. At this critical juncture, Congo still has the potential to spiral out of control. Will Congo descend into the post-election madness experienced by Cote d’Ivoire earlier this year? Right now, it seems entirely possible. Yesterday, I spoke with a Bujumbura-residing Uvirois who had went back to Uvira to vote over the weekend; he grimly showed me the ink-stain on his thumb with which he certified his ballot. He told me that Uvira was calm and violence-free on Election Day. However, he expressed strong dissatisfaction with the entire election process, based on the numerous accounts of fraud and violence from other regions. He also bemoaned the lack of international election observers in Uvira. While not a representative sample, the angry words and angry actions being expressed by many Congolese across the country are testament to a common spirit of discontent with the voting process for those who are hoping to unseat Kabila. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/election-day-plus-one/" title="Permalink to Election Day Plus One" rel="bookmark">Election Day Plus One</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-11-29" pubdate>November 29, 2011 7:36 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/election-day-plus-one/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> Well, it is Election Day Plus One in the Congo. Acting on the advice of the UNDSS and several others, I have left the Congo and will be finishing up things in Bujumbura, Burundi, before leaving Africa. I really wish I could have stayed in the DR Congo as an election observer, but for a simple humanitarian, it was the best decision to sit things out. Maybe I will be back for the next presidential election. Across the country, polling has been marred by violence and accusations of fraud, but fortunately I am hearing nothing out of Uvira so far. No news is good news. However, there are reports that large parts of Fizi Territory did not receive election materials as of yesterday, which makes sense, considering how large parts of Fizi are still zones of combat. In Lubumbashi, there are reports of <a href="http://www.lesoir.be/actualite/monde/2011-11-28/elections-en-rdc-une-dizaine-de-morts-a-lubumbashi-879914.php">up to a dozen or so people killed</a> when armed men opened fire on several polling stations. In Kinshasa, the Election Day mood was “tense”, as the governor decided to cancel all demonstrations on the last day of campaigning. This infuriated many UDPS supporters; there were several violent clashes between the police and Tshisekedi supporters. The EU condemned the cancellation as a violation of free speech and free assembly. The allegations of voting fraud have mostly been about the following: ballots where Joseph Kabila’s name has already been checked, ballot boxes being already half-full even before the polls opened, poll stations opening late or not opening at all, observers not being allowed to monitor polling stations and inspect ballot boxes, voters not finding their names on the registration lists, soldiers blocking access to polling stations or forcing people to vote their way, and tampering with ballot boxes after they had been collected. In some cases, accusations of fraud have lead to polling stations being attacked by angry mobs in North Kivu and the Kasai Provinces. The irregularities are occurring in many places across the whole of the country, according to one observer. According to the BBC (see below), voting has been extended in some areas, due to polling stations opening late and ballots not arriving. In one part of Kinshasa, the legislative ballots were a staggering 13 pages long; the amount of resources needed to put on this election at rather short notice has been overwhelming. In particular, there are concerns about how accessible rural polling stations have been in a country with so few roads. Checking the latest headlines, both the CENI (Congolese electoral commission) and <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-11/29/c_131275360.htm">UN envoy Roger Meece</a> are so far satisfied with the way elections are going. Whether this is the opinion of the man (or woman) on the street, however, is another matter. Nonetheless, I think everyone knew going into Election Day that things would be rough, and fortunately so far it has not been as bad as it could have been, considering historical precedence. However, we all know that Congo (or any country, for that matter) deserves better. To keep up-to-date on what exactly is going on in these perilous days for the Congo, I would advise you to visit the following websites: <a href="http://radiookapi.net/">Radio Okapi</a> Probably the best news source on anything in the Congo. Check out the nifty, interactive election map, which gives population data, number of candidates, etc., on each province. <a href="http://congosiasa.blogspot.com/">Congo Siasa</a> Jason Stearns is in Bukavu right now as an election observer, and he has lots of interesting updates from around the country. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15932083">BBC News: DR Congo voting extended in some areas</a> The latest BBC news on what’s going on with elections. Make sure to check out the cool series of maps at the bottom. <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cwalker/">Charlie Walker</a> Ms. Walker has just written blog entry on a series of tragic incidents that happened in Uvira just before we left, and what some of the women of Uvira have done to respond. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/sud-kivu-election-diary-iv-joseph-kabila-comes-to-town/" title="Permalink to Sud Kivu Election Diary IV: Joseph Kabila comes to town" rel="bookmark">Sud Kivu Election Diary IV: Joseph Kabila comes to town</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-11-08" pubdate>November 8, 2011 5:49 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/sud-kivu-election-diary-iv-joseph-kabila-comes-to-town/#comments">2 Comments</a> Yesterday, Joseph Kabila Kabange arrived in Uvira on a presidential campaign stop. I was able to see the Chef de l’Etat Congolais twice: yesterday when he arrived in Uvira and today when he gave a speech to a large crowd next to the Cathedral. Yesterday morning, I knew something was up when I saw large groups of soldiers wearing red berets and sporting a lot more equipment than the normal, ragged FARDC soldier that we are used to seeing in this part of Sud Kivu. It turned out that these were members of the Presidential Guard. I later went to the Rond-Point, the entrance to Uvira proper, and encountered a large crowd sporting blue and yellow, the colors of Kabila’s campaign. I conducted interviews for the better part of the afternoon next to the Rond-Point, watching as the crowd grew larger and larger. Police and soldiers ran up and down the road, trying to keep the path clear. People were holding signs, waving flags, and hoisting photos of Kabila above their heads. A brass-and-drum ensemble was loudly farting out bouncy tunes, keeping the crowd’s spirits high. At one point, when I was trying to cross the road, I was stopped and questioned by a surly member of the Presidential Guard. “I’ve seen you wandering around here, Mzungu. What are you doing here?” he demanded. “I am here to see the Chef de l’Etat,” I said, with an obsequious smile. “No, what do you DO here in Uvira?” he reiterated, the scowl on his face growing deeper. “I am a humanitarian,” I said, trying to keep the mood as light as possible, but probably only succeeding in looking like a mzungu airhead. The surly soldier let me go, but warned me not to take any pictures. I was a bit impressed with his equipment; he was the first Congolese soldier I had seen with an assault rifle, several banana clips in his webbing, and, to top it off, a sidearm. In addition, he looked like someone who drank lots of beer while pumping lots of iron. As the first vehicles of the presidential convoy started arriving, I took up a post on a hill, so I was afforded a broad view of the road. Standing next to the road were several provincial deputies, the Territorial Administrator (in a blindingly white suit with a gaudy Congolese flag sash), and the mwami of Uvira (wearing a golden crown). All of a sudden, a group of police trucks came screeching past with red-and-blue lights blazing, and before I knew it, President Kabila and his wife, Mme Olive Lembe Kabila, were walking right in front of me. The president stopped briefly to shake hands with each notable person standing by the side of the road, pausing every few minutes to do a double-handed wave to the crowd. Mme Kabila was putting more of an effort to excite the crowd, jumping up and down and flashing a broad smile as she waved. The intimidating Presidential Guard, their assault rifles at the ready, closely followed the president and scanned the crowd. President Kabila was a little shorter than I thought he would be, and also a little skinnier than the brawny figure one sees in most presidential portraits. As soon as it happened, it was over. The president walked past my view, and presumably got back into one of his SUVs after passing the crowd at the Rond-Point. The crowd at this event was obviously very excited, but it was also clear that most of them were ardent Kabila supporters that were brought to the Rond-Point to give the president a warm welcome. The next day, my roommates and I received news that President Kabila was going to be giving a campaign speech. Earlier that morning, the presidential helicopter (the Congolese equivalent of Marine 1) was observed flying in tight evasive combat circles very close to our house. We had heard that Kabila’s was speaking at the Cathedral, so we decided to go up and see what the Chef de l’Etat had to say. We arrived at a large, open space between the Cathedral and the accompanying Catholic school, where normally a group of schoolchildren would be playing soccer on an ordinary afternoon. There was about a crowd of 2,000 present, and on the small incline next to the Cathedral an impromptu stage had been set up. There were definitely a lot of Kabila campaign banners/flags present in the crowd, but they were somewhat diluted by the vast numbers of people present. Unlike the crowd at the Rond-Point the day before, most people were not wearing Kabila campaign paraphernalia. As we arrived, the microphone was handed to Joseph Kabila, and he began speaking to the crowd in clipped, but warm, Kiswahili. He spoke of how he carried Uvira and the rest of Sud Kivu in the 2006 election, and he asked the crowd to vote him in again. Most of his speech centered on the Cinq Chantiers, and the efforts he had made to realize them. Of course, for most Uvirois, the Cinq Chantiers are a complete joke, a promise that has never been fulfilled, and most Uvirois who plan to vote with the opposition cite the Cinq Chantiers as the reason why they won’t vote for Kabila again. However, Kabila made some serious overtures, promising to pave the road from Bukavu to Uvira and all the way down to Baraka. He promised to build more schools; indeed, about a month ago, Mme Kabila had visited Uvira to inaugurate a new primary school in Kasenga. Kabila pointed out the Congolese state’s investment in the old Belgian sugar factory in Kiliba, which is about to start operating again after many years of disuse and disrepair. At the end of each long paragraph of oratory, Kabila would pause and large speakers would blare out his earworm-of-a-campaign song: VOTEZ VOTEZ VOTEZ, KAAAABIIIIILAAAAAA. After about 10 minutes, Kabila apologized for his short visit to Uvira and bid farewell to the crowd. Two things to note about the event: 1) The reception of the much-larger crowd at the Cathedral was lukewarm, at best. Sure, there were plenty of Kabila supporters near the front, but the level of cheering and applause could hardly beat out what I normally hear from local soccer matches. The crowd of mostly young men with which I was standing was making cynical and sarcastic comments during the speech, especially when Kabila spoke of all the improvements he claimed he would continue bringing to Uvira. When Kabila was saying his goodbyes, a young man near me exclaimed “anamaliza?! (He’s finished already?!)”. However, I was struck by the overall calm nature of the crowd; even those who were openly unhappy with Kabila were not “acting out”, interesting news when election-related violence is rising in Kinshasa and Katanga Province. 2) Kabila’s tone seemed almost pleading. Kabila’s reputation has suffered quite a bit in Sud Kivu, and it appeared that he was doing his best to win over the crowd for their vote. Despite the fact that security is still bad and the Cinq Chantiers are a distant fantasy, Kabila sought to assure the crowd that he would continue trying to accomplish his goals. Overall, he came off as someone who was desperately trying to ingratiate himself with a population where his support is slipping. This is quite a contrast to, say, his father, who was prone to take ironfisted positions when faced with declining support. Again, while Kabila is obviously engaging in some dirty tactics in order to stymie his opposition, he also seems to be campaigning like a man who just might lose. For further information, check out the amazing <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/page/cwalker">Charlie Walker</a>‘s <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cwalker/2011/11/08/kabila-comes-to-uvira-votez-votez-votez-ka-bi-la/">thrilling account of Kabila’s visit</a>. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/sud-kivu-election-diary-iii-young-democracy/" title="Permalink to Sud Kivu Election Diary III: Young Democracy" rel="bookmark">Sud Kivu Election Diary III: Young Democracy</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-11-03" pubdate>November 3, 2011 2:56 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/sud-kivu-election-diary-iii-young-democracy/#comments">2 Comments</a> In 2006, the Democratic Republic of Congo held its first multiparty elections in 46 years. At the time, the Congo was emerging from many years of war, involving all of its neighbors and other African nations. There was a fragile peace, or, in the case of the Kivus, none at all. The 2006 election was largely financed by international donors, who accounted for 90% of the financial burden. In addition, MONUC, UNDP, and other international agencies provided much-needed oversight and guidance. After all, this was a country that had just been recently reunited through a weak peace agreement, and many of the major players still had armed groups at their disposal. Now, the situation is quite different, as Joseph Kabila and the rest of the government represent a much stronger, democratically-elected Democratic Republic of Congo. Things may still be bad, but they are still better from the cauldron of chaos of the late 90s/early 2000s. However, there are still signs of trouble. One particularly eyebrow-raising development of 2011 election process has been the recent changes to the Congolese constitution, which, among other things, has altered the presidential election system from a 2-round, majority-wins election to a 1-round, plurality-wins election. When the Congolese National Assembly and Senate passed these controversial amendments, there were immediately allegations of bribery against President Kabila. A 1-round plurality-wins election would make things easier for Kabila to divide the opposition and win with a much smaller percentage of the national vote. In addition, it appeared suspicious that these amendments were passed so quickly through the Congolese legislature, given its reputation as a body that usually works grindingly slow. While there is nothing inherently wrong with a single-round election (or with the changes to the constitution, if indeed there was no bribery), the problem is that it appears to have occurred only to the benefit of Kabila. The sole argument, it seems, for the public benefit of these electoral changes is that it will save money for the Congolese state, which is now carrying 60% of the cost of the election. A <a href="http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/africa/central-africa/dr-congo/175-congo-the-electoral-dilemma.aspx">report</a> by the International Crisis Group (ICG) released back in May gives a rather pessimistic image of the 2011 elections: opposition supporters and journalists are being harassed and beaten during demonstrations, there is a considerable lack of much-needed international involvement, the CENI (the national electoral commission) is politically biased, there is not enough election security, and the proposed November 28th election date is too soon to organize a free-and-fair election. However, if the date of the election is pushed back, there is sure to be controversy, as Kabila’s term expires on December 7th by constitutional mandate. There are already rumors that members of the opposition (notably Etienne Tshisekedi) are planning on demanding a power-sharing agreement if there is no clear winner by the date on which Kabila’s term ends. So, what is going on here in Uvira? All over town, posters are plastered onto walls and kiosks, and men on foot or bicycles are advertising for various candidates via megaphone. Things are calm so far. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/sud-kivu-election-diary-ii-in-the-other-corner/" title="Permalink to Sud Kivu Election Diary II: In the other corner…" rel="bookmark">Sud Kivu Election Diary II: In the other corner…</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-10-31" pubdate>October 31, 2011 4:47 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/sud-kivu-election-diary-ii-in-the-other-corner/#comments">2 Comments</a> So, who will be running against Joseph Kabila in the presidential election? There are so far 11 registered candidates, several of whom represent strong competition for Kabila in the election. I have chosen to highlight three particular Congolese political figures, of which 2 are registered as presidential candidates. There are many, many more notable Congolese opposition leaders, but I am limiting myself just to demonstrate the fragmented nature of the opposition, as well as for the sake of brevity. Etienne Tshisekedi, nicknamed the “Sphinx of Limete”, is an old and experienced player in the Congolese political arena, having cut his teeth as one of Mobutu’s foes. Tshisekedi’s party is the UDPS. Among the opposition, Tshisekedi is noteworthy for his adamant position that he is the only opposition candidate who can face Kabila. While other opposition candidates have called for inter-party negotiations in order to rally support around a single candidate, Tshisekedi has made it clear that he will compromise with no one. He has persistently called on other opposition leaders to fall behind him and support his candidacy, going so far as to visit Jean-Pierre Bemba in prison in the Hague to try and gain his (and hopefully the MLC’s) approval. So far, Tshisekedi has garnered a large coalition of politicians to support him, although this has been tempered by the fact that no one in his coalition is relevant or influential. Here in Sud Kivu, many view Tshisekedi as “too old” (he is 79) and not representing the interests of the East (he is from Kasai Province, and his base is largely in the West). So far, there has been quite a bit of friction between UDPS supporters and the PPRD/Congolese state, punctuated by violent confrontations in Kinshasa on September 5-6 between UDPS supporters and PPRD supporters/state security forces. Vital Kamerhe is an MP from Bukavu, and a former Speaker in the National Assembly. His party is the UNC. In 2009, Kamerhe was forced from his Speaker position due to his criticism of Kabila’s decision to conduct joint military operations with the Rwandan army in the Kivus. He remains critical of Kabila’s government, although some see Kamerhe as merely an overambitious politician who challenges Kabila purely for his own political gain. Kamerhe, as a native of Sud Kivu, retains a certain level of popularity here, though he still lacks enough political influence outside of the East. Kamerhe has built some crucial alliances with other Congolese political parties, notably with fellow presidential candidate and President of the Senate Leon Kengo wa Dongo, although there are still major leadership issues within these alliances. In 2006, Joseph Kabila faced Jean-Pierre Bemba in the 2nd round of the presidential election. Bemba is the leader of the MLC, a rebel movement during the 2nd Congo War that morphed into a national political party once peace was declared in 2003. Bemba is almost universally despised here in the East due to his alliances with the Ugandan military and the horrendous human rights abuses committed by MLC troops in the East, including allegations of cannibalism. Today, Bemba is in prison in the Hague pending trial for war crimes at the ICC. Nonetheless, he is still considered the exiled “leader” of the MLC. The MLC has not fielded a presidential candidate for the 2011 election, despite the fact that Bemba made statements that he would run for president from his jail cell in the Netherlands. Bemba’s continuing (though declining) relevance and his persistence are good examples of the strange and surreal nature of Congolese politics. Overall, the picture that one finds of the opposition is of a squabbling and unorganized group, divided by ethnicity, region, and individual ambition. As the presidential election will be a 1-round, plurality-wins affair this time, it is crucial that the opposition can unite around a common leader if they realistically want a chance to beat Kabila. A major point of compromise will be the promise of positions in the new government depending on support of a common candidate, as well as input in the policy-making process. However, so far there are few signs of unity, despite the fact that the election date is getting closer and closer. There are also concerns that Kabila is using “dummy candidates” to take away votes from opposition candidates, although it is also common for opposition leaders to accuse each other of being “dummy candidates” that have been “bought off” by Kabila. Some in the opposition, like Tshisekedi, have unequivocally stated that whoever the opposition is, Kabila will lose. On the other hand, Kabila has stated that he is supremely confident of victory in November. So, no one is really willing to give up, and, although the cards are stacked in Kabila’s favor, anything is possible come November 28th. How are sentiments on the ground here in Uvira? A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a group of young Uvirois at a popcorn stand, and the conversation drifted into politics. “We have had enough with Kabila, there are no jobs and no security,” said the young Congolese. I asked them whom they were voting for. “Vital Kamerhe,” they responded unanimously. I asked them why they thought things would be different if Kamerhe was elected. “We don’t know if things will be better, but Kabila had his chance, it’s time to give someone else a chance, and Tshisekedi is too old.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement. Again, this is only the 3rd multiparty presidential election in the Congo’s history. How is this time different from 2006? There are a few notable changes to the political situation, as well as some changes to the election system itself. In my next blog entry, we will take a look at some crucial aspects of the 2011 election process, including changes to the constitution and the decrease of international involvement. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/sud-kivu-election-diary-part-i/" title="Permalink to Sud Kivu Election Diary: Part I" rel="bookmark">Sud Kivu Election Diary: Part I</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-10-28" pubdate>October 28, 2011 7:28 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/sud-kivu-election-diary-part-i/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> In less than a month, national elections are scheduled for the Congo. Yesterday, official campaigning began all across the DRC. Here in Sud Kivu, we are all holding our breath a little bit. This will only be the third national multiparty election in the history of the Congo. So far, many observers see this election as a referendum on incumbent President Joseph Kabila, who took over as interim president when his father was assassinated in 2001 and won Congo’s first real national election in 2006. Kabila’s political party is the PPRD. In 2006, Kabila easily carried Sud Kivu Province, as he was considered a “native son” (as opposed to “people-eating” Jean-Pierre Bemba) who reunited the country and ended the Rwandan occupation. However, since then, Kabila’s reputation in Sud Kivu has suffered for a number of reasons: 1) Many “autochtone” Congolese (Babembe, Bafulero, Bashi) are angry that Kabila “shook hands with the devil” when he improved relations with Paul Kagame in Rwanda. During Operations Kimya II and Amani Leo in 2010-2011, the boots of Rwandan soldiers were once again on Congolese soil to assist the largely unmotivated and ineffective FARDC in pursuing the FDLR. The population of Sud Kivu, who will not easily forget how badly they suffered under brutal Rwandan occupation, are not ready to forgive Kabila for this compromise. Even after official Rwandan presence has all but disappeared from Sud Kivu, many “autochtone” still feel that the Rwandophone ethnic minorities hold too much power in the regional governments and in the armed forces. It doesn’t help that many high-ranking PPRD members in Sud Kivu used to belong to the rather unpopular RCD regime of the late 90s/early 2000s. 2) The lack of development in Sud Kivu (as well as in the rest of the Congo) is still astoundingly awful for a country so rich in mineral resources. Early in his regime, Kabila promised great developments in the “Cinq Chantiers”, a series of improvements to five aspects of the Congo (schools, roads, etc). However, in Sud Kivu, unemployment rates are still high, the roads are awful, and the education system is in a dismal state. Having promised great things, many Congolese people now see Kabila responsible for the failure of development in the Congo. 3) Security remains very bad in Sud Kivu. The FDLR has been pushed back further into the jungle in the past few years, but the local populations have suffered under the hands of FARDC troops. Furthermore, there has been no real resolution to the war and insecurity, despite the fact that many armed groups have been induced to join the FARDC through promises of cash and impunity. Many people in Sud Kivu dissatisfied by Kabila believe that he should try harder at making a deal with the FDLR, instead of continuing what they believe is a “Rwandan” war. Thus, many hold Kabila responsible for the lawless, violent, and undisciplined behavior of state-endorsed troops, as well as the lack of resolution to the “fires in the East”. The discontent with Kabila’s regime explains why groups such as Mai Mai Yakutumba maintain a certain level of popularity in Sud Kivu, particularly among the Babembe elite in Fizi Territory, who resent Rwandophone ethnic minorities and feel disenchanted by their perceived lack of political power at the national/regional level. Kabila’s growing unpopularity in the East has also fueled a number of myths about his intentions and his origins. It is easy to find Congolese people in Sud Kivu who will tell you that Kabila is (my goodness) a “Tutsi spy”, a puppet installed and kept in power by the Rwandan government. There are many circulating stories about Kabila’s mother being a “Rwandan Tutsi”, which, despite their apocryphal nature, may actually be possible, given what we know about the women who orbited around Laurent-Desire Kabila. Of course, does it really matter where Petit Joseph’s mother came from? No. This kind of xenophobic name-calling, unfortunately, is rather counterproductive and does nothing to improve the image of Sud Kivutians as racist Génocidaires 2.0. I have explained why Kabila is a rather unpopular choice here in Sud Kivu. However, there is still the possibility that he will carry Sud Kivu in the election, given the dismal state of the political opposition. In my next blog entry, I will write about those who will be running for president against Major General Joseph Kabila Kabange. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/weekend-update-sud-kivu-edition/" title="Permalink to Weekend Update, Sud Kivu Edition" rel="bookmark">Weekend Update, Sud Kivu Edition</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-10-28" pubdate> 7:16 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/weekend-update-sud-kivu-edition/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> More news from Uvira/Fizi: On 10/24, Mai Mai rebels attacked a FARDC position in the village of Kabumbe, next to the village of Mukwesi. In the attack, 4 civilians were killed and 3 injured, and the FARDC suffered 2 dead and 2 injured. Kabumbe/Mukwesi is about 2 hours south of Uvira, close to the town of Mboko. The attackers allegedly belonged to Mai Mai Pascal, an armed group loyal to Pascal Bwasakala, a former protégé of Yakutumba. The day after the Mai Mai attack, FARDC troops arrived to reinforce the position. However, the attack prompted massive IDP movements away from Kabumbe/Mukwesi, leaving the villages virtually empty of inhabitants. OCHA is cautioning all humanitarian workers passing through the Swima-Mboko area to only travel in vehicle convoys. Furthermore, OCHA warns that if the situation persists or deteriorates, agencies will be forced to travel with a PAKBATT escort. There are continuing inter-ethnic tensions in Tulambo and Maranda, two villages in the Massif d’Itombwe, a large forest in the Haut Plateau of Fizi. Just since 10/21, clashes between the Bembe and Banyamulenge communities have left 4 wounded and 3 dead. This next week, MONUSCO and several local NGOs are poised to launch a Joint Assessment Mission to the area. On 10/21, the population of Kahanda, a village in Uvira Territory close to the town of Lemera, fled due to the arrival of Mai Mai Bede, a small band of armed men loyal to ex-FARDC commander Col. Bede Safari. Col. Bede defected from the FARDC in 2010, and his troops only number in the dozens. However, his arrival still precipitated a panicked IDP movement of around 64 households. FARDC troops stationed nearby went to Kahanda to hunt down the Mai Mai Bede, but the rebels were warned in advance and fled before the FARDC arrived. In addition, there are further reports of violence and insecurity occurring just this week: 2 nurses killed in Buhonde by unidentified armed men, 3 civilians kidnapped in Kalungwe, and a traditional chief shot in the night in Kitundu. This is all just human-on-human violence; this past week rainy season floods have also destroyed part of the town of Sange, on the Rusizi Plain in Uvira Territory. The damage includes the destruction of 500 houses, 3 schools, 1 bridge, and several fields. The casualty toll from the flooding currently sits 5 dead and 2 severely injured. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wars-and-rumors-of-wars/" title="Permalink to Wars and Rumors of Wars" rel="bookmark">Wars and Rumors of Wars</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-10-24" pubdate>October 24, 2011 3:58 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wars-and-rumors-of-wars/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> So, what is the situation in Uvira/Fizi these days?   There are wars and rumors of wars.  With the elections approaching, the activity of armed groups, most notably Mai Mai Yakutumba in the Ubwari Peninsula, has reached its highest level yet in 2011. Vacillating internal displacement has created a host of humanitarian concerns in/around the Ubwari Peninsula, where the most concentrated fighting has occurred between FARDC forces and the allied Mai Mai Yakutumba/FNL/FDLR rebels.  As rumors of combat sweep through the villages and towns of the Ubwari, civilians will flee before fighting turns up in their locality.  Alternately, IDPs will return home immediately if fighting has ceased or has not occurred in their area.  However, this has created a yo-yo effect, with civilians fleeing and returning home multiple times over the last several months.  In some cases, returning IDPs are crossing paths with fleeing IDPs from their home areas.  An additional concern is that there is not enough of a humanitarian presence in/around the Ubwari to monitor the situation and respond to humanitarian concerns resulting from the back-and-forth IDP movements. In one of their most recent monitoring reports, Arche d’Alliance reported that between 8/24 and 9/22, approximately 2,375 persons fled to Baraka alone; these IDPs arrived from the Ubwari, as well as from towns such as Kazimia and Sebele. Since August, battles between FARDC and allied Mai Mai/FNL/FDLR forces have been reported in the following locations: Nemba, Talama, Yungu, Kikonde, Katenga, Sebele, and Karamba. Due to the large numbers of IDPs fleeing the Ubwari, MONUSCO deployed Egyptian troops to Sebele to set up a TOB (Temporary Operations Base).  However, on October 19th, MONUSCO recalled the Egyptians, despite the request of the humanitarian community in Fizi Territory to extend the TOB.  According to OCHA sources, civilians in Sebele are now afraid of reprisal due to the lack of a MONUSCO troops presence. On October 9th, gunshots were heard in the proximity of Baraka, sending the population into a panic.  For a while, reports were that Mai Mai Yakutumba were fighting the FARDC in the streets of Baraka, and therefore poised to take the most important town in all of Fizi.  However, it was soon revealed that the rumors were false.  Nonetheless, commerce through Baraka remains difficult because of Yakutumba’s presence on Lake Tanganyika, and prices of basic goods are reported to be soaring. OCHA sources in Baraka report that since the increase in combat (and increase in FARDC fighting forces in their area), there has been a rise in human rights abuses committed by troops against civilians.  Monitors have cited multiple incidents of arbitrary arrests, extortion, and general harassment.  One must remember that there is quite a bit of mutual distrust and suspicion between the FARDC troops, many of which are not from Fizi, and the local population. An interesting effect of the rising (and continuing) violence and warfare is that Congolese refugee repatriations are all but nonexistent in this area.  Since the days of the Congo Wars, people from Uvira/Fizi have fled to neighboring countries, in particular Burundi and Tanzania.  Despite the fact that President Joseph Kabila has claimed that the “fire in the East is only embers”, the news of continuing unrest has reached the ears of refugees, and they are not ready to come back to a region where lives and livelihoods are still at risk.  Another sad aspect of the entire affair is that the Tanzanian government is starting to use coercive methods to “encourage” Congolese refugees in their country to repatriate. In general, the recent increase in the activity of certain non-state armed groups is very disheartening.  Many of these armed groups, including so-called “local defense leagues”, continue to commit acts of sexual violence and paralyze the economy through extortion and larceny.  Their behavior mirrors the <a title="well-documented human rights abuses of the FARDC" href="http://www.hrw.org/reports/2009/07/16/soldiers-who-rape-commanders-who-condone-0" target="_blank">well-documented human rights abuses of the FARDC</a>, many of whom were formerly members of rebel groups themselves.  There is nothing that “new” about these groups; the non-state armed groups, such as the various “Mai Mai” movements, have existed for over 10 years in eastern Congo.  However, possibly the most disturbing aspect about the actions of these non-state armed groups is the excuse that their violent behavior is but a means of political expression, communicating through robbery and rape their dissatisfaction with the Congolese government.  No roads?  No hospitals?  No jobs?  Rape women!  That will get Kabila’s attention! The current pre-election conditions in Uvira/Fizi are indicative of a number of Congolese problems: the lack of faith in elections and the political system, the continuing impunity of armed groups, the lack of effective security resources, the staggering injustices resulting from deep-seated gender inequality, and the use of violence as a means of political expression. As the election date grows closer, we hold our breath.  There is not much hope that the outcome of the election will necessarily signal a change for improvements in the Congolese political system, no matter who gets elected, but one wishes that the “Fire in the East” would be extinguished instead of downplayed and ignored. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/king-leopolds-ghost/" title="Permalink to King Leopold’s ghost" rel="bookmark">King Leopold’s ghost</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-10-19" pubdate>October 19, 2011 3:23 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/king-leopolds-ghost/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> ‘Listen to the yell of Leopold’s ghost Burning in Hell for his hand-maimed host. Hear how the demons chuckle and yell Cutting his hands off, down in Hell’ -Vachel Lindsay </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/attack-on-ngo-vehicle-in-fizi-territory/" title="Permalink to Attack on NGO vehicle in Fizi Territory" rel="bookmark">Attack on NGO vehicle in Fizi Territory</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-10-08" pubdate>October 8, 2011 3:05 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/attack-on-ngo-vehicle-in-fizi-territory/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> <div id="attachment_481" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 300px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/10/08/attack-on-ngo-vehicle-in-fizi-territory/dsc04869/" rel="attachment wp-att-481"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-481" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/10/DSC04869-300x225.jpg" alt="Vehicle rented by SOS FED that is similar to the Eben-Ezer vehicle that was attacked" width="300" height="225" /></a>Vehicle rented by SOS FED that is similar to the Eben-Ezer vehicle that was attacked</div> On Tuesday, October 5th, I awoke to the sounds of wailing coming from outside my house. I stepped outside to investigate, and was greeted by a crowd of people loudly mourning outside of the office of Eben-Ezer Ministry, right across the street from my residence. There had been an ambush the night before, and the director of Eben-Ezer, along with several of his staff, had been killed. Eben-Ezer Ministry is a local faith-based NGO that works primarily in education in Fizi and Uvira Territories. I have been introduced to several of the members of Eben-Ezer, and would see them across the street and wave to them on a daily basis. On <a href="http://radiookapi.net/actualite/2011/10/05/sud-kivu-7-personnes-tuees-dans-une-embuscade-des-hommes-armes-fizi/">October 4th</a>, around 17h, a vehicle belonging to Eben-Ezer Ministry, containing 14 passengers, was ambushed by <a href="http://congosiasa.blogspot.com/2011/08/guest-blog-profile-of-mai-mai-yakutumba.html">Mai Mai Yakutumba</a>. The attack occurred in a remote area known as Echibe, about 18 km from Baraka on the road to Fizi Centre. In the attack, the Mai Mai allegedly fired an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPG-7">RPG 7 rocket-propelled grenade</a> at the vehicle. 7 people were killed, 5 of them workers for Eben-Ezer. According to the Territorial Administrator of Fizi, 3 others were wounded by gunfire and 4 women were kidnapped by the assailants. The survivors of the attack have alleged that among the perpetrators were members of the FNL (a Burundian rebel group exiled in the Congo) and the FDLR (a Rwandan Hutu nationalist group). The Territorial Administrator also asserted that the FARDC was able to chase down and kill two of the perpetrators responsible for the massacre. On the same evening, just before the Eben-Ezer ambush, a motorcycle taxi carrying a policeman and a FARDC soldier was attacked nearby. All three persons were killed. It is believed that the same armed men who attacked the Eben-Ezer vehicle were also responsible for this incident. The UN has <a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39959&Cr=Democratic&Cr1=Congo">released a statement</a> condemning the attacks and calling for the Congolese government to do more to protect humanitarians. During the subsequent days after the attacks, I could hear quite a few UN helicopters going back-and-forth between Uvira and Fizi. According to the UN press release, there have been approximately 140 reported security incidents involving humanitarian workers in Nord Kivu and Sud Kivu since the beginning of 2011. The local FARDC commander, Col. Delphin Kahimbi, condemned the Mai Mai for <a href="http://radiookapi.net/actualite/2011/10/07/attaque-de-long-eben-ezer-les-mai-mai-yakutumba-se-trompent-de-cibles-selon-le-colonel-kahimbi/">“missing their targets”</a> in attacking civilians. Col. Kahimbi said that the Mai Mai had the time to verify the object of their “ambush” as being a group of civilians, and therefore have no excuse. While Col. Kahimbi’s words ring true, his statement is somewhat ironic considering the conduct of the FARDC during Kimiya II and Amani Leo and their own disregard for the rules of engagement. One stark reality is that there is very little security for anyone traveling in Fizi Territory, especially considering that the MONUSCO troop presence is weak and the FARDC troop presence can be quite ineffective. Every day, humanitarians, along with the ordinary citizens of Fizi, must risk their lives in order to carry out their work. This latest incident, though sadly preventable, was probably inevitable, considering the lack of security and the increasing level of combat between armed groups in Fizi Territory. One wonders if the Congolese government and MONUSCO will start to take things a bit more seriously in terms of taking preventative action, instead of arriving at the scene too late to prevent murder, torture, and rape. Another sinister dimension to the entire sad affair: there are quite a few people that believe that the Eben-Ezer vehicle was targeted by the Mai Mai because it belonged to a “Banyamulenge” NGO. In 2011, Mai Mai Yakutumba leadership has released several statements demanding the removal of “Rwandan” (i.e. Rwandophone) troops from South Kivu; Yakutumba has used widespread resentment against abusive Rwandan/Rwandophone troops to build support for his agenda, to the detriment of relations between Congolese Rwandophone communities, such as the Banyamulenge, and the “autochtone” tribes of Babembe, Bafulero, and Bavira. A prominent Banyamulenge leader, Enock Ruberangabo, has called this attack <a href="http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2011/10/rebels-kill-five-aid-workers-two-others-in-dr-congo/">“ethnic conflict at a local level”. </a> However, one must remember that as long as armed groups operate with impunity in the Kivus, all civilians, regardless of ethnicity, are at risk of being attacked. Over the past few days, my neighborhood has been filled with a constant stream of mourners coming to Eben-Ezer Ministry to express their condolences. The sounds of pained wailing have disappeared, but there is still a heavy spirit of bereavement hanging over the quartier. The humanitarian community in Uvira/Fizi has suffered a great loss, and we are all reminded of the risks that must be taken in order to assist vulnerable populations, fight for social justice, and struggle for development in the Congo.   <div id="attachment_482" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 225px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/10/08/attack-on-ngo-vehicle-in-fizi-territory/dsc05722/" rel="attachment wp-att-482"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-482" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/10/DSC05722-225x300.jpg" alt="Jungle path in Fizi Territory" width="225" height="300" /></a>Jungle path in Fizi Territory</div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/andrette-la-femme-initiatrice/" title="Permalink to Andrette: La Femme Initiatrice" rel="bookmark">Andrette: La Femme Initiatrice</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-10-07" pubdate>October 7, 2011 3:26 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/andrette-la-femme-initiatrice/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> <div id="attachment_463" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 225px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/10/07/andrette-la-femme-initiatrice/dsc05735/" rel="attachment wp-att-463"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-463" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/10/DSC05735-225x300.jpg" alt="Andrette" width="225" height="300" /></a>Andrette</div> Andrette is 38 years old, and has 2 children. In 2010-2011, she spent three months at the SOS FED center in Mboko. Andrette is from Chonu, a small village near Mboko. She is a survivor of sexual violence. When I met Andrette, she was seated in her front yard with her mother-in-law, slicing up chunks of chalky manioc. Andrette had been raped by three men while alone in her fields. After the incident, her husband expelled her from their home, and then soon left for Misisi, Fizi Territory, to work in the mineral mines. Before leaving, Andrette’s husband told her that he would probably “find himself another wife” in Misisi. Unfortunately, husbands abandoning their wives is a fairly common phenomenon in South Kivu, not necessarily limited to survivors of sexual violence. Since men enjoy nearly total impunity in Congolese society in terms of sex and relationships, they are not often held accountable for spousal abandonment, extra-marital pregnancy, infidelity, polygyny, or domestic violence. This demonstrates the value of SOS FED’s reintegration work as not only beneficial to survivors, but also fighting against the gender inequality that is rampant in Fizi Territory. Andrette stayed with an aunt for one and a half months, rarely venturing outside the house. She had also become an object of derision in the community, and people would often point fingers at her and say “there is the woman who is the wife of the soldiers”. After hearing about SOS FED from a radio advertisement, Andrette went to the SOS FED center in Mboko to receive psychosocial and socioeconomic assistance. In order to reintegrate Andrette, Wilondja met with both Andrette’s family and the family of her husband. Wilondja said that this work was difficult, since Andrette’s husband still was not present. On 3 occasions, the mwami brought the two families to the SOS FED center so that Mariamu and Wilondja could speak with them and convince them that the incident was not the fault of Andrette, and that she should be re-accepted into their family. Andrette was present at one of these sessions. Eventually, both Andrette’s family and the family of her husband were convinced to re-accept Andrette and not blame her for her rape. However, there was still the question of Andrette’s husband, who was still in Misisi and appeared to have possibly abandoned his wife and children for good. Andrette’s younger brother traveled to Misisi and confronted his brother-in-law, telling him that since he already paid the daute (sum of money a groom must pay to his bride’s family) for his sister, he needed to resume his responsibility as a husband and father, instead of shaming both families by abandoning his wife for no good reason. Andrette’s husband returned to Chonu, and met with the two families, Wilondja, and the mwami. There were 4 sessions between all the concerned parties before the husband was convinced to re-accept his wife, and Wilondja accompanied the woman to Chonu so she could be reunited with her husband and the rest of her family. Currently, Andrette’s husband has returned to Misisi to work, but Andrette lives in her house and is very close to her in-laws. Both her brother-in-law and mother-in-law expressed their satisfaction that she has returned home. Andrette continues to practice communal cultivation, with two of her friends who are not former SOS FED beneficiaries. In addition, due to sewing skills learned while working on the Ahadi Quilt project, Andrette has begun sewing and embroidering sheets as an income-generating activity. She is still in contact with two other women who were SOS FED beneficiaries with her. With the money earned from SOS FED communal cultivation, Andrette invested in the necessary capital to sell palm oil in the market, thus earning even more income for herself and her children. She says that in the past she was the object of scorn, but now people in her community see her as a “femme initiatrice”, a resourceful and inventive woman who uses her ingenuity to seek out development opportunities and provide for herself and her children. It is quite the difference to see Andrette, once confined to the house and too shamed to even be seen on the streets, now a woman who is a beacon to her community, perhaps inspiring other women to reject gender inequality and a mentality that always blames the victim for acts of rape. As well as healing, SOS FED is producing advocates, women who can return to their communities and serve as examples of feminine strength and courage. When I asked Andrette’s mother-in-law if I could ask her a few questions about the return of her daughter-in-law, she chuckled and said that I should give her some money for food if I wanted to ask questions. I pointed to the heap of manioc in front of her, but this did not cause the woman to even blink. She said, “Look, I have manioc, but no fish to go with it!” In keeping with the joking nature of our dialogue, I offered to go to the lake and catch some fish for her. The elderly woman grinned and shrugged. “Better just to give me the money, then I can go to the market and get the fish myself,” she said. Everyone present had a good belly laugh. <div id="attachment_464" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 225px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/10/07/andrette-la-femme-initiatrice/dsc05738/" rel="attachment wp-att-464"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-464" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/10/DSC05738-225x300.jpg" alt="Andrette with members of her extended family" width="225" height="300" /></a>Andrette with members of her extended family</div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/mwacha-malisho-living-by-example/" title="Permalink to Mwacha Malisho: Living by example" rel="bookmark">Mwacha Malisho: Living by example</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-10-07" pubdate> 3:15 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/mwacha-malisho-living-by-example/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> <div id="attachment_467" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 225px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/10/07/mwacha-malisho-living-by-example/dsc05731/" rel="attachment wp-att-467"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-467" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/10/DSC05731-225x300.jpg" alt="Mwacha Malisho" width="225" height="300" /></a>Mwacha Malisho</div> Mwacha Malisho Felix is 38 years old and the father of 7 children. He is the mwami of Lo’Ochyo II, a quartier of Mboko. He has been mwami since 1995, when he succeeded his grandfather. I interviewed Mwacha outside of his home on a hill overlooking Lake Tanganyika. As we spoke, we were soon surrounded by perhaps two dozen curious children, who jostled to get closer and hear the conversation between the strange mzungu and their neighborhood mwami. Mwacha first had contact with SOS FED in 2010, when he first spoke with Mariamu Bashishibe, the center manager in Mboko. At first, Mwacha cooperated with SOS FED in helping bring survivors of sexual violence come to the SOS FED center to receive assistance. Eventually, Mwacha began working with SOS FED to help reintegrate beneficiaries in his community. Together with SOS FED reintegration officer Wilondja Lubunga, Mwacha has helped reintegrate 12 women back into his community. In order to change a family’s attitude on survivors of sexual violence, Mwacha will pay the family a visit and speak with them. Mwacha said that he gives the family “advice”, telling them that the rape was not the woman’s fault, and therefore they have no motive to reject and ostracize her. In speaking with husbands, Mwacha often uses an example to show them the reason of his argument; if the husband was the one who had been raped in the fields, how would he feel if his wife rejected him? This is often a rather convincing argument, according to Mwacha, especially since there have been reported cases of male members of armed groups committing acts of sexual violence against male civilians. In doing pre-reintegration visits to families in Lo’Ochyo II, Wilondja is always accompanied by Mwacha. However, Mwacha also visits members of his constituency on his own to further lobby for the re-acceptance of survivors of sexual violence. In any case, Mwacha said that multiple visits are always required before a family is convinced to re-accept a survivor. Mwacha said that before he began raising awareness and educating his community with SOS FED, many husbands would expel their wives if they had been raped. However, he now says that much fewer men in his community ostracize their wives if they have been violated. Do the members of his constituency re-accept survivors of sexual violence simply because of the authority of their mwami, or do they truly see the wisdom of their mwami’s counsel? Mwacha firmly believes the latter. He says that his best form of counsel is living by example; years ago, he told me, his own wife was raped by Burundian rebels, and yet he has stayed with her and has never held her responsible for the incident. “You see,” Mwacha gestured to his wife, seated beside him with a child in her lap, “my wife is right here, I never left her!” To Mwacha, his own example is a powerful witness to his constituency, destroying the myth that a survivor of sexual violence brings shame to a family. <div id="attachment_468" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 300px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/10/07/mwacha-malisho-living-by-example/dsc05743/" rel="attachment wp-att-468"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-468" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/10/DSC05743-300x225.jpg" alt="The foothills of the Moyen Plateau in Mboko" width="300" height="225" /></a>The foothills of the Moyen Plateau in Mboko</div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/mirungi-ekyiamba-one-on-one-advice/" title="Permalink to Mirungi Ekyiamba: One-on-one advice" rel="bookmark">Mirungi Ekyiamba: One-on-one advice</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-10-07" pubdate> 12:37 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/mirungi-ekyiamba-one-on-one-advice/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> <div id="attachment_455" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 300px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/10/07/mirungi-ekyiamba-one-on-one-advice/dsc05754/" rel="attachment wp-att-455"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-455" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/10/DSC05754-300x225.jpg" alt="Bitangingwa and Mirungi" width="300" height="225" /></a>Bitangingwa and Mirungi</div> Mirungi Ekyiamba is 35 years old and is married to Bitangingwa, a very petite, pretty 24-year-old woman. Mirungi is the mwami of the village of Mukwesi, several kilometers north of Mboko. He has been mwami since 2008, when he succeeded his grandfather. I interviewed Mirungi and Bitangingwa in a tiny hut, the walls blackened by smoke from years of cooking fires. Beside Bitangingwa was a squat charcoal stove with a pot of sombe bubbling away. Mirungi first came into contact with SOS FED in 2010, when SOS FED field officer Amisi Mas came to see him. With SOS FED, Mirungi has helped reintegrate 5 women back into his community. In addition, Mirungi has been cooperating with SOS FED to send survivors of sexual violence to the SOS FED center in Mboko to receive assistance. In total, Mirungi has helped 9 women seek assistance at SOS FED. In order to convince families to re-accept survivors of sexual violence, Mirungi will go and give them “advice”, although he said that sometimes families come to him seeking his advice on matters relating to sexual violence. Mirungi said that he likes to have “one-on-one” conversations with husbands who have rejected their wives. He tells husbands that the rape was not the fault of their wife, and therefore they should not blame her for her violation. Mirungi often uses himself as an example, as he has stayed with his wife despite the fact she was raped by Mai Mai rebels a few years ago. Mirungi also gives the same counsel to families who have not experienced sexual violence. He said that rape could happen to anyone, and therefore families need to be informed on the correct treatment of survivors of sexual violence even if such an incident has not happened to them. Mirungi accompanies SOS FED reintegration officer Wilondja Lubunga on all pre-reintegration visits to families, but he says that he very often goes on his own to speak to families and exhort them to change their attitudes on survivors of sexual violence. After women are reintegrated, Mirungi and Wilondja will often visit them to make sure they are well adjusted back into the community. Mirungi said that the experience of his family makes him a powerful witness to his constituency. When Mirungi’s wife was raped, he says members of his own family and some of his neighbors spoke to him and convinced him to stay with his wife, and to help her seek badly needed medical attention. Bitangingwa, had been pregnant when she was raped, and suffered a miscarriage soon after the incident. Bitangingwa was sent to Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, where she was operated on to repair extensive physical damage attributed to her rape. Bitangingwa is in good health today, but is now unable to bear children, leaving the couple childless. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/binwa-i-live-as-i-did-before/" title="Permalink to Binwa: “I live as I did before”" rel="bookmark">Binwa: “I live as I did before”</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-10-06" pubdate>October 6, 2011 11:06 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/binwa-i-live-as-i-did-before/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> <div id="attachment_443" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 225px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/10/06/binwa-i-live-as-i-did-before/dsc05724/" rel="attachment wp-att-443"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/10/DSC05724-225x300.jpg" alt="Binwa" width="225" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-443" /></a>Binwa</div> Binwa is 40 years old and has 5 children. In 2010-2011, she spent three months the SOS FED center in Mboko. Binwa lives in Quartier II, a neighborhood in Mboko. She is a survivor of sexual violence. I interviewed Binwa at her home in Mboko, on a beautiful September evening. Unfortunately, her husband could not be present, as he was at the hospital looking after a sick child. Binwa had been raped by armed men while alone in her fields. When her husband’s family found out about the incident, they counseled Binwa’s husband to leave her, as she had “become the wife of another man in the forest”. Binwa’s husband heeded his family’s advice, and forced her to leave their home. Binwa attempted to explain to her husband that she had been raped and therefore the incident was not her fault, but to no avail. Binwa resided for several months at the home of a neighbor, and then went to the SOS FED center in Mboko to receive psychosocial and socioeconomic assistance. Wilondja Lubunga, the SOS FED Mboko reintegration officer, met with Binwa’s husband three times while she was at the center; two of these times, Wilondja was accompanied by the mwami (traditional chief) of Mboko Quartier II. Wilondja and the mwami counseled the husband to reunite with his wife, explaining that the woman was not at fault for her rape and that her value as a wife, mother, and human being was not diminished by her violation. At first, said Wilondja, he heard some very “bizarre” commentary during the sessions with the husband, but he said that after 3 sessions he was able to break through and convince the husband that he needed to re-accept his wife and not blame her for the rape. At the date on which Binwa was to be reintegrated, her husband arrived at the SOS FED center in Mboko to be reunited with her and to bring her home. The mwami was also present at the reunification. While Binwa is happily reunited with her husband and children, she does not speak anymore with her husband’s family. Binwa also said that she is not harassed or impugned by other members of her community anymore, thanks to interventions from the mwami. Binwa continues with communal cultivation with two of her neighbors, neither of which are former SOS FED beneficiaries. Binwa said that she has informed many of her neighbors and friends about the risk-reduction methods she learned at the SOS FED center. She still remains in contact with several of her fellow SOS FED beneficiaries. With the income she earned from participating in group cultivation at the SOS FED center, Binwa paid for school fees for her children and for food for the household. According to Binwa, she is “very happy” to be reunited with her husband. “I am able to live as I did before,” said Binwa. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/427/" title="Permalink to Introduction to Reintegration" rel="bookmark">Introduction to Reintegration</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-10-04" pubdate>October 4, 2011 6:28 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/427/#comments">1 Comment</a> For survivors, the experience of sexual violence causes painful and often chronic physical problems, including (but not limited to) STDs, fistulas, irregular bleeding, and chronic abdominal pain. However, perhaps an even more distressing outcome of rape in the Congo is the social stigmatization that survivors of sexual violence endure at the hands of their families and communities. Attitudes towards survivors of sexual violence are quite indicative of the second-class status of women in Congolese society, particularly in underdeveloped, rural areas such as Fizi Territory. After having suffered from an act of sexual violence, oftentimes a survivor will be banished from her family and derided by her community. The husband of a survivor may expel her from the home, leaving her without support, kinship, or protection. A survivor will be labeled (quite erroneously) as the “wife of the soldiers” or a “prostitute”, and openly mocked or shunned. Thus, the post-rape social ramifications in Fizi Territory are devastating for survivors, especially in a society that places a premium on social interaction. The shame and rejection may prevent a survivor from participating in income-generating activities (agriculture, commerce), and oftentimes will prevent her from seeking assistance. SOS FED staff work very hard at encouraging survivors to come to SOS FED for assistance, and work with civil, traditional, and religious authorities to find survivors in the area who need assistance. Once a survivor has entered a SOS FED center, she can receive group therapy and individual counseling sessions, as well as participate in group income-generating activities that also teach risk-reduction behavior. However, what happens to a woman once she has completed the 3-month course of assistance provided by SOS FED? Will she be re-accepted by her family and/or community? The reintegration process, implemented in 2011, addresses this question. Each SOS FED center has a male reintegration officer, who acts as an advocate for reintegrating beneficiaries. Thus far, SOS FED has 3 reintegration officers: Luandja Eca Ricardo (Kikonde), M’Munga Selemane (Kazimia), and Lubunga Wilondja (Mboko). The reintegration officer is tasked with breaking down the misconceptions about survivors of sexual violence within Congolese society, at least to the point where a survivor is able to rejoin her family and resume her life. The reintegration meets with the family, in particular the husband, of the soon-to-be reintegrated beneficiary. The reintegration officer educates the family on the rights of survivors of sexual violence, breaks down the myth that the survivor is to blame for the rape, and tries to convince them to re-accept the survivor back into the family. The reintegration officer works very closely with the mwami to achieve these goals. The mwami is a traditional position of authority, also known as the chef coutumiere. The mwami/chef coutumiere is a hereditary position, passed down from father to son. A mwami may have a constituency ranging from a village, a quartier, or an entire town. While having no civil or state authority, traditional authorities are still regarded as important figures in Congolese society. Ordinary citizens often consult a mwami for counsel on important decisions, the resolution of disputes, or just for simple advice. State authorities often have to work with the cooperation of the mwami in order to carry out state business. As a person of authority who is respected by the community, the counsel of a mwami can go a long way in assisting with the integration process. Before beginning reintegration efforts in a village/town, SOS FED reintegration officers have several meetings with the local mwami to educate them on the principles of reintegration and to gain their support and trust for the reintegration process. Including the mwami in the reintegration process also helps educate the community at large about the rights of survivors of sexual violence. SOS FED reintegration officers accompany reintegrating women, often over great distances, to their home villages. Reintegrating beneficiaries are encouraged to continue the risk-reduction activities they learned at the SOS FED center, as well as disseminate this information among their friends and neighbors. The success of the reintegration process is quite evident. According to all three reintegration officers, there has only been one case where a woman was abandoned by her husband after reintegration was carried out. As of the end of the month of September, 21 beneficiaries have been reintegrated from Kikonde/Kazimia, and 19 beneficiaries have been reintegrated from Mboko. My next few blog entries will be profiles of several people from in/near Mboko who are involved in the reintegration process: 2 former SOS FED beneficiaries and 2 mwami working closely with SOS FED. <div id="attachment_471" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 225px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/10/04/427/dsc05750/" rel="attachment wp-att-471"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-471" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/10/DSC05750-225x300.jpg" alt="SOS FED beneficiary in Mboko" width="225" height="300" /></a>SOS FED beneficiary in Mboko</div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/a-training-in-making-straw-products/" title="Permalink to A Training in Making Straw Products" rel="bookmark">A Training in Making Straw Products</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-09-28" pubdate>September 28, 2011 4:33 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/a-training-in-making-straw-products/#comments">2 Comments</a> Since Benedicta Nanyonga and Kinawataka Women Initiatives invented the plastic straw products a few years ago, the organization began with training women in Kinawataka to make the straw handicrafts. Most of the straw products are still made in KIWOI’s workshop in Kinawataka, but the organization also started training disadvantaged women in other parts of Kampala and now across Uganda. Especially in rural areas where it is extremely difficult to find employment, the straw handicraft production offers a potential source of income, while enabling women to work from anywhere, with their babies and young children by their sides. In the very same week that Benedicta was preparing and packing up her products to take to a <a title="Kinawataka Straw Fashions Head to America" href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/2011/07/20/kiwoi-straw-fashions-head-to-america/">gift show/exhibit in Los Angeles, California</a>, a group of five women came from Gulu, a city in northern Uganda, for training in the ten-step straw production process. After four days, they returned to their homes with the instruction to practice, practice, practice. About one month later, Benedicta traveled to Gulu to check on their progress. When the trainees have mastered the techniques, they can teach the process to other women in the community and hopefully use these unique skills for income-generation. For a glimpse of the training of the women from Gulu, check out the video. It highlights most of the steps in the process‚ with the exception of straw collection (as there were many straws already available at KIWOI) and the final stitching and finishing of the products. <object width="400" height="225"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/knJvTuYxfMM?version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/knJvTuYxfMM?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="225" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/respect/" title="Permalink to Speak. Encourage. Move. Curb. Understand. RESPECT." rel="bookmark">Speak. Encourage. Move. Curb. Understand. RESPECT.</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-09-27" pubdate>September 27, 2011 7:05 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/respect/#comments">2 Comments</a> Though I’ve been back in the US for almost two weeks, I’ve been having trouble sitting down to write this entry. The jetlag is over, so that excuse is no good since I can sleep past 4am again…I’m a week away from starting a new job (continuing disability advocacy work stateside in Indiana – yay!), but my current schedule is free, so I can’t peg busy employment, either…If I’m honest with you—and myself—writing this blog means that it’s over. That I’m home. That GDPU is 7,500+ miles away and yet somehow as close as ever. In the last few weeks with GDPU, I had some good conversations with Fred, Project Coordinator, about “unpacking the vision,” as he called it. I know what GDPU’s mission and vision are: empowering persons with disabilities to lead dignified lives. But what does that mean, exactly? Like actually mean? Our conversation led to some great realizations for GDPU, and for myself. What does dignity look like to people with disabilities? To Gulu? To Ugandans? To post-war regions? To Americans? To the West? To you? To me? To people with disabilities (PWD)? To Fred, Monica, Simon, Irene, Komakech, Richard, Allan, Josephine, and others? To PEOPLE? How do they strive to maintain it, and how do others – including you and me – deny, define, or promote dignity? <div id="" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 240px"><a title="Disability is not Inability" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6189493201/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" " src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6153/6189493201_0debe84193_m.jpg" alt="This is the painting I got for GDPU when I left. It was done by a local artist in Gulu, Timothy, based on the theme "Disability is not Inability."" width="240" height="168" /></a>This is the painting I got for GDPU when I left. It was done by a local artist in Gulu, Timothy, based on the theme "Disability is not Inability."</div> As a Peace Fellow with The Advocacy Project, my role was to amp up their efforts, mainstream their mission, promote their purpose both locally and abroad, and jump in with technological and grant-writing support where needed. I hope I succeeded in that task, with some admitted slip-ups along the way. And I’m excited to share that GDPU’s website is 95% finished, pending some aesthetic/technological switches (Check it out! <a title="GDPU " href="www.guludisabledpersonsunion.org" target="_blank">www.guludisabledpersonsunion.org</a>). If the training stuck, hopefully the website will be updated regularly by GDPU staff and become a source for services and sharing within the region. Also, see below for the short “In our own words” video featuring people with disabilities at GDPU. Truly, sustainability is always on my mind when it comes to international development: long-term impact versus short-term polish. Did my three months with them really make a difference? A marked change? Was it “not a summer for me, but a summer for them,” as I wished in my opening video blog? For now, time is my scapegoat to avoid answering. We’ll see…but I hope so. I’m finding that where I take comfort in my departure is that though I am adjusting, missing, reliving, trying to maintain a relationship with GDPU, worrying about impact, and pining to return to Gulu, GDPU continues to do their work. More so, GULU continues to do their work. While Advocacy Project fellows often bring new ideas, energy, and knowledge in certain fields (especially technology), GDPU is its own everyday “advocacy project,” ready to face the task at hand. Advocacy doesn’t stop when a Peace Fellow leaves her station. Advocacy doesn’t stop when the power goes out in the office, leaving the staff in the dark for hours or days at a time. Advocacy doesn’t stop when grants are rejected, policies are ignored, meetings are cancelled, roads are rained out, or wheelchairs break. <div id="" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 240px"><a title="Training" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6190005196/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" " src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6030/6190005196_0f440a4e32_m.jpg" alt="Advocacy is about educating yourself and others - like these caretakers of children with cerebral palsy in Koyo." width="240" height="135" /></a>Advocacy is about educating yourself and others - like these caretakers of children with cerebral palsy in Koyo.</div> Advocacy stops when the job is finished; the mission met; the people served; the purpose fulfilled; the promise delivered. The best non-profits work for the day when they won’t be needed – when they can close their doors, turn off their computers, retire their logos, and make their fight a chapter in history because the problem is solved. Realistically, that will probably never happen for most groups, including GDPU: war and violence will always leave destruction in its wake (like landmine survivors Irene, Stephen, and others from the LRA insurgency); children will lack quality and equal education (like the 51% of Gulu’s children with disabilities who don’t go to school); discrimination and prejudice will deny services (like the 61.5% of PWD who never received HIV/AIDS education); lack of leadership to enforce policies will perpetuate problems (like the government building in Nwoya without a ramp); dependence on donations will drive programming (like the grant-to-grant survival of GDPU); and everyday rights will be denied as others take it for granted (like going to the bathroom with ease and dignity). *See my previous blogs for more on each of these <a title="GDPU Blog - 2011" href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/rscherpelz/feed/" target="_blank">https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/rscherpelz/feed/</a>. <div id="" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 240px"><a title="HIV/AIDS parade" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6189489383/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" " src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6130/6189489383_e6e4115510_m.jpg" alt="Advocacy is about demonstrating and sharing your purpose - like these partcipants in GDPU's HIV/AIDS awareness parade and debate in July." width="240" height="135" /></a>Advocacy is about demonstrating and sharing your purpose - like these partcipants in GDPU's HIV/AIDS awareness parade and debate in July.</div> But is that a reason NOT to speak up? Can progress not be made? Does short-term defeat warrant long-term surrender? For the people of GDPU, it is a resounding “NO.” They have already seen improvement and change and won’t throw in the towel. Even oppression, ignorance, discrimination, and the harshest of all, apathy, can’t stop advocacy. Much like a tree falling in the woods, as long as there is a voice and the courage to use it, advocacy happens. And thenyou hope that someone has the courage to hear it. GDPU can be an advocate. I can be an advocate. YOU can be an advocate. That’s the beauty of it. I don’t have to be living in Gulu to support GDPU, PWD, and the disability movement in general. YOU don’t have to have a passport, speak the language, get the vaccinations, or shower with a bucket to lend your voice. Speaking up at your office if you notice there isn’t an accessible entry helps. Encouraging your child that his classmate with cerebral palsy ALSO likes Spongebob Squarepants helps. Moving a bike or trashcan that is blocking a ramp, Braille sign, or automatic button helps. Curbing your discomfort to stare at a “missing” appendage (or worse: staring so intently elsewhere that the veins of concentration in your face bulge…Note: a person with one leg knows he has one leg. He knows YOU know he has one leg. Act normal because it IS normal) helps. And understanding that access, opportunity, equality, justice, and support for people with disabilities is not a FAVOR but an inherent RIGHT changes things. If I’ve learned anything in my three years working with people with disabilities it’s that they don’t deserve, warrant, or want your pity – they deserve, warrant, and want your respect. <div id="" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 240px"><a title="Auditing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6190010194/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" " src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6150/6190010194_2361e9b04e_m.jpg" alt="Advocacy is about creating, implementing, and maintaining policies and expectations, like GDPU's Accessibility Audit team checking out a ramp." width="240" height="135" /></a>Advocacy is about creating, implementing, and maintaining policies and expectations, like GDPU's Accessibility Audit team checking out a ramp.</div> The “Thank You” Part: On a personal note, there are many people to whom I owe the utmost and heartfelt gratitude for support, guidance, love, and help. To GDPU – it was an honor to serve with you. Thank you for welcoming me to work alongside you and learn from you. I hope we meet again. To the members and friends of GDPU – thank you for lending your voice and efforts to support PWD everyday. It. Is. Inspiring. To Mama and her family, ages 1 and up – thank you for housing, feeding, and embracing me each and every day. It was a joy to come home to you! To Gulu in general, thank you for your spirit of joy, generosity, and healing from the deepest hurts. I admire you so much. Stateside, I owe countless thanks to the supporters and donors who made the experience possible – I hope I put your generosity to good use. If you ever get the chance to visit, please take the opportunity! To Iain, Karin, Erika, and Pegah at AP – thank you for guiding us fellows through the process and more importantly, for driving peace, advocacy, and collaboration on the global scale! Lastly, a fervent thank you to Mom, Dad, and my closest family and friends who let me rant via email, stayed up late to catch me on Skype, heard about my best and worst days, and curiously answered spontaneous phone calls from “out of area” numbers. I couldn’t have done it without you. To those who I had the pleasure of getting to know, I am family – a daughter, a sister, an “auntie,” and a friend. To most of Gulu, though, I’m likely still an outsider: a munu, an aid-worker, a hassle, a helper, a donor, a development worker, a burden, a rich Westerner, an annoyance, a curiosity. And really…that’s okay. This is their Gulu, their Uganda, their suffering, their healing, their growth. If I’ve done even the slightest bit to support, promote, or champion their efforts, then I hope my time was well spent. To GDPU and my Gulu family: Apwoyo matek tutwal. Apwoyo tic ki apwoyo konya. Cwinya opoke, mokena di kuja ki mokena di can. Aciro dugo. Amari. Apwoyo. Kuc ki mara, Akello Rebecca </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/safari-in-murchison-falls-national-park/" title="Permalink to Safari in Murchison Falls National Park" rel="bookmark">Safari in Murchison Falls National Park</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-09-20" pubdate>September 20, 2011 5:57 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/safari-in-murchison-falls-national-park/#comments">9 Comments</a> In northwest Uganda, about 300 kilometers and a five-hour drive away from Kampala, is <a href="http://www.murchisonfallsnationalpark.com/" target="_blank">Murchison Falls National Park</a>. The savannah, tropical forest, and other ecosystems of the largest national park in Uganda are home to wildlife galore—elephants, hippos, giraffes, baboons, Ugandan kobs (type of antelope), water buffalo, crocodiles, scores of bird species, leopards, and lions! The Nile River flows through the park, and as it narrows through a gorge about ten feet wide, it cascades 141 feet, creating a magnificent waterfall, the centerpiece of the park. Those who have seen the African Queen with Humphrey Bogart may recognize the famous Murchison Falls. <div id="attachment_202" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 425px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-321.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-202 " src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-321-425x281.jpg" alt="Murchison Falls view from the Nile River" width="425" height="281" /></a>Murchison Falls view from the Nile River</div> Just last weekend, I stood close enough to those mighty falls to feel the spray on my face. I had left Kampala that morning in a van, with a multinational group of seven other travelers and our driver. We were on safari and a short hike to the falls was our first activity in the park. <object width="400" height="225"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6qfIfSwV4PQ?version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6qfIfSwV4PQ?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="225" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> Our first night, as I headed to my safari tent to sleep, rain began to fall. And for about twenty minutes, I sat on my bed listening to the pitter-patter on the canvas and the loud thunder roll through the sky as white lightning flashes illuminated the otherwise pitch black tent, feeling as though somehow it made my African safari experience all the more authentic. <div id="attachment_222" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 425px"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-222 " src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-348-425x281.jpg" alt="The new safari chic - a plastic straw safari bag!" width="425" height="281" />The new safari chic - a plastic straw safari bag!</div> The next morning, I woke at 5:30 am. I was very tired, and it was cold and dark, but once I was up and dressed, packed breakfast in hand, I was excited for our 4-hour game drive through the park. We hopped in our van, drove about a kilometer to the water, and were ferried across the river to begin our drive. With the roof of the van popped up, I stood on my seat and leaned my head outside, with an unobstructed view of the wildlife we could see from the dirt road. I have seen giraffes and elephants in zoos, but to see them in their natural habitat was stunning. My favorite part of the drive was undoubtedly spotting the female lion, on the prowl to hunt some unsuspecting kob in the distance. <div id="attachment_210" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 425px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-220.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-210" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-220-425x281.jpg" alt="Giraffes are a-plenty in Murchison Falls National Park" width="425" height="281" /></a>Giraffes are a-plenty in Murchison Falls National Park</div> <div id="attachment_206" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 425px"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-206 " src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-259-425x281.jpg" alt="Momma and baby elephants saunter across the savannah" width="425" height="281" />Momma and baby elephants saunter across the savannah</div> <div id="attachment_209" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 425px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-214.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-209" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-214-425x281.jpg" alt="Female lions are the hunters in the family" width="425" height="281" /></a>Female lions are the hunters in the family</div> <div id="attachment_207" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 425px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-222.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-207 " src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-222-425x281.jpg" alt="Ugandan kob (left) and water buck" width="425" height="281" /></a>Ugandan kob (left) and water buck</div> In the afternoon, we set off on a boat cruise along the Nile toward the base of Murchison Falls. Along the way, we spotted crocodiles, hippos, baboons, and a group of elephants. We passed by a sign that marked the spot where Earnest Hemingway had crashed a plane back in 1954. Although not as exhilarating as the game drive, it was a relaxing way to enjoy the Nile River, the wildlife on its banks, and learn a bit of history. Sleepy, I closed my eyes for a while under the sun’s glow with the gentle rock of the boat. When we approached the falls, we stopped at a rock where each of the boat’s passengers could quickly jump on to pose for photos. <div id="attachment_223" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 425px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/karla-scarlett.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-223" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/karla-scarlett-425x354.jpg" alt="Karla and Scarlett pose on a rock in front of Murchison Falls" width="425" height="354" /></a>Karla and Scarlett pose on a rock in front of Murchison Falls</div> Despite my cruise snooze, I was still tired after dinner, so I headed to my tent early and was asleep by 10 pm. But shortly before 11 pm, I woke up to a funny noise that sounded somewhat like very loud munching, crunching, and snorting. My tent-mate had not yet come to bed, so I was on my own, in my tent, while a hippo was circling around it! <div id="attachment_213" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 425px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-284.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-213" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-284-425x281.jpg" alt="Hippos are dangerous wild animals and the one circling my tent was bigger than this one!" width="425" height="281" /></a>Hippos are dangerous wild animals and the one circling my tent was bigger than this one!</div> When we first arrived to our camp, we were warned that the hippos sometimes came up from the lake nearby and roamed around the camp. Though they seem so nice and friendly, hippos can and will charge at humans with slight provocation. Hippos (reportedly) cause more deaths than any other animal except mosquitoes here in Uganda. So, we were told, if you see a hippo, walk the other way. If that hippo is standing between you and the restrooms, use the other restroom. If it’s bedtime but that hippo is standing between you and your tent, you go sleep someplace else. But they didn’t tell us what to actually do if they come stomping around your tent while you are in it! I knew that no matter what I should not open my tent, but I didn’t know if the hippos would try to knock the tent over or get inside. I just sat on my bed, alert and quiet, while I waited for it to disappear. Through the tent window screen I could see the beast’s dark, massive form eventually saunter away, and when I could no longer hear its funny noises, I carefully unzipped my tent door and heard some people say, “You can come out!” I would be completely lying if I said I wasn’t a bit nervous while that hippo was surrounding me! <div id="attachment_224" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 425px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-350.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-224" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-350-425x281.jpg" alt="Hippo tracks on the dirt path in front of my tent - the morning after its visit" width="425" height="281" /></a>Hippo tracks on the dirt path in front of my tent - the morning after its visit</div> <div id="attachment_212" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 425px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-258.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-212" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-258-425x281.jpg" alt="Warthogs will actually get inside your tent if you leave food in there, and they don't use the zippers!" width="425" height="281" /></a>Warthogs will actually get inside your tent if you leave food in there, and they don't use the zippers!</div> On our final day, we left Murchison Falls and drove a couple of hours to the <a href="http://www.rhinofund.org/" target="_blank">Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary</a>. Once, rhinos roamed around Murchison Falls National Park and Kidepo National Park, in northeast Uganda. However, rhinos were poached to local extinction, primarily under Idi Amin’s regime, and the last Ugandan rhino was supposedly killed around 1982 or 1983. In 1997, a program was initiated to breed white rhinos in the country by bringing the animals from other parts of the world to the sanctuary. In 2009, the first baby rhino was born in Uganda in 28 years. They named the baby Obama, after President Barak Obama, because the mother was from the U.S. and the father was from Kenya. Today, there are 10 rhinos—six adults from U.S. and Kenya, and four babies bred and born at Ziwa. At first we only saw two sleeping rhinos, a mom and her baby. But after some insistance, we were able to continue our rhino tracking after lunch, and we came across a group of three rhinos. A momma, her baby, and Obama, who is a guest in their family while his own mom is taking care of his baby sister (the only female rhino born thus far at the sanctuary). <div id="attachment_201" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 425px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-422.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-201" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/Safari-422-425x281.jpg" alt="Obama - the first white rhino born in Uganda in 28 years!" width="425" height="281" /></a>Obama - the first white rhino born in Uganda in 28 years!</div> I don’t think I could have asked for a better first safari! </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/deadly-attack-in-burundi/" title="Permalink to Deadly attack in Burundi" rel="bookmark">Deadly attack in Burundi</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-09-20" pubdate> 4:48 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/deadly-attack-in-burundi/#comments">1 Comment</a> Two nights ago, a group of gunmen walked into a bar in Gatumba, Burundi. The armed men ordered everyone to lay down, and then started shooting. So far, 39 people are dead from this brutal attack. Gatumba is a small town right on the border between Burundi and the Congo. It used to be a part of Congo (Zaire), but back in the 1980s, Marshal Mobutu gave the area to Burundi “as a gift”. In order to get to Bujumbura from Uvira, one must drive through the town of Gatumba. It is a thriving border post, with butcher shops, bread stalls, and many, many cows wandering in the roads. The bar in question where the massacre occurred, is one that I am used to seeing from the windows of a taxi on my way to Buj. <a title="The BBC news account" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14968935">The BBC news account</a> does not mention the affiliation of the gunmen, but I have my strong suspicions that they belong to the FNL. The FNL is a Burundian rebel group that fled the country after Pierre Nkurunzize and the FDD took power back in 2005. Burundi still has continued political problems, and the FDD uses violence and intimidation to retain power, even in the midst of “free elections”. Human Rights Watch <a title="has labeled the Burundian government" href="http://www.hrw.org/africa/burundi">has labeled the Burundian government</a> as “repressive”, and most observers regard the last Burundian elections in 2010 as a sham. As such, political/armed opposition groups such as the FNL have been forced to re-locate elsewhere. Not surprisingly, the FNL is present in scads in the Congo, where the state is too weak to effectively object to their presence. As the BBC article says, there are suspicions that the perpetrators of this massacre came over the border from the Congo. The FNL is still based in the Congo, particularly in the Ubwari Peninsula in Fizi Territory. Over the past few months, the Burundian military has had several confrontations with the FNL in the Ruzizi Plain near Kiliba, about 5-10 minutes outside of Uvira. The border region in the Ruzizi Plain is rather porous, and cattle herders regularly shuttle their cows back and forth between Congo and Burundi on a daily basis. This border area also used to be a major arms smuggling locus. Overall, while the Burundian government is pursuing the FNL across the border, there seems to be a bit of a lack of acknowledgment of the FNL’s base within the Congo. Of course, it is a well-known fact within the Congo that the FNL is alive and well, and it allying itself with other non-state armed movements, such as the FDLR and Mai Mai Yakutumba. However, many ordinary Burundians do not seem to be aware of FNL presence in the Congo, or else are glad that the frontlines of the combat have been moved outside of their borders. Again, another sad example of how neighboring nations’ problems seem to seep their way into the Congo. It seems logical that the FNL insurgency would strike back at the Burundian government after their continued pursuit in the Ruzizi region. However, the pattern of retaliation is all too predictable in this part of Africa: instead of confronting your enemy’s soldiers, massacre helpless civilians instead. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/quilting-project-update/" title="Permalink to Quilting Project Update!" rel="bookmark">Quilting Project Update!</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-09-19" pubdate>September 19, 2011 1:35 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/quilting-project-update/#comments">2 Comments</a> <a title=""Without education, you must work in the farm"" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6143298089/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6194/6143298089_9e3198eac8.jpg" alt=""Without education, you must work in the farm," Vivian says as she explains her panel to me.." width="267" height="400" /></a> I mentioned before that one of my goals here is to create a set of advocacy quilts. These will be parallel quilts created by a widows’ group and the girls at our school, demonstrating, respectively, the traditional oppression of Maasai women and the opportunities that education will afford young Maasai girls. Cleia documented the quilting process with the Rehema women well in her <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cnoia/2011/08/08/stories-worth-telling/">August blog post</a>. I want to give a quick visual of how phenomenally the quilting project with the girls is going; I will let the photos guide this post. <a title="Parako, Beadwork expert" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6143846060/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6063/6143846060_eb0b35930f.jpg" alt=""Cultural Awareness" class: The girls are helped by local beadwork expert Parako to learn about the beneficial parts of their culture, and to learn how to sew beads in the traditional style." width="400" height="400" /></a>   <a title="The positive aspects of Maasai culture" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6143296277/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6159/6143296277_76e66b5ba5.jpg" alt="Parako demonstrates the proper technique. Only around 20% of the girls had been taught how to create traditional beadwork by their mothers or grandmothers. Again, Kakenya works to emphasize positive aspects of Maasai culture while also educating about the harmful aspects." width="400" height="267" /></a> <a title="Drawing about the "importance of education"" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6143846512/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6195/6143846512_e0b3380eb9.jpg" alt="A class 6 pupil during the drawing stage. The girls were prompted with themes of "the importance of education" or "how will I use my education?"" width="267" height="400" /></a> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6162/6143296435_24cf82fc85.jpg" alt="Class 6 holds up their drawings, ready to begin beading the quilting squares." width="400" height="267" /> <a title="Peyiai wants to be a pilot when she grows up!" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6143297973/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6173/6143297973_2318e3322f.jpg" alt="Peyiai wants to be a pilot when she grows up!" width="400" height="267" /></a><a title="Quilting on the lawn" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6143847476/"> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6191/6143847476_81ff4b4da0.jpg" alt="Kakenya Centre for Excellence girls use their free time to bead (or, "shona shanga") their stories on the lawn." width="400" height="267" /></a> <a title="Shona Shanga!" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6143297393/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6207/6143297393_23cdca7eba.jpg" alt="Shona shanga! The girls love having a craft to work on during their free time. I keep finding them in the classroom working on their projects during lunch!" width="334" height="500" /></a> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6192/6143847802_24dc105968.jpg" alt="Gladys, in front, is creating a panel about how she would like to build a school for handicapped children when she grows up." width="334" height="500" />   <a title="sew happy!" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6143297227/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6185/6143297227_180d8e888d.jpg" alt="The lovely Gladys again, with her panel. " width="334" height="500" /></a>   <a title="What is a website?" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6143847622/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6062/6143847622_a578065e40.jpg" alt="The final product: Here we see a panel created by Brenda Nashipai, explaining that eucation is important because you can learn about things to which you are not normally exposed, like the internet." width="334" height="500" /></a> We are almost finished with the panels that the Rehema Widows’ Group is making, too. The next step will be to document each woman and child’s story to create a sort of “cliff notes” to accompany the quilts. I am on my way out of the country for a month. I had intended to leave my fellowship now… but I just love what we are doing here too much and cannot seem to rip myself away from Enoosaen for good, so I’ll be back in October! </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-quietest-agent-of-change/" title="Permalink to The quietest agent of change" rel="bookmark">The quietest agent of change</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-09-16" pubdate>September 16, 2011 5:00 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-quietest-agent-of-change/#comments">2 Comments</a> <a title="Madam Rose ponders the possibilities and needs for rescuing girls in Enoosaen" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6105300627/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6080/6105300627_b880fdeec8.jpg" alt="Madam Rose, in her mud home in Enoosaen, ponders the possibilities and needs for rescuing Maasai girls" width="400" height="362" /></a> Rose, a teacher with fifteen years of experience, has always wanted to help needy girls stay in school. She does what she can, helping to put 6 girls through school and take care of them on school holidays. “I just think, if I had a lot of money, wow… I feel I am not doing enough.” Even when she was not financially secure enough to pay any school fees, as a new teacher, “it was always on my mind, it was a dream.” She was inspired by the idea that people should help their own communities; “I saw other people giving Kenyans scholarships and I though, if other people can help us, why not us?” As with many of the local agents of change, Rose’s story begins with her own struggle to be educated. In her day, Maasai women were not meant to stay in school, but because Rose Mashara’s father was a pastor, she managed to finish her schooling. At first, however, her schools were teaching her so poorly that they allowed her to advance to grade 4 without even knowing how to read. When her father found out, he transferred her to a boarding school far away, largely populated by girls from different tribes. That did not protect her from the scourge of FGM though. Despite her exposure to other tribes and her parents’ education and religion, Rose says, “we did it in my house because of pressure from friends and relatives. I never wanted to discuss it with the other girls at school.” She envied that they would not be forced to undergo the cut. Rose put off her circumcision for as long as she could, but after teaching college, she felt there was no way out. She could not escape the attitude of the women in her community about her teaching as an uncut woman. They ridiculed her, saying things about her inability to teach girls if she were still a girl herself, and that she is too old to be uncut; “Now you, what kind of a knife is going to be used now that you are old and stiff?” So, she did it, her parents calling a nurse from a district hospital. “It was not done for our benefit, it was done for the community,” Rose laments. After her own experience her mind was made up and she set out to convince her parents of the uselessness of the cut, preventing her younger sisters from having to undergo the same. Maasais believe the cut somehow makes you more mature, a “real woman,” but after the cut, Rose says, “I was not changed. Character is the only thing that makes your person.” Now, Rose helps other girls who have escaped the cut or forced marriages stay in school by filling in the gaps and catching girls that other programs and institutions fail to help. At st. Josephs, she would see a lot of big scholarships given and then sometimes taken away for fail to fulfill the girls’ non-school needs (i.e. pullovers and sanitary napkins, etc.). GTZ, for example, had given several St. Joseph’s girls scholarships but the program ended abruptly, leaving the girls with nothing. Some girls went home to ask for assistance and instead were married off. Pauline was one of those girls, and had she gone home her parents would surely have married her off. But she stuck it out at school, getting by borrowing soap from other girls and using a cloth during her period. She was unable to even attend class during menstruation until Rose realized what was going on and took her in. <a title="Madam Rose and Pauline" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6105843720/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6185/6105843720_8c6131b612.jpg" alt="Madam Rose with Pauline, one of the girls she sends to school" width="433" height="500" /></a> But people sometimes put up a fuss when she has tried to help girls deemed beyond help academically, or girls who put a great strain on her finances; “people were telling me, why do you want to assist other children? What about your own? It made me want to do what I do alone, silently help.” Rose becomes mother, teacher, patron, and caretaker to the girls she takes in. Yet by doing these things on an individual, quiet basis, she does not have access to the resources or connections like more prominent projects for rescuing girls. Sometimes she reads about well-known women, even people like <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/wp-admin/edit-comments.php?p=239">Caroline Ramat</a>, who can stand tall and know who to call for assistance. “I start feeling inferior. They know who to call, and I don’t.” Besides that, some of these women and organizations do not attend to the emotional or even all of the basic needs of the children. When finances do not permit, they seem not to care enough to dig deep into their own pockets like Rose has so often done. She gives literally everything she can to make sure the girls she takes in stay in school, even with the enormously <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/2011/08/13/in-enoosaen-sometimes-price-of-skyrocketing-food-costs-is-education/">high current cost of food</a> and living in Kenya. For months she has deferred her own continuing education college studies, not wanting to go for a term of college herself if the girls’ fees cannot be paid. <a title="Madam Rose in her home in Enoosaen" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6105300783/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6076/6105300783_61d13ece3c.jpg" alt="Madam Rose has had to stand strong in the face of sometimes almost insurmountable opposition, both to her own disinterest in getting cut and getting married, and also to her project to take in and rescue girls escaping marriage, FGM, or parents who will not pay their daughters' school fees." width="335" height="500" /></a> The key about paying school fees is that it interrupts the expected cycle of a rural Maasai girl’s life. Now that forced child marriage is illegal, parents refuse to pay fees until a girl finds that she has no other future and gives in to get married. Rose is proving it is possible to interrupt the cycle and would love to get more support. “Imagine, if I had all these friends, and we all pull together and everybody helps a little…” she trails off. For now, she is valiantly trudging alone. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/prohibition-of-fgmc-in-kenya/" title="Permalink to Prohibition of FGM/C in Kenya!" rel="bookmark">Prohibition of FGM/C in Kenya!</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-09-14" pubdate>September 14, 2011 7:36 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/prohibition-of-fgmc-in-kenya/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> Some are calling it “Independence day for women.” MP Sophia Abdi Noor said, “Men got their independence in 1963 – but today women have achieved independence from the cruel hands of society.” This week two anti-FGM/C laws were passed in the Kenyan parliament as part of the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Bill. These laws make it illegal (entirely, as opposed to just by force or just for a minor) to practice or procure the cut, and bring about much more severe consequences for offenders. The bill proposes a seven-year jail sentence and a fine of 500,000 Kenya shillings for people who force women to undergo the cut. If a woman dies while undergoing the cut, the person responsible would receive a life sentence. The bill also makes it a crime to ridicule a woman who has not undergone the cut, so that using derogatory or abusive language towards a woman because she has not undergone the cut can land you six months in jail, a 50,000 shilling fine, or both. This part is particularly uplifting to me, as I have spoken to several women who say that they or their loved ones have undergone the cut largely as a result of the fact that they may be ridiculed, even professionally held back, if they were to reject circumcision. It is fantastic that the bill recognizes the severity of community pressure to undergo the cut. The bill has yet to be signed into law by the president, but seems widely assumed that he will do so. I celebrate the work of the many advocates and the Kenyan Women Parliamentary Association for their tireless efforts to protect girls from FGM/C. The law certainly will not stop the practice entirely, but it will bolster those opposing FGM and may help to bring about a change in attitude. Now we must begin to advocate for the implementation of the enacted law. As I have written about <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/2011/08/02/for-child-rights-in-rural-kenya-the-law-is-not-enough/">before</a>, the implementation of laws relating to domestic oppression of women in rural areas is agonizingly weak. For now, I am spreading the news as fast as I can, hoping at the least to get a conversation about the severity of the crime started, and maybe even garner a little more support from the local government. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/toilet/" title="Permalink to The (in)accessible toilet: when nature calls and society hangs up" rel="bookmark">The (in)accessible toilet: when nature calls and society hangs up</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-09-08" pubdate>September 8, 2011 3:46 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/toilet/#comments">3 Comments</a> The toilet. The latrine. The bathroom. The washroom. The WC. The commode. The john. No matter what you call it and no matter where you are, the fact of the matter is, you use it. So why an entry about toilets? It might not be glamorous, but goodness knows it’s essential. Consider how many trips you make to the restroom each day. At least two or three? Think of any public restroom in an airport, movie theater, office, etc, built or renovated in the last 20 years; since the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 (for my US readers), we likely take for granted that lone stall at the end with the wider door, strong handrail, and turning space for a wheelchair. Now shift your imagination to Gulu and the life of a wheelchair user. It’s the middle of the day; you’re busy at work; and it’s time for a “short call.” Out the door and down the hall, right? Not quite. Imagine if that most simple and essential of tasks was interrupted by any number of obstacles: steps, narrow doors, ditches, carelessly placed items…you know—discrimination and exclusion. <div id="attachment_123" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 300px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/rscherpelz/files/2011/09/P9040052.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-123" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/rscherpelz/files/2011/09/P9040052-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>Gulu's only public accessible pit latrine - at GDPU.</div> In Gulu, GDPU has the ONLY public bathroom that is accessible to people in wheelchairs or tricycles. It is a small, 6-stall pit latrine located on the GDPU compound. Not only is there a ramp, but several stalls have handrails and cement seats for people who are unable to squat. With that in mind, consider the possible scenarios: Scene 1: You work in downtown Gulu as a tailor, maybe 1 kilometer from GDPU. Nature calls and you prefer the 15-minute outdoor commute in your wheelchair or tricycle to use the facility at GDPU. You enter GDPU, greet the staff, wheel your way to the latrine, and head back to work after a 45-minute bathroom break. Scene 2: You don’t have time to head to GDPU and spend nearly an hour of your day on the road. Instead, you opt to use one of the public bathrooms, maybe paying 200/=. Since it is a public pit latrine, it’s likely incredibly filthy from who-knows-what by who-knows-who; since your disability does not allow use of your legs, you slide to your hands and knees to crawl into the latrine and balance yourself as best as possible before crawling back outside, climbing back on your wheelchair, and returning to work. Take your pick. Here in Uganda, the 2005 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Article 9 on Accessibility) argued that the state parties would “Develop, promulgate and monitor the implementation of minimum standards and guidelines for the accessibility of facilities and services open or provided to the public.” These are standards Uganda has committed to but has yet to meet, as implementation has been sluggish or policies have been ignored. Seeing as Gulu and the Northern Region in general is in the midst of post-war reconstruction, it seems timely for newly built or renovated structures to keep these policies in mind. Yet Gulu remains largely inaccessible, especially but not limited to areas of personal hygiene. One of my first assignments when I got to GDPU in June was helping to draft and polish a grant for UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). If approved, the $7,000 would go towards the renovation of the public toilet in the Gulu bus-park downtown. Additionally, seven homes in select Gulu sub-counties will receive updates to make homes – especially latrines – accessible. In addition to training the engineers and construction teams, these spaces would serve as models for future structures. Meanwhile, GDPU has embarked on an “accessibility audit” with support from World Vision. Visiting seven structures in three sub-counties (Paicho, Bungatira, and Unyama), members of the Accessibility Audit Team checked out 2 schools, 3 health centers, and 2 public offices. Though seven is a small sampling of the district, it’s a start… <div id="attachment_124" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 169px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/rscherpelz/files/2011/09/P1040646.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-124" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/rscherpelz/files/2011/09/P1040646-169x300.jpg" alt="" width="169" height="300" /></a>Honorable Adong Caroline and GDPU staff Ojok Patrick conduct an accessibility audit of local buildings.</div> The findings were neither surprising nor inspiring, as most buildings did not meet or barely met requirements. None of the places had policies on accessibility, and one person surveyed had no idea what “accessibility” means. Still, that’s why the audits were done, to lend fodder to the fire that accessibility is an ISSUE, and whether it’s due to ignorance, money, discrimination, or any other number of factors, GDPU is taking a stand. <div id="attachment_125" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 169px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/rscherpelz/files/2011/09/P1040667.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-125" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/rscherpelz/files/2011/09/P1040667-169x300.jpg" alt="" width="169" height="300" /></a>An example of an accessible pit latrine. Note the wide doorways, firm handrails, and adaptable seat. And thank you for getting over the fact that it's a picture of a toilet.</div> Along with the audit, GDPU is doing a seven-day blitz of trainings and workshops, including: 2 days with service providers to discuss accessibility; 2 days of advocacy training for disability leaders; 1 day with teachers to learn how they can be better equipped to work with children with disabilities (CWD); and 1 day with parents of CWD to offer guidance on how to be supports and champions for their children. And that’s how change happens – one connection, one workshop, one encounter, one empathetic moment that makes an able-bodied person stop, think, and realize. Will Gulu have ramps in every building before I leave on Monday? No. In a year? No way. In a decade? That’s pushing it…but will people be aware? Will they consider spending the same amount to build a ramp instead of steps? Will they consider accessibility a right and not a favor? Will change happen slowly but surely? For now, I’ve gotta run…nature calls. I’m just glad I can make it past the three steps, narrow hallway, slippery floor, and high door handle to get there… </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/musicvideo/" title="Permalink to Twero Pa Lugoro: The Disability Rights Music Video" rel="bookmark">Twero Pa Lugoro: The Disability Rights Music Video</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-09-07" pubdate>September 7, 2011 3:21 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/musicvideo/#comments">3 Comments</a> Call MTV. Get Ryan Seacrest on this. Is Casey Kasem still in the business? However it gets out there, be sure to check out this music video, straight from the heart of Gulu. I hadn’t met Lagum Faith before she walked into the GDPU office selling copies of her latest music video. After seeing her video and hearing her original music, I knew I had to learn more. A few weeks later, I sat down with Faith as she shared her music and her story. Watch the video, follow the translated lyrics below, and read on for Faith’s powerful, sad, and inspiring story. Twero Pa Lugoro (Rights for Disability) – Lyrics By Lagum Faith When you see a disabled person, please provide support. Don’t despise the person. What God has created, you can never change. Me, who is singing, I don’t even see. I am blind. I have sung for the rights of persons with disability. In this world, people are just struggling with life. Respect rights of persons with disability. If you see I am blind, don’t steal from me. I am struggling for my life. AVSI, we thank you for supporting us. Even the government, we also thank you for supporting us. If you see a disabled person moving on the road, please don’t despise. Disability is not inability. “My name is Lagum Florence Faith. I am a musician. Right now, I guess I’m 18-20 years old. Before I was blind, I tried to study in Pece Primary School, until the year 2001-2002 when I stopped studying in P3. I became blind in 2005 when I was abducted by the rebels. I was rejected. My mother rejected me when I was still young. Then I grew up with my grandmother. My maternal home didn’t love me well… When I sell, people steal. When I’m walking on the road, people ridicule me. So this made me sing this song about we disabled people. When you see someone, don’t ridicule. If you see a person selling, don’t steal. I encounter a lot of problems. First of all, my own parents should have loved me. Now I’m renting alone. The fact that I am now renting a house alone, getting money to pay the rent and eat is now hard. …If I wasn’t blind, at least I would work in someone’s business. But I can’t work because I am blind. Whenever I start selling anything, the business fails because there are those who come to steal. Above all, I also need to eat. I run out of money. These are the major problems I have. I started playing music in 2008. I started with gospel songs. My first song was entitled MY BLOOD. It’s about Jesus’ blood poured down for me b/c I’m a sinner. Jesus’ blood washed me clean. [The other song] is called “Twero Pa Lugoro” (Rights for Disability)… This song I sing is for the world to know that the disabled person can also do something. Or, for a parent who has a disabled child, to know that his/her own child is also able to do something like I’m doing. It’s for this reason that I sing. And sometimes, I sing to show the abled people that I am able. And possibly, that’s a way to beg for help. I can’t beg people to give to me, but I beg them through songs. If I sang and it made you happy, you pick something and give it to me, I will have begged you. In my future, the way I think, I must be a respected person. I will become a big person who is respected. That’s why I struggle to sing so that people know me throughout the whole world…so that they have that respect for me, and that support will be there. Because if I sit quietly, nobody will know about my problems and help me. But now there is nothing. That’s why even education has defeated me. I want if people are going to hear me, this is what I tell them: Whenever and wherever in the world they live, they should know that a disabled person is also a human being and can do anything an abled person can do. Secondly, if anybody who can help me with anything, support me because I don’t have the strength. Anything any person who can help me in the way of my education, I’m able to study whenever. …Help the disabled persons to educate them because disability doesn’t prevent one from being educated. You can even travel outside in the world. And also through my songs. I want to continue with the song, but I don’t have the money. I want it to be put on the internet and I want help in any way possible.” Interested in helping Faith? Contact me at rscherpelz@advocacynet.org for details. (Lyrics translated from Acholi with help from Ojok Patrick and Aciro Moreen. Interview translated and transcribed with help from Ojok Patrick and Okumu Dickson – thank you!). </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/tutaonana-badaye-kenya/" title="Permalink to Tutaonana badaye, Kenya" rel="bookmark">Tutaonana badaye, Kenya</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-09-06" pubdate>September 6, 2011 6:49 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/tutaonana-badaye-kenya/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> I have been enamored with African culture for a while, and Kenya just added to it. I found the country and the people to be beautiful and vibrant (albeit challenging at times). So here are a couple videos of two of my favorite things: music and animals. I know they are both a bit long; I had such a hard time paring down! But definitely stick with it through the end of the music video to see the gorgeous Maasai women and my personal favorite, island-style Jambo, Bwana. A fond kwaheri to Kenya, as I am now back in DC for my second year of law school. Asante sana, Kenya. Tutaonana badaye. Song and dance: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk64c6x3Kk8&feature=channel_video_title Wildlife: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USV38ZLn1zs&feature=channel_video_title </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/military-justice-ii-the-stinky-courtroom/" title="Permalink to Military Justice II: The Stinky Courtroom" rel="bookmark">Military Justice II: The Stinky Courtroom</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-09-05" pubdate>September 5, 2011 3:54 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/military-justice-ii-the-stinky-courtroom/#comments">313 Comments</a> <div id="attachment_435" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 300px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/09/05/military-justice-ii-the-stinky-courtroom/dsc05673/" rel="attachment wp-att-435"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-435" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/09/DSC05673-300x225.jpg" alt="Capt. Issokelo Didier, FARDC Magistrate" width="300" height="225" /></a>Capt. Issokelo Didier, FARDC Magistrate</div> On Thursday, September 1st, I arrived at the military tribunal of Uvira, based on an invitation from the head magistrate, Captain Issokelo Didier. In terms of what I focus on (the fight against sexual violence), there was not too much to learn. However, I found some aspects of the experience to be quite interesting: -While waiting in the courtroom for the judges to arrive, I struck up a conversation with the three prisoners whose cases were to be heard that day. The three men, decked out in faded orange jumpsuits, were accused of being members of an “insurrectionist movement”, the Mai Mai; these accusations were the basis for their appearance in a military court as opposed to a civilian court. They had all been arrested in December 2009, and they said that this day in court was only the second time they had appeared before a judge since being arrested. <div id="attachment_424" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 300px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/09/05/military-justice-ii-the-stinky-courtroom/dsc05681/" rel="attachment wp-att-424"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-424" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/09/DSC05681-300x225.jpg" alt="Waiting in court" width="300" height="225" /></a>Waiting in court</div> -The soldiers assigned to guarding the prisoners were a raggedy, if friendly, group of individuals. I struck up a conversation with a soldier named Jeannot, a miniscule and jocular soldier with several missing front teeth and a battered and dented AK-style assault rifle. I asked Jeannot when he joined the army, and he told me he had first joined as a soldier with the RCD in 1998. I asked him how old he was. “I was born in 1984,” he said. If what he told me was the truth, this meant he had joined the army when he was fourteen. A year younger than me, and yet Jeannot had already marched as a soldier through 13 years of conflict. Another soldier, Sergeant Alain, told me that he had joined as a kadogo (child soldier) with Laurent Kabila and the AFDL in 1996; again, he did not look that much older than myself. I asked the soldiers where they were from. Jeannot told me he was a Mubembe from Fizi Territory. I found many of the soldiers were from Fizi, but there were quite a number from all over the Congo, including Bas-Congo, Nord Kivu, and Katanga. Indeed, this group of soldiers appeared to be the most diverse group of Congolese I had ever seen, from the short Babembe to the towering Katangans. They spoke with each other in an interesting mix of Kiswahili, French, and Lingala. Normally, I do not interact with Congolese soldiers, since under different circumstances they might harass me or worse, but this time it was interesting to see the ordinary FARDC foot soldier “up close”.   <div id="attachment_434" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 225px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/09/05/military-justice-ii-the-stinky-courtroom/dsc05677/" rel="attachment wp-att-434"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-434" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/09/DSC05677-225x300.jpg" alt="Jeannot" width="225" height="300" /></a>Jeannot</div> -The three military judges were a panel of stern-looking, stern-talking FARDC captains who seemed to speak to the prisoners only in admonishments, alternating between French and Kiswahili. During the court recess, all of them lit up noxious cigarettes, which explained the generally stale, sour odor in the courtroom. When I asked the judges about their qualifications, they simply shrugged their shoulders and said that the military had assigned them to this post. -All three prisoners had the same lawyer representing them, and after a few opening statements, the lawyer disappeared. After a while, the judges had to call a recess, since the prisoners had no legal representation; since their conviction would carry the death penalty, the judges decided that the trial could proceed no further until the three had a trained jurist present on their behalf. The three prisoners complained that the lawyer was charging them a lot of money ($1500), but doing little work. Since no one of them could afford to hire a lawyer himself, they had pooled their resources to hire one to represent all three of them. -When I asked Capt. Didier if the death penalty had ever been carried out in Uvira against soldiers convicted of “supporting insurrection”, he shook his head no. He told me that if someone is convicted and sentenced to die, he immediately writes a letter to President Kabila asking for amnesty on behalf of the prisoner. -According to the new rules set out for FARDC military justice, a FARDC officer can only be tried and convicted by officers of his own rank or greater. Thus, if anyone above Capt. Didier’s rank were being investigated (say, a colonel), a group of higher-ranking judges would have to come down from Bukavu to render a judicial decision in the case. -Capt. Didier complained quite a bit about the lack of resources allocated to him and his team at the Auditorat. He told me that if an investigator opens a dossier in Shabunda, it may take up to a month for the dossier to arrive in Uvira. I asked if he had pleaded to his superiors for more resources, and he claimed that he had, but to no avail. Capt. Didier also claimed he did not have the resources to hold more military courts or open much-needed parquets in parts of Sud Kivu far away from the tribunal in Uvira. When I look at the dismal state of military justice in Sud Sud Kivu, I wonder about all the resources that numerous organizations (United Nations, European Union, etc) have dedicated to stabilization and security sector reform, and whether any of it is reaching our far-flung corner of the Congo. Overall, the overwhelming feeling I got from attending this trial was frustration with the Congolese judicial process, both civilian and military. However, it was an eye-opening experience, and I learned quite a bit. One wonders if the landmark trial and conviction of Col. Kibibi Mutware earlier this year was a start of a new trend or simply an irregular blip in a region fraught with impunity for members of armed groups. Not much of what I saw and heard in my experience with the Uvira Auditorat supported the former. I am willing to give Congolese military justice the benefit of the doubt, but I also believe it is about time both the Congolese government and their international partners take a closer look at what is going on. If you are interested more in the Congolese justice system, please refer to <a title="one of my blogs" href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2009/07/17/youll-get-your-day-in-court/">one of my blogs</a> from 2009, where I visited the Tribunal de la Paix, a court where civil cases are heard. If you want to read about community justice and mediation, <a title="here is a blog" href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2009/07/17/zawadis-story/">here is a blog</a> about a case heard at the Comite de Mediation et Conciliation in Luvungi. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/ask-the-boys-would-you-like-to-have-a-circumcised-girl-or-uncircumcised/" title="Permalink to Ask the boys: “would you like to have a circumcised girl or uncircumcised?”" rel="bookmark">Ask the boys: “would you like to have a circumcised girl or uncircumcised?”</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-09-03" pubdate>September 3, 2011 11:45 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/ask-the-boys-would-you-like-to-have-a-circumcised-girl-or-uncircumcised/#comments">2 Comments</a> In this post I want to explain how activist <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/2011/08/31/how-one-kipsigis-woman-is-tackling-fgc/">Helen Rotich</a> has addressed the male and youth angles of eradicating FGC. One of the most interesting misconceptions about the grip that FGC has on the Maasai is that it is driven by males, where as in fact the practice is perpetuated just as much and more so by women. Still, incorporating men is an important step in any community engagement effort to decrease circumcision and early marriage, since men have a monopoly on the important positions and government offices in the community. <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/files/2011/07/DSC_0104.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/files/2011/07/DSC_0104-425x284.jpg" alt="Hellen leading a lecture on FGC during our April Health and Leadership Workshop" width="425" height="284" /></a> Men Initiative: At the same time as she was working with traditional circumcisers, Helen also formed group called Men Initiative, to which she invited leaders in the community including village elders, medical personel, public health officers, chiefs, head teachers, government officers – the people she believed parents would listen to. She also invited some “dynamic youths” she felt would be able to help sensitize the other youths. So, as a volunteer, she called them together for a seminar, providing them tea and the like to get them involved. To these men, Helen explained the dangers of various forms of violence against women, “of course not calling it really those names, because then they would see it like “we want to fight men,” so just saying things like “our daughters are going things that others are not going through, and maybe it is outdated.”” She called on these men to use every forum they could, such as when chiefs call barazas (a meeting during which chiefs call the community together to distribute information), to disseminate their message. Helen explains that it helps to have the men on board “because as a woman, if you stand, people might not take it so seriously. Because people just say, “women, they talk like that. Women, you know?” And they will not see a sense” The youth, and the “Sisters’ keepers:” While reaching out to circumcisers is sort of “cool” – it feels somehow like one must really be getting to the illicit side of the activity – it does nothing to stop the demand for their services, and this is why she is also targeting mothers and youth, the groups who actually generate demand for FGC. She used the same women she had extracted from the menacing world of cutting for cash to act as trainers and facilitators when she held seminars for young girls. Every holiday when schools close, she brings together girls of different ages, preparing them with information appropriate for their age. At the end of primary school, she hosts a rite of passage ceremony for them, and a full weeklong training. They train these youths in different capacity building techniques empower them to be able “to pressurize their villages to understand “hey we don’t need any more of circumcision for girls.” But educating girls brought up another challenge: educated girls who are rejecting FGM will still “need to be married” to boys from around the community. So, sensing the need to train boys as well, she started programs on gender equality with the male youth. In this forum, she trained them on gender-based violence, including FGM and rape, and then she promoted open debate on topics like “would you like to have a circumcised girl or uncircumcised?” Says Helen; “when they come to know the difference between a circumcised girl and uncircumcised, and what they can even enjoy in their relationship when they are married, they start of course also not wanting a circumcised girl.” “Through those kind of debates then they get to learn more, and getting more facts about FGM, the impacts, the consequences, and how that has brought us down in our community that the girls are not competitive enough with other women from other areas, then they start now being the sister’s keeper.” Saying this, Helen lights up with a mischevious and clever smile. “So the girls don’t have to run away from home because the brother is there to say “no what do you want her to do that?” So it became a kind of a teamwork in fighting FGM.” Unfortunately, Helen hasn’t gotten any formal evaluation of the effectiveness of her program, mainly for lack of funding. Anecdotally, it sounds like it has been extremely effective, and at the very least it is an innovative approach coming from a woman from within the community. Impressed as I am, however, I am a big proponent of results-based interventions. Still, Helen is a woman who faced major obstacles but who knew what she needed to do to combat FGM because of her experience with a twice cut pubic area and a cruelly oppressive society.   </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/from-circumcision-to-construction-economic-incentives-for-dropping-the-knife/" title="Permalink to From circumcision to construction: economic incentives for dropping the knife" rel="bookmark">From circumcision to construction: economic incentives for dropping the knife</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-09-02" pubdate>September 2, 2011 11:45 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/from-circumcision-to-construction-economic-incentives-for-dropping-the-knife/#comments">1 Comment</a> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/2011/08/31/how-one-kipsigis-woman-is-tackling-fgc/">Helen</a> made some very interesting decisions in how to incorporate the traditional female circumcisers in the <a href="http://amrif.blogspot.com/2007/06/womens-federation-for-world-peace-kenya.html">Anti-Feminine Genital Mutilation program</a> she started in coordination with the Women’s Federation for World Peace and the Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization. This post is an elaboration on the program I mentioned in my last post. Please forgive the length, but I think the details of how she is tackling the issue are worth exploring, and hope you find them to be interesting also. <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/files/2011/07/DSC_0151_2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-223" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/files/2011/07/DSC_0151_2-425x326.jpg" alt="Hellen Rotich leading a leadership and teamwork activity" width="425" height="326" /></a> Traditional Surgeons: The first step of her program was to reach out to the “traditional surgeons”: women who do circumcisions like a commercial kind of job, traditionally called te-mosianisek or temosianiti. She is very frank about the fact that only about half of those to whom she has reached out have really “bitten” on her bate, and become involved in her program in a long term way. But those who have, have not only involved themselves but have continued to rally their peers. Of course these women were resistant at first, “hiding because they thought it was the government who would want to take them by law and charge them or maybe jail them and fine them.” Helen’s team got around this resistance by first inviting other women also, such as traditional birth attendants, to the trainings, under the guise of a more generic women’s seminar. She would incentivize attendees by providing fare for transport, and she built interest by having the first attendees serve as “ambassadors” to go back and tell others how much they learned. Here she recounts how she approached the issue first through the health hazards facing the practitioners themselves: “I told them what they have been doing was very important for our culture. Then we went through the many cultures that the Kipsigis have, then I was asking them which ones are still very good, and which ones are bad, and why do they think they’re bad, and so I took them around that. And then finally I approached it through HIV because at that time the HIV prevalence was very high it was at 14% that was around 2001-2003 there. And so I said you know we are fighting things, and I said you know the girls and even you, the people who are touching those parts of the women that gets these disease, you need to know. So I approach it through HIV and I show them some videos which shows some various affected areas…. immediately they saw the video they said they’re no longer going to touch any girl, so the dropped the activity.” The economics of performing the cut: Helen realized she had to think about the entire system of why people perform the cut, and not just about the tradition of circumcision itself. She turned to aligning incentives for the traditional surgeons so that they would be able to drop that profession for good if they so desired. At the end of every year, the circumcisers get money for cutting the girls (the November/December school holiday is the most common time to hold the ceremony). In Helen’s area, the prices are apparently as follows: If a girl is not a virgin, they get 600 Kenya shillings ($7.50); if the girl has a child, then the figure goes up to 700 shillings ($8.75); for a virgin, the price is about 300-400 shillings ($3.75-$5.00), “depending on which area and things like that.” The same month as the cutting normally takes place, “which is the end of November, is when people do the planting, so they use the money to buy the seeds, to buy fertilizers, to even dig their farms, so they’ll be able to plant some food for the following year.” “So now what came to my mind is you know if these people drop this what next are they going to do, you know if they are to see a sense in their life. Because of course if they were getting money to buy seeds and fertilizers, [that money] is something that was helping many people in the family and even in their community.” So, she looked again at the whole system, and the economics of the region, and provided economic incentives for the women to drop their knives. “In that community the housing situation is not very good. So I thought maybe approaching it through housing would also help them.” Ultimately, Helen put together a proposal to get a machine for creating building bocks, and trained the women to make building blocks so that they could sell or build with the blocks they could now make. Women become Watchdogs: In each successive seminar, the attendees of the previous one recruited other colleagues in the world of genital cutting services. At the second seminar, a higher percentage but still around only 50% of the participants were “fully convinced,” dropped their blades, and stuck with the program, at which point the number totaled 16. So it continued until they managed to have a solid group of 24 former “traditional surgeons” who formed their own group. These women become the watchdogs, because they know the tactics of arranging illicit ceremonies (they had only recently been doing the same). These watchdogs might hear there is a ceremony to be held, or that a traditional cutter is on their way to perform a cut, and they would act fast to inform Rotich and the authorities. The watchdog system has helped Rotich and her anti-FGM colleagues stage a number of stings, and stop a number of cuts, but the system poses its own challenges. The largest, Rotich says, is that getting the information to the right person is difficult in and of itself – movement in rural Kenya is costly and arduous, and so a person might have to reach somewhere very far to pass on the information. These women often do not even want to use the phone because “[this is] not information that they would give openly because otherwise they will risk to be cast out of the community that they are fighting the cultural norms of.” Helen also wanted to help these women to rise above their previous quality of life, and she tried to lift these women up beyond just having them give up female genital cutting. Many of the women were uneducated, so she would help them go back and learn a little something, even how to write their names. “And I was very happy because some… they cannot put their thumbs to press their signature, now they can write their names,” she recalls. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-children-of-kiwoi/" title="Permalink to The Children of KIWOI" rel="bookmark">The Children of KIWOI</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-09-01" pubdate>September 1, 2011 3:16 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-children-of-kiwoi/#comments">5 Comments</a> Uganda is a country about the size of Oregon, with a population of nearly 33 million people. About 55% of the population is under 18 years old, and according to the most recent data (2009, UNICEF), an estimated 2.7 million of these children are orphans. Many of these orphans have lost their parents due to HIV/AIDS (1.2 million) and two decades of war in northern Uganda, in which parents were killed directly in conflict or died from disease or malnutrition in IDP (Internally Displaced Person) camps. Although some orphans are able to live with extended family, they often pose too much of a burden for family with already strained resources. It is encouraging that a number of NGOs, foundations, church groups, and other organizations have stepped in to care for orphaned children, but I can’t guess how many kids still struggle to survive without any support. Before my arrival in Uganda, I hadn’t realized the scope of the problem here; and I had never before visited an orphanage. But now, because Kinawataka Women Initiatives (KIWOI) operates a children’s home, I spend most of my days at one. Not all of the children who live there are actually orphans; but for one reason or another their parents are unable to care for them. In total, 16 girls and 1 boy currently live at KIWOI’s headquarters under the care of Benedicta Nanyonga. KIWOI also supports the education of four additional children, who remain with their relatives. For three years, KIWOI has partnered with <a href="http://www.possibilities.org.uk/" target="_blank">Possibilities</a>, a UK-based charity, which supports orphans in Uganda. Thanks to the sponsorship of Possibilities, all the KIWOI children attend school. The charity also provides additional funding and support for projects that will benefit the children. Benedicta ensures that in addition to education, the children receive skills training and can learn how to help make KIWOI’s straw products. She explains that teaching them these skills is critical to their future success; for if the children are unable to continue education past secondary school due to lack of future funding, they should still be able to earn an income. <object width="400" height="250"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/g_Lev1AnEDQ?version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/g_Lev1AnEDQ?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="250" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> My second day at KIWOI, I met the kids who live there, ages ranging from 2 1/2 to 14 years. I thought I would never remember all of their names or stop mixing up who is who. Since the children attend school six days a week, and I’m often busy working in the office, I didn’t get a chance to interact with them much in my first six weeks. But the past two weeks they’ve had school holidays, so I have seen a lot more of them. Together, we have gotten up to some pretty silly shenanigans, including taking photos with the PhotoBooth application on my laptop and dancing around to the latest album by my friend’s soul band. I have especially bonded with the littlest one, who was so shy when I first met her. Now she runs into my arms when she seems me. <div id="attachment_178" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 400px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/kids-wheelbarrow.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-178" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/kids-wheelbarrow.jpg" alt="Having Fun with the Wheelbarrow" width="400" height="295" /></a>Having Fun with a Wheelbarrow</div> Several weeks ago, I had told Benedicta that I wanted to do something nice for the children. She suggested that I take them to a recreation center/pool one weekday during their school holidays, and we decided to keep it as a surprise. I invited Josephine and Peruth (the other two women I work with) to bring their children, too. When the special day finally arrived, I was a bit nervous. Benedicta was out for meetings, we didn’t have our transportation arranged, the sky was threatening to rain, and I wasn’t sure if the children would be ready in time to make it worth going. But somehow, everything came together, and Josephine, Peruth, and I chaperoned 5 adolescents and 18 younger children to the recreation park. I had never before been responsible for so many kids, so it was a bit of a new adventure for me. But they were so well-behaved, sweet, and fun, they made it easy! They donned their swimsuits, jumped in the kids’ pools, and splashed around. Then we rode on a train around the park while drinking our sodas, played on swings made of old tires, jumped on a trampoline, and threw around my volleyball. It was definitely one of the best days of my Uganda life. The kids go back to school this week. I’m going to miss seeing them around all of the time! <div id="attachment_179" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 400px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/swings.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-179" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/swings.jpg" alt="Playing on the Swing Set at the Recreation Park" width="400" height="300" /></a>Playing on the Swing Set at the Recreation Park</div> <div id="attachment_180" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 400px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/train.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-180 " src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/train.jpg" alt="Enjoying Sodas on the Train around the Park - We Saved Our Straws!" width="400" height="300" /></a>Enjoying Sodas on the Train around the Park - We Saved Our Straws!</div> <div id="attachment_191" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 400px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/children-school.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-191 " src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/09/children-school.jpg" alt="Receiving School Supplies from Benedicta" width="400" height="265" /></a>Receiving School Supplies from Benedicta</div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/402/" title="Permalink to SOS FED’s well" rel="bookmark">SOS FED’s well</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-09-01" pubdate> 5:41 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/402/#comments">3 Comments</a> On August 15, SOS FED and the community of Mboko inaugurated a brand-new well in the locality of Ichwi. The well, with an attractive AFRIDEV handpump, is part of SOS FED’s risk-reduction campaign in Mboko, cutting down the time it takes for women in the zone to carry water to their homes every day. The inauguration ceremony was attended by local state authorities, traditional tribal authorities, a radio journalist from Uvira, members of the ACTED engineering team that assisted in digging the well, SOS FED Mboko staff, SOS FED beneficiaries, and many other members of the community. The sector administrator, a small man with a scraggly beard, gave a speech before cutting a ribbon in front of the well. After cutting the ribbon, he sprinkled a bottle of Primus beer around the well, a traditional Congolese blessing. Once the ceremony was completed, the well was immediately swarmed by women seeking to fill buckets, basins, bottles, and jerrycans with fresh, sweet well water. <div id="attachment_406" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 300px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/09/01/402/dsc05573/" rel="attachment wp-att-406"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/09/DSC05573-300x225.jpg" alt="The local administrator prepares to sprinkle beer on the new well" width="300" height="225" class="size-medium wp-image-406" /></a>The local administrator prepares to sprinkle beer on the new well</div> Having worked on water development in Haiti back in 2007-08, I am very aware of the importance of water as a rallying point for women’s health, women’s rights, and for the general wellbeing of the community. As the splendidly wonderful Charlie Walker explains in <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cwalker/2011/08/22/grassroots-south-kivu-the-congolese-government-and-the-international-communityempowerment-and-self-protection-vs-neglect/" title="her blog">her blog</a>, women who rely on a water source closer to their home reduce their risk of being attacked while going to and fro on a daily basis. <div id="attachment_410" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 300px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/09/01/402/dsc05551/" rel="attachment wp-att-410"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/09/DSC05551-300x225.jpg" alt="AFRIDEV pump" width="300" height="225" class="size-medium wp-image-410" /></a>AFRIDEV pump</div> Important facts about the well: -The AFRIDEV hand pump is a sturdy piece of equipment, and should be able to sustain a few years of constant use. -The well is a good distance away from any potential sources of contamination (latrines, mud holes, pig sties, etc.) -The well is located on “public” land owned by local state authorities, which will avoid capture by private interests. -The SOS FED center staff in Mboko expressed great satisfaction with the proximity of the well to the center. Here’s wishing the best of luck to the people of Mboko and their new well! <div id="attachment_409" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 300px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/09/01/402/dsc05594/" rel="attachment wp-att-409"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/09/DSC05594-300x225.jpg" alt="Women and children crowding around the new well" width="300" height="225" class="size-medium wp-image-409" /></a>Women and children crowding around the new well</div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/military-justice/" title="Permalink to Military Justice" rel="bookmark">Military Justice</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-09-01" pubdate> 4:59 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/military-justice/#comments">2 Comments</a> On Tuesday, August 30, I attended the monthly meeting of the Uvira CTLVS (Comite Territoriale de la Lutte contre la Violence Sexuelle). The meeting broke down into the usual litany of complaints about lack of cooperation and initiative, since none of the member organizations in the CTLVS seem to want to work together or share their information with the CTLVS focal points. At this particular CTLVS meeting, a captain from the FARDC showed up, wearing a crisp green uniform with polished epaulettes and gold braids. This captain was a magistrate, a member of the military justice division (“Auditoirat”) of the FARDC. Most recently, the FARDC military justice wing played a crucial role in convicting Col. Kibibi and his men for the January 1st mass rape in Fizi Centre. Every month, a number of cases are heard at the military court in Uvira, mostly stemming from incidents occurring close to Uvira town. However, in more remote, though well-documented, incidents in Uvira/Fizi (Kikozi, Nyakiele), FARDC military justice has been rather slow in even bringing the accused to trial. I decided to ask the FARDC magistrate about his job and the history of the Auditoirat. He told me that the military justice wing had existed since 2003, when the modern incarnation of the Congolese military was created; their mandate is to investigate/redress wrongs committed by members of the military, as well as teach discipline and good behavior to the troops. In this part of South Kivu, the central Auditoriat based in Uvira is charged with military justice for the territories of Uvira, Fizi, Mwenga, and Shabunda. All cases are heard before the tribunal in Uvira before a panel of military judges; the magistrate himself serves as a prosecutor/investigator. The parquet performs investigations of infractions, prepares the legal dossiers, and presents the cases before the military tribunal. In June, a permanent military parquet opened in the town of Baraka in Fizi Territory, where several months prior a mobile military court (Audience foraine) had handed down Col. Kibibi’s conviction and sentence. Aside from the parquet in Uvira and the secondary parquet in Baraka, there are only “inspectors” present in Misisi, Kametuga, and Shabunda Centre, making the coverage of military justice fairly poor for a very large area (4 of the biggest territories in South Kivu). I asked the magistrate if he felt that the FARDC today was a more disciplined body than it was eight years ago; his answer was an emphatic “yes”. I asked if FARDC troops cooperated with him in terms of carrying out justice and promoting good behavior within the ranks. Again, he said yes, but then he qualified his statement by saying “in any family, there is never a lack of disobedient children”. I brought up the case of Col. Kifaru and his defected men, the alleged perpetrators of the mass rape case in Nyakiele in June, who have since been re-absorbed by the FARDC. At this point, our conversation ground to a halt. When I asked at what stage the Auditoirat was in investigating the strong allegations of rape against Col. Kifaru and his men, the magistrate became vague and elusive. “We are still investigating,” was all he would say. When I delicately probed further for details, the magistrate refused to divulge any more information, citing “professional secrets”. Maybe commenting on an ongoing investigation would have been a bit out of line for a magistrate, but all promises of “carrying out justice” disappeared once Nyakiele was brought up. Later, one of my CTLVS contacts told me that since the Congolese government’s stance on Nyakiele is rather clear (“ignore/discredit”), the Auditoirat probably will have no support in bringing the perpetrators to justice. This kind of foot-dragging has also characterized the response to the Kikozi incident; investigations by the Auditoirat and MONUSCO have identified the commanding officer responsible for the unit implicated in the March mass rape (Major Shaka Nyamusalaba), but despite numerous calls from local NGOs to bring Maj. Shaka to Uvira for trial, no such action has been taken. At the end of our conversation, the magistrate cordially invited me to attend the military tribunal in Uvira proper later in the week. I am planning on taking up his offer, so stay tuned for more. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/how-one-kipsigis-woman-is-tackling-fgc/" title="Permalink to How one Kipsigis woman is tackling FGC" rel="bookmark">How one Kipsigis woman is tackling FGC</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-31" pubdate>August 31, 2011 3:41 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/how-one-kipsigis-woman-is-tackling-fgc/#comments">1 Comment</a> httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23rZTnZixqA Over the next couple of days, I want to highlight the work of Kenyan women’s activist Helen Tapelei Rotich, featured in the youtube clip above discussing her own circumcision. Helen is a fantastic example of a Kenyan woman taking innovative and “homegrown” approaches to eliminating the practice of FGM. In the past ten years she has used secret networks of women who were formerly paid to perform female circumcisions and male community leaders to make extraordinary headway in the battle against FGM in her Kipsigis (a tribe) community in Bomet county. (note: Helen is not Maasai, but I believe that we are all fighting the same battle and have something to learn from each other’s successes). “The reason I do this is because when I was young I really went through many things that when I look back many times I have tears running down my cheeks,” Helen recalls, quivering with emotion. At first Helen refused to be circumcised and her father allowed her to go through high school uncut, but because all of her potential suitors who came to negotiate for her marriage were not educated or came from the kinds of families brewing illicit drinks and products, she cracked under the pressure. She says she finally looked at her situation, and realized “I will not be able even to survive in the community … without going through the women’s cut.” Although she tried running away, “during those days nobody would even accommodate you because everybody is for it, so I didn’t see where I could run to.” What she wanted for herself was irrelevant; “unfortunately there is the community, and everybody thinks you should do what everybody else in the community is doing so that you are accepted.” She finally gave in and was given out for marriage, but she is proud that at least she was over 18 by the time she became a wife. Even after being married against her will, Helen didn’t give up. She continued to get training with an eye to helping her community, including training in counseling psychology to help girls she saw around her who had been traumatized by FGM. In 2001 she left her job and decided to start being an activist “in relation to female genital mutilation” in Bomet. “It was quite a difficult thing to begin with because in the community, which is the Kipsigis community, it would not be very easy for a woman to stand before men, before a crowd, and to speak. You know, the culture. So unless you are only speaking to women…but I knew, if I approached it only through women then again it would not be so easy because the women don’t marry themselves, it has to be they are married to men…..I said I think I’d better approach it in another way so it can be listened to.” So, in coordination with the Women’s Federation for World Peace and the Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization, she began an <a href="http://amrif.blogspot.com/2007/06/womens-federation-for-world-peace-kenya.html http://mywokenya.org/">Anti-Feminine Genital Mutilation program</a>, that targeted male leaders, women circumcisers, and youth. I’ll write more in detail about these programs in the next couple of days. Helen says that female genital cutting has largely died out in her Kipsigis community of Bomet, but there is the ongoing challenge that the neighboring communities still practice FGC (they are surrounded by two different Maasai communities, in Narok and Transmara). As she sees it, the most intractable part of female circumcision in this general area is that some girls really want to be married young because they don’t have school fees to continue with their education, and in order to be married they feel they need to be circumcised. I admire her work because she recognizes that eliminating the practice requires rethinking the approach. She sees a system that is conducive to FGM, and is combating it by strategically educating not just one sector but each critical level of that system. This is a trend among the most effective agents for change here – they are learning from the experience of the traditional institutions (churches and the law) and breaking down walls in completely new ways. <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/files/2011/07/DSC_0150_2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-222" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/files/2011/07/DSC_0150_2-425x422.jpg" alt="“Part of my work is fighting for women’s rights and making sure that women get a place, and this starts from girls.”" width="425" height="422" /></a> I met Helen Rotich because someone recommended we invite her to facilitate at our April summer camp, where she led a number of engaging and powerful sessions on FGM, teamwork, and leadership. A former secretary (a career that was almost never heard of for a women in her area at the time she chose it), Helen now serves as the county chairperson for the <a href="http://mywokenya.org/">Naendeleo Ya Wanawake</a> (Women’s Development) organization in Bomet county. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/trains-and-things/" title="Permalink to Trains and Things" rel="bookmark">Trains and Things</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-30" pubdate>August 30, 2011 1:16 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/trains-and-things/#comments">1 Comment</a> After a few of my trips to Kibera, I had a meeting with the Executive Director of Pamoja Trust.  The venue was at the Pamoja office, a large, nice house – a stark contrast to the realities of the community set to be disrupted by the Relocation Action Plan. The meeting was what I expected.  I walked away with some greater understanding of some aspects of the plan, while some of my questions set the Director in a defensive posture.  In general, it was nice to get a varied point of view, as the elusive Pamoja Trust is so entrenched in this process. I do think that the RAP is workable; though I know involuntary resettlement is not ideal for the community.  The problem is, this development project is going to happen regardless.  The Government is set on their Kenya Vision 2030, and improved railroad infrastructure is a large component of that…they want increased freight, they want faster transit times, they want a light commuter rail.  And although after seven years of waiting, it may seem like the community is calling KRC’s bluff, my impression is that it is inevitable.  So why not try to get the most out of the resettlement as possible? It seems like the Kibera option is not too shabby.  The people will be resettled in a three-story structure built along a wall, 20 meters out from the track.  While they will have less space in terms of meters, they will have more dependable shelter, facilities, and a better walkway.  Granted, there are still some glaring holes in the plan, such as funding, specifications, and in particular, what will happen to the schools and children.  If the communities can focus on the aspects that were glossed over, I think they can really leverage the Government and KRC to get a favorable situation. When my host in Kenya came back from leave, he told me he had heard an interview with a Project Affected Person on the BBC.  So after some research, I found the BBC has run a few articles about the railroad expansion, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14151372" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14138690" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.  I must thank my host for catching my slack.  🙂 Additionally, one of my last times in Kibera before the violence, I was able to capture a really really short (we’re talking two cars and an engine) train rumbling through. On my train ride from <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/trains-and-things/">Chicago to Wisconsin</a>, I was looking at my content and I wished I could have gathered more footage from the area, mainly of the people and of the interactions between the community and the trains, but that will be a job for the next fellow…my advice: Start forging the relationships early! But here is the 5-second video of a train in Kibera-Kisumu Ndogo. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o4umoKSpgo&feature=channel_video_title </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/cradle/" title="Permalink to Cradle" rel="bookmark">Cradle</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-29" pubdate>August 29, 2011 7:56 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/cradle/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> Uvira seems to be a rather anonymous town deep in Central East Africa. The architecture: crumbling. The nightlife: sparse and risky. The inhabitants: unpretentious and lively. The sole attraction: Lake Tanganyika, although all the good beaches are over in Burundi. However, Uvira has a bit of its own dark history and intrigue, despite not having the glamour or mzungu creature comforts of Bukavu, Goma, or Beni. In the same way, Fizi Territory has cultivated a sort of infamous reputation in the Congo, despite its rather innocuous appearance. Laurent “Mzee” Kabila operated in Fizi Territory, back when he was a Leftist rebel leader in the 1960s/70s. Che Guevara visited this area, back when he lent himself to the revolutionary cause against Mobutu; Che came away totally disillusioned by the state of the revolutionary struggle in this part of Africa that has so often resisted misguided outside attempts at transformation or analysis, of all ideological types. Monuments in towns and villages all over Fizi Territory memorialize those slaughtered by the brutal RCD during the Second Congo War. However, I have seen no monuments marking the slaughter of the Banyamulenge that occurred in the frenzied anti-Banyamulenge hysteria in the days just before the Rwandan invasion. In August 1996, when it was clear that the Rwandan government was arming some of the Rwandophone Banyamulenge in the Kivus in preparation for an invasion, the Kivus were swept with a wave of xenophobia. Local politicians poured out rhetoric against the Banyamulenge “traitors”, encouraging jobless and shiftless young men to “attack the Banyamulenge” and seize their assets. In Uvira, many Banyamulenge were kicked out of their houses, beaten, and thrown in jail by angry mobs. All over Fizi Territory, the “autochtone” population rose up to kill Banyamulenge and take their cows. In Bukavu in October, the provincial governor declared the Banyamulenge persona non grata and ordered their expulsion from South Kivu. The xenophobia was not limited to just the Kivus; all over Zaire, persons with “Tutsi” morphology were harassed, beaten, and even murdered. The slaughter of the Banyamulenge pulled the trigger for the Rwandan invasion of the Congo. Up until then, the RPA had been watching the Hutu refugee camps just over the border in Zaire become rallying points for the former genocidaires, without any international intervention to stop this travesty. The regrouping Interahamwe and FAR had even begun raids back into Rwanda, and the newly installed RPF government could hardly tolerate a cross-border insurgency made up of the perpetrators of the Tutsi genocide. Several other African governments were eager to see Mobutu go, and they saw this as an opportunity to change the leadership in Kinshasa. In addition, the Rwandan military had been recruiting disaffected Banyamulenge youth and giving them arms and military training, in preparation for an invasion. The xenophobic purging of the “Tutsi” Banyamulenge in the Kivus was the final straw. Using an alliance of Zairian rebel leaders (the AFDL) as a front, the Rwandans invaded Zaire. Uvira, in fact, was the first town to fall to the AFDL and its allies, on October 24, 1996. A mere seven months later, Kabila pere and his kadogos (child soldiers) were marching on Kinshasa. By mid-1997, Mzee Kabila was the president of the newly-christened Democratic Republic of Congo. It is interesting to think about Mzee Kabila returning to South Kivu/Northeastern Katanga, after many corpulent years of being a smuggler in Tanzania. Here, in this eastern region, he fought against Mobutu’s agents from remote mountain camps. Here is where his son Joseph was born, in a village called Mpiki in the view of Mlima ya damu (“Mountain of Blood”). Here was where he trudged along with Che Guevara, among the gnarled trees and manioc fields and jagged piles of rocks. The aging, largely irrelevant rebel, with his Maoist tracts and monochromatic wardrobe of safari jackets, had been made ruler of Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest country, perhaps a few decades too late. In late 1998, when Kabila decided to thumb his nose at his “minders”, the Rwandans quickly put together a new rebel movement based in the east to challenge Kabila’s authority, the RCD. Thus, the Second Congo War had begun; today, mentioning this war to most Uvirois will cause them to wrinkle their brow and sigh. While many Kivutians saw the AFDL invasion as a war of “liberation” from Mobutu’s tri-decade dictatorship, the rule of the RCD is remembered with sorrow and chagrin. The RCD soldiers were mostly Rwandans or Congolese Rwandophones (such as the Banyamulenge), and in South Kivu they did not easily forget the anti-Banyamulenge pogroms committed by the “autochtone” Congolese. Now, the Banyamulenge were in charge, and they were looking to subdue the population by violent means. In Fizi Territory, the RCD committed horrid massacres in villages such as Makobola, slaughtering hundreds of civilians at a time. When I ask Congolese people my age about what life was like in Uvira/Fizi during the RCD-era, the reply I get most often is “Well, we just survived”. In the days since the end of the Second Congo War, Uvira/Fizi has been one of the sites of the ongoing struggle between state-sanctioned armed forces (the FARDC) and the remaining non-state armed groups (in Uvira/Fizi, the FDLR, FRF, FNL, and various Mai Mai groups). Occasionally, events here make small waves in foreign journals, but sadly mostly related to tragedy and continuing human rights abuses committed by armed groups. And thus, events that occurred in Uvira and Fizi Territory have been extremely pivotal in Congo’s recent history. The easygoing nature of Uvirois makes it easy to forget how much the region has been through, and in a way it is a bit encouraging that there are very strong efforts at ethnic conflict transformation going on in Uvira/Fizi. Nonetheless, the Dark Side does persist. Anti-Rwandan sentiment can still be fairly strong here in Uvira/Fizi (just like xenophobic anti-Congolese sentiment can be fairly strong across the border in Rwanda). In this area, many Congolese people hate Joseph Kabila because he “made a deal” with the Rwandans to end the Second Congo War, and political discussions with Uvirois often result in absurd statements about a “double genocide” and about Joseph Kabila being a Rwandan puppet. Down in Fizi Territory especially, the tendency seems to be to blame outsiders for all the problems, whether it be Rwanda, Belgium, the United States, or even just Congolese from other parts of the country. This may explain a lot of the success of Mai Mai Yakutumba; despite their documented violations of human rights, they remain strongly tied to the community of Babembe political elites in Fizi. For an outsider like myself who is relatively new to the Kivus, the simmering ethnic/political/class tensions may seem silly and superficial, and very often we non-Africans try to make what Jason Stearns calls “simplistic solutions to complex problems”. However, there are years of economic decay, local power struggles, political manipulation, warfare, colonial social restructuring, and oblivious international involvement that have formed the image of what we see in this particular section of South Kivu today. I have always found it a bit interesting the independent nature and identity of Uvira and Fizi, even within South Kivu. The two territories are also very different from each other, most starkly when it comes to ethnic makeup and topography. In Fizi, the Babembe are dominant. In Uvira, it is much more diverse, with Bafulero, Bashi, and Bavira. In terms of geography, Uvira has the great Rusizi Plain, which borders with Burundi, whereas Fizi has massive forests high in the hills. The Rusizi looks like something straight out of The Lion King, a broad and burnt-red stretch of savannah where cows roam free. For sure, I have always preferred Uvira to, say Bukavu, the sophisticated (if rather pretentious) provincial capital of South Kivu. Each part of the Congo has had a different story; in northern Congo in Ituri and Equateur, the story includes the MLC and fighting between Rwandan and Ugandan troops over Congolese territory and resources. In Katanga and Kasai, the story is of the large-scale exploitation of minerals such as gold, diamonds, and copper. In Kinshasa, the story includes bizarre tales of nuclear reactors built by priests, spectacular examples of corruption, and the fast-fading majesty of what used to be one of the most exciting cities in Africa. All over the Congo, there are stories, all interlinked at some point, but all possessing an individual spirit. Point being, the Congo is very big, but it is still fascinating at how events starting in somewhere like Uvira can change the course of history for the behemoth of Central Africa. I know Uvira by its labyrinth-like markets (Mulongwe, Kalmabenge), the hordes of moto-taxis clogging the main road, the signs with the various NGO acronyms (AVSI, AJID, PSVS, SOFIBEF, 8eme CEPAC), the quick geographic orientation of the rising hill on one side and the turquoise lake to the other, the piles of fetid garbage that line the streets, the crowds of boys smacking their lips and croaking “goomawneng” (good morning) to get my attention, the ravines and vine-covered cemeteries, the crates of Primus bottles outside the Depot Bralima, the colorful pagne dresses and oddly-tailored western-style suits, the huffing Mitsubishi flatbed trucks, the groups of money-changers sitting under umbrellas, the trucks full of green-clad soldiers wielding Norinco 56s and RPGs, the women rolling chapatti next to a crackling pan of oil under the shade of a tree, the thumping of manioc leaves being crushed in a pestle, each bridge and river and ronde-point. I know Fizi Territory mostly by just the utter sense of remoteness it inspires whenever I visit. This is my home in the Congo. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/donations/" title="Permalink to Band-Aids for headaches: Putting the “Do” in Donation" rel="bookmark">Band-Aids for headaches: Putting the “Do” in Donation</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-29" pubdate> 5:50 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/donations/#comments">5 Comments</a> As a disclaimer to the following, I’d like to start by saying that this is not an attack on donors…it’s not an ungrateful dismissal of people’s generosity…it’s not a childish tantrum that I wanted an orange lollipop when I got strawberry. When done right, donations (financial, in-kind, or otherwise) can truly be one of the most humbling ways for human compassion to shine, for both the giver and the receiver. However, what happens when donations do more harm than good? When good intentions + poor assumptions of an organization’s needs + NGO’s fear of turning down donations = incomplete results? In the last few weeks with GDPU, several instances have come up where I smile through gritted teeth at the “impact” of donations. A few weeks ago, Gulu received a generous donation of 50 wheelchairs from two organizations, one in Uganda and one from the states. A team of volunteers came to help assemble, fit, and distribute the wheelchairs. It was an empowering few days as most beneficiaries were receiving their first-ever wheelchair, a HUGE improvement from those who were accustomed to crawling on hands and knees. Some of the wheelchairs were especially excellent, as they were adjustable for children and had supportive headrests, a particularly important feature for children with Cerebral Palsy or hydrocephalus who may need more assistance to sit upright. <div id="" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 500px"><a title="New wheelchairs: great fit!" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6092809466/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6065/6092809466_0f34760d14.jpg" alt="New wheelchairs: great fit!" width="500" height="282" /></a>Three girls enjoy their new wheelchairs. These are examples of a great fit: not only do they fit each individual; the type of chair (large base + a large castor wheel out front) is ideal for Gulu's rough terrain.</div> <div id="" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 282px"><a title="New wheelchair!" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6092882888/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6182/6092882888_55e491ae04.jpg" alt="New wheelchair!" width="282" height="500" /></a>A boy with hydrocephalus checks out his new chair, with a headrest!</div> Unfortunately, “great fits” were in the minority that day. Why? a. “Second choice” chairs: Gulu received chairs after Kampala, meaning the best-quality chairs were already distributed. Maybe 60% of the chairs that made it to Gulu were hospital chairs. These are GREAT for wheeling somebody a short distance…but for people with spinal injuries they need more support than a fabric seat; people who have the ability to push themselves can’t have such armrests in the way of the wheels; anybody living in Gulu can’t use a chair like that on the mud roads here without risk of tipping, getting stuck, etc. Additionally, many hospital chairs are “one-size-fits all,” meaning they are often too big. In that case, the user has to overcompensate by leaning to one side; in turn, this leads to pressure sores and additional back problems (GDPU’s Fred, for example, was given a poor wheelchair after his accident as a teenager. He developed scoliosis because he favored his right side). <div id="" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 282px"><a title="Wheelchairs in waiting" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6092805622/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6068/6092805622_5a9d1ed14d.jpg" alt="Wheelchairs in waiting" width="282" height="500" /></a>A fleet of chairs waiting to be distributed.</div> b. Informing and transporting people was difficult: Honestly, GDPU dropped the ball here, as mobilizing 50 people that they have a 2-day window to travel to Gulu for their new chair takes time and money that GDPU didn’t prepare for. For recipients (and their parents or caretakers), it takes money they don’t have to travel to Gulu. It takes proper transport that can carry a wheelchair home. It takes planning. They weren’t informed early enough, and in some cases, they weren’t able to come. c. A “give away to anybody!” mentality: Poor mobilization and other challenges meant only SEVEN of 50 recipients showed up on Day 1 of Wheelchair Distribution. The volunteers doing the fittings were frustrated, and rightly so, as each chair takes time to assess and fit. But a mandate that “if people don’t start arriving soon, the chairs will go back to Kampala” caused a bigger scramble to make sure the chairs got to SOMEBODY, even if they weren’t on the original list. As a result, many recipients were from Gulu Municipality because they are close. Gulu town often takes priority over the villages because the concentration of demand is higher and the people are easier to access. Thus, the villages are often the last to receive aid. I don’t have the perfect answer to this, but is it better to (a) ship wheelchairs from across the world or (b) invest that shipping money in Gulu to manufacture tailor-made chairs? The other way that dependency on donations has manifested itself at GDPU – and, I’d imagine, many NGOs – is a “take what you can get” approach to soliciting funding. Having worked on multiple proposals and grants with GDPU, I can’t tell you how many times I heard “The donor wants to fund XYZ, not ABC, so let’s make sure we include a lot of X and leave out the B.” It’s the real-world version of “teaching to the test.” But, what if GDPU would be better off with option B? What if PWD in Gulu could benefit, grow, and achieve MORE with B instead of X? Is GDPU really in a position to challenge the donor and say, “Thanks, but, here’s how your donation could REALLY make a difference…Here’s the type of programming this proposal really should support.” They are scared of angering the donor, so they ask for what they think they can get, rather than, maybe, what they need. I’ll concede that donors have the right to give what they want and to request accountability. But shouldn’t they also donate responsibly to know WHY it is needed? Organizations should feel empowered to work WITH the donor to determine what is needed – and not face repercussions or risk rejection if their request differs slightly from the offer. Don’t hand me a Band-Aid if I tell you I have a headache. Is an ill-fitting wheelchair better than no wheelchair at all? I don’t know…you’d have to ask the user. And I’m sure some of you are thinking, “Beggars can’t be choosers.” But why do they have to be beggars? Why are recipients of donations less worthy of quality support than somebody who can pay for it? Why isn’t accessibility and movement a right, not a favor? I don’t fault people for being desperate. I fault the system that isn’t supporting them to be otherwise. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/speaking-on-the-radio-parts-iii-v/" title="Permalink to Speaking on the Radio, Parts III-V" rel="bookmark">Speaking on the Radio, Parts III-V</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-28" pubdate>August 28, 2011 2:09 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/speaking-on-the-radio-parts-iii-v/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> After stopping by their office and speaking to the staff, another radio station in Soroti called Veritas was kind enough to offer <a href="http://www.thegideonfoundation.com">the Gideon Foundation</a> radio time. The purpose of this 3rd visit to a radio station was to not only continue the discussion we started about human sacrifice in <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/2011/07/31/speaking-on-the-radio-part-ii/">Speaking on the Radio, Part II,</a> but to direct the questions towards specific groups of people (ie police officers, witchdoctors, district officials, etc). So, on August 3, 2011, <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/2011/07/31/meet-the-volunteers-of-the-gideon-foundation-against-child-sacrifice/">Dorothy Akol</a>, chief volunteer at the Gideon Foundation, and I were on the radio again, but this time from 3-4 pm. We were able to get through some of the questions but we encountered many problems during this radio show including a poor telephone reception and a very limited time to speak with the advertisements. This was also our first time with this radio host and so the show didn’t flow as smoothly as it had for us during our previous shows. But we were able to get through about half of the script. We were able to ask the radio listeners about a handful of questions but unfortunately most of the people who had a response couldn’t get through due to the telephone reception. But regardles the Gideon Foundation was on another radio station and during an afternoon time. The next day, the radio station that we had spoken on previously, Delta FM, called and offered the Gideon Foundation more radio time. So on August 5, 2011, Dorothy and I were on the radio again from 8-9 pm with the radio host, the Peacemaker. The show went really well and the Peacemaker even played songs concerning human sacrifice during the show as well. Here is the script that we used: <a href='https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/Gideon-Radio-Script-III-Delta.pdf'>Gideon Radio Script III-Delta</a> We were only able to get through about half of the questions so Delta FM was kind enough to offer us even more radio time a few days later. So on August 9, 2011, Dorothy and I were on the radio again to finish the script. We received many, many calls during both of the shows on Delta FM. What stood out for me was that we also received a call from someone who is for human sacrifice and defended his position by saying its in the Bible in the story of Abraham. But then someone else called in right after him and basically said that Abraham didn’t sacrifice his son and that God was testing Abraham’s faith. Someone else called in and suggested that the Gideon Foundation sue the government because witchdcotors do have to register to practice. It was a very lively discussion and <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/2011/07/31/meet-the-volunteers-of-the-gideon-foundation-against-child-sacrifice/">Dorothy</a> ended the show by giving tips on preventing human sacrifice and by again explaining what the purpose and activities of the Gideon Foundation. The next day, the radio host, the Peacemaker, and the program manager of Delta FM, David Okurut, spoke with Dorothy and myself about having , the Gideon Foundation speak on the radio on a continual basis; to make it part of their programming. They said that they had received many phone calls regarding the show, even some from people who had just been affected by human sacrifice. They think that a show like this could do many things in including building the confidence and trust of people in Gideon, encouraging affected families, serving as an outlet for people to release information and serving a forum for people to question the practice of human sacrifice. They hope that these talk shows will become a model and will reach a level. But, the issue in the Gideon Foundation continuing these talk shows is money. Delta FM had been kind enough to offer the Gideon Foundaiton free radio time thus far but of course this cannot continue on a weekly or bi-weekly basis as the costs to the conduct the radio shows (electricity, radio host fees, etc) would be too much. One 60 minute radio show costs 400,000 Ugandan Shillings which currently amounts to about $142 (US). <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1901.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1901-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-304" /></a> Photo: David Okurut, me, the Peacemaker and Dorothy </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/beatrice-atieno-oginga/" title="Permalink to Beatrice Atieno Oginga" rel="bookmark">Beatrice Atieno Oginga</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-24" pubdate>August 24, 2011 7:46 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/beatrice-atieno-oginga/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> During my time with Hakijamii, I was lucky to meet Beatrice. She quickly became a friend to me, as well as a surprising source of information and support. Beatrice taught me about life in the slums, made the best cup of tea in Kenya, introduced me to the women at Kibera Paper, and routinely confused me by switching between Kiswahili and Luo. She has not led the easiest life, but not once did she seem to resent her lot. I was able to talk to Beatrice a lot throughout my time at Hakijamii, and once she allowed me to interview her. With the help of Marcy, the Community Outreach Officer, I was able to talk to Beatrice about living in Kibera, what stable work has meant to her, raising a disabled child, and the post-election violence. <a title="Beatrice" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6010336611/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6143/6010336611_84997e7dfc.jpg" alt="Beatrice" /></a> Beatrice cleans the offices at Hakijamii two days a week. Before Hakijamii, she worked at Kibera Paper making cards. And before that she did odd jobs around Kibera, selling chapati and porridge. This income is the solitary income for her family. She says that most women in Kibera are single mothers not by choice, but by circumstance. Either the fathers die or leave the women to start other families. It is common for the same man to start many families, and leave the women the work of supporting them. At 49, Beatrice has been a widow for many years. Beatrice’s youngest son, Eric, has a disability. Beatrice spoke to Hakijamii about the difficulties raising a disabled son and the lack of education support in Kenya for these children (hyperlink: ). Beatrice plays the roles of mother, father, and caregiver for Eric, when she can. She could not afford the cost of transport to take Eric to and from school, so she had to send him to a boarding school called Nakuru Hill. His medication costs are Ksh 200 a day, and the balance she owes the school nears Ksh 13,000. These costs are well beyond her daily intake. When Eric is home, he shares her living space, a one-room 10×10 in Kibera. It is difficult living in the slums with a disability. There are people who walk on their hands through the sewage, but there are no special amenities, like toilets. Disabled children regularly get sick from what they touch and eat. The children will wander off in the slums because they don’t know any better; Beatrice said she just had to hope someone would recognize Eric and bring him back when it happened to her. It takes a lot of work to raise a disabled child, and she has seen some parents let the children starve, rather than deal with them. But Beatrice feels that God had a reason for bringing her Eric. And that is how she dealt with her life, acceptance without anger or resentment. Beatrice just raises her head high and works. I put together a video of Beatrice talking about these topics, with Marcy’s help translating. [So the disclaimer is that if you speak Kiswahili, you will probably notice inaccuracies, so please be patient with the rough translation! And if you do not speak Kiswahili, just know that you are getting a solid summary of what Beatrice said, even though it might not line up perfectly with her words.] Beatrice did say a lot of valuable and insightful things, and unfortunately I had to limit what I put in the video. But here is some more of what she had to say: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAUm326-1nc&feature=channel_video_title </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/unfpa-data-mapping-wheres-the-beef/" title="Permalink to UNFPA data-mapping: Where’s the Beef?" rel="bookmark">UNFPA data-mapping: Where’s the Beef?</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-22" pubdate>August 22, 2011 2:16 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/unfpa-data-mapping-wheres-the-beef/#comments">1 Comment</a> A few months ago, I wrote a couple blogs about SOS FED’s participation in a UNFPA data-mapping project underway in the Kivus. SOS FED center staff have been filling out a 3-page survey with information on each survivor of sexual violence that the center receives. This data collection is being facilitated in Uvira and Fizi Territories by Arche d’Alliance. A fortunate side-effect of participation in this project is that SOS FED and Arche have been working closer together than ever before. This past week, I had the opportunity to visit the UNFPA office in Bukavu, the provincial capital of Sud Kivu. The Bukavu UNFPA offices compiles and processes all of the data collected in Sud Kivu in the 8 territories: Kalehe, Mwenga, Idjwi, Shabunda, Walungu, Kabare, Uvira, and Fizi. The UNFPA Sud Kivu office just released a report on the data it has collected for the first trimester of 2011 (January-April), and the data coming out of Fizi Territory is less than encouraging. In the first trimester of 2011, 118 rape cases were recorded by the UNFPA partners in Fizi, making it the territory with the second highest rate of sexual violence in the province. First place for the first 2011 trimester went to Mwenga Territory, which recorded 185 cases. Over half of the recorded cases in the first trimester of 2011 in Fizi Territory belonged to the infamous January 1st mass rape in Fizi Centre, committed by FARDC troops under the command of Col. Kibibi. For their role in this incident, Col. Kibibi and several of his men were convicted and sentenced to prison terms by a Congolese military tribunal. Despite the isolated magnitude of the January 1st event, the sexual violence trends for the first trimester continue to be worrisome. It will be interesting to see the data for the next trimester, especially in light of the Nyakiele mass rape in June. <div id="attachment_385" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 300px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/08/22/unfpa-data-mapping-wheres-the-beef/dsc05525/" rel="attachment wp-att-385"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/08/DSC05525-300x225.jpg" alt="UN convoy on the road from Baraka to Uvira" width="300" height="225" class="size-medium wp-image-385" /></a>UN convoy on the road from Baraka to Uvira</div> The UNFPA data-mapping project is funded by STAREC, a fund dedicated to stabilization efforts in the Congo. Much of the information compiled from the UNFPA project is being used in the security reform sector of the UN, working to reform the Congolese military and police in order to reduce the number of human rights abuses committed by state individuals. In addition, UNFPA is also engaging in supplying health centers throughout the region with much-needed medical kits, including post-rape kits for survivors in need of urgent medical assistance. Field projects focusing on stabilization on the part of UNFPA and other UN organizations remain limited in Fizi Territory. “L’axe est trop chaud.” Dr. Aziza told us. The security situation in Fizi is obviously precarious, with a multitude of non-state armed groups still operating with impunity. Until the security situation is improved, UNFPA and other organizations such as UNICEF remain outside of Fizi Territory. I have also found out a few interesting facts about STAREC: out of its $200 million dollar budget, only $5 million is dedicated to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) issues. Out of the $5 million, $500,000 is being used for the data-mapping project in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri, of which the South Kivu base received $200,000. This may seem like quite a bit of money, but for a project of its scope in a space as large as South Kivu, it may not be quite enough. In addition, the data-mapping project ends in 2012; while the UNFPA staff in Bukavu is counting on an extension with assistance from the Canadian government, this type of project needs broader support in order to continue in a relevant manner. One source of much-needed support for the data-mapping project is from the Congolese government and from local Congolese partners. The UNFPA uses the CTLVS (Comité Territoriale de la Lutte contre la Violence Sexuelle) as a focal point for collecting its information in Sud Kivu. The CTLVS is a government initiative to coordinate and orient the various organizations working on sexual violence issues throughout the country. However, it is clear that the CTLVS has not quite yet found its place in the grand scheme of the things, and many local organizations in Uvira and Fizi do not engage with the CTLVS or with each other. Dr. Aziza emphasized that synergy, cooperation, and coordination are essential for local organizations working in the Congo. Indeed, if things like the UNFPA data-mapping project and the CTLVS are to be effective and relevant, all the actors in the zone must work together. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/tip-off/" title="Permalink to Tip-off at GDPU" rel="bookmark">Tip-off at GDPU</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-21" pubdate>August 21, 2011 4:11 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/tip-off/#comments">1 Comment</a> Whizzing by in the shiny new athletic wheelchairs, you might have thought these children had been playing basketball all their lives. Yet for many of these children with disabilities in Gulu, this was a first-time experience – and they loved it! Thanks to GDPU, War Child Holland, Motivation UK, Comic Relief, and The Kids’ League, 300 children will have a chance to learn, practice, and compete through a new project, Inclusive Disability Sports for Children in Northern Uganda (IDS). The pilot program started in Gulu, though as recently as July, GDPU exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding with the local government of Nwoya, the newest district in Uganda. Nwoya’s officials have expressed interest and a commitment to make IDS part of their regular programming! (Note: this was a big step, seeing as the local government building where we met wasn’t accessible…see my previous post, “Discrimination’s Veil,” for details!). A multi-year project supported by Motivation UK, IDS kicked-off its inaugural season in June, training volunteer coaches and recruiting participants from five primary schools: Gulu Primary, St. Jude, Laroo Primary, Laroo Boarding, and Mother Theresa. Tournaments have been taking place all summer long, bringing together more than 50 children with disabilities. They eagerly participated in a variety of games, including wheelchair basketball, showdown (think of a fusion between ping-pong and air hockey, where athletes with visual impairments listen for a ball with a bell inside), volleyball, and baccia (a game that is particularly good for children with more severe physically disabilities). <a title="A GDPU athlete during practice with IDS" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5905146832/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5239/5905146832_1dcd80cc2a.jpg" alt="An athlete enjoys basketball practice at GDPU." width="400" height="226" /></a> Explaining the importance of inclusive disability sports programming, GDPU Field Officer, Ojok Patrick, said “This is the first effort to provide opportunities for inclusive sports. The importances are many: one, it raises awareness that disabled children can also play sports. Two, it promotes the physical health of children with disabilities. Three, it creates awareness and advocacy issues for the community.” Mr. Semakula Fred, GDPU Project Coordinator, added, “Kids in PE at school, they might just be the timekeeper, or stay in the classroom while the others are out. Sport is a tool for social inclusion and self-efficacy for PWD.” This awareness also spreads to the community as a whole. At home, the children who participate in the IDS program may be able to more easily identify with their parents. Aloya Michael, Coordinator with The Kids’ League, added that these children “want to share what they have learned with their parents. Parents can be surprised to see boys and girls are picked up every evening” to practice and participate in this activity. Additionally, the “community has its own understanding of these boys and girls, so seeing them in this capacity changes that.” Local officials from Gulu, who were also on hand for the ceremony where GDPU officially received the donated equipment, have gotten behind the program, too. Otto Aldo Okot, the District Sports Officer, announced that starting next year, inclusive sports would be included in the district sports calendar along with all other programming. Volunteer coach Nume Allan, who also works for one of GDPU’s Member Organizations (Gulu Women With Disabilities), summed up the importance of inclusive disability sports. When asked why it was necessary for children with disabilities to be involved with sports, he did not miss a beat before enthusiastically answering, “Because they are human! They are capable! Disability is not a person. Deaf is not the person. Separate the disability from the person. Treat the person, not the disability. They can do anything!”   </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/farewell-enoosaen/" title="Permalink to Farewell, Enoosaen!" rel="bookmark">Farewell, Enoosaen!</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-20" pubdate>August 20, 2011 9:12 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/farewell-enoosaen/#comments">104 Comments</a> I left Enoosaen this morning, and it will take me a while to fully grasp how the past 3 months have affected me. Spending time with the girls has truly been the highlight of my summer: they are the warmest, most genuine people I have ever met. They don’t ask anything from you, maybe just a little of your attention, but the amount of love they give in return is unbelievable. I have learned a lot about the ups and downs of this type of field work, and I must say that learning and experiencing all this alongside Charlotte has been a pleasure. I could not have asked for a better colleague, and I have been incredibly fortunate for having also found a dear friend in her. <a title="The girls" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6063254544/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6071/6063254544_d1f8a341d3.jpg" alt="The KCE's girls and I" width="400" height="267" /></a> Living and working in Kenya has been a great opportunity for which I am grateful to the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence and to the Advocacy Project. But for feeling like I have a home and a family in Kenya I am really, truly grateful to Mama Kakenya, who received me with open arms since the moment I first arrived. I hope that, by sharing what I was learning through my blog posts, I was able to shed a little light on the dynamics between the local culture and the issue of FGM in this region. This is a complex issue, but I’m leaving Kenya hopeful that there is a process in motion to end this practice. I don’t know how long it will take, but undoubtedly efforts like the one undertaken by Kakenya Ntayia in Enoosaen are extremely important in eradicating female circumcision. In the past 3 months, I have learned a great deal, I have made countless new friends, and I have had the good fortune of experiencing another culture from the inside. For all of this and so much more, my humble thank you to everyone who helped me along the way! </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/a-brief-tour-of-kinawataka/" title="Permalink to A Brief Tour of Kinawataka" rel="bookmark">A Brief Tour of Kinawataka</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-20" pubdate> 12:13 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/a-brief-tour-of-kinawataka/#comments">6 Comments</a> At least five days a week (sometimes six), I leave my comfortable home at the Red Chili Hideaway, don my helmet, and hop on board a boda boda (motorbike taxi) for an eight-minute ride to Kinawataka, the slum area where Kinawataka Women Initiatives (KIWOI) is based. Most days, I walk home with Josephine, my colleague at KIWOI, since she passes Red Chilli on her way home. One day, our walk home took about an hour longer than it should because I was inspired to take some photos of the people and places in Kinawataka, the community where I work. Please check out my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/advocacy_project/sets/72157626450936999" target="_blank">Flickr set</a> to see the entire series. <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/ladies-maize.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-133" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/ladies-maize-425x285.jpg" alt="" width="425" height="285" /></a>   <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/lady-veg.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-135" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/lady-veg-425x243.jpg" alt="" width="425" height="243" /></a>   <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/kinawataka-kids-cold-drinks.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-136" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/kinawataka-kids-cold-drinks-425x632.jpg" alt="" width="298" height="442" /></a>   <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/bodas.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-141" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/bodas-425x322.jpg" alt="" width="383" height="290" /></a>   <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/seamstress.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-138" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/seamstress-425x425.jpg" alt="" width="340" height="340" /></a>   <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/phone.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-140" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/phone-425x632.jpg" alt="" width="298" height="442" /></a>   <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/kids-computer.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-139" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/kids-computer-425x425.jpg" alt="" width="340" height="340" /></a>   <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/rolex.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-167" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/rolex-425x425.jpg" alt="" width="340" height="340" /></a>   <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/shack.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-168" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/shack-425x493.jpg" alt="" width="340" height="394" /></a>   <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/road-to-police-post.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-152" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/road-to-police-post-425x285.jpg" alt="" width="425" height="285" /></a> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/sweet-soweto/" title="Permalink to Sweet Soweto" rel="bookmark">Sweet Soweto</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-20" pubdate> 9:36 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/sweet-soweto/#comments">1 Comment</a> I had the pleasure of meeting Soweto Forum in Kibera during one of its typical Friday meetings. John Mwihia Karanja, the Chairperson, had come by Hakijamii the day before so he could prep the group on what I was interested in learning about. The goal was easy: Tell me what you do. They meet in a small cement room in Soweto East, in the middle of the Government’s first phase of the <a href="http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=668&catid=206&typeid=13&subMenuId=0" target="_blank">Kenya Slum Upgrading Program</a> (KENSUP). <a title="Soweto Forum: Meetings" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5973479046/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6028/5973479046_5176f920db.jpg" alt="Soweto Forum: Meetings" /></a> KENSUP was started in 2004 as the Government’s major plan for improving the settlements, one by one. The Government targets a settlement, divides it into zones, then zone by zone, hands out eviction notices and demolishes the buildings left behind. The former occupants are moved into what are called decanting sites; these are essentially large apartment complexes. The former settlements are now available for other development, like high-demand luxury apartments. The decanting sites are where a lot of the trouble sets in. Until the Eviction and Resettlement Guidelines are passed, the Government has no obligations to the victims at all. The Constitution guarantees basic rights, like a right to adequate housing, but until there are guidelines, the Government can decide the limits arbitrarily. In theory, the decanting sites do not seem all too terrible. They are nice facilities, at least; adequate housing by any standard. But they are set many kilometers from the original location. The resettled people are not given opportunity to reorganize businesses and schools. There is no measurement of compensation at all. In actuality, the rent and cost of utilities in the decanting sites are higher than most people can afford, so many get evicted for defaulting on rent payments. Zone A of Soweto East was relocated to decanting sites in August 2009. The leftover land lays abandoned, structures intact, as the structure owners have taken the issue to court (HCCC No. 498 of 2009 Joseph Mwaura vs. Hon. Attorney General, the Minister for Lands and the Commissioner for Lands). They want compensation. The community just wants to move home. Much like the railroad expansion, this is a development-based forced eviction. And it is having real effects on the community members. One man at the meeting only said, “If I talk about slum upgrading, I will only have bitter words, because I am a victim. I lost everything.” KENSUP is in collaboration with <a href="http://www.unhabitat.org/" target="_blank">UN-HABITAT</a>, which is mandated to be the UN’s resettlement agency, ensuring adequate shelter for all. Additionally, there is the <a href="http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?Projectid=P113542&theSitePK=40941&piPK=73230&pagePK=64283627&menuPK=228424" target="_blank">Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project</a> (KISIP), which is funded by the World Bank. KISIP is also geared toward slum upgrading, but the intersect between KISIP and KENSUP is complicated and beyond my cursory knowledge. But I do know that both UN-HABITAT and the World Bank require equitable resettlement, so Shelter Forum has a good chance of making their contentions heard. <a title="Soweto Forum" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5973485894/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6134/5973485894_f751390414.jpg" alt="Soweto Forum" width="400" height="300" /></a> Besides fighting to right the slum upgrading, Soweto Forum is actively involved in the community. They provide adult education courses, advocate for better access to care for HIV/AIDS patients, and created Youth Building Bridges for Peace in Kibera to build entrepreneurship in the children of Kibera. Soweto women have also created Gender Defenders, which works to improve women’s empowerment and security in the settlements. In particular, they work with young girls to end gender-based violence. They do fun empowerment exercises, like cat walking and are working to create a security station. They are also teaching the women to improve their socio-economic status by teaching them skills to become financially stable. They raise chickens and sell various beaded goods, like necklaces and purses. They also work on urban gardening, one of many projects Christy <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cgillmore/2010/06/17/the-mirage-of-slum-upgrading/" target="_blank">highlighted</a> last year. <a title="Soweto Forum + Advocacy Project" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5972942167/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6022/5972942167_43594568e9.jpg" alt="Soweto Forum + Advocacy Project" width="400" height="300" /></a> Soweto Forum has a lot of activity in the works. They are primarily focused on an eviction moratorium. They also want to see the Eviction and Resettlement Guidelines adopted. But despite their busy schedules, they took time to spend their entire meeting welcoming me and making sure I had all my questions answered. I was not able to visit Soweto Forum again, mainly due to the increased violence in Kibera, due to the Ngazi elections, but I am hoping to work with Hakijamii Community Outreach Officer Marcy to find some resources and funding for this group. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/bracage/" title="Permalink to Braçage" rel="bookmark">Braçage</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-20" pubdate> 12:11 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/bracage/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> Col. Kifaru Niragiye and his troops have been re-absorbed into the FARDC, with no promise of prosecution or investigation on the role they played in the mass rapes in the Nyakiele/Abala/Kanguli area in June. We are still waiting for a military judge to bring charges against Col. Kifaru and his men. You may recall that on July 7th, Col. Kifaru and his troops, ex-PARECO combatants from North Kivu, entered the braçage center in Luberizi after deserting a few weeks before due to their discontent with the re-organization of the command structure of their unit. <div id="attachment_379" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 225px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/08/20/bracage/dsc04781/" rel="attachment wp-att-379"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/08/DSC04781-225x300.jpg" alt="SOS FED staff inspecting a map of Fizi Territory" width="225" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-379" /></a>SOS FED staff inspecting a map of Fizi Territory</div> However, there is a flip side to the braçage process: perhaps it has worked for certain units of the FARDC to the benefit of the Fizi community in general. During Operation Amani Leo in 2010, the SOS FED center in Kikonde was flooded with women who were raped by FARDC soldiers. However, according to the SOS FED staff, the behavior of FARDC soldiers in Kikonde and Kazimia has improved since their return from braçage. “Before, when you saw an Amani Leo soldier in the street, you turned around and ran the other way,” said SOS FED center manager Sangho Laliya. “Now, we are much less afraid of them.” The numbers of women arriving at the Kikonde center who have reported being raped by the FARDC is also dropping. According to the Kikonde/Kazimia staff, the braçage training has professionalized the soldiers in their area, leading to much fewer cases of human rights violations in their areas. Obviously, not all FARDC soldiers are rapists or violent maniacs, and the testimony of the SOS FED center staff bears witness to the benefits of the braçage process to those who are willing to change. However, the Congolese government still has not answered the question of what is to be done with integrated armed groups who refuse to stop preying upon the population. The re-absorption of Col. Kifaru and the near standstill of the justice process for the Kikozi mass rape in March are glaring examples of the impunity enjoyed by many armed groups in South Kivu and the lack of social justice for those crushed under their heels. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/a-womans-power/" title="Permalink to A woman’s power" rel="bookmark">A woman’s power</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-19" pubdate>August 19, 2011 4:14 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/a-womans-power/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> After living in Enoosaen for almost 3 months, I can hardly claim that I have a nuanced understanding of the local culture. However, what I did confirm first hand during my time here is the power that women have when they put their minds to something, with a good example being the number of single moms that I met who are taking care of their families and managing to support their children at school out of sheer will power. Thus, I am convinced that when enough women decide female circumcision is a practice that should be put to rest, FGM will indeed be nothing but a (sad) chapter in the past. One of these strong-willed women is Rosemary Mesopir. A teacher at heart, she has worked for the past 4 years as the teachers’ advisor in the Kilgoris Division but, unofficially, she works as the local Area Education Officer, assessing the quality of schools in the region. Prior to this job she was the head teacher at St. Josephs for 6 years, and her involvement in the local fight against FGM comes from that time. <a title="Rosemary Mesopir" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5943849377/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6016/5943849377_dcff0674df.jpg" alt="Rosemary Mesopir" width="400" height="267" /></a> St. Joseph, as Charlotte mentioned in a previous <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/2011/07/08/counselor-carolines-crusade-to-rescue-girls/">post</a>, is a government boarding school that doubles as a rescue center for girls who escape FGM, and Rosemary was the one who started this activity. Although Rosemary’s mother never went to school, she knew that she wanted her daughters to be educated. Going to school unfortunately didn’t prevent Rosemary from undergoing the traditional female circumcision ceremony when she was around 12, but she says that “at the time it was not something people discussed. It was prestigious, it was painful, but it was a pain that you felt you had to go through to become a woman in our society.” Because of the determination of her mother she was able to avoid the natural next step after FGM, early marriage, and she went back to school. She remembers that “by Form 3, I was the only girl from my village still studying, everybody else was already married.” Her mother had an elder sister who was an educator, had a job and her own money, so her mother always thought that education/work was better than marriage. Rosemary grew up to marry a man she chose, and together they have 5 children. Even though she is the mother of 3 girls, she says that she never gave much tough to the issue of FGM until an organization called <a href="http://mywokenya.org/">Maendeleo</a> came to Kilgoris in 2000 and started running workshops explaining the risks associated with female circumcision. Maendeleo’s programs had the purpose of training local people who could then reach out to the community at large. They held many workshops, and made her really aware of the dangers of FGM. She says that after that she made the conscious decision that her daughters wouldn’t be cut, and she took them to the workshops as well because, as she says, “even though they were still young, I wanted them to fully understand all the consequences of female circumcision.” Her husband was worried about how his position in the community would be affected if he allowed his girls not to be circumcised, but Rosemary is a woman who can change people’s mind, and eventually her husband agreed. Being a teacher at an all-female boarding school proved to be a great opportunity for her to reach out to girls. She used her position as a head teacher at St. Josephs to identify the bright girls in class and then tried to convince them to forget about FGM. She figured that, since early marriage is expected after FGM, if you are able to convince the parents to postpone the circumcision until after high school you can allow the girls to have time to mature and make their own decisions afterwards. Her tactics to reach people proved to be quite effective. She chose not to be openly vocal against FGM with everyone, and instead she only approached the brightest girls at school. When I asked her why she chose to only reach a few girls, she said that “if you want to cross a river, you take a few cows first and then come for the rest later.” Head teachers have to choose the options of district, provincial, and national high schools for the graduating primary class, and Rosemary made a point of only choosing school outside of the Transmara region (mostly a Maasai area) so the girls could see what it was like to live without thinking about FGM, and see for themselves how other people didn’t think it was important. From trying to save the girls from her own school, it was only a short step towards rescuing outside girls. She remembers that the first girl who came to her directly looking for shelter was a girl in Class 7 from a different school. Since Rosemary would use church meetings to also explain the risks about FGM, people were aware of her involvement with the issue, so it was natural that other girls would come to her for help. She is quick to point out that her talks were very technical, highlighting the advantages of keeping the girls in school and “postponing” the decision to be cut, and she stresses the importance of not being openly against FGM at the time for fear of alienating people. She played with the parents’ fears of having their girls raped, abused, or forced to get married after having them circumcised in order to convince them to keep the girls in school longer. After the first girl came and was successful, others came in more and more, and soon enough she had around 12 girls living at St. Josephs. The District Commissioner had to work with the local Chief to convince the parents to protect and pay for the school fees of those girls. Not long after this, someone run a story on her in the newspaper, and then some sponsors started to help. By then, other than school fees, she was covering all other expenses of these girls. After a few years, Rosemary decided to apply for a promotion so she could still be in touch with students, but now covering a larger area in the division. After all these years, she doesn’t feel there has been much change since FGM still goes on, and there is still need to rescue girls. <a title="Rosemary Mesopir" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5943850823/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6022/5943850823_060c64a554.jpg" alt="“people do it in secrecy, and before people were doing openly so it was easier to hear about a ceremony before it happened and intervene. The law exists, but nobody is doing much about it. Enforcement is important and it is still lacking.”" width="400" height="267" /></a> But she is not a pessimist at heart, and she does hope that things will improve with time. She mentions the efforts of the local religious establishment as very positive, and also says that having the Maasai compare themselves to other tribes who either don’t adopt FGM or have abandoned the practice is useful too. Many girls nowadays marry outside of the tribe, and often they will be surprised to learn that in their new neighborhood they will be the only girls who were circumcised. What is important, she highlights, is to help the girls have the information to decide for themselves. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/and-what-about-those-computers/" title="Permalink to And what about those computers?" rel="bookmark">And what about those computers?</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-18" pubdate>August 18, 2011 7:56 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/and-what-about-those-computers/#comments">1 Comment</a> As the end of my time here in Enoosaen approaches, I thought it would be interesting to report back on the computer lessons I have been giving to the girls. During my time here I have also been teaching computer classes to the girls at Classes 4 and 6 twice a week. Electricity is a problem in the area, so the lessons didn’t start right away and were occasionally interrupted when the power was out, but overall I can say that I have taught at least one solid month of computer classes, if not a bit more. This was a good learning experience for the girls, and it was an equally good learning experience to me. We take for granted our easiness around electronic devices, and it was fascinating to see those young minds exposed to something as mind-blowing as a computer for the first time. Go through <a href="https://www.vssmonitoring.com/best-budget-monitor/">https://www.vssmonitoring.com/best-budget-monitor/</a> for better information. Things that for us are second nature, such as moving a mouse around, were an exercise in patience with the girls. They were equally frightened and amazed at what that little thing could do, and fully mastering the motor skills to know how to move the mouse all over the screen while using a very small desk surface or the proper time to use the left or right button might still take some time. <a title="Computer class!" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5944403542/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6025/5944403542_d00b66315d.jpg" alt="The girls waiting to start a new computer class" width="400" height="267"></a> We have 16 computers, so for the most part each computer was used by two girls. Keeping an orderly classroom was difficult at times, but things became better when we figured that the girls would be good at teaching each other as well, so I would usually explain something and then give them a little time to talk about it with their partners. By now, I’m happy to report that they know how to turn the computer on and off, how to open the WordPad, they are more or less familiar with the keyboard and can type most things at an acceptable speed for their age, and they know how to highlight something and change the fonts’ color, size and style. I know that for many these accomplishments may sound unremarkable, and before I came I also had very unrealistic expectations about what we would be able to achieve with the girls. However, after being here teaching the girls I’m truly happy with what they have achieved in such a little time. Bear in mind that 99% of these girls had never seen a computer before, and 100% had never even touched one. If anything, this just demonstrates how efforts like these should be multiplied and expanded. Like most kids, they are very bright and learn very fast, and unlike most kids we know they don’t take these opportunities for granted and are very grateful for being able to learn, even if just a little. I know that these new opportunities offered to them by the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence will have a huge impact on their learning curve. I have great expectations for these girls, and dream that maybe someday I will get an email from one of them updating me on all the amazing things they will certainly know how to do by then. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/mboko-august-2011/" title="Permalink to Mboko, August 2011" rel="bookmark">Mboko, August 2011</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-18" pubdate> 9:29 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/mboko-august-2011/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> The conflict, and its effects on civilians, is not quite abating in Fizi Territory. The village of Mboko is situated about halfway down on the road between Uvira and Baraka. Mboko is sandwiched between Lake Tangayika, immediately to the east, and the mountains of the Moyen Plateau, which rise up to the west. The area of the Moyen/Haut Plateau to the west of Mboko is infested with armed groups, most notably Mai Mai militias, the FDLR, and Burundian FNL rebels. SOS FED has one center in Mboko, providing services to survivors of sexual violence. The Mboko center has seen some rough days, especially when the surrounding area was a battleground between the Congolese military and various non-state armed groups in the mid-late 2000s. The Mboko center staff had noted that starting in end of 2010, the situation around Mboko was relatively calm due to FARDC actions that pushed the zone-of-combat away from the main road. However, that is now starting to change. On August 3rd, armed men stopped and robbed 2 vehicles in the village of Ilila, about 15 minutes north of Mboko. In the incident, 7 women were raped; these women went to the MSF hospital in Baraka. There is no official confirmation as to the affiliation of the armed perpetrators, but the word around the area is that these men belong to a Mai Mai militia based in the Moyen Plateau just above the area. On August 15, armed men (again, presumed Mai Mai) attacked civilians working in their fields near the village of Senza, just south of Mboko. About 13 women reported being raped in the attacks. SOS FED Mboko center manager Mariamu Bashishibe tells me she and her staff are making all effort to reach the survivors and provide them with assistance. In addition, several NGOs in the area, along with local authorities, are working together to help those who have fallen victim to these attacks. In the month of August, the SOS FED center in Mboko has received two women from a village near Ilila that were attacked and raped in their homes by presumed Mai Mai assailants. There are many more reports of attacks in the area, with rumors of alarmingly high numbers of rapes, but I am waiting for confirmation from several sources before I report on these other incidents. Please stay tuned for more in the coming weeks. In general, it appears as though attacks on civilians on the Uvira-Baraka road are starting to pick up, particularly close to Mboko. According to people I spoke with in Mboko, the Mai Mai have successfully infiltrated the villages and seem to raid at will. What is the possible reason for this escalation in rape, pillage, and violence? The Mboko center staff connects the escalation to the general reduction of FARDC troops in the area since the braçage process started earlier this year for units based in Mboko. Earlier this year, the Mboko-area FARDC units went into braçage for training/re-equipment/re-organization. However, their units have returned back to Mboko in fewer numbers than before. While the reduction of total troop numbers in the Kivus is a positive change, especially considering the massive amount of human rights violations committed by the FARDC, the continued presence of armed groups such as the Mai Mai, FDLR, and FNL means that civilians will continue to suffer as non-state armed elements simply move into areas left empty by the FARDC. The confused FARDC presence, paired with an almost total lack of effective MONUSCO troop presence in Fizi Territory, is making things rather easy for armed groups that wish to prey upon the civilian population. While the rest of Congo is supposed to be moving forward in terms of peace, security, and stability, Fizi Territory remains stuck. <div id="attachment_392" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 225px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/08/18/mboko-august-2011/dsc05002/" rel="attachment wp-att-392"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/08/DSC05002-225x300.jpg" alt="Child with fish in Fizi Territory" width="225" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-392" /></a>Child with fish in Fizi Territory</div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/s-u-c-c-e-s-s/" title="Permalink to S-U-C-C-E-S-S" rel="bookmark">S-U-C-C-E-S-S</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-15" pubdate>August 15, 2011 1:13 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/s-u-c-c-e-s-s/#comments">2 Comments</a> Yesterday we held the first Spelling Bee contest at the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence. The whole event was a success: the girls were very excited to participate, the teachers were great at keeping the event going in an orderly manner, and the gifts brought by two different groups of visitors who came to the school in the past couple of weeks made for amazing prizes for the girls. <a title="Ready to start" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6045673638/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6090/6045673638_1604f10d63.jpg" alt="Ready to start" width="400" height="267" /></a> The whole idea behind the Spelling Bee was to help the girls learn new words and stress the importance of improving their English skills. With this in mind, we had the girls take note of the difficult English words that they encountered in their lessons during a week, and then I went over those words and compiled different lists of 100 words each for Classes 4 to 6. <a title="Spelling" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6045124859/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6061/6045124859_23a10ce177.jpg" alt="In spelling position!" width="400" height="267" /></a> When the lists were ready, we went to each class, explained the concept of a Spelling Bee, wrote the words on the chalkboard and clarified any initial questions that they had about pronunciation. The girls then had to use the dictionaries to look up the meaning of the words, and after this was done they had to study them and memorize their spelling. We gave them around 3 weeks to study, and a new group of visitors (all native English speakers) helped the girls go over the words one more time on Saturday before the big day. <a title="Places 1 to 10 in Class 4" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6045677826/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6073/6045677826_338e7a2f0e.jpg" alt="Places 1 to 10 in Class 4" width="400" height="267" /></a> I must say that I was slightly apprehensive about the whole thing as I was not sure if the girls had really understood what was being asked of them or if they were taking the Spelling Bee seriously enough, but in the end we all had a great Sunday afternoon and the event was amazing, from beginning to end. <a title="Places 1 to 10 in Class 5" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6045127261/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6077/6045127261_0a7f4aea2c.jpg" alt="Places 1 to 10 in Class 5" width="400" height="267" /></a> I cheered for each girl as they came in the room for their turn, and hoped that all of them would get their words right. Alas, that is not possible (or expected) in a Spelling Bee, but I still felt really sorry for the ones who got their words wrong. When a girl got her word right, the others who were watching would erupt in a loud cheer, and it was great to see all the girls who did get their words right go outside of the room jumping with excitement as they greeted their classmates and got back in line for another round. <a title="Places 1 to 10 in Class 6" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6045126361/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6181/6045126361_46a35265d1.jpg" alt="Places 1 to 10 in Class 6" width="400" height="267" /></a> Even though we stressed several times that the prizes were not the ultimate goal of the Spelling Bee, the girls were still more than happy during their awards ceremony. We awarded everyone with a beautiful, colorful sticker for their participation, and places 1 to 10 got bigger prizes that included stickers, pens and pencils, headbands, sweets and other shiny objects. I was happy (and relieved!) to see our girls doing very well throughout the competition and we even had a tie for 1st place in Class 4. <a title="All the winners!" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6045681824/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6183/6045681824_d0a2c2d8b1.jpg" alt="All the winners!" width="400" height="267" /></a> I certainly hope that this was the first of other Spelling Bees to come, and truly hope that our girls found this activity useful in their learning process. Personally, this will be one of my most cherished memories from my time in Enoosaen, and will certainly remember the joy on everyone’s faces at the end of the day. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/in-enoosaen-sometimes-price-of-skyrocketing-food-costs-is-education/" title="Permalink to In Enoosaen, sometimes price of skyrocketing food costs is education" rel="bookmark">In Enoosaen, sometimes price of skyrocketing food costs is education</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-13" pubdate>August 13, 2011 2:15 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/in-enoosaen-sometimes-price-of-skyrocketing-food-costs-is-education/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> <h4><a title="Women work together to clean the August maize harvest" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6037369512/" rel=""><img decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6037369512_856a75f550.jpg" alt="Women work together to clean the August maize harvest" /></a></h4> How high are these prices, exactly? Literally every staple is costlier than when I arrived, and the #1 staple, white maize, is at 200% of last year’s price. <h4>Changes in the cost of staple items since this time last year:</h4> <ul> <li>maize: 2000 shillings/bag → 4000 shillings/bag (the school goes through 3 bags a week!)</li> <li>milk: 20 shillings/Litre → 40 shillings/Litre (not because there is a shortage, but because the producers went on strike so that they would get get a high enough price to be able to afford to buy maize to feed their families!)</li> <li>beans: 100 shillings/tin → 150 shillings/tin (the school goes through 4 tins a day)</li> <li>sugar: 100 shillings/kilo → 150 shillings/kilo</li> <li>bread: 40 shillings/loaf → 50 shillings/loaf</li> <li>cooking oil: 150 shillings/Litre → 200 shillings/Litre</li> <li>salt: 10 shillings/packet → 15 shillings/packet</li> <li>soap: 80 shillings/bar → 100 shillings/bar</li> <li>rice: 70 shillings/ kilo → 110 shillings/kilo</li> </ul> <h4><a title="Maize market in Kilgoris town, Transmara West District" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6037370550/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6191/6037370550_3421c66240.jpg" alt="Maize market in Kilgoris town, Transmara West District" width="400" height="268" /></a></h4> When I go to the market, it blows my mind how at least one of these prices rises every single day. Because the price of each staple is related to the price of the others, when one goes up the whole system seems to become a little more over stretched, ratcheting up prices to record levels. Rising food costs combined with corrupt and obstructive governance and the worst drought in 60 years are creating a terrifying storm of humanitarian need all over the horn of Africa. In Kenya, there is a brewing but less noticed hunger crisis (and not only in the drought-affected northern areas). <a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2011-08-11/world/kenya.food.prices_1_food-prices-sugar-prices-maize?_s=PM:WORLD">This CNN World article</a> explains that prices in Kenya have risen faster than the global levels, and that Kenya’s problems have “been exacerbated by other factors, such as high fuel costs to transport food, the weak Kenyan shilling and maize export bans by neighboring countries” such as Tanzania, which recently imposed its own maize export ban to preserve domestic food security. In addition, because of the drought in the north, there is simply less food, and much of what little remains is being bought up to improve food security in the north. With skyrocketing, unmanageable food prices, sometimes the price of feeding the family is foregoing education. In my <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/2011/08/12/trying-out-new-things-in-the-classroom/">last post</a>, I explained Kenya’s summer-school like tradition of “tuition.” All around Enoosaen, however, I see children who should be in school playing in the streets or helping their parents with the small family restaurant or business, and several people have told me that this season in particular, exceptionally few families can afford to both feed their families and send their children to school with the the $2.00-$5.00 tuition school fee. It is not hard to understand, but it is a cruel reality that education loses out when struggling to provide basic survival needs. And when the new semester starts on September 5th, school fees everywhere (especially at the all important boarding schools!) will be raised, and children whose parents already don’t care for education are becoming even more vulnerable to being taken out of school for lack of ability to pay. We too are feeling the costs at the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence, and Kakenya is trying to raise money specifically to cover the rising food costs, instead of passing the burden onto the families – we will try to do everything we can to keep this crisis from affecting our girls. <a title="Drying recently harvested maize in Enoosaen center" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6036817107/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6183/6036817107_366e7cc973.jpg" alt="Drying recently harvested maize in Enoosaen center. On top of everything, as Mama Kakenya puts it, "the poor are getting poorer" because without a financial security blanket, they are forced to sell their maize during the marginally lower prices of market saturated harvest time (now), rather than wait for the prices to rise again in a few weeks." width="400" height="268" /></a> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/travails-reposted-8122011/" title="Permalink to Travails [originally posted 7/21/2011]" rel="bookmark">Travails [originally posted 7/21/2011]</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-12" pubdate>August 12, 2011 3:48 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/travails-reposted-8122011/#comments">2 Comments</a> Nothing is ever that easy for an AP fellow, and the Congo is no exception. The month of July was marked with sickness and plague, among other things. On Tuesday, July 5th, I fell very, very ill. I lost my appetite and my body ached all over. I had a horrendous fever. The next week or so would become the most physically painful of my entire life. At first, I tried to avoid all medical care; Congolese healthcare is so incompetent you’d be better off tying a noose around your neck than check into the Uvira hospital. On Thursday one of my new roommates referred me to a West African doctor, who ordered a bunch of tests and discovered that I had hit the trifecta: malaria, typhoid, and a urinary tract infection. The doctor immediately started giving me what I needed: antibiotics, antimalarials, and drugs to get my raging fever down. On Friday, he checked me into a hospital in Bujumbura so I could continue receiving care over the weekend. I received injections of quinine to combat the malaria, which made me partially deaf for a few days. All the while, I still had zero appetite and was experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, severe headaches, a sore throat, and debilitating muscle pain. Needless to say, sleeping was hard to do, and my dreams were vivid and extremely painful. On Monday, July 11th, the doctor picked me up in Bujumbura and brought me back home. It took a few days of vomiting, diarrhea, and more antibiotics, but after about a week of rest I think I could consider myself “cured”. I even got my hearing back. However, it was a bit of a bummer to be out-of-action on my 28th birthday, on July 13. The turning point, I think, was when I suddenly felt the urge to devour everything in sight. Now, I’m pretty much back at 100% capacity. The memories of my trifecta illness, however, continue to give me the willies. So, July was an interesting month. No cholera, please. <div id="attachment_362" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 300px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/08/12/travails-reposted-8122011/dsc00261/" rel="attachment wp-att-362"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/08/DSC00261-300x225.jpg" alt="Walter James, during malaria/typhoid/UT infection" width="300" height="225" class="size-medium wp-image-362" /></a>Walter James, during malaria/typhoid/UT infection</div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/trying-out-new-things-in-the-classroom/" title="Permalink to Trying out new things in the classroom" rel="bookmark">Trying out new things in the classroom</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-12" pubdate> 3:22 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/trying-out-new-things-in-the-classroom/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> <a title="Why am I worthy?" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6031635839/" rel=""><img decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6084/6031635839_516688b6f4.jpg" alt="Why am I worthy?" /></a> We are wrapping up our second of three weeks of “Tuition” period at the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence. The girls are technically on their August holiday from school, but in Kenya it is widely accepted that the April and August holidays are meant to include a couple extra weeks of remedial and catch up work – a sort of summer school, if you will. This time around, the Kakenya’s Dream organization is using an entirely separate set of motivated and qualified teaching staff to run an intensive remedial tutoring program. Most of the teachers we would normally have in the school are pursuing continuing education degrees during the holiday, and the government teachers are not accustomed to working during the holidays, so it made sense for the organization to step in and take advantage of the opportunity to give an extra enrichment program during tuition. This leaves me in charge (ha!), and a lot of room for innovation! I have asked the new teachers to bring as many progressive techniques into the classroom as possible, and to promote the creative and critical thinking that is sometimes lacking in the normal curriculum (because these aren’t skills that are considered helpful for the girls perform on their end of primary school exams). These teachers have been recruited from as far as far western Kenya, and many have a variety of volunteer experience with community based organizations. The teachers are really impressing me and working around the clock – they make things run so smoothly it is as if the program is running itself. It might be helping that we have a full time teaching position open at the school and that they are all potential candidates… There are a couple of things I love about tuition. The first is that we can use the extra class time to target problem areas for girls who have come into the school very behind academically, especially in English. These tend to be the girls we have accepted on the basis of their vulnerability (poverty, lack of familial support for education, etc.). The second is that we have time for awesome and unusual activities like the spelling bee we are hosting this weekend. I adore words, and am pretty stoked about the girls running around studying their english spelling lists! More on this later. The third is that we have the chance to bring in leadership classes (in the future, these will be a part of the normal school activities, but we are still working on the final curriculum). Each class is having 2 hours of leadership and empowerment workshop every week, and the girls absolutely love it. For the first week, we had some visitors from the U.S. here volunteering at the school, so I put them to the task (thanks, Ellyn, Onalie, and co.!). I have also brought in a friend of mine, Caroline Ojwaya, who is a teacher at the St. Josephs school in Kilgoris (a nearby school where they support a very large number of girls rescued from forced marriages and circumcisions). She does a lot of work with girls’ empowerment and volunteers to run the Arid Lands Rural Development peer educators program. She is just an overall feisty and empowered lady, and I thought she would be perfect to run our program. <a title="Working on Self Esteem" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6032194722/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6128/6032194722_7f7cd69312.jpg" alt="Working on Self Esteem - this activity shows how easy it is to tear a person down, but how difficult it can be to build them back up again." /></a> <a title="Caroline Ojwaya, Leadership trainer" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6031635567/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6130/6031635567_8e744833f6.jpg" alt="Caroline Ojwaya, Leadership trainer" /></a> So far, she has brought incredible and nurturing energy to the classroom, and some very participatory lessons on self awareness and self esteem. The self esteem activity was my favorite – it involved tearing paper upon hearing negative statements to show how easy it is to tear a person down, but how difficult it can be to build them back up again. Even more exciting: this morning the girls told me that when some boys hissed at them from the road as they were carrying water, they thought about what Madam Caroline told them, kept their chins high, and told the boys, “there are no dogs here.” Music to my ears.   <a title="Music that Empowers" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6031634933/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6186/6031634933_b973fb42ec.jpg" alt="Music that empowers: Learning a song about how to protect ourselves and "our private parts," a critical lesson for empowering young Maasai girls." width="400" height="267" /></a> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/transmara-sugar-company/" title="Permalink to Transmara Sugar Company" rel="bookmark">Transmara Sugar Company</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-11" pubdate>August 11, 2011 5:34 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/transmara-sugar-company/#comments">2 Comments</a> See anything ruining the view from the idyllic riverside property of the EnKakenya Centre for Excellence in the photo below? Sure the Transmara Sugar Company factory isn’t photogenic, but its worst impacts on the area are yet to be felt. <a title="sugar factory dangerously close to the Enkakenya Centre for Excellenc" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6008225589/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6015/6008225589_f7bfaca092.jpg" alt="The Transmara Sugar Company factory, with its dirty smoke stack and life-sucking water pump dangerously close to the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence dormitory in the foreground." width="400" height="230" /></a> The Transmara Sugar Company broke ground in 2010, and hopes to be operational by October this year. Most people in Enoosaen have high hopes for the benefits the factory might bring. The biggest pro-factory argument you hear on the streets and at the soda shops is that the factory will bring jobs to the area. Jobs mean more income, maybe more population, and therefore, it is assumed, some sort of miraculously speedy development in the town center and the region as a whole. Alas, having spoken with the factory owner yesterday it has become apparent that 25% or less of those jobs will be given to unskilled local laborers. When I ask educated colleagues or villagers about the factory, the list of worries abounds. Of course the first thing they say is that there are some good things (jobs, money) that will come, but there is inevitably a pause and then a river of concerns about cane farming. Sugar has a pretty bad reputation in world history (the centerpiece of the slave trade? Contributor to the epidemic obesity and diabetes?), and <a href="http://www.ceecec.net/case-studies/let-them-eat-sugar-life-and-livelihood-in-kenyas-tana-delta/">Kenya is no different</a>. I am have zero expertise in agriculture, but I have a few hunches about the negative impact of concentrating on cash crops and a sugar monoculture. Cane is also notorious for stripping soil of its nutrients. I’ve expanded on several of the local problems with sugar cane in a list at the end of this post. There was once an open community conversation about the potential negative effects (while deciding whether or not to accept the application to build the factory). At that meeting, one of the most educated (and wealthy) elder men of the town stood to speak his concerns about the factory taking advantage of the community, but his suggestions were rejected on the basis of the assumption that since he has money, he simply doesn’t want the others to have the opportunity to reap the financial gains. The factory itself is owned by a wealthy Indian man named Mr. Shah, a Bombay native but 30+ year Kenyan resident. He answered to my concerns about the long term social and environmental impacts on the community by saying that they will consider offering financial education to their registered farmers, that they will possibly provide a few water taps outside of their factory, and that he even wants to build an orphanage nearby. But until we see these things, it is just talk, and other than the donation of some few building materials to the surrounding schools, I’ve seen nothing yet that leads me to believe he will follow through. <a title="Owner, Mr. Shah" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6008772004/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6009/6008772004_852e3d279a.jpg" alt="Owner, Mr. Shah" width="362" height="400" /></a> This factory has taken a lot of investment and important people have big stakes in its success. There doesn’t seem to be much anyone can do to stop it. The one way I see that we who recognize its perils can try to protect Enoosaen is education. I want to see the community be cognizant of what is happening to it, and vibrant debate is the first step to maintaining awareness. I am pushing for the teachers to bring the subject up in science and social studies classes and look at examples of similarly disasterous projects elsewhere. Here at the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence we can use it as an educational tool, and hope that the children go home and tell their parents. <a title="Sugar factory in Kenya, made in India" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6008222897/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6149/6008222897_756db4059a.jpg" alt="Sugar factory in Kenya, made in India" /></a> <h4>Read on if you are interested in some of the problems with the culture of Cane!</h4> Sugar is a known source of several evils: 1. Dangerous sums of money, and years between returns – On one hand, an acre of sugar cane can earn between a half to a million Kenya shillings, but a rural farming family who receives this payment rarely has the education or experience to tell them to save or manage this money. Harvests only happen every few years, so if a famly takes an expensive getaway and lives like royalty for a week, or if a husband goes straight to town to drink the harvest down to the last Tusker beer, the family will quickly be financially distraught. Conversely, the fact that a sugar harvest means big bucks is well known, and makes families who hve recently harvested a succulent target for thieves who may come after a family at their home at night, knowing the family will likely have wads of cash in the house. Some people have suggested that the Sony Sugar factory in nearby Awendo, a smaller scale operation, has sometimes seen almost daily robbings or killings for the money reaped from the cane sales of one of its farmers. 2. Food prices and cane vs. corn – People from all over the neighboring Nyanza province currently buy food, and especially maize (for the staple food, ugali) from this area. If sugar usurps the basic foods, the price of maize may rise even more than it already is (as a result of a general inflation in food prices we are currently experiencing here). 3. Financial trickery – Cane factories nearby have resulted in major negative financial and social effects on the local communities. Around the Mumias sugar factory, families have been leasing their land to the sugar factory on which the factory grows cane. Firstly, this means that the land may not be maintained to the standard at which a farmer would maintain his own land. Secondly, this means that families receive a payment for their land once and then are without land to cultivate for a period of years. Over those years, they lack the food and constant revenue that comes from cultivating land, and they most likely are bankrupt from not having had the skills to manage the large sum of money they might have received for the lease of their land. For that reason, or in order to purchase fertilizer for their cane, families may take out loans from the sugar company itself, and then with no other recourse to pay back their loans, several effectively end up as endentured laborers on their own land, working for the factory to pay back their loans. The Transmara Sugar Company is also proposing to lease land from around Keyian Division. 4. Environment – Lastly, several of us are gravely concerned about the environmental effects such as pollution (especially smoke and noise), and particularly the impact of the factory on the river that is Enoosaen’s primary water source. Transmara Sugar Company will be thoroughly cleaning the water he returns to the river after its cycle through the factory, but he will only return a minuscule fraction of the 400,000 litres (!!!) he will be extracting each day. It seems impossible to me that the river will have anything at all left to offer the residents downstream. 5. Land for cane means none for cows – There will certainly be a social impact, as the push to grow cane will completely interrupt the economy and food economy of the area, and the social structures surrounding them. More land for cane means less for cows to graze, and the cow is a central part not only of Maasai culture, but of how families manage through the hard times: the herd is the bank account. More income volatility means more volatile resources available for children’s school fees and books. And the more monolithic any one crop becomes, the more scarce is the knowledge of how to raise the varied, traditional, and useful other crops. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/stories-worth-telling/" title="Permalink to Stories worth telling" rel="bookmark">Stories worth telling</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-08" pubdate>August 8, 2011 10:42 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/stories-worth-telling/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> Enoosaen is primarily a Maasai region, inhabited by those who decided to leave their wandering ways behind them and settle here. The Maasai culture is notorious for its chauvinism, thus working with a group of adult women on the quilting/beading project makes a lot of sense, because unlike our girls at the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence, the vast majority of the women have not had access to education, had to undergo FGM and get married at an early age, and have overall endured all the difficulties associated with growing up as a Maasai woman. This makes for incredibly interesting storytelling, and the women of the Rehema Widows Group are not disappointing in that department. <a title="Storytelling through pictures" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5943873077/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6030/5943873077_c986bf6820.jpg" alt="Storytelling through pictures" width="400" height="267" /></a> After meeting with the women a number of times, explaining to them the idea and importance of the project, we took note of the stories they wanted to tell. Some of these were personal accounts, but others were more of a group effort since so many of their struggles are experiences also common to other women. After this we approached a couple of people who could help us with drawing their stories onto fabric, but this turned out to be a difficult part of the process since they were not very keen on helping with our project or were just very busy. <a title="Saying no to female circumcision" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5943955621/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6138/5943955621_1a4f048ebf.jpg" alt="Saying no to female circumcision" width="400" height="267" /></a> But our very own <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/">Charlotte</a> came to the rescue and showcased her artistic abilities by drawing all the stories herself. I might be biased because I could not do this myself as I lack the drawing skills, but to me her drawings look amazing and true to the stories told by the women. <a title="The artist" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5944513006/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6128/5944513006_b0a73a9691.jpg" alt="The artist" width="267" height="400" /></a> We later distributed these drawings to the women, and gave them all the material (beads in different colors, strings, and needles) necessary to start the beading. They are very excited about the project, and some are almost done with their first panels. After seeing the work done by their fellow group members, other women who were not initially participating are now eager to join our project, and Charlotte has already collected new stories to draw. <a title="Discussing the picture" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5944435462/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6122/5944435462_57639eb3d9.jpg" alt="Discussing the picture" width="400" height="267" /></a> It might not be possible for me to see all these panels finished before I leave Enoosaen in two weeks, but working on this project has given me incredible insight into the lives of these remarkable women. I have learned, for instance, that in the Maasai culture the woman is expected to build her home after getting married (the traditional mud houses are called “Manyatas”), and that is also the woman’s job to take care of the “shamba” (the farm). <a title="A beading work in progress" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6020966373/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6121/6020966373_70ebda9c1e.jpg" alt="A beading work in progress" width="400" height="267" /></a> These women carry a heavy burden on their shoulders by being widows in a society that privileges men. They have to fend for themselves and their children as their deceased husband’s family and their communities often turn their back on them. They are amazing, strong women, and I feel extremely privileged for having had the opportunity to meet them and learn more about their stories. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-straw-story/" title="Permalink to The Straw Story" rel="bookmark">The Straw Story</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-06" pubdate>August 6, 2011 6:26 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-straw-story/#comments">7 Comments</a> One day about eight years ago, Executive Director Benedicta Nanyonga and some other women from Kinawataka Women Initiatives (KIWOI) discovered that the garbage polluting the nearby drainage ditch had reached a critical mass and needed to be picked out to unblock the flow of water. In one of the plastic bags that frequently litter the ditches, they found a few empty bottles and some plastic drinking straws. It was then that Benedicta struck upon a truly innovative idea: why not use the plastic straws to weave mats and bags, as they were already doing with natural fibers. So Benedicta adapted the traditional weaving technique and developed a process to create the plastic straw products. Her first product was a mat, for which she spent 500 shillings on materials (for water and and detergent) but sold for 7,000 shillings. A new income generating activity was born, enabling women of Kinawataka and beyond to, as KIWOI says, “turn a burden into a benefit.” <div id="attachment_110" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 325px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/ditch.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-110" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/ditch.jpg" alt="Discarded waste builds up in ditches, blocking the flow of water, and providing a breeding ground for nasty germs" width="325" height="488" /></a>Discarded waste builds up in ditches, blocking the flow of water and providing a breeding ground for nasty germs</div> <div id="attachment_117" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 325px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/straw-bag.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-117" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/straw-bag.jpg" alt="Before the plastic straw innovation, KIWOI made and sold bags and mats woven traditionally with natural fibers" width="325" height="491" /></a>Before the plastic straw innovation, KIWOI made and sold bags and mats woven traditionally with natural fibers</div> When I first read about Kinawataka Women Initiatives and the expansive line of straw products, I was impressed by the array of unique handicrafts that could come out of recycling other people’s trash. But I was also curious as to how such a large quantity of plastic straws was to be found. Personally, I don’t like to drink out of straws, so I rarely use them and had no idea they were so popular. Yet, various online sources claim that somewhere between 60 million to 500 million plastic straws are used daily in the United States! Most of these would be properly thrown away in bins before reaching their final destination of a landfill (a majority are made from polypropylene, a plastic which is not as commonly recycled). But slum areas in the developing world often lack proper waste disposal and collection; and garbage, including used straws and especially those polythene bags (locally called kavera), can end up carelessly discarded, polluting the environment, embedded in dirt roads and piling up in ditches like the ones in Kinawataka. The kavera degrade soil, harm animals who ingest them, and serve as breeding grounds for disease-spreading germs. <div id="attachment_109" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 325px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/road.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-109" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/road.jpg" alt="The road to Kinawataka is polluted with polyethylene bags " width="325" height="488" /></a>The road to Kinawataka is polluted with polyethylene bags</div> Many of the kavera that are not tossed by the wayside are burned in heaps of trash, releasing nasty dioxins and other toxins into the environment. In recent years, Ugandan Parliament passed legislation to ban polythene bags in the country; however, the ban has still not been implemented. A Ugandan newspaper called New Vision reported just two days ago that Members of Parliament on the Natural Resources committee are threatening to block the budget for the Ministry of Water and Environment if the minister does not implement the ban on kavera. Should the ban be enforced, I am not sure how long it would take for the kavera to be eradicated from slum areas. KIWOI has worked to inform the community about the hazards of these bags, hoping to persuade households to instead use reusable alternatives such as the straw bags, made out of locally available materials with local labor. Sturdy, reusable, washable, and eco-friendly, the plastic straw shopping bags provide an excellent alternative to the kavera, indeed. Since the invention of these woven plastic straw products was fairly new, I wondered if plastic straws had always been so voluminous here in Uganda. Benedicta explained they hadn’t been, but the popularity of straws increased with the spread of HIV/AIDS. She said that a lack of knowledge about virus transmission gave rise to fear of infection from such things as improperly cleaned drinking glasses. It is quite common to use straws to drink out of glass soda bottles as well—some might be concerned about how sanitary the bottle necks are or find it more elegant to drink from a straw. Many beer bottle necks, at least, are covered in foil, which one can unwrap before drinking. I seriously can’t imagine using a straw to swill beer, but apparently some people do! As KIWOI’s straw handicraft production ramped up, the collection of the straws became quite a difficult chore, because the pickers had to go far and wide to acquire enough. Eventually Benedicta thought to ask the Coca-Cola plant if KIWOI could take the straws from there, for free. This is where I was a bit fuzzy again: why were there so many used straws at the Coca-Cola plant? Well, glass bottles fetch a deposit refund and are often returned to the plant with straws left inside. Coca-Cola required some paperwork and that KIWOI employees were properly decked out in proper refuse collection uniforms, but agreed to the request to collect the straws from the plant. <div id="attachment_115" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 325px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/bottles.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-115 " src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/bottles.jpg" alt="Empty soda water bottles, with straws, to be collected and taken to the plant for a deposit refund" width="325" height="491" /></a>Empty soda water bottles, with straws, to be collected and taken to the plant for a deposit refund</div> This was a boon for the straw business because it vastly reduced the amount of time needed to collect the straws and would provide a large quantity of free materials. This is one reason the straw products have been such a successful endeavor. KIWOI has engaged in a number of income-generating activities since its formation in 1998, including mushroom growing, wine-making, and basket-making, but these other activities are more capital-intensive. For the straw products, most of the cost is for labor, which provides a number of women (and several men) employment opportunities across the ten steps of the production process (collecting, sorting, sterilizing, cleaning, drying, pressing/flattening, weaving, joining, cutting, and stitching). Conveniently, most of the weaving can be done at home. <div id="attachment_112" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 325px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/peruth-pressing.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-112 " src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/08/peruth-pressing.jpg" alt="KIWOI member and employee, Peruth, pressing straws manually with a knife. The smile is deceiving, manual straw pressing is no fun!" width="325" height="491" /></a>KIWOI member and employee, Peruth, pressing straws manually with a knife. The smile is deceiving, manual straw pressing is no fun!</div> Collection no longer a challenge, straw pressing is the chief problem in production. Hand pressing is inefficient and often painful. It typically takes two minutes to press a single straw flat, but can take up to ten minutes a piece for the really tough straws! (I haven’t yet determined how many straws it takes to make a bag, but suffice it to say—many). Benedicta has been on the hunt for a machine that can press the straws, but the ideal machine has remained elusive. Last year, a grant enabled KIWOI to purchase a custom-built straw press, guaranteed to work for six months without repair. However, the machine lasted only half that time and the manufacturer refused to fix it without additional payment. So back manual pressing for the time being. There is clearly not a big market for plastic straw pressing machines, so it is very possible that one needs to be designed and built specifically for this project. A machine would enable increased production and, thus, increased employment opportunities for women in the community. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/how-to-paint-a-mural-against-child-sacrifice/" title="Permalink to How to Paint a Mural Against Child Sacrifice" rel="bookmark">How to Paint a Mural Against Child Sacrifice</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-05" pubdate>August 5, 2011 8:29 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/how-to-paint-a-mural-against-child-sacrifice/#comments">1 Comment</a> I think that murals created and painted by students from that community will not only convey the message but it will also serve as a beneficial opportunity for the students. After I mentioned to one of the volunteers of the Gideon Foundation Against Child Sacrifice how I organized students to paint a mural against female genital mutilation as a Peace Corps Volunteers in Mali, we were then making plans for the <a style="color: #3366ff;" href="http://www.gideonfoundation.com">Gideon Foundation</a> to do a mural project with students. The Gideon Foundation Against Child Sacrifice is currently located within a secondary school in Soroti, Uganda. We then explained that drawing contest at the end of a session that the Gideon Foundation held with students about human sacrifice. The <a style="color: #3366ff;" href="https://www.muraledesign.com/">muraledesign</a> provide best wall mural for you. Of course, the Gideon Foundation volunteers and I consulted with the art teacher at the school, who also happens to be the head schoolmaster, Madame Teddie Namakula. We consulted with her about the needed supplies, where the murals should be painted and asked for her support. The Advocacy Project was generous enough to give all of the needed funds to paint 2 murals, which amounted to $40. If you want to develop a new art then first you need to view art blog here you can <a href="https://exlovers.co.uk">check this out</a>. We received 11 drawings from students: <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18185.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-272" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18185-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300"></a> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18193.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-275" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18193-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300"></a> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18201.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-276" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18201-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225"></a> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18211.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-278" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18211-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225"></a> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18221.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-279" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18221-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225"></a> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18231.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-280" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18231-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225"></a> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18241.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-281" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18241-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300"></a> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18251.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-282" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18251-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225"></a> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18262.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-283" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18262-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225"></a> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18272.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-284" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18272-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225"></a> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18281.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-285" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18281-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225"></a> The volunteers of the Gideon Foundation along with Madame Teddie Namakula, headmaster of the school who also happens to be an art teacher, picked 2 winning drawings: <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18262.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-283" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_18262-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225"></a> Photo: Drawing winner 1 <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1827.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-234" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1827-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225"></a> Photo: Drawing winner 2 In the beginning of this project there was a lot of skepticism about whether students could paint a mural well. Some asked why I wasn’t hiring a professional painter. But in the end, after the murals were finished, all of that skepticism went away and everyone was very happy with the students and the murals. In fact, when the students began painting the first mural crowds would sometimes form to watch them paint: <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1842.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-218" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1842-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225"></a> Photo: Crowd watching students paint mural 1 What really stood out about this project for me was the support the Gideon Foundation volunteers and I received from Madame Namakula. She was instantly very supportive of the project and spent an entire day guiding students on drawing and mixing paints. She used this as an opportunity to teach her students. She also knew exactly when to offer guidance and also when to let the students work on their own. Madame Namakula also expressed that this was the first time that these students had ever worked with paints and that they really enjoyed it: <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1885.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-232" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1885-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300"></a> Photo: Madame Teddie Namakula, Head Schoolmaster and Art Teacher at Soroti Central Secondary School <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1839.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-290" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1839-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225"></a> Photo: Students and Madame Namakula working on mural 1 <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1844.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-291" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1844-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225"></a> Photo: Students working on mural 2 After about 2 days, both of the murals were completed: <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1886.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-219" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1886-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300"></a> Photo: Mural 1 (is on the front outside walls of an office building) <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1874.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-221" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1874-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300"></a> Photo: Mural 2 (located within the main hall for students) <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1882.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-292" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/08/IMG_1882-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225"></a> The Gideon Foundation Against Child Sacrifice would very much like to continue holding these mural painting contests against child sacrifice but with schools throughout Uganda. They would first like to start with schools in Soroti, both primary and secondary, and then spread to other districts. These mural painting contests would of course be tied into a session with students about human sacrifice by the volunteers of the Gideon Foundation. The issue is then becomes funding as the Gideon Foundation currently has no funding source. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/discrimination/" title="Permalink to Discrimination’s Veil" rel="bookmark">Discrimination’s Veil</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-04" pubdate>August 4, 2011 12:18 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/discrimination/#comments">2 Comments</a> The beast of “discrimination” takes many forms. Sometimes it is a blatant and vehement cry of hatred: a 1960s restaurant refusing to serve blacks or the homophobic murder of Matthew Shepard. Sometimes it is done with intentional stealth, in the hopes that nobody will notice: an employer overlooking a female candidate for a position when a pregnancy is disclosed. Sometimes it is subtle and inadvertent: a teacher asking for “four boys to help move a table” when four girls could have done it, too. In Gulu, I’ve witnessed first-hand discrimination of Persons with Disabilities (PWD). Fortunately, it’s been neither violent nor aggressive, for the most part. People aren’t walking through Gulu pointing and laughing at PWD. They aren’t berating them. This, of course, is a good thing. I can only assume that 20 years of war in Northern Uganda not only caused a heightened number of PWD (estimates show 14-20% of Northern Uganda is a PWD, well above the national average); there’s also a sense that nearly everybody is dealing with something in post-conflict Gulu, whether it’s a physical disability, loss of family members, psychosocial trauma, land-disputes, poverty, etc. What I’m getting at, however, is the notion of discrimination fueled by ignorance, a catalyst for exclusion, prejudice, and denial of services. It might not be that people WANT to exclude PWD from services, leadership, and employment…it’s just seen as an “easier” solution when you don’t have all the “baggage” that comes with accommodating “special needs.” Recently, there were several instances of “harmless” discrimination that directly affected GDPU. On July 15, a local hotel in Gulu hosted a workshop for the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU). When it was determined that the venue had been double-booked, NUDIPU’s workshop was moved to the yard under a tent, making the meeting space and bathroom facilities inaccessible for people in wheelchairs. The director of GDPU, Mr. Semakula Fred, attended the workshop…yet he chose to leave early because of the frustrating circumstances, as he uses a wheelchair. Fortunately, the hotel apologized (<a href="http://http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/16/760691" title="Gulu hotel apologises to the disabled" target="_blank"></a>), which was a huge step; but greater awareness of PWD could have avoided that. Less than a week later, a GDPU team traveled to Nwoya to meet with the local government. Nwoya is a brand new district, so when we arrived at the government center, construction was actively underway. The office where our meeting took place, however, was just completed…with steps. Only. Two GDPU members – Semakula Fred as well as the Secretary of the Board of Directors – had to be pulled inside the GOVERNMENT center where the cement and paint was still drying. The official apologized sheepishly and ensured a correction…but why now, in 2011, when the government is meant to be at the heart of implementing policies and promoting human rights, is something as simple as a ramp overlooked? <a class="" rel="" title="Nwoya Government Center" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/6008025530/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6135/6008025530_2efa4cb7b6.jpg" alt="Nwoya Government Center"></a> Discrimination exists within the disability community, too. When it comes to leadership opportunities for PWD (a label that includes blind, Deaf, deafblind, physical disability, people with epilepsy, and mental health, among others), 77.5% of District Union leaders are physically disabled, a gross misrepresentation of the different categories of disability (2010 NUDIPU Baseline Survey). Additionally, PWD are generally elected specifically to represent PWD concerns and fill a quota; it’s a start, in terms of representation…but is “disability rights” the only thing a person with a disability is capable of promoting? As a history nerd, I recall that my favorite US President led us through a World War from a wheelchair… It’s understandable that there would be conflict, as painting “disability” with the same brush of is ultimately unfair. A person who is Deaf, for example, does not necessarily require a ramp to enter a public facility. A person in a wheelchair likely would not need a Sign Language interpreter available at a presentation. And while the sub-communities within the disability movement are supportive of one another, there’s still independent agency required from disability to disability, and again from person to person. Disability rights is challenging, as one of the goals is a mutual understanding between the PWD and the community at large that “disability” does not – or should not – determine worth or potential. “I might have a disability, but I am capable of the same goals as you. I will do it in my own way.” Until that notion is fully realized, subtle discrimination of PWD persists: being pitied rather than championed; assumed incapable rather than empowered; spoken to rather than listened to; led rather than followed. Sometimes I find that it is “easier” to fight the crueler versions of discrimination. It’s easy to identify hatred spewed out through bigoted violence and derogatory comments. It’s the subtleties of discrimination that have become woven in our societal fabric, an accepted order of worth, perception, and ability, that will continue to divide. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/for-child-rights-in-rural-kenya-the-law-is-not-enough/" title="Permalink to For child rights in rural Kenya, the law is not enough" rel="bookmark">For child rights in rural Kenya, the law is not enough</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-02" pubdate>August 2, 2011 12:17 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/for-child-rights-in-rural-kenya-the-law-is-not-enough/#comments">1 Comment</a> Recently, a reader asked about the punishment for circumcising a girl in Kenya, so are the basics of the legal mechanism for preventing and punishing female circumcision and early marriage. Article 14 of the Children’s Act of 2001 states: “No person shall subject a child to female circumcision, early marriage or other cultural rites, customs or traditional practices that are likely to negatively affect the child’s life, health, social welfare, dignity or physical or psychological development.” Article 20 of the same law provides that the penalties for breaching the above are as follows: “Notwithstanding penalties contained in any other law, where any person willfully or as a consequence of culpable negligence infringes any of the rights of a child as specified in sections 5 to 19, such person shall be liable upon summary conviction to a term of imprisonment not exceeding twelve months, or to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand shillings or to both such imprisonment and fine.” One year in prison and a six hundred dollar fine for cutting off your daughter’s genitals by force and forcibly marrying her as a 13 year old. Is that punishment enough to deter? Not at all. The damage done to a girl through circumcision and forced marriage can be a lifetime challenge, a lifetime sentence, compared to the meager punishment for those who contravene the law. There is a problem with the fact that these laws are implemented at the level of local governance, by chiefs, district officers, and district commissioners. These are political figures, and strictly enforcing the law is often not politically palatable. This is particularly true in the more rural or less educated areas in which female circumcision and early marriage are rampant. This means that the hands meant to be implementing the law are often twiddling their thumbs around the issue. One only need to recall <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/2011/07/10/who-are-the-rescued-girls/">Miriam</a> (a girl who escaped her fate as a child bride) and how the D.O. was in cahoots with her parents and refused to help her, and it is clear that having the law on paper may not mean much in these areas. In another twist, parents who try to marry their children are much more vigorously pursued than those who try to circumcise their daughters. The Enoosaen location chief concedes that the law for preventing child marriage is much more strictly enforced than the law that is supposed to protect girls from circumcision, and says his has to do with a number of complicated reasons for which child marriage is less ingrained in the traditional culture. Overall, our chief genuinely believes that there is no reason for the law against FGM to be as strict as it is, and that is why authorities fail to enforce it. He says he believes in educating people, not punishing them, to get lasting change. This sounds reasonable at first, noble even, but at the end of the day it represents the feeling among the old guard of Maasai society that it just isn’t all that bad to circumcise a girl. In his words, “after FGM, with some counseling, a girl will be okay….marriage is for life.” Regardless of implementation, the law still fails to protect women over 18 years of age from forced marriage or circumcision. In addition, it is commonly understood that the law has driven female circumcision underground more than it has actually reduced it. Tragically, as a consequence of the law, some girls and their families even defer seeking necessary medical help when they have complications after the girl’s circumcision. <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/2011/07/08/counselor-carolines-crusade-to-rescue-girls/">Counselor Caroline</a>, an activist who helps girls escape early marriage and FGM, chafed at my suggestion that rescuing girls might be easier now that the law is on her side. “Sure in legal terms, but for the Maasai, it isn’t illegal. Maasai have their own law.” Sincere thanks to expert Hellen Rotich, an invaluable resource on the subject, for her clarification on the legal protections for girls. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/yakutumba/" title="Permalink to Yakutumba" rel="bookmark">Yakutumba</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-08-02" pubdate> 3:56 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/yakutumba/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> In Fizi Territory, one of the more prolific armed groups is Mai Mai Yakutumba. Fortunately, I have not had any run-ins with Mai Mai Yakutumba soldiers, but their influence throughout Fizi is highly visible. In Baraka, the political wing of the Mai Mai has logos painted on buildings. In fact, the restaurant that I frequent the most when I am in Baraka (“Jardin des Saveurs”) is owned by the son of the political leader of Mai Mai Yakutumba. In the past two months, Mai Mai Yakutumba has been consolidating control over parts of Fizi Territory. In June, the Mai Mai stopped a boat on Lake Tanganyika at Talama and demanded a toll of $15,000 from the crew and passengers. Now, the Mai Mai Yakutumba are enforcing a $500 a boat tax on boats traveling between Uvira and Kalemie/Kazimia. Since there are zero paved roads south of Uvira to Kalemie, boat traffic on Tanganyika remains an important lifeline to economic activity in Uvira/Fizi Territories and eastern Katanga Province. These new extortions imposed by the Mai Mai are sure to have negative consequences on economic activity. <div id="attachment_351" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 300px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/08/02/yakutumba/dsc04668/" rel="attachment wp-att-351"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-351" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/08/DSC04668-300x225.jpg" alt="The Ubwari Peninsula" width="300" height="225" /></a>The Ubwari Peninsula</div>   The effects of spreading Mai Mai Yakutumba/FNL influence are also having negative human rights effects; most of the 12 survivors of sexual violence that arrived at the SOS FED center in Kikonde in June/July reported being raped by FNL/Mai Mai Yakutumba soldiers. In Jason Stearns’ excellent blog, <a title="Congo Siasa" href="http://congosiasa.blogspot.com">Congo Siasa</a>, guest blogger Judith Verweijen writes up a <a title="Yakutumba" href="http://congosiasa.blogspot.com/2011/08/guest-blog-profile-of-mai-mai-yakutumba.html">fascinating and detailed profile of Mai Mai Yakutumba</a>. The motivations/identities of the various armed groups in the Kivus are complicated and not easy to comprehend at first glance, and profiles like Ms. Verweijen’s go a long way in terms of understanding who is doing what and why in eastern Congo. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/speaking-to-students-about-human-sacrifice/" title="Permalink to Speaking to Students about Human Sacrifice" rel="bookmark">Speaking to Students about Human Sacrifice</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-31" pubdate>July 31, 2011 8:57 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/speaking-to-students-about-human-sacrifice/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> The <a href="http://www.gideonfoundation.com">Gideon Foundation Against Child Sacrifice</a> is currently located in the same courtyard as a secondary school in Soroti, Uganda. So I suggested that the Gideon Foundation speak to the students about human sacrifice to see if any of them would be interested in starting a student group. There is also a student group in Kampala that advocates against human sacrifice. Some of the students in this group are featured in the documentary, <a href="http://vimeo.com/11167675" title="SACRIFICED">SACRIFICED</a>. I thought that it would be good if the Gideon Foundation speak to students not only because their office is located within the courtyard of a school but also to see if anything could come out of it whether it be a student group or a new project idea to advocate against human sacrifice. So on July 12, 2011, the Gideon Foundation volunteers and I spoke to students at Soroti Central Secondary School about human sacrifice and the work of the Gideon Foundation. The outline to the presentation is here: <a href='https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/Gideon-School-Agenda.pdf'>Gideon Foundation Secondary School Presentation Outline</a> The students, about over 50 students, were asked discussion questions about their knowledge of human sacrifice and we also played the documentary, SACRIFICED to the students using my laptop. We then broke the students up into groups and asked them to discuss if and what they would like to do to stop human sacrifice. Each group picked a group leader and then each of these group leaders presented their group’s findings: (will post link to video of these presentations soon) I was very interested in the responses of these students in particular because the head of the <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/2011/07/08/lack-of-evidence-interview-2-with-family-affected-by-child-sacrifice/">late Among</a> was found over a fence that is just steps away from the school’s courtyard. Also one of the founder’s of the school is <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/2011/07/31/meet-the-volunteers-of-the-gideon-foundation-against-child-sacrifice/">Santos Labeja </a> who lost his son to child sacrifice. What stood out for me from this presentation were the students who were really interested and passionate about trying to advocate against human sacrifice. These student leaders could really help to motivate other students to advocate against human sacrifice and could also help the Gideon Foundation to further its outreach. We passed around a sign-up sheet for students who were interested in forming a student group and many students signed up, over 40. The Gideon Foundation is planning to meet again with these interested students at the beginning of the next school year since vacation has started for students now. At the end of the presentation we explained how the Gideon Foundation is holding a drawing contest where students can submit a drawing against child sacrifice. The student(s) of the winning design will then have the opportunity to paint his/her design on a wall(s) at the school. The other students who submitted designs would then have the opportunity to help this student to complete his/her mural. I had completed a project like this when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali but there I had students draw a design against female genital mutilation (FGM). The mural that the students had painted against FGM was very well-received and is still there today. The Gideon Foundation volunteers plan to continue speaking to schools and would like to also include primary schools as well. They would first like to target all of the schools in Soroti and then expand to other districts. They would also like to continue holding the mural painting contests with the schools that they present at but then the issue then becomes money to buy the materials to paint these murals and then transportation costs to visit these schools as the Gideon Foundation currently has no funding source. The cost to paint 1 mural amounts to about 20 US dollars. I will write about the results of the drawing contest and the subsequent painting of 2 murals against child sacrifice in my next blog or so. <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/IMG_1792.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/IMG_1792-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-175" /></a> Photo 1: Showing the documentary, SACRIFICED to students using my laptop <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/IMG_1791.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/IMG_1791-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-174" /></a> Photo 2: Gideon Foundation volunteer, Esther Ocom speaking to students <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/IMG_1789.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/IMG_1789-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-173" /></a> Photo 3: Students during the presentation <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/IMG_1800.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/IMG_1800-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-180" /></a> Photo 4: Students working in groups <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/IMG_1794.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/IMG_1794-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-179" /></a> Photo 5: Gideon Foundation volunteer, Dorothy Akol, presenting to students </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/speaking-on-the-radio-part-ii/" title="Permalink to Speaking on the Radio, Part II" rel="bookmark">Speaking on the Radio, Part II</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-31" pubdate> 2:41 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/speaking-on-the-radio-part-ii/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> The radio station in Soroti that Dorothy and myself <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/2011/06/16/speaking-on-the-radio/">had previously spoken on,</a> Delta FM, was gracious enough to give us free radio time again. But the purpose of this second visit was more to start a dialoge about human sacrifice on top of reintroducing <a href="http://www.gideonfoundation.com">the Gideon Foundation</a> and its efforts to end human sacrifice to radio listeners. The Gideon Foundation volunteers and I decided that a way we could start a dialogue with radio listeners is by having me share what I have learned about human sacrifice through the interviews that we have conducted with 9 victims/survivors of human sacrifice, district officials, police officers, etc. So on July 12, 2011, Dorothy and I spoke on the radio again and this time it was at night from 8-9 pm. The radio host, called the Peacemaker, really liked what we were trying to convey and so during the entire show he did not run any commercials and in fact he gave us extra time. So Dorothy and I were on the radio for over an hour and a half. The show went very well and there were many responses to each of the questions that I asked, but unfortunately due to time we could only take 3-5 calls per question. I would say the question in English and then Dorothy would translate it into one of the local languages in Soroti, Ateso. But speaking on the radio in a country with frequent power outages, if there is electricity, and that also does not have stellar telephone reception throughout the entire country, resulted in many callers not being able to get through. Then some of the callers who were lucky enough to get through had their phone calls cut off in the middle of their response either because of the telephone reception or because they ran out of phone credit. Also, unfortunately the electricity had gone out shortly before Dorothy and I went on the radio. When the electricity came back on minutes before 8 pm, the person who was supposed to switch the recording button back on failed to do so. So I was not able to get a recording of the show but I do have the script that I had wrote up and that we used for the show. I wrote up the script and then the Gideon Foundation volunteers and I edited it together: <a href='https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/Gideon-Radio-Script-II-Delta.pdf'>Gideon Radio Script II-Delta</a> But we received phone calls from throughout the district of Soroti. Most of the responses were that the devil is what drives people to carry-out human sacrifice; that politicians and wealthy businessmen practice human sacrifice out of fear of losing their wealth and power; that the culprits should be killed or receive long prison sentences . . . one caller spoke of how radio stations need to stop running advertisements for witchdoctors, as some of them do. Another one of the phone calls was from a man who was part of a rural farmer’s association and he asked if the Gideon Foundation could come and speak to this association about human sacrifice because they would like to do something as well. He then gave us his phone number and the Gideon Foundation is currently seeing if and how they can speak to this association. During the show I again gave out the phone number to the executive director of the Gideon Foundation, <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/2011/07/31/meet-the-volunteers-of-the-gideon-foundation-against-child-sacrifice/">Santos Labeja,</a> and he received about 12 phone calls. But most of these phone calls were just people who were seeing if the number was real. There was one phone call from a man who did know of some cases of human sacrifice in his community and we are currently speaking with this person. I was really happy with how many people had called in and in fact, as we were leaving, people were still calling the show. But another thing that makes speaking on the radio difficult, well for me at least, is language. There are many languages spoken here in Uganda and Soroti is no exception. There were some listeners who didn’t know English, others who didn’t know Ateso . . . also speaking in English, with my particular accent, and then having someone else translate the message into Ateso is I’m sure tiresome. I also was not able to understand the responses in all of their entirety as they spoke in either Ateso or another local language. The radio announcer would summarize the response for me in English but there were some callers who were more comfortable giving their response in a language that neither the radio announcer nor Dorothy knew so there were some responses where no one really knew what was said. I was also surprised with the positivity behind the responses. All of the responses were encouraging the Gideon Foundation to continue and thanking Dorothy and myself for speaking on the radio about this topic. I say surprised because Santos and Leah Labeja have spoken on the radio against human sacrifice before and they were sometimes met with callers who were not very supportive and would accuse them of lying. We plan on speaking on the radio once more and are currently inquiring if Delta FM or another radio station in Soroti would be kind enough to give us radio time. <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/radio-show2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/radio-show2-300x114.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="114" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-160" /></a> Photo: Radio host, the Peacemaker, Dorothy and myself </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/tanzania-ndovu-and-marketing/" title="Permalink to Tanzania, Ndovu, and Marketing" rel="bookmark">Tanzania, Ndovu, and Marketing</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-31" pubdate> 8:06 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/tanzania-ndovu-and-marketing/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> Just got back from a whirlwind trip to Tanzania.  I couldn’t come all this way and not see Kilimanjaro.  Went for one night to Moshi, which is a charming little town, and then came back to Nairobi today.  Next time, I’m climbing it (and definitely spending more time in Moshi). I am still working on my write-up for Hakijamii, more in-depth blogs about Soweto Forum and Pamoja Trust, and as always, never-ending law school tasks. Among all this I somehow still manage to keep my youtube channel up to date with new videos, but since I needed a bit of professional help I settled for <a href="https://themarketingheaven.com/buy-youtube-views/">buying from The Marketing Heaven which has always been my go to choice</a>. Recently, In very exciting news, I was introduced to an amazing and lovely group called <a href="http://ewint.org/">Empowered Women International</a>, which is interested in perhaps partnering with Kiber Paper and Soweto Forum to help with marketing their crafts and goods. Everything is still in the formulation stage, but hopefully good things will come from this, and I am very grateful to EWI for taking an interest in these wonderful women. Their faces at hearing about the opportunity was worth everything. The hugs I received were pretty nice thanks, too. On a completely unrelated note, here is a brief video of the elephants at the Sheldrick Orphanage.  Many of you have probably already seen this on my Facebook page, but I am a glutton for cute babies.  So in its unedited glory, some of the baby elephants playing around: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5lk0kqQDjM&feature=channel_video_title   Looking forward to AP Director Iain Guest’s visit on Tuesday!  See you soon, <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cnoia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cleia</a> and <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Charlotte</a>! </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/meet-the-volunteers-of-the-gideon-foundation-against-child-sacrifice/" title="Permalink to Meet the Volunteers of the Gideon Foundation Against Child Sacrifice" rel="bookmark">Meet the Volunteers of the Gideon Foundation Against Child Sacrifice</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-31" pubdate> 3:36 am</time> Comments Off on Meet the Volunteers of the Gideon Foundation Against Child Sacrifice <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/Picture13.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/Picture13-300x242.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="242" class="size-medium wp-image-119" /></a> Santos and Leah Labeja, Founders Santos and Leah Labeja decided to start <a href="http://www.gideonfoundation.com">the Gideon Foundation Against Child Sacrifice</a> after their son, Gideon, was murdered in an act of child sacrifice in 2006. Since 2007, <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/page/gideonfoundation">the Gideon Foundation</a> has created awareness about the act of human sacrifice and has advocated against the act, both on national and international levels. Santos and Leah Labeja decided to start the Gideon Foundation not only to put an end to the practice of human sacrifice but to help affected families by offering them psycho-social support and ensuring that their human rights are protected. They are both very much active forces within the organization with Santos Labeja serving as the executive director and Leah Labeja serving more as an advisor. They are very aware, active and motivated people who had their world shaken when the life of their only son was taken in such a way and right at their very doorstep. Then to further add to their anguish the killer of their son was eventually released. They faced unimaginable hardships after their loss not only in the lack of justice but also in the negative and accusatory reactions by some when the Labejas would speak out against human sacrifice. The Labejas also faced confrontation and negativity in trying to start an organization that is dedicated to stopping human sacrifice. They made a conscious decision to stand up and to not hide their unimaginable loss. The Labejas decided to not suffer alone and they are dedicated to ensuring that other affected families do not have to either. They are people who are very much respected in Uganda and who are also very protective of the information they release in regards to their lives and of the late Gideon. Thus establishing an organization under the name of their late son and that is everyday fighting against human sacrifice was and continues to be a very big undertaking for them. The Labejas have enlisted the support from the following persons to help them in implementing the goals of the <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/2011/06/16/the-gideon-foundation-against-child-sacrifice/">Gideon Foundation Against Child Sacrifice</a>: <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/Dorothy-Akol.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/Dorothy-Akol-300x280.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="280" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-183" /></a> Dorothy Akol, Chief Volunteer Social Worker Dorothy is from Serere, Uganda, which is a community within the district of Soroti. She is self-motivated, a fearless multi-tasker and is a natural leader. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in development studies and has a certificate in administrative law. Dorothy has volunteered with many organizations including the Soroti local government and was a teacher at Kumi University in Uganda. Currently she works in the livelihoods department at Community Care Services, a non-profit organization co-founded by Santos Labeja. She was personally asked by Santos and Leah Labeja to be the office manager of the Gideon Foundation in 2010 and so she divides her time between Community Care Services and the Gideon Foundation. When asked why she decided to volunteer with the Gideon Foundation, Dorothy explains that its because: “it is the responsibility of all Ugandans and all people that love the human race. Human sacrifice is a barbaric and inhumane act that needs to be stopped. In fact it is a national danger because it threatens the entire nation due to its ferocity and frequency. But unfortunately, and to little surprise from myself, there is little going on to try and fight this barbaric act. In Uganda, the only one local NGO that is fighting against human sacrifice is the Gideon Foundation Against Child Sacrifice. The Gideon Foundation is trying to fight human sacrifice and to support affected families even with the many limitations it faces due to a lack of funding. It is alarming that human sacrifice exists in Uganda. I call upon my fellow Ugandans as well as the entire global community to come together with the Gideon Foundation so that we can collectively end this inhumane act”. <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/Stella.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/Stella-300x258.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="258" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-186" /></a> Stella Ibwalingate, Volunteer Social Worker Stella is orignally from the district of Katakwi in Uganda and holds a Bachelor’s degree in social work and social administration along with a certificate in community mobilization. She is a very empathetic and down to earth person who is not afraid to try a new idea. Stella loves working with communities. Throughout her life experiences, Stella has seen the trauma that families experience due to human sacrifice and this is what makes her committeed to the Gideon Foundation’s long-term vision of ending human sacrifice in Uganda. She has worked for Community Care Services for over 5 years now in the livelihoods department along with Dorothy and so she also juggles her time between her work for Community Care Services and the Gideon Foundation. Stella was also asked by Santos and Leah Labeja to help them to implement the goals of the Gideon Foundation. She joined the Gideon Foundation not only because she has seen the detrimental effects of human sacrifice but also because she loves working with communities. Stella believes that: “human sacrifice is a silly act practiced here in Uganda. The loss of a loved one to human sacrifice is such a nasty act, and having to bury a loved one without all of his/her body parts, has left families with severe psychological trauma. I’ve heard of human sacrifice ever since I was a little girl and it still continues today. I thank God for the opportunity to volunteer and become a part of the mission of the Gideon Foundation-the opportunity to save the lives of innocent people. There is no other organization whose mission concerns fighting this inhumane act”. <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/Esther-Ocom.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/07/Esther-Ocom-300x266.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="266" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-187" /></a> Esther Ocom, Volunteer Social Worker Esther is originally from Gulu, Uganda and holds a Bachelor’s degree in social work and social administration. She is the newest volunteer to the Gideon Foundation and joined the team after hearing Dorothy and myself <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/2011/06/16/speaking-on-the-radio/">speak on the radio.</a> Esther has a wide array of experience in community empowerment, networking and advocacy, human rights protections, among many others. She has worked with rural communities for the last 7 years empowering and supporting different groups of vulnerable children, youth, women and families. Esther posesses a great deal of fortitude, has the gift of a crtical eye and always has the long-term vision at mind. Esther believes that: “child sacrifice is one of the most painful acts of abuse and it has been ignored by many charity service providers. Most of these organizations concentrate on supporting the visible groups of vulnerable communities with less consideration on the cause of their vulnerability. For a number of reasons, child sacrifice has been increasing among communities, yet there has been no clear attempt to solve the problem, except for the Gideon Foundation Against Child Sacrifice. As an activist against child abuse, I saw the need to join this organization and to become a part of this team to advocate for the close of this ignored gap”. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/some-schools-have-teaching-aids-others-lack-walls/" title="Permalink to Some schools have teaching aids, others lack walls" rel="bookmark">Some schools have teaching aids, others lack walls</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-29" pubdate>July 29, 2011 9:38 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/some-schools-have-teaching-aids-others-lack-walls/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> As I’ve mentioned before, one of the projects Charlotte and I would work on during my time in Enoosaen was to conduct a background research with key schools in the area. The purpose of this research was threefold: to evaluate KCE’s strengths and weaknesses when compared to other schools; to have a better understanding of the other options for primary education in the region; and to learn about different structures of management as information for future projects. All the other projects (quilting/beading, needs assessment survey, spelling bee, etc.) are still underway, but we have finished the background research and I wanted to share some of the information we gathered. <a title="Great teaching aids" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5944381108/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6135/5944381108_a5e4399a46.jpg" alt="This is an example of a school with great teaching aids" width="400" height="267" /></a> In June and early July 2011, we visited 8 schools (both public and private) in the Transmara West District. In 6 of these schools we conducted brief observations and spoke to the administration to gather targeted information through a semi-structured questionnaire, at the other 2 we made brief observations and conducted a general informal interview with the administration. Although a post is hardly the appropriate venue to go about our finds at length, some of the findings included in our summary will help give a brief, but hopefully interesting, general view of the topics we observed: <ul> <ul> <ul> <li>Type of school: although the easier access to funds is definitely an advantage that the private schools have over the public/sponsored ones, it seems to us that a school’s academic success is more dependent on the teachers’ commitment to the students rather than on the resources available. All of the schools have at least some religious affiliation, but it is not a financial benefit to them overall when compared to other sources of income.</li> <li>Student body: even though the total number of girls may be greater than the number of boys in certain schools, it is possible to see a shift from the fourth grade on, when boys usually outnumber girls. At the lower performing public schools in particular, it is also noticeable how the size of a class shrinks in the upper primary. These observations were more obvious from our visits to the schools which were not subjected to our semi-structured questionnaire.</li> <li>Staff: most of the schools visited do not offer any incentives to teachers, and this seems to be an acceptable practice in the area. Interestingly, private schools pay teachers less than public schools, but they are still able to hire quality staff due to the high number of professionals in the market. Finally, it was not possible to see a correlation between the teachers: student ratio and the school’s academic performance.</li> <li>Nutrition: public and private schools alike seem to suffer from the high price of food, and therefore there was no clear correlation between the type of school, the success rates, and the quality of food provided (meat, for example, is expensive and even private schools may not serve it). There was, however, a clear bias towards boarders, who are consistently offered better food.</li> <li>FGM/early marriage: on this topic, they all indicated their disagreements with the practice, but there is no consistency on how this is treated by the schools’ administration.</li> </ul> </ul> </ul> <a title="Math tools" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5943827853/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6133/5943827853_1e3a117e0f.jpg" alt="A small "grocery store" to help the kids learn math at one of the schools." width="400" height="267" /></a> <ul> <ul> <li>Infrastructure: the income differences between the schools visited is more obvious when we assess their infrastructure and assets. Naturally, private schools offer their students better infrastructure, although it was interesting to notice that all schools had some sort of semi-permanent building that was not consistent with their main buildings.</li> </ul> </ul> <a title="Classrooms with no walls" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5944384936/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6140/5944384936_d806275db0.jpg" alt="Although this was not the norm, we did encounter a school the classrooms of which had no walls!" width="400" height="267" /></a> <ul> <li>Familial support or community education: it seemed to us that much of a school’s success can be attributed to the degree of the participation that the parents have in the school’s life. In terms of community outreach/education, none of the schools are outstanding.</li> <li>Success rate: the schools visited, with few exceptions, were considered to be high performing schools in their respective districts. However, it is important to contextualize this by mentioning that the great Transmara area is considered to be amongst the areas with the poorest performance when ranked on a national level. Still, it is remarkable that public schools can sometimes be better ranked than private schools, and send their students to national and provincial high schools (the secondary school system in Kenya is divided into district, provincial, and national high schools, and your acceptance into one of these categories will depend on your grades, with national schools being the most competitive ones).</li> </ul> All in all, this research was a very interesting one to conduct, and by closely observing these schools we gained invaluable insight into how to improve KCE and what mistakes to avoid. We saw firsthand the abysmal differences between certain schools and how much some of them lack; yet, it was heartwarming to see teachers who are truly committed to their professions and parents who are concerned and involved in their children’s education. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-railway-dwellers-jared-and-st-juliet-educational-center/" title="Permalink to The Railway Dwellers: Jared and St. Juliet Educational Center" rel="bookmark">The Railway Dwellers: Jared and St. Juliet Educational Center</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-28" pubdate>July 28, 2011 11:12 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-railway-dwellers-jared-and-st-juliet-educational-center/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> The children can be heard as soon as you step out of the car. The pure joy of kids on a playground sounds the same in any country. It’s the appearance of the playground that changes. The kids at St. Juliet Educational Center play on an uneven plot of dirt, about 100 square feet, encircled by buildings. <a title="Kibera: St. Juliet Educational Center" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5960881526/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6131/5960881526_e061f5834f.jpg" alt="Kibera: St. Juliet Educational Center" /></a> The school was established in 2000, and it serves 875 children. 310 of these students are orphans, and a great many more have only a single parent. The school offers baby class, which is like kindergarten, and first grade to eighth grade. With only about a quarter of an acre for land, the children manage to find space, either hanging over the railings of the buildings or on the dirt in the middle. Eric, my community guide, finds the head teacher, Jared, but he is wrapping up a meeting with some parents. We wait in the back of the classroom, which looks more like a tiny church. The classroom is rectangular, longer than it is wide, and there is a podium and short stage in the front. The desks are rows of benches with narrow counters attached, and the children file into them, with a complicated method as to who sits where. A man wearing a black blazer with a gold lapel breezes in, and shakes each of our hands before heading up to the front of the class. He has one of the most sincere smiles I have seen, even though he is missing teeth, and the kids stop paying so much attention to me once he reaches the front. <a title="Kibera: Jared" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5960873418/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6023/5960873418_d4cdf8c4db.jpg" alt="Kibera: Jared" /></a> At this moment, Jared has finished his meeting and welcomes us into his office. It is tiny, about 6 feet by 6 feet, packed to the brim with things, and completely built of corrugated metal. He obviously never gets a quiet moment, as the walls rattle like thunder, and every word from the classroom and the playground can be heard. He has stacks and stacks of bundled papers on his desk, but he, too, has a method to his (seeming) disorder. He briefly introduces me to the issues of his school. In short, he has no idea what will happen to it. He has not been informed if the school will be relocated or if his students will be moved to formal schools. His is a non-formal school, which means that the government does not support it, financially, at least. The students pay about 200 shillings a year in school fees, and most live in the immediate area. The issues of institutions, the schools, churches, clinics, seems the most distressing. The Relocation Action Plan calls to have the students “infill” the other schools existing outside of the reserve. The RAP has decided that these schools have empty classrooms, which can accommodate the students. If there aren’t empty classrooms, then the schools have land in which to build additional classrooms. <a title="Kibera: St. Juliet Educational Center" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5960894400/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6149/5960894400_217e05b5ff.jpg" alt="Kibera: St. Juliet Educational Center" /></a> The first issue: There are disputes about whether this is actually true. Any passerby of the schools in Kibera can see the walls are teeming with students. No space goes unused, and the administration strives to keep the student to teacher ratio at 50:1. These suggested infill schools are formal schools, that is, they are supported by the government. They are saying they are filled to capacity, and in addition, the creation of the non-formal schools can be traced directly back to a lack of space in the formal sector. When the government announced that primary education would be free (or nearly free), students flocked to schools like Olympic Primary. Only the schools did not have room for the students, and so they returned to their nearby neighborhoods, filling up the non-formal schools along the way. So this situation begs the question: How does the government, in its ivory tower, find the space that the children, on the doorstep, couldn’t? The second issue: The RAP states that right around 5,000 students can be accommodated by infill. But over 7,000 project-affected students (in Kibera alone) have been counted. There is no solution for the other 2,000. The third issue: Timing, timing, timing. To the best of my knowledge, construction hasn’t started yet. But just like the questions about the interim period for residences and businesses, how long will these kids be displaced? How long will they be without a classroom? And how much moving around will they have to do? Will it disrupt their studies? Their behavior? How far will they have to travel to get to school after this? The fourth issue: Teachers. St. Juliet employs 20 teachers. Some of them are retired teachers who went back to work. Some are not accredited or licensed. Some are social workers. Nothing has been said about their futures. They don’t know if they will be jobless, if they will get to fill the teaching positions that will be needed at the other schools. Jared has no idea if he has any job security anymore. He cannot tell his teaching staff anything absolute, either. Or the parents or the kids. He would love to see his institution relocated, rather than destroyed. But no one has been by to talk to him or consult with him. In talking to the ED of Pamoja, this option of relocation hasn’t really been considered seriously yet, and definitely no additional land has been secured. **Kibera is being treated very differently from Mukuru. These issues that plague the schools also follow the churches and clinics in the area. What will happen to them? What if there is no room at other congregations or other clinics? There is no room in the 10 meters of the reserve left for the community to build anything to accommodate 7,000 students (43 schools). There is not enough room to accommodate the 260 institutions that will be demolished. The population density of an area like Kibera is astounding already. The process of squeezing 30 meters of tightly packed structures into 10 meters is not likely to succeed. And the people are not willing to sign onto this project without the guarantee that they won’t be tossed aside. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/sad-day-in-kibera/" title="Permalink to Sad Day in Kibera" rel="bookmark">Sad Day in Kibera</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-28" pubdate> 12:43 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/sad-day-in-kibera/#comments">3 Comments</a> I have been busy trying to write a comprehensive and critical analysis of the opportunities within the Relocation Action Plan and within the community response to it. I had almost forgotten about the Ngazi ya Chini election that was held yesterday in Kibera. Until my director came in and asked if I had heard about it yet. Rival groups started arguing, things escalated, police were called in. One man was killed by police fire, and others were treated for various injuries. Hakijamii’s Program Director suffered minor injuries. I’m glad I didn’t ask to go. A survey of the main news sources in Nairobi didn’t report much. Scratch that…they didn’t report anything. I found <a href="http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2011/07/27/one-killed-in-kibera-as-union-poll-turns-chaotic/" target="_blank">this one</a> article on it, but the article is vague as to the issues leading up to this election. What about why they had called an election? What about the seven years of anxiety leading up to this November’s evictions? What about the serious strain and life-changing decisions Kenya Railways and the Government are forcing on 10,000 people? More attention needs to be given to this. More thought should be given to the obvious social and psychological strains this is causing. With reporting like this, no wonder the Government isn’t be held accountable to the Constitution. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/partners-ap-and-hakijamii/" title="Permalink to Partners: AP and Hakijamii" rel="bookmark">Partners: AP and Hakijamii</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-26" pubdate>July 26, 2011 11:38 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/partners-ap-and-hakijamii/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> Hakijamii now has a presence on The Advocacy Project’s website! A comprehensive partner page has been created for both <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/page/hakijamii" target="_blank">Hakijamii</a> and Ngazi ya Chini. Be sure to go check it out to get a full picture of what these organizations are doing in Kenya! </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-railway-dwellers-stephen-consolata-and-brian/" title="Permalink to The Railway Dwellers: Stephen, Consolata, and Brian" rel="bookmark">The Railway Dwellers: Stephen, Consolata, and Brian</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-26" pubdate> 5:53 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-railway-dwellers-stephen-consolata-and-brian/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> I met Stephen enjoying the mild afternoon, sitting with his friend on a bench outside his shop. The day seemed slow for Kibera standards, and luckily I didn’t get in the way of any transactions. <a title="Kibera: Stephen" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5960275429/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6126/5960275429_354243b271.jpg" alt="Kibera: Stephen" /></a> Stephen was the first community member I spoke to, and he was reasonably suspicious of me. Eric, my community guide, introduced me, but it took a few gentle questions to ease Stephen’s skepticism. Once he had grown a bit more comfortable, he spoke with the conviction and intellect I have come to associate with many Kenyans. Educated on his rights and the Relocation Action Plan, Stephen is staunch is his view that he should not be relocated, though he is fine with the idea of a structure built along the retaining wall. But that still does not assuage his concerns about lost time, lost customers. What happens while he is displaced and not able to make money? He has a maize and grain business about 15 meters from the tracks. The tracks are visible from his station, and they bring him good business. Although the tracks act as a path, years of community use and habit have cut well-worn passageways and crossing points across them. Stephen’s shop is right on the receiving end of one of these crossing points. From his spot on his bench, he can see every person that passes, every train that rumbles by. <a title="Kibera: View of the Rail" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5960280899/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6013/5960280899_42ff90b2cf.jpg" alt="Kibera: View of the Rail" /></a> Stephen has been in this location for 15 years, and at the age of 43, he is happy with it. He makes a very livable wage by Kibera standards; he said he makes about 1000 shillings a day (just over $11). Maize is the staple crop of Kenya, and it forms the basis of many meals. He doesn’t mind being so close to the railway; derailments are a normal danger of any railroad, he says. This attitude of indifference to the dangers of living on a railroad were reoccurring. Perhaps it is because they have been here so long; perhaps it is because accidents don’t happen in their neighborhood. “The derailments happen in Mashimoni, not Kisumu Ndogo.” No one can tell me how many people are lost a year to the trains. But the resounding message is the same: The dangers are worth the benefits the tracks bring. You can’t blame them for not seeing issue with the way they live. Just as malaria and lack of potable water is typical, so are trains, in these neighborhoods, and the people make the best of them. Consolata Odiahambo reacted quite the same way as Stephen, when asked about the dangers of the tracks. The customers are worth the risks. The tracks bring her income. We approached a short, rectangular mud structure, with a corrugated metal roof and a tattered cloth marking the door. An older man just outside, pushing a bicycle, which had seen many repairs, greeted us, before we slipped under the cloth. It took awhile to adjust to the darkness; the room was spacious considering, and filled with low tables and benches. A thin woman wearing oversized Western clothing greeted me. Her face looked young, but her hands aged her; hers were working hands. Four or five men shuffled in through the door after us, including the man with the bicycle. They perched on a bench in the corner, creating a gallery, curious as to the mzungu speaking to the matriarch. <a title="Kibera: Consolata" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5960403869/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6004/5960403869_b3862acc32.jpg" alt="Kibera: Consolata" /></a> Consolata has called this building her home and work for 40 years. She runs a “local brew,” a sort of restaurant and bar. She is one of the few people who it seems has been consulted by the project coordinators; given the amount of time she has been in the area, it seems appropriate. She is not comfortable with either option of resettlement or compensation; either way, it will affect her family. The wall will be an obstacle; the tracks provide a route for pedestrians. Her family…she is the matriarch. I asked how many people she provides for. Without hesitation, she tells me 35. The 500 shillings ($5.50) she makes a day provides for 35 people: Children grandchildren, sisters, brothers. She doesn’t leave anyone out, simply because it makes her work harder. I asked if I could snap her photo, and she asked me for money. I don’t understand much Kiswahili, but I understand pesa. The men on the bench chuckled in appreciation. “Sina pesa,” I told her, a bit guiltily. I don’t blame her; the woman just told me she makes 14 shillings per day, per person, and here I am, invading her privacy. But I know better than to carry money on me, especially on visits, so I apologized and thanked her anyway. As I stood to go, Eric explained that she would take the photo anyway. Surprised, I led her outside and took one simple photo of the woman who provides so much strength for her family. As I showed her the photo, she grabbed my hand and leaned into me, laughing. Before leaving, Eric suggested I speak to a mobile vendor. There has been a lot of talk in the community groups about mobile vendors and how they fit into the Relocation Action Plan. From speaking with Pamoja Trust, it sounds like they will be given space to continue their business on the proposed footpath that will be constructed on both sides of the tracks. But from speaking with the vendors, they don’t seem to know what will happen to them. <a title="Kibera: Kisumu Ndogo" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5961010152/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6020/5961010152_704c4b55e9.jpg" alt="Kibera: Kisumu Ndogo" /></a> Eric leads me up to a man, standing around the track with three or four other men. His name is Brian, and he looks to be in his mid-20s. His friends snicker in the background and tell him to ask me for money so they can buy cigarettes, but Brian ignores them, quietly and politely answering my questions. He has been working in Kisumu Ndogo on the tracks for two years. He tends to stay to this area, an embankment of the track, which looks more like a garbage dump than a train passageway. Particularly here, where the banks are steep, the tracks prove to be a main thoroughfare, and Brian has no intention of moving his business. His costs are low; he sells electronics and odds and ends, like shoes, by laying them out on a piece of cloth or a stool. In this way, he can move easily, respond to traffic and demand. These are the main advantages of his position as a mobile vendor and why he is fearful of the expansion. The retaining walls will separate him from his customers. The path that conveniently passes right by his stand will be split in two, and the Kisumu Ndogo community will be split in two with it. <a title="Kibera: Mobile Vendors" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5961115036/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6139/5961115036_5fb8d0ce32.jpg" alt="Kibera: Mobile Vendors" /></a> Even though these businessmen are called mobile vendors, they still belong to a community. They are not door-to-door salesmen. This is their territory, and this is where their customers look for them. This is how they get their food. He, too, doesn’t see the close proximity to the railroad being an issue…and he would know. His business is set up with two feet of the tracks. The trains balance on tiny, easily uprooted rails, right before his eyes, and he does not mind it. Minor inconvenience to face for all the customers it brings. Brian makes around 300-350 shillings a day, which is under $4. He can’t afford the rent a structure would bring. And he cannot fathom any loss of customers, either. The Relocation Action Plan promises a “financially equivalent” situation for all of these businesses. But what remains to be seen is how.   </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-railway-dwellers-mary/" title="Permalink to The Railway Dwellers: Mary" rel="bookmark">The Railway Dwellers: Mary</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-25" pubdate>July 25, 2011 4:55 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-railway-dwellers-mary/#comments">1 Comment</a> On Thursday, July 21st, I went to Kisumu Ndogo for a second time to meet with Ngazi ya Chini. Kisumu Ndogo is an area in Kibera that functions on its proximity to the railroad. <a title="Kibera: Kisumu Ndogo" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5961085608/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6145/5961085608_18902eeb6a.jpg" alt="Kibera: Kisumu Ndogo" width="375" height="500" /></a> People work off the line; they live off the line. It is a mainstay of their livelihoods. Yet, this thriving community is set to be fractured. Everyone on 100 feet of either side of the railroad will be displaced. Large metal poles mark the 100-foot (or 30 meter) point. These poles are signs of certain doom for people living on one side, and they are handy fixtures for drying clothing for people lucky enough to be living on the other side. <a title="Kibera: Boundary" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5960939644/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6132/5960939644_491c091229.jpg" alt="Kibera: Boundary" width="375" height="500" /></a> I was taken around to speak to some of the affected people. I asked them each for permission to film the interview, but many were skeptical of me and insisted I didn’t. I tried a different tactic of asking my questions first, and then requesting again that I could at least take a photo. They all obliged to the photo after the fact. Many times I have tried to imagine what this would mean to me. If the US government came by one evening, with a piece of paper, which dictated that, my home/business/school/church was in the way of a new highway system. The thought of moving makes my head hurt already. Then I try adding in factors. I have lived in the same home for 20 years. I have built it with my bare hands, and it is the source of my income. I am a widow with two children, and I also support my sister’s three children. My income feeds us, clothes us, pays the rent, and pays the school fees. I live in a community built on habits and conveniences. I have no reliable means of travel, and a matter of kilometers is a barrier to movement and business. One customer is the difference between eating that night and not. I can’t afford to live anywhere else in the city, which has left me behind. A city that has a cost of living greater than that of my entire neighborhood’s monthly income. I am receiving promises from a government that is not concerned with living up to them. But even then I can’t imagine the feelings of insecurity or apprehension that these people know. Their stories are very similar, but each left a lasting impression; each put a human face on this abstract group of railway dwellers. Each is being told that they cannot sustain the lives they have built up. And each unknowingly emphasized the lack of consistent information shared between those planning this expansion and those who will be affected by it.   Hard at work, Mary quietly stepped out from behind the glass of her butcher shop to speak to me. She had been chopping up cubes of steak for a convenient sell, and they were displayed prominently behind her window, enticing the passer-bys with the promise of dinner. Her hands were stained with blood, and she shyly smiled when she realized she was still clutching the large knife in her hand while she softly spoke. <a title="Kibera: Mary" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5960852364/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6011/5960852364_5cd483585e.jpg" alt="Kibera: Mary" width="400" height="300" /></a> <a title="Kibera: Butcher Shop" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5960867464/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6133/5960867464_5c3a7472e1.jpg" alt="Kibera: Butcher Shop" width="375" height="500" /></a> The butcher shop is about 10 meters from the tracks, and her family has run the business since 1991. 600 shillings ($6.64) a day is enough to provide some basics for herself and her 21-month-old child, as well as other family members. The family depends on this business, and without it, they will suffer. Mary spoke of her fear of resettlement; the fear that even though she will be taken away from her neighborhood, her home, the customers will stay behind. She doesn’t just fear it; she knows it will happen. She seems tired, but not completely without hope. Since 2005, they have been threatened with eviction, and six years of anxiety is a lot for a 26-year-old breadwinner to handle. She has seen movement and growth in Kisumu Ndogo since May 2010, the second time the railroad people came by to assign them a number. But besides that brief contact, no one has been by to speak to her. No one has made an effort to help her understand. Mary didn’t speak much English, but as I thanked her and began to walk away, she quietly said, “Please help us.” That message I understood perfectly. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/disabilityandhiv/" title="Permalink to PWD are immune to HIV/AIDS…?????" rel="bookmark">PWD are immune to HIV/AIDS…?????</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-23" pubdate>July 23, 2011 2:01 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/disabilityandhiv/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> It is no secret that there is a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa, as “An estimated 22.5 million (<a href="http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-africa.htm" title="" target="_blank">http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-africa.htm</a>) people are living with HIV in the region – around two thirds of the global total.” Fortunately, people with disabilities (PWDs) are immune to HIV/AIDS, so HIV/AIDS awareness, education, and prevention is not applicable to them. The end. Wait…WHAT? In the 5+ weeks that I’ve spent with GDPU, a continuous concern and theme is the lack of support for PWD, specifically when it comes to HIV/AIDS awareness. In four districts covered by Nudipu’s (<a href="http://www.nudipu.org.ug/" title="NUDIPU" target="_blank">http://www.nudipu.org.ug/</a>) 2010 baseline survey, an average of 61.5% of respondents – primarily females – had NEVER received HIV/AIDS services! Though some reports (<a href="http://www.avert.org/aids-uganda.htm" title="Report - Uganda" target="_blank">http://www.avert.org/aids-uganda.htm</a>) celebrate Uganda’s efforts in HIV/AIDS prevention (thumbs up!!), Gulu district remains a risk factor (<a href="http://allafrica.com/stories/201005260864.html" title="Gulu HIV rates" target="_blank">http://allafrica.com/stories/201005260864.html</a>) as numbers surged from 9.4% (2008) to 16% (2009). Gulu Municipality rates as high as 22.1%! Statistics like these plus the disparity in HIV/AIDS awareness for PWD increases the risk for ALL of Gulu. So why the void? Logistically speaking, HIV/AIDS training isn’t accessible to PWD: training centers are not physically accessible to people with mobility issues; education materials are not available in Braille for people with visual impairments; educators and health care workers do not speak sign language to communicate with people who are deaf, etc. How does a person who is blind know that a condom is expired if it is not marked in Braille? How does a person who is deaf know that free condoms are available at the local health center if it was a radio broadcast? While these issues of inaccessibility are disturbing and undoubtedly deserve attention, there is a relatively straightforward solution to train and sensitize HIV/AIDS educators on proper communication techniques to support these populations. GDPU is focusing on education, advocacy, training, and lobbying to help combat these issues, and slowly but surely, there is progress (stay tuned for a report from yesterday’s National Debating Competition on HIV/AIDS, featuring four Gulu primary schools. The theme: “HIV/AIDS doesn’t discriminate; people and services do!”). Still, the deeper concern lies with the degree of ignorance that is caught up in misconceptions, myths, and abusive treatment towards PWD, especially in regards to sex as a way of transmitting and contracting HIV. For instance: ➢ Misconception: “PWD are not sexually active, so Disabled Person A couldn’t have HIV.” ➢ Misconception: “PWD cannot and SHOULD NOT have children. How will they raise them?” PWD often experience ridicule if they are pregnant, as people scorn them . Without supportive health care workers, PWD may avoid going to health centers for information at all. ➢ Myth: “PWD are immune to HIV/AIDS. In fact, having sex with a PWD can cure me!” ➢ Abuse: In some cases, their social isolation makes them targets for “casual” sex. A PWD might think, “Well, this person wants to have sex with me; there may not be another person who comes along.” In one case surveyed by NUDIPU, an HIV+ woman infected a total of 50 people when 25 married men engaged in unprotected sex with her, consequently infecting their wives. While some responsibility lies with the woman, the greater concern were the 25 men who abused her vulnerable situation under the auspices that (a) she is immune and (b) she would be lucky to have them. ➢ Abuse: Mobility and/or communication barriers make PWDs a vulnerable target for rape and sexual abuse, as they may have difficulty escaping, alerting, or reporting an attack. The reality is that PWD have all of the same desires, interests, and rights as someone without a disability. They want to have sex. They DO have sex. They – like everybody – deserve to know about the risks of unprotected sex, especially in regards to HIV/AIDS. They – like everybody – are susceptible to contracting HIV in all of the same manners, sexual or otherwise. And above all else, they – like everybody – have ownership and agency over their bodies, including the right to say “NO!”. Those who take on the important role of educating the community on HIV/AIDS also must take responsibility for making that information accessible: host the session in a building with a ramp; hire a sign language interpreter; provide materials in Braille; etc. Additionally, HIV/AIDS awareness should address the fact that PWD share the same desires, wants, risks, and RIGHTS as any other person. Otherwise, why host a training at all if you are going to (a) exclude a sexually active portion of the community that may – out of ignorance – practice risky sexual behavior; and (b) perpetuate the perspective among the non-disabled community that PWD don’t need the information. The solution is two-fold. Education and empowerment: ➢ Education for PWD to understand the nature of HIV/AIDS; ➢ Education for the community that HIV/AIDS does not discriminate; ➢ Empowerment for PWD to know, understand, and practice their rights. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/speeding-up/" title="Permalink to Speeding Up…" rel="bookmark">Speeding Up…</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-22" pubdate>July 22, 2011 6:18 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/speeding-up/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> Meetings are picking up around Nairobi for me, and posts are in the works to explain all of them. Yesterday, I met with Ngazi ya Chini and was able to speak to some people who will be affected by the relocation (unfortunately they were a bit camera-shy, but I snapped some photos after the interviews – with permission of course!). Today, I met with a group called Soweto Forum, dedicated to righting the injustices of the government’s slum upgrading program. After that, I met with the Executive Director of Pamoja Trust and gained a bit of perspective on the entire project, including the Relocation Action Plan and how the railroad expansion is actually going to unfold. Additionally, my director, Iain Guest, will be on his way to Kenya in ten short days, and I have been getting to know this beautiful country better – including a short safari in the Maasai Mara last week and a day trip into the Rift Valley tomorrow. I’m looking forward to sharing all of the above. But in a little bit of time. Also of note, Pamoja Trust released a progress report on the relocation, which included a timeline for the remainder of the project. The construction phase (that would be demolition) is set to begin in November OF THIS YEAR. That’s pretty soon for my scale, but considering the first eviction notices were handed out in 2004, it must feel like the end of the longest waiting game ever to all the railway dwellers. I leave you with these interesting and related stories. My flatmate this summer has listened to my railroad jabber all along, and she kindly sent me these two about life along the tracks: <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2011/07/15/train-track-therapy.html" target="_blank">People in Indonesia using the railroad for its healing powers.</a> This market in Thailand: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxeu0dzNUiY&feature=fvwrel And <a href="http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/5456/french-artist-jr-and-his-kibera-photo-graffity-project-in-kenya.html" target="_blank">a project I have been obsessed</a> with before Kenya was even a possibility in my mind. Little did I know this area, Kisumu Ndogo, would become my most familiar area in Kibera, and the remnants of the photo project are still around. See more <a href="http://triggerpit.com/2010/11/01/jr-raising-questions/" target="_blank">here</a>. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/kiwoi-straw-fashions-head-to-america/" title="Permalink to Kinawataka Straw Fashions Head to America" rel="bookmark">Kinawataka Straw Fashions Head to America</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-20" pubdate>July 20, 2011 3:34 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/kiwoi-straw-fashions-head-to-america/#comments">6 Comments</a> The day after I arrived in Kampala, Benedicta told me that she had been invited to bring the straw products that Kinawataka Women Initiatives (KIWOI) produces to exhibit and sell at a gift show in Los Angeles, California. Although the straw products have already debuted in small quantities in the US, the gift show would provide Benedicta and KIWOI much greater exposure to the US market and an opportunity to meet with contacts who may be interested in becoming a US distributor. She would also have the chance to meet and sell products to friends of existing American customers, separately from the gift show. <div id="attachment_68" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 400px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/straw-belts.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-68" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/straw-belts.jpg" alt="Belts are one of the many products KIWOI makes out of plastic straws" width="400" height="264" /></a>Belts are one of the many products KIWOI makes out of plastic straws</div> Before I entered the scene, Benedicta had received a formal invitation letter from the organizers of the show, which she used to obtain her visa to the US; but she still needed to secure an airline ticket, make hotel reservations, and confirm and pay for booth space, among a number of other things. Although she has traveled abroad to such places as Italy, India, and Canada, this would be her first trip to the US (and her first gift show). So there was much to be done, and I was happy to pitch in. <div id="attachment_74" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 291px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/benny-earrings.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-74" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/benny-earrings.jpg" alt="Benedicta with newly packaged straw earrings" width="291" height="400" /></a>Benedicta with newly packaged straw earrings</div>   <div id="attachment_76" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 311px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/earring_closeup.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-76" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/earring_closeup.jpg" alt="Nicely packaged earrings" width="311" height="400" /></a>Nicely packaged earrings</div> Her first request of me was that I tell her which airport she should fly into for the gift show. Once she had her airline ticket, she needed to book her hotel. This is where my credit card came in handy—she does not have one and it was required for the reservation/payment. Then, after a few back-and-forth emails with the gift show sales agent, there was finally a contract and invoice to complete and return. I was a bit flummoxed that a gift show that has a whole section of world goods imported from a variety of countries would seemingly be oblivious to some of the constraints facing businesses from outside the US—as mentioned, neither Benedicta, nor KIWOI as an organization, has a credit card, but one was required for payment for the booth. Furthermore, the contract was supposed to be faxed back to the sales office in Los Angeles. Fax machines are not so common here (outside of big offices); even the computer/Internet shop down the road from KIWOI doesn’t have one. To send a fax is definitely a time-consuming/challenging endeavor. Helping make arrangements for this trip has been a learning process for all of us, I think! Since I’ve never been involved in the export of goods to sell in a foreign market, I was not aware that Benedicta would also have to get permission from the Uganda Export Promotion Board. Luckily, mere days before her departure, she called the Uganda Women Entrepreneur’s Association, of which she is a member, to ask them about these kinds of particulars. <div id="attachment_79" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 263px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/product-labeling.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-79" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/product-labeling.jpg" alt="Peruth attaching labels (strawbags.org) to the products heading to the US" width="263" height="400" /></a>Peruth attaching labels (strawbags.org) to the products heading to the US</div> Two days before Benedicta left, we started packing the products in large, sturdy bags which she would check in as her luggage. She borrowed a scale so that we could weigh the bags in advance of arriving to the airport. We realized that we would need to check an additional two bags (at $180 a piece, ouch!) As it is difficult and pricey to ship the goods to the US, I hope she can somehow leave the remaining products with a contact there. <div id="attachment_78" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 400px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/scale-setup.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-78" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/scale-setup.jpg" alt="Setting up a borrowed scale to weigh the bags to be checked in as luggage" width="400" height="265" /></a>Setting up a borrowed scale to weigh the bags to be checked in as luggage</div> Meanwhile, I tried to think of things that would be different in the US that Benedicta should know before she arrived. For example, I warned her that sim cards and airtime, while ubiquitous in Kampala, are not so easy to locate in the US, and that waitstaff in restaurants and taxi drivers will expect a tip of about 15%. <div id="attachment_77" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/sc-margaret-packing.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-77" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/sc-margaret-packing.jpg" alt="Scarlett helping Margaret as she sews the bag with stretched plastic straw" width="310" height="400" /></a>Scarlett helping Margaret as she sews the bag with streched plastic straw</div> When the day arrived for Benedicta to fly westward, we loaded four large bags, 16 children (the orphans she cares for), and 7 adults into a matatu (minibus that serves as a shared taxi) that we arranged to take our group exclusively to Entebbe and back. Indeed, many wanted to see Benedicta off on her way. This is obviously way more humans than the matatu (which often squeezes in far more than the legally allowed limit of 14 adults), seems like it should carry, but the children were small and sat on each others laps, somehow fitting all into the last two rows of seats. After departing Kinawataka, we stopped en route to pick up Benedicta’s daughter and two of her grandchildren. As we slightly rearranged people and things to make room, I said, “Oh geesh,” thinking, how is this even possible? But Benedicta chuckled at me, and said, “This is Africa!” <div id="attachment_75" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 400px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/children-matatu.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-75" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/children-matatu.jpg" alt="Children in the matatu, en route to airport" width="400" height="259" /></a>Children in the matatu, en route to airport</div> And we drove on as raindrops struck the windows of the matatu and a delightful chorus of children’s voices rose from behind me, an English and Lugandan soundtrack for our ride. I was so touched by this beautiful send-off, my eyes welled up, and I couldn’t help but feel joy and fortune to be here in Uganda, with these amazing people, part of this journey. I can’t wait to hear how Benedicta and the line of products made of recycled plastic straws takes California and that gift show by storm! <div id="attachment_73" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 400px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/benny-airport.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-73" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/benny-airport.jpg" alt="Benedicta at the airport with her luggage (bags of straw products)" width="400" height="279" /></a>Benedicta at the airport with her luggage (bags of straw products)</div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/mukuru/" title="Permalink to Mukuru" rel="bookmark">Mukuru</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-20" pubdate> 2:45 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/mukuru/#comments">2 Comments</a> The railroad expansion will affect an area much broader than just Kibera. Kibera gets a lot of attention for various reasons, but it is important to remember the other populations, which will also be displaced. This includes communities in Kisumu, on the shores of Lake Victoria, and Mukuru, a settlement on the outskirts of Nairobi. On July 14th, the secretary of Ngazi ya Chini picked Sally, the Hakijamii intern, and me up from the office, and we started the drive to Mukuru. Mukuru is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) outside of Nairobi. The population estimates for the entire area range, but normally fall around the half million mark. From what I can gather, Mukuru is Kiswahili for “dumping site,” and that is exactly what Mukuru started as – and to a large extent, still remains. The area started as a quarry; as Nairobi developed faster than its means, due to the mining, the site was deemed as unfit for development, so instead it became a garbage dump. <a title="The trip back to the car" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5939219531/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6023/5939219531_dc6a98ef0e.jpg" alt="The trip back to the car" /></a> As abandoned resources grew, people scavenged the dump more and more and began building their homes in the area. The Mukuru settlement was born. The area is still heavily industrial, and the buildings now center on the railroad, the old quarry, and manufacturing sites. Large lorries carrying dirt and rocks, apparently for a purpose, frequent the roads, though that purpose remains unseen for the casual visitor. <a title="Land of Industry" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5939220889/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6133/5939220889_2364632f34.jpg" alt="Land of Industry" /></a> The settlement faces the same issues as the others; tuberculosis, malaria, HIV/AIDS are common, life expectancy hovers around 40 years, the population density is something like 50,000 per square mile, and the average income is around $1 a day. <a title="The Walk" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5939204725/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6135/5939204725_d7773eda88.jpg" alt="The Walk" /></a> <a title="Mukuru" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5939762032/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6133/5939762032_762f7d5b04.jpg" alt="Mukuru" /></a> We were dropped off at a roundabout near the settlement in an industrial area, and there we waited. And waited. And waited. Waited long enough for this mzungu to sunburn under a winter sun (granted, that is not new to me). We eventually realized we had been plopped down on the opposite end of the settlement from the community meeting, so we began to walk. I followed the lead of the community, using the railroad as a path. The other options were to walk through standing wastewater or on dirt frequently used as a makeshift toilet, so the threat of moving for a rumbling train was worth it (only two come through a day – a figure the government wants to increase). The further into Mukuru we walked, the closer the structures crept toward the railroad. Especially once we made it to one of the market sections of the settlement, the railroad and the market became inextricable. <a title="Market Central" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5939212787/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6143/5939212787_10d0382c85.jpg" alt="Market Central" /></a> <a title="More Vendors" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5939768526/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6130/5939768526_47a41120eb.jpg" alt="More Vendors" /></a> I was not as comfortable in Mukuru as I have been in other areas (can you really be comfortable in the settlements, as an outsider?). Maybe it was because my community liaison is not a member of the community (he is from Kibera), or maybe it was because the slum was so far out of Nairobi, it didn’t seem to be frequented by visitors. I normally use children as a benchmark, and the children of Mukuru tended to either hide from my gaze or glare at me suspiciously. It also didn’t help that adults yelled things at me more than I had encountered anywhere else in Kenya, and one woman conveniently tossed her trash into the sewage at my feet. The community, though, was thriving and lively, and it was easy to see how entrenched the railroad has become as an everyday part of life. <a title="Children of Mukuru" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5939217505/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6121/5939217505_ba6ed58555.jpg" alt="Children of Mukuru" /></a> The meeting took place in a community of Mukuru called Sinai, an area where the buildings relax their grip on the railroad. Within the first ten minutes of the meeting, a bare engine rumbled by, shaking the corrugated metal siding and drowning out the voices of the facilitators. Just part of the reality of life here. The participants in the meeting were impassioned and emphatic, and it was obvious this would be one of the livelier meetings I had attended; few people were able to speak uninterrupted. I received brief translations, and it became apparent that Mukuru had not mobilized behind a single leader, and there was discontent about the current status of organization. <a href="http://www.pamojatrust.org/" target="_blank">Pamoja Trust</a> plays a murky role in the relocation, as it was a key contributor to the writing of the Relocation Action Plan (read as: they were hired by Kenya Railways), but they also play a key role as rights protectors in the settlements. Things get even more complicated because certain members of Pamoja have shifted around and created a new organization, charging themselves with responsibilities too cannily similar to be pure coincidence. Opiata, the ED of Hakijamii, told me afterwards that it would take months to catch up on the intricacies of these organizations’ interplays and roles. Needless to say, the community seems divided, and my experience at the meeting was cut short as the two groups came to a head and fighting broke out. Sally was quick to react when the tension started rising and ushered me out of the building. My overall impression was simply that the community does not seem ready to move at the pace that is necessary to respond to the RAP. Implementation is imminent, yet they cannot rally behind a figurehead, or even yet, an organization. Kibera faces similar issues, but not nearly so polarized. From what I have read on successful inspections on World Bank programs, unity is necessary, and a lot of the settlements’ strength rests in their sheer numbers. Thousands of people are hard to ignore, especially when they speak with one voice.   **Also of note, due to government cutbacks, Hakijamii is losing a long-time and committed international donor. They have to restructure and reevaluate programs for the next three years, which could have a terrible ripple effect in the settlements. If anyone knows any organizations active in securing economic, social, and cultural rights in developing nations, send them our way! </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/nyakiele-pt-ii/" title="Permalink to Nyakiele Pt. II" rel="bookmark">Nyakiele Pt. II</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-15" pubdate>July 15, 2011 5:31 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/nyakiele-pt-ii/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> Last month I reported on an attack on the village of Nyakiele by soldiers loyal to the ex-PARECO deserter Col. Kifaru. Here are more details about the incident: The official count of women that were raped in this incident stands at 163, from the three villages of Nyakiele, Kanguli, and Abala, north of Fizi Centre. Numerous groups, from Arche d’Alliance to CCAP to MSF, have arrived to provide assistance to survivors. However, according to some of my sources who have made several visits to Nyakiele since the incident, the humanitarian situation in the Nyakiele-Kanguli-Abala area is generally appalling and will require a lot more than just emergency aid. Arche d’Alliance has reported that 72 households in the tri-village area have been “broken” due to the mass rape. That is to say, the survivor in the family has been ostracized by her husband and banned from the marriage bed and possibly the household itself. This demonstrates the far-reaching social consequences of sexual violence in the Congo. At the moment, a team from CCAP is present in the area working on family mediation and reconciliation. On July 7th, Col. Kifaru and around 200 of his troops arrived at the bracage center in Luberizi (in the Ruzizi Plain, in Uvira Territory) and have been there ever since. They have refused to give up their arms, and so far no action has been taken against them. According to a source very close to the investigation, the Congolese government has no interest in arresting or prosecuting Col. Kifaru, as they think it will mean an end to credibility of the bracage process and reconciliation with rebel groups. In what is possibly part of a strategy to discredit the survivors, word is floating around the Congolese government that the mass rape incident in/around Nyakiele was either grossly exaggerated or invented entirely by aid groups and NGOs in order to get more funding. And so, Quo Vadis, Domine? <div id="attachment_368" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 300px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/07/15/nyakiele-pt-ii/dsc05439/" rel="attachment wp-att-368"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/07/DSC05439-300x225.jpg" alt="Children in field near Mboko" width="300" height="225" class="size-medium wp-image-368" /></a>Children in field near Mboko</div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/kibera-paper-continued/" title="Permalink to Kibera Paper Continued" rel="bookmark">Kibera Paper Continued</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-15" pubdate> 1:59 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/kibera-paper-continued/#comments">101 Comments</a> As a quick addendum to the blog I wrote a few days ago, I was able to compile the videos I took of the card-making process. So here are the women of Kibera Paper showing me how it’s done. All I know is my sister and I never made anything out of recycled paper quite as nice as they do (no offense, Ash.). Photos of my trip to Mukuru and an introduction to Beatrice to come soon! httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmoLaZm8SE4&feature=channel_video_title </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/entrepreneurship-and-craft-in-kibera/" title="Permalink to Entrepreneurship and Craft in Kibera" rel="bookmark">Entrepreneurship and Craft in Kibera</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-13" pubdate>July 13, 2011 2:40 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/entrepreneurship-and-craft-in-kibera/#comments">3 Comments</a> This blog is more than just a travelogue, as my goal is to attempt to delve into the complexities of housing rights…the fight to fix them, the Kenyan Government, IGOs, development plans, indigenous populations, and diminishing resources…but still to present Kenya through my eyes. This is a great opportunity to explore a beautiful and diverse country (and people), whose image has been marred by unfortunate events and nicknames like “Nairobbery.” Kenya is more than safaris (though what an amazing experience, right??) and <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/tonywheeler/00%20-%20Obama%20kanga%20400.JPG" target="_blank">Obama</a>, just as the settlements are more than human suffering and bleak conditions. I had told myself before getting to Kenya that I want to show what life is like here. So in addition to showing the inequality and despair of the settlements, I was going to make a concerted effort to show more of the culture and hope that comes out of them, too. Because, let’s face it, you don’t find a lack of culture and personality anywhere in Kenya – in Mombasa, Turkana, the Mara, or the settlements. So then there is Kibera. Kibera takes on many faces, depending on who you talk to. To government officials, it is an eyesore and a problem (but also votes). To people from other areas, it is a place filled with trouble-makers and whiners (“Just look at how they rip up the railroad at the slightest instigation! They are babied by the government,” they say). To the people of Kibera, it is home. One look at the <a href="http://kiberanewsnetwork.org/" target="_blank">Kibera News Network site</a> gives a glimpse of all the community-building, encouraging, and cultural things to come out of Nairobi’s biggest settlement. Fashion shows, picnics, and artisans all abound in the area. People just seem not to look for these aspects of life, or maybe they are overshadowed by the extreme poverty. We have a tendency to be fascinated with human suffering – the train-wreck effect. We can’t look away. Life in these settlements is so hard for us to comprehend – “us” being the typical Westerner, we focus on those aspects that make us feel pity, even make us feel compelled to act, to pressure for change, or just to give thanks for our own status in life. Isn’t this the main compulsion behind the slum tours mentioned before (<a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/kmaryn/2011/06/09/this-could-be-the-beginning-of-an-existential-crisis/" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/ckollm/2011/06/30/first-day-of-school/" target="_blank">here</a>)? I am not saying that this is bad, necessarily; actually, it is amazing that despite thousands of miles, differences in culture and language, we can still feel connected to each other through the human aspect. True, life in these settlements is hard. It is dangerous. It is inequitable, and there can be a sad complacency for their “lot in life,” but there is also that resiliency. These are still people, and they are beautiful and diverse and active. They don’t lose that because they live in a slum. <a title="Waiting" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5827515249/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2410/5827515249_685b5af76b.jpg" alt="Waiting" width="400" height="300" /></a> My first week in Kenya, while perusing an ex-pat haven of a market, I came across a group of women selling cards. Their tent was bare, not filled with the marketing ploys and gimmicks of the other more savvy artisans. They simply had two boxes of cards and a sign. The cards were beautiful, hand-painted on recycled paper, each signed by the woman who put the time into its creation, each artist a woman of Kibera. After doing some research on <a href="http://www.kiberapaper.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=177&Itemid=123" target="_blank">Kibera Paper</a>, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it calls my own base of Kenyatta Market home. And then I was even more pleasantly surprised to find that Hakijamii’s resident part-time office assistant, Beatrice, also used to work at Kibera Paper. <a title="St. Luke's Kenyatta Parish" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5915330036/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6055/5915330036_1d6afdc5be.jpg" alt="St. Luke's Kenyatta Parish" width="400" height="300" /></a> On two separate days, Beatrice clasped my hand in hers and marched me across the street to St. Luke’s Kenyatta Parish to introduce me to her other “family.” The women of Kibera Paper are sweet, welcoming, and humble. The operation, started in 2001, is tiny and shares space with the church and with a school, but it employs 24 women, single mothers and widows, and allows them the flexibility of a steady wage – to pay for rent, dinner, and school fees. Most of these women have worked for Kibera Paper for 7+ years. <a title="Office at Kibera Paper" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5915310466/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6016/5915310466_32bed0f8e1.jpg" alt="Office at Kibera Paper" width="400" height="300" /></a> <a title="Spreading out the Paper" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5915317194/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6038/5915317194_19472a045c.jpg" alt="Spreading out the Paper" /></a> <a title="Recycled Paper" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5915313554/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6029/5915313554_bfef0e1216.jpg" alt="Recycled Paper" /></a> The idea is simple, but resourceful – take scraps of office paper off of business’ hands. Turn it into a pulp, dye it, turn it back into paper, and personalize it as a Kenyan piece of art. And for 100 shillings each (around $1.20), they are cheaper than any greeting card I’ve seen in Target. <a title="Alfreda" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5914755555/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6011/5914755555_d15e0925d3.jpg" alt="Alfreda" /></a> <a title="Designs" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5915328400/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6014/5915328400_3f5f75c701.jpg" alt="Designs" /></a> <a title="Maasai" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5914767321/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6060/5914767321_e7f915eeeb.jpg" alt="Maasai" /></a> Like <a href="http://www.kazuribeads.co.uk/" target="_blank">Kazuri Beads</a>, Kibera Paper saw an opportunity to help a marginalized and vulnerable group, single mothers, empowered them to learn a skill, and improved, at least slightly, the monthly income they bring home. They are not receiving hand-outs. No one I have met from Kibera has ever asked for a hand-out. They are making an honest living and are happy for that. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/i-have-arrived/" title="Permalink to I Have Arrived" rel="bookmark">I Have Arrived</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-12" pubdate>July 12, 2011 2:13 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/i-have-arrived/#comments">9 Comments</a> The journey from Rome to Entebbe was long and I was exhausted after a series of flights and long layovers in the wee hours of the morning; but as we approached the airstrip, I saw Lake Victoria and the lush surroundings. Wow, I have finally arrived, I thought. My eyes welled up with tears out of joy and excitement, and I was thrilled with anticipation to meet Benedicta Nanyonga, who was to greet me at the airport. Yet, as I waited…and waited…and waited for my suitcase to come along on the baggage carousel, that joy and excitement began to wane. An hour or so after we landed, I realized my bag had not made the entire journey with me, and naturally disappointed, all I could do was file a lost baggage claim. But I would not let this defeat me! As I finally exited to the waiting area, I saw Benedicta, whom I recognized from videos and photographs, holding a sign with my name on it. I walked straight to her and introduced myself. When she realized who I was, she showered me with hugs and kisses! Then another woman, Margaret, approached and presented me with a beautiful bouquet of white and orange roses. I was so touched by this welcoming. <div id="attachment_38" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 400px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/kampala-entebbe.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-38" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/kampala-entebbe.jpg" alt="Road between Kampala and Entebbe" width="400" height="277" /></a>Road between Kampala and Entebbe</div> From the airport, we drove about 35 km directly to Kinawataka, a slum in southeastern Kampala, where Kinawataka Women Initiatives (KIWOI) is based. The property serves as the workshop, office, Benedicta’s home, and an orphanage for 20 children. The children were not there because they were in school, but I met Josephine, the secretary at KIWOI. She served Benedicta, Margaret, and me a delicious lunch of beans and cooked plantain (called matoke) and I learned that the “K” in “Kinawataka” is pronounced as a “Ch.” Benedicta then gave me a tour, showing me the straw products; the awards KIWOI has received; the many news clippings of stories about her, the organization, and the strawbags; the rooms of the house; and the backyard, filled with trees, a chicken and her chicks; a cow named Benedicta, and her calf, Benedicta Jr. <div id="attachment_41" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 400px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/benedicta-josephine1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-41" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/benedicta-josephine1.jpg" alt="Benedicta and Josephine making earrings outside of the KIWOI workshop" width="400" height="298" /></a>Benedicta and Josephine making earrings outside of the KIWOI workshop</div> <div id="attachment_42" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 400px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/workshop.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-42" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/workshop.jpg" alt="Inside the KIWOI workshop many of the the straw products are being organized" width="400" height="311" /></a>Inside the KIWOI workshop many of the the straw products are being organized</div> It wasn’t long after lunch that Benedicta arranged for a Boda Boda (motorbike) driver who I would hire on a regular basis to transport me between KIWOI and the Red Chilli Hideaway, my home for the summer. After about a 10-minute drive, we approached a dirt road that we drove up and arrived at a guarded red metal gate. This was the entrance to Red Chilli. After checking in and paying for a full month (to obtain a 10% discount), I was shown to my room, a bit quiet and secluded. Though not very large, it is spacious enough for one person, with a table, a shelf, and a mosquito net hanging from the ceiling above the single bed. As I walked around the grounds, I noticed that this Hideaway was massive— with a number of buildings for lodgings, a tiny “plunge” pool, and goats, white monkeys, and black and white birds roaming about. (The next morning I discovered that these birds are very, very loud!) After settling into my room and unpacking a few things I had in my carry-on baggage, I went up to the restaurant/bar area, drank some soda water, used the free wi-fi, and tried not to feel so lonely, surrounded by tourists that I would likely not get to know. When I went to bed, I sprayed plenty of insect repellant all over me, the room, and the mosquito net which I carefully draped completely over the bed. <div id="attachment_47" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 400px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/red-chilli-reception.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-47" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/red-chilli-reception.jpg" alt="Red Chilli Hideaway Reception " width="400" height="284" /></a>Reception office at the Red Chilli Hideaway</div> <div id="attachment_50" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 400px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/red-chilli-room1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-50 " src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/red-chilli-room1.jpg" alt="The entrance to my room at Red Chilli Hideaway, my home for 3 months" width="400" height="297" /></a>The entrance to my room at Red Chilli Hideaway, my home for 3 months</div> In the morning, my Boda Boda driver Julius arrived about 10 am, and I went directly to KIWOI. Our day was busy: I accompanied Benedicta to a meeting at a university business center, where she met with an advisor to discuss the development of a proposal package and business plan for a potential investor in the Netherlands. That evening, I explained the Advocacy Project model to Benedicta and proposed the idea of the quilt made of the recycled plastic straws. She said that she hadn’t fully understood the concept of the quilt project before, but now with my explanation she liked the idea and thought we should go forward with it. We thought it best to invite the women weavers who would participate to make their own design for a 1-foot x 1-foot panel that could be joined into one piece. One of the many products that KIWOI produces is a straw mat. To make a mat, several pieces of woven plastic straws need to be joined together. I think this same method can be employed for the quilt. <div id="attachment_43" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 269px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/benedicta-joining-peaces.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-43" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/benedicta-joining-peaces.jpg" alt="Benedicta joining woven straw pieces" width="269" height="400" /></a>Benedicta joining woven straw pieces</div> I also learned that Benedicta had been invited to attend a gift show in Los Angeles, CA where she could market the straw products. Over the next couple of days, I assisted Benedicta with travel bookings and preparations for this trip. This will be her first trip to the U.S., and she leaves for Los Angeles on Sunday, July 17 for 10 days! <div id="attachment_46" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 400px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/rubbish1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-46 " src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/schidgey/files/2011/07/rubbish1.jpg" alt="Clever marketing as these bags are made of straws that were otherwise destined to be trash!" width="400" height="286" /></a>Clever marketing as these bags are made of straws that were otherwise destined to be trash!</div> On Wednesday I found out that my baggage finally made it to Entebbe, so in the early evening after a number of appointments, Benedicta and I went back there by hired car. It seems absurd to me in some respects that “stuff” would be so important, but I can’t overstate how happy I was to be reunited with my luggage. Finally, I could wear more than two sets of clothes, wouldn’t have to go to a clinic to get a new prescription of anti-malarial medicine, and had my special pillow with my superman pillowcase. Now, I felt as though I truly had arrived and was far better prepared to tackle the rest of the week and even the next three months. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/gulu-a-day-in-the-life/" title="Permalink to Gulu – A Day in the Life" rel="bookmark">Gulu – A Day in the Life</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-11" pubdate>July 11, 2011 2:50 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/gulu-a-day-in-the-life/#comments">6 Comments</a> 6-6:30am: Generally I sleep through the night and wake up under my canopy mosquito net. I wake up by phone alarm and/or an anxious rooster crow. My room is a private guest house behind Mama Margaret’s house, where Mama and a revolving-door of 2 to 4 adult children and 1 to 4 young grandchildren live. For a family who has VERY little, it is almost embarrassing that they have insisted that I stay there for free, but it’s one of countless examples of the generosity of even the most impoverished people of Gulu. I hope to find other ways to support them before I go. 6:30-7am: Get ready for the day, including a daily dose of Doxycycline (anti-malarial meds), a jerrycan/bucket shower, and the constant fight to avoid the red-orange dust. It’s also expected that I brush my teeth prior to eating, too! 7-7:30am: Mama has breakfast ready for me: bread, Blue Band “butter,” a hard-boiled egg, and Ugandan tea (including at least two heaping scoops of cane sugar for the locals). <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5877068444/" title="In the kitchen" rel="" class=""><img decoding="async" alt="In the kitchen" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5230/5877068444_09f1dfb626.jpg"></a> Helping to prepare a “traditional American meal” my first weekend in Mama’s kitchen. Here, I am pictured with Beatrice, Rosetta, and baby Asifer. 7:30-8am: 15-20 minute boda-boda ride into town with my favorite boda and friend, James. Recent rain has kept the dust to a minimum; however, on the hotter days, the dust is heavy by morning. After showing up on my first day with my right shoulder caked with dust (I sit side-saddle on the bikes), I learned to apply sunscreen AFTER reaching work! *Side note on transport: Most of Gulu is a web of two-ish lane roads—some paved, most dirt. To call them “potholes” is an understatement, as boda drivers have to navigate very specific paths to avoid holes, rocks, water, etc. As far as movement goes, there is a definite hierarchy on the roads: (walkers) step aside for (bicycles) veer left for (boda-bodas) who steer clear of (cars/trucks/NGO vehicles). And everybody gets out of the way for the large coal/material trucks that rumble by, as the inevitable dust cloud that swarms up takes several seconds to settle. Rain will essentially shut down transportation, as there are very few covered taxis in town. 8am-5pm – Work at GDPU! Staff makes their way in between 8-9, as road and weather conditions make all the difference. Tea happens promptly at 10am, often including cassava chips. Power is pretty spotty, often leaving the staff frustrated and idle (cross your fingers for a generator!). At lunch, I prefer to walk into town and pick up a few mangos; however, I’m constantly reminded of the “big African stomach” and encouraged to eat a full, hot meal. On the hottest days, warm malikwong (a bitter green simmered in sim-sim paste. Think spinach + liquefied peanut butter), beans, and potatoes isn’t always appealing, but it definitely fills me up! As for the work itself, I’m starting to get a hang of my tasks. Goals for the summer include several proposals to help bring in funding for GDPU. Recently, we completed the first one for UNDP to fund the construction of accessible home modifications and a public, accessible toilet. Cross your fingers for $7k! Tech training and building a website is also on my to-do list. 5-6:30pm – I make my way home. Sometimes, this includes a stop in town to run errands or visit with friends (including the Sisters of St. Monica, the convent where I lived in 2008). On occasion, I will meet my host-brother, Brian, at his school, and we will walk the 3 or 4 kilometers home. He knows the back roads through the bush to avoid the dust. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5925784612/" title="Giving it a try..." rel="" class=""><img decoding="async" alt="Giving it a try..." src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6009/5925784612_852bf3062b.jpg"></a> I joined Beatrice and Rosetta to fetch water. Though they carry the 44-pounds of a 20L jerrycan with ease, I had a hard enough time standing still! 6:30-7pm – Mama Margaret insists that I take tea. Afterwards, I usually sit with Beatrice in the pharmacy out front where she works while the kids run around outside. She wants to learn French, so I’m reliving my days in French 1 to teach her the basics. People in the neighborhood of Forgod recognize me by now, but I can’t help but feel like a zoo attraction to those who walk by and stare at the curious white woman. 7-9pm – If there is power, Mama tries to get dinner ready earlier so we can eat with some light and enjoy their favorite television programs (dubbed soap operas from the Philippines and Mexico). This time of year, it gets dark by 7:30 or 8, and “dark” means something very different here without even the faintest glow from a streetlight or a city. Though there are a few windows in the home, they close up by 6:30pm when the mosquitoes have their nightly reservations for dinner. 9-10pm – I usually head back to my room (a 30 yard walk behind the main house) around this time, guided by a flashlight. Grateful for a laptop on hand, I’ll do a little work, use a portable modem to check email, and maybe watch an episode of West Wing on DVD, a small comfort of home! Otherwise, I make my way to bed and fall asleep to any number of sounds: silence; television from the house next store; packs of wild dogs running through and quarreling; maybe a mouse exploring my shoes; and always, mosquitoes. I can tell how many there are based on their slightly different pitch as they try angrily (but in vain) to get into my carefully tucked net. If I’m lucky, at least their different pitches will create a harmonic lullaby. And with that: Goodnight, Gulu moon. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/what-do-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up/" title="Permalink to What do you want to be when you grow up?" rel="bookmark">What do you want to be when you grow up?</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-10" pubdate>July 10, 2011 7:56 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/what-do-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up/#comments">1 Comment</a> <a title="Leah Moyiaso Rerai Siparo 02" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5899015212/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/5899015212_35c87b68e4.jpg" alt="Leah Moyiaso Rerai Siparo" width="320" height="214" /></a> One of my first projects here in Enoosaen was to work on the profiles of the girls from Class 4. We have three classes so far (4, 5, and 6), and Charlotte had already almost finished the profiles of the girls from Classes 5 and 6 when I arrived. The purpose of these profiles is to gather general information about the class, the girls’ background, and then follow them up as they move on to the next classes during their time in the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence. The questionnaire I presented them (I asked something out loud, the head teacher translated into Swahili to make sure the girls understood, and they took notes to hand in their answers later) covered different information ranging from their age, their previous school, their family background, their favorite subjects and other similar topics. <a title="Naomi Jepkoech 03" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5898615065/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5316/5898615065_579953af4f.jpg" alt="Naomi Jepkoech" width="205" height="307" /></a> In asking those questions, I learned some very interesting things: for instance, the concept of “favorite” was somehow foreign to the girls, and I also had to clarify, when I was asking about their siblings, if I meant the ones who lived with them, or if they were to include the ones from their father’s other wives. I was aware that polygamy is still very common in this region, but coming from a culture where it is not accepted, it was fascinating to see how this practice is still very much part of their lives. After they handed in their answers, I took time to sit with each one of them and go over their answers in more detail, taking the opportunity to take some pictures of them for our files. This turned out to be an extremely difficult part of the process. The girls were very eager to wait in line to talk to me and have their pictures taken, but once they sat down to actually talk, they would suddenly go silent and shyly look away from me. After some gentle prodding on my part, we went over their answers and I got to learn a lot about these girls. <a title="Some of the girls from Class 4 waiting to be interviewed and have their pictures taken" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5898442761/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5316/5898442761_c8b643d0ac.jpg" alt="Some of the girls from Class 4 waiting to be interviewed and have their pictures taken" width="400" height="267" /></a> Out of 34 girls, 17 told me their fathers had more than one wife, with the maximum number of wives being three. These wives lived in different houses, and the girls would refer to them as “my other mom” or “my stepmom” most of the time. I also learned that, although the parents have to agree not to let their daughters undergo FGM in order to have them accepted by the school, unfortunately the ban on FGM was not something that had been previously embraced by some of those families: 13 girls reported that they had older sisters who had been cut. Luckily, none of the girls seemed to look forward to being cut themselves, therefore not placing importance on the practice as a rite of passage ceremony, even though most of them could not elaborate on why they thought that FGM was “bad”. To the traditional “What do you want to be when you grow up?” question, I got the regular answers of teachers, nurses, with some girls who wanted to be doctors, and a couple who wanted to be a lawyer…but I got quite a few answers from girls wanting to be pilots! The justification for this career choice was diverse: some said that pilots earn a lot of money, others said that they could visit different places, but a couple said that, by being a pilot, they would be able to fly. <a title="Mary Potishoi Lemunge 03" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5899215852/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5268/5899215852_83d072f178.jpg" alt="Mary Potishoi Lemunge" width="267" height="400" /></a> However, my favorite question was “What is special about you?” and although the answers were somewhat disappointing, asking it was interesting nonetheless because it showed that we have some serious work to do in helping these girls improve their self-esteem. I don’t know if something got lost in translation or if they are just not used to having someone show interest in them as a person with individual qualities and characteristics, but the vast majority of the girls could not properly answer this question. Most of them answered something about having their parents pay for their school fees, and just one girl said “what is special about me is that I am always happy”. Hopefully, these girls will grow more and more confident in themselves, and in the future will have enough self-awareness to never flinch when someone takes interest in them and thinks they are special. They are certainly special to me, and you can see <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/advocacy_project/sets/72157626576768294/">here</a> all the photos I took from these adorable little girls. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/who-are-the-rescued-girls/" title="Permalink to Who are the “rescued” girls?" rel="bookmark">Who are the “rescued” girls?</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-10" pubdate> 5:34 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/who-are-the-rescued-girls/#comments">2 Comments</a> <a title="Miriam, rescued girl" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5921940876/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6001/5921940876_b7ec8c1b35.jpg" alt="Miriam gets emotional while telling her story. Rescued from circumcision and marriage at age 13, she is now setting an example for the many younger girls also coming through Counselor Caroline's doors." width="450" height="420" /></a> Miriam comes across more like any lively, athletic American sixteen year old than any other girl I’ve met here in rural Kenya, yet she bears the burden of a difficult journey to becoming the confident person she is today. She is one of the over 50 “rescued” girls, as they are known, for whom <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/2011/07/08/counselor-carolines-crusade-to-rescue-girls/">Counselor Caroline</a> cares. She is also one of the 9 I met on Thursday while they were home with their surrogate mother, Counselor Caro, for half-term break from school (as I mentioned, they desperately need a proper rescue centre…). In December 2008 Miriam passed her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination with the strong marks of a B+, and wanted to continue on to high school, but her parents had other plans for her during the school holiday. That December she fled her village of Shartuka in the Transmara West District, hoping to escape the female circumcision and marriage her parents were about to force upon her. She had watched her older sister be married as a young teen, yet she “wondered why they wanted to marry me when I was still very young” and had not yet finished school. While scared of both FGM and early marriage, Miriam says she ran away first and foremost from the marriage, because marriage means a girl has no other future. First she ran to a district officer (head of area law enforcement), but he had already communicated with her father and knew she was coming. He told her “don’t come to me,” so she ran even further, to Kilgoris. There, she approached the district commissioner, who in turn called Counselor Caro, a woman well known for rescuing girls. Three years later, Miriam is in form 3 at Socio High School in Kilgoris, the same high school Kakenya Ntaiya herself attended. Her school fees are paid (most of the time) by money that Counselor Caroline procures from the County Counsel. Counselor Caroline also takes care of her on holidays, and supplements the money from county counsel with anything else she needs, out of her own pocket. These days Miriam is not in contact with her parents; they would have liked the opportunity to use her to accumulate property, so they now consider her a “complete waste.” She is in occasional contact with her older brother, who gives her some emotional (but not financial) support. She misses her family intensely and is clearly deeply saddened by the rejection she has, in a way, brought upon herself. For now, the girls that continue to flow in to Caroline’s care have become a family of their own, sisters who support each other in a way that no one else can. Miriam was one of the earliest arrivals, so she feels a pride in being able to help orient new girls who have more recently gone through the trauma of escaping similar fates. Ranging from age 11 to 17, some of the escaped girls I spoke to at Caroline’s had no idea that female circumcision or forced early marriage were illegal until they were rescued and spoken to by child rights officers. None of the girls had known about other girls having run away before themselves, and all were surprised by the fact that so many other girls were in the same situation. Miriam tells me her story with strength both in her muscular posture and in her face, as she grits her teeth, holds back tears, and seems to use her ability to control how she tells her story to hold herself together. Gesticulating dramatically forward, Miriam explains that some day in the future, after she attends university, she has faith that her parents will see the sense in her decision. Miriam would like to be a lawyer so that she too can help girls escape the oppression of custom. <a title="Counselor Caro and some of her rescued girls" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5915376678/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6054/5915376678_bbce0712a2.jpg" alt="Counselor Caro and some of her rescued girls - Miriam is in the pink on the far right." width="400" height="242" /></a> I firmly believe that supporting girls like Miriam, and making a resource and rescue centre available in rural areas, would be an effective way to empower girls in a community where so few know their rights and so few have someone to whom they can run. Rescuing girls might be a role well suited for the Kakenya’s Dream organization, and many of us are hoping to see the organization be able to offer support to girls like Miriam in the future. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/counselor-carolines-crusade-to-rescue-girls/" title="Permalink to Counselor Caroline’s crusade to rescue girls" rel="bookmark">Counselor Caroline’s crusade to rescue girls</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-08" pubdate>July 8, 2011 3:15 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/counselor-carolines-crusade-to-rescue-girls/#comments">3 Comments</a> <a title="Counselor Caroline and her girls" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5915375220/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5074/5915375220_99b15db583.jpg" alt="Counselor Caroline flips through the photo album she keeps of all the girls she has rescued, as some of the rescued girls (at home for half term break) look on." width="300" height="400" /></a> Last week I visited St. Josephs girls’ primary boarding school, which also doubles as the only Kilgoris area “rescue centre” for girls (currently 53) who have run away from their families to escape early marriage and circumcision. The rescued girls are brought to the school’s gates by 4 different organizations, and one incredible woman named Caroline Nangeya Ramet brings over a third of them. I knew I had to meet this woman, so I tracked her down to find out more about her work. Counselor Caro, as she is known, is currently providing a safe house for a total of over 50 rescued girls, who she places in 5 different primary and secondary boarding schools. To do this, she petitions to the council (to which she is one of four representatives for the Lolgorian Division) for funds to cover as much of the school fees as possible. In addition to making sure the girls are enrolled in school, Caroline clothes, houses and feeds them on the school holidays, when the girls cannot stay at school. “We sleep here, down there, and on every one of these chairs,” she explains, pointing to the floor and around the tiny sitting room of the house she rents in Kilgoris. They desperately need a proper rescue centre for these girls to have a permanent home. <a title="Counselor Caro's own marriage as a third wife" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5914816645/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5116/5914816645_6a30000efd.jpg" alt="Despite being married as the third wife to a man of her parent’s choosing immediately after finishing high school, she believes her drive and work ethic have allowed her to get where she is today. “In our culture, you are supposed to sit and be silent at home,” explains Caroline." width="283" height="300" /></a> At the age of 13, Caroline underwent genital cutting, and was placed in a year of isolation in preparation for marriage. “My father was not ready for my education,” she says. She was in class 4 at the time. On the final day before she was due to be married, Caro whispered a plea to her cousin, who in turn told her aunt. That aunt helped Caro escape and continue with her schooling. “What drives me to do this? I was cut, and through this I understand the pain of other girls.” The first runaway girl, so young she was only in second grade at the time she had to run away, landed in Caro’s care in 2004. By 2009 she was helping 12 girls. Now, because she has become known as a resource for rescued girls in an area where there aren’t many other resources, chiefs, police, and district officers from all over send her girls in similar situations, and the number has quickly risen above 50. To handle the project, Caroline has registered an organization called the Naserian Girls Rescue Initiative, and has a network of 7 volunteers spread in different locations to help her if there is a report of a girl who needs to be rescued. When a report comes in or a girl shows up, Caroline or one of her volunteers goes with the area chief and a children’s rights officer to the girl’s home to intervene. While the council helps her financially, she points out that “if a girl comes to me and she needs help, maybe she doesn’t even have panties, what am I going to do? Of course I’m not going to wait for the council to show up with money.” <h4>How does her husband, a well to do beer distributor in Kilgoris, feel about this use of resources? Astonishingly, two of the girls that Caro has taken in are his own daughters from one of his other wives. “Well what is a girl going to do after getting an education?” he scoffs. Because Counselor Caro has her own income from the farm she keeps in Lolgorian, she can manage without his support and sell her own cow to support her program when the need arises. She also rents a separate house from his in Kilgoris, so that he and the girls never have to be in the same house with her.</h4> Her deeds are not always popular, and she has become hardened to being called names of the most ugly kind by parents and families of the girls she rescues. Sometimes they say that she has made their daughters useless, and their biggest complaint is that she has denied them taking beer or cows of the celebratory sort they would enjoy during negotiations to marry off their daughters. 13 of the girls have such bitter and angry family members that Caroline sends them to the St. Patricia’s boarding school in the neighboring Nyanza province so that they are a safe distance from potential danger. For contact information, have a look at the <a href="http://naseriangirlsrescueinitiative.blogspot.com/">Naserian Girls Rescue Initiative webpage</a> (although it desperately needs to be updated!). <a title="A photo album of the informal rescue program" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5915374170/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5156/5915374170_031d45885a.jpg" alt="Here is a photo of the girls she was working with in 2009. The girl in the far right, in the blue skirt, was the first girl she rescued." width="400" height="300" /></a> <a title="Counselor Caro and her informal rescue centre" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5915377540/"><img decoding="async" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6046/5915377540_25171b6763.jpg" alt="Counselor Caro shows off the enormous pots she uses when they are cooking for all 50 girls together, when they come home during school holidays." /></a> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/lack-of-evidence-interview-2-with-family-affected-by-child-sacrifice/" title="Permalink to “Lack of Evidence?”: Interview 2 with Family Affected by Child Sacrifice" rel="bookmark">“Lack of Evidence?”: Interview 2 with Family Affected by Child Sacrifice</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-08" pubdate> 7:42 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/lack-of-evidence-interview-2-with-family-affected-by-child-sacrifice/#comments">3 Comments</a> On June 13, 2011, we (myself, Dorothy and Stella, 2 volunteers at the <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/2011/06/16/the-gideon-foundation-against-child-sacrifice/">Gideon Foundation</a>) interviewed a woman named Anna. She is the aunt of Esther Among, a 15 year old girl who was raped, murdered and beheaded in 2009. Anna had actually raised Among from when she was a very young girl and is a medical technologist at a very busy clinic in Soroti at which her husband is a doctor. This family had actually stopped granting interviews some time after the murder occurred but they granted us permission mostly because they are friends with Santos Labeja, the executive director of the <a href="http://www.gideonfoundation.com">Gideon Foundation Against Child Sacrifice</a>. Among was a 15 year old girl who was staying at a Catholic girl’s hostel/boarding school in Soroti. One night in February 2009 soemone came to the hostel to get Among and she left with them. It has been said that this person was her boyfriend, but regardless it was someone that she trusted. She never returned. Her headless body was then found in a grassy area in Soroti. Her body was found quickly because one of the persons who murdered Among had dropped his cell phone on her body. So after the murder, the person who wanted Among’s head was calling this person to arrange the exchange. Students heard this cell phone ringing in the bushes and then alerted others. Anna heard that a body was found without a head but initially she didn’t think much of it since Among was presumably safe at the boarding school. But then she was called to go and identify Among’s body. Anna then went to the boarding school where Among was staying to find out what happened. But when she tried to talk to students, the matrone, etc, people refused to speak with her. After pleading with students it was only then that some students confided in her that a visitor came late at night to get Among. A few days before we interviewed Anna, we stopped by this boarding school to speak to the head matrone there. When asked what happened she said that Among’s mother had come to get her on Sunday and that Among never came back. This has resulted in a lot of rumors being spread that Among’s mother was involved in the murder. After Among’s death, her mother left Soroti. During the interview, Anna expressed how she believes that the head matrone told the students not to speak to her and to say that it was Among’s mother who came to get her to try and cover up the fact that Among was allowed to leave the boarding school at night with a boy. Anna and her family prayed and prayed for Among’s head to be found. Her head was later found in Soroti, it was thrown behind the cement fence of a house. The story is that Among’s boyfriend, along with others, raped her and then cut off her head. The boys were to bring Among’s head to a witchdoctor in Sudan for money. But the boys had trouble transporting the head to Sudan and so they threw Among’s head over the fence. There are lot of things that you can check on the sites like <a href="http://ecdel.org.au"><span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"ecdel"}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":6717,"3":{"1":0},"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"12":0,"14":{"1":2,"2":3700253},"15":"Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"}">ecdel</a>. Among’s family had her head sewn back onto her body and then buried her. The police did track down Among’s murderers with help from the cell phone that was found on Among’s body. When the police went to the house of one of the suspects, they found him on the roof trying to escape, there was also a blood stain and a knife in his room. But all of the suspects were eventually released. In fact the are all said to still live in Soroti. Anna hears stories of them out drinking and still traveling together. She states that this is what makes Among’s murder so haunting, that someone can do something like this and be freed due to “lack of evidence” when there was more than enough evidence. She says that when she went back to the police station that the file for Among’s murder was empty. (will post link to the video of the interview here soon) </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/there-is-no-such-thing-as-too-many-baby-elephants-or-ap-fellows/" title="Permalink to There is no such thing as too many baby elephants. Or AP Fellows." rel="bookmark">There is no such thing as too many baby elephants. Or AP Fellows.</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-05" pubdate>July 5, 2011 12:00 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/there-is-no-such-thing-as-too-many-baby-elephants-or-ap-fellows/#comments">314 Comments</a> A quick diversion from work, in honor of 4th of July. This weekend, <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/" target="_blank">Charlotte</a> and <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cnoia/" target="_blank">Cleia</a> took a break from Enoosean to relax in the city. Relaxing in Nairobi sounds counter-intuitive, but when you are coming from the Maasai bush, hot showers and grocery stores are welcome. So finally, the Kenya branch of AP was united. <a title="Kenya AP Fellows" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5900596903/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5076/5900596903_e6a0d9a30d.jpg" alt="Kenya AP Fellows" width="400" height="278" /></a> On Sunday, after convincing Cleia to join us, we made the trek down to Nairobi National Park near Karen and tried to make friends with the baby elephants at the <a href="http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/" target="_blank">David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage</a>. The orphanage <a href="http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/orphans.asp">takes in and rehabilitates</a> orphaned elephants until they can be released into the wild – typically in Tsavo National Park. For most, this takes over ten years, and there are different levels of care and human interaction the elephants receive, depending on their age. The orphanage opens its doors to the public every morning (and evening if you decide to “foster” an elephant) and presents its babies to everyone (you can see <a href="https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/orphans_history.asp" target="_blank">profiles of the babies</a> on the website!). It is informal and comfortable (minus the jostling of wzungu), and the trainers encourage the elephants to interact with the crowd. By the end of the hour, even Cleia had joined Team Baby Elephant. There were quite a few squeals of joy among us. And hundreds of photos. The first group was the babiest of the babies (the Nursery Herd), including 9-month old <a href="https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/orphan_profile.asp?N=242" target="_blank">Naipoki</a> (wearing the blanket – meant to reduce the risk of pneumonia). <a title="The Nursery Herd" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5901048116/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5240/5901048116_eb929e3ece.jpg" alt="The Nursery Herd" /></a> <a title="Chomp" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5900470045/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5314/5900470045_688b063e95.jpg" alt="Chomp" /></a> The second group was older, around 2 to 3 years old. This is right when they start developing tusks and about the age they get weened off the milk. <a title="The Elder Herd" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5900520483/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6053/5900520483_53bfd853b1.jpg" alt="The Elder Herd" /></a> <a title="Feeding Time" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5900493677/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6049/5900493677_f913286db2.jpg" alt="Feeding Time" /></a> The bond between the elephants and the keepers was incredible and enviable (at least for me). <a title="Follow the Leader" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5900563573/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6001/5900563573_cb0cf6cae1.jpg" alt="Follow the Leader" width="400" height="300" /></a> <a title="Handy Arm Rest" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5900539671/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5039/5900539671_6e32f4f20d.jpg" alt="Handy Arm Rest" /></a> A highlight was definitely the dog-pile that ensued right before the babies were led out. What hams! <a title="The Dog-pile Begins" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5900557797/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5075/5900557797_2546e20dd8.jpg" alt="The Dog-pile Begins" /></a> The orphanage does not discriminate and has rescued countless other animals, including a baby black rhino, which due to its blindness, was abandoned by its mother. <a title="Baby Black Rhino" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5900570179/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5316/5900570179_9afc3b2290.jpg" alt="Baby Black Rhino" /></a> <a title="Mama Baboon" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5901148134/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5111/5901148134_6ce8ab3bbf.jpg" alt="Mama Baboon" /></a> We also discovered this baboon family, complete with a baby hanging onto the mom’s belly (Dad had already run into the trees). The mom was none too interested in us, which was probably for the better. As the center is situated in Nairobi National Park, getting there requires driving through land still controlled by animals…including lions. So we were quickly ushered back into the car. I really enjoyed getting to know Cleia and Charlotte; it was great to hear about their experiences with the Kakenya Center. I am looking forward to eventually getting to see Enoosean to get a feel for Maasai life, but it was also nice to share mine with them. As always, more photos are available on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/advocacy_project/sets/72157626450858751/" target="_blank">Flickr</a>. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/a-brief-history-of-the-railroad-expansion-and-its-woes/" title="Permalink to A (Brief) History of the Railroad Expansion and Its Woes" rel="bookmark">A (Brief) History of the Railroad Expansion and Its Woes</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-04" pubdate>July 4, 2011 6:34 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/a-brief-history-of-the-railroad-expansion-and-its-woes/#comments">5 Comments</a> The history of the railroad expansion really starts with the history of Nairobi. It was founded in 1899 in the middle of a swamp. Breaking the distance between Mombasa (on the coast) and Kampala, Uganda, it was established because of the railroad, founded as a depot. Six years after its founding, it became the capital of the British protectorate and then the capital of newly independent Kenya in 1963. Independence increased the boom of urbanization, and the city centers began to swell. Nairobi’s population more than doubled ten years after independence, and now its population sits at over three million. The slum creation can be traced back to urbanization; the infrastructure of the city could not handle such a rapid influx of people; the people could not handle the high cost of living. The general consensus is that there are 183 informal settlements or slums in Nairobi, which hold anywhere from 40 to 60% of the city’s population. A Shack/Slum Dweller International (SDI) <a href="http://www.sdinet.org/news/31" target="_blank">report</a> estimates that 63% of the land dedicated to the settlements sits on public land that has been privatized since the particular slum came into existence. The rest of the land is public land, either contested or uncontested. The 60 meters of railway corridor in Kibera and Mukuru count as contested public land. And that’s what the disputed land is, just a corridor of 60 meters – that’s 100 feet on either side of the railway – that stretch along 11km of track. But the track has become an everyday part of life for these people; some traders literally sell their wares on the track, simply moving off when a train goes by. It is a road, a community hub. And while 60 meters doesn’t sound like a lot, the <a href="http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000333037_20110119023208" target="_blank">Relocation Action Plan</a> (RAP) counts that there are over 4,600 homes, 4,300 businesses, 280 institutions (including churches, medical clinics, and schools), and 790 public facilities situated in those 60 meters. And it seems to treat these figures as trivial. The people of Ngazi Ya Chini, on the other hand, think those estimates are low. It seems like not much has changed in a year… <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/kmaryn/files/2011/07/IMG_6930.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-90" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/kmaryn/files/2011/07/IMG_6930-425x318.jpg" alt="" width="425" height="318" /></a> The story behind Ngazi Ya Chini can be found on <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cgillmore/2010/06/23/the-ladder-that-runs-down/" target="_blank">Christy’s</a> and <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/lrezac/2010/06/23/the-ladder-that-runs-down/" target="_blank">Louis’</a> blogs. Here are the basics of the issues. The expansion is going to happen, and it is scheduled to conclude in 2012. The community is now trying to form a resettlement plan that is fair. Or at least respond to the inaccuracies of the most recent RAP. The World Bank’s <a href="http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/PROJECTS/EXTPOLICIES/EXTOPMANUAL/0,,contentMDK:20064610~menuPK:4564185~pagePK:64709096~piPK:64709108~theSitePK:502184~isCURL:Y,00.html" target="_blank">Operating Policy 4.12</a> governs this. Hands down, no questions…it must be followed. <a title="Ngazi Ya Chini" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5886770821/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5155/5886770821_a608d19921.jpg" alt="Ngazi Ya Chini" width="400" height="300" /></a> They want to be consulted. OP 4.12 requires that those affected by the resettlement are consulted and participate in the planning and implementation. As far as Ngazi Ya Chini is concerned, this has not happened. They want equitable resettlement. OP 4.12 also requires that the people who are involuntarily resettled be returned to a standard of living equal to that of their pre-displacement levels. This includes their businesses, homes, communities, facilities, etc. The RAP is vague on a lot of the actual plans, but the community wants the same amount of space for their homes and businesses. If they had 6 meters for their home previously, it does not seem equitable to cram them into 3 meters. The resettlement will disrupt markets. Many of the venders along the routes have been there for years. And the track is a prime location; it provides easy access, it is easy to find, it is established as a market area with captive consumers. The traders who will be displaced will have a hard time rebuilding such a market. The resettlement will disrupt community structures. This plan will separate families, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. With two large walls planned, as well, it will also effectively sever the neighborhood, making one into two. Compensation for this sort of loss is hard to measure. The RAP has holes. There are many issues left up in the air, such as the actual plan, the amount of space, the available retained land for resettlement, the school issues…the list goes on. The methodology alone is murky. And as mentioned, Ngazi Ya Chini questions the actual data. The government does have some valid reasons for the resettlement. The trains are dangerous. At least three derailments have occurred in the past two years. The tracks are over a hundred years old and easily uprooted, which has turned into a protest tool for some residents. The trains are running inefficiently, as they can only go around 12 mph through the crowded slums. The uprooting stops the trains entirely, and capacity is decreasing, rather than increasing. Maintenance crews have a tough lot, falling sick regularly, as many times the tracks become waste heaps for everything from scraps to human excrement. That being said, the process needs to adhere to the stated guidelines. A few solid bargaining points for the government does not excuse a shirking of accountability. Especially when it comes to the Relocation Action Plan. Because at a certain point, isn’t this all the Bank is going off of? </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/adventure-is-about-to-begin/" title="Permalink to The Adventure Is About to Begin" rel="bookmark">The Adventure Is About to Begin</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-02" pubdate>July 2, 2011 2:09 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/adventure-is-about-to-begin/#comments">6 Comments</a> Since I was young, I have longed to travel to Africa. I imagined climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, going on a safari, and peeking at great silverback mountain gorillas. But this summer I am embarking on an even more exciting and rewarding adventure! In just two days, I will arrive in Kampala, Uganda to work with the Kinawataka Women Initiatives (KIWOI). KIWOI is an NGO established by Ms. Benedicta Nanyonga in 1998 that promotes women’s empowerment, community development, and environmental protection. The organization achieves its mission through the production and sale of goods such as woven bags, mats, and even shoes—all made from recycled plastic drinking straws. As a Peace Fellow, I am thrilled to combine my passion for human rights with my love of travel, writing, and photography in support of KIWOI. I also plan to work with the organization to create a quilt of recycled plastic straws that can be both artistic expression and an advocacy piece, which will hopefully be shared and displayed outside of Uganda to raise awareness and garner support for the women of Kinawataka. A number of AP Peace Fellows have worked with partners to create quilts, which have been powerful tools of advocacy and fundraising. Who knows what kind of quilt KIWOI might make with plastic straws. Nonetheless, I think with some creative thinking, we just might come up with something spectacular! Although I am the first Peace Fellow to work with KIWOI, I have had the opportunity to learn more about Benedicta and the organization by watching a <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/aallman/2010/06/28/the-kinawataka-womens-initiative-breathing-new-life-into-drinking-straws/" target="_blank">video profile</a> created by Annika Allman, a 2010 Peace Fellow, during her time working with Vital Voices in Kampala. It was this blog post and video that has helped to inspire the partnership between AP and KIWOI, and I look forward to being the first of hopefully many Peace Fellows to work with KIWOI. I had my first phone call with Benedicta about two weeks ago; hearing her voice was comforting and exciting. I truly look forward to meeting her and the other women of KIWOI, and beginning the adventure of a lifetime. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/education-and-religion/" title="Permalink to Education and Religion" rel="bookmark">Education and Religion</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-07-01" pubdate>July 1, 2011 5:00 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/education-and-religion/#comments">2 Comments</a> When I first arrived in Kenya, I was impressed by the great number of universities and equally huge number of churches I saw around Nairobi. I have no idea if this has any correlation, but it is interesting to see a parallel in the roles played by education and religion in the fight against FGM. Having talked to some people about this subject, a common argument that emerges is how key the education of the parents is in avoiding girls’ circumcision. Not surprisingly, in the majority of cases, educated parents will want their girls to be equally educated, and permanence in school is crucial in protecting girls against FGM and avoiding early marriages. However, I was somewhat surprised to learn about the local religious leaders’ participation in spreading the word about the dangers related to female circumcision. The religious establishment in Kenya plays a central role in the fight against FGM, and the pastors (Pentecostalism is a rising trend here) are often very outspoken against this practice. However, many have criticized the Catholic Church’s efforts, saying that it has been mostly silent about this issue. Thus, it was particularly interesting to meet Father Sankale, a Maasai Catholic Priest who works at the Kilgoris diocese and who is known for being very active against the practice of FGM in this area. <a title="Father San in his office" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5869896703/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5151/5869896703_4784ceffd7.jpg" alt="Father Sankale in his office" width="400" height="267" /></a> Father San, as he is usually called, is not like your regular priest. Soft spoken, and very laid back, he was brought up in a Catholic family and first became interested in entering the priesthood when he saw the local priest, who had come from England, achieve great results assisting the Maasai people. That made him also want to be a priest and work with the people he knew, so he went to the National Seminar in Kenya for 10 years, and was ordained in 1999. When he first arrived in Kilgoris, in 2006, he took office both as the local priest and as the director of the Christ the King Academy, a private school started by the Catholic Church. The school had only classes up to Grade 6 and a total of 200 students; nowadays, the school, known for its good performance, also offers education up to Grade 8, it has around 600 students and other two branches in Enoosaen and Engararo. <a title="Christ The King Academy" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5869941163/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6035/5869941163_407ac3a034.jpg" alt="Christ the King Academy" width="400" height="267" /></a> According to Father San, “the social status places a person in an involuntary situation, and in Kenya the religious leaders are in a position to directly help people.” Knowing this, people naturally come to him seeking guidance and help when in need, and this is how he first became involved with the issue of FGC. Besides helping the girls who come directly to him looking for assistance when they flee their houses in order to avoid circumcisions (the school has a small budget for scholarships and 5 rescued girls currently attend Christ the King Academy), Father San is behind a more direct outreach activity: the Church in Kilgoris has offered, for the past five years, a seminar/training every December (the time of the year when usually the circumcision ceremonies take place) in order to educate the community at large about the dangers of FGM. The seminar caters to both adults and a younger audience, and he makes sure that each one of the churches he coordinates (24 around the Transmara region) sends at least 3 people to those seminars. Father San explains that the circumcision ceremony is a big celebration still greatly entrenched in the local culture, despite being illegal in Kenya when performed on a minor (the legal age in Kenya is 18). Traditionally, the girls are secluded for a few days after the ceremony, and during this time a local person comes to talk to them about womanhood, and the role the girl has now as an adult member of the community; in addition, there is an economical gain as the parents get gifts, but Father San tries to explain during the training that “this material gain is out of somebody’s suffering.” He also believes that, in order to be effective, any effort against FGM needs to address the sense of “belonging to the community” that some girls might feel after participating in the ceremony, and, in that sense, these efforts need to be carried out in a culturally sensitive way. <a title="Father San" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5869918381/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3028/5869918381_2226a2bcaa.jpg" alt="“Tradition is very, very strong. To go against that tradition, you need all the support you can get” – Father San" width="400" height="267" /></a> Recognizing the importance that the circumcision ceremony has in the Maasai culture, the seminars offered by Father San also include at the end what is called “Alternative Rite of Passage.” The Alternative Rite of Passage, sometimes referred to as “Circumcision with Words,” is a common tool in the fight against FGM and many organizations offer these alternative celebrations as part of their outreach strategy. The seminars offered by Father San usually last around 3 days, and during this time teachers will talk to the girls (the seminars reach around 50-100 girls every year) about their responsibilities as adults, talk about HIV/AIDS, early marriage, teen pregnancy, and then have a graduation ceremony the purpose of which is to substitute the circumcision ceremony so that girls can feel a sense of pride in participating in these seminars and, hopefully, avoid being cut afterwards. Despite these efforts, out of 50 girls, maybe 10 will still undergo FGM, and Father San believes that the real problem is that these seminars are not necessarily followed up by the girls having a wider access to education. Education, it seems, is always a recurrent answer for curbing the practice of female circumcision, and Father San seems to place great importance on the education of girls, more so than the influence of the religion, in ending FGM. He offers anecdotal evidence: despite Father San constantly preaching against it, one of the chairmen of his Church stopped coming to services around September, before having his younger daughters undergo circumcision in December. By February, he was back in Church and his daughters slowly started to come back. When Father San confronted him about it, he said he just could not avoid having his younger daughters circumcised since his older ones had undergone it. Father San goes on to say that, in his experience, the fathers would easily accept not cutting their girls, but the pressure comes from mothers/aunts who underwent the cut. As I mentioned above, female circumcision on a minor is illegal in Kenya, but enforcement is a problem. A lot of the advocacy against FGM is done through religious leaders, and some through NGOs, with the government doing very little to enforce the existing legislation. Father San says that, in reality, his ability to help the girls depend more on funds than on the law itself, but he agrees that the best way to end FGM is to get the circumcisers. Nonetheless, it is interesting to note that the legal age for marriage in Kenya is 18, and the police enforce the law against early marriage much more than the prohibition against FGM. Still, Father San believes that FGM is a practice that is decreasing. In his school, for instance, only 30% of the students are Maasai, and the multicultural environment helps in a way because many tribes do not adopt female circumcision, and so the girls do not feel coerced into being cut for fear of peer pressure (see <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/">Charlotte</a>’s post on tribalism for a better look at this). Finally, Father San recognizes that all religious denominations are together in preaching against FGM, but he makes sure to mention that the Catholic Church does not have a presence in many places, so maybe that is the reason why many people are not aware of the church’s effort in the eradication of FGM in Kenya. But regardless of religious affiliation, it is great to know that the religious leaders are on the same page on this subject, and fighting as a united front to end this harmful practice. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/mwalimu-masake-and-meperi-teacher-vs-tradition/" title="Permalink to Mwalimu Masake and MEPERI: Teacher vs. Tradition" rel="bookmark">Mwalimu Masake and MEPERI: Teacher vs. Tradition</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-30" pubdate>June 30, 2011 10:50 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/mwalimu-masake-and-meperi-teacher-vs-tradition/#comments">2 Comments</a> <a title="Mwalimu Masake" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5884034302/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5266/5884034302_983735b551.jpg" alt="Mwalimu (teacher) Simon K. Masake, MEPERI founder" width="187" height="280" /></a>This week Cleia and I were fortunate enough to accidentally meet the subject of this profile, Simon K. Masake. No one had yet mentioned him during my investigations into who are the real loudmouths or leaders in criticizing FGM, but as the head teacher at Nkararo Primary public school he is a community leader and staunch advocate for changing the oppressive Maasai traditions towards girls. During an impromptu visit to his school, a conversation about cultural threats to young girls led to the revelation that actually he also had an NGO on the side. As a founder of the recently formed MEPERI (Menno Peace and Reconciliation Initiative), he is making some of the first “anti-FGM inroads” in Enoosaen’s neighboring Nkararo division. Founded in the end of 2010, MEPERI’s mission is to “facilitate communities’ efforts to desist from unnecessary practices through education, preventative health, peace building initiatives and engagment in sustainable economic activities,” with the objectives of economically empowering the poor (especially women), “advocating against repugnant cultural practices,” and promoting peace and reconciliation. Simon’s initial motivation was a reaction to female circumcision and early marriage, but he wants to take a holistic approach, empowering women from every angle. He even trains women about the dangers of predatory lenders, as certain women’s microloan companies seem to be causing a lot of strife for some poorly prepared female loan recipients. MEPERI will operate in 5 districts: Transmara West, Kuria East, Nyando, Kisumu, and Nandi South. Women in the community praise MEPERI for having been the first organization to actually come to the grassroots level in Nkararo, and for having hosted the first seminars in Nkararo for local women about women’s issues, including FGM. The brainchild of Mr. Masake, MEPERI has already held three seminars, reaching over 30 opinion leaders and 200 women in the first half of 2011 alone, and they plan to host more this year. In a lovely serendipitous twist, Mr. Masake dropped all this information into our conversation in a matter-of-fact manner as we dropped in for a quiet and brief observational visit to his school. MEPERI came about over the course of two years of talking and planning. As a head teacher watching young Maasai girls steadily drop out of school for their rite to womanhood and subsequent marriage, Simon says he saw the need for someone to take action in his community. He began reaching out to likeminded community members he knew so they could join forces. Over a number of cups of Chai, and another 6-8 months of bureaucratic obstacle courses, the idea was born and the NGO registered. <a title="Class 2 at Nkararo Primary School" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5883469905/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5103/5883469905_54c22484ff.jpg" alt="Class 2 at Nkararo Primary School. With over 70 students, how are they supposed to learn?" width="300" height="200" /></a> <a title="Class 8 at Nkararo Primary School" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5884033360/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5035/5884033360_5d425fe5b5.jpg" alt="Class 8 at Nkararo Primary School. Comparing this to the younger classes (with up to 70 or 80 students in one class), it's not hard to see why drop out rates concerned Mr. Masake." width="300" height="200" /></a> MEPERI is currently composed of six members, of whom two are women, and the members are based in Nkararo, Nairobi, and Kisumu. For now they operate without an office space, a small grouping of motivated individuals working with a hodgepodge of small funds from one German NGO and one Nairobi-based NGO. In February 2011, they hosted a two day retreat for chiefs, assistant chiefs, head teachers, and village elders in Kisumu. The target of that meeting was to sensitize male leaders about the issues and consequences of FGM and early marriage, notably including the consequences on the sexual relationship between a man and woman. In April, MEPERI hosted two gatherings of local women in Nkararo and a neighboring isolated community, Enemasi. Although they only sent out 30 invitation letters and anticipated the same number for each of their seminars, the invited women brought others, and the others brought more, and ultimately around 100 women attended each of the two seminars. What better way could these women signal how eager they are to learn and incorporate new ideas into their lives? Another impressive thing about these seminars is that they included 9 women known within the community as the traditional circumcisers. Simon says they managed to draw these women in not by directly targeting them, but by inviting them along with other women for a seminar they billed as a general “women’s issues” training. Yet Simon recognizes the importance of not just cutting off the supply, but also the demand. That is why he hopes to host another seminar for youth (both boys and girls) by the end of the year – this is where he feels he can build demand to stop the practice. “Boys can stand for themselves,” he explains, “but if girls complete school, who is going to marry them if the boys don’t complete?” <a title="Women at MEPERI training" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5884031950/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5307/5884031950_880247f1f9.jpg" alt="Women at MEPERI training. The attentive woman in a shuka at the front also happens to be a traditional circumciser in Nkararo. Photo by Simon K. Masake" width="400" height="300" /></a> I asked Simon if he had considered the context of other NGOs in the area as he designed his. Yes, he said, he had but he didn’t have their contacts, so instead he just considered them based on hearsay and observation. So, when I asked if he would like to be connected to other likeminded groups, he was over the moon. He loves the idea of exchanging ideas and experiences, and in this part of the world having someone to call in a town/hill or two away is almost a necessity to get things done. Walking around town with him, I commented that he seemed to know everybody. His response was a dually proud and embarrassed acknowledgement that many people come to him with problems and concerns, especially about female children – and he has become known for taking a ferocious stance against cases of forced marriage and abuses of female students in the area. I would like to see him equally connected to other FGC critics in the area, and to host some sort of networking for him and other agents of change like him. How great would it be if we could host monthly or quarterly gatherings of this network of people in our someday-soon-to-be-community centre? MEPERI does not yet have a website up, but I will post the link as soon as they do. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/independence-day/" title="Permalink to Independence Day" rel="bookmark">Independence Day</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-30" pubdate> 4:58 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/independence-day/#comments">2 Comments</a> Happy Independence Day! Today, on June 30th, Congo is celebrating 51 years of independence from Belgium. In light of this national holiday, I thought I’d write up a little history of the African territory today known as the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly its political history and how it relates to the state of the Kivus today. 1884-85 At the Berlin Conference, King Leopold II of Belgium consolidates control over a massive chunk of central Africa. The Congo Free State, as the colony is known, is created ostensibly to encourage free trade and wipe out slavery. However, the true goal of the colony was for the personal profit of the king, who quite literally owned the colony all to himself. Tribes were given quotas of ivory, rubber, and other natural resources; the quotas were enforced through a brutal system of executions, floggings, and torture. It is estimated that anywhere from 10 to 13 million people were killed or forced to flee during the period of Belgian colonization. 1960 On June 30, Congo declares itself independent from Belgian rule, creating the Republic of Congo. Leading the fledgling government is President Joseph Kasavubu, charismatic Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, and army chief of staff Joseph Désiré Mobutu. Almost immediately, the mineral-rich provinces of Katanga and Kasai secede. When Lumumba turns to the Soviets to quell the rebellion to the disagreement of Kasavubu, Mobutu seizes control of the government from both politicians on September 14th. Lumumba is subsequently imprisoned. It is probable that the CIA was involved in Mobutu’s “peaceful revolution”, as Washington cables from mid-1960 indicate approval for CIA agents in Kinshasa for an operation “replacing Lumumba with a pro-Western group”. 1961 Patrice Lumumba is taken to Katanga and executed, with Belgian collaboration. 1965 Joseph Désiré Mobutu mounts a coup and becomes the supreme leader of the Congo, declaring a one-party state. 1971 Mobutu renames the country “Zaire” in a campaign of “authenticity” to diminish the colonial legacy hanging over the country. He also encourages Zairian citizens to drop European names, dress, and customs and adopt more African traditions; Mobutu himself adopts the name Mobutu Sese Seko. 1973 Mobutu confiscates all foreign-owned enterprises (farms, plantations, industries, commercial enterprises) and turns them over to himself and the Zairian elite, who subsequently loot these enterprises to support lives of exorbitant luxury. The Zairian economy, which beforehand was experiencing on average 7 percent growth per annum, begins to rapidly decline. 1990 Mobutu bows to international and domestic pressure and ends the one-party system in Zaire. However, despite having driven the country into massive poverty with his lavish lifestyle, Mobutu manages to stay in power through masterful manipulation of opposition forces. 1994-95 Thousands of Hutu refugees flee to Zaire in wake of the Rwandan genocide and the victory of the RPF. Among the refugees are the remnants of the Interahamwe, the Hutu militia that performed much of the genocide, and also Hutu elements of the military that assisted in the genocide. Mobutu plays a tug-of-war with the refugee situation, welcoming the exiled génocidaires. International organizations (such as UNHCR) rush to provide assistance in the refugee camps, but do nothing to suppress extremist elements in the camps or move them farther away from the Rwandan border. 1996 Rwanda invades Zaire, in order to hunt the exiled génocidaires rebuilding their forces in refugee camps just across the border. In the process, thousands of refugees are killed and the génocidaires flee further into the Zairian interior. The AFDL (Alliance des Forces Democratiques pour la Liberation), a coalition of 4 rebel groups in eastern Congo, forms and challenges Mobutu’s government in Kinshasa. Laurent-Desire Kabila, an old foe of Mobutu’s, emerges as the leader of the rebellion. 1997 The AFDL, with support from several African governments, routes the Zairian army and marches triumphantly on Kinshasa on May 17. Mobutu, already ailing from prostate cancer, flees to Morocco in exile and dies several months later. Kabila is sworn in as president, and the country is renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo. 1998-2000 Conflict continues in eastern Congo as ethnic tensions boil to a head, with fighting between the escaped Hutu extremists, the new Congolese military (made up largely of Kabila’s former rebel force), Burundian FDD rebels, Rwandan troops, Ugandan troops, and the Mai Mai (grassroots militia resenting any Rwandophone ethnic groups in the region). Kabila starts to lose the support of crucial allies with his erratic behavior. In 1998, Kabila orders all Rwandan troops to leave the Congo; very soon afterward, a new rebel movement, the RCD (Rassemblée Congolaise pour la Démocratie) forms in the east to challenge Kabila’s authority, again with backing from several African governments. Only an intervention from Angola and Zimbabwe prevents the rebel movement from duplicating Kabila’s own victorious march on Kinshasa. Despite failing to secure Kinshasa, RCD still controls much of eastern Congo. The warfare between the different armed factions continues to toll heavily upon the civilian population, with massacres being committed by troops from all sides. 1999 The first observers from MONUC (Mission de l’Organisation des Nations Unies au Congo) arrive in the Congo 2001 Laurent-Desire Kabila is assassinated by one of his own ex-child soldiers. His son, Joseph Kabila, succeeds his father as President of the DR Congo. Kabila fils immediately starts courting international support in order to de-legitimize the various rebel factions laying claim to the Congo. 2002 Kabila fils signs power-sharing agreements with the MLC (Mouvement pour la Libération du Congo) and the RCD, the two most formidable rebel groups in the Congo. Rwanda begins to withdraw troops from eastern Congo. 2006 In its first-ever national election, the DR Congo elects Joseph Kabila as president. Running against Kabila is Jean-Pierre Bemba, leader of the MLC. Today, Bemba is imprisoned at The Hague on trial for war crimes. 2007-2009 Laurent Nkunda, a former FAC/RCD commander, forms a new rebel faction, the CNDP (Congres National pour la Défense du Peuple), in North Kivu. The CNDP gains much ground in the Kivus and ignites more conflict, but eventually the movement is subdued through political negotiations with the Rwandan government. Nkunda is taken prisoner by Rwanda, and the CNDP units integrate into the FARDC. 2009 The FARDC (Forces Armees de la Republique du Congo) carry out Operation Kimia II in eastern Congo. The goal of Kimia II was to wipe out the FDLR and other armed groups operating outside of state authority. The FDLR sustains heavy losses and is forced farther into the interior, but civilians pay a heavy toll in human rights abuses committed by members of all armed groups involved. 2010 The FARDC carries out Operation Amani Leo in eastern Congo, an effort to further dislodge the FDLR and other rebel groups in eastern Congo. 2011 Congo’s second national election is scheduled for this fall. Today So, what is going on in Uvira today? Well, people tell me there used to be a parade, but there isn’t one this year. President Kabila is in Lubumbashi for a large military parade, and it is being broadcasted all across the country; I watched some of it this morning at the little boutique where I buy bread. However, there is sure to be a big party tonight. When I was walking past the Esperanza (a popular local restaurant), a group of men were unloading case after case of beer from a car with Burundian plates. A large banner on the wall proclaimed a big June 30 party at the Esperanza tonight, if you are willing to fork over the hefty $5 entry fee. Fortunately, the streets are quiet. With the upcoming elections, many people are worrying about political demonstrations that may turn violent, but in the past week or so there haven’t been any major manifestations in Uvira. Let the festivities begin! <div id="attachment_355" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 300px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/06/30/independence-day/dsc04969/" rel="attachment wp-att-355"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-355" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/06/DSC04969-300x225.jpg" alt="Congolese woman in Baraka preparing chapati" width="300" height="225" /></a>Congolese woman in Baraka preparing chapati</div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/context/" title="Permalink to Disability, war, and the social context of PWD" rel="bookmark">Disability, war, and the social context of PWD</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-27" pubdate>June 27, 2011 7:31 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/context/#comments">4 Comments</a> One of my roles with GDPU is to help facilitate weekly “Capacity Building.” Each Friday, one person presents on a specific area to help enhance the overall skill set of the staff. Last Friday, we had our first one: Common Disabilities in Uganda, presented by Ojok Patrick. What was supposed to start at 2PM and involve the staff of nearly 10 people ended up starting at 3:00 and was attended by Patrick, Ojok Simon, and me. At first frustrated by the small turnout, it ended up being one of the most enlightening, intimate, and eye-opening conversations I’ve had here. Disability Overview: Sparing you the specifics, the training was a basic overview of the cause/effect of the most common physical disabilities in Uganda. Obviously, disabilities caused by accidents, genetics, or complications before, during, or after birth (such as hearing/visual impairments, spinal injuries, spine bifida, or cerebral palsy) are not unique to Uganda. The fascinating and new information, rather, was in regards to disabilities that are (a) caused by disease such as polio, malaria, poor nutrition, and situations that are primarily eradicated in the US; or (b) a direct result of the 20+ years of violent war that ravaged Northern Uganda (and continues in other parts of East Africa today). During this “height of insecurity,”* the population of PWDs rose dramatically due to gunshots, landmines, forced amputations, and other war-based tragedies. *Side note on the war: Briefly, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) is a rebel group who is responsible for countless atrocities in Northern Uganda and the surrounding region since 1986. During more than two decades of extreme violence, the LRA forced more than 2 million people into Internally Displaced Persons (IPD) camps, abducted between 30,000-55,000 children to serve as soldiers and sex slaves, and terrorized the region. Though Gulu and most of Northern Uganda has been considered relatively peaceful since 2006, the damage, poverty, and trauma of their ruthless brutality left deep scars on the people and the region (For more, visit <a href="http://www.resolveuganda.org/about-the-crisis">http://www.resolveuganda.org/about-the-crisis</a>). In regards to disabilities, the 20+ years of rebel insurgency had both a direct and indirect impact on the people of Acoliland. The LRA planted an unknown number of landmines, leaving 800+ landmine survivors who live today with lost limbs, shrapnel scars, and nightmares of the incident. Monica – a GDPU worker who trains fellow landmine survivors how to plait hair – lost more than just her leg…she also lost the child she carried on her back. Beyond the obvious physical and mental trauma associated with these and other tragedies of the insurgency, the societal impact on PWD leaves them among the poorest of the poor. Feeling like it was okay to ask more direct questions to Patrick and Simon (both PWDs themselves), I pried a bit into the current perception of PWD in Gulu and the surrounding region (For info on PWD in IDP camps, visit <a href="http://tinyurl.com/5vqs6wy">http://tinyurl.com/5vqs6wy</a>). Social Context of PWD in Gulu: Though PWD account for 14-20% of the population of Northern Uganda (more accurate data is not available), they are among the first to be excluded. As Patrick and Simon explained, there is a lack of information regarding the causes of disabilities, leaving parents to blame each other for what is perceived as a misfortune or curse from God. Additionally, a child with a disability may be “counted” differently by parents who say, “We have four children and one who is disabled.” People also feel that PWD do not have the same needs as “able-bodied” individuals and are consequently not a priority. As a result, they might not receive essential medical treatment, assistive devices, go to school, or be empowered with basic skills in independence and responsibility. This feeds into the misconception that PWD are helpless, dependent individuals who are only the recipients of handouts and pity. PWD are favored and receive too many support services. Why does a PWD need such an expensive wheelchair? All expensive things are a luxury, and luxuries are not needed! Why should a PWD be allowed to be pregnant, anyway? Just another burden! <a title="Gloria, Ojok Simon, and Moreen" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5876516589/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5305/5876516589_2509a35dd9_m.jpg" alt="Gloria, Ojok Simon, and Moreen" width="240" height="180" /></a>During another conversation with Moses, Gloria, and Moreen, other GDPU staff, we talked about this more. “People don’t see PWD as important. They cannot do anything,” Moreen said. “The blind are neglected. On the road, they are finding their way, but people don’t move from their way.” Moses added, “They need to go to town safely. They have needs, too. They can’t sit at home.” He went on to share about the discrimination factor towards PWD. In some instances, people with epilepsy were not allowed to eat at a restaurant because of the false fear that you can “catch” epilepsy through saliva. In a society with so many prevalent transmittable diseases (malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS, to name a few of the most common), you cannot necessarily blame society for their ignorance. Still, where do awareness, understanding, and acceptance start for a region plagued with so many challenges? PWD + Advocacy: I’m quickly learning that “advocacy” for PWD is a complex demand. As Friday’s discussion continued, Patrick noted, “Without the war, advocacy wouldn’t be such a problem.” An impoverished nation even prior to the LRA, Northern Uganda experienced major setbacks that only perpetuate the cycle of poverty today. When the biggest concern is the immediacy for a short-term solution to feed your family for tomorrow, is there really time or energy left to mobilize support for such a specific population? The short – though difficult – answer is a resounding YES. For the sake of the individual PWD as well society as a whole, there has to be. And that’s where GDPU and its advocates come in. More on advocacy, opportunity, and leadership for PWD coming soon… </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/tapping-into-tribalism/" title="Permalink to Tapping into tribalism?" rel="bookmark">Tapping into tribalism?</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-26" pubdate>June 26, 2011 3:46 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/tapping-into-tribalism/#comments">3 Comments</a> There are several common reasons people present for why FGM is “bad”: girls tend to get less education because they leave school to get married too early; it is dangerous (especially because of HIV); it is frowned upon by the church; it is outdated. But another simultaneously fascinating and slightly disturbing trend is poking its head. I routinely hear things such as the following: “We are falling behind others because our women are not educated.” (re: the fact that FGM traditionally also signals a girl will leave school) “We are holding ourselves back. How can we keep up with other tribes if we are wasting our women?” “Our boys are marrying women from other tribes because they are more sexual.” “Our educated boys want to marry educated women so they are marrying outside of the tribe.” One woman I interviewed, anti-FGM trainer Hellen Rotich, told me that one of the ways she conveys the importance of rejecting FGM to men is by pointing out: “Our daughters are going things that others are not going through, and maybe it is outdated. I was giving various examples of other communities you know like in Kenya, the Luyas, the Luos, the women they don’t go through that, it has been their culture, that way for their women. So I was telling them you see they’re so more educated, they’re the ones taking care of us in hospitals and now that we’re educating [our men], they end up coming up with other tribes’ women because they want people who have gotten education. So that is letting down our community because our girls will remain not married because now the educated boys will want educated girls.” Essentially, tribalism seems to be not only part of the dialogue about FGM, but one of the most powerful tools for fighting it. It is persuasive. It brings people into the discussion by capitalizing on issues that people already care about, i.e. the status of the tribe and pride in being Maasai. Then it frames the continued practice of female cutting as something that threatens the tribe and the community’s power. This trend is particularly interesting because it seems to be a “homegrown” argument against FGM. There is always the concern that the West is putting words in the mouths of those who practice FGM, creating false and outsider arguments against the practice. I would have difficulty believing that the “drop cutting because to keep up with other tribes” argument originated with NGOs. Thus, in a way, this sort of indigenous reasoning against FGM is a little comforting in that it proves that FGM criticism isn’t entirely based on foreign pressure. But it is also worrying. Tribalism continues to produce a somewhat <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/kenya/7831369/Three-Kenyan-politicians-arrested-over-hate-speech.html">volatile political environment</a> here in Kenya. Although the Maasai aren’t particularly implicated in the ongoing <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10345198">incidents of violence and hate speech</a> here in Kenya, tribalism among any tribe propagates the same mental framework of us versus other along tribal lines. Yet it seems to be the most compelling reason to several people as to why the community ought to shed this oppressive and abusive tradition. And to its credit, this argument recognizes the wisdom in other tribe’s choices to eschew the practice and to place more value in women and in educating girls. I asked a friend of mine who works in politics and development here what he thought of this. He was truly nonchalant about his response; “tribalism is always going to be a part of development [here].” He was referring to the fact that in this part of the world (i.e. the rural, Kenyan part), people have no “others” to compare themselves to other than other tribes, who occasionally meld into the otherwise tribally demarcated communities. People in this area have no real basis of comparison to say “we should be more like the developed world” or more like “that educated person” because they are not really exposed to many highly educated people or outsiders (and surprisingly foreign TV is almost non-existant in the area I am working). Therefore, forcing people to recognize the value in a different tribe’s successful professional female workforce is the most persuasive way to convey the idea that “there is a better way.” Do you know of any other instances in which an argument against a negative traditional practice is also negative or dangerous itself? In such situations, which is trump? </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/hazards-of-birth-with-fgm-in-transmara/" title="Permalink to Hazards of Birth with FGM in Transmara" rel="bookmark">Hazards of Birth with FGM in Transmara</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-26" pubdate> 3:39 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/hazards-of-birth-with-fgm-in-transmara/#comments">273 Comments</a> <a title="Pre and post natal wards" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5820826300/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5311/5820826300_c831922f3b.jpg" alt="The maternity wards where the genital scarring from the cut can obstruct a birth, and inflict even further pain. It is a little dark, but the women weren't eager to be individually photographed, which is partly why I chose to share this photo in which they're not identifiable." width="400" height="268" /></a> Giving birth in Africa is already a dark experience for most of the continent. In an area where FGM is almost ubiquitous, birth is an even more cruel and unforgiving obstacle in the life of a woman. Circumcision often leaves a women with a mass of scar tissue around her vagina. That scar tissue can obstruct the vaginal outlet such that that giving birth without proper medical attention becomes a perverse second act for the physical violence that female circumcision inflicts. Delivery becomes even more risky, and the maternity wards become a place where the excruciating circumcision of years earlier can inflict even further pain. In this area, there is now a push to have women give birth in hospitals. Yet past campaigns to train and increase the use of trained TBAs (Traditional Birth Attendants), makes it all the more challenging to go back to the community and convince women from the bush of the value of giving birth in a hospital. Birthing problems related to FGM are further exacerbated by TBA’s (traditional birth attendants) who are untrained in the particular problems relating to FGM-obstructed birth. Although these TBAs actually used to be promoted by the government, the Ministry of Health has now changed tack and promotes hospital deliveries. <a title="Woman and child in post natal wards" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5818269113/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2264/5818269113_617128f37e.jpg" alt="Woman and child in post natal wards." width="268" height="400" /></a> In the Transmara District, Elinore estimates that 50-60% of births now take place in a hospital or clinic. I haven’t found any reliable source of information on this, so this may be no more than a guess, and women I have spoken to in Enoosaen seem to think that number is much lower. Women who deliver at home often end up with severe hemorrhaging, serious tears, or even obstetric fistulas. By the time such women arrive at the hospital, if ever, their unborn child is distressed and the they are in delayed labor, often resulting in the loss of the baby. Giving birth in the hospital means that obstructed labor is much more quickly identified and rectified. It also means that a woman is unlikely to have a severely delayed labor just because of her scar tissue – instead, the attending staff are forced to give such women extra large episiotomies (a cut to widen the vaginal opening during delivery). Although Elinore didn’t mention hazards other than delayed labor and the occasional fistula, it is worth mentioning here that FGM is associated with a variety of significantly increased risks during delivery, and this <a href="http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/fgm/effect_of_fgm_on_childbirth_africa.pdf">world health organization study</a> shows that even for women who give birth in health centers, FGM increases the chance of postpartum hemmorrage, needing a C-section, and extended hospitalization (although this varies according to the type of cut the woman experienced). <a title="Maternity ward prices" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5818272459/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5222/5818272459_607873f1cf.jpg" alt="I thought this poster of the Maternity Ward prices was quite interesting. For those of you doing the calculations, the conversion rate is around 80 Kenyan shillings to the U.S. dollar. Note the ambulance prices!" width="400" height="268" /></a> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/nyakiele/" title="Permalink to Nyakiele" rel="bookmark">Nyakiele</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-26" pubdate> 1:16 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/nyakiele/#comments">2 Comments</a> In my previous blog entry, I reported about an ongoing situation in and around the village of Nyakiele, where defected FARDC soldiers loyal to Col. Kifaru Niragiye are terrorizing the local population, with many cases of mass rape and pillage. Col. Kifaru was a leader in the PARECO rebel movement, which recently made a deal with the Congolese government and integrated its forces into the Congolese military. Col. Kifaru and his soldiers left the braçage center in Kananda on June 9 to protest changes in the local command structure. Nyakiele is located in the Moyen Plateau of Fizi Territory, close to the territorial capital Fizi Centre. Last night I spoke to a MONUSCO official who is directly involved in the investigation of this incident. The MONUSCO official told me that a Joint Assessment Team was sent to Nyakiele on June 25. This assessment team, comprised of members of MONUSCO, OCHA, UNHCR, and local NGO partners, spoke with survivors, health officials, and local authorities. According to health officials in Nyakiele, the number of women who have reported being raped by Col. Kifaru’s troops now stands at 121. Official reports state that Col. Kifaru left the bracage center in Kananda with about 170 of his soldiers in tow. However, the population in Nyakiele is reporting that there are closer to 300 troops in the area. Whether Col. Kifaru has reunited with other ex-PARECO elements or whether he is collaborating with other elements remains to be seen. Next steps: MONUSCO is planning on sending a Joint Protection Team to Nyakiele to protect the population from further aggression. I have not yet heard whether the Congolese military is planning any action against Col. Kifaru’s troops. The level of brutality that this particular area of Fizi Territory is experiencing is astounding. Even more mind-boggling is how the realpolitik of Congo has allowed for such a situation: a former rebel group that terrorized the Kivus in the mid-2000s makes a deal with the Congolese government and integrates itself into the state military, as the resources (and dare I say willpower?) of the Congolese government and the African/international community were lacking to properly eradicate the threat and ensure the safety of the civilian population. Now, the people of Fizi, particularly the women, are paying the price of this experiment gone awry. Granted, not ALL of the FARDC soldiers currently in bracage have defected and gone on a rape spree, but my hope in the entire process of integrating rebel groups is considerably diminished because of the events of late. The toll that the civilian population paid during Kimya II and Amani Leo (Congolese military operations in 2009-2010) is well-documented; as armed groups, state-sanctioned, rebels, defectors, militia, and all, continue to operate in the Kivus, the war on women’s bodies will continue. Is there an easy answer? No. The guns are already here, and there are men who already know they can serve their own desires by oppressing the weak and vulnerable. The FDLR still has to be driven out or brought to justice somehow, and that still requires military action and possibly some change in political thinking among Congo’s neighbors. A cold and cynical analysis of the situation might conclude that these blatant and widespread human rights abuses are but “collateral damage” in bringing stability to the Congo after years of open war. However, I am still not convinced that the women of Fizi deserve to suffer in order to achieve “stability”. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/security-update-6-25-11/" title="Permalink to Security Update 6-25-11" rel="bookmark">Security Update 6-25-11</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-25" pubdate>June 25, 2011 4:52 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/security-update-6-25-11/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> More reports on security incidents occurring this month: June 4: Monitors reported that the FDLR raped 15 women in Makungu June 11: Former FARDC soldiers loyal to Col. Kifaru (an ex-PARECO commander) have been ravaging the area around the village of Nakiele. According to Arche, there have been 68 documented cases of rape in the area from these soldiers. To recap what I stated in my previous blog entry, a lot of the integrated FARDC units that used to belong to rebel movements (such as PARECO) are not happy with the whole bracage/mixage process, and thus quite a few have deserted and gone back to running wild in the bush. So, bracage has not been the grand success that everyone had planned. Due to combat between the FARDC and the FDLR/Mai Mai, there have been more refugee movements in Fizi Territory, such as from the area around Lukungu towards places like Mboko and Swima. At an OCHA meeting in Baraka on Friday, the HCR security liaison gave strict orders to all NGO workers to avoid certain areas of Fizi (particularly between Fizi Centre and Lulimba) and to observe precautions in more secure districts. In addition, this past week soldiers from Mai Mai Yakutumba stopped a commercial boat on Lake Tanganyika near Talama and demanded $15,000 from the crew and passengers. When the boat could not cough up enough cash, the Mai Mai made the boat go ashore at Talama. There is a lot of lake traffic up and down Tanganyika, since it is a convenient way to get from places like Uvira down to Baraka, Kalemie, Kazimia, or even as far as Zambia. However, it seems that more and more the rebels and militia are figuring out how to go naval, thus further disrupting economic activity in the region. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/interview-with-police-officers-in-soroti-uganda/" title="Permalink to Interview with Police Officers" rel="bookmark">Interview with Police Officers</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-23" pubdate>June 23, 2011 9:31 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/interview-with-police-officers-in-soroti-uganda/#comments">3 Comments</a> One June 10, 2011, I, along with Dorothy and Stella (the 2 volunteer social workers at the <a href="http://www.gideonfoundation.com">Gideon Foundation</a>) visited the Police Department for the district of Soroti in Uganda. The main purpose of this pre-arranged visit was to interview the police officer whose position involves community welfare and human rights cases; to see how he/she handles child sacrifice and the steps the police take to try and solve these cases. Some of the key points from the interview with this officer were that: -When asked how the police differentiate between murder and child sacrifice; this officer said that murder is when someone’s life can be taken and it may not be for ritual purposes and that child sacrifice is murder but for the purpose of performing a ritual or function. -Issues of child sacrifice really came into the limelight in 2000 in Uganda; that is when they started to get these stories more openly. -When asked if people and organizations can access the data that the police hold on human rituals the officer said yes, that if they just come and ask that they will obey them. -The police collect data on child sacrifice when they encounter a case, they have never carried a search; it is only through the cases that are brought to them. -In regards to preventing child sacrifice, the officer said that they carry out sensitization by going to villages, speaking on the radio and by going to community meetings. But that these activities are few and limited due to a lack of resources. -Child sacrifice exists for many reasons includes a quest for wealth, looming poverty, family conflicts which result in a child being murdered and sacrificed to solve a grudge. -The problem of child sacrifice persists because of poverty; when a neighbor sees another neighbor developing he/she wants that wealth. -Trainings on human rituals and how to handle these crimes are not included in the syllabus of the trainings for police officers; however some organizations like Lawyers Without Borders had once provided police officers with some training on this issue. -Some of the challenges they’ve encountered in trying to solve a case of child sacrifice include a lack of skills on how to investigate child sacrifice, ignorance by the community which makes police officers struggle when they try and sensitize them and outdated cultures. -When I mentioned what the police does to apprehend the perpetrators who are set free due to corruption, the officer mentioned that corruption is an issue as well along with people not giving them evidence. -When asked what the police do to prevent corruption, the officer responded that they try to sensitize the public and it and that it is the duty of every citizen to fight corruption. The officer also mentioned that they have prosecuted officers. -When asked if and how the Gideon Foundation and the police can work togehter, the officer said yes and they they need help in sensitizing the community and officers. I also asked the officer if we could be given any data, statistics, or any other documents that they have on human rituals and the officer said yes and to come back on June 14th to retrieve the documents. This officer was very friendly and even introduced us to the other officers and so we had an opportunity to speak with them as well. Some of the key points from the interviews with the other officers: -One of the reasons that child sacrifice persists because of child neglect; parents play a part. -One of the challenges the police face is that a child can be murdered in Western Ugandan and then his/her body parts are transported to an area like Soroti (Eastern Uganda) and thus sometimes these acts can go unnoticed. -Child sacrifice happens every once in awhile in Soroti and is rarely reported but is very rampant in the central regions of Uganda. -One way to prevent child sacrifice is to talk to the public about it. Every officer we spoke to at the Soroti police station said that is was just fine that we have a copy of the information that they had on human rituals in Soroti. But when we we returned to the police station to retrieve the promised information things were different. The officer was less friendly and said that police station had sent all the documents they had on human rituals to the Director of Public Prosecutions in Kampala. I later found out that there is a Director of Public Prosecutions office in each district in Uganda, in fact there is an office just steps away from the police station in Soroti. When asked for the phone number to the Office of Public Prosecutions, this officer said that the police station does not have it. He then handed me a piece a paper on which he had drawn a chart. The chart contained a little information about Soroti’s most recent case of child sacrifice, a girl named Among, whom I will write about in my next blog. The chart contained a sentence of information on the case that I could find in any Ugandan newspaper. It seemed that this officer wanted money in order to release any information or that he didn’t want us to find out something. We thanked the officer and left as we didn’t want to burn any bridges and risk hindering the work of the Gideon Foundation. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/as-time-goes-by/" title="Permalink to As time goes by…" rel="bookmark">As time goes by…</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-21" pubdate>June 21, 2011 12:09 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/as-time-goes-by/#comments">2 Comments</a> I have been in Enoosaen for two weeks already. Apart from the time we have spent in Kilgoris, the nearby “town”, I have mostly been at the village. As the days go by here in Enoosaen, I learn more and more the value of patience. The pace of life is clearly different than the one I am used to, and the people here function on a time clock of their own. Meetings will start when people show up, not necessarily when you schedule them; cars will leave when all the seats are taken, not at a certain time. It takes some adjustments, but I am learning that once you stop trying to control time and adjust your expectations accordingly, you will have a more pleasant experience. It does make planning difficult, and a lot of our work here depends on planning, but it does not mean that things will not get done. Charlotte has been great in imparting this knowledge, but it is something you can only really learn on your own. We have discussed what projects need to be completed during my time here, and these are the ones we will be concentrating our efforts on in the upcoming weeks: to conduct a needs assessment research with the girls’ families in order to understand the demographics we are directly reaching with the school; to conduct a background research with key schools in the area in order to have a better idea of what are our strengths and weaknesses when compared to them; to work on a quilt project with the girls and with a local widows group to learn more about their personal stories (storytelling through pictures); to teach the girls IT skills through computer lessons; and to continue interviewing key people in the local fight against FGM/early marriage. All of these depend on other people’s time, so our plans/schedule can always change, but we will be working on them concomitantly, and as these projects progress we will be sharing more about them in our blogs. These, of course, are not the only projects we will be working on, and we have discussed what other activities we could do with the girls. Charlotte and I agree on the need to strengthen their English skills, so we decided to hold a spelling bee contest at the school – more on this in the future! <a title="Academic Day in Kilgoris" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5855777793/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5221/5855777793_c1fc827218.jpg" alt="Academic Day in Kilgoris" width="400" height="267" /></a> After this general update, I want to highlight two events. Last Friday we participated in the Academic Day held in Kilgoris. As I understand, this was an event to celebrate the best schools in the division, and there seemed to be a huge attendance. However, what is important to note here is that the Transmara district is known for having an overall poor performance, and we were verbally informed during the event by a head teacher sitting next to us that the Kilgoris division as a whole placed 162nd amongst the 246 divisions in Kenya. As we sat there and listened to the officials congratulate each other, we could not help but question whether or not some self-reflection on their poor overall performance was also done. It is great to reward accomplishments, but these accomplishments should be contextualized. And although I could not verify the exact placement information that the teacher gave us, I was able to confirm an even more appalling statistic: out of the 100 best secondary students in the country in the 2010 national examination, only 22 were girls! <a title="The prizes" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5856529202/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2774/5856529202_3a6ea1fd10.jpg" alt="The prizes" width="400" height="267" /></a> On a much more positive note, we had the first meeting with the widows group to discuss our quilt project with them. This group, called Rehema (“compassion” in Swahili), was started in 2006 and its main purpose is to serve as a forum for the local widows to discuss their hardships, but also to educate them about their rights. At first the idea was to only work with the girls at KCE, but Mama Kakenya is a part of this group and had already mentioned it to Charlotte, who thought that working with them would complement the work with the girls. Working with Rehema makes the project more special, because with this group we can really explore the challenges of being a woman in the Maasai culture. <a title="The Rehema women" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5855987511/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5237/5855987511_fb47d2c662.jpg" alt="The Rehema women" width="400" height="267" /></a> Part of the AP’s activity with the partner organization is to have them work on a quilting project. This tool for storytelling is very effective for several reasons: it is a therapeutic activity, it is a great mean for self-expression, it presents a visual complement to their already compelling stories, it can be later used as an advertizing tool for the organization, etc. To make this project more personal, the women (and also the girls at KCE) will work on their quilts by using the ancient Maasai tradition of beading. <a title="Charlotte shows examples of quilts to the women" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5855996875/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5317/5855996875_92d81eebdd.jpg" alt="Charlotte shows examples of quilts to the women" width="400" height="267" /></a> After explaining to them the reason behind quilting and why we think they would be a great group to work with, the women sounded really excited about the project and already started talking about possible stories to portrait on their panels. We will meet with them again this week, and hopefully more positive results will come from our next meeting! </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/streets-of-nairobi/" title="Permalink to Streets of Nairobi" rel="bookmark">Streets of Nairobi</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-21" pubdate> 1:56 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/streets-of-nairobi/#comments">5 Comments</a> A large part of my time in Nairobi has been spent driving to and from work and my host-home. The drive spans the length of Nairobi, and in the morning can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. In the evening, we are lucky to make it back in an hour; typically it takes around two. Needless to say, I finally remembered to start bringing a book. But every once in a while, the ridiculous drive, traffic and sights inspired me to document the trip. So, welcome to Nairobi (as seen from a car)! If you get motion-sick easily, I recommend skipping this one. Roads are not kept in the best shape. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgCxmmbRMns </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/different/" title="Permalink to In appreciation of “different”" rel="bookmark">In appreciation of “different”</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-20" pubdate>June 20, 2011 5:27 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/different/#comments">9 Comments</a> Apwoyo from Gulu! After one week in Uganda, I’m settling into my role as a Mzungu/munu visitor in a Ugandan world (“Mzungu” or “munu” are the local words for white person, foreigner, etc…basically anybody the locals can pick out as an outsider!). The welcome here has been wonderfully positive, and the generosity of friends and the kindness of strangers have gone a long way to help me feel at home. For the first few days, I experienced life with a fellow Butler graduate, Genni, who has relocated to Uganda to start a family and a new life! Special thanks to Genni, Julius, and baby Dominic for the amazing hospitality as I got my bearings in Ntinde (near Kampala), adjusting to the 7-hour time change, constant heat, and local food. Weebare! Traveling to Gulu, it was a 6-hour bus-ride north. Heading that direction, the road becomes increasingly rough, the weather increasingly warm, and the lifestyle increasingly impoverished. Though poverty and struggle exists across all of Uganda (and much of Sub-Saharan Africa, for that matter), the post-war North is in the midst of a long and slow climb up following more than 2½ decades of war. Still, the overall attitude in Gulu – the largest city in the north – is one of incredible faith, eagerness, and yearning for a better tomorrow. For me – a “munu” in Gulu – I’m constantly aware of how I stick out, for better or for worse. To be fair, the presence of a munu even a decade ago would have been more rare than it is today, as an influx of NGOs descended on the city, bringing with it workers, researchers, missionaries, peace builders, and young idealists (like me). Today, only in the more rural areas would the first “sighting” of a munu be an event (even a fearful one!) for a young child. Still, as I walk through town, attempt to buy mangos, stand by the road to meet friends, greet people in the local language, ride by on a boda-boda (local motorcycle, aka one-person taxi), and try to cautiously integrate my personal lifestyle with respect to Ugandan culture, I am ever-aware of sticking out. An attempted “Apwoyo! Atyi maber?” and a friendly conversation may quickly change the attitude, but without that personal contact, I worry that I am judged as an outsider. Someone different. And rightly so, as I am both! However, my own paranoia reads that as a judgment that I am incapable and inept, an invader sent to impose my Western ways or sit and be served. It may take me longer to fetch a 30-kilo gerry can of water and haul it the ¾ kilometer home…but I can do it. I might splash a bigger mess and still somehow end up with dusty feet when I bathe with a bucket and cold water…but I’m still clean. I might prefer different foods and eat a different portion as my stomach adapts to new flavors…but I’m well fed! So why delve into my insecurities as a white American amongst black Ugandans? I realize it is a bit of a stretch, and pardon any offense in my comparison. But as I work to serve the population of Persons With Disabilities (PWD) in Gulu, I’m drawn to the idea that they, too, might have an idea of what it feels like to be an outsider…to be unjustly viewed as inept…to feel a step behind while striving to maintain the same dignities and opportunities as the rest, despite what the non-disabled population is offering. I’m only two days into my work with the Gulu Disabled Persons Union, but I am inspired by the inclusive nature and broad advocacy of the nine staff members, five of whom have a disability (including visual impairments, deafness, and a spectrum of mobility issues). Additionally, all 12 Board Members live with a disability. In spite of – or, rather, because of – their disabilities, productivity and devotion to the mission is strong. What many in the Gulu community may see as a fault is simply their way of life…neither better nor worse, just different. So here am I, too – neither better nor worse, just different. We may all find ourselves where we feel like fish out of water…still, it can’t mean that the Deaf man doesn’t want to “hear” what you are saying; that a woman on crutches doesn’t want to enter the same building; that a munu isn’t interested in embracing a new way of life. Here, the GDPU is working tirelessly to help change this perception within the Gulu community; to increase the standard of living, both socially and economically for PWD; and to empower PWD to lead dignified lives. Time to get to work. : ) <a class="aligncenter" title="GDPU (Gulu, Uganda)" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5852685920/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3149/5852685920_be2b02e0b8.jpg" alt="GDPU (Gulu, Uganda)" /></a> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/security-update-6-19-2011/" title="Permalink to Security Update 6-19-2011" rel="bookmark">Security Update 6-19-2011</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-19" pubdate>June 19, 2011 5:46 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/security-update-6-19-2011/#comments">1 Comment</a> I really wish all the news I had from this part of the world wasn’t depressing, but unfortunately that’s the way things seem to be going at the moment. I had a talk with an OCHA official recently about the increased violence against civilians we’ve been seeing since the beginning of the year. This particular OCHA official saw it as being directly tied to the braçage and reorganization operations that have drained crucial areas of South Kivu of FARDC troops. The OCHA official pointed out that in the area of Kilembwe, there has been a significant increase in reported human rights abuses committed by the FDLR since the FARDC units stationed there went into braçage. According to OCHA and to Jason Stearns over at Congo Siasa, the reintegration of groups such as the FRF and PARECO is not going so smoothly anyway, with some rebel leaders and soldiers deserting the process to go back to acting outside of state authority. On June 9, Arche d’Alliance monitors reported that elements of Mai Mai Yakutumba raped around 10 women near Kazimia. You may recall that the FARDC unit stationed in Kazimia pulled out a little less than a month ago; when they were passing through Sebele on their way to Kananda, one of the FARDC soldiers shot and wounded SOS FED reintegration officer M’Munga Selemane. So, with zero FARDC presence in Kazimia, human rights violations committed by the FDLR and Mai Mai are increasing. MSF-Holland is expected to try and reach Kazimia next Wednesday to treat the victims of this latest attack. You will recall an incident previously reported in my blog from May 10 in the village of Matale, where 5 women were raped by unidentified armed men. According to OCHA, the aggressors remain unidentified, and no action has been taken by MONUSCO or the Congolese state. Thus, the continuing Catch-22 of the conflict in eastern Congo: the FARDC commits human rights abuses against the civilian population when it is present, and when it is not the Mai Mai and FDLR pick right up, with perhaps further intensity. The real test will be whether the state armed groups can be reformed to the point where they stop their depredations of the Congolese population (particularly women) and perform their job of maintaining peace and security. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/welcome-to-mathare-would-you-like-a-drink/" title="Permalink to Welcome to Mathare, would you like a drink?" rel="bookmark">Welcome to Mathare, would you like a drink?</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-17" pubdate>June 17, 2011 1:08 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/welcome-to-mathare-would-you-like-a-drink/#comments">3 Comments</a> (I apologize in advance for the length of this blog…I know I promised brevity.  I lied, just this once.  I’ll make it up to you with lots of photos?) This past week, I have attended three meetings and am still attempting to get a grasp on the multiple issues facing slum-dwellers and the solutions.  A meeting on June 15th was the launch of the <a href="http://www.knchr.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kenya National Commission on Human Rights’</a> report on the state of human rights in Kenya.  I haven’t read the full report yet, and it isn’t available online as of now, but I will report back on this one. The other two meetings were community workshops on water tariffs. <a title="Welcome to the Workshop!" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5827576809/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2228/5827576809_dddce5e447.jpg" alt="Welcome to the Workshop!" width="405" height="304"></a> Hakijamii, in collaboration with <a href="http://hakijamii.wordpress.com/hakijamiis-partners/nairobi-peoples-settlement-network/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NPSN</a>, plans different workshops in neighborhoods around Nairobi to educate people on the importance of clean water, their rights (there is a lot of buzz around the new constitution), and the costs associated. People can afford <a href="https://watersoftenershub.com/best-electronic-water-softener-descaler/">electronic descalers</a> as they can provide good quality water within less cost. Water in Nairobi is controlled by <a href="http://www.nairobiwater.co.ke/index.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company</a>, which like many utilities companies, seemingly runs a monopoly.  Needless to say, people in the settlements have not seen much progress by the government nor actualized provisions, so trusting and paying NCWSC is not the instinct. <a title="Teaching the Community" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5835752858/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3467/5835752858_ca7acd14bf.jpg" alt="Teaching the Community" width="375" height="500"></a> There are so many issues facing Kenya’s water, it is kind of difficult to find a starting point.  First of all, a lot of natural sources are contaminated.  Sewage drains directly into the rivers.  <a href="http://www.unep.org/roa/nairobi_river_basin/default.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Clean-up efforts</a> are in place, and there are treatment facilities capable of creating potable water, but costs are prohibitive.  NCWSC has committed to installing more water lines in the settlements, and they have plans to install proper sewage lines, but convincing the people to pay the high start-up costs is a challenge.  This is particularly so when they are paying a monthly fee for a sewage line that does not exist yet. Additionally, water costs up-front seem unaffordable.  The cost to purchase a water meter for one’s home (in order to tap water directly into the home) is 5,000 shillings (around $57).  For many people, that is more than their monthly salaries.  After the start-up cost, the fees get more reasonable.  Monthly, they will pay a fee for water, depending on usage, but typically around 19 shillings for 10 m3 and another 14 shillings for sewage (for a total around 30 cents).  Problems arise because the promises of additional pipes are not fulfilled yet, and those that are are easily tapped.  NCWSC is also setting up water kiosks around the settlements for people to pay to access, but the cost of these are more expensive over longer periods of time, and many do not have water in them yet. <a title="Water Projects on Hold" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5827997960/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3420/5827997960_74377ee6b4.jpg" alt="Water Projects on Hold" width="375" height="500"></a> That is a really primitive explanation.  But hopefully, the idea comes across.  The goal is to make water affordable and accessible to the majority of urban homes.  So in a nutshell, that is how I was introduced to the Mathare settlement. <a title="Mathare Far" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5828020976/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3448/5828020976_9e345206fc.jpg" alt="Mathare Far" width="375" height="500"></a> Mathare is a collection of settlements, and it is largely believed to be the second largest in Nairobi (after Kibera).  Population estimates range anywhere from 500,000 to one million.  And while Mathare is not famous like Kibera (which has roles on tv shows and was the filming location for The Constant Gardener), it is no less striking.  It was one of the hardest hit areas during the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/31/world/africa/31kenya.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">post election violence</a>, but despite only three years time, it seems to have collected itself from the ashes. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-71" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/kmaryn/files/2011/06/21307069-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200"> (Photo from <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/12/30/world/20071231KENYA_11.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NYT Online</a>) <a title="Mathare" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5828001976/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2648/5828001976_5d315c9569.jpg" alt="Mathare" width="375" height="500"></a> I had been told I was going to a community workshop.  So dressed in a skirt and sandals (so inappropriate for a walking tour of a settlement!), we drove to Mathare Worship Centre.  What I was not told was that the regional NPSN director for the area, Christopher Maina, planned to take us around Mathare.  Besides the wardrobe miscommunication, I was thrilled.  As I mentioned in my blog about slum tourism, I am very mixed about the attributes of leading Westerners around settlements, but then again, this is what I am here to do…to learn about the actuality of life here and to try to impact changes, to advocate for these people. We began with a tour of Kiboro Primary School, a government-sponsored school for kindergarten through 8th grade.  After touring the grounds and the water/sanitation facilities, the Head Teacher, Dorcus Mutinda, welcomed us into her office.  Of the 891 students, 30% are orphans.  Food is supplied by the World Food Programme and textbooks by the government.  Healthy habits are a large focus of the school, but water constraints make it difficult to follow everyday.  She told us, for example, that the smaller children tend to be pushed out of the way in the hand-washing line.  She spoke of the school’s challenges and needs, but also seemed very hopeful. <a title="Dorcus Mutinda" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5827496749/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3616/5827496749_e10304b600.jpg" alt="Dorcus Mutinda" width="375" height="500"></a> <a title="A Sea of Blue" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5828043264/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3026/5828043264_272e6c012b.jpg" alt="A Sea of Blue" width="375" height="500"></a> The children were excited and friendly and swarmed me, as usual.  Children are always a joy.  They don’t see me and think of what they do and don’t have.  They don’t see their socio-economic status, or feel bitter about my presence.  They see me and see a novelty.  A mzungu in their midst, willing to talk to them and interact with them.  For me, that unabashed curiosity and joy is the best way to temper the overwhelming feelings of sadness.  And unlike my time in the Nigerian Delta, the sight of me didn’t make any of them cry!  Already this visit was going smoothly. <a title=""Clean" Water" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5828099824/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5279/5828099824_785fc8592b.jpg" alt=""Clean" Water" width="375" height="500"></a> Christopher then led us deeper into Mathare, in order to really grasp the water issues.  He showed us where the sewage runs into the river and the water lines that get tapped.  After about an hour, we headed back to the Centre to start the meeting. I will save the descriptions of the disparaging conditions for another blog, especially since everyone always writes about how sad/dirty/poor/fill-in-your-word-of-choice the settlements are; I will have plenty of time for that with Kibera.  I will leave you with the positive attributes of Mathare.  These people are living.  Yes, the conditions are bad and the government needs to step up efforts to confront these issues.  Yes, more could be done by the people of Mathare to improve such issues like waste disposal, but these people are making the best of what they have.  I didn’t hear one complaint; I didn’t have a single person ask me for anything.  I was welcomed, by adults and children alike, into their lives.  I saw people working, relaxing, doing chores, laughing, getting on with life.  Three years ago, this settlement was torn apart by factionalism and violence.  I have been so impressed with the resiliency of the Kenyan people.  They are educated on the issues; they know the reality of the situation, and they are working for change.  But do they whine about it?  No.  A ray of hope that community efforts, spearheaded by groups like Hakijamii and NPSN, are giving them an outlet to try to actualize change.  And that is beautiful. I have droned on enough now.  As always, my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/advocacy_project/sets/72157626450858751/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Flickr set</a> has more photos and information accompanying each photo. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/interview-1-with-family-affected-by-child-sacrifice/" title="Permalink to Interview 1 with Family Affected by Child Sacrifice" rel="bookmark">Interview 1 with Family Affected by Child Sacrifice</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-16" pubdate>June 16, 2011 12:52 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/interview-1-with-family-affected-by-child-sacrifice/#comments">1 Comment</a> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/06/IMG_1744.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/06/IMG_1744-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-228" /></a> Photo: the late Francis On June 11, 2011, Dorothy and I interviewed a family who lost their little boy to child sacrifice in the village of Serere, which is located right outside of Soroti. I conducted the interview while Dorothy translated as the family was more familiar with the local language, Atesso. Both Dorothy and her husband Fred are from Serere and Fred was visiting home for other business so I joined in on the ride as this family lives only a few feet away from the house of Fred’s family. The persons we interviewed were the grandfather, grandmother and aunt of the person who was murdered. The boy’s name was Francis and he was 4 years old when he was kidnapped, murdered and sacrificed in 2007. On the day we visited them, the mother of Francis had just left the compound to run an errand but it was the grandparents who really looked after him. The family explained how Francis was playing in his compound with his little brother. The grandfather was out in the fields but was not too far away. The grandmother had just left for church. They said that before Francis went missing they could hear him laughing and that it was the kind of laugh that was caused by someone else. Thus they think that the man was playing was hiding in the fields and was playing with Francis from afar. He then lured Francis away using peanuts. Francis was missing for 4 days and the family searched extensively for him, even searching in the pit latrines. They called the police, who came out, but they just told the family that the boy would turn up. The family searched and searched. One day the mother of Francis became really upset and threw all of Francis’ clothes into the field behind the compound because she said there was no need for them as no one knows where her little boy is. She was the first person to see his body as it was lying in that very field behind their compound. The family thinks that the body was just placed there because there weren’t any flies on his body. The family explained how Francis’ upper and lower jaws were removed, along with a piece of his throat and an organ from his stomach. His eyes were also pricked which the family thinks was a way to destroy any evidence because they said that police use the eyes to try and track the culprit. The police came and the family said it costs money to investigate and so the boy’s killer was never captured. But the family knows who the killer is. In fact he still lives in Serere and owns a store there. When asked how they are coping, the family said that it’s in God’s hands and that one day the man who did this will get his. They said this man always wanted riches. They also said that the man had went to a witchdoctor to find out how he can obtain riches. The witchdoctor then told him to kill his own son but instead the man killed Francis. When the man took Francis’ body to the witchdoctor, he/she said that he couldn’t accept this body because it wasn’t his own son. The family said that’s when he dumped Francis’ body in the field behind the compound. The family buried Francis behind the compound and planted a flower in the spot where his body was found. During the interview they spoke of how Francis was a happy and good-looking kid. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/speaking-on-the-radio/" title="Permalink to Speaking on the Radio" rel="bookmark">Speaking on the Radio</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-16" pubdate> 12:09 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/speaking-on-the-radio/#comments">2 Comments</a> During a visit in town, I was approached by a man who happened to work with one of the radio stations in Soroti. After speaking with him for a few minutes about why I’m here, etc., he invited me to come and speak on a morning radio show the next day. I had wanted all the staff of the Gideon Foundation to conduct the show (Santos, Dorothy and Stella) and then I would just be on the side, but due to the late notice, both Santos and Stella couldn’t make it. So on June 9, 2011, Dorothy and I were on a radio show. Since I was still new to things, we had told the radio host to pass the questions to Dorothy, as she is well versed in things since she has volunteered at the Gideon Foundation for over a year. After Dorothy and I both introduced ourselves, we were asked questions. The radio host kept posing questions at me for various reasons. She asked about the causes behind child sacrifice, if its in the history of Soroti, etc. I answered what I could and then passed it along to Dorothy. During the end of the show I spoke of how we were trying to create awareness of child sacrifice and said that if anyone has been affected by child sacrifice to give Santos a call. I then gave out Santos’ phone number (I had cleared this with him beforehand). Dorothy and I then returned to the office to find out that everyone had listened in and also that Santos had received 3 phone calls. One of these phone calls was from a woman in Soroti named Esther who wanted to volunteer with the Gideon Foundation. Esther then came over to the office and come to find out she has an array of experience working with vulnerable populations. So the Gideon Foundation now has a new volunteer. The other 2 phone calls were from persons who lost someone to child sacrifice and we are currently trying to coordinate a time and date to speak with them. (will insert photo of Dorothy with radio host here) </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-gideon-foundation-against-child-sacrifice/" title="Permalink to The Gideon Foundation Against Child Sacrifice" rel="bookmark">The Gideon Foundation Against Child Sacrifice</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-16" pubdate> 10:40 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-gideon-foundation-against-child-sacrifice/#comments">3 Comments</a> The <a href="http://www.gideonfoundation.com">Gideon Foundation Against Child Sacrifice </a>(GIFACS) was founded in 2007 by Santos and Leah Labeja. They founded this non-profit organization after their son, Gideon, was kidnapped and murdered in an act of child sacrifice when he was 4 years old in 2006. He was taken by a man who was staying in the courtyard of the school where Santos works as the headmaster. The man who kidnapped and murdered Gideon was from Gulu, located in the norther region of Uganda, and was one of the persons displaced by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). After the LRA attacked the northern regions of Uganda they then spread to others and attacked Soroti in what I’ve been told was 2003. Santos, who is originally from Gulu, had invited his displaced relatives and other people from where he is from to stay within the school’s courtyard. The man who murdered Gideon was one of these displaced persons staying in the school’s courtyard and he was actually from the same ethnic group as Santos. Gideon was lured away using a musical Christmas card and was taken to a nearby house where he was mutilated, strangled and then his body was thrown under the bed. Some of his body parts were taken by the man with hopes that it would bring him riches as he was told by a witchdoctor. Some of the other children, including some of the siblings of Gideon, were witnesses to the muder as they peeked through a crack in the door of the house during the incident. They then alerted others. Gideon was Mrs. Labeja’s only son. <div id="attachment_79" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 225px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/06/IMG_1731.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/jjenifer/files/2011/06/IMG_1731-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-79" /></a>Photo of Gideon</div> The man was caught by authorities but was eventually allowed to escape. Since then the Labeja’s have devoted their efforts to ending child sacrifice. Leah is currently back in school pursuing a degree in social work as she would like to help other families cope. The Gideon Foundation is devoted to ending child sacrifice by raising awareness about the practice and aspires to push forward a law in Uganda specifically against it. Their activities include travelling to neighboring villages and speaking to people about child sacrifice; that it won’t bring you riches and telling children and parents the steps they can take to try and prevent it. Santos has found a team of lawyers to help him in drafting a proposed law that the Gideon Foundation hopes the Ugandan Parliament will one day pass. They also speak and counsel family survivors of child sacrifice and collect as much data as they can on child sacrifice cases in Uganda. Everything that the Gideon Foundation has been given was through donations. For example, Santos and Leah were both previously able to speak on several radio stations a few times about child sacrifice because they were offered free radio spots at night. Also, the website of the Gideon Foundation was created and is maintained by a generous family in Kampala who heard of Santos’ story and decided to help. But their activities are limited as the Gideon Foundation currently has no funding source. The only way they have been able to implement any projects is through the pockets of Mr. and Mrs. Labeja. Also, Santos is the co-founder and head of another organization called Community Care Services which provides services to the district of Soroti in many fields including education, health, etc. In one of their projects, Community Care Services, built the Soroti Central Secondary School and one of the buildings in the school’s courtyard houses Community Care Services. The Gideon Foundation is also currently located in this building as well since Community Care Services has offered them support by allowing them to use a room in their building. This room is temporary until the Gideon Foundation locates funding to build its office on a plot of land located near the grave of Gideon, which is located in the neighboring district of Amuria (where Mrs. Labeja is from). When the Gideon Foundation launched in 2007, they held a march around Soroti. This demonstration not only included a march all around the town of Soroti, but speeches by Santos and religious leaders and performances by schoolchildren. This event was not only to signal that the Gideon Foundation is here but it was also an opportunity for those affected by child sacrifice to vent. (I was given a copy of a video that was taken of the march and will post it soon) The staff of the Gideon Foundation are all currently volunteers. These volunteers are Santos Labeja, the executive director, and then there are 2 volunteer social workers, Dorothy and Stella (will insert photo of them here soon). My typical day starts at the Gideon Foundation office where I meet with Santos and then Dorothy and Stella. We, Dorothy and I and sometimes Stella comes too, usually head out to conduct an interview somewhere. Things always come up by my typical day usually starts like this. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/nurses-behind-the-knife/" title="Permalink to Nurses behind the knife" rel="bookmark">Nurses behind the knife</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-16" pubdate> 10:37 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/nurses-behind-the-knife/#comments">3 Comments</a> The more people I talk to, the more complex is the tale about how the culture of FGM pervades and persists in the Transmara area of Kenya. One facet of this story that intrigues and disgusts is the fact that some health professionals, and specifically nurses, are now going underground to perform these illegal procedures. This week I went to Elinore,* a high ranking nurse at the district hospital, to try to unearth information about the health concerns related to FGM in this district, and to ask her about the role of health professionals in the battle against FGM. Elinore is an expert in the <a href="https://online.maryville.edu/online-bachelors-degrees/business-administration/bsba-vs-management/">difference between business administration and business management</a> and has spent 20 years in the nursing profession, working at two separate institutions in Kilgoris. With a mother who was a nurse and a father who was a public health officer, it was a natural choice for her. Because her parents were progressive and educated, she herself was not expected to undergo the cut, but as a Maasai from a village near Kilgoris called Oloiborsoito, she has still seen the range of Maasai girls’ experiences with pregnancy, circumcision, early marriage, and birth complications. Her 20 years in the health profession span a time period during which it would seem that FGM has been shed as a cultural practice more rapidly than ever, yet simultaneously shoved underground due to the fact that it became illegal in 2003. <a title="Elinore* explains nurses who inflict FGM" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5820821266/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5067/5820821266_efa4aaf7d8.jpg" alt="Elinore explains nurses who inflict FGM" width="400" height="347"></a> So, what does she think is the role of the health professional in preventing and reducing the impact of this negative cultural practice? Elinore says that often she and the other nurses try to dispel the myths about sexuality and the benefits of FGM. “Sometimes,” she says, “when you work in health, you have to take an extra step.” Many parents, and “especially men” still believe that the clitoris, because it is a sexual organ, is what makes a girl “loose.” Because it is a woman’s sexual organ, it is somehow inherently dirty. When a young girl comes into the care of Elinore and her colleagues, they often try to bring up FGM in conversation. Especially when a girl proclaims her desire to be cut, they take the liberty of dispelling such myths, and informing girls about the health risks involved. This is a choice that the nurses make on their own – there is no sort of government program or directive to its health employees to take this measure, and some people might even think of it as invasive on the part of a health care professional. When asked if this is something her employer, the government, or the hospital promotes, she says no. But because health professionals have more knowledge, she says, sometimes you have to go beyond your normal responsibilities. What is the role of the health professional? To offer safe cuts? To keep quiet? No, says Elinore. The role is simply to tell as many people as possible about “the disadvantages of FGM.” Yet like I said, one of the most disturbing things about the changing landscape of female genital cutting here in the Transmara is that health professionals are increasingly implicated in the cut’s persistence. This is partly a sinister byproduct of health campaigns that have sensitized people to the risks of HIV and other infectious diseases, so “people feared the traditional way with HIV.” These are legitimate concerns, as people used to use one knife for a whole cohort of girls. They wouldn’t use gloves, and if they were to have a pair, the wouldn’t change them between girls. Several people have the vague idea that FGM poses some kind of health risk, and thus they have the instinct to seek out someone who can ostensibly perform a safer version of the cut. I spoke to a mother yesterday, however, who despite going on about the importance of now having a “doctor” perform the cut, couldn’t pinpoint any specific health issue about which she is concerned. But it is this fear that makes it profitable to be a nurse who is willing to cut off a few extra genitals on the side. Elinore is a very high ranking nurse, and is deeply conflicted about the prospect of one of her staff participating in this sort of thing. Yet she sighs, smiles and says that she feels lucky she has never heard of one of their staff participating in this sort of thing. One wonders if this is indeed true or if the administration is perhaps not interested in finding out and having to deal with such a problem. She thinks the nurses who do that sort of thing come from Kisii, a city located an hour an a half north of Kilgoris. The health professionals performing the cut range from subordinate staff to nurses in retirement, and performing the cut can serve as a large source of supplementary income (perhaps earning you an additional 20,000 Kenya shillings ($250.00) or more during the December “cutting season”). Sure, more salary might curb this behavior on the part of employed health professionals, but even that isn’t much of a solution. Firstly, that wouldn’t address the issue of retired nurses. Secondly, there is always someone else around the corner who is willing to do the cut for extra income, and in lieu of a health professional, families who want to cut their daughters will most likely be willing to settle for just about anyone else. After speaking to Elinore in her office, I stopped by the Medical Superintendant to ask permission to have a peek at the wards, and we headed over to the maternity wards. During delivery and even in the maternity wards of the best hospital, the cut can obstruct a birth, and inflict even further pain. More on this next time… <a title="Wards at the Kilgoris District Hospital" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5820818616/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2330/5820818616_7c0bdd5df9.jpg" alt="Wards at the Kilgoris District Hospital" width="400" height="268"></a> *Elinore specifically requested that I refrain from identifying her by name, because she was concerned about speaking on record as a hospital employee. For this reason I also excluded her face in the photo. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/first-week-in-soroti-uganda/" title="Permalink to First Week in Soroti, Uganda" rel="bookmark">First Week in Soroti, Uganda</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-16" pubdate> 9:51 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/first-week-in-soroti-uganda/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> When I arrived in Uganda on June 1st, I was kindly met at the airport by Santos Labeja, the executive director of the <a href="http://www.gideonfoundation.com">Gideon Foundation</a>. We then met his colleague, a teacher who lives in Kampala who is also driven to end child sacrifice, Pascal Bogaert (he is also featured in <a href="http://vimeo.com/11167675">SACRIFICED</a>). They are trying to coordinate a visit to Parliament for the end of August where they can discuss the need for a law specifically against child sacrifice to lawmakers. After a night in Kampala where I stayed with a very kind classmate of mine from Clark University, I then travelled to Soroti. Santos hopped on my bus while it stopped in the town of Mbale as he had a meeting there that morning. My first week in Soroti was spent getting settled and I also went to a Catholic church service, a funeral, became acquainted with the office of the Gideon Foundation and its staff, purchased some DVDs on human rituals and witchcraft (which are available at many video stores in Uganda) and began mapping out a workplan with Santos and the other staff members of the Gideon Foundation. I also interviewed Santos and his wife, Leah, and had the pleasure of hearing Santos give a sermon at a Pentecostal church in a neighboring community: (will insert photo soon) My workplan includes interviewing families affected by child sacrifice, cultural leaders, district officials, police officers and, if possible, reformed witchdoctors and people in prison who have committed acts of child sacrifice. Also, if possible, I would like to conducted some of these interviews in Mukono, a district in Uganda located near Kampala, where child sacrifice is heavily practiced. My workplan also includes helping the staff of the Gideon Foundation in their sensitization efforts in the neighboring communities. My role with the Gideon Foundation during these next 10-12 weeks is to raise awareness and support to their efforts to end child sacrifice. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/finding-my-feet/" title="Permalink to Finding My Feet" rel="bookmark">Finding My Feet</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-16" pubdate> 1:08 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/finding-my-feet/#comments">1 Comment</a> I am still getting settled into Hakijamii, which is easy and hard at the same time. As I’ve said before, the staff is great, so growing comfortable with them has been easy. They have been so welcoming and even let me follow them around like a lost puppy (especially when we venture out of the office). The bustle of Kenyatta Market has become nice background noise; there is definitely a rhythm to life here. I still haven’t found my way around the maze of narrow corridors, though, and I’m not sure I ever will. The market is quite the thriving exchange, even on rainy days. What has been the most difficult is finalizing my work product goal and figuring out the “system.” I knew coming into this experience that NGO work can be frustrating on its own; add in a new culture and the challenge is bigger. Hakijamii is shockingly organized. Their filing system is all online and is so structured, the day-to-day operation is seamless…what is less apparent is the way Hakijamii operates in the larger system, or I suppose how I can function with them in the larger system. There are so many active organizations in Kenya, and while the NGO community here is really inclusive, I am having trouble seeing where I can be operational. I’ve had a continuing dialogue with AP about this and what would be the best takeaway from this fellowship for everyone: Hakijamii, AP, Kenyans, and me. I will be contacting Ngazi Ya Chini to see what the status is of the railroad expansion and how I can assist, hopefully with their legal team. Luckily, there aren’t too many railroads cutting through the largest settlement in Nairobi, so I know where they live. If I can’t get a hold of anyone soon, I can march down to Kibera to talk to some people (that sounds gallant, but really what I mean is, “I will closely follow on the heels of one or two Hakijamii staffers,” like that lost puppy again). I need to write about my experiences at the past few meetings I’ve attended, but for the sake of brevity, I will save that for another blog. In the meantime, here are just a few photos of lovely Kenya. You can click on the photos to be taken to my Flickr album, which has more explanations for each photo. <a title="Plants!" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5838783576/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2797/5838783576_63fffd21cd.jpg" alt="Plants!" /></a> <a title="What is she doing?" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5838785592/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3603/5838785592_956c0a81c3.jpg" alt="What is she doing?" /></a> <a title="Hair Salon" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5838242965/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3273/5838242965_d9aa5928fa.jpg" alt="Hair Salon" /></a> <a title="Angel Trumpet" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5838800030/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2519/5838800030_99051360ab.jpg" alt="Angel Trumpet" /></a> <a title="Kenyan Mud" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5838802376/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5184/5838802376_8db254d3f8.jpg" alt="Kenyan Mud" /></a> <a title="Freccia" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5838803474/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2426/5838803474_b532124c41.jpg" alt="Freccia" /></a> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/funding-a-country/" title="Permalink to Funding a Country" rel="bookmark">Funding a Country</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-13" pubdate>June 13, 2011 12:42 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/funding-a-country/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> It is an interesting time to be in Kenya. The “mastermind” of the 1998 US Embassy bombing was shot at a <a href="http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/Nairobi+bomb+blast+mastermind+is+dead+/-/1066/1178948/-/prc9bx/-/index.html" target="_blank">checkpoint</a>. Squatters are petitioning the government for <a href="http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/news/InsidePage.php?id=2000036745&cid=159&story=Squatters petition State to issue them title deeds" target="_blank">title to their land</a>. An Olympic <a href="http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/athletics/Wanjiru+did+not+die+from+balcony+fall+says+doctor+/-/1100/1175006/-/12jrrf7z/-/index.html" target="_blank">gold medalist</a> has died at age 24. The country is gearing up for elections in 2012, which would mean the end of the coalition government that many feel is ineffective. The new constitution is (supposedly) being implemented, and the largest budget in Kenyan history was just determined. The budget is set at 1.15 trillion Kenyan shillings. That is about $13.2 billion. 15% of that is to be divided up between the 47 counties of Kenya. The constitution states that the budgeting at the county and national level must be participatory, transparent, and accountable. This <a href="http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/Understanding+the+figures+that+matter+in+the+Budget+/-/1006/1178828/-/re18xz/-/index.html" target="_blank">article</a> explains the budget a bit better. Hakijamii has been working on government accountability and proper allocation for the past four years. Louis blogged about the <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/lrezac/2010/07/27/the-peoples-budget/" target="_blank">People’s Budget</a> last year, and this year it has grown. With the changing constitution, groups like Hakijamii and NPSN wanted to involve the community more. This year, more than 15 groups met multiple times to make suggestions to help the government prioritize the real needs of the people in the settlements. One final meeting occurred on June 7, 2011. As the budget determination occurred the next day, the meeting served as a last chance to air suggestions and proposals to take to the Minister of Finance, Uhuru Kenyatta. There was a good amount of entertainment throughout the meeting, but my favorite was this group in the video. They were a crowd-pleaser, inciting laughter, cheering and singing. They are calling out to the leaders, Raila and Kibaki, asking for help. It was roughly translated for me, so I will try to pass along the translation. **Fast facts: Mwai Kibaki is the President, and Raila Odinga is the Prime Minister. The details of the tragic and disputed presidential election of 2007 are too complex to address here, but in short, a power sharing agreement was reached in 2008, creating the post of PM and a coalition government. In the song, they are asking Odinga (Raila) to throw them up so they can fly, because they can’t afford the price of fuel. They will fly, so long as they get to work. They are asking Kibaki to give them a constitution; even just one chapter, so long as they have a constitution. They are also asking Kibaki to give them land, even a plot sized 10×10, as long as they get the title. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzxgYVTWtbY&feature=channel_video_title You can also view my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/advocacy_project/sets/72157626450858751/" target="_blank">photo set</a> on Flickr, which includes some of the stills from the meeting, plus other photos! </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/reflections-on-uganda-and-kikoze-update/" title="Permalink to Reflections on Uganda and Kikoze Update" rel="bookmark">Reflections on Uganda and Kikoze Update</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-10" pubdate>June 10, 2011 11:50 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/reflections-on-uganda-and-kikoze-update/#comments">1 Comment</a> Hello all, I am back from my holiday in Uganda. It was lovely, but I’m also glad to be back in Uvira. This place feels more and more like “home” with each passing day. Uganda’s story in terms of development and human rights is quite different from the DR Congo’s. Kampala is a thriving metropolis, with supermarkets, several shopping malls, Chinese restaurants, and choking automobile congestion. It is hard to believe that it is only a 17-hour drive from Uvira. In addition, the people of Uganda seem more cheerful and friendlier than the Congolese, possibly because they have not been beaten down by nearly 20 years of war following the reign of Mobutu. Overall, one could say that Uganda is an East African “success” story, especially considering that the country was once home to one of Africa’s most ruthless dictators, Idi Amin Dada. However, there still remain problems in Uganda, such as continuing widespread poverty, a high (though decreasing) HIV/AIDS rate, the persecution of the LGBT community, and continuing unrest in the north with Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army. In Kampala, President Yoweri Museveni’s cowboy-hatted visage glares from many billboards, reminding me of how Uganda became entangled in the Congo Wars in the 1990s/2000s. On more official business, I had the opportunity to visit an AP partner in Kampala, the Kinawataka Women’s Initiative, founded and directed by Mrs. Benedicta Nanyonga. Kinawataka assists children, mostly girls and mostly AIDS orphans. The children and Mrs. Benedicta make bags and other products out of recycled drinking straws. The proceeds from selling the bags go to the children’s education and upbringing. I was amazed at the durability and quality of the purses, shopping bags, and safari bags created by this group of industrious youngsters. Visit Kinawataka at www.kwiuganda.org and see their products at www.strawbags.org Back in the Congo, SOS FED continues to move forward. Construction on the water well in Mboko was completed on June 10. Quick update on the Kikoze incident of 3/26/11: I talked to someone at OCHA about the status of judicial action against the perpetrators of the attack. Apparently, a military tribunal has yet to be realized, and still is in the planning stage. There are concerns for the safety and security of a military tribunal, due to the fact that the accused are ex-FRF combatants who were only recently integrated into the FARDC. A trial up in Muranvya or bringing the accused to trial in Uvira might result in some sinister consequences. However, I was assured that MONUSCO and the FARDC are still working on the case. Let’s hope that justice is served eventually. Also in the news: Burundian FNL rebels are making more incursions across the border in the Rusizi Plain, near Kiliba. Cultivation in the area is under threat, as farmers (most of them women) will flee their fields once they hear of roving armed groups nearby. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/muzungu-how-are-you/" title="Permalink to Muzungu, how are you?" rel="bookmark">Muzungu, how are you?</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-10" pubdate> 1:00 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/muzungu-how-are-you/#comments">1 Comment</a> I arrived in Nairobi last Friday, and met with <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cbourdillon/">Charlotte Bourdillon</a>, another fellow who has been working with KCE for the past 3 months. My luggage wasn’t as timely though, and Charlotte and I had to stay in Nairobi an extra day to wait for it. The weekend turned out to be a great opportunity for us to get to know each other and to explore the city. On Monday we made the 7-hour trip to Enoosaen, which was actually quite pleasant considering we were crammed with other people (and our luggage) in a little van. This long trip was made better by the great scenery outside of our window, and I spotted an ostrich, gazelles, cows and the odd Maasai on the horizon, which is always a novelty to a bona fide city girl like me. Before arriving in Enoosaen, we stopped in Kilgoris to change into a smaller car, and I was impressed with the activity in this little commercial center – it wasn’t quite Nairobi, but it was definitely not some remote little village. From Kilgoris we made the final trek to Mama Kakenya’s house, where I’ll be staying during my time here. We arrived to a warm welcome from everyone, and they had clearly missed Charlotte during her time away to explore Rwanda before my arrival. <a title="Kilgoris" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5817563829/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2335/5817563829_edb39a33d2.jpg" alt="The bustling city of Kilgoris" width="384" height="257" /></a> The next day we made our way to the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence, and I heard for the first time what is sure to become the trademark of my time here: nearly every child we encountered along the way called “Muzungu, muzungu” as we walked by, which is technically the Swahili word for European, but loosely used to greet any white person. The Muzungu call was also followed by some child asking “How are you?”, which I happily replied to but got no answer back. It seems that they are only conversational in English up to that question, but have no idea what to answer in return. <a title="Children in Enoosaen" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5817567673/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3544/5817567673_4dd81d64c2.jpg" alt="Kids from a nearby school gathering to see the Muzungus" width="400" height="267" /></a> After making a few other stops along the way (Charlotte is incredibly popular around here, many people knew her by name and I’m truly impressed with the Swahili skills she developed in only 3 months!), we finally arrived at KCE. This moment will be one that I’ll remember forever: the kids ran to meet us, and enveloped us in their collective embrace. <a title="KCE's girls" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5817588139/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3474/5817588139_9a2938d33b.jpg" alt="Some of the girls at KCE greeting us upon our arrival" width="400" height="267" /></a> To introduce myself, Charlotte and I had planned to play a little game, and to reward the girls with some sweets. This quiz turned out to be great fun, and I got a glimpse at how smart these girls are. <a title="A little quizzing game with the girls" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5817591697/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2252/5817591697_db8a83b700.jpg" alt="A little quizzing game with the girls" width="400" height="267" /></a> My first impression could not have been better: the girls were so welcoming, so happy to see us there. It made me incredibly happy to be here, and grateful to be part of this amazing project. They are 94 girls divided into classes 4, 5, and 6, and hopefully with time I will be able to get to know each one of them. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/this-could-be-the-beginning-of-an-existential-crisis/" title="Permalink to This could be the beginning of an existential crisis." rel="bookmark">This could be the beginning of an existential crisis.</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-09" pubdate>June 9, 2011 1:39 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/this-could-be-the-beginning-of-an-existential-crisis/#comments">4 Comments</a> I was perusing blogs about Kenya today, and I happened upon a woman who blogs from the perspective of an expat living in Nairobi. <a href="http://africaexpatwivesclub.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Africa Expat Wives’ Club</a> is not exactly the perspective I am trying to learn about, but it does offer an interesting take on life in Nairobi, some of which it is easy for me to relate to (even though I’m not an expat). What particularly struck me was a thoughtful and candid <a href="http://africaexpatwivesclub.blogspot.com/2011/05/famous-rich-and-in-slums.html" target="_blank">post</a> she did on UK celeb personalities spending a week in Kibera for the BBC called <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00z6dnn" target="_blank">Rich, Famous, and in the Slums</a>. The premise is that celebrities are dropped off in Kibera with only 200 shillings (around $2.30) and are meant to survive as members of the community do, but with a takeaway point: Earn a living, eat, find shelter, learn meaningful lessons along the way. I have yet to watch it, as I can’t seem to find a viewable version online, and something about illegally downloading while abroad makes me really nervous (ok ok, it makes me nervous in the US, too). I can see the value in this, though…particularly for those four people, they will (hopefully) walk away from the experience with a lot more respect, compassion, understanding and mental fortitude. For example, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8355348/Angela-Rippon-Viewers-dont-care-about-a-presenters-age-or-sex.html" target="_blank">Angela Rippon</a> has developed a relationship with a school in Kibera, providing textbooks and other resources. There are a lot of articles about this program. And a lot of debate. From a Western perspective, it is easy for us to extol the virtues of expanding one’s point of view and keeping an open mind…empathy is a beautiful part of human nature, and it seems like that cannot be achieved without walking in the other’s shoes. But at what point is it patronizing? As this <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2011/03/03/rich-famous-and-living-in-a-slum/" target="_blank">article</a> from The Wall Street Journal asks, are these people being used as props? Additionally, this <a href="http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/Poverty+as+entertainment/-/440808/1129596/-/item/0/-/8tesv8/-/index.html" target="_blank">article</a> from the Daily Nation offers a stark contrast and compelling argument – I highly recommend reading it**. What about the people of Kibera? They are humans, not marketing ploys. Isn’t this dehumanizing? Why is Kibera a tourist destination? But it also gets to a more complicated point – where is the government? I suppose I will stay out of this debate, and try to walk a fine line (I am here to work in informal settlements, after all). It’s such an individualized lesson we each learn, isn’t it? People will take from it what they take from it…this is as true of slum tourism as it is of formal education, zoos, relationships, any experience. Yes it’s true, I learn best by first-hand experiences. It’s hard to really understand without seeing it for myself. But in this case, that value is not inextricably linked to objectification. I hope to leave Kenya with a mutual understanding with the people I get to work with, interact with. We can learn from each other. So what I see, from the people of Kibera (and beyond – this isn’t distinct to Kenya) and from the participants in the BBC’s show, is courage. **I also highly recommend this short <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/opinion/10odede.html?_r=1" target="_blank">article</a> from the New York Times. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/first-in-the-division/" title="Permalink to First in the Division" rel="bookmark">First in the Division</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-08" pubdate>June 8, 2011 9:48 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/first-in-the-division/#comments">1 Comment</a> In April, at the end of term 1 (the school system here runs on a year round schedule of trimesters), our sixth graders competed in division wide exams. <a title="Eager to excel" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5814275816/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5030/5814275816_6c586894a1.jpg" alt="Eager to excel, the girls pour over the newly released results booklet" width="400" height="313" /></a> So, the results comparing our school to 25 other public schools in the division are finally in…and we’re number one! The tests included sections for maths, English, Kiswahili, science, and social studies. Not only was our combined mean score high enough to rank us as number one in the division, but get this: out of the top five overall performing sixth graders in the whole division, four came from the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence! Congratulations to Angeline (#1), Vivian (#3), Juliet (#4) and Tasimi (#5)! Out of these four, two are orphans for whom the Kakenya’s Dream organization fully supports their education. Interestingly, the girl who ranked #2 for the division also has an Enkakenya Centre connection as she attended our leadership camp in April. <a title="top girls in the division exams!" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5812474302/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3273/5812474302_315f5ba766.jpg" alt="from left: Vivian, Tasimi, Juliet, and Angeline" width="385" height="265" /></a> <a title="Top girls in the Keyian division exam!" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5812502446/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3599/5812502446_194321f421.jpg" alt="Top girls!" width="400" height="373" /></a> <a title="Top girls in the Keyian division exam!" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5812503394/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2423/5812503394_41a5113531.jpg" alt="Having a little fun in a photo shoot directed by Cleia" width="400" height="328" /></a> Congratulations are definitely also in order for Juliet for coming in at #1 in Kiswahili for the division, as well as Angeline for being the division’s #1 maths student the second year in a row, and for Yiamat for ranking #2 in maths! I am thrilled, but it is important to be cognizant of what we are up against in the bigger picture – that is, in terms of whether or not our girls will have the best chances for higher education in Kenya. I don’t mean to be a downer, but the school needs to keep in mind that this division isn’t a great basis of comparison if the school is to strive for excellence. Our #1 mean score was a total of 309.94 points out of 500, where as in average to above average performing districts, the #1 mean score would be more like 360.00, according to the Assistant Area Education Officer who explained the results to me. Finally, please consider: this exam was co-ed. Isn’t it phenomenal is it that all of the division’s top five sixth graders were girls? </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/rwanda-nairobi-and-a-new-peace-fellow/" title="Permalink to Rwanda, Nairobi, and a new Peace Fellow" rel="bookmark">Rwanda, Nairobi, and a new Peace Fellow</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-07" pubdate>June 7, 2011 1:27 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/rwanda-nairobi-and-a-new-peace-fellow/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> Over the past week I have been absent from the blog and from Enoosaen because I took some time off to visit Rwanda (Kigali and Gisenyi) and Nairobi. I got another unexpected stamp in my passport due to an unplanned overnight layover outside of Kampala, Uganda. Thanks to my dear friends Helaina Stein (see <a href="http://www.helaina.com">her blog about living in Kigali</a>) and Rachel Brown (who runs the brilliant organization <a href="http://www.wemappeace.org/blog/">Sisi Ni Amani</a>) for taking me in and showing me a good time, a hot shower, and where to eat ethiopian food, succulent whole fresh grilled tilapia, strawberry tarts, and crusty fresh bread and bagels! As you might imagine, this has been a week of culinary bliss. One of the reasons I was in Nairobi is to welcome a new Advocacy Project Peace Fellow to Kenya. I’ve just returned to Enoosaen with <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cnoia/">Cleia Noia</a>, who will be joining me on the project for ten weeks. Looking forward to the company! I leave you with a passage I have encountered that really resonates with what I feel on the eve of the end of my travels this week, and as I plan further adventures in East Africa: <blockquote>“The continent is too large to describe. It is a veritable ocean, a separate planet, a varied, immensely rich cosmos. Only with the greatest simplification, for the sake of convenience, can we say “Africa.” In reality, except as a geographical appellation, Africa does not exist.” – Ryszard Kapuściński</blockquote> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/what-we-do-in-60-seconds/" title="Permalink to What we do in 60 seconds!" rel="bookmark">What we do in 60 seconds!</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-07" pubdate> 1:23 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/what-we-do-in-60-seconds/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> Thanks to some high(er) speed internet in Nairobi, I was finally able to post some videos that I had started preparing ages ago but thought I might never be able to upload! Here is one that we prepared as a promotional video that had to be under 60 seconds. It is sort of a quick introduction to the mission of the school. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I-az3fSx20 </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/students-from-the-mara-video/" title="Permalink to Students from the Mara – video" rel="bookmark">Students from the Mara – video</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-07" pubdate> 1:21 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/students-from-the-mara-video/#comments">249 Comments</a> Had some great internet in Nairobi, so I was able to upload this footage to youtube. I thought it might be interesting to see Perenai and Ryle, the girls about whom I have written a couple of times. Here is the interview I took with them on video, before I had visited their hometown of Pusanki. The quality isn’t great and it is a little long, and you’ll need to turn up the volume to hear the girls’ voices (although mine is blaring). I basically have no great photos of them but wanted to share a visual. Do notice how shy and quiet they are taught to be. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-1a_86f9_0 </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/leaving-for-soroti-uganda-2/" title="Permalink to Leaving for Soroti, Uganda" rel="bookmark">Leaving for Soroti, Uganda</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-07" pubdate> 1:39 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/leaving-for-soroti-uganda-2/#comments">2 Comments</a> The <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org">Advocacy Project </a>is a DC-based nonprofit that basically seeks to start social change by partnering local human-rights organizations with a person, mostly graduate students, who are experienced in this field in some way. The purpose of this volunteer, also called a Peace Fellow, is to bring awareness as to what the organization they are paired with is doing and to work with this organization to fulfill its goals. One of the most interesting aspects to the Advocacy Project is its approach to social change which is that working with those who are the most marginalized can help in removing the courses of disempowerment and marginalization. Thus the Advocacy Project partners these experienced people with grassroots organizations that are working with these marginalized groups. I was fortunate enough to be offered an invitation to participate in a 10-12 week internship in Soroti, Uganda to work for the <a href="http://www.gideonfoundation.com">Gideon Foundation</a>, an organization that is raising awareness about child sacrifice and is building support for a law specifically against the practice. Child sacrifice is the ritualistic killing of children and yes it exists (and in many other countries as well) and is increasing in Uganda. This is the first time that the Advocacy Project has placed a volunteer with the Gideoun Foundation which is another aspect that drew me specifically to this internship. Before leaving, the Advocacy Project provides 3 days of training in Washington, DC as well as a meeting with the executive director on developing our workplans, our sites, etc . At the training I attended we were presented information about the Advocacy Project, our sites, the work that previous Peace Fellows have done and how they did it and also in what is expected of us. It was also an opportunity to meet other Peace Fellows as well which for this training was about 13 other individuals, mostly graduate students in international development and some pursuing their law degree. The hardest part in deciding to undertake an internship like this is the fundraising aspect of it. Peace Fellows have to fundraise for all expenses which not only adds worry and hesitation to the minds of Peace Fellows like myself but in my opinion it also contributes to those who can partake in an internship like this coming from a certain demographic group. One of the expectations for Peace Fellows is to blog, at least once weekly, about the organization, its activities, your experience, etc, which will not only aid in shining some light on these organizations and unheard issues but can also help in generating content as well. Please note that this blog is from my lens and thus please read it as so. My major concern in working in a country that I have not travelled to before, especially Uganda, was living there without any in-country support and then having to work and get things done with limited funds and also without being under the name of an organization that is widely known (not yet at least). After the trainings on May 23-25, 2011, I then finished preparing to go and then left for my flight on May 30th. My flight was scheduled to go from Dulles airport to New York then from New York to Dubai and then finally from Dubai to Entebbe, Uganda. These blogs will feature specifics about the Gideon Foundation and its efforts to try and combat child sacrifice in Uganda. Of course these blogs will also feature my work with the Gideon Foundation and my experience working with them. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/maze-of-housing-rights/" title="Permalink to Maze of Housing Rights" rel="bookmark">Maze of Housing Rights</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-04" pubdate>June 4, 2011 1:25 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/maze-of-housing-rights/#comments">1 Comment</a> I am getting settled into Hakijamii. The staff is great, and I am looking forward to sharing their work. Nairobi is…well, busy. I’m working on getting comfortable with the route to work, and then I’ll start exploring more. City Park, which I pass by on my way in to work, is teeming with monkeys. That will definitely be one of my stops. In the meantime, I am trying to get acquainted with the status of economic, social, and cultural (ESC) rights here. These include right to adequate housing, right to water, sanitation, education, etc.; Hakijamii works extensively in all of these areas. Housing rights have been accented, I think mainly because of the prevalence of the forced evictions. In addition, the constitution that passed last August guarantees a lot of these rights, which seems great…but while it is a step in the right direction, policing and reconciling the current laws with the new constitution is an entirely different beast. Hakijamii recently published an <a href="http://www.esrc-hakijamii.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=36&Itemid=66" target="_blank">annual report</a> evaluating the status of housing rights in Kenya, and a local paper, the Standard, wrote an <a href="http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/mag/InsidePage.php?id=2000036312&cid=470&" target="_blank">article</a> on June 2nd about the discrepancies between the Constitution and standing laws. Friday, I attended a meeting with the Executive Director, <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/lrezac/2010/07/28/odindo-opiata/" target="_blank">Odindo Opiata</a>, regarding the Evictions and Resettlement Guidelines. The meeting consisted of a taskforce charged with redrafting and refining the guidelines and creating a legal framework for the evictions. The taskforce consists of people from Hakijamii, the Ministry of Lands, Ministry of Housing, Nairobi People Settlement Network (NPSN), Kenya Land Alliance, Muungano wa Wanavijiji, and Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). <a title="Taskforce Meeting on Eviction and Resettlement Guidelines" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5796754441/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/5796754441_d9c85e5e0b.jpg" alt="Taskforce Meeting on Eviction and Resettlement Guidelines" /></a> Maybe I’ve been indoctrinated by law school, but this legal framework seems particularly important. I’ll concede that eminent domain can be a useful and necessary power when used properly, but it is so important that there is a procedure…accountability, consistency, guarantees of rights and compensation. There needs to be a system (besides arbitrary or bribe-based). And these people need to know that system. It was interesting to hear the different perspectives of the various rights-based organizations and government representatives, which can be seen as the opposite sides of the debate. At the end of the meeting, one of the government representatives introduced himself to me with the customary greeting for a newcomer: “Karibu,” which means welcome. He asked what I was doing in Kenya, so I told him working with Hakijamii. At which point he welcomed me: “Karibu.” I was obviously nervous about this government employee (one of the “bad” guys!) talking to me, and responded, “Oh, I don’t think working with Hakijamii is terrible at all.” Silence on his part. I quickly realized my mistake and giggled awkwardly. Luckily, he thought my bad hearing was funny. Point for the government. Time to learn some Swahili. Lesson one: Karibu = welcome (not terrible) Lesson two: Jambo = hi Today, I spent more time with my host family before they go on leave. I played soccer with the 9 year-old of the family and toured the International School of Kenya. <a title="International School of Kenya" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5797316106/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5797316106_230cd1e97a.jpg" alt="International School of Kenya" width="400" height="300" /></a> We also went to the Soko Soko Market, which only happens once a year, to peruse the crafts. Roaming the outskirts of Nairobi has been great, but still a stark contrast to the work I will be doing. I’m looking forward to my first site visit. <a title="Kanga at Soko Soko Market" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5796758625/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2296/5796758625_50101b4fb3.jpg" alt="Kanga at Soko Soko Market" /></a> **These aren’t really kangas…but the fabrics were beautiful, all the same! Sunday will be spent lazily registering for classes (I meant it when I said law school never ends) and reading some material I picked up my first two days of work. Looking forward to learning more about Hakijamii this next week. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/happy-madaraka-day/" title="Permalink to Happy Madaraka Day!" rel="bookmark">Happy Madaraka Day!</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-06-01" pubdate>June 1, 2011 7:17 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/happy-madaraka-day/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> I arrived in Nairobi four days ago and have been working on a few things for school (law school apparently never takes a break), as well as settling in and spending time with my host family. I was lucky enough to find a place to stay with my uncle’s friends in Gigiri, which is a far distance from Hakijamii, but is a beautiful place to live. <a title="Oasis" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5838777562/" rel=""><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2454/5838777562_e7699ee2b6.jpg" alt="Oasis" /></a> It feels a bit strange to be living in a place this nice, especially when I’ll be advocating for people who hardly have access to water, let alone that amount space to spread out. My search for housing in Nairobi definitely put into perspective the unavailability of affordable housing…if it was that difficult for me, it’s hard to imagine the search for Kenyans. I just feel lucky this family was willing to take me in. Today marks the day Kenya achieved self-rule in 1963 – a sort of pre-independence independence day (official independence day is in December). Most Kenyans have the day off, and I joined them, officially starting work tomorrow. I’m looking forward to meeting the staff and getting the work plan finalized. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/tie/" title="Permalink to There are ties between us…" rel="bookmark">There are ties between us…</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-05-30" pubdate>May 30, 2011 6:19 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/tie/#comments">9 Comments</a> “Let us turn our thoughts today To Martin Luther King And recognize that there are ties between us All men and women Living on the Earth Ties of hope and love Sister and brotherhood That we are bound together In our desire to see the world become A place in which our children Can grow free and strong We are bound together By the task that stands before us And the road that lies ahead We are bound and we are bound” – James Taylor, Shed a Little Light In trying to find the right way to start documenting this summer’s experience with the Gulu Disabled Persons Union (GDPU) in Uganda, those lyrics seem fitting. Currently, I’m sitting in the Indianapolis Airport, waiting for a flight to Washington DC where I’ll get my first in-person introductions to The Advocacy Project. From there, I’m drawing on three years experience working with people with disabilities in Indiana + six weeks in Gulu (2008) volunteering with another organization + five years of growing interest, study, and love for Northern Uganda to build what I hope is a necessary skill-base to support the GDPU. Still, I feel like I’m beginning an experience where I’ll hit the ground running before I quickly realize it’s less of a foot-race and more of an intense game of chess. Meaning, I’ve seen the game in action, can name most of the pieces, and have played a handful of times with reminders on the path of the rooks vs. the knights. But I’m no expert. This isn’t to say I don’t feel prepared or adequately trained for the fellowship – I’ve studied, read, prepared, jotted down notes, and refreshed what little Acholi I learned three years ago (“Apyowo! Iti maber?”). More so, I always wonder when I go into situations like this to what extent I’ll be able to positively impact the people I will be serving. Can I – a female “Mzungu” from the suburbs of the Midwest – really relate to people who have been victims of the longest running war in Africa? Can I – a person without a physical disability – find a common ground and earn the trust of people with disabilities in Gulu, a marginalized minority that accounts for nearly ¼ of the population there? Can I – an outsider with a 12-week plan – provide support, advocacy, and a voice to the community? And if not…what am I doing there? Don’t get me wrong – I am thrilled and ready to be part of it! Still, anytime I travel – be it for service or exploration – I want to constantly remind myself that I am a guest of the country, first and foremost, and my role will be one of learning, partnership, and support. Speaking of partnership, I owe more discussion to the Gulu Disabled Persons Union. Comprised of five advocacy groups that support a variety of disabilities, the GDPU strives to provide agency and a voice to the disabled population in Gulu. To be honest, direct communication with the individuals at the GDPU has yet to happen, as making contact from the states has proven to be the first challenge. However, from what I’ve gathered, the individuals with whom I’ll have the honor of working are nothing short of amazing. Still, their disability may deprive them of certain opportunities; the non-disabled community may write them out of the rebuilding process; and, I suppose, the individuals themselves may be struggling to accept their disability. This issue of “disability rights” warrants an entire discussion in and of itself. Expect more – MUCH more – later! I suppose I’m setting this up like some sort of disclaimer, preparing you as well as myself for the uncertainty of it all. If you anticipate following this journey, I welcome comments, ideas, questions, and challenges. Hopefully this will be a learning and growing experience for both of us. It is my hope that this journaling shares as accurate and honest documentation of the work, the experience, the people, and the impact. I hope you get a glimpse – in the midst of the babble – of the hope, possibility, and struggle of the GDPU, its people, and Gulu in general. For now, it’s time to hit the ground running…knight to C3… Check out the video below for more! GDPU and Rebecca – Summer 2011 httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJLUZVlpkfc </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/karibuni-our-new-dorm/" title="Permalink to Karibuni our new dorm!" rel="bookmark">Karibuni our new dorm!</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-05-24" pubdate>May 24, 2011 11:27 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/karibuni-our-new-dorm/#comments">6 Comments</a> For weeks all the staff have been inundated with questions. “Teacher, what day will we move into that building? Have you seen isn’t it beautiful?” Today, the waiting came to an end. I wanted to just quickly share a few photos especially for those of you who have been fundraising for and worrying about and anticipating the building for months now. <a title="Pupil showing off the new dormitory" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5755240107/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2704/5755240107_7aab602055.jpg" alt="a pupil shows off the new dormitory" width="375" height="500" /></a> <a title="hyperactive excitement" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5755785118/"><img decoding="async" class="alignleft" style="float: left" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/5755785118_6a84d44313.jpg" alt="The campus was abuzz with hyperactive excitement. Even at 6:30 pm the pupils wanted nothing to do with dinner or evening preps --they just wanted to be inside their dormitory." /></a> <a title="Making the beds with care" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5755241065/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5064/5755241065_d3f5cb95b5.jpg" alt="Making the beds with special care." width="350" height="291" /></a> The building isn’t entirely finished, and a little work is still taking place to make the top half inhabitable, but we decided to move the girls into the bottom half anyway. And from the looks on thier faces they won’t mind being a wee bit crammed for a week or two. <a title="Girls moving into the new dormitory" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5814232686/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2648/5814232686_1e8d81aa60.jpg" alt="Girls moving into the new dormitory" width="400" height="214" /></a> <a title="Pupil with her luggage" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5811864853/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/5811864853_f99e6e7d6a.jpg" alt="pupil with her luggage" /></a> <a title="pupils work together to move their bunkbeds" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5811864377/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2405/5811864377_214e1b08cf.jpg" alt="pupils work together to move their bunkbeds" width="394" height="400" /></a> <a title="Class 5 and 6 enjoying the new rooms" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5814232464/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3650/5814232464_89e86db68d.jpg" alt="Class 5 and 6 enjoying the new rooms" width="400" height="300" /></a> <a title="Leah holding her mattress" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5811865311/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2385/5811865311_4a23a589df.jpg" alt="Leah holding her mattress" /></a> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/coming-soon/" title="Permalink to Coming soon…" rel="bookmark">Coming soon…</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-05-23" pubdate>May 23, 2011 1:30 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/coming-soon/#comments">84 Comments</a> I look forward to sharing with you! First post from Rebecca and the GDPU coming soon! </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/pusanki-an-even-more-challenging-educational-terrain/" title="Permalink to Pusanki: An even more challenging educational terrain" rel="bookmark">Pusanki: An even more challenging educational terrain</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-05-23" pubdate> 12:53 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/pusanki-an-even-more-challenging-educational-terrain/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> <a title="Wild zebras while walking home in Pusanki, Kenya" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5710214110/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2220/5710214110_7c577aee06_m.jpg" alt="Wild zebras while walking home in Pusanki, Kenya" width="240" height="180" /></a> A couple of weekends ago, I made a trip that involved 3 matatus, 4-5 hours on the road, and culminated in an hour and a half walk into the deep forested bushland adjacent to the Maasai Mara. Passing the last big town (although it lacks a bank and pretty much every service that implies somewhere is a “big town”), Lolgorian, I started to see a sea of Maasais that had I not known better, I would have thought were dressed just for tourists because of the proximity to the Maasai Mara. Mama Kakenya, my traveling companion, chuckled and told me I had thought I lived in a maasai village, but now I should see that this is real maasailand, and Enoosaen is practically a Maasai city: “Maasai Modern,” let’s say. <a title="Pusanki home of one of our students, near the Maasai Mara" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5709758401/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3062/5709758401_2557648f89.jpg" alt="Standard four student Ryle's home in Pusanki, near the Maasai Mara. Their home is essentially a semi-clearing in the middle of the bush, in the middle of an even more expansive savannah." width="400" height="300" /></a> I was on my way to Perenai and Ryle’s homeland of Pusanki, mere kilometers from the official border of the Maasai Mara. Perenai and Ryle are students in standard 4 about whom I wrote earlier. I had found their stories of going to school past wild animals in the Mara so interesting that I knew I had to visit them at home over the April holiday. I had a fantastic time playing tourist and undercover researcher, and bwana, did the plot thicken. It turns out that in Pusanki there are several reasons that children are kept home from school beyond just the threat of roaming animals. For girls of course, this includes the devaluing of females and girls’ education. For instance, out of the 16 students in the eighth grade at the local primary school, only 3 are girls. At a regional mixed gender boarding school which serves a much larger area around Pusanki, only 15 of the 80 eighth graders are girls… by that point most girls have been cut, married and taken out of school. <h4>Some of the challenges to educational achievement are gender blind – I met several boys in their 20s who are still in primary school.</h4> The deeper one goes into the “interior” of the rural communities, the educational prospects become even more dire. I also met a pastor whose 17 year old daughter is in standard 6 because although he cares deeply about education, until they moved close enough to the river she was kept out of school in years of drought when the whole family would have to pick up and move. Often families in Pusanki don’t send children to begin school at a young age because in order to be safe while walking they first have to be able to identify wild animals in the bush and differentiate an elephant leg from a tree at a distance. Even if you are allowed to walk to school (you are old enough and there haven’t been any recent sightings of especially dangerous animals in your direct line to school) you cannot begin your walk to school until well into the school day for safety reasons (meaning you might leave on your 2 hour journey at 10 am and barely arrive at school before you have to leave again). So even if a child does begin school at the appropriate age, the likelihood is that he or she will miss so much school due to these obstacles that the child will have to repeat one or several years of school. Furthermore, and especially until the past 5 or 10 years, the people of this area have had an overall lack of appreciation of the value of education at all. <h4>But it is girls who undoubtedly bear the largest burden.</h4> Early marriage of girls is visibly much more prolific around Pusanki than around the centre of Enoosaen and Keyian Division. Girls who would run away from home to avoid FGM or marriage find little support among their neighbors, but they do have one recourse, a local representative from World Vision. It is to this representative, Kennedy, that a pastor will send a girl if she turns up at his door step. Kennedy investigates the situation, and may attempt to reconcile the girl with her family. If reconciliation seems impossible, Kennedy swiftly sends them to a World Vision rescue center which will help with their schooling in Kiriondoni, about 25 km away (Hopefully I’ll be able to visit the rescue center during my tenure here…). Still, Kennedy told me that extreme social pressure not to run away exists in this area, and that despite their best efforts to hold educational seminars, World Vision still expects that at least 70% of girls in Pusanki undergo the cut. That cut is the gateway to marriage and the exit path from school, the landmine in a girl’s trajectory towards success and liberation or continued oppression. <a title="interesting FGM tshirt sponsored by World Vision" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5730514589/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3176/5730514589_d62c575a52.jpg" alt="We happened upon this interesting END FGM tshirt sponsored by World Vision" width="400" height="278" /></a> It also turned out to have been quite a task to have Perenai and Ryle admitted to the school in the first place. First of all, the distance is such that the transportation fee to the interview alone could have been prohibitive were is not for these parents’ dedication to getting a better start for their children. Secondly, it turns out that when Ryle’s mother first suggested the school to several of the parents in Pusanki, she was vociferously turned down. She was taking their girls too far away, they told her, as they called her names. But Mama Ryle is a soft-spoken force to be reckoned with. Despite being a widow and the single income earner in her household, she has managed to put all of her elder children through high schools – something very uncommon in this area. So, she relentlessly pushed the idea of sending Pusanki’s girls to the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence. By the time she approached Perenai’s family, she had been turned down several times and had learned her lesson: don’t approach the mother first, as they are had been the most resistant even when fathers would have been willing to send their children. Mama Ryle told Perenai’s father, who agreed, but up until the last minute Perenai and her father did not tell the mother that Perenai would be leaving for school. Although her mother was extremely upset at the time, having seen her daughter come home as a healthy and composed sweet young scholar, she is now very proud to have her daughter going to the Enkakenya Centre. Last time I wrote about how boarding school for Maasai girls simply means enough time to go to school and study without the added burden of two walks to and from school and inordinate amounts of housework that boys are mostly spared. For Ryle and Perenai, it is not just boarding school, but a better quality learning environment that is making a difference when compared to what they have available at home. The response from their community upon their return during the April holiday sends this message loud and clear; like Perenai’s mother, those who were initially resistant to and rude about the idea of sending the girls away to school are now ogling the progress the girls are making. This holiday was the girls’ first visit home since their departure, and I suspect that their arrival in their beautiful newly gifted uniforms was enough to get them some envious glances. Beyond that, locals who don’t even know the girls have gone away to school are asking about how healthy and beautiful the girls look (a likely result of their better quality diet and time away from manual labor to study and rest). Everybody wants to send his or her child to the school – several even asked if they could go ahead and send their children away with Mama Kakenya and I. <a title="Artwork embedded in the mud walls" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5710322784/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3452/5710322784_02a0d5f984.jpg" alt="I am really inspired by the creativity and literally organic quality of the designs commonly embedded in the mud hut walls, like this image I found in Ryle's home." width="366" height="400" /></a> <h4>Overall, things have changed significantly for the girls and their formerly-considered-to-be-heretic parents since they’ve come home. What I love is that not only is the message about the prestige of sending a girl away to the Enkakenya Centre, but the prestige of having a well educated daughter. I like to think that this part of the Enkakenya Centre’s impact that may in fact be the most enduring.</h4> I wrote before about my current frustration with what is sometimes a lack of community investment in the project in Enoosaen. My visit to Pusanki exposed this issue even further because the community passion for elevating their level of education in Pusanki is such a contrast to what I’ve seen here in Enoosaen. Having heard what Kakenya has done in Enoosaen, and probably presuming that since I am a muzungu I also have something to do with the purse strings, people made it clear, without asking for anything, how desperately they want more schools in their area. If someone would help them build a school, they would donate the land, they say. If someone would help them buy materials, they would go out and gather the locally available resources like stones and sand with their own hands. And then they would help with the labor themselves. Knowing that a school like ours only accepts a small number of girls of a specific age, what if a school like that came here, I asked? Would you still be willing to help if your child weren’t eligible? The answer was a resounding yes, because, they say, if they don’t have a eligible daughter now, they may one day, or their son’s daughter may one day be eligible – the people I spoke to in Pusanki don’t seem overly focused on immediate gratification. <a title="Classrooms in Pusanki" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5730521663/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3526/5730521663_a6f3fca278.jpg" alt="Chalkboards in the current primary school classrooms in Pusanki" width="400" height="300" /></a> My suspicions about what you can get for your money in building in Pusanki were confirmed when I spoke to someone from the district’s Constituency Development Fund office, which gives grants for projects just like school construction. He told me that the people in the more developed areas, people ask for 600,000 Ksh ($7,500) to build a single classroom, but that in Pusanki they only need 200,000 and they make the money go much further. “If I gave them 600,000, in three months they would show me three classrooms,” he jested. All of this says two things to me. First, this area could benefit hugely from a school like Kakenya’s, and as you can see, the fact that it is a boarding school would make even more difference. Second, I’ve noticed an interesting pattern here in Kenya whereby once a place or person has a little education, there are more political rankles amongst the people who do have some power, position, or wealth. A person uses their slightly elevated stature to impress their supposed superiority upon those with less education, and to try to grasp onto those at the top, with much more education or wealth. And sadly, I am told by friends, this behavioral trend does often seem to get in the way of a community’s own development. Some of the highlights of the trip were definitely the aspects of the very traditional lifestyle I got to witness first hand. The most exhausting of which was the massive distances people walk to get anywhere. <h4>One’s “boma” (similar to a farmstead of sorts) might be at least an hour apart from one’s closest neightbor’s. The “town” centre of Pusanki is a two-hour walk from Mama Ryle’s through expanses of bush and savannah that to me have hardly any directional signs or paths other than the direction of that burning sun. This is the kind of remote place where the only available clinic to most people is a once monthly mobile clinic that comes to the town of Kawai, an hour and a half away. No wonder the Maasai need such long legs.</h4> I got to see (but not sleep in!) traditional beds that are just a raised mud platform (“built in furniture” for the traditional mud house) covered in a cow skin. I was given a fantastic beaded rungu to pass on to my father. I walked among gazelles, antelope, and herds of wild Zebra intermingling with the herds of grazing cows…and heard the lion’s roar (from “very far away”) in the night. I also got to see and greet (and take tourist photos with) morans – the age set of young men who go off and live together in an isolated grouping of specifically built houses after their circumcisions. They are ostensibly training to be warriors and learning how to protect their people and their people’s cows, but they seem to spend a lot of time doing their hair, eating, and bringing in young women. It is a beautiful tradition in the beads and adornments but I don’t like what it stands for: never, ever in this culture would years of time be set aside for women to preen and make merry like the morans. To my surprise, even Mama Kakenya said she had never been to a Maasai home quite as deep in the bush as this. I’m so lucky to have had insider access to this in my meager 2 months here, considering Mama has been here for…well, a long time. I would take a trip to Pusanki over a safari in the Mara any day – the conversations about education are so much more stimulating. <a title="Maasai Moran Manyatta and... tourist" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5730519757/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5081/5730519757_16f2161ace.jpg" alt="Maasai Moran Manyatta and... tourist" width="400" height="300" /></a> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/kampala-interlude/" title="Permalink to Kampala Interlude" rel="bookmark">Kampala Interlude</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-05-23" pubdate> 1:54 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/kampala-interlude/#comments">2 Comments</a> Greetings from Kampala. I’m taking a two-week holiday in Uganda, but I’m keeping in contact with the SOS FED staff back in Uvira and I might post a few more blogs. In the meanwhile, here’s a mini-update on SOS FED activities and the security situation in Uvira/Fizi Territory: -On May 9 & 10, SOS FED staff members participated in a very successful training conducted by Arche d’Alliance in Baraka. The training was an introduction to human rights, monitoring/reporting on violations of human rights, how the Congolese penal code addresses sexual violence, and some basics of the Congolese civil code. Our staff will be able to impart the knowledge from their training to the beneficiaries, who can return to their communities as effective human rights advocates. In addition, this training will help improve the data-collection skills of our staff and integrate them into the larger human rights monitoring network in Fizi Territory. <dl> <dt><a rel="attachment wp-att-284" href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/05/23/kampala-interlude/dsc04992/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-284 " src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/05/DSC04992-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> </dt> <dt>SOS FED staff at human rights training in Baraka. From l-r: Bawili Ningejua, Mariamu Bashishibe, Lubunga Wilonja, Luanja Eca Ricardo, M’Munga Selemani, Sangho Laliya, Chamulungo Nabisha, and Mimmy El Vital</dt> </dl> -Beginning in mid-May, two FARDC regiments were re-deployed in Uvira and Fizi Territory. In January/February, a lot of the Amani Leo brigade units had been called in to bases in Lubarika (Uvira) and Kananda (Fizi) for re-organization, re-equipment, and training. The goal of this massive maneuver was to improve the efficiency of the FARDC troops and give them training on respecting human rights and obeying the law. This training process (known as braçage), was performed by the Congolese government with assistance from governments in Europe and the US government. However, when the FARDC troops withdrew from their positions earlier this year, FDLR and Mai Mai elements moved in to control the areas left vacant by the FARDC. Now, the FARDC will be fighting to re-take their positions, so MONUSCO officials have warned me about a possible stark increase in violence throughout portions of Uvira and Fizi Territories. Personally, I am waiting to be convinced that the braçage was effective in improving the behavior of FARDC troops. However, one hopes the re-deployment makes a dent in the FDLR and ultimately reduces the amount of conflict in the region. -M’Munga Selemani, the SOS FED reintegration officer who was wounded by (now confirmed) FARDC gunfire, is recovering at a hospital in Uvira. Fortunately, his wounds were not life threatening; the bullet grazed him just above his right eye. The women that Mr. Selemani was escorting to Kikonde were unharmed in the incident. Currently, we are working with Arche d’Alliance and MONUSCO Human Rights to see that justice is served. Stay tuned for more. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/already-tapping-away/" title="Permalink to Already tapping away" rel="bookmark">Already tapping away</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-05-22" pubdate>May 22, 2011 3:21 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/already-tapping-away/#comments">1 Comment</a> I wanted to share with you a photo of our students in our new computer lab! <a title="Exciting first day exploring the computer lab" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5746010256/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2352/5746010256_d5475277eb_m.jpg" alt="Exciting first day exploring the computer lab" /></a> The computers at our school have been arranged in small clusters to promote group learning. This is to mirror the innovative (for a Kenyan primary school, at the least!) clustered seating that Kakenya has pushed for in the classrooms because of the fact that girls tend to learn well in groups. <a title="tapping away at the keyboard already" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5746027012/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5023/5746027012_bd0fcdf040_m.jpg" alt="Tapping away at the keyboard already." /></a> These computers have brought such an air of joy and gratitude around both of our schools. We have had some pretty rocky bureaucratic situations in the past few weeks, but these computers have been a good way to bring people together. <a title="in awe during the first day in the computer lab" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5745478249/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3619/5745478249_8e0522d637_m.jpg" alt="In awe during the first day in the computer lab" /></a> We had to leave the truck at the chief’s camp overnight for security before we could unload the equipment. The next morning our delivery man was confused and thought someone had implied we would have to have our truck released from the chief’s camp. When I called the chief for his help, he was irate to head that we were having difficulty. The best part is that he wasn’t so much angry about someone asking for a bribe as he was for the fact that someone would dare to ask for a bribe for the release of property which was intended to help the whole community. Even people who aren’t always completely well intentioned are appreciating that these computers symbolize a benefit for the entire community. If I am honest, it is a little funny how when people start to see me as the gateway to computer literacy they suddenly become my new best friends. But I am really looking forward to helping our organization members here and the children at the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence take that first step towards being computer literate. We do still have an issue with internet connectivity. Thus far there is no internet service provider anywhere near Enoosaen, so we are left with slow and unreliable modems that function on the sometimes shady cell phone networks. HP has provided us with routers to network the computers with internet once we get a provider to come to Ennosaen, but it looks like that option might be costly and take eons to put into action. For now, I am really optimistic about the possibility of using an offline version of the internet – <a href="http://www.widernet.org/eGranary/">the eGranary Digitial Library, dubbed the “internet in a box,”</a> is like a downloaded version of the internet stored on a 2TB external hard drive. I am hoping we will be able to raise funds to purchase one from WiderNet, since I think it would be an excellent educational tool which would allow students and teachers alike to research areas of interest beyond what they can find in the very few books available to them. <a title=""We love computers so we can do this"" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5746009788/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3508/5746009788_73fe71af02.jpg" alt=""We love computers so we can do this"" /></a> Here is what dome of the students are saying about the computers: “We are happy for the computers because it has everything that you want to do.” While we were anticipating the computers, “we were thinking we would come to use the computers for each of us to learn on and to teach ourselves to write on the computers in our school.” They say they are excited because “you can send information or greetings to your friends.” “We like the computers because it is easy when you want to write anything.” <a title="a little scared, and a lot excited" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5745477485/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2237/5745477485_d188c909d1.jpg" alt="a little scared, and a lot excited" /></a> I had some of the girls who had finished their homework write compositions about what they were expecting from computers. As I type, Naomy just turned hers in: <h4 style="padding-left: 30px">“I am happy because of computers which they had just donated for us. We will be using them on everyday. The computers are sixteen. And that is enough for us.</h4> <h4 style="padding-left: 30px">There will be a teacher who will be teaching us how to use them. We have started knowing how to use them. We have wrote our names, our division’s name, and our parent’s name. We will be sending messages to our lovely mum, Kakenya. I know computers are very expensive though they had just gave us.</h4> <h4 style="padding-left: 30px">They are very important for us to have them. They use them in many ways for example you can use them to send messages for those who are in far countries and places. For example our mum Kakenya is in a very far country so the computers are very useful.</h4> <h4 style="padding-left: 30px">So we must keep them in a good place and learn how to use them. When Kakenya realize the computers which have been donated to us she will be very happy. Within three months we shall know how to use them without being taught.</h4> <h4 style="padding-left: 30px">We will be sending many information for Kakenya for example how we are going on in our education and about our results.</h4> <h4 style="padding-left: 30px">All pupils are happy as kings because of this donation. For those who had donated us these good computers we should remember to say thank you. Also our parents will be happy to see their daughters using computers.</h4> <h4 style="padding-left: 30px">There also is a room for computers and the whole school must know how to use them. I say thank you for these computers.”</h4> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-man-who-would-not-waste-his-daughters/" title="Permalink to The man who would not waste his daughters" rel="bookmark">The man who would not waste his daughters</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-05-20" pubdate>May 20, 2011 10:43 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-man-who-would-not-waste-his-daughters/#comments">2 Comments</a> <div id="" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 194px"><a title="Paul Ole Sire" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5734445562/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" " src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3420/5734445562_723b9c58e1_m.jpg" alt="Paul Ole Sire - "We need people to be our examples. And we need examples in numbers.”" width="194" height="240" /></a> </div> On Wednesday I met another captivating figure in the anti-FGM scene. Paul Ole Sire might at first glance seem to be a patriarch steeped in tradition; he is a man with 4 wives and 24 children, after all. Yet he is perhaps one of Enoosaen’s most interesting agents of change for the oppressive cultural traditions towards female children. Ole Sire is a resident of Enkiloritet, a rural area from the surroundings of Enoosaen – the type of remote area people from the center of the village call “the interior”. In the mid-nineties he began to take a highly unpopular stand against early marriage of girls and female genital cutting. Although all those wives and children may have given him a large captive starting audience, getting his message across has been an uphill battle. The example he began setting back then, however, has slowly taken on more followers over the ensuing 15 years, and his home has become a true locus of change. How did this man become the relatively quiet, stern force for change that he is today? It had nothing to do with curricula or seminars. Paul Ole Sire didn’t go to school, but during his time as a <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/391833/moran">moran</a>, he was chosen as the age mate leader for the young men in his area at that time. As a moran leader Ole Sire married all four of his wives (leaders get a lot of visitors and somebody has to cook for them, my translator explained to me) and he saw both the good traditions of the Maasai and the bad. Around 1996 Paul became a Christian and joined the International Fellowship Church, which he credits with having produced a profound change within him. God’s word, he says, changed the way he thought, and the bible gave him a general impetus “to become someone who listens to and cares for others.” That era, however, seems to only have reinforced ideas he had held long before about wanting to provide education and opportunities for his girls. Before God or laws for compulsory primary education or NGOs griping about FGM, Ole Sire says he came to his progressive ideas through his experiences of watching the women in his community be wasted, uneducated, and thus unable to contribute their full potential to their families and their communities. So what are these radical positions? With regard to circumcision, Ole Sire says it used to be something that he thought was good to celebrate, as he did when his only circumcised daughter chose to be married and to undergo the initiation ceremony. Paul has fifteen daughters, of whom 3 are married (all married at age 20 to a suitor of their choosing), but of whom only the eldest has been circumcised. According to Maasai tradition, a girl’s circumcision signals that she can be given for marriage, and Paul realized that the mere act of circumcising a girl changes the way she thinks about herself and her future; as Paul sees it, circumcising a girl changes her not only physically but mentally. Marriage and children begin to consume her thoughts to the point of distracting her from her studies, he says, and he rejects putting girls in that mindset. Paul wants to set an example so that the community can copy from him. He refuses to allow his girls to be circumcised or to marry into a family that might insist on it down the line. He also refuses for his sons to marry a girl who has been circumcised. The number one concern that people have is the belief that not being circumcised means you will never get a husband. “I’ve stopped that to set an example to others to be free.” As far as education goes, Paul says he cares about girls’ education because “education to a girl child is very important in her life, and that one educated girl brings enlightenment to others in the area.” Education also keeps a child from being married underage and “brings her up to an age when she can reason and make decisions for herself.” <h4>Paul is a man who is not only making waves, but is a firm believer in the ripple effect of those waves.</h4> He knows what he can do by using his status as a social leader to set an example and make change. Talking to Ole Sire I was extremely impressed with how well thought out his positions and strategy are. <a title="Paul Ole Sire" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5733870661/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2771/5733870661_bbd7d98652.jpg" alt="Paul Ole Sire" /></a> At first, he says, it took him time to realize how powerful his example is and what effect he might have. Again, he did have his first daughter circumcised for her marriage, but after that he started to refuse the practice, and this caused strife between him and his wives. They were tremendously concerned about the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/opinion/l17kristof.html?_r=1&ref=femalegenitalmutilation">marriagability</a> of their daughters. Yet after the first marriage of one of his uncircumcised daughters, he says the celebration was even larger, and he began to see that this too is a way to bring people together. These days, if a mzee (elder) and a suitor come for his daughter, the first question Ole Sire asks is, “as a Maasai how do you feel about the fact that my daughters are not circumcised?” They have a lot of questions, and Paul sends them home to make the choice between son and parents-in-law about whether that will be acceptable to them. That first marriage of an uncircumcised girl was a turning point in his area– Ole Sire’s daughter had fallen in love with a boy, the boy had come to ask for permission to marry her, and had gotten his family to accept her while also agreeing that it was ok for her to be uncircumcised. From that point on, people started to hear about Ole Sire’s daughters’ success at finding a husband despite their being uncut. People started to find strength in his example. <a title="The man who joins women's groups" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5733896677/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5733896677_a2dafa1eb2_m.jpg" alt=" Paul's Brother, William Sire, has himself taken on the issue of women's empowerment by joining women's groups. As he sees it, "we Maasais are wasting women. That is why we are behind as a community."" width="180" height="240" /></a> Now people are talking about the fact that they are rejecting FGM on the basis of Paul’s leadership. I interviewed Paul under a canopied tree as we sat in plastic garden chairs arranged in a circle with about 8 other men. When asked if he doesn’t mind being interviewed in front of 8 others, he jubilantly explained that at this point he would take the interview in front of a thousand. How silly of me to expect that after all these years he might somehow still be cautious with his words. <h4>It has not only been the community that Paul struggled to convince, however. Even his daughters have taken time to come to terms with the household rules. When I ask Paul if his daughters have ever asked to be cut themselves, he laughs. “Of course – four of them came to me together!” Apparently on the day of two of his sons’ circumcisions (which happens during the teenage years), the girls came together, spoke to their mothers, and decided to request that their father “not leave them behind” as their brothers got to go through the initiation ceremony. Paul put a stop to it that day by telling his children that they should “never expect that from [him] as a father.”</h4> I also had a chance to speak to one of Paul’s wives and his mother in law about how they have felt about Paul’s taking up arms against these traditions. While Paul told me that no, his children had never been made fun of or encountered social problems because of the family’s position on genital cutting, his wives told me a different story. According to them, the children themselves are silent about their family’s stance, and the girls are “still hiding” the fact that they aren’t undergoing the cut. The mothers, however, seem to have been won over – now, they say, they see the cut as a costly waste of money and resources. They wonder, “why spend the money on the ceremony if it serves no purpose?” – the most revealing part of which is that they see the cut as serving no purpose. In a community where girls have traditionally been seen as incapable and perpetually in girlhood without being circumcised, hearing a room of women speak this way proves a radical transformation from twenty years ago. <a title="Mama Paul" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5733895569/"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5066/5733895569_cae667a5b0.jpg" alt="Paul's mother-in-law" /></a> When talking about female circumcision, I like many others am troubled by the nagging thought that maybe it is just a little culturally imperialist for the West to decide which customs are ok for others and which aren’t. Personally I generally subscribe by a position that Nicholas Kristoff clearly articulated in his <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/opinion/12kristof.html?ref=femalegenitalmutilation">op-ed on FGM last week</a>: “some cultural practices are…too brutish to defer to.” It is nonetheless reassuring to me when someone like Paul’s son, Joseph, tells me, “the people around us see us as against the law of the Maasai land. We’re thankful to have someone here who actually wants to talk about these issues.” <a title="Goat head on a stick" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5734416388/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2577/5734416388_790f920bf4.jpg" alt="Paul was nice enough to slaughter a goat and serve some roasted goat head on a stick to the men and I as we communed under a tree. Graciously carved by Paul's son Joseph." width="237" height="315" /></a> When asked what we, as concerned parties, have to do to generate social change around these traditions, he really gets to something that a lot of people miss: real change doesn’t take seed with any institution or lecture. <h4>“We tried to use the church and we were defeated,”</h4> Paul says. Often only one family member or the other goes to church, so one parent might still insist on genital cutting or early marriage. Beyond that several people only show up to church “from January to November,” he says, and disappear in December, the school holiday during which most female genital cutting takes place. <h4>“The government also used its mechanism and was defeated,” </h4> he continues. Although female circumcision is now illegal in Kenya, Paul gives a disheartening example of how little the local government is willing to do to implement the law. There is a chief that when he meets Paul in town, they do not greet each other. This chief had been taken to a government sponsored anti-FGM seminar and sent back with letters about the illegality of FGM to distribute to his constituency. Shortly after, however, the chrif started circumcising his own girls. Ole Sire joined with a small numbr of men to go to the District Officer to say “you sent us information about FGM so why is it that our chief is doing this? Who will stop others from doing it, if not the chief?” The D.O went to the chief’s place and tried to put a stop to his practice of circumcising his daughters, while also making him sign that he would enforce the law locally. Still, the community elders approached the chief and told him that if it is a matter of him being removed as a chief or not circumcising his daughters, he should still do it. And so the chief carried on with his circumcisions. Ultimately the D.O. did make him give up his position as chief. Still, Paul has continued to find that reporting families who are cutting their daughters is ineffective because if nothing else, people continue the practice as a quick, secretive ceremony done in the dark of the night and in hushed voices, as opposed to the celebratory ceremonies which used to take place. All agents of true change are going to be seen as a heretic at one point or another, and reporting parents who want to circumcise their girls or marry them off, and also protecting girls who run to him as a safe haven, has earned Paul enemies as well as followers. Some people have avoided him, some have expressed disgust, but as the ideas have become more palatable community-wide, “now they are coming back as friends.” Ole Sire is quick to remark, though, “one that has helped my life is that the community respected me from the beginning….in this community if you have never had a big role or importance, the community will ruin you if you do something like this.” At the end of the day, most powerful mechanism Paul Ole Sire thinks we have to rally against oppressive traditions is supporting open minded individuals; <blockquote> <h1>“We need people to be our examples. And we need examples in numbers.”</h1> </blockquote> Paul may be a firm and inspiring role model, yet he is only one man and he can only do so much. He mentioned to me that he has run into some dead ends while trying to stop early marriages and female genital cutting. “You can stand firm and campaign for all of this and you end up being an example. You also end up with people running to you to be a shelter but you don’t have enough resources to help and protect them.” Because he lives next to a church, several young girls have used a visit to church as a guise for a secret escape to Paul, hoping he will care for them and shield them from their families. Yet he doesn’t have the means to support them all and send them to school, so he tries to mediate between them and their families instead. When asked if he knows if any of these girls have ended up being circumcised, he is almost startlingly nonchalant as he confirms, “sure, several.” Can we hold this against him? All in all, I don’t think so – he plays his role and does what he can. But it does make me wonder; what is the most effective way to maximize the headway that individuals like Paul are already making and support their efforts? </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/89/" title="Permalink to Thanks, HP!" rel="bookmark">Thanks, HP!</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-05-19" pubdate>May 19, 2011 9:52 pm</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/89/#comments">327 Comments</a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5737488612/" title="Mary hugs the computers" rel="" class=""><img decoding="async" alt="Enkakenya Centre for Excellence pupil Mary spontaneously hugs the new HP computers as they are being unloaded" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2343/5737488612_d783a17b15_m.jpg"></a> Today an unusual sight rolled into Enoosaen as truckload of computers donated by HP arrived at the doorstep of the town’s two girls’ schools. Today we unloaded 16 computers at the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence and 16 computers at the neighboring Enoosaen Girls’ Secondary School. And there are even more slated for a what will likely soon be a community center run by the Kakenya’s Dream organization. Over the next week, a computer engineer will be helping us set up the schools’ computer labs. All we have to do is prepare the space, the electricity source, and some tables on which to enshrine our new toys. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5737487628/" title="Everyone gathered to watch the computers arrive" rel="" class=""><img decoding="async" alt="Everyone gathered to watch the computers arrive" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2572/5737487628_505515f595_m.jpg"></a> I am in awe – HP has thought of everything. There are extra printer cartridges and even backup battery UPS (uninterrupted power source) devices so that the fluctuating power sources we will rely on won’t hurt the computers and won’t leave the students with sudden shutdowns and unsaved work. An individual from HP actually donated the indispensable Microsoft Office software. The most thrilling thing for me is that HP also had the wherewithal to send an engineer to do the initial wiring and set up, and I’m not left bumbling around in a pile of wires as I had at one point expected to be. Somebody over there knows how to make a user-friendly donation. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5736987447/" title="At first confused by the computers..." rel="" class=""><img decoding="async" alt="At first confused by the computers..." src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5229/5736987447_4c7f70d4f2.jpg"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5737542208/" title="Then reaching out to touch them..." rel="" class=""><img decoding="async" alt="Then reaching out to touch them..." src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3497/5737542208_7da6f3b476.jpg"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5736989021/" title="Gradually the excitement sets free!" rel="" class=""><img decoding="async" alt="Gradually the excitement sets free!" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2222/5736989021_aa331c4d03.jpg"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5737486168/" title="Pure joy at the arrival of the HP computers" rel="" class=""><img decoding="async" alt="Pure joy at the arrival of the HP computers. It just melts my heart to see how excited these girls are!" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2049/5737486168_0efedcdea4.jpg"></a> The Kenyan Ministry of Education is giving ICT capacity ever increasing importance, but is completely unable to supply its schools with sufficient computers. This past year, for example, the government’s decision to make the KCPE (eighth grade primary school leaving exam) registration electronic caused utter mayhem and <a href="http://allafrica.com/stories/201103210917.html">great strife for primary schools across the country</a> that are almost never supplied with even one computer. Beyond this, computer courses are offered (yet not mandatory) in the government secondary school curriculum, but children at schools without computers are severely handicapped in both the job market and the college application process by not having access to computer classes. This is just one more reason that parents who can afford it will send their children to private schools which are far more likely to have technological tools at their disposal, and why those children get into the best national high schools and universities. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5737044441/" title="Enoosaen Girls Secondary receiving the computers" rel="" class=""><img decoding="async" alt="Enoosaen Girls Secondary receiving the computers. The deputy head teacher is pretty excited herself." src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5105/5737044441_916ea72636.jpg"></a> The Enoosaen Boys’ Secondary School has had a computer lab for years, reinforcing the inequality in the local educational system that girls face. These labs will help close that gap and send a message to the community that girls do, in fact, deserve the best, and that HP and Kakenya and her American organization recognize this. Furthermore, during holidays, the girls’ secondary school is planning to open the lab to community members to learn computer skills at a small fee, which will both generate income for maintenance of the computer lab and extend the opportunity for ICT skills and internet connectivity to the rest of the community. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5737586068/" title="Enoosaen Girls Secondary receiving the computers" rel="" class=""><img decoding="async" alt="An Enoosaen Girls' Secondary pupil helps unload" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5182/5737586068_5bb11571c4.jpg"></a> All of these factors dovetail beautifully to make sharing the gift of the computers with the girls secondary school align perfectly Kakenya’s overall interest in girls empowerment and community development. The headteacher of the secondary school is just glowing after receiving the computers. She says you only see computers this nice in the bank here in these parts of Kenya. “We may have been the last school to get computers, but we are going to have the best lab in the district,” she is saying. Likewise, ours will be the first government primary school in the Transmara West District to have computers, and one of only 2 primary schools in the district to have computers at all (although the other private school doesn’t have nearly as many). <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5737597048/" title="Enoosaen Girls Secondary receiving the computers" rel="" class=""><img decoding="async" alt="Enoosaen Girls' Secondary pupil proudly brandishes one of the new HP monitors as she helps unload." src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5229/5737597048_de8f4bbbc3.jpg"></a> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/contact-me/" title="Permalink to Contact me" rel="bookmark">Contact me</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-05-19" pubdate> 10:01 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/contact-me/#comments">1 Comment</a> Hello all: After my friend <a href="http://helainainrwanda.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/mobile-miracle/">Helaina Stein’s Rwandan mobile miracle</a>, I was reminded that I have been meaning to post my contact information. If for any reason you’re interested in getting touch while I am here, I can be reached by phone at +(254) 710569925 I can also receive mail and packages at the following address: Kakenya’s Dream P.O. Box 104 Kilgoris, Transmara West District Kenya Mail takes around 3 weeks to arrive. I also get to check my email almost everyday: Cbourdillon@advocacynet.org Charlotte.bourdillon@gmail.com I am not the world’s best at staying in touch myself, so I am also working on telepathy. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/kenya-bound/" title="Permalink to Kenya Bound" rel="bookmark">Kenya Bound</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-05-16" pubdate>May 16, 2011 9:50 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/kenya-bound/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> I leave for Nairobi in a little less than two weeks, and it feels like the prep work is just beginning! There is so much to absorb…the culture, the organizations, the issues, and what my role will be within that matrix. I am thrilled for the opportunity to serve as an AP Peace Fellow and follow in the footsteps of Christy Gillmore and Louis Rezac. The relationship forged between the Advocacy Project and Hakijamii is strong, and I am excited to become a part of it. Hakijamii, the Economic and Social Rights Centre, was founded in 2004 and has grown to support around 120 organizations in and around Kenya. By addressing some of the major disparities in the community, Hakijamii aims at empowering and supporting local communities, and it is now an integral part of the advocacy effort to acquire basic rights for those communities. Hakijamii is actively involved in education, water and sanitation, and land and housing. Kenya just recently drafted and promulgated a new Constitution in late 2010, which is meant to address some of the major inequalities rampant in the current system. Whether or not it will work is still up in the air, as there has been marked debate about whether or not the new Constitution is even being followed. Among the changes is a new National Land Policy, which is designed to provide more security for the community and require more accountability on the part of the government. But so far, not much reform has been noticed. Eminent domain without compensation seems to remain a favorite power of the government, as people are forcibly evicted regularly. Estimates are that around 60% of Nairobi’s population live in slums, namely in one of Africa’s largest, Kibera. A recent proposed project of the Kenyan government is the widening of a railroad that runs through various slums. The enlargement of the railroad corridor would mean clearing out the thousands of homes adjacent to the railroad. This project, funded by World Bank, would mean utter loss for thousands of families. My role within this organization is still in its formulation period. I am going to Kenya fresh off my first year of law school at Georgetown, and I am excited to put the beginnings of my legal education to use, supporting Hakijamii however they need, particularly in advocacy. I am working with Hakijamii and AP to formulate a work plan that will make the best use of my ten weeks. I am really excited for this opportunity and really believe that with Hakijamii’s strengths and practices, I can be instrumental to supporting their mission. I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with Hakijamii through this blog. Support for their efforts is necessary and welcome, particularly through knowledge and awareness. For more information, here are links to the <a href="http://www.esrc-hakijamii.com/">Hakijamii website</a>, <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/lrezac/">Louis’s blog</a>, and <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/cgillmore/">Christy’s blog</a> (from their experiences last year). </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/sos-fed-staff-member-wounded/" title="Permalink to SOS FED staff member wounded" rel="bookmark">SOS FED staff member wounded</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-05-16" pubdate> 5:22 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/sos-fed-staff-member-wounded/#comments">1 Comment</a> The violence in Fizi Territory is starting to hit close to home. On Thursday, May 12, Mr. M’Munga Selemani, the SOS FED Kazimia-based reintegration officer, was shot. I don’t have all the details yet, but here is what I know: Mr. Selemani was in the process of escorting a group of women from the Ubwari Penninsula to the SOS FED center in Kikonde. In Sebele, some kilometers north of Kikonde, he was shot in the face. Initial reports from the Kikonde center staff stated that FARDC soldiers were responsible, but they have yet to be confirmed. Currently, Mr. Selemani is being treated by MSF in Baraka. I don’t know what was going on when the shooting took place, but I will be posting this information as I hear about it. Amisi is going down to Mboko and Baraka today, so he will be able to talk to Mr. Selemani and get more details. I have already contacted OCHA to report the incident, and the local network of NGOs will be notified of the incident. If the aggressors were indeed FARDC troops, the Protection Sub-Cluster of OCHA will contact their unit commander to seek punitive action. I am also intending to inform MONUSCO about the incident. Stay tuned for more. <div id="attachment_371" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 225px"><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/05/16/sos-fed-staff-member-wounded/dsc05020/" rel="attachment wp-att-371"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/05/DSC05020-225x300.jpg" alt="SOS FED reintegration officer M'Munga Selemane" width="225" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-371" /></a>SOS FED reintegration officer M'Munga Selemane</div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-strength-to-stand-out/" title="Permalink to The strength to stand out" rel="bookmark">The strength to stand out</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-05-16" pubdate> 1:58 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-strength-to-stand-out/#comments">7 Comments</a> One of my goals while I am here is to profile the people in the greater Enoosaen community who are making waves in one way or another in the fight against female genital cutting and early marriages. Eventually I hope to describe to you a map of the very informal network of people, doing related but independent work, or making independently bold decisions that are having a big impact on the community conversation around these issues. Here is one such person: Agnes Netaya is a sixteen year old in class 8 this year at Enoosaen Primary School. One of her teachers introduced me to her when she heard I was interested in talking to people about the triumphs and struggles within the community’s changing attitudes towards FGM. She is a giggly, notably intelligent girl, with a little pain in her eyes and a face that vacillates between an easy smile and solemnity. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5725933406/" title="Agnes and I" rel="" class=""><img decoding="async" alt="Agnes and I" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5190/5725933406_083d891f7f.jpg" style="float: left" class="alignleft"></a> Agnes still struggles with English somewhat, so she wanted to put her story into writing to help her articulate it. Here is what she wrote: “My name is Agnes Netaya Kimpuk. I am 16 years of age. I am currently in class eight, and both my parents are alive. I have two brothers and two sisters and I am the second born in the family. I did my Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in the year 2009 and attained marks which were able to take me to form one. My father had earlier suggested to me that I should undergo F.G.M. when I was in class six. I refused and promised my parents that I will undergo when I finished my Kenya Certificate of Primary Education. They asked me to undergo FGM in December 2009 but I refused. When the results came out I requested my father to take me to form one. He kept quiet and left. He never wanted to talk to me or hear anything about me because I refused to undergo F.G.M. I stayed at home desperate and depressed until my former teachers called on me. They helped me enroll back in school in class seven. I agreed and I am working so hard but when results are out I do not know who will ay my school fees. My teachers have been helping me get sanitary towels and other needs. My mother is also helpful, but she cannot be able to pay my fees. My younger sister who underwent F.G.M. looks down upon me. She calls me names and some of the big boys in my school also look down upon me and call names. I will sit for my exam this year and when given a chance I will pursue my education and remain a role model and leader in the community in fighting F.G.M. and educating about girl child education and rights.” Agnes also told me that in school she has been completely ostracized by several of the girls, following in suit with the name-calling initiated by her younger sister and her younger sister’s friends. Not all girls who reject circumcision are ostracized like this, but in Agnes’ case the instigating factor seems to be that she is rejecting her family’s wishes, and is somehow deemed less ladylike than her younger sister. Still, some are put through this extra level of agony even after having to isolate themselves from their families in order to reject the practice. Agnes story is a disappointing testament to the fact that the pressure to be circumcised is even deeply engrained in young girls’ minds. We brought Agnes on as a junior counselor for our summer leadership camp because although she was younger than the other counselors, we thought it would give her a sense of empowerment to be chosen as a counselor and peer educator, and reconfirm the value of the example she is setting for other girls. After the camp, Agnes gave me two bracelets she had made herself, in a traditional style of Maasai beading, to express her thanks for I don’t know what. I am floored with gratitude, and also a little inspired to think about how she might use what she does to raise money for her schooling. In one of the bracelets, she wove in the words “anti FGM.” Despite the fact the terminology makes me cringe for how it demonstrates the influence of western “anti FGM” campaigns, it is still a really cool concept. Remember the Lance Armstrong Livestrong bracelets? What if Agnes or girls in Agnes’ situation were to sell bracelets like this to help support themselves when their families reject them? Any thoughts? Have a look for yourself: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5725373551/" title="Anti FGM bracelet 1" rel="" class=""><img decoding="async" alt="Anti FGM Maasai beadwork" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5147/5725373551_50c1660b3d_m.jpg"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5725372461/" title="Anti FGM bracelet 2" rel="" class=""><img decoding="async" alt="Anti FGM Maasai beadwork" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5224/5725372461_cbc4d8c095_m.jpg"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5725371355/" title="Anti FGM bracelet 3 - back side" rel="" class=""><img decoding="async" alt="Anti FGM bracelet - designs on the back" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5069/5725371355_7aa6ebf31f_m.jpg"></a> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-red-earth/" title="Permalink to The Red Earth" rel="bookmark">The Red Earth</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-05-16" pubdate> 1:41 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/the-red-earth/#comments">1 Comment</a> Don’t hit a cow while driving in Maasailand. I have never seen a street sign in the Transmara West District, but I have seen a cow crossing sign along an otherwise long neglected dirt road. The law doesn’t really deal with this, but the elders, especially in the most isolated areas, will take killing a cow very seriously. In the Moitanik clan of Maasai, if you hit one, you pay nine in return (plus a sheep, depending on who you ask). And they will make sure you fork it over, because if you don’t they might send the younger men to come and take yours by force. Aside from the peril of driving through cow herds, transportation is just one more thing that poses a daily challenge in Enoosaen. Enoosaen is also so rural that many and unexpected things have to be transported long distances to get here, and to get to people’s homes in the hills. The agricultural basis of most people’s livelihoods makes it such that seemingly enormous bags of maize and buckets of water travel further on people’s heads than most Americans walk in a day. One actually gets to Enoosaen by taking a shuttle from Nairobi to Kilgoris. These are semi-formal private big old Nissan vans that leave somewhat regularly from a sort of “meeting point” in Nairobi. They travel across a surprisingly smooth paved road to Kilgoris over the course of 5 hours…give or take an hour or two if your forgets to fill up with gas before taking passengers like mine did. Once in Kilgoris, you’ll need to find a shuttle or hire a car to Enoosaen, a bumpy 15 km, 30 minute journey along extremely unpredictable roads. It is a small area, and Charles, the driver of the car which picked me up in Kilgoris on my first day here, reinforced my idea of how small Enoosaen is by recounting how he knew Kakenya back when they were in school. I simply hadn’t realized just how remote it is here until this past weekend when I went for my first time to Kisii, a largish almost-city about 2 hours away. On the way back, as houses became more sparse, roads more unkempt, and the prices for goods increasingly high and became less and less available, I started to notice how disconnected the town is. Unfortunately, this means that even though these rural residents tend to be less educated and poorer, they also have to pay premiums for basic items and services as well as higher transportation costs to get to a bigger town. I learned a lot of what I know about transportation here from Ole Kashumbai, the motorcycle driver who helps me when I catch myself stuck in town too late at night to walk back safely as a muzungu (meaning anytime after 6:30 pm). Kashumbai is the ki-Maasai language equivalent of “European/white person,” and “ole” means “son of.” His real name is Ole Moi, but he earned his more commonly heard moniker after driving a couple of previous AP fellows who didn’t favor walking to and from school everyday. And so “Son of the White Person” stuck. We do have a pretty significant language barrier, but I think he is finally starting to understand some of my Swahili, and I some of his English! <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42487558@N00/5725358047/" title="Ole Kashumbai" rel="" class=""><img decoding="async" alt="My faithful pilot, the mischievous looking Ole Kashumbai" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2598/5725358047_722da86760.jpg" style="float: left" class="alignleft"></a> A “matatu” is a generic form of public transportation, for both long and short distances. The matatus in this area are really irregularly running station wagons, with a non-uniform yellow stripe running around them to indicate their purpose. They are made for 5 people, but the one I rode today shuttled 15 people at once (to be fair, this included newborn twins). Only one of the doors works from the inside, and the driver’s side door is barely holding on. Apparently a shattered rear window and 15 passengers isn’t actually acceptable by the law, and the law is occasionally enforced. Having been signaled by another driver that the police were up ahead, the driver pulled over to have 3 adult passengers get out of the car to walk past the police. It seems seating 4 people in the 2 front seats is deemed a little bit much even in Kenya. Alas, we were still pulled over (i.e. waved down) because of the complete disrepair of the rear window, and the driver spent 15 minutes negotiating with the officers about the ticket and the bribe, or so the other passengers informed me. All of this would surprise me if it weren’t that this seems to be just one more excuse for “police” to stop cars for a bribe. Like many places in the world, corruption is barely given a second thought here. As far as transportation goes, that means that people simply accept that almost everyday the police will set up some checkpoint through which everyone must stop and pay “a small something.” My first encounter with this in Enoosaen was on a motorbike. I was on my way to Migori with the driver and my friend Lydiah, a teacher at the school. The officer stopped us, but told the moto-taxi driver to wait and first drop off the muzungu (me). He didn’t want me to see it, and the police know it is wrong and that the world’s eye is on Kenya’s corruption, as is confirmed by the international dialogue about the lack of capacity in Kenya to carry out their own tribunal for the Ocampo six. But I digress… Another time I was on a motor-taxi and the bribe was asked for, the police were using the excuse of needing to give every driver a sticker in order to pull them over to the side of the road. The sticker was a tiny circle saying something to the extent of “Kenya: 2030,” commenting on the country’s ambitions for development. A friend from home pointed out how ironic it is that this transaction tied together an ostensible push for development and the rampant culture of corruption. The transport system has another suspect character lurking: the daily downpour. A week after I arrived, the rainy season announced its arrival loudly with some very impressive thunderstorms coming and dropping heaps of rain, monsoon-style. This makes for some fantastic rainwater runoff collection for those who can afford the water tanks, but the roads are often impassible after a storm or a particularly wet couple of days. Motorbikes may refuse to attempt a passage, and the cars that do are in for a jarring journey. I have been in some unsafe vehicles and on several almost unrecognizable roads, but I think I have had the scariest car ride of my life on some slippery roads between Kilgoris and Enoosaen. While our car fishtailed for a full 35 minutes with ditches on either side, so did the enormous oncoming lorries. Kakenya’s sister Noomali was traveling with me. Mid-swerve, she said of the roads: “This is life in Kenya. When it is dry, there is just very much dust and dirt, but when it is wet, it is just so muddy, it is so dangerous.” I’m not sure if she meant to be quite so metaphoric as I have taken her words to be, but to me her assessment of the situation was spot on – life is hard, and Enoosaen residents get no reprieve. </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/matale-nemba-kikonde/" title="Permalink to Matale, Nemba, Kikonde" rel="bookmark">Matale, Nemba, Kikonde</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-05-14" pubdate>May 14, 2011 2:07 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/matale-nemba-kikonde/#comments">1 Comment</a> Attacks on civilians may be picking up again in this part of South Kivu. There have been 3 major events since the beginning of the month: -On May 10, around midnight, a group of armed men attacked the village of Matale, in the Moyen Plateau of Uvira Territory. The group of armed men locked all the men into one house and all the women into another house, and then proceeded to loot the town. After looting, the armed men picked out five women and raped them. The identity of these armed men is unknown, although it is strongly suspected that they are FARDC, since there is a contingent of FARDC moving through that area of the Moyen Plateau at the moment. The next day, the female survivors of the attack made their way to the Centre de Santé (Health Center) in Ndagereka. Arche d’Alliance sent a monitor up to Matale to do a preliminary investigation, but he was held up by bandits on his way back. Fortunately, he was not hurt, but Arche is not sending anyone else to Matale until they are sure of the security situation. No word on whether MONUSCO will be opening up an investigation or not. -On May 12, a group of 13 people leaving the market in Nemba, Fizi Territory, were ambushed by a group of 34 FDLR. The ambushed civilians were relieved of their belongings and money, and then were tortured and mutilated to various degrees. The details of the mutilations and tortures as provided by initial reports are fairly gruesome, and I won’t be reporting them here until I am more sure of the details. -On April 30, an FDLR unit attacked the village of Kikonde (yes, where SOS FED has a center), Fizi Territory. Seven shops were robbed and one merchant was wounded by gunfire. The FDLR has a jungle base near Ngandja, and their forays into Kikonde were made easier by the fact that there is no longer a FARDC unit stationed there; the Amani Leo unit that was in Kikonde left in February for reorganization and training. Ironically, despite the fact that the Amani Leo brigades are still greatly resented by the civilian population, their presence could have prevented such an attack. The Amani Leo brigades are still in braçage closer to the bigger towns of Fizi, and rumor has it they are not too keen on heading back into the bush to fight the FDLR. The good news is that the SOS FED center in Kikonde was not affected by the attack; the SOS FED staff and beneficiaries in Kikonde are safe and sound. However, this attack and the robbery of the Arche monitor in Matale are brutal reminders of the dangers facing the civilian population of South Kivu, and in particular the high-risk environment for defenders of human rights. <div id="attachment_295" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 225px"><a rel="attachment wp-att-295" href="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/2011/05/14/matale-nemba-kikonde/dsc04864/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-295" src="https://www.advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/files/2011/05/DSC04864-225x300.jpg" alt="SOS FED beneficiary in a manioc field near Mboko" width="225" height="300" /></a>SOS FED beneficiary in a manioc field near Mboko</div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/new-study-on-rape-in-the-drc/" title="Permalink to New study on rape in the DRC" rel="bookmark">New study on rape in the DRC</a></h2> <time datetime="2011-05-12" pubdate>May 12, 2011 12:06 am</time> <a href="https://www.advocacynet.org/new-study-on-rape-in-the-drc/#respond">Leave a Comment</a> Here is a link to the NY Times article on a study soon to be published by the American Journal of Public Health on the prevalence of rape in the DRC: <iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="Congo Study Sets Estimate for Rapes Much Higher" src="https://www.nytimes.com/svc/oembed/html/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2011%2F05%2F12%2Fworld%2Fafrica%2F12congo.html#?secret=rGQh66EAxO" data-secret="rGQh66EAxO" scrolling="no" frameborder="0">

Jerrycan joy
May 11, 2011 8:02 am 3 Comments
What a beautiful sound; the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence girls letting loose, being joyful, and making something out of nothing.

Drowning in my computer screen in the dull teachers office, I almost involuntarily followed the sounds of beats and exultant chants coming from the stairwell. There I found a legion of girls like Maasai Kakenya, above, banging out rhythms with sticks and hands and the jerrycans with which they fetch water from the river. They had converged while waiting their turn to bathe, and they had spontaneously erupted, as such is the power of these girls when you bring them together and then leave them alone. I wish you could hear it, but take it from me; these young ladies can build beats with the best of them.

Deep thoughts
May 7, 2011 12:21 pm 1 Comment
So, I am about four months into my 12-month stint here in the Congo. It has been an interesting experience thus far. Time for some deep thoughts, reflections:

-The weather has not changed at all since January. It is still very hot, very sticky, and rains frequently. It kind of feels like living inside the gym locker of your average high school football player in August. In about a month, the dry season will arrive and Uvira will become dry and dusty instead of muggy and wet.

-Electricity is as infrequent as ever…as I write this our house has not had power for over two weeks. This is despite the fact we pay our bills regularly.

-I’m starting to enjoy going to the market and buying produce for dinner. I’m also keeping fairly vegetarian, with the occasional fish from Tanganyika to make dinner a little heartier.

-I am surprised at how much safer Uvira feels since I was here last in 2009. Of course, security continues to be a big problem in more remote areas of Sud Kivu, but considering at how open warfare and violence used to occur quite regularly in and around Uvira so recently, it’s nice to know things have calmed down a bit. This may all change as the Presidential election date draws closer, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

-As I study more about the history of the Congo/Zaire, I am amazed at how Mobutu’s legacy is still manifesting itself today in the DRC’s present troubles, even in problems that SOS FED and myself have to deal with on a daily basis. Not that we shouldn’t hold current leadership accountable, but it is incredible how such an awful leader could stay in power for so long and screw up such a large country so badly. I’ll probably write more about this later.

-I am still astounded at how big the DRC is. South Kivu seems enormous, especially when having to travel on poorly maintained roads, but it is hardly among the larger provinces of the Congo.

A road in the jungles of Fizi

-My Kiswahili is getting better, although nowhere near what I want it to be. I’m also trying out my Kibembe more and more, with mixed results. In Kibembe, the words for “chicken” and “grandmother” sound very similar, and I had to learn this the hard way.

-Last night when I went to bed, there were distant lightning and thunder from somewhere a bit distant. I fell asleep trying to estimate the distance of the storm by counting the seconds between the flash of lightning and the rumble of thunder. However, sometime in the night the storm arrived right on top of us in a cacophony of light, sound, and pounding rain, and it woke me up. I eventually fell back asleep and dreamed of fighting off zombie lobsters in the household section of Target.

-From some of my travels through different parts of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi, I’m fascinated at how the landscape changes and the particularities of each little corner of this part of Africa, from the onion-sellers in the small villages of northern Burundi to Kigali’s cool breezes and skyscrapers to Bujumbura’s laid-back charm to Baraka’s post-apocalyptic atmosphere to the general sleaze of Bukavu to the roadside milk-and-cheese merchants of Luberizi to the jungle chatter of insects and birds in the mud pits of Fizi to the urgent vista of the Ubwari Peninsula as viewed from the road near Baraka to the tranquil Tanganyika lakeshore in Mboko…

-No sightings of Gustave the Crocodile yet.

Going the distance and the importance of boarding school: “If you see an elephant…”
May 5, 2011 10:40 am Leave a Comment
A girls’ boarding school might sound very old-school British, but it is a game changer for girls’ education in a rural area like Enoosaen and the surrounding isolated areas. As you might guess, females bear the brunt of domestic work; cooking, cleaning, working in the shamba (vegetable garden) and caring for the children. This begins as young as 6 or 7, and you’ll regularly see girls carrying babies on their back or carrying cartons of milk they milked in the morning to sell in town…or both at once. At Kakenya’s school in particular, the conditions may also be cleaner, and the food certainly more balanced than at many of the girls’ homes.

In addition, several of these girls come from remote and isolated areas. They may live as far as or further than 10 km from a school, and before the EnKakenya Centre for Excellence had the capacity for boarders, many of the current standard 6 students walked two hours or more to school each way. Right now the girls are bunking in classrooms in admittedly less than ideal conditions while we wait for the (stunning) dormitory to be finished. Yet now that I have seen the distances and the demands of girls when they go home, I have no doubt that the cramped sleeping conditions are more than made up for by the benefits of the girls getting to live at school.

The story of Perenai and Seenoi (Ryle) offers a short vignette that is an extreme example of what it is like to go to school in a remote area. Over the recent 3 day break, between the end of Term 1 and the beginning of the remedial “tuition” time that is compulsory for all students during the 1 month April “holiday,” Mama Kakenya housed two of the girls from the school. It wasn’t worth the expensive 3 hour transport for them to go home. Perenai and Seenoi are girls in standard 4 this year, and they both come from right next to the Maasai Mara. They told me their story of what it used to be like trying to go to their old school from their bomas and manyattas in the Mara.

The crowd pleasing part of their story are the animals they used to encounter on their way to school, that kept them from going to school for different reasons than the average Kenyan girl. Elephants are the most dangerous; “If you see an elephant, you go back home, but if you see a lion, you can climb a tree,” they told me. Several people actually do die because of run-ins with elephants, they tell me, and if the elephants are around you might stay home from school for up to two weeks straight. Around the annual wildebeest migration, they might even not be allowed to make the journey for a full month.

It puts a whole new spin on the tourist phenomenon of the wildebeest migration, eh?

It should also be noted that these girls’ families don’t really care about education, except for Ryle’s mother. Since being widowed, she has started to be connected to various trainings and workshops held around the district for women’s and widows’ groups. There, she came to value education and also met Mama Kakenya, who told her about the EnKakenya Centre. From there, she got her daughter and their neighbor, Perenai, to apply for the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence.

For the school to make the biggest impact on the most vulnerable girls in the area, it is critical that enough funds remain to recruit and subsidize the fees of girls whose families may otherwise refuse to invest in their daughter’s education, and of girls from these more isolated areas. This is why I love Kakenya’s vision. Instead of just building a school, or even a good school, she is creating an educational environment of unheard of quality for girls here and thereby going to distance to change minds and change lives.

**I took a video of an interview with Perenai and Seenoi, but sadly I can’t upload it – maybe sometime soon you can see the images for yourself. But let’s be honest; from this point on, apologies for my lack of multimedia are probably futile. I’m having difficulty accepting that, so maybe you can bear with my repeated apologies.**

Corrections, updates, commentary
April 30, 2011 8:49 am Leave a Comment
There are a few corrections to my coverage of the Kikoze mass rape incident:

-I originally reported the date of the ex-FRF FARDC attack and mass rape in Kikoze as March 31st. This date should actually be March 26th, 2011.

-I also reported that 9 survivors came to Uvira to receive treatment. The total number of confirmed cases in the Kikoze mass rape is 9; however, only 8 women came to Uvira to receive treatment and report the incident.

-The battalion commander for the FARDC unit in question is located in Muranvia, which I originally spelled Murambia, but I’ve seen it spelled both ways. The same goes for Kikoze; it can also be spelled Kikozi.

And now, more updates:

-The FARDC commander in Muranvia has confirmed that he sent his troops to the Kikoze to hunt Mai Mai elements in the area, but still denies that his soldiers raped anyone.

-The UN mission to Kikoze and Muranvia noted the high number of child soldiers among the ex-FRF FARDC troops.

-OCHA and CTLVS-Uvira are coordinating meetings between local organizations to come up with ways to provide more services in the Haut Plateau area, in particular in the area around Bijombo (which includes the village of Kikoze). There are several NGOs, notably AGAPE, AJDC (Associations des Jeunes pour le Développement du Congo), and Arche d’Alliance, that have created a synergy to bring psychosocial services and human rights monitoring to the Bijombo zone of the Haut Plateau.

And now, a bit of commentary. In my opinion, the follow-up surrounding the Kikoze incident is moving a bit slowly for a number of reasons:

-The Kikoze area is very remote, and therefore investigating the matter requires quite a bit more time and resource investment on the part of the UN.

-The media has not picked up on this incident, unlike the New Years Day incident in Fizi Town. This probably has a lot to do with the numbers, 50+ confirmed in Fizi Town versus 9 cases confirmed in Kikoze so far.

-In the incident in Fizi Town, there were MONUSCO troops stationed nearby during the attack and mass rape. Perhaps the UN moved faster on providing the impetus to arrest Col. Kibibi and his men because the incident happened where they were supposed to be able to protect civilians.

-The reality is that the MONUSCO mission in Uvira and Fizi is still very constrained by the lack of resources, a difficult operating environment, and the fact that these incidents are being committed by armed combatants on both sides. MONUSCO still has very limited presence in Fizi Territory and in the Haut Plateau of both Uvira and Fizi. Maybe there is also some lack of initiative from higher up; Margot Wallstrom, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence, has yet to visit Fizi Territory, despite the fact that the region is sliding backwards in terms of sexual violence committed by armed groups. I don’t think it is going out on a limb to say that the Congolese government is also showing little initiative in terms of cutting down the impunity of its own troops.

Camp, cutting, and courage
3:11 am 1 Comment
“Charlotte, she won’t speak,” Kakenya Centre for Excellence student Vivian told me. She was talking about her holiday Health and Leaderhip Workshop/Camp mentor partner, Beatrice, from one of the surrounding schools from an even more rural area. I reminded Vivian the importance of sharing the lessons of confidence and empowerment the students have learned here at the Kakenya Centre for Excellence with other girls who aren’t as lucky as us to have the same resources and opportunities. I told her that it was her role to make sure her partner always understood the trainings, always had food at lunch, and never felt left out, and if she could do that she would be demonstrating the compassion, patience, and leadership that I have seen her demonstrate before.

From April 20-24, we held the first of what may be many more “summer camps” for girls here at the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence. The goals were really fourfold: To increase girls’ knowledge about health and leadership-related skills; to give girls in the community access to the fun and inspiring educational resources available through the Kakenya Centre for Excellence; to foster long-term mentorship relationships between Enkakenya Centre students and girls in the community and to further disseminate the skills and knowledge to which the students of Enkakenya Centre have access; and, to empower and motivate young girls’ in all of the community to achieve their full potential.

In order to match every standard 6 student at the Enkakenya Centre with a partner to mentor from the community, we invited several surrounding schools to send two students each. We were targeting two types of girls: those who were already displaying leadership qualities and those who were perhaps the most vulnerable at home and might benefit the most from the empowerment trainings. All in all, the seminar included 60 students from a total of 15 schools, all in standard 6 and averaging 12 years. We tried to gather some demographic information about the participants in our registration survey, and this is what we found. 36 % of participants reported that neither of their parents had any education at all, and relatively very few had parents who had finished high school. 24% of students reported that they did not have enough time to study at home. Kakenya explained to me, however, that talking about or complaining about this sort of personal thing is uncommon here, and so this number might be far lower than the real percentage.

We also asked about what type of house students lived in at home, and while the most common type of house is a semi-permanent one (i.e. temporary structure with iron sheet roof), 13 students reported their houses were entirely temporary or “huts”, and 12 students reported that they lived in permanent houses (i.e. stones and bricks). This implies that we reached a range of socioeconomic groups. Lastly, 48% of students reported that they had educational needs that their parents were unable to meet. For example, one student added in the margin, “I have a problem of story books but my parents doesn’t want to buy for me.”

Community outreach programs are critical to Kakenya’s dream; obviously, educating a select group of 100 students isn’t an efficient way to promote social change. In the not too distant future, Kakenya hopes to open a community center that will make resources (like computers) and education (like the risks and violations entailed in FGM) available to men and women in the community. To me, with this camp, we have reached a milestone here in Enoosaen – as far as I am aware, this is the largest scale community outreach effort yet.

The seminar started with sessions about confidence, self esteem, and self awareness, then jumped straight into the health issues; personal hygiene, female circumcision (FGM), and HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. Then we tackled what leadership means, how to be a good leader, the importance of confidence and speaking up, and teamwork. Lastly, we talked had a speaker on children’s rights and had a motivational speech by an impressive Maasai woman who had started her schooling when there were no school buildings and had fought her way through education and up to the rank of Area Education Officer, a post which she now holds while on the side she houses girls fleeing FGM in her home.

All of this, of course, was interspersed with activities to reinforce the lessons, to foster the partnerships between Enkakenya Centre students and the others, and to let loose. And oh my, did they ever let loose when I introduced them to capture the flag (an all time favorite camp pastime).

At night we sang songs and watched movies (exposing many of these girls to things they have never seen before, and some much needed relaxation after very taxing days), and on the last night, we held a talent show. I have to say that for most of the camp, I didn’t think I was getting across my message about what a talent show is, and I definitely didn’t think the girls were excited about it. Alas, come the last night, every girl in the room participated (with a little coaxing from their counselors!), and some of the shyest girls were up at the front of the room reciting poetry they had learned about the importance of education or singing a traditional Maasai song with their friends. Can you imagine how giddy I was when one group actually put together a drama about FGM? The premise was that they held a traditional circumcision ceremony for 5 girls, and then one girl died as a result of loss of blood after the ceremony. Finally the girls broke into a song about how the community should give up the cutting practice, and it was incredibly moving to hear them raise their voices like that.

Following through in future programs and future years is really key to making sure these programs are effective – they will give us a chance to continue to arm the students with knowledge, and they will give us a chance to follow up and see what happens to the girls we train. Because of limited time and resources, however, we have to find a balance between reaching a diversity of new students and following up with the girls we have already trained and working with them over many years. Ideally, we will identify participants who demonstrate that they have strong potential as leaders, and we will work with those girls to cultivate those seeds of leadership and empowerment. Perhaps they will be our counselors for the holiday leadership workshop 2016! We are also thinking about ways to ensure that every student who attends our trainings becomes a peer educator to the other girls at their schools when they return home.

Let’s be clear about something: I have never planned a camp before. I did once work at a summer camp for recently resettled refugee youth, but it was more of a summer school than the feel good girl scouts type. And I have definitely never organized a seminar in a place like Kenya where arrival times, for example, and even arrival days, are apparently open to interpretation. I moved into the dorms with the girls to make sure things ran smoothly, but with the knowledge that despite how many agendas I posted around the school, and how many times I confirmed the topics with our trainers, things could never really run smoothly. Trainers had changed their schedules, the speaker arrived late, the borrowed TV didn’t work for two days, miscommunications abounded, and all in all probably less than a third of the camp went as planned. For those of us involved on the planning end, this time around was about learning how to run such a seminar. But at the least it seemed apparent by the last day that the girls had learned an impressive amount, and it was obvious that they were having a blast.

One really saddening issue became apparent as I went along; most of the adults in the community really don’t like to contribute their ideas and energy without compensation. There is a serious dearth of volunteer sentiment, and because this school is funded by muzungus, many people forget it is about raising the next generation of their community and think they can squeeze out some personal benefit. Surely, it is harder to ask people to be giving with their time when their quality of life is such that money for school fees may often pose a challenge, yet to the end that Kakenya is doing it, she expects others to chip in for the benefit of their daughters, sisters, nieces, and for the future of their society. Community buy-in is the only way that this project can be sustainable, and I learned first hand that it is still hard to weed out those who genuinely wish to be a part of the dream, and those who can’t help but think of personal gain.

Still, the spirit in the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence girls is always an phenomenal antidote to the ugliness of adults. If you ask them about their dreams, almost all of them desire to build a school or hospital for orphans or street children or something of the like. They have internalized Kakenya’s passion for giving back to a community and helping to make opportunities available to all. By the end of the workshop, I noticed Beatrice not only speaking but even jumping in and interrupting Vivian, as the two talked to me arm in arm about the leadership activity we had just played. These girls are up to the challenge, and at the ripe age of 12 they are already setting an example for their peers, and even their parents.

What keeps me busy?
3:00 am 2 Comments
I promised a summary of what we have been doing. It may verge on dull, but for the sake of expediency and to quell the inquiries, I am going to give you a full cheat sheet to some of the bigger things that we have accomplished over the past few weeks:

1. Field Trips! The school was scheduled to undertake its first ever field trips at the end of March, but when I arrived, no plan whatsoever had been discussed. The new headteacher, paid by the government and with less than appropriate regard for Kakenya’s plans for the school, had simply ignored the request to organize the trips. Still, we pulled it off, taking the standard 4 and standard 5 girls to Rusinga Island for a day, and the standard 6 girls on an overnight adventure to Lake Nakuru National Park and the surrounding area. These trips are especially important for broadening the horizons of students from rural and under privileged families. For example, some of these girls had never seen tarmac roads before…It was such a privilege to be there and document their amazement at all of the seemingly distant things they saw. Soon I will post a full retrospective blog on the field trips, or “tours” as they are called here in Kenya.

2. Construction: As a result of some less than trustworthy business partners, construction on the school’s first proper dormitory has taken months longer than it should have. HP recently donated a bunch of computers to Kakenya’s project, but we haven’t been able to have them arrive at the school yet for lack of space. We had to make a choice between a place for the girls to sleep and a place to house the computers. Some of the girls probably want computers so badly at this point that they would rather sleep outside if it meant they could get the desktops installed. Bringing the computers in so that I could help increase ICT capacity here really motivated me to make sure the construction of the dormitory building got back on track. Likewise, the classroom building had not had power for over a month, due to a sly electrician having used poor quality wiring the first time around. This isn’t a big deal in a town where few houses have electricity and the electricity to town can be down for days at a time, but it is a big deal to the students’ studying hours. When they have lights, the girls are happy to go straight to preps before light in the morning, and stay studying after dinner until bedtime. Without lights, these are just wasted hours. All the process really needed in order to get reenergized was a person on the ground who would be consistently overseeing progress and transactions. To be honest, as I forecasted my workplan with Kakenya, we hadn’t anticipated quite how much I would be working on this aspect of the project nor that it would take up such an exorbitant amount of my time. But seeing the lights back on in the classroom and seeing that the building is ready for the girls to move out of their temporary housing (two to a bed in one of the classrooms!) makes me feel like we have really achieved something tangible since I got here.

3. Community impact assessment: Something else that we have started, and that I will be returning to in May and June, is what I call the attempt at small scale monitoring and evaluation. It is what we can do in lieu of funding for a proper monitoring and evaluation scheme. For my part, I have begun to test a “prototype” of a community impact assessment survey, which is really more of a semi-structured interview with a convenience sample. Being here, one knows the impact and importance of the school and of Kakenya’s Dream, but we need something more concrete to point to, and personally I am a strong supporter of results based projects. Unfortunately, Kakenya never had any sort of baseline survey presumably because at the beginning of her project that wouldn’t have yet been warranted. Still, we are starting from now, starting small and getting some information which we hope will continue to raise monet through which we might be able to fund a more thorough one. Still since we’ve never has a baseline, every year we wait we get more and more behind on getting a “profile” of the community and its attitudes towards FGM, and we become less able to assess the long term changes in the community to which Kakenya’s Dream and its community projects and school are contributing. This is hugely important to the potential to scale up this school and vision beyond Enoosaen.

4. Camp: We are about to wrap up the April school holiday and this past week, we held a four day health and leadership workshop (aka summer camp). I have been working with several of Kakenya’s friends and some interesting and outspoken women teachers from around the village to set this in motion. Because we had to start planning only two weeks into my time here, orchestrating certain things (how to feed 80 people and how to bring together the necessary group of trainers on health and leadership topics) in a rural village in Kenya was a little daunting. Still, I think the general consensus is that the camp was a success, and it was certainly more successful than I had ever imagined it would be. Look out for the next post on this!

5. Organizational transition: Some of you reading will know that Kakenya’s school became registered as a government school in January. This is important to the long run vision of making this school an model for widely available high quality girl-focused education in Kenya, but it does not mean that the government is contributing much in the way of funds (thus far, one teacher, no books, and nothing else at all). So, in order to ensure that Kakenya’s vision is still fully carried out, she has decided to make an organizational transition in the way funding is handled once it reaches Enoosaen, a transition that reflects that of the school’s new designation as a government school. So, it was decided mere weeks before I arrived, that a board of long term, committed, and trustworthy locals would become the board of what is now the Kakenya’s Dream organization in Kenya, a sort of parallel to the NGO in the states. Kakenya will be posting information about these fantastic individuals on her website soon.

Since I’ve been here, we have announced the organizational shift and I have been working with the Kakenya’s Dream board and the local education offices to draft a memorandum of understanding and new contracts between the school staff and the organization. These contracts will mean that no matter how neglectful the government is (the deficiency of Kenyan education one of the reasons the school exists, after all), performance standards for teachers will remain high.

6. Starting on ICT with teachers: We are beginning to digitize exam scores. The school was already doing this intermittently, but getting a system in place for who inputs the exam scores and when, after every exam, is important to making sure we have up to date information about how each pupil is doing. This is the best indicator we can have of each girls’ progress and increased chances of getting into the best high schools. We should be able to track them and their individual progress more easily than we have been able to in the past, and this will become easier once we have the computers that HP donated delivered and running. This is happening with some big help from Kakenya’s team in the U.S., but my time here is up I want to get these teachers producing Excel graphs for every student and every grade, so they can see who is falling through the cracks in comparison to the others!

7. Profiles: Many of you saw the profiles of the students that Kate Cummings, a former AP fellow did. I am in the process of updating those that she did, and compiling profiles for all of the standard 4 and standard 5. We do this in free time around lunch and during games time after classes. Only about 40 students to go!

8. Managing the teaching staff and systems at the school: We are working to build a stronger and more motivated teaching force. In Kenya, it seems, there is an enormous focus on a student’s mark on the standardized government exams at the end of each term and year. This is most true for the leaving exams at the end of “primary school” in standard eight (comparable to eighth grade). Unfortunately, the system for exams has bred an educational system that, from what I can see, lacks critical thinking and isn’t conducive to a teacher paying close attention to individuals’ needs as learners. This speaks also to a commonly encountered culture of apathetic, dull teaching here. This makes for an especially uphill battle when dealing with some of the kinds of girls that the Enkakenya Centre for Excellence specifically recruits for its school: the girls who have had the least ch ance at a strong education in the past. Upon arrival in Standard four, several of our girls couldn’t read or write a word in English (the usual language of education here in Kenya), or couldn’t write full sentences in their mother tongue. To tease a sense of worth, academic potential, and confidence out of these girls requires a dedicated teaching staff above all. As this school has grown, however (each year the school adds one grade – we now have standard 4, 5, and 6), the staff has become less and less committed and cohesive, since there is less of a close tie to each individual girl. I saw it as a red flag that teachers are often uninformed of each others’ absences or school events, and that the teachers don’t have one time set aside to deal with staff-wide issues. At the crux of strengthening the Kakenya’s Dream organization, then, is strengthening the teaching staff, who manage the pupils, curricula, activities, and the happenings on the school grounds every day. A communicative staff makes systems at the school more sustainable and the school stronger as a whole.

We are working on this by bringing in teacher meetings that provide a previously unavailable forum for open dialogue about problems without focusing blame but instead focusing on solutions. Sometimes it is like pulling teeth, but I have faith it will be a worthy exercise in the long run. We have also implemented a notice board for teachers to make messages of absences and the like available to everyone, as well as monthly meetings of all teachers of each class of students, so that the teachers can discuss each individual pupil’s progress, creating “case notes” of a sort. To help with this, we have also opened a file for each of the 94 current students, which I am hoping will do wonder for consolidating information that previously has been particulate and residing only in the minds of several teachers at one time.

On a personal note (as if the mere existence of a blog isn’t?), one of the things I had considered most when taking on this position was that I truly felt it was a position that should be filled by a foreigner rather than a Kenyan because of the need at this juncture in the organization’s development to have a link between the sponsor’s perspective and the happenings on the ground. Still cognizant of the risk of being both redundant and ignorant as a consequence of my being an outsider, I came here with the mindset that it is imperative not to be extraneous, and to be more help than harm as a newcomer to the organization – and this I still believe. I have a strong faith in the knowledge of a local person, wherever one is and whatever the project. With that in mind I began my time here repeating the vague maxims to myself to simply not step on too many toes and always work with the larger vision of Kakenya’s dream in mind. I wanted to empower the permanent members of this project rather than interrupt the systems that may already work for them but aren’t systems to which I am accustomed. The funny thing is I’ve spent a month now learning, watching, and listening, and I no longer hold the naïve belief that not stepping on toes is always compatible with moving a project in the right direction.

9. Living it up: Last but not least, I am starting to learn some new skills. I am learning about where I can get the cheapest photocopies and the market days in the surrounding towns. I am learning to predict when rains will come in time to make the necessary arrangements. My Kiswahili might be coming on slowly, but I am learning loads of subtle and not so subtle cues like how I can never let adults see me serve them or they will start to disrespect me and how it is inappropriate to talk about pregnancies. Most importantly, last week I carried 12 kgs of millet on my head, I am making headway in milking cows (I can finally coax some milk out) and I just started my first “shanga” (maasai beading) project! Alas, everyone still has me drink from special cups and laughs hysterically if I sit on the floor in the kitchen with the children. Being a guest for 6 months can really make you feel like you’re putting people out. So, if working on fitting in (despite the fact that this is almost categorically impossible) makes me feel a little better, and gives the onlooker a chuckle, all the better.

Hello!
April 28, 2011 5:28 pm 135 Comments
Although I am still in the United States and will not be physically there for another 3 weeks, my journey to Enoosaen, Kenya, started last week, when I finally met Karin Orr and Iain Guest, from the Advocacy Project, and Kakenya Ntaiya, the mastermind behind the Kakenya Center for Excellence. Finally meeting them in person was a great way to realize how real it is all becoming!

Spending time with them was also very helpful to have a better idea about what should be prioritized now, and how I can help the project during my time in Kenya. Listening to Kakenya talk about KCE firsthand was very stimulating, and her passion and commitment to the school and to the girls in her community shines through.

I am also looking forward to meeting Charlotte in person, and really glad I will be able to help her with the great work she has already done around KCE. Charlotte, this fellow Muzungu will be there soon enough!

MONUSCO response to the Kikoze mass rape
April 23, 2011 7:47 am 1 Comment
On 4-21-11 I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with a MONUSCO official in Uvira. I asked him some questions about MONUSCO response to incidents such as the recent mass rape in Kikoze. The MONUSCO official gave me a detailed plan of how MONUSCO reacts according to their mandate to intervene, support, prevent, and provide follow-up.

When the Kikoze mass rape was first reported, MONUSCO immediately sent troops from the Pakistani Battalion (PAKBATT) to Kikoze via helicopter for a fact-finding mission. Once the PAKBATT unit confirmed the abuse of human rights in the area, a special force of Egyptian troops was sent to Kikoze in order to show a UN presence, to protect the villagers from further harassment. All during this time, MONUSCO prepared a mission to Kikoze, with a joint protection team from Civil Affairs, Human Rights, Political Affairs, UN Police (UNPOL), and PAKBATT. This mission also included several local partners, such as Arche d’Alliance and AMCAV.

In addition to their own investigation, MONUSCO assists in legal proceedings against the perpetrators, providing impetus and support to the Congolese military justice division that will prosecute the soldiers allegedly responsible for the attacks. It should be noted that the commanding officers of the FARDC unit in question deny that their soldiers committed any wrongdoing.

Currently, the MONUSCO mission is investigating the Kikoze incident and meeting with the FARDC battalion commander in Murambia over the allegations. Then, a military tribunal is supposed to form to bring the perpetrators to justice. This echoes the same response that occurred after the New Years Day mass rape in Fizi Town: MONUSCO sent a mission to Fizi to investigate and provide stability, then they provided transportation and other support to the Congolese military court in Baraka that tried and convicted Col. Kibibi and his men.

The official also told me that MONUSCO is using an ongoing proactive approach at all levels (national as well as territorial) to prevent human rights abuses by the FARDC. MONUSCO is also involved in training officials in human rights, supporting the justice system, and disseminating the law among Congolese citizens.

There is a lot of discussion as to how effective MONUSCO is at maintaining peace and stability in eastern Congo, especially since incidents such as the one in Kikoze continue to occur. However, one must remember that the tangle of conflict in eastern Congo is complicated and involves much more than just MONUSCO. To be sure, local civil society organizations, such as SOS FED and Arche d’Alliance, remain at the front lines in terms of providing assistance to vulnerable persons and monitoring the human rights situation.

I will have more information on this situation, as well as commentary, as I find out more on the local, national, and international response to the Kikoze incident.

Start your engines
April 19, 2011 6:30 am Leave a Comment
Great news:

SOS FED, The Advocacy Project, and ifa-Zivik are entering into the next phase of the 2011 project. Here are some of the aspects that we have begun working on:

-Arche d’Alliance will be providing human rights and monitoring training for our field staff. Our field staff have already lived and breathed the war of the past 17 years, but through this training they will hopefully become more effective advocates in an area that is pretty much a human rights Chernobyl. In addition, our more formally trained field staff will be able to pass on their knowledge to the beneficiaries, who in turn can be better advocates in their own communities.

-The first stage of a briquette press is underway. The briquette press is a miraculous mechanical marvel that transforms everyday garbage (banana peels, corncobs, rice husks, etc) into little trash biscuits that are used as an alternative fuel source. How can such a miraculous marvelous machine work? Well, the training video that Ned Meerdink and I made for the briquette press is still on the Advocacy Project YouTube page somewhere at http://www.youtube.com/advproject.

-Clean potable water is a constant problem in Fizi Territory, so SOS FED will be installing pumps near the two centers in Kikonde and Mboko. The issue of water is also important to the general wellbeing of women in the community, encompassing everything from health to security. The traditional division of labor in the Congo (and in most of Africa) dictates that women are responsible for collecting water for the household, and thus water scarcity issues disproportionately affect women. A woman who travels alone for 5 hours to collect a bidon of water may risk being attacked in the jungle. In addition, carrying 10 liters or more of water on one’s head for great distances can greatly impact a person’s health and longevity.

It will take time to accomplish all of these goals, but the important thing is that we are finally giving it some legs. Stay tuned for more.

Quick update on the Kikoze situation: the MONUSCO mission scheduled for last week was delayed because one of the MONUSCO Uvira staff members was killed in the terrible MONUSCO plane crash a few weeks back. Currently, they are supposed to be up in the Haut Plateau, and they plan to pay a visit to the local FARDC commander in Minembwe. For the record, the FARDC commander so far denies that his troops raped any women in/around Kikoze. However, monitors from Arche d’Alliance have made several trips up to the Kikoze area since the incident, and the villagers reported that the FARDC has been making regular forays into the communities around their base to steal goats. The incident on 3-26-11 [edited] apparently escalated into mass rape when the FARDC troops started knocking down the doors to people’s houses.

SOS FED beneficiaries at the Mboko center

An “Emerging Explorer” and a re-emerging technology
April 18, 2011 3:09 am 1 Comment
Last week Dr. Thomas (T.H.) Culhane, founder of SOLAR CITIES, and his team paid us a visit at the school to build a kitchen waste biogas digester. The CITIES acronym stands for “Connecting Community Catalysts Integrating Technologies for Industrial Ecology Systems.” Right now SOLAR CITIES is concentrating on helping people build these compact kitchen waste biogas generator with the help of dkbrænde easily used for biogas too buy at dkbrænde.dk. Visit https://handymantips.org/guide-to-shifting-into-solar-powered-household/ for the best guide to shifting into solar powered household.

Thomas, like Kakenya, is a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, and he has traveled the world promoting interesting, cost effective renewable energy solutions in resource poor areas. While completing his Ph.D. he lived in the slums of Cairo building hot water solar heaters in the Zabaleen community. Hot water may seem silly as a first step in development, but when you think about the health consequences of not bathing because the water is cold for a community who spends their lives sifting through garbage, it might make more sense. Read more, https://www.architectureartdesigns.com/3-ways-to-take-advantage-of-passive-solar-energy-in-your-home/.

In 2009, Thomas met Dr. Karve of the Appropriate Rural Technology Institute in India. Dr. Karve has taken the biogas phenomenon to a whole new level by showing how digesters run on food waster rather than excrement are up to 400 x more efficient at producing gas with respect to the volume of input (this is, of course, with a very large scale digester). This is cool in many ways, but one of the neatest things is that it makes the technology even more useful to women. Biogas may be cheaper than buying fuel and remove the tiring and wasted hours fetching firewood, but it also means that women stuck in the kitchen aren’t choking on smoke and hurting their eyes every day. Biogas is a very clean fuel, and the clear blue flame is “moto bila moshi” (fire without smoke). It is even more appropriate, then, that it should run of the kitchen waste that women generate as they prepare their produce every evening and clear the dishes.

There were several kinks in Thomas’ plan to build the biogas digester, and most of these had to do with the fact that materials, tanks, and fittings are different everywhere in the world. The really cool thing for me was to watch as the community came together to solve some of the problems that arose.

For example, after priming the tanks with fresh dung to get the bacteria started, the tanks must be almost entirely filled with water. With the size of tanks we are using for the school’s biogas system, this meant we needed 7500 L of water…a challenge when there is only one small faucet to which water trickles for under 2 hours a day. We couldn’t get the tap to run water longer than that, so we mobilized the school’s # 1 resource: our students. Within no time, there was a steady well organized line of ants dressed in plaid uniforms with bright buckets balanced on their heads stretching between the river and the biogas digester. 94 girls, 2 hours, 7000 liters of water! What’s more, when we had a problem with how to seal one of the tanks, Thomas took the problem to the street and while he was asking at an auto spares store for some parts and ideas, a crowd formed. Several people started contributing, and the sight gave a whole new meaning to “crowd sourcing.”

While he was here, Thomas held some sessions to educate the girls at the school about the principle of biogas and on Saturday, I helped organize a training for Thomas to give the community at large a chance to get acquainted with the technology. We had almost 20 attendees, and people are really excited about these technologies. We had also encourage them to visit One Click Power for updated trends in technology. He showed some photos and videos on a laptop in a classroom, and then we moved outside to see the actual digester and the InSinkErator he uses to process the food waste in action. I loved that the chief helped us get several representatives from local women’s and widows’ groups to attend, and even to participate in the demonstrations, as you’ll see below. We are going to make sure the attendees all come together regularly to observe the progress of the digetster here at school, and to stay connected to each other so they can support each other and collectively problem solve if they attempt biodigesters of their own. Several of the attendees were even talking about the possibility of starting a “self help group” to work together contributing money and manpower to one another’s private home biodigesters on a rotating schedule. Now that the technologies are available, and it would really be interesting to see them sew the seeds of a community renewable energy interest group. Well solarkraft can guide you more about renewable energy. Perhaps the chief would even help them build something in town to take care of the mounds of refuse from the produce market – and it would essentially be solely community driven.

Having heard from T.H. about how germany, the US, and Kenya used to power cities with biogas (for example, see here), I am quickly becoming a believer in the need for the world to consider the potential of biogas energy. Thomas did get a chance to talk with a couple local believers, the village chief and the District MP, about the hopes they already have to attract more renewable and sustainable technology and education to the area. For now, however, Enoosaen residents are a little skeptical, and many people have said that with the Maasai they will quickly move towards the technology… as soon as they see it working in action. It may take weeks to get the bacteria churning and the gas burning, but who knows? Thomas may have sparked a slow renewable energy transformation in the Transmara.

NB: Unfortunately, I have some awesome video footage of the process and people’s excitement surrounding the idea of biogas, but the internet isn’t up for uploading video. I’ll try to find a way to post it in the future.

In the classroom
April 16, 2011 12:13 am 1 Comment
I have seen room for improvement in the curriculum here at the EnKakenya Centre for Excellence, and I will of course mention some of these issues on this blog because it is important to recognize problems in order to find solutions. I do, however, want to make clear that I deeply admire what the teachers do here and the amount of time commitment (6 am and 8 pm prep sessions!) and dedication required of these teachers. Mobile Modular provides the best portable classrooms as well school building.

To showcase of some of the inspired teaching here in the EnKakenya Centre for Excellence, here are some photos of a day on which Madam Margaret took her standard 6 science class on an impromptu “field trip” to the some nearby flora. On my way to observe her class, I found Margaret dashing into the teachers’ office holding a bunch of flowers. “How lovely”, I said about what I thought was a spontaneously arranged bouquet. To this she replied, “These are my teaching tools!” She was insistent that the girls should be capitalizing on the education their local environment had to offer. What a beautiful day to learn about cross fertilization of male and female pawpaw trees.

On a related note, I’ll leave you with last week’s installation of “Never In America”: In a standard 4 science class I attended (in a temporary classroom beside the food storage room), the teacher was lecturing about light. “What does light do?” she asks. That’s right – it keeps away the pests. “What pests?” she asks. That’s right, the cockroaches and rats. “When do they come out?” she asks. At night to steal ugali, they answer. That’s right…. except that at that moment this class was interrupted by a rat. I guess the best education is specific to the learning environment!

One Month in Enoosaen
April 15, 2011 11:16 pm 3 Comments
Greetings from Enoosaen! I arrived here more than a month ago and I think I have finally gotten my bearings. That has entailed the ongoing process of learning a lot about how things work around here, and how they don’t – the more common subject matter from blogs about brief stints in Africa. From here on out, the two will intermingle in my reflections here on this blog. For now, I’m drafting this post on my wrinkled pages to savor precious battery on my computer, and I’m moving on to how to make things work for me.

This is an interesting subject because, actually, it seems, some things do work better for me because I am a muzungu (“European,” or white-ish person). Since I’ve arrived, certain things that had been inexplicably on hold for a long time (i.e. since Kakenya herself was last here) have started to “get a move on” at the school. I have been told on a number of occasions that this may have something to do with the fact that people see that an “American has come” so they’re anticipating that I want things to happen “the American way.” I’m trying not to take offence to this and instead taking it to mean “in a timely, organized, and accountable fashion.” Somehow, however, I doubt that this eagerness and momentum will hold for my entire tenure here.

So, what is my life like here?

I wake, sweep my room (so much mud gets in here!), make my bed under its glamorous mosquito net (embedded with a few dead many-legged visitors), try to find a bucket in which I can heat some water to take to the outhouse for a bucket bath, study a little swahili, and walk to school. It is about a 30 minute walk from here on Mama Kakenya’s farmstead (Mama Kakenya, of course, is Kakenya’s mama). There is almost always something unexpected waiting for me at the other end of this walk; today it was that the person I was meeting hadn’t prepared a thing for our meeting and instead had me sit with him for an hour while he wrote me the required document, and quite often it is something a bit more urgent. But I love my walk, because despite the constant onslaught of “Muzungu! Muzungu!” cheers from the masses of toddlers along the road, the morning brings the most wonderfully cool breezes along the main road to town.

Once I get to school, or whichever meeting I am headed to, I am tackling a wide variety of tasks, from evaluating the performance of programs at school to organizing a camp to photo and film documentation and production of advocacy materials about the school and community to overseeing construction of the new dormitory.

Also, I live in a veritable zoo. I do have quite a sanctuary of a bedroom, with its mosquito net, two windows, solitude, and privacy. Alas, in addition to the many livestock animals who stare at me as I open the door to the bucket bathing room in the outhouse, the following is a list of sightings in my room: hornets nests, a variety of spiders, a spider and biting ants in my pants on the first night (discovered while in bed), lizards, mice, a kitten that accidentally got locked in my room all day (chasing the mice), “safari ants”, weird juicy larger than a caterpillar thing, cockroaches, and the occasional lost goat or curious hen. Let’s keep in mind that these are only sightings and there is no electricity at night so it is difficult to know what else I am sharing my space with…although recently there has been something with large powerful sounding wing flutters outside my mosquito net that I am quite sure is a bat – updates to come. At least it is lambing season, so that’s cute.

How to account for my weeks of absence? A lot of work, very little power to charge my computer, internet connection problems, and the newly arrived rainy season which only compounds each of those things. My plans to go charge or buy internet credit apparently mean nothing to the rain and the impassibly muddy roads when the rain arrives. Unfortunately I don’t really have the capacity to upload photos easily, the so more of those will come when I get a better connection. Tomorrow I will go into more detail about some of the things we have accomplished over the past few weeks.

I have now finally taken a couple of days off and, to be honest, it has been great to completely check out for the first time since being here. With my sanity in jeopardy from having been too all-consumed with the goings-on at the Centre (and sometimes the general inability to get anything done here), I’ve discovered that I can go to to Kilgoris to have some peace and quiet and solitude. Aside from being the nearest town on the map, Kilgoris is also the nearest place to buy real chocolate, to buy a newspaper, and to have a drink as a woman.

As this photo demonstrates, IT capacity is a little behind in this region…

IT capacity in the region is extremely limited. It took me 12% of my computer battery just to upload this photo!

Lastly, the girls have given me a Maasai name! I am now Nashipai. It means something roughly like “full of happiness.” Moreover, people have started to tell me I am no longer a muzungu… so as you can imagine, I am feeling more and more at home.

Kikoze 3-26-11 [post modified on 5-22-11]
April 9, 2011 6:15 am 1 Comment
On March 31^st, an attack on civilians occurred in the village of Kikoze, in the Haut Plateau of Uvira Territory. The perpetrators were integrated ex-FRF units of the FARDC, stationed nearby. A number of women in Kikoze were raped, and on April 5^th, 9 survivors arrived in Uvira town to seek assistance and report the incident. PSVS lodged the women and gave them first-response psychological care, while Arche d’Alliance collected the information regarding the attack for legal and human rights action. PSVS also facilitated medical treatment for the women at the hospital in Uvira, with direct financial support from IRC. Other organizations that provided resources and assistance were AMCAV and CICR.

Kikoze is about a 3-day journey out of Uvira, and most of the journey must be made on foot across difficult terrain. In the remote areas of the Haut Plateau, monitoring the human rights situation remains difficult because of the lack of access to these areas.

On April 8^th, all the women who had come down from Kikoze started their return journey home. PSVS gave each woman a pagne and a cooking pot to take back home with her.

On the same day that the women of Kikoze were sent home, OCHA held its weekly security briefing, and the incident in Kikoze was discussed at length. One of the concerns brought up at the OCHA meeting was that there still aren’t many transportation resources available for the Haut Plateau and other remote regions of the Eastern Congo. Remember, it takes days to reach a place like Kikoze by foot, and it is hardly the most remote village in the Haut Plateau. If a survivor requires immediate and drastic medical treatment, she may not be able to make it a major hospital in time. In addition, human rights monitors in the Haut Plateau are also sparse, and villages in the hills lack the maisons d’ecoutes that are mostly scattered in towns along heavily populated thoroughfares.

Another alarming concern was brought to light; these women will return to Kikoze with their pagne and cooking pot, but there still remains little protection for them back in their village, or even en route to their homes, traveling on lonely mountain footpaths. Some of those at the OCHA meeting expressed concern that the women were being sent home unaccompanied. Indeed, even if they return home safely, they may risk being re-violated or even killed, since they dared seek help outside of their community and shared the details of the incident with human rights monitors. The same FARDC unit is presumably still near Kikoze, with the violators in its ranks. Were these women being sent to their doom after being already violated, with only a pagne and a cooking pot to show for it?

Again, an unfortunate symptom of the problem of sexual violence in the Kivus and the response from the NGO community: women are often left vulnerable after seeking assistance from humanitarian organizations. Granted, protection from the FARDC is a responsibility that lies with the Congolese government, and they deserve criticism for failing to curb the depraved and violent behavior of their own soldiers.

Whether it is from the lack of resources to surmount the many obstacles, or from the lack of will to follow through, local and international organizations are failing to provide sufficient care and protection for many survivors. Sometimes, the lack of creative thinking or recognition of these problems seem to defy common sense, and gives the appearance of apathy. Much of what I heard at the OCHA meeting was a bit stultifying, although I don’t doubt there are many individuals and groups who are hard at work to assist survivors of sexual violence. However, SOS FED, which is a tiny organization compared to a lot of the big-hitter NGOs in Uvira, appears to provide its beneficiaries with much better care than what was given to the survivors from Kikoze.

Women leaving our centers are accompanied back home by reintegration officers, who meet with community leaders to make sure that the reintegrating woman’s rights will be respected upon her return. Currently, SOS FED’s two reintegration officers in Kazimia and Kikonde are accompanying women returning to the Ubwari Peninsula, the site of ongoing combat between the FARDC, FDLR, and Mai Mai.

In addition, women leaving our centers receive a small cash stipend to help them in starting over again in their community. This is in addition to whatever income they gained at the SOS FED center from practicing communal cultivation.

Personally, I question how much psychological recovery survivors can gain in 3 days, especially considering the devastating psychosocial consequences of rape in Eastern Congo. This is why we never send women home after 3 days with a pagne and a cooking pot. However, SOS FED is still a small organization with limited resources confronting an enormous problem. I believe the difference is that SOS FED’s model is highly replicable and yet still very effective. SOS Fed’s model has an emphasis on wholly treating the outcomes of rape, including the social, psychological, and economic effects. For what we cannot do ourselves, we seek partnerships with organizations like Arche d’Alliance to provide more complete assistance to our beneficiaries.

PSVS still does a pretty good job, and this is not meant to be a critique of PSVS or their financiers at IRC. Nonetheless, perhaps the humanitarian community as a whole needs to look at the models by which they assist the women of South Kivu, and ask themselves if they are really as effective and efficient as they can be. So far, no one is scrambling to replicate the SOS FED model, and SOS FED is still spending a lot less than what a lot of local NGOs here receive from international financiers.

The nine survivors from Kikoze demonstrated courage by making a dangerous journey to Uvira to seek assistance, denounce the perpetrators, and then return to their village. Next week, MONUSCO is supposed to be sending a mission to Kikoze to investigate the incident. The survivors who made their way to Uvira indicated that there are probably more women who were raped by the FARDC in the Kikoze area. And we are only a little over three months into the year…

Imbu
April 7, 2011 6:16 am Leave a Comment
Currently it is rainy season in Uvira, so the weather is hot, humid, and sticky. We get rain at least every other day, sometimes a light sprinkle and sometimes a heavy torrent.

Kimanga, the neighborhood in which we live, resembles a pile of mud and trash with houses built on it. And so, during the rainy season, Kimanga’s cesspools turn into breeding grounds for mosquitoes, known as imbu in Kiswahili. I am talking Northwoods-Minnesota-type swarms of bloodsuckers, but inside your house. Garrison Keillor likes to boast about how the brutal Minnesota winters breed the mosquitoes to be voracious and unstoppable. However, I am more inclined to believe that these Congolese mosquitoes are superior in every way to their counterparts in my homeland. They are nearly invisible, swift, and possess a preternatural maneuverability that makes them impossible to swat. Their constant buzzing is mocking and derisory.

Usually the mosquitoes strike at twilight and continue their foraging until a little after dawn. However, I am discovering more and more mosquitoes roaming my house at noon, which is troublesome. The mosquitoes tend to bite me on the feet, ankles, and elbows, but I’ve been bitten almost everywhere on my body at one time or another. Occasionally, I am bitten in a place that leaves me impressed at the mosquito’s ability to sequester itself there long enough without being noticed. I’ve learned that certain articles of clothing are penetrable to bites, particularly socks.

At night, I sleep under a mosquito net, and I fall asleep to the harmonized whining of clouds of mosquitoes gathered right outside the net. They can smell me underneath, and they throw themselves at the net, probing for openings. I won’t lie, it sometimes keeps me awake, listening to mosquitoes buzzing inches from my ear all night long.

It is interesting to think that each time I am fed upon, it gives the mosquito the protein needed to make eggs and produce a multitude of other mosquitoes. So, in the course of my time here in the Congo, I may be feasted upon by successive generations of mosquitoes. I wonder if I taste familiar to each generation, if there is a genetic memory that is passed down, reminding the mosquitoes that “the mzungu is tasty and he glows in the dark”. Am I a claret or a merlot? Am I some kind of exotic takeout restaurant?

Well, here’s hoping I don’t get malaria.

UNFPA data-mapping project: Are you in?
April 2, 2011 6:50 am 1 Comment
In my last blog entry, I wrote about a UNFPA data-mapping project that is being undertaken here in the Kivus. The goal of the data-mapping project is to provide better assistance to survivors of sexual violence; if one NGO assists a survivor, the information provided by registering her in the global database will make it easier for her to receive other forms of assistance, be they medical, psychosocial, judicial, or socioeconomic. In addition, the information gathered can clarify where attacks against women are concentrated, and are being perpetrated by whom, thus helping prevention and advocacy efforts.

How this project works: Each NGO that receives a survivor interviews her and records information on her physical, mental, and emotional state, on forms provided by UNFPA. In addition, details of the incident are recorded, including date, location, and the identity/affiliation of the perpetrator. The “first-response” NGO (the one filling out the form) records the type of assistance they gave the survivor. Some biographical information is also recorded, which can be useful in identifying the kinds of assistance a survivor may require. Each assisted survivor also receives a unique ID number that contains information on the location of the incident, as well as the first NGO to assist the survivor. All this information contributes to a global database that will give all involved a clearer picture of the crisis of rape in Eastern Congo. It should be noted that the privacy of survivors is not affected by being added to this database.

The reach of this project acknowledges that rape does more than damage the physical and mental health of a woman; there are a variety of serious effects that a survivor must endure after being violated. NGOs in South Kivu tend to be fragmented, and survivors frequently lack a complete source of assistance. In addition, MONUSCO has noted a high level of repeat reporting by local NGOs, complicating matters.

SOS FED works primarily in the domain of psychosocial assistance and socioeconomic assistance, with perhaps a heavier emphasis on the former. SOS FED shelters women, helping them regain their mental and emotional health without having to deal with judgmental communities and restrictive customs. In addition, SOS FED teaches risk-reduction techniques through group cultivation, which has the double benefit of helping women reduce their chances of being attacked and providing them with income. An NGO such as Arche d’Alliance focuses on judicial representation and the protection of human rights through building civil society. The various hospitals and clinics throughout Fizi treat women for the physical trauma of rape and its aftereffects. So, as you can see, everyone has something to do, and coordination is necessary in order to get things done.

In all, the assistance provided by SOS FED remains the most holistic, yet practical, that I have seen in South Kivu. However, there is always something missing, especially for a small, local NGO like SOS FED. SOS FED particularly lacks capacity in the areas of judicial representation and medical services.

The center staff members refer women to nearby hospitals or clinics if they require immediate attention for fistulas or infections stemming from their attack. In addition, each center has basic medical supplies for minor illnesses and injuries. However, this is not nearly enough for the kinds of physical trauma that beneficiaries may be suffering from; almost all of the women at our centers complain of continual lower abdominal pain and sometimes irregular bleeding. Nonetheless, arriving at a hospital does not always guarantee effective treatment, as the cost of good medical care can be too expensive for our beneficiaries.

Our center staff also instructs beneficiaries on their rights, but do not have the resources or training needed to represent these women in court. Granted, the Congolese judicial system has a long way to go before it can be described as effective in handing out punitive sentences to offenders. However, pressure applied to civil and military authorities can make a difference, especially if there is a well-documented, public source of information on incidents of sexual violence.

This is where the UNFPA data-mapping project becomes useful for SOS FED. Once a survivor has a dossier created by the SOS FED staff, it becomes much easier for her to receive judicial or medical support, should she require it. Being registered in the database means that a survivor can receive free medical treatment at a hospital or clinic; all SOS FED has to do is get her there. If a survivor requires extensive treatment for severe trauma, SOS FED can always coordinate with PSVS to send the survivor to Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, where (if accepted), she can receive some of the best medical care in the Kivus. Arche d’Alliance, with its large resources, institutional knowledge, and national network, can use the information provided in the database to produce human rights reports and put pressure on local officials, national authorities, and the international community to address the issue of sexual violence in the Kivus.

The local CTLVS and Arche d’Alliance remain the focal points for the UNFPA data-mapping project in Uvira and Fizi Territories. This past week, Amisi and I arranged for training for our staff on completing dossiers for each beneficiary. Arche will make sure that each center has a sufficient number of forms at its disposal, as well as visit our center frequently to pick up the dossiers. Further networking will ensure that we can increase the level of assistance for our beneficiaries through coordination with other organizations. There is a caveat: the success of the project depends on more than participation from SOS FED; many different actors, including UNFPA, have to come through if survivors of sexual violence are to see a noticeable improvement in assistance.

Overall, participation in this project should ensure a better, more complete standard of care for SOS FED beneficiaries. L’Union fait La Force.

The CTLVS and a lesson in economics
April 1, 2011 7:38 am 150 Comments
On March 23, I attended my first CTLVS (Commission Territoriale sur la Lutte contre la Violence Sexuelle) meeting at OCHA headquarters. Up until that day, the Uvira CTLVS had 25 member organizations; however, my presence at the CTLVS meeting added SOS FED to the roster, making the final total 26.

The CTLVS is meant to be an official entity that coordinates the efforts of local NGOs working on SGBV (Sexual and Gender-based Violence) in Uvira and Fizi Territories. There are four sub-clusters under CTLVS, each headed by a member organization that specializes in that area:

-Judicial (Arche d’Alliance)

-Medical and Health (l’Hôpital d’Uvira)

-Psychosocial Assistance (PSVS)

-Socioeconomic Assistance (ASJPED)

Currently, the CTLVS is collaborating with UNFPA on a data-mapping project, trying to get a clearer picture of incidents of sexual violence in South Kivu, so better response efforts can be coordinated. One member organization, Arche d’Alliance, is charged with collecting information on incidents of sexual violence recorded by each member organization. However, it was clear at the meeting that this information was not being given to Arche, even when someone was sent around to each member organization’s office to collect it. The CTLVS director, Mme Bernadette Ntumba, expressed her frustration at the lack of cooperation. The reason given by some of those present at the meeting was “on n’a pas des moyens” (“we don’t have the means”).

Two days prior to the main CTLVS meeting, I attended a scheduled meeting for the sub-cluster concerning psychosocial assistance, at the headquarters of PSVS. I was surprised at the low attendance; besides a PSVS staff member and a secretary for another local org called AJID, I was the only other person in attendance. When I inquired why so few were attending a scheduled coordination meeting, Ms. Aimée Birindwa, the PSVS focal point, told me that it was hard to motivate member organizations to send people to meetings. Why weren’t the other local organizations motivated enough? She told me what I have heard from countless organizations: “on n’a pas des moyens” (“we don’t have the means”). The story over and over again in South Kivu is one of missing financing, not enough money to keep things running. However, there is never a shortage of NGOs that work on building peace, assisting victims of sexual violence, educating communities on SBGV, and building economic activity. Quite a few of the directors of these NGOs have bulging waistlines, travel on enormous per diems, and are building three-story houses in Uvira. Who am I to believe?

Perhaps this warrants a closer look at the economics at work in South Kivu.

Since Mobutu’s “Zairieanisation” in the 1970s, the economy of Zaire/Congo has been in a state of rapid decay. The war starting in the 1990s shattered what remained of economic activity and security in places like South Kivu. Most people in South Kivu have been poor and oppressed since colonial times, but the war and continuing insecurity means that there is little hope at the end of the tunnel. It is a little astounding to hear older people talk about how things were “better” during the Mobutu Era.

Even today, peasants flee their fields at the sound of gunfire. Internal displacement and the disruption of agricultural activity have had severe effects on public health and food security. The education system is in shambles and the roads are non-existent. Mineral extraction and smuggling has enriched the pockets of fat politicians and generals from Kinshasa to Kampala to Kigali and back, while fighting over these mineral resources continues to breed insecurity in the regon.

So, what is one source of income that continues to trickle into South Kivu? Aid money, development money, financing for humanitarian assistance. Granted, the deep humanitarian crisis in Eastern Congo merits attention, and I believe we have an obligation to help alleviate suffering and fight for social justice in one of the most troubled regions of the planet. However, it appears that money coming to South Kivu from international donors seeking to help the Congolese has created an atmosphere rife with competition, corruption, and deception. There is amazing work done by dedicated individuals in South Kivu, but there are also those who only seek to line their own pockets, whether out of desperation or greed.

Thus, you have two stories: NGOs that do little more than serve as ATMs for their corrupt directors, and NGOs that have decent projects but can’t find the financing to sustain them. There are many shades of gray between these two extremes; some organizations are very functional and do decent human rights work, but still use some of their financing and resources in ways that are improper and somewhat unethical. Some of the local NGO elite, especially up in Bukavu, are internationally recognized for their previous work and are therefore well-financed, but when the mzungus aren’t looking, they engage in some fairly dirty tactics to make sure that other local NGOs do not cut in on their action. Some organizations have good projects and some financing, but refuse to cooperate with other organizations doing similar work.

So, NGO work has become a business in South Kivu, at least for some. The sad reality is that such corruption and disregard for ethics from some NGOs are what discourage a lot of international organizations from taking a chance on good NGOs in South Kivu. Conversely, some local NGOs want the financing from abroad, but none of the required oversight that may accompany it. Since there are many local NGOs and few sources of funding, competition and jealousy overpower most efforts at cooperation. There is a corrosive mutual distrust, which ensures confusion and inefficiency. This is not a condemnation of either all Congolese NGOs or all foreign donors. The aid game is tricky, and all of us in the humanitarian assistance/international development community are still trying to figure out a better way of doing things. The history and simple economics of a place like South Kivu have created such a situation, and it is our job to be better informed and keep up the work, not to give up.

This is not new news to me; Ned Meerdink had to deal with the machinations of the bad NGOs for years, including when I was here in 2009. In Haiti, I had plenty of exposure to the corruptions of even the most well respected NGOs and religious organizations. With my background and experience, I think I can objectively state that SOS FED is not one of the “bad NGOs”. However, it is always tough to remain on the straight-and-narrow in a place where the good guys often finish last.

This is not a diatribe against anyone in particular; in this forum, at least, I will refrain from naming names. This is also not meant to be a grand commentary on the state of international development and humanitarian assistance. For that, you can go talk to high-minded economists like Bill Easterly, Jeffrey Sachs, Paul Collier, and Dambisa Moyo. In the meantime, here at SOS FED we will start faithfully submitting our monthly data to the CTLVS.

Uvira, South Kivu, DRC

“A New Phase of Brutality”
March 24, 2011 6:59 am Leave a Comment
There is evidence of a growing humanitarian crisis in Fizi Territory. I have been attending regular OCHA security briefings to keep updated on the situation in Uvira and Fizi. Now, I will share some of what I have been hearing. We start in the Ubwari Peninsula, down in Fizi Territory.

The Ubwari Peninsula juts into Lake Tanganyika, south of Baraka and just north of Kazimia. In the month of March, battles continued between Amani Leo troops and Mai Mai Yakutumba on the Ubwari. Thus, accessibility to the villages in the Ubwari has been limited for humanitarian agents, and there is very little information on refugee movements and civilian casualties coming from the area. Fighting near Kazimia has resulted in at least 1 reported civilian casualty. Last year SOS FED closed the reception center in Kazimia, which was the right decision, given the current proximity of combat.

There are concerns about the lack of protection in the area around Kilembwe, in the Haut Plateau, where the FLDR is targeting the civilian population. Many of the mass rapes committed by the FDLR this year happened in the vicinity of Kilembwe and Kilimba. Supposedly there are plans for a larger Amani Leo operation to head into the Kilembwe area to drive out the FDLR. Right now, MONUSCO patrols only reach Kilicha. On March 14, more than 40 civilians were robbed by the FDLR on their way to the market in Kilicha.
The Mai Mai is waylaying and robbing travelers on the road from Uvira to Baraka, near the villages of Elila and Kabondozi. On March 16, a vehicle belonging to the NGO TEARFUND was ambushed and robbed near Mukindje, about 15 km from Baraka. In these incidents, there were no reported injuries.

In March, more FNL activity has been reported, throwing in another wrench in the machine. The FNL (Forces Nationales pour la Libération) is a Burundian rebel movement that is opposed to the current government in Burundi. In Uvira Territory, combat between the FNL and the FARDC on March 12 disrupted agricultural activity near Kiliba; when farmers hear that there is fighting close by, they become reluctant to go to their fields. In Fizi, as of March 15 it was reported that over 200 FNL troops were camped out in the forest of Lulambo, near the village of Kabembwe.

Now, we return to Uvira Territory, for a demonstration of just how difficult it is to negotiate the security situation in South Kivu. Due to increased incidents of armed bandits waylaying travelers in the Runingu area, the Pakistani Battalion of MONUSCO (PAKBATT) stationed in Uvira Territory attempted to create a Temporary Operations Base (TOB) in Kashatu. However, they soon abandoned their plans, due to a lack of support from the local authorities. Apparently, the local authorities wanted more and more money from MONUSCO for “permission” to put a TOB there, even though this would have increased security for the civilian population. Again, another demonstration of just how difficult it is, even for the UN, to stabilize the security situation in a region rife with corruption.

In February, Médecins Sans Frontières released a briefing on the “dramatic increase in mass rape and violence” in Fizi Territory. There are worries that the conflict in Fizi is entering into a “new phase of brutality”. In recent years, MSF saw a decline in reported incidents of sexual violence in Fizi; however, this trend is starting to reverse itself. The situation of women in Fizi, which has never been good, is getting worse.

On March 13, I wrote an entry about the cases of mass rape that have been rising since the beginning of the year. Please refer to that entry for a more complete picture of this “new phase of brutality”. Stay tuned for more.

Karibu Berlin
March 17, 2011 12:41 am 1 Comment
Good news: the German Embassy in Kigali gave Marceline her Schengen visa, so she will be departing for Berlin this Saturday. However, the entire ordeal was quite exhausting: traveling from Uvira to Kigali takes an entire day, and Marceline does not enjoy long bus trips. Hopefully next time we can find an easier way to do the entire thing.

The German Embassy in Kigali coordinated the visa approval with the German Embassy in Kinshasa, and they were very friendly and helpful when we came to pick it up. Our gratitude goes to the staff at both embassies, as well as our partners at ifa-Zivik for contacting them and requesting that Kigali accept Marceline’s application.

An interesting story: when we were at the bus station in Kigali, waiting for the bus to Kamembe, a young man approached me and struck up a conversation. His name was Philosophe, and he spoke fairly decent English. We started talking about music, and he told me about American artists that he liked: 50 Cent, Ne-Yo, and Chris Brown. Chris Brown, Philosophe told me, was the most popular American singer in Rwanda. I told Philosophe that I did not like Chris Brown because he beat up his girlfriend, Rihanna. Chris Brown’s popularity in America has declined quite a bit because of his violent behavior towards his girlfriend, I explained. I asked if he had heard about Chris Brown hitting Rihanna, he said yes. I asked Philosophe if this had affected his opinion of Chris Brown, he said no. I told him I thought that violence towards women should not be tolerated.

“Ah, but hitting your girl is a necessary part of the relationship, to keep them in line,” said Philosophe.

Oh my.

Bus station in Kigali

“Morphology and Resentment”
March 14, 2011 6:17 am 1 Comment
South Kivu is home to quite a few ethnic groups, and with any area with fragmented identities, there are low-level tensions between these groups. In Uvira and Fizi, there are many different tribal/linguistic groups, such as the Bafulero, Babembe, Bavira, Banyamulenge, Bashi. Here is a little guide to the prefixes:

One person: Mufulero

Many people: Bafulero

Language: Kifulero

For example: Josephine is a Mubembe. She belongs to the Babembe people, and she speaks Kibembe. There are a couple of exceptions to these grammatical rules; for example, the Banyamulenge speak Kinyarwanda, as their ethnic group came to the Kivus from Rwanda a few hundred years ago. People from Rwanda are called Banyarwanda, people from Burundi are called Barundi (or, more commonly, burundais) and speak Kirundi. In the Kivus, most everybody knows Kiswahili, as is the case in Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, and Tanzania. Kiswahili has become the lingua franca in areas where people from many different ethnic groups are found, such as Uvira town. In addition, most people know at least a little bit of the language of other ethnic groups. Despite slight regional differences in vocabulary, one can get most anywhere in East Africa if one speaks Kiswahili.

One has to be extremely careful when talking about ethnicity, especially when it comes to the various armed groups. Ethnic issues oftentimes are connected to political and military actions, but no armed group’s motivations can be explained entirely along ethnic guidelines. Looking for a political motive is more worthwhile.

When the Rwandans invaded the Congo and continued to have a presence in the Kivus, part of their explanation for their invasion was to prevent the “genocide” of their “Tutsi” brothers, the Banyamulenge. Simmering ethnic tensions already existing between the Banyamulenge and the “autochtone” tribes (Babembe, Bafulero) were one of the reasons why South Kivu was invaded, catalyzed by the genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda and by the fact many of the perpetrators fled into the Congo and were regrouping there. Depending on whom you talk to here, you will always get a different response as to who is the truly “victimized” ethnic group in South Kivu. While political and rebel movements may be along “tribal” lines (the FDLR, for example, is a “Hutu” nationalist group), ethnicity may be simply be an excuse to further a selfish agenda. Politicians and military leaders exploit these differences; in South Kivu, the Banyamulenge can be portrayed either as bloodthirsty killers of the “native” tribes or as victims of “genocidal Congolese” and their “Hutu genocidaire allies”. Neither portrayal is correct. Members of one ethnic group may be quick to recall the massacres of their tribesmen at the hands of another tribe, but won’t be able to recall the massacres committed by their own ethnic group against others; I’ve heard this quite a bit from Bembe people in Fizi Territory, who are quick to point out sites where Babembe were massacred by the predominately Banyamulenge RCD, but would be hard pressed to recount the anti-Banyamulenge pogroms/massacres that have also occurred in the area, before and after the RCD takeover.

Of course, this is not to say that ethnicity/tribal affiliation is something to ignore; one only has to look at the 1994 genocide in Rwanda to see the perils of ignoring ethnic tensions and how they can be exploited for murderous intent. Ethnic divides can ignite hatred and suspicion, since it is that much easier to hate the “other” who doesn’t speak your language, looks a little differently than you, and practices customs slightly different from yours.

The FARDC in South Kivu consist of many Banyamulenge, including quite of the officers. The Mai Mai are comprised of members mostly from the “autochtone” tribes, the Babembe, Bafulero, etc. The fact that the conflict is delineated along ethnic lines is one reason why the Amani Leo troops are implicated in so many rapes in Fizi Territory; there is a lower mental/cultural threshold to cross for a Banyamulenge soldier to rape/assault someone of the “other” ethnic group, especially for someone they see as the “enemy”. Same thing goes for the FDLR rebels and their general attitude towards the Congolese population. The Banyamulenge are not inherently evil, and not all members of their ethnic group can be labeled as rapists and murderers, despite what some members of some other ethnic groups may tell you. It is easy to see how the situation could be reversed if the FARDC ranks were mostly commanded and made up of members of another ethnic group.

This is not to say that all sexual or gender-based violence goes perpendicular to ethnic lines. The second-class status of women in a patriarchal society make Congolese women all the more vulnerable to the designs of all predators, be they a soldier from a different region, their next-door neighbor, or even a member of their own family. Taboos on denouncing perpetrators and the lack of a functioning law enforcement/justice system make the situation all the more difficult to gauge and ameliorate.

When I write about the Congo, I mostly try to avoid attaching ethnic labels to political/armed groups, except when necessary to possibly explain the reasons around a group’s actions/platform. The point is that ethnic/tribal divides often exacerbate conflicts over land, mineral mines, or even cows. Ignoring them only perpetuates ignorance, but simply attributing all the violence to “ethnic conflict” misses the point. The war has political, economic, and military implications that extend beyond the region and even beyond the continent.

In the States, I’ve had to endure listening to many an American talking about “crazy uncivilized Africans” killing each other because of “tribal animosity” that existed “long before we [white people] got there”. I greatly resent this sort of sentiment, mostly because of colonial legacy (remember, it was Europeans who created the whole “Hutu” and “Tutsi” false dichotomy) and the modern problems of Africa that have more to do with economics and politics than tribal affiliation. Oftentimes these modern problems involve the actions of governments, corporations, and individuals outside of Africa. I’d say that our culpability as Non-Africans is pretty well established.

It should be noted that the grand majority of Congolese people I know are fairly chilled out when it comes to ethnic differences; people from all different tribes and ethnic groups interact with each other everyday in the Congo without incident.

Many civil society organizations in Eastern Congo work to try and break down these ethnic barriers, reminding everyone that they are Congolese citizens first and foremost, and tribal differences should not be an excuse for violence, mistrust, and marginalization. SOS FED makes no distinction between beneficiaries in terms of language or tribe, and all are welcome.

Security briefing
March 13, 2011 6:22 am 1 Comment
On February 28^th, a vehicle belonging to CCAP, a local NGO based in Uvira, was stopped by bandits up near Magunda, in Uvira Territory. CCAP coordinates the efforts of 28 local NGOs working on food security, civil society, health and sanitation, and sexual violence. The bandits took money, cell phones, and the clothes of the passengers. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

The zone where the CCAP vehicle was taken is by no means safe as churches, but it was still a bit disquieting to learn of such an incident so close to Uvira in an area considered not near as dangerous as it was back in 2009.

According to UN sources, Amani Leo troops are pulling out of some of the smaller villages in Fizi Territory and moving into the bigger towns for re-organization and training. On March 5, we got a call from the ANR in Kikonde to tell us that the Mai Mai had just moved into Kikonde, which means that our visit there for March was cancelled. The Mai Mai are not implicated in near as many rapes as the Amani Leo troops, who are truly a scourge to the civilian population of Fizi Territory, but their unpredictable behavior makes it difficult to travel and work in areas they control.

On February 26^th, the FDLR raped around 50 women (and a few men) on the road to the market in Milimba. This is the 6^th case of mass rape in the Haut Plateau in 2011. The number of reported rape cases in the Haut Plateau is around 150 just since January 19^th. Chew on that statistic a little bit and tell me there shouldn’t be more done. Médecins Sans Frontières responds to many of these mass rape incidents, but the simple truth is that there isn’t enough being done to stop the violence, particularly against women.

Just how difficult is it to bring security to South Kivu? The answer is very difficult. The FDLR is very well entrenched in the remote areas, controlling mineral mines and fishing around key areas near the border with Katanga Province. They are adequately trained and equipped, and can simply melt into the jungles when attacked. In Fizi Territory, the roads, where they exist, are terrible. In the Haut Plateau, most places are only accessible via footpath or helicopter. The MONUSCO troops do not have a substantial presence in Fizi, and therefore are unwilling to send what few troops they have there out to get ambushed in the jungle. When I asked the UN people why there isn’t a greater troop presence in Fizi, they told me it is because of lack of resources. Fizi is far away from Bukavu, where MONUSCO is headquartered in South Kivu, and therefore the lines of supply and communication are stretched.

MONUSCO is the largest UN mission anywhere, but the Congo is such a vast country with so little infrastructure that it remains difficult to keep the peace, especially in areas like Fizi Territory. This problem is greatly compounded by several other facts:

The rebel factions and militias (various groups of Mai Mai, FDLR, FRF, etc.) are numerous, complicated, and have shifting alliances.

The FARDC is undisciplined and resented by many in Fizi because of ethnic unbalances within the ranks and the fact that many of FARDC troops are comprised of soldiers of previous Rwandan-backed rebel groups that ravaged the civilian populations of the Kivus (AFDL, RCD, CNDP).

The illegal mineral trade has implications for governments, generals, and politicians beyond the Congo’s borders.

What does this mean for small NGOs like SOS FED? The lack of security in Fizi Territory makes work difficult, to say the least. SOS FED had to shut down their reception center in Kazimia because the FDLR and Mai Mai are camped too close to ensure the security of the staff. The Mai Mai looted the reception center in Mboko back in 2009, although no one was hurt. Visiting the SOS FED reception center in Kikonde is very difficult because of continued Mai Mai and FDLR presence in the area.

From here to Enoosaen
March 7, 2011 1:43 am 5 Comments
I write now from Washington D.C. where I have been spending some time over the past couple of weeks preparing for my role as an AP Peace Fellow for the six months to come. Part of what I am doing here in D.C., the capitol of all things non-profit and international, is collaborating with the many people who have a stake in Kakenya Center for Excellence and enabling it to succeed in laying a strong and sustainable organizational foundation. In the broadest sense, the primary aim of my fellowship is to strengthen this organization, even more so than the daily programmatic responsibilities that may take up the majority of my time. There is a lot at stake in making this school a successful model for using education for social change in Kenyan schools.

The Kakenya Center for Excellence only opened in May of 2009. It is a compelling idea with fantastic leadership on the part of Kakenya herself, and it is a game changer for the girls and future women of Enoosaen. Yet it still faces several challenges to becoming a sustainable organization in the long term. Over the next six months we are planning to do some much organizational strengthening and self-assessment. To start this off, Kakenya and I have been strategizing about my work plan for the months ahead and focusing on logistics for some of the more immediate tasks ahead: setting up a computer lab with computers donated by HP and coordinating a leadership camp that aims to provide resources to all local girls, not just those who are enrolled in the Center for Excellence.

Today I leave for Nairobi, where I will make a brief stopover on my way to Enoosaen, Kakenya’s village and the home of the Kakenya Center for Excellence. The task before us is both thrilling and bewildering. Yet being here in D.C. and working with the amazing team of dedicated individuals on this side of the ocean reassures me that as an organization we have not only the necessary vision but also the necessary tools and resources at our disposal.

What is so critical about providing education with respect to improving women’s rights? Kakenya says it herself: “for women, it stays with them forever.” Role models like Kakenya and model schools like the KCE change the idea of education and motivate a community to raise educated girls. Parents, Kakenya says, “see that it is possible and everybody wants the same thing for their daughters.” I am so eager to see what this looks like in practice.

I am the first AP fellow to serve a full placement with the Kakenya Center for Excellence, but I follow three prior AP fellows who have visited and blogged about the KCE for shorter periods of time while profiling several orgainzations. Brooke Blanchard was there in 2010, and in 2009 Luna Liu and Kate Cummings visited as a part of their fellowships with vital voices. Have a look at their blogs to get a better idea of the background of the KCE and check out some profiles of students and Enoosaen community members!

Good News
March 5, 2011 2:03 pm 1 Comment
Good news:
Colonel Kibibi Mutware, the ex-CNDP Amani Leo commander who led his troops on a rape and pillaging spree in Fizi town on New Years Day, has been found guilty by a military court of crimes against humanity, and has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
According to the BBC, this is the first time a commanding officer of a FARDC unit has been convicted of rape. This hopefully sets a precedent that will hold commanding officers accountable, and will therefore be reflected in the actions of their subordinates. This by no means signals the end to mercenary-like behavior on the part of the Congolese military, but perhaps the higher-ups in the military are starting to pay attention due to increased scrutiny. This will be especially interesting due to the number of rebel “armies” that are currently being incorporated into the FARDC; creating a trained, well-behaved military out of so many different factions will be quite the feat. Here’s hoping for the best.
The military court in Baraka also convicted 8 more soldiers under Col. Kibibi’s command, including 3 officers, and gave them sentences ranging from 10 to 20 years. However, the heavier sentences went to the officers, possibly again signaling to FARDC commanders that they need to be responsible for the behavior of their units.
An unusual aspect of the trial was the willingness of many of the survivors to testify against their attackers; forty-nine women stepped forward to give testimony in court.

How I learned to stop worrying and love the EU
February 18, 2011 9:39 am Leave a Comment
I admire the European Union for many reasons: their strong currency, the ease of travel throughout Europe, the public transit, the certification of good food and wine that preserves time-honored traditions, the general collective spirit of social responsibility, the scarves that Dutch people wear while riding their bicycles. However, EU bureaucracy is giving me a headache at the moment.

Currently, AP and ifa-Zivik are trying to get Marceline to Berlin. ifa-Zivik is about to celebrate its 20th birthday, and so they are getting together some of their local partners from around the world for a workshop on peace-building. In order to get to Berlin, Marceline only needs to apply for a Schengen (short-term) Visa. The form and requirements for this visa work for any country in the EU (wonderful), and those on a Schengen Visa can go between member states with ease. In addition, the Schengen Visa application form is available at any embassy of any member state. Sounds great, right?

Hapana, bwana (no sir). We tried the Belgian embassy in Bujumbura, but the Belgians brusquely told us that they couldn’t process a visa for someone “from the Kivus”. They told us to try an embassy in Kigali. I sent an e-mail to the German Embassy in Kigali, and soon received a very polite reply telling me Marceline needed to go to the embassy in Kinshasa.

Go all the way to Kinshasa? That’s on the opposite end of the Congo. Good Lord, it took Henry Morton Stanley three bloody long years to cross the territory now known as the DRC. Kinshasa and Uvira are over 2,000 kilometers apart as the crow flies.

The Democratic Republic of Congo will soon be the second biggest country (territorially) in Africa, now that the Sudans are going to split (Algeria will be number 1). A straight-line overland route directly from Uvira to Kinshasa is virtually impossible (of course, you could take a boat on Congo River straight through all the way to the Atlantic, but doing that is like attempting to climb Mt. Everest on your knuckles). Fortunately, this modern age allows one to fly from Bukavu or Goma into Kinshasa, although at more than 800 dollars a pop, it is an expensive option.

Kinshasa is not only far away in distance, but it is also a bit culturally removed from the East, especially in terms of language. French is the unifying language of the Congo, at least for people that are educated. However, whereas in Eastern Congo a good foundation in Kiswahili will get you nearly everywhere, in the west the lingua franca is Lingala. Fortunately Marceline knows French, and she knows Lingala from being a refugee. Uniting the different regions of the Congo under one government in Kinshasa has always been somewhat of a struggle, from the mineral-rich regions of Kasai and Katanga to the Kivus to Equateur to Badundu to Maniema.

We are hoping that Zivik will be able to tickle some funnybones with the Deutsche Botschaft in Kigali so Marceline doesn’t have to go all the way to Kinshasa. Again, it seems strange that one cannot apply for a visa at an embassy just across the border because of their nationality. Of course, I am sure there is a bureaucrat somewhere who will wrinkle their brow and give a perfectly sound and reasonable answer why; rules are always there for a reason that makes sense to the persons that made them. Nonetheless, I still feel miffed, if at no one in particular. The Colonial Europeans divided up the “African Cake” according to their desires, modern nation-state boundaries follow the colonial borders, and now today an African is having a tough time getting a visa to visit Europe because the logistics of getting to the capital are so difficult. Ah, a tale of the post-colonial era.

SOS FED director Marceline Kongolo

One last note: when we got back home to Uvira yesterday, I found a large dead bug lying on its back on our patio. This bug was caramel-colored, about an inch and a half long, and kind of looked like a cockroach/beetle/cricket hybrid. It was hideous and succulent. I called Marceline over to take a look at it, this piece of local Congolese wildlife laying expired in our house. Marceline bent over to pick it up, whereupon the large bug started wriggling; it was not, after all, dead. Marceline took off a sandal, smashed it, and threw it into the mud outside. We stood there staring at it for a bit, and Marceline told me that these bugs can be cooked and eaten during the proper season.

Iko butamu? (is it delicious?) I asked.

Sana, (very much so) said Marceline, with a grin and a sigh, perhaps recalling some fond culinary memories.

Congolese wildlife

The War on Women’s Bodies
9:36 am Leave a Comment
Today Amisi, Marceline, and I are getting together a list of supplies we will be sending down to the centers in Mboko and Kikonde. This list includes basic necessities such as rice, beans, cooking oil, and soap. Thanks to these staples, survivors of sexual violence can take time to recover in the physical and mental safety of the centers.
Despite the fact that women provide the economic backbone of the Congo, it is horrifying to think that many are barely able to sustain themselves and their children. This is particularly tragic in the case of rape survivors. Rape carries a strong social stigma for women in Congo, and therefore the consequences in such socially centered communities are devastating. Women who are raped are often rejected by their communities, and even by their families. Some women at the centers will tell you about their husbands kicking them out of the house after they were raped. These women are falsely labeled as “prostitutes”, and because of the social stigma, they are often unable to participate economically in their community. Some of these women end up becoming prostitutes, as being already labeled as such means that it may be the only economic option available. Thus, what does a woman do to provide for herself and her children? She may end up selling her body, even after it has been ravaged against her will.

Of course, prostitution is widely available throughout this part of East Africa, especially since men don’t really have to worry about any social consequences for their sexual behavior. Abortion? Forget it, a woman can be thrown in jail for even saying she wants an abortion. Contraceptives? Only if the man agrees to it. A saying among a lot of men around here is that “you can’t taste the lollipop without removing the wrapper”. Translation: condoms are for suckers.

In this war-torn and politically unstable region, it has been an all-out war on women’s bodies, both in the form of rape and in economic terms as well. The message seems pretty clear: a woman’s body does not belong to herself, but instead to the man with the gun or the man with the fat pocketbook. The total breakdown of law and order and the nature of the war allow for this culture to germinate, as it would happen anywhere in the world under similar circumstances. Honestly, there is nothing more infuriating about working in the Congo than having to think about these realities.

This is why the SOS FED centers are so vital to building peace and equality. Women can recover without starving or selling their bodies. They can cultivate communally, harvesting produce in tranquil fields among others who have shared their experiences. They will have an income, through which they can buy soap and cooking oil themselves, and send their children to school. These women can return to their communities through interventions from the reintegration staff; they will tell their community leaders that these women should not be shunned.

Soap, rice, beans, cooking oil. We will pack it onto a big fuso (transport truck) and send it down into Fizi. When the harvest for beans and manioc occurs, we will get a fuso to bring the produce up to Uvira so the women can sell it at a higher price. The women of the Congo endure.

Congolese women in Baraka, Fizi Territory

Head of State
February 13, 2011 9:32 am Leave a Comment
Yesterday my friend Vincent told me that Hosni Mubarak finally stepped down as Egypt’s leader, after many, many years of non-democratic rule. As we pondered this momentous change (Mubarak has been the head of state in Egypt for as long as I have been alive), we started thinking about other African leaders who maybe are past their expiration date. Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe was the first name that came to mind. We also considered Yahya Jammeh in the Gambia, Idriss Deby in Chad, Paul Biya in Cameroon, and of course our old friend Col. Gaddafi in Libya. Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir, who was accused by the ICC with crimes against humanity and genocide, probably bought himself a few more years by allowing for a vote on secession and assuming the debt of the new Southern Sudanese nation. In Uganda, Yoweri Museveni is playing a delicate game of balancing one-party politics and international financial institutions preaching institutional reform. Morocco is still under the rule of a monarchy, although the current rule of His Majesty Muhammad VI does not even begin to approach the ironhanded rule of his father, Hassan II. There are even signs of a fledgling quasi-democratic state in Morocco.

Even in states with stable governments that hold elections, such as Abdoulaye Wade’s Senegal, there remain questions on just how democratic they are. However, it is interesting to look at the map of Africa and see the names that are no longer there. Omar Bongo of Gabon died in 2009, Lansana Conté of Guinea in 2008. Julius Nyere (“Mwalimu”) is gone, along with his grand plans for a socialized powerhouse in Tanzania. Bokassa, the outsized self-styled “Emperor” of Central African Republic, is long gone, although he is certainly among the most savagely colorful dictators the continent has ever known. In Angola, UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi was assassinated in 2002, effectively ending a Cold War chapter of civil war between the UNITA rebels and the MPLA government in Luanda.

The old leopard himself, Mobutu Sese Seko, was deposed in 1997 and died ignominiously in exile some months later. Mobutu came to power in 1961, backed by American, French, and Belgian allies seeking to prevent the huge territory from becoming a base of Soviet influence in Central Africa. Mobutu declared himself to be the “King of Zaire”, using state resources and foreign assistance to finance a lavish lifestyle. He also famously told his underpaid military to “live off the land”; in other words, use their guns to take what they wanted from the civilian population. It seems that this sentiment lives on in the Congolese military of today. When Mobutu abdicated his “throne”, his Western allies had turned their backs on him, since the Cold War had ended and they were embarrassed to be associated with this “dinosaur”. Here was the man who spent millions on plush residences throughout Zaire and Europe, who practically swam in pink champagne every day, and who had welcomed genocidaires into his country and played a tug-of-war with the world over the fate of refugees in his territory after the Rwandan genocide.

Some observers are curious if Joseph Kabila will end up as “Mobutu-Lite”. Kabila fils is no dinosaur; he says what the international community wants to hear, at least paying lip service to the ideas of democracy, development, and progress. He has promised the cinq chantiers, five areas of development and security that his government will work towards. Here in Uvira, the reaction to seeing a bulldozer stuck in the mud or a truck tipped over because of crumbling asphalt is usually a sneer followed by a reference to the cinq chantiers. What will Joseph Kabila Kabange’s legacy be?

Changes are happening all around us here in Africa, and these are just a few musings between myself and some friends. Supposedly, Bouteflicka’s Algeria is showing signs of being next in line for reform and/or revolution. I wonder what will happen next.

Down in Fizi
9:31 am Leave a Comment
On Februry 7th, Amisi, Marceline, and myself made our first official field visit down into Fizi Territory, visiting the SOS FED center in Mboko and visiting with the managers of the SOS FED Kikonde center. We had to meet Sangho and Mimmy, the Kikonde center managers, in the town of Baraka, as the road to Kikonde was too close to some recent battles between Amani Leo troops and opposing elements of the Mai Mai.

In order to get us all down there, we hired a motorcycle and driver to carry Marceline. Our driver was named Hali, which in Swahili means “The Situation”. I explained to Amisi and Hali that there was a famous American TV star that went by the same name. When they inquired what the American “Situation” did on television (actor? musician?), I had a really difficult time explaining to them that he was not a talented individual, but just famous for being stupid. Alas, the cultural gap.

The road into Fizi can only be described as bone-crunching, but scenic. Most of the way it follows Lake Tanganyika’s shoreline, and as one goes further and further into Fizi it feels as if the jungle is swallowing you whole. All the towns kind of look the same, with the same signs (bearing the painted logos of various international NGOs) proclaiming some development project (clinic, school, etc.) that has since fallen into dilapidation. We passed by small markets where women sat by vegetables, oil, and piles of ndagala (fry-sized fish) swarming with flies. We also passed many women hiking back from their fields, shouldering heavy loads of produce or firewood. Most of the men we passed were leisurely sitting in the shade, chatting and glaring at us when we passed by.

I first visited the SOS FED center in Mboko in the summer of 2009. This time around, there is a new lupongo (fence) built around the center to shield it, and the outdoor kitchen finally has a roof. I was very glad to see Mariamu Bashishibe, the center manager, and her assistant Chamulungo. We met for an hour or so, talking about plans for 2011, and got an update on how many women had come to the center in the past month, how many therapy sessions they held, etc.

We left Mboko after a while to get to Baraka before dark. Once in Baraka, we checked into the Hotel Pili-Pili (“Chili-Pepper Hotel”), and then we hustled off to meet Sangho Laliya, the director of the Kikonde center, and her assistant Mimmy.

Sangho and Mimmy reported that the Kikonde center had already received 14 women in the month of January. Two of these women reported that they had been violated by Amani Leo troops in Fizi town during the infamous mass rape of January 1st. Through word of mouth, these women had heard that “SOS FED is there to help you”, and had trekked to Kikonde. It was encouraging to hear that SOS FED has such a reputation all over Fizi Territory, even if I find it extremely sad that in this time of unprecedented “peace”, SOS FED’s services are still in very high demand.

On our way back, we stopped at Mboko again to visit a hectare where beneficiaries were cultivated miyogo (manioc). The field was surrounded by squat palm trees, the air buzzing with the calls of exotic birds and the harsh whine of insects. It was hot and humid, and you could almost feel things germinating on your skin. As the women tilled the green-brown earth, they talked to each other in loud voices, joking and gossiping. Indeed, it was clear that the therapy aspect of SOS FED’s services extended beyond group therapy sessions at the centers. Here in the fields, I saw women working together, talking together, healing together.

We showed women photos of the completed Ahadi Quilts, assembled by quilting societies in East Lansing, Michigan and Columbia, Maryland. The women were very pleased to see the results, happy that someone abroad was taking interest in the expression of their experiences.

The manioc and bean harvest is supposed to be sometime in March. Stay tuned for more.

Mass Rape in Fizi
January 26, 2011 1:57 am 3 Comments
A fight breaks out in a bar in the dark of the night in the town of Fizi, deep in the territory that bears the same name. The argument is between a civilian and a soldier of the 43rd Sector, over a woman. In the resulting melee, the soldier shoots the civilian. This sets off a riot, and an angry crowd lynches the soldier in public.

News of the lynching reaches the troops of the 43rd Sector. To “avenge” their fallen comrade, a group of soldiers descended upon Fizi for a massive campaign of rape and destruction. So far, 50 cases have been confirmed, but as more people return the official number is expected to climb. The real number is probably much higher, since many women will not report that they have been violated.

The 43rd Sector is part of Amani Leo (“Peace Now”), a military operation charged with dealing once and for all with the marauding FDLR rebels who continue to ravage the Kivus. Their commander, Lt. Colonel Kibibi Mutware is a former CNDP rebel who was integrated into the FARDC as the result of a 2009 peace agreement. He commands a group of Kinyarwanda-speaking Banyamulenge troops, often resented because of the role of their ethnic group in the Rwandan invasion of Eastern Congo.
Lt. Col. Kibibi claims that the perpetrators of this mass rape were soldiers disobeying orders to stay on base. However, as the people of Fizi recounted the horror they survived, it became clear that more than a few witnessed Lt. Col. Kibibi urging his soldiers to attack the people of Fizi, directing them in committing unspeakable acts of violence. These accusations were serious enough to be included in a UN report on the Fizi mass rape. Also, it is not the first time that Lt. Col. Kibibi has been accused of human rights abuses.

It is a well-documented phenomenon when FARDC military commanders spur their troops to ravage the very citizens they are sworn to protect, and the latest incident in Fizi is quite possibly another instance of such a sickening perversion.

MONUSCO troops now patrol Fizi town in order to maintain order, and a Congolese military spokesman has stated that all who were responsible for the carnage have been arrested. The Congolese military supposedly has a “zero-tolerance” policy towards human rights abuses, and yet it begs the question why something this massive and atrocious occurred in the first place.

The general apathy of the Congolese government and the international community towards human rights abuses committed by the FARDC is bearing bitter fruit. Human rights training, reprimands, and the removal of some commanders who condone rape have not been extensive enough to cut away the cancer that plagues the Congolese military. Amani Leo is quickly becoming a joke at the expense of the people of Eastern Congo.

When does this end?

Time To Vote
January 22, 2011 2:02 am 2 Comments
A presidential election is supposed to occur in 2011, and current president Joseph Kabila faces some strong competition from Congolese politicians Vital Kamerhe and Etienne Tshisekedi. However, this last week Joseph Kabila “convinced” the National Assembly to change the Constitution in a way that basically guarantees his re-election this year.

Previously, the Congolese Presidential Election was a two-part election where the two top candidates from the first voting stage faced each other in a run-off (majority decision). Now, the Constitution is changed to a one-part election where victory is based on a plurality. Thus, Kabila can basically flood the candidate field with his people and guarantee a plurality for himself. Usually, the DRC National Assembly takes months and months to deliberate the stupidest petty law. However, by paying $20,000 to each MP voting yea, Kabila was able to get the constitutional changes pushed through in the fastest legislative action in Congolese history. The changes passed by a vote of 334 yeas, 1 nay, and 2 abstentions. 163 of the MPs walked out in protest. No one knows how much he paid the much-smaller Congolese Senate to pass these changes, but rest assured it was much more.

It is perfectly clear that Kabila is carefully calculating the demise of what little democracy is left in the DRC in order to maintain control. He is also consolidating control among the provincial governors, to the point that any provincial governor who displeases him can be immediately dismissed. Thus, the government far away from Kinshasa in an area like South Kivu has even less power and will to enact development action and improve the daily lives of the citizens.

Strong opposition to Kabila’s political maneuverings from the Congolese people would surely result in a brutal backlash from the military, adding more violence to an already war-torn region. Thus, the Congo seems to be destined to another six years of destitute poverty and harmful compromise sustained by a self-serving government that refuses to aid its citizens. Roads will not be built, clean water will not be provided, and the military will continue to prey on the citizens they are sworn to protect.

Greetings from Uvira
January 21, 2011 2:46 am Leave a Comment
So, here I am in Uvira, South Kivu Province, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Things are a bit different since I was here last time, but I think most of the changes are due to the fact that I have arrived in the middle of the rainy season this time around. In general, this means life is hot, muggy, and fairly dirty. Already I’ve surprised myself with my own odor and hustled off to find some water to wash. Fortunately, office decorum here in the Congo is a bit more relaxed than in the States, so even if there isn’t much water to wash with, folks don’t mind it too much.

I live in a house in the very crowded Kimanga neighborhood. My housemate is Amisi Mas, SOS FED’s able field officer. This house is hooked up for running water and electricity, however unreliable they are. From my caged-in “porch”, I can see a small slice of Lake Tanganyika; the distant, murky shore of Gatumba is barely visible on the other side of the skinny lake.

At night, you can sit and listen to the deafening buzz of insects. Under the insects’ chatter, you can just hear the soft undercurrent of Kiswahili conversation in the houses next-door, like listening to a quiet brook flowing in the dark. Not much gunfire, thank goodness.

Uvira in general seems a little more prosperous, a little more secure. More motorcycles clogging the roads, but the main road running through town is really starting to crumble into nothing. Since it is rainy season, sections of the road are dominated by puddles the size of your average backyard swimming pool. Mosquitoes are very prevalent, and I wonder how long I can go without contracting malaria.

Right now Ned, Marceline, Amisi, and I are working out what needs to be done for 2011. I am pretty happy to be back among the Congolese people, that is for sure. Stay tuned for more.

Return
December 5, 2010 11:23 pm 76 Comments
Kitagi miyazi, rafiki yangu. So, I am headed back to the Congo. After three months of documenting and reporting on the work of several civil society organizations, I left Uvira in August 2009 with a bad case of dysentery. However, the violence and oppression in Eastern Congo has never been far from my mind. I have tried to keep track of the human rights situation in the region, and now I am presented with the opportunity to work with SOS Femmes en Danger, a courageous local NGO based in South Kivu province that assists survivors of sexual violence. Over the summer of 2009 Ned Meerdink and I produced a mini-documentary that showed the importance of SOS FED’s work. Now, The Advocacy Project, SOS FED, and Zivik are embarking on an ambitious risk-reduction campaign, helping women decrease the probability of attack and enslavement. Ned Meerdink has been laying down the groundwork for this project for months, and now I will be switching spots with him for about 12 months or so.

Here are some news articles and reports that give some background on the current situation in the Congo:

-UN peacekeepers ‘failed’ DR Congo rape victims

BBC News article on Atul Khare’s report to the UN Security Council on shortcomings of UN peacekeepers in preventing sexual violence committed by the FDLR, highlighted by the August 2010 mass rape in Luvungi.

__________________________________________________________ (more…)

Rape in Congo: Not just a question of conflict
October 31, 2010 4:02 am Leave a Comment
A recent report issued by the American Medical Association (AMA) has had me and SOS FED’s staff thinking about some possibly unexploited “entry points” in the fight against sexual violence in Congo. The AMA report revealed that 74% of reported rapes in the Kivus and Ituri Province in 2009 occurred during active combat. This is not surprising, as conflict breeds insecurity and vulnerability in a manner more potent than possibly any of the other factors of the rape epidemic in Congo under current scrutiny. It’s evident that when chaos takes root, the most vulnerable of the population, in Congo the women and children, suffer disproportionately. These cases represent three-fourths of the cases of rape in Congo.
However, SOS FED beneficiaries being interviewed by our field staff have begun to tell a different story concerning their vulnerability which draws a bit of our focus towards the remaining quarter of cases from the AMA study-the women being raped in areas where conflict isn’t a daily reality. While fighting occurs semi-regularly in SOS FED program areas (some areas worse than others), the majority of the rapes SOS FED beneficiaries report occur while they are pursuing the most mundane of daily tasks under relatively peaceful regional circumstances. Often, the rapes occur in broad daylight in villages deemed more secure than others in Fizi Territory. The beneficiaries report to us that cultivation, collection of firewood, and taking water from Lake Tanganyika have gone from predictable work to be done on a daily basis to frightening and risk-filled work. This forms a troublesome question to consider: Why exactly does the number of rapes continue to increase in areas where fighting has lulled, accounting for nearly a quarter of the cases of rape reported in eastern Congo in 2009?
One major factor to consider in answering this question is the presence of soldiers across eastern Congo, even in areas not directly involved in current fighting. Contrary to widespread perception of Congo, there are areas in which gunshots don’t regularly provide the evening soundtrack. Nevertheless, in these areas we encounter no shortage of FARDC troops. These soldiers have been brought up and trained in the Congolese military system in which impunity and lack of oversight are the norms. MONUSCO supports them with medicine, food, ammunition, but has not yet come to the point where monitoring of what they do with these materials occurs in any clear fashion. Thus, we see large brigades of underpaid, well-armed, soldiers not necessarily involved in defense (because of lack of a clear enemy or lack of a will to protect civilians) of a community. The stage is set in this way for even secure villages to be overtaken by sexual violence and other crimes against civilians as these soldiers not only lack a clear mission but also lack the oversight necessary to ensure that undisciplined soldiers do not feed off the population.
Civilian rape is possibly a more compelling point of interest in assessing the vulnerability Congolese women face, even when residing in more secure regions of the country. A recent study by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) shows nearly a 17-fold increase in the incidents of civilian rape reported to organizations working with victims of sexual violence between 2004 and 2008. One of the contributors to this study, which was conducted in South Kivu, commented that, “Before [rape] was like a gun in a war. Today, though things have cooled down, the mindset remains in people…” Thus, we see that rape has becoming increasingly normalized among civilians. If it’s true that violence begets violence, by the same logic rape begets rape. Civilians have not only viewed rape on an immense scale throughout the years, but also seen that very few violators are punished for their crimes. The international community has a controversial role in this regard; MONUSCO’s extensive support to the FARDC is on shaky ground given that nearly 80% of the rapes reported in the region occur at the hands of their troops. Does this not send the wrong message to soldiers and civilians alike across Congo?
It is possible that an undue amount of attention has been focused on the implications of the AMA study. If nearly 75% of rapes occur during active conflict, then a quarter of the rapes occurring in eastern Congo occur in areas enjoying periods of relative peace. For those hoping to stop sexual violence in Congo, this quarter of cases demonstrates a key point of entry. Steven Levitt noted in Freakonomics that arms are simply a way to upset the “natural order” of things, and nowhere is this more evident in Congo. A woman who knows her rights, knows how to stay safe, and does not expose herself to vulnerability-increasing behavior still will fall when it comes down to an armed man with an intent to rape. In a conflict-ridden Congo, this is a given despite the best efforts by NGOs and civil society groups.
Perhaps an emphasis on prevention (collective cultivation, education, rights training, etc.) among women in areas not rife with fighting is a means of eliminating the cases of sexual violence which represent the 25% of the non-conflict related rapes occurring across eastern Congo ever year. These cases being eliminated would surely represent the most significant reduction of sexual violence which has occurred in Congo since the epidemic came to be in the early years of the conflict.
Working to eliminate the 25% of cases occurring in non-conflict situations could have significant implications on the 75% of cases occurring in conflict. First, the empowerment of a group of women who otherwise would have been victimized forms a potent tool in the regional effort to eliminate sexual violence. Secondly, and more importantly, if and when the conflict in eastern Congo comes to a close, the prevention of rape in non-conflict situations will be valuable to ensure that civilian rape is curbed. It would be ill-advised to assume that rape in Congo will end because of the end of the conflict, given that numbers of civilian rape are on the rise.
This thinking has really informed our approach to sexual violence in Congo for 2011. We hope to stress prevention in areas where prevention can work. This is not to say that we ignore areas where conflict induced vulnerability reigns supreme, but means that we place equal value in the effort to prevent rape where possible through programs and education as we do in our effort to treat women who suffer rape in Fizi Territory’s more dangerous conflict zones. It is a fine balance, but focusing a bit on the 25% of cases which don’t occur at the barrel of a gun might make significant progress in the fight against sexual violence in Congo.

Ned Meerdink

Water, Food, and Fuel
September 16, 2010 8:11 am Leave a Comment
When I think about all of the lessons I have learned in three years in Congo, one comes to mind as the most important of them all: The basics of life are 1) difficult to come by and 2) never to be taken for granted. Across the world, people struggle for water, food, and fuel, but never have I seen a daily struggle for the basics burn as it does in eastern Congo.

Standing by the side of a dirt track my colleagues and I took turns cutting a broken radiator fan out of our truck with a razor blade I meant to use for a much needed shave, I was forced again to think about the difficulties in collecting the basics of what it takes to live in Congo. Surrounded by nothing but forest and hoping the truck would eventually start again, I saw nothing much worth looking at besides the occasional woman passing by, always carrying one of the following loads: 1) a plastic container of water, 2) a bunch of cut wood, or 3) a basket of just-harvested manioc or beans. It would be nice to say that these women went about these daily tasks with a certain joie de vivre in recognition of a job well done, but all I saw was perspiration and grit, and the women’s knowledge that the closest village was a long stretch ahead. “Whistle while you work” did not come to mind in the 90 F weather. I watched as the most fundamental of the building blocks of life-food, water, fuel-were passing en route to their final destination on women’s heads and backs, yet only through sweat and drudgery of the highest degree.

I was traveling to a village called Kikonde, a place I have been numerous times before, where SOS FED has kept a reception center for rape victims going despite constant insecurity and logistical challenges. In Kikonde, the sacrifices Congolese women make to achieve the most basis necessities of life were further emphasized in 40-or-so interviews with SOS FED beneficiaries about the situations that have led them to become victims of sexual violence. As Kikonde is now crawling with former CNDP rebels from Laurent Nkunda’s psychotic pack now on the Congolese government’s payroll, we got a predictable number of women reporting that their rapes occurred during the night when soldiers simply kicked in their doors and took and did what they pleased. This is all too common in the epoch of President Kabila’s Amani Leo Operation. However, what took us a bit by surprise during the interviews was the sheer number of women saying that they were attacked and raped during their efforts to bring fuel, water, and food back to their homes for their families. The stories were shockingly unanimous: A woman was walking by herself to a well, by herself to her fields, or by herself to cut wood for her fires, and was taken by soldiers hiding out in the rural areas where these resources are concentrated throughout Congo. We had heard this in other interviews conducted throughout the years and certainly read it in policy papers, yet for some reason the stories stuck out like a sore thumb this time around.

So, if you are working as SOS FED is to prevent women from being overly vulnerable to rape, where is the key point of intervention? These interviews proved that if we ensure that the basics can be achieved by women without increasing their vulnerability to rape, significant strides would be made in the battle against sexual violence. When we asked what women thought would decrease their vulnerability while getting water, wood, and food the answer was as unanimous as the answers to the previous question. Collective management of these resources and strength in numbers in taking these resources to women’s homes would prevent rape. Women offered us examples of their experiences in collective fields, where roving militia members encountered women working in large groups and realized that a large group has an uncanny ability to identify assailants to local authorities. These would-be-rapists were forced to go elsewhere to find more isolated victims. What if there were no isolated would-be victims left to attack?

Thus, an elementary connection between rape in eastern Congo and isolation while bringing home the basic elements of life was made infinitely clearer by our time in Kikonde. It’s another example of the overwhelming truth that local communities know most about the ways to improve their lives. Far too few people, NGOs, and research tanks take the time to ask. Want to know how to stop the war being waged on Congolese women? Just ask the women who have already fallen victim to it.

Me, SOS FED, and AP are now thinking on how exactly to urge communities to collectively work to get these resources where they are needed without putting women in harm’s way. Surely civilians in an area under control of sordid militias are always potential victims of those who carry the AK-47s, but a collectivity of organized civilians working together at key places of vulnerability, such as in their fields or near isolated sources of water, forms a significant “check” against a soldier looking for a lonely and therefore vulnerable target. This is where we need to be focusing our attention to help reduce women’s vulnerability to rape in Congo.

Ned Meerdink

A Kikonde woman's embroidered image of her rape, which occurred while she was alone, cultivating her fields in an isolated field. Her story was in sync with many other stories we heard in Kikonde.

**Caption for photo above-blog portal being difficult with my photo captions-“A Kikonde woman’s embroidered image of her rape, which occurred while she was alone, cultivating her fields in an isolated field. Her story was in sync with many other stories we heard in Kikonde.”

Hannah: Ushering in a new era for KAWBO
September 6, 2010 6:32 pm Leave a Comment

Hannah Wangombe was recently brought onto the KAWBO team to serve as the ABWN Hub Manager; serving as liaison between Vital Voices, the Africa Businesswomen’s Network (ABWN) and KAWBO. Having recently obtained her Masters in Development Economics in England, Hannah recognizes the essential role that a businesswomen’s organization can play via its support of women in a growing and industrializing economy such as Kenya’s. She contends that a successful businesswomen’s organization must address the needs of women while simultaneously offering them opportunities and serving as a voice for change and recognition within government and the international business community. Starting small businesses, according to Hannah, has the potential to empower women economically and socially and pull them out of the “poverty cycle.” An organization created for these small business owners can serve to ensure that this empowerment is sustainable and far-reaching.

In regards to KAWBO specifically, Hannah sees “immense potential”. She is excited to be part of KAWBO and to lead KAWBO on a trajectory to increased relevance and credibility in Kenya. It is her role, as she states it, to take advantage of KAWBO’s strengths (such as its influential membership and international partnerships) to “concentrate on taking KAWBO to the next level.” In order to do so Hannah and her co-workers at KAWBO will develop new policies and procedures for the organization as well as organize and implement new programs that promise to address the specific needs of KAWBO’s members. Hannah is confident that KAWBO will soon be a “credible organization to be reckoned with;” she will undoubtedly play a critical role in getting it there.

Watch a video profile of Hannah here:

Soft-spoken but not silent
August 26, 2010 9:50 am Leave a Comment

Lillian Kabazeyo shows off the chickens at her poultry farm in Bushenyi, in the rural western region of Uganda.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of travelling the long, dusty, bumpy road to Bushenyi, west of Kampala, where a group of Bushenyi businesswomen (and businessmen!) graciously invited us to their monthly meeting. The differences between Kampala and Bushenyi were what one would expect. Bushenyi was slower, quieter, and gentler. I administered a survey to the businesspeople I met, and when it came to the question, “Is your financial/accounting system by hand or by computer?” they laughed out loud. Some had never even seen a computer!Lillian Kabazeyo organized our meetings. I was, as usual, intrigued by her story.

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Lillian Kabazeyo started her poultry farm in 2005 to supplement her income and pay her children’s school fees. After a two-week workshop on sustainable agriculture, she purchased 300 chickens with less than 5 million shillings (about US$2,200). When she sold those chickens and their eggs, she raised an additional 4 million shillings. She now has over 700 cocks, layers and other chickens.

According to Kabazeyo, training has been essential to her success. Training from Uganada Women Entrepreneurs Association Ltd and other organizations in financial management, business planning, project management and other areas has had a tangible benefit for her business. In fact, she is now such a firm believer in business planning that she says, “Those who make losses haven’t made plans.” Her current target is to reach 1000 chickens by the end of the year.

But Kabazeyo lacks the capital she needs to mechanize and grow. None of her assets are in her name, so she has no collateral. Her husband must accompany her to sign all documents, and – as culture dictates – she must turn over funds she receives to him on his request. According to Kabazeyo, “women are silent.”

Kabazeyo herself is soft-spoken, but not silent. She is the leader of the Mothers Union in her diocese, and uses her position to sensitize women about their rights – to education, to health, to inheritance. Kabazeyo and other community leaders took their problems to Mary Busingye Karooro Okuruf, Member of Parliament for Bushenyi District, who helped them start a bank for women that requires no collateral.

Like many UWEAL members, Kabazeyo doesn’t think twice about using her to uplift the community. According to Kabazeyo, Bushenyi has too many malnourished children. Although there is a lot of food in Bushenyi, most parents sell the food. Depend on matooke, which doesn’t have all the nutrients needed for healthy development.

Kabazeyo heads UWEAL’s Bushenyi arm in the western region of Uganda.

Walikale: July 30-August 2
August 25, 2010 10:05 am Leave a Comment
Anyone doubting the gravity of the situation women in eastern Congo face and the constant threat of sexual violence that exists throughout this region ought to take a glance at the recent happenings in and around a mining town called Walikale.

As both the New York Times and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recently reported, the weekend of July 30th was truly one to remember (or possibly one to forget) in Walikale. Raids in the villages surrounding this mining town and FDLR (Rwandan rebel) base began on a Friday night. By the end of the weekend, at least 200 FDLR rebels who previously stated that they were just arriving to the villages for rest and food had raped 180 women, with the number of reported cases rising since according to local radio. Most women reporting their violations also reported that the rape was committed by up to six FDLR soldiers at a time. UN peacekeepers 20km from the villages being pillaged and violated mentioned that they were simply unaware this was happening over the three days of raids. Following the raids, the FDLR simply slunk back into the forest to wait, presumably vindicated in their success due to the lack of opposition they met and the clear inability of both the UN, the Mai-Mai militias, and the Congolese FARDC soldiers the protect the civilians in and around Walikale.

Is this story shocking anyone? It should force us to recognize the sheer vulnerability women in Congo suffer from, despite the group of ‘allies’ in place throughout eastern Congo to help prevent rampant violence and rape. Additionally, it forces us to look towards civil society groups like SOS FED, who realize the constant threat and continue to fight vulnerability in their own ways despite the inability of even armed protection to stem the rape crisis. Groups like SOS FED have an enormous weight on their shoulders, and their continual courage in light of stories like this weekend in Walikale is admirable. Finally, we must note the clear link between minerals and violence in Congo. The FDLR is not in Walikale by chance, but partially because of the lucrative business to be done there in tin ore. Bisie Mine near Walikale is infamous for the fact that it is regularly exploited by the most unsavory of armed groups. An AP Fellow recently blogged about the Financial Reform Bill and a rider attached concerning controlling the minerals coming from eastern Congo, which will hopefully make it more difficult (eventually) for armed groups to profit from Congo’s mineral wealth. But for now the crisis rolls on unabated.

The last question that came to my mind in reading this news was: Who is sitting on their hands while this happens? Congo’s government has long been doing more or less nothing to prevent rape. It’s no news that the majority of rapes occurring in Congo are committed by Congolese FARDC soldiers. The fact is that the current Amani Leo operation to crush the FDLR has merely added to the instability in the region. Additionally, the UN undoubtedly will come up with some justification for what is becoming a pattern of inactivity in response to crises occurring at their doorstep. I’m waiting to hear some explanation on this incident besides the UN Military spokesperson’s comment that ‘information is still being gathered.’ They are certainly charged with a daunting task in bring security to a very insecure place, but surely a base 20km from the scene of a weekend long rape spree ought to have had some idea it was occurring. When we consider that the UN is currently scaling down their troop concentration in eastern Congo, the confusion only grows.

The article I’m speaking about, written by Josh Kron, is here. It’s certainly worth reading closely.

Leaving Footprints
August 24, 2010 1:42 pm 3 Comments
So the story ends back on a train, this time headed to Vermont, not from.

I flew back into the States a few days ago, and have been attempting to regain my bearings ever since.

The last week or so in Cameroon were as busy as could be expected. I often find that once you hit the ‘one week’ mark, you start to almost hear the seconds and minutes tick by. My ‘to do before I leave’ lists started to look a little manic and overwhelming. But, I have learned that it always does get done, even if not as gracefully as one might hope…

Amongst a myriad of loose-end tying, my last week also involved another Human Resources training, organized by CBWN (pictures found here). Food and networking followed. It was well attended, and both Marguerite and our new Hub Manager Dominique were present to ‘spread the good word’ about the Association.

I also finally completed the Vital Voices-drafted member survey. While I did not quite meet the respondent number I was hoping for, I think it is a good start and can be expanded upon as CBWN’s membership grows these next few months.

**

Speaking of growth, it was fascinating to witness the development of this Association, even in just the 10 weeks I was in Cameroon. With new staff members, official committees established, action plans written, and trainings attended – it is clear that this group of women (and one man) will be moving the Association forward, and at an impressive pace. I only hope I was able to contribute something of lasting value to this network of noble and admirable ambition.

I personally leave Cameroon with some rediscovered ‘joie de vivre.’ A ‘joie’ that was found amidst the humidity, the rain, the moto-taxis, the road-side beignets, and the interviewing. A ‘joie’ that was tucked in between bodies on a bus, in a cup of palm wine and most certainly enveloped in the laughter of my colleagues (now friends – sisters, even?). I came to be reminded of the real, everyday heroism that exists in the untold stories hiding in a kitchen or behind a sewing machine. I was reminded. I came to find out what can be done in the face of discrimination, hardship and a lack of resources. I found it.

There was a sign on Mt. Cameroon that said, “Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but foot prints.” I wonder what other than foot prints on Douala streets I am leaving behind. I know what I am taking with me, and it’s a great deal more than photographs. There’s the ‘joie,’ but there’s also a deep sense of gratitude. Gratitude for the people who came into my life this summer. How can I thank Clémence, who traipsed around Douala with me for weeks on end, or who made me laugh everyday? How can I thank Frieda for inviting me to her home in Elogbatindi and taking 7 hours to braid my hair? Dominque for the philosophical discussions, and advice as to what to see and do in Douala during my visit. Marguerite for her support and enthusiasm in all things CBWN. All the members who invited me into their work places and took the time to talk to me. All the wonderful people who helped me find a cab, lead me through a market, fed me, teased me, escorted me at night – let me use their wifi (or laundry machine). How can I really thank you, all of you?

I am grateful for the summer I had. I am grateful for the people I met. And you can be sure I will continue to follow, support and spread the word about a group of women who are very much emerging from the proverbial shadows, and reminding us all what is to be a ‘femme battante.’

The Future for Masai Women
August 23, 2010 7:52 am Leave a Comment
While working at the Kakenya Center for Excellence Girls Academy, I had the opportunity to sit down with a couple girls to learn about their journey to the school and their hopes for the future. Here are three stories that hopefully shed a bit of light on the lives and upbringing of Masai girls. For privacy reasons I will not share the young girls’ portraits. However I will share more pictures from the school. Enjoy!

Angeline Sayvah

With a perfectly heart-shaped face and round glowing cheeks, Class 5 student Angeline Sayuah appears much younger than her reported 14 years. Quiet and prone to picking at any loose ends with fidgeting fingers when adult attention is focused on her, she tends to hang back in the congregating crowd of shouting and laughing school girls. Nevertheless her subdued character is merely the cover of an intelligent girl on the brink of becoming a strong young woman.

Born and raised in the Karda area, Angeline was the second born out of three children to a family of farmers. From an early age is became clear that her older sister suffered from a debilitating illness that prevented her from walking the long distance to their primary school and helping with the daily labor needed around the house. Due to this physical disability, Angeline’s sister was pulled out of school after only reaching Class 3 and Angeline had to take on extra work around the house. The combination of additional work and a long walking distance to school (or expensive motorbike ride), Angeline was consistently late for class and undoubtedly her academic achievements suffered.

While in Class 1 and at the age of 7, Angeline and her siblings became orphans when their mother passed away (the cause is unknown). Whether dead or simply never in the picture, Angeline sums up the total existence of her father when she quietly states: “I don’t know anything about him.” The three children went to live with their grandmother, however soon thereafter Angeline and her brother moved in with their aunt close to Enoosaen.

Last year, Angeline’s aunt brought the young girl to the Enkakenya Center for Excellence to apply for a spot in the new school. Due to her status as an orphan Angeline was accepted without question and began a new chapter in her life. When asked why she likes her new school, Angeline offers the smallest crease of a smile (which she immediately hides with her cupped hands) and says softly that: “learning at KCE is good compared to Karda because the teachers here teach well, the uniforms are given without having to pay for them, and there are enough text books for all the students.” Angeline says that these improvements, plus not having to be late to school due to household work as lead to an increase in her academic performance.

Angeline, now in her second year here at KCE, is aiming to achieve 400 marks in KCPE in order to join a good secondary school which will allow her to go to university. In the future, Angeline would like to become a doctor and support her brother and sister. Furthermore, if she is able to, she would like to build a bigger school than KCE for girls who are orphans. Till then however, Angeline will continue to work hard, and enjoy her hobbies of reading storybooks and playing football. Yiamat Nchamusi

For any girl, the early teenage years can be an uncomfortable and confusing period of gangly limbs and flip flop personalities. Standing almost a foot taller than most of the other girls at the Enkakenya school, 12-year-old Class 5 student Yiamat Nchamusi is the epitome of pre-teen awkwardness and emerging beauty. Loud, hardworking and friendly, Yiamat tends to dominate any conversation or game she and her friends partake in. While in class, her hand is one of the first to shoot up when the teacher asks for a volunteer to work a problem on the blackboard.

Yiamat was born into a Masai polygamous family in the Sikawa area. Her mother is the first wife of her father and she has a step-mother who is her father’s second wife. In total there are seven children in the household, three boys and four girls all of whom are attending school. Yiamat fits squarely in the middle as the 4^th born in her family. The large family subsists on the income they receive from farming maize, sugarcane, and milk.

When asked to discuss her former life at home, Yiamat becomes uncharacteristically quiet and introverted. Only with gentle coaxing does she revel that while living at home she was considerably unhappy. Yiamat details a rural farm life where men are consistently drunk and who wreak havoc upon their families when they return from a night of drinking elicit brew. She also describes her heavy work load which included selling milk in the evenings rather than studying her school work. She slept little and studied even less.

Yiamat is very happy to now be boarding at the Enkakenya Center for Excellence. Here she is able to study often and sleep more which she hopes will help her achieve 400 marks on her KCPE. When asked what else she likes about her new school, Yiamat says that they: don’t have to pay a lot of money to attend, don’t have to walk a long distance for lunch and that their school is the only building around that is two stories tall. Her favorite subject is mathematics and loves her teachers who she says are “always ready to answer students’ questions.

In the future, Yiamat aims to become a doctor after completing her university studies. However Yiamat explains the KCE will help her achieve her dream of treating sick people because at her school there are many books to read, really good teachers, and she gets to go to school every day. When asked what the best part about living at a boarding school is, her response seems very appropriate for a near teenage girl: “Because we don’t have to be around our parents.” Lyn Seenoi

Lyn Seenoi is a 10-year-old tiny ball of energy who never seems to stop smiling her big wide grin for too long of a period. While one of the smallest girls in her Class 5, Lyn makes up for her short stature with an infectious laugh and eagerness to chat and play games.

Lyn was born and raised in the small town of Kilgoris, near Enoosaen. She has one older sister whom after reaching Form 4 had her own baby. While living in Kilgoris, Lyn was able to attend the local primary academy, however while in Class 3 her mother passed away. Without any knowledge of her father’s existence, the two sisters became orphans with Lyn moving in with their aunt and her sister with her grandmother.

With the opening of the Enkakenya Center for Excellence, Lyn’s aunt took her and one of her own daughters to apply for spot in the new student body. Both girls were accepted and began their studies in their respective classes. Once in the school, Lyn’s grades steadily began to improve and she now aims to receive 400 marks on her KCPE and eventually join a university where she can study to become a nurse. When asked why she would make a good nurse, she replies that she does very well in school and nurses have to do that.

In the mean time, Lyn will enjoy her time and studies at the KCE where she gets to play jump rope-a favorite past time activity- be with friends, have many books, and have “teachers that teach well.”

Kakenya’s Dream
7:38 am 3 Comments
The small town of Enoosaen in West Kenya has one main dirt road which you either travel by foot or by motorbike on, one market, lots of donkeys, cattle and chickens, and a beautiful community of Masai people whose lives seem to be straddling their traditional rural past and the modernizing developments of the future. Men and women will cross your path wearing traditional Masai garb, with ears stretched out and the occasional red dyed hair. It is a startling difference to the gritty urban expansion world of Nairobi.

While living in this farming area tucked on the south western edge of the Rift Valley, I had the incredible opportunity to work for the Kakenya Center for Excellence; a newly developed boarding school for Masai girls. The idea of a well functioning school that targets only girls, boards them, and has a set curriculum that might mirror many exclusive private schools in the states is a rare accomplishment. In Enoosaen, traditional Masai roles are still for the most part maintained. Most young girls are put through the ritual of female circumcision (FGC/FGM) around 14 years and are married soon thereafter. They rarely receive an education past grade 8 if any at all. Many young girls are married against their will and some (whom I had the privileged to meet and live with) have managed to escape (sometimes running for days) and find refuge with an understanding neighbor or teacher.

The Kakenya Center for Excellence (The Academy for Girls) was initiated by a vivacious, warm, and incredible Masai woman named Kakenya. She left Enoosaen to go to college in the United States with the promise that she would use her education to better her home community. To learn more about her please visit her website, http://www.kakenyasdream.org/

The Academy for Girls is only two years old at this point but it is growing in many ways each day. There are currently about 64 girls attending the school and receiving a rare type of education in Kenya; one that focuses on individual and active learning. Parents are not responsible to pay any fees and only to bring food for the girls’ meals. In order for a girl to be accepted into the school and to stay at the school the parents must agree not to circumcise her.

While working at this school I got to meet and play with over 60 amazing young Masai girls who with this advance type of education will perhaps follow in Kakenya’s footsteps and continue their education to the university level (albeit in Kenya or abroad). Their smiles and attitude towards learning are strong and healthy. They clearly represent a golden light in the future of Masai women.

Farewell Kenya!
August 19, 2010 5:19 pm Leave a Comment
For some time now, I have been taking up travelling, and it has indeed been among the best decisions of my life. Travelling thought me that, while it is always helpful to catch up of camping tips from trusted websites like campingfunzone.com, nothing can explain the wonderful and memorable experience you will experience.

Unfortunately, the time to leave has arrived and this is the last blog that I will write in Kenya. Needless to say this experience has been an interesting one; filled with adventures and misadventures, many conversations with incredible women, disputes, laughter and a whole lot of learning.

I am eternally grateful to the women of KAWBO who welcomed me into their organization (and in a few cases their homes) to learn from them and support the extraordinary work that they do. I have little doubt that the future holds wonderful things for KAWBO. It will be successful because of its components; the people that make up the organization are extraordinary. The full-time staff partnership of Hannah and Elizabeth, the powerful group of women that make up the board, and the diverse and successful membership all combine to ensure an exciting road ahead.

Although I have learned many things here, a few impressions stand out in my head the clearest:

1) The infrastructural limitations to economic growth for women exist in Kenya, but they are not unmoving—the “ceiling” is penetrable and the members of KAWBO have proven it, again and again.

2) There is a culture of entrepreneurship in Kenya and it is feeding the economy. Low-income and high-income families alike are involved in micro-lending operations throughout the slums, cities and rural areas of Kenya—and they seem to be making a difference for individuals as well as communities.

3) The opportunities for young Kenyan women are many and they are diverse. I’ve spoken with and gotten to know beauty pageant competitors as well as university scholarship recipients—they all have big dreams and a willingness to fight for them.

3) First impressions are not always accurate impressions.

4) Generosity is second nature to the Kenyan people. Although I battled with allowing myself to accept it, when I finally did I was grateful. I am inspired to give more and give with fewer expectations of receiving in return.

5) Whether from Kenya or South Africa, Norway or the Ivory Coast, sincere friendships are possible. To those who went camping in the wilderness with me, drove me to the hospital at 4am, protected me from oncoming traffic, walked the beaches along the Indian Ocean by my side, or simply joined me for a cup of tea in a time of need, I am eternally grateful.

There are many more impressions to share, but for now I will end here. Expect my last profile of Hannah Wangombe, the Hub Manager at KAWBO to be posted within 1 week. Until then, be well, stay healthy and Kenya, thanks for everything.

a few of my favorite photos from Kenya:

Out With a Bang, In With a New Website
12:35 pm 5 Comments
Louis and I took a weekend trip to Nanyuki, 3 hours north of Nairobi, to see Mt. Kenya, the largest mountain in Kenya and 2^nd only to Kiliminjaro in Africa. We left last Friday afternoon after work and got into a matatu (vans used for public transportation), headed up the road listening to books on tape and pondered what our final trip in Kenya would be like.

About a kilometer before getting to Nanyuki, our matatu suddenly slammed on its brakes and we smashed into a car in front of us. Dazed but conscious, I looked over at Louis on my right and another friend of ours on my left to find them bleeding from their noses. We slowly gathered our things and moved out of the vehicle, where I swiftly fainted (most likely from hitting my head on the broken television that was in front of where I was sitting).

I don’t remember much directly after the accident, but somehow we were moved into another matatu and taken to the nearest hospital, which luckily was right around the corner. At the hospital I recovered, and the other two received stitches. After all the confusion, it became clear how we got there- through the help of kind Kenyans. One in particular, Albert Muchemi, a local mountain climbing guide, stayed with us the entire time until we reached the nearest hotel to settle in for the night.

I’m not going to lie. When I realized Albert was staying with us in the hospital, my first thought was “he’s going to want money for helping us.” I felt ashamed when, after we received the hefty hospital bill that took virtually all of the money we had on us, he stayed with us and called a cab to take us to the hotel. He offered to pay for the cab. The next day, he came to check on us, drove us into town, and told us where to eat and look for hiking (when we felt up for it).

As a Westerner in a developing country, it is inevitable that you will be viewed as wealthy. It quickly becomes draining to be incessantly asked for money; you feel that everyone is taking advantage of you. You start to avoid anyone who tries to talk to you unless you know them. You start to doubt why you came in the first place and how much longer you can stand to stay.

The crash put things back in perspective for me. An event that threatens life brings out the humanity in everyone. For that moment everyone forgets about other worries and focuses on survival. After Albert showed us such kindness, I remembered why I came to Kenya, why I got involved in this line of work: people are good. We are all human. We all have the same basic needs. We all want to have food, shelter, stability, and safety. We want to feel dignity, to have a say in what happens to us and our loved ones.

We are leaving in a couple days to go back to Massachusetts. I will become wrapped up in my studies and will no longer have children begging, “just 10 bob, please (11 cents).” The members of Hakijamii not only live within a society that faces enormous poverty and inequality but they dedicate countless hours trying to overcome those difficulties. The community-based advocacy that I have witnessed here is beyond anything I could have imagined. Never have I encountered marginalized groups that are more aware of their situation, more eager to learn their rights, and more dedicated to improving their own lives.

Louis and I have worked on creating an interactive website that Hakijamii staff can update themselves through blog entries; the site highlights the work of its community partners. The website has a long way to go, but we trust that the dedicated staff will take over where we left off. Our time here is up, but if you want to continue to follow Hakijamii’s incredible work, you can do so through this site.

Thanks for Your Support/WordPress for Human Rights
5:03 am Leave a Comment
My time in Kenya is coming to an end. It feels like it just started, but life must move on. I would like to thank Hakijamii, NPSN, Ngazi Ya Chini, Soweto Forum, The Youth Congress, Haki Yetu, Garissa Community Groups, KISORA, Advocacy Project, all those Christy and I have worked with, and everyone that has read/commented on our blogs. I’d especially like to thank all of Hakijamii’s staff for their hospitality, help, and willingness to learn.

Christy and I have felt right at home in Kenya and really took pleasure in working for a human rights organization. We enjoyed visiting the communities and would like to thank everyone that took the time to meet with us and tell us their stories. In our time here we have profiled CBO’s (community based organizations) in Nairobi, Garissa, and Mombasa. We took pictures, created short movies, and interviewed many extraordinary individuals. We were always impressed with their determination to better themselves, their families, and their community’s lives. Some of the stories they told were sad and depressing, but that never managed to keep them down. Through this fellowship I have learned to be thankful for what I have and not to dwell too much on the hardships of life.

We have now officially launched Hakijamii’s interactive blogging website. We have worked hard on it all summer and though it still has some rough edges I hope that it connects Hakijamii and its community partners with more human rights organizations/individuals and gives them the chance to tell their own as well as their community partners’ stories to a worldwide audience. I encourage anyone to go to the website to learn more about Hakijamii, its partners, and its work to make human rights and social justice a reality for all.

Meet Margaret Litumbe
August 13, 2010 8:59 pm Leave a Comment
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsErVAL2-WU

Introducing: Dominique Yamb Ntimba
7:07 pm Leave a Comment
As previously mentioned, CBWN has finally been graced with the presence of our new Hub Manager, who I present below:

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Dominique Yamb Ntimba was born in 1974 in a small village called Makondo, a few hours drive from Douala. Dominique received both his primary and secondary education in Edea; at the age of 15 he attended the ‘Lycee Classique d’Edea,’ where he received his baccalaureat and was named Top Student of his school, and second in the Littoral region as a whole. In 1992 he attended the University of Yaounde, and the following year moved on to the University of Douala. There he studied philosophy, and later focused more specifically on political and comparative philosophy. In 1997 he received his Masters Degree in Philosophy.

Between 1998 and 2002, Dominique taught philosophy at the University of Douala, and during the latter two years was also the Head of the Publicity Department for TV Max – a television broadcasting company. In 2002 he became the CEO of Bel-Air Cameroon, an IT company in Yaounde, and over the subsequent two years helped Bel-Air grow into a large enterprise. In 2005 he returned to Douala and became the Head of the Department for Communication and Training for AFECAC, an accountancy firm, for two years.

In 2007 Orange Cameroon, an affiliate of France Telecom, appointed Dominique as the Project Manager for its’ tracking solutions. He then became an Operations Management Consultant for Smartrack, a tracking partner of Orange, then subsequently moved on to become the Account Executive for Douala1, a Network Service Provider.

Finally, in July of 2010, Dominique was hired by Vital Voices to take on the role of Hub Manager for the CBWN.

Double Exploitation
August 12, 2010 7:51 am 6 Comments
The village of Owinohuru, located in the coastal city of Mombasa, Kenya faces so many challenges that their community organization, the Owinohuru Self-Help Group, is struggling to fight all its battles.

Haki Yetu- “our rights”- is Hakijamii’s main partner organization in Mombasa. Haki Yetu works with community groups in and around the city. John Paul Obonyo is the organization’s Program Officer, and he took us to Owinohuru and provided some history of the village’s issues.

First is the all too common threat of eviction. I have touched on the problem of forced evictions in Kenya (see The Ladder That Runs Down, Eviction Task Force) due to poor land and housing policies. In the 1950s, an Indian family owned the land in Owinohuru. People gradually moved in and set up houses, businesses, churches, and schools. The landowner left, leaving a houseboy to take care of the property. The people of Owinohuru lived there peacefully for 40 or more years. Just recently the landowner (or a relative of, this was unclear when we asked) has spontaneously demanded the land back- likely in order to develop the area- which would force the entire community to leave their homes and livelihoods.

The land case has recently gone to court, and was postponed until September of this year. Though the landowner has papers claiming to have paid KSH 58 million (725,000 USD) for the land, he has not yet produced a title for it. The community hopes that the newly passed constitution, which involves barring non-citizens from absolute ownership of land and power to reclaim grabbed public land, will work in its favor come the next court date. This threat of eviction has consumed the community’s efforts and resources for the time being.

An even more disturbing concern threatens the community’s health: in 2007, a battery recycling factory was installed in the village, producing toxic smoke so thick that community members could hardly breathe when it was operating. Shortly thereafter, people began getting sick, complaining of incessant coughing, difficulty breathing, high fevers, etc. Children were hit the worst and began having trouble learning in school. It was found that several of the children had high levels of lead in their blood.

After outcry from the community, the factory was shut down for a short time, but has since re-opened– operating, shadily, at night. The factory owners refuse to have even a discussion with the community members, doing everything they can to keep it operating.

Because this issue is so heartrending, I have made a video that explains the story through interviews with community members much better than I could ever put in words. Please watch it, and show it to as many people as you can. It seems that the only way for Owinohuru to remove the factory is to bring enough negative attention to the factory that it is forced to shut down completely.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxFKWbxC3hw

Working to Stop Evictions in Kibarani Settlement, Mombasa, Kenya
4:15 am 1 Comment
Kibarani People’s Settlement (slum, informal settlement) is located in Mombasa along the railway to Uganda. The residents of Kibarani live in mud brick houses with no running water or electricity. Life is difficult, but residents like the inexpensive location with a beautiful view of the ocean, fertile soil to plant small gardens, and a bus stop nearby so they can easily travel to wherever they need to go.

Kibarani was once the main garbage dump for Mombasa attracting many poor families to come settle and earn a living collecting and recycling trash (plastic, cardboard, metal). Around 8 years ago the city landfill was relocated to Mwakirunge and parts of Kibarani’s dump were cleaned up making unusable land usable again. With this newly available land business men saw an opportunity to invest putting up truck yards and container depots. The poor families that moved to and built homes in Kibarani are now being threatened with eviction by these private developers.

Recently, a truck transport company located next to Kibarani has talked with the local government about buying a plot of land, within Kibarani, to expand their container depot. To do this they must evict the residents that currently reside there. The company hired a firm to get the residents of the plot to agree to move for a small sum of money. The company wrote an agreement to pay residents to leave and got 100 people to sign it. On the 14^th of July, 2010 there was a notice that the plot had been sold and anyone residing there needed to vacate the land within 14 days.

The local CBO (community based organization) Village Development Committee went to Haki Yetu (a partner of Hakijamii in Mombasa) to ask for help to stop the evictions. Haki Yetu helped them to identify and make a list of everyone that lived within the plot. After completing the list they found that only 45 of the 100 people that signed the agreement were actually living in the plot. With this and other information Haki Yetu and the Village Development committee has brought the case to court.

Though there has not been a final decision made on the case residents of Kibarani say that people still come (sometimes at night) to try and evict them. Dan Okongo, a business man that has lived on the plot for 20 years, told us that most people living in the settlement are opposed to any relocation. “We don’t want to move. We have houses, businesses, a school, and a church on this plot of land.”

This isn’t the only case of evictions happening in Mombasa or even in Kibarani. In 2006, Kenya Railways evicted residents of Kibarani. They were never given a reason for the eviction and the land has stood idle ever since. After the eviction, the residents set up camp at the government office that gave the go ahead to evict; refusing to leave until they were given a place to relocate. Eventually, they were allowed to rebuild on a riparian zone prone to flooding.

In Owinohuru Settlement descendants of former occupants of the land have come back, decades after their family had lived there, claiming they still own the land. They want to sell the land to private developers. (See Advocacy Project Fellow Christy Gillmore’s Blog to learn more)

If the communities don’t take action on their own they will continue to be exploited. Groups like Haki Yetu work to empower the people being directly affected so that they can claim their rights. With assistance from groups like Haki Yetu residents of these communities are learning how to stop private developers from taking the land they have called home for years.

Omwami kyakoba zena kyenkoba – What my husband says, I follow.
August 9, 2010 2:57 pm 1 Comment
I recently travelled to Jinja, Uganda’s second largest city, to meet members of UWEAL’s Jinja arm. Prior to my meetings, I was repeatedly told that women in Jinja enjoyed less financial freedom than their average Kampala counterparts. Marriage is of utmost importance, and polygyny is widely practiced. The wife is to blame for the failure of a marriage regardless of her husband’s behaviour, so she is sometimes wary of ventures that might risk her union, like a new business. Omwami kyakoba zena kyenkoba is a telling maxim.Margaret Kyemba Kulaba is the Chair of UWEAL’s Jinja branch, and an adventurous Jinja woman. When Margret noticed that the small city boasted many tourists but little accommodation, she turned her home into a hostel and started Jinja Hospitality Services. She opened with one room hosting two guests. Those two guests brought two more, and her hostel has now grown to 16 beds on half an acre. Her clients live there as if at home.

Margret is now proud to be a well-known and appreciated busnesswoman in her community, and is pushing to access the capital she needs to expand to meet market demand. For Margret, “It’s about perseverance.” She advises budding female entrepreneurs not to fear risk. “Your first business might not be successful, so you might have to change along the way. When you have a loss, God is opening the way for a gain.

Margret is also a proud second wife. “My husband sees it as development,” she says, laughing. “Because of competition among the wives, each household has more and he reaps the benefits.”

Flavia Nakisuyi is less comfortable with polygyny. Flavia, UWEAL’s Secretary in Jinja, left her husband when she could no longer accept her position in the home. Looking keenly for ways to make money, she saw growing grass as an opportunity. She started mowing lawns for cash, expanded to schools and other public and commercial properties, and then moved indoors to provide cleaning services. In addition to offering interior and exterior compound maintenance, Avia Enterprises is a supplier of cleaning products.

Flavia is also makes handicrafts. When women in her community were seeking income-generating activities, she formed the Together in Poverty Alleviation (TIPA) alliance of home-based women handicraft makers to help them improve their skills and market their products.

Flavia’s ambition is very clear: In five years, Avia Enterprises should be the leading provider in compound maintenance services in Jinja. “I will get there,” she asserts.

Margaret and Flavia agree that things are changing in, however slowly. Margaret and Flavia are proud to be part of that change.

Seraphine Ruligirwa-Kamara: From the Village Market to the International Market
11:30 am 182 Comments

Over the past 8 years Eniphares Gneicho has grown from a relatively small family business to a successful corporation providing promotional materials to multinational companies throughout East Africa. The founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eniphares Gneicho is Seraphine Ruligirwa-Kamara, a powerful woman and mother of three who emerged from humble beginnings in a rural village in Western Kenya to become a model for successful women in business. Eniphares Gneicho (EG) stands out amidst a sea of competitors in the promotional materials market thanks to Seraphine’s unfailing commitment to quality, professionalism and exceptional service.

As a young girl Seraphine spent her summers assisting her mother to transport and sell grains at the local market. It was there that she first established her work ethic and her understanding of best practices in business. The influence of her mother is maintained in the name of the company itself, as Eniphares Gneicho reversed reveals the names of Seraphine and her mother and mentor Ochieng.

Although Seraphine acknowledges the challenges associated with doing business as a woman in Kenya, she is unwilling and uninterested in seeing her gender as a limitation. She contends that the obstacles that women face are everywhere, but it is the woman who must choose how to view them; “they can be obstacles that you can (overcome) or they can be obstacles that bar you from getting to the peeks of success that are possible for you.” Seraphine has chosen to reject the “glass ceiling” which she dismisses as a self-fulfilling prophecy, and that, as Robert Frost would say, has made all the difference.

Watch a video profile of Seraphine here:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6PGKZ6SQUM

Taking Stock
August 8, 2010 7:50 pm 2 Comments
The past few weeks have been busy. With Breakfast Meetings, trainings and a myriad of committee, sponsor and partner meetings – the CBWN plate has been rather full.

Dr. Marguerite Limagnack gives a presentation on CBWN at a Human Resources training on July 24th (provided by CBWN)

It’s been interesting to watch how something small can step by step, become gradually bigger.

For starters, CBWN’s new Hub Manager officially began work last Monday, the 2^nd of August. Tall, charismatic, driven and brimming with ideas, Dominique Yamb Ntimba has hit the ground running – despite being the only male staff member (and the only man in our little four, sometimes five-woman-army of an office). CBWN has also been blessed with yet another staff member, a young woman by the name of José, to help Clémence in all of her ‘Executive Secretary’ type activities and responsibilities. And so in one week we went from a ‘President/Executive Secretary/AP Fellow’ type operation to a five-person team!

I remember on my second day here in Douala I realized I had accomplished two things: I had purchased a cell phone and acquired a small desk in a back room. Progress. That is one of the things I am being forced to remember here. You must take stock of every move forward – even something seemingly as insignificant as realizing you now have FIVE whole phone numbers in your new little cell phone.

CBWN now has five whole staff members in its expanding rolodex.

Marguerite and Dominique together are quite the ‘tour de force.’ Committees have been established, chairs designated, and trainings, workshops, outreach programs and networking events a-plenty are being calendared.

Marguerite and Dominique, meeting with three Committee Chairs (not pictured) - Jose in the background

I have even had a chance to hold a few brief trainings, for staff and members alike, on the use of Facebook, Flickr and YouTube. Video interviews, profiles and case studies are being written and finalized. The Website is being raked over, tweaked and rebuilt, much thanks to Dominique and his expertise in this area.

Increasingly rapidly, CBWN is moving forward on the shoulders of its staff I can count on one hand, and its ever-more-involved membership. Excited to be a part of it, albeit on the sidelines with my running commentary and attempt at capturing it all in words and photos. Even more excited to watch it continue to grow, which it inevitably will.

Clemence, Frieda and I have fun with the 'Photo Booth' feature of my Mac - we aren't all work and no play...

Keep your eyes out for two more brief profiles to be put up this week, not to mention a few more videos…

Mboko Meeting Recap
August 7, 2010 9:28 am Leave a Comment
I recently arrived back in Bujumbura after a productive, albeit dusty and tiring, séjour in Mboko village, South Kivu, Congo. The SOS FED field team, having come together from all corners of Fizi Territory, had some interesting things to share, and really brought me up to speed on the progress of the current campaign of rape prevention they have put into place. The journey to Mboko was remarkably free of problems, and a little bit of planning kept us moving quickly through the road blocks and security check points. Thanks very much to SOS FED’s Uvira team for that. Here is a quick recap of what went during the Mboko meeting.

First, AP and Zivik have provided much needed support for SOS FED’s community fields program, which was a key agenda for the days of meetings in Mboko. The program, in a nutshell, encourages survivors of sexual violence working with SOS FED to form cooperative cultivation teams, then rents them the necessary hectares of land and monitors their production. Money made in the fields is divided among the cooperative cultivation teams, with each woman benefiting directly from their work. This may sound basic, but the key difference from traditional cultivation in Congo lies in the ‘cooperative’ aspect of the current program. Far too many SOS FED beneficiaries have found themselves in their current place-that is, trying to recover from violent sexual violence-because of their need to cultivate fields in often remote regions of Fizi Territory, where land can be rented at the lowest price. So, AP and Zivik have begun providing fields to women once two conditions have been met. First, a field must be located near a principal route or well-traveled footpath. Second, a field must not be worked by one woman, but by her cooperative group. In this way, vulnerability is reduced in that women are cultivating together (strength in numbers) and doing so in areas of Fizi Territory that are not so isolated as to provide ideal striking grounds for the regions roving militias. This slight modification has been showing positive signs of reducing vulnerability and protecting Congolese women trying to put food on their table. We all gave a big ‘bravo’ to this program, and are currently toying with numerous ways to precisely monitor field output in order to determine which types of crops in which areas provide the most profit to SOS FED’s beneficiaries.

Amisi from SOS FED and I in Mboko village

In addition, the much awaited ‘Ahadi’ program has been given wings as of this last meeting. Though the program is well underway, the AP Fellow working from Bujumbura and I will be saving details on this until a later date. The program involves art as a means for advocacy, and places SOS FED beneficiaries in the driver’s seat of their own advocacy campaign. More on that will be available later. Materials are in place and the wheels are in motion.

Finally, the SOS FED field teams and I touched base on the current situation in and around the three SOS FED reception centers in Fizi Territory. The news is bleak, in that all of the centers are currently above capacity and receiving new visitors looking for a safe space to stay daily. The current Amani Leo operation in South Kivu has not ended the rape crisis as one might think from listening to Congolese Radio. Surely, Amani Leo is forcing FDLR militias deeper into the forests, but that doesn’t stop them from raping local women. It merely moves the sites of these violations to much less traveled areas of South Kivu where the Amani Leo force ceases to hold influence. Additionally, as the Amani Leo force is formed of FARDC [Congolese soldiers-reportedly responsible for 80% of the rapes in eastern Congo] and the ex-CNDP [notoriously violent militia soldiers once commanded by war criminal Laurent Nkunda], the population is not necessarily much better off than if the FDLR roamed free in the region. Correct me if I am wrong here, but rape is rape, regardless of the militia du jour that commits it. A perfect example lies in the fact that the SOS FED Mboko center was pillaged and forced to empty not too long ago at the hands of the state-sponsored protectors of Congo, the FARDC. No militia necessary. Thus, not a jovial ending to this blog, but a hopeful one in that the work continues.

None of the SOS FED field staff in attendance at Mboko gave any signs of the weariness a life in Congo can inspire. Quite the opposite, their presence at the meeting was a testament to their strength and commitment to improving their region. This will involve making good use of scant resources, staying organized, pulling from that never-ending well of patience and resilience, and keeping SOS FED moving towards their admirable goals. This is a lot easier said than done, especially in such an ‘interesting’ zone of eastern Congo. But, like I said, the work continues.

Ned Meerdink

A Secret Mountain In My Backyard (T-minus 3 days…)
August 4, 2010 4:10 am 7 Comments
Thirteen years ago, I found myself crammed into the backseat of a two door Mazda 323 that had clearly seen better days. With my life possessions precariously teetering half way out of the trunk and my body crammed into the back seat of a car full of sticky strangers, we sputtered (heavily) off into the suburbs of San Jose, Costa Rica where I would spend the next 6 months of my life. I was 16 years old and experiencing minor shock.

Liceo de Alajuelita, Costa Rica, 1998

I’ve looked back on this particular day and the subsequent weeks many times in my vida. At the time, I had not been outside of the United States before and found myself mentally inundated with the superfluity of culture a developing country had to offer. In a phone call home to my parents not long after my arrival, I was asked about the geographical surroundings of my new neighborhood called Alajuelita. Known as a suburb of commoners and farmers, Alajuelita was a fairly densely populated, impoverished area set along the hills surrounding San Jose. As I recall, however, it took me nearly a week to become aware that directly behind my new home there existed a lush, green mountain. It’s humorous to think about now, as I had actually failed to acknowledge there was a massive piece of earth residing in my back yard. And while that might seem next to impossible, I have learned how remarkably selective the mind can choose to be during times of mental stress. My glaringly apparent lack of experience and knowledge of a developing country had left my brain more or less feeble in processing the entirety of my surroundings. For weeks, the sordid details of a 3^rd world city had literally blinded me from the beauty and spirit of Costa Rica and its people.

You might wonder what my journey as a 16 year old has to do with a summer spent living and working in Accra, Ghana. Well, aside from the fact that my work and studies are a direct result of a life path set in motion by my trip to Costa Rica, during my first few weeks in Accra I admit to humorously catching myself check now and again whether there was a secret mountain in my backyard. Coincidentally, while Alajuelita and Accra do not share similar backyard mountain geography, both locations do have persistent, early rising roosters that are apparently blind.

My usual form of public transportation, the Tro Tro

I drink water from a bag.

Transitions are never easy and despite being a far more experienced traveler than I was during my teenage years, Accra was no exception in giving me a good, healthy dose of culture shock. Wiser than I was at 16, however, I’m now self-aware of my addiction and confident in my capability to dive into another world foreign to that of my own. I knew it was only an inevitable matter of time before the veil of dirt (and sweat and smog and DEET) was wiped from my eyes and I was writing home my intent to potentially remain/move to Ghana. Maybe not much has actually changed since I was 16, afterall!

An African Sunrise

When I first arrived in Accra the following adjectives might have come to mind: sticky, dirty, loud, crowded, bustling, dusty, smoggy, smelly, stomach-achy and intense. Months later (and with the “mountain” in my backyard now visible), I describe Accra as a vibrant, bustling, city full of smiling, dancing, hardworking Ghanaians who are full of pride and hope. In my opinion, the brave traveling souls that have chosen to live and work in Accra proper are the fortunate ones. So few visitors to Ghana truly give the city a chance and upon initial inspection, I certainly can’t blame them. Ultimately though, it is the interactions that we have with people and the relationships forged that make up the true beauty of an experience and place. Time and time again I’ve found this to be the case and Accra, Ghana is no exception. The charm and vibrancy of Accra and its amazing people simply snuck up on me and I find myself helplessly hooked.

Mother and Child

A boy in Ada Foah

A Senagalese man in my neighborhood

Dinner

Which brings me to the reason why I came to Ghana in the first place – to work with the Eagle Women’s Empowerment Club in partnership with Vital Voices and The Advocacy Project. It has been a summer of learning, sharing and laughing with some incredibly, incredible women. And while EWEC may be a young organization faced with real challenges in growth, resources and sustainability, it is the women of EWEC that will no doubt persevere forward and create real change for women in Ghana and Africa. The remarkable and inspiring women that proudly call themselves Eagle Women have repeatedly astounded me. So many of EWEC’s members have risen from humble beginnings, conquering a great deal to become the successful businesswomen they are today. Yet their work does not stop there. Eagle Women strive to share their knowledge and experiences with other women, with mentorship at the core of their beliefs. They are beautiful women, inside and out, and it is these women, these mothers, these sisters, these leaders, who are the future of Africa.

Bridget and Mercy, my co-workers at EWEC

An Eagle Woman

And so as I finish typing this and things from home start returning to me, I’m reminded that summer is over. The evenings in Accra have gotten cooler, the breeze has picked up and now it’s time to go.

I’ll see you soon Ghana.

Thanks for reading.

Sunset from my apartment in Accra

Wimbiz Member Profile: Detoun Ogwo
3:44 am Leave a Comment

After launching her career in Sales and Client Services in the United Kingdom, Mrs. Detoun Ogwo moved back to Lagos, Nigeria to serve as a Human Resources manager in a multinational corporation. Among the many adjustment to be made, one issue stood out: she was shocked by the amount of time and energy needed to recruit recent graduates for entry-level positions. While many of the young professionals she worked with possessed the requisite technical skills, most lacked essential “soft” skills, such as interpersonal and negotiation skills, business etiquette and punctuality.

One day, tired of hearing her complain, her husband suggested that she do something about this problem. In 2007, she decided to take his advice by opening the After-school Graduate Development Centre (AGDC), an organization dedicated to helping the products of Nigeria’s university system, ease into the corporate sphere. A novel concept at first, as vocational guidance is virtually absent in the Nigerian school system, the demand for AGDC’s training programs in project management, team work, and problem solving, (to name a few topics) has been overwhelming.

For example, over 750 young people applied for 70 seats in one of her career guidance programs last quarter. To meet the rapidly growing demand for AGDC services, Mrs. Ogwo has been working to expand the centre’s capacity and also access local secondary schools, so that the next generation of Nigerian youth, are well equipped with the keys to corporate success.

Don’t Lose Sight
August 2, 2010 10:04 am 1 Comment
I have been following many of Nairobi People’s Settlement Network’s (NPSN) activities and sharing as much as I could about this incredible group (see blog entries A Living Saint, Eviction Task Force, and People’s Settlements, Not Slums). Now I’d like to highlight its current chairman, Humphrey Otieno Oduor, a man with an incredible story. Few people are able to go through what Humphrey has faced in his life and still manage to successfully dedicate their lives to social justice and equality.

Raised in Makongeni Estate in Nairobi, Humphrey moved to the people’s settlement (slum) of Kiambiu in 1996. After the passing of his father, his family was forced to vacate their home, as was the policy for the railway parastatal premise where his father’s job allowed them to live. Humphrey was forced to drop out of school and get a job. Like so many others had discovered, work was nearly impossible to find. Most people in the settlements make a living any way they can, selling secondhand items or food for pennies. Humphrey was desperate to provide for his family (6 of them after his father’s death), so he turned to the only possibility he saw: crime.

For years, Humphrey led a life of drug peddling, robberies, and carjacking. After losing more than 70 friends during that time, he could not bear to be involved in that life any longer. He finished high school and worked as a van conductor. The conditions in the settlements that had caused him to get involved in crime motivated him to advocate for change. He and other youth in his area joined hands to address issues affecting residents living in the settlement by forming a group known as Kiambiu Youth, focusing on environmental advocacy. With the help of various non-governmental organizations like Hakijamii, Humphrey was involved in the formation of NPSN in 2004. He is now the chairman of NPSN in addition to working for the National Youth Violence Prevention Network, both volunteer positions.

Telling Humphrey’s story has caused me to reflect on the situation here in Kenya and the developing world more broadly. Nairobi is considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world, violence and insecurity an every day part of life for those in the slums. What causes these high levels of crime and violence? It’s not an easy question, and one that experts have been contemplating for years. It is not poverty by itself, as there are many impoverished countries that are peaceful and have low crime rates (i.e. Mali, where I lived for 2 years). Rather, it seems to occur when there are high numbers of impoverished people living in substandard conditions very near those who have plenty, which many Kenyans do. There is a lot of economic opportunity in Kenya, one of the main reasons for the large increase in the urban populations. Millions of people never make it to the Kenyan middle-class, though they see that life dangling right in front of them.

Humphrey wishes to see NPSN grow but not lose sight of its mission, as happens too often when donors begin contributing to a solid community organization. He hopes that people will continue to pressure the government to adopt adequate housing and land policies, as well as proper eviction guidelines.

To quote a short film I recently saw, Kibera Kid, “No matter how bad things get, you always have a choice.” Humphrey, to the benefit of many people and to Kenya, has made the right choice.

Promoting The Right To Housing And Basic Services For The Urban Poor
5:45 am 1 Comment
Hakijamii was awarded SIDA (Swedish International Development Agency) funding for a three year project to promote the right to housing and basic services for the urban poor. With this funding Hakijamii will establish a network of grassroots organizations and link them with relevant government agencies so they can effectively advocate for the development and adoption of a pro-poor slum upgrading policy and internationally acceptable eviction guidelines.

Residents of Soweto East relocate to the new high rise estate

Recommendations for the development of a slum upgrading policy and internationally accepted eviction guidelines were included in Kenya’s National Land Policy of 2009. Despite these recommendations the Kenyan government has yet to implement either of the two. The ministry of lands has created a task force to develop the policy and guidelines, but the process has been moving at a slow pace but with the help of the reforms and the higher loans provided by Personal Money Lenders the community is moving forward. Hakijamii hopes to change this by mobilizing existing grassroots organizations and linking them with relevant policy makers so that they can together create fair and just policies in a more timely manner. The involvement of communities in this process will strengthen the policies and create an example of the importance of community involvement in human rights policy reform.

Here are some of the activities that will be held:

Community awareness /sensitization forums on slum upgrading policy and eviction guidelines

Lobbying and advocacy for slum upgrading and eviction guidelines

Meetings between relevant policy makers to discuss the options they have for creating a slum upgrading policy and eviction guidelines

Trips to connect Kenyan policy makers to policy makers in other regions so they can learn how other governments and communities have effectively worked together on policy reform

Meetings with grassroots organizations to plan and review campaigns for the adoption and implementation of eviction and slum upgrading policies

Workshops to build grassroots organizations capacity to utilize the rights based approach

Monitoring government’s compliance with international human rights laws

Wimbiz Member Profile: Arinola Adeniyi
July 30, 2010 8:21 am 5 Comments

A decade ago, Nigeria’s banking sector was at its peak. So it came as a shock when Arinola Adeniyi announced that she was resigning from her position in one of Nigeria’s top banks to open her own spa, especially since such establishments were virtually nonexistent in Lagos, Nigeria at the time. Few knew, however, that Arinola had planned this exit for years. After realizing that other overworked Lagosians must also long for a relaxing massage between trips abroad, she aimed to become an expert in the health and wellness industry, reading up on all the latest trends and attending international trainings courses and seminars on massage, body wraps, nutrition, and so much more.

Venivici Health Club and Urban Spa is the realization of Arinola’s dream for an oasis from the hustle and bustle of Lagos life. As a trusted provider of world class holistic health services, her award winning spa has become a destination for locals and tourists alike. From Arinola’s perspective, the key to overcoming obstacles like the country’s inadequate infrastructure is the ability to see challenges as mere stepping stones to the next opportunity. As she says, “what you focus on becomes your obsession,” so she counsels female entrepreneurs hoping to follow in her footsteps, to concentrate less on their obstacles, and more on the resources needed to overcome them.

For more on Arinola’s story, check out this video!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAcd_4mFFkE

Is an opportunity an opportunity?
July 29, 2010 9:16 am 2 Comments
As you know from my previous posts I’ve been following the Miss World Kenya competition these past few weeks; assisting at the taping of the reality TV show by the same name and getting the opportunity to get to know the contestants. Many of these young women are experiencing the capital city of Nairobi for the first time; they are meeting exciting people, learning important life skills and living a life (though temporary) that they otherwise never would have had the opportunity to experience. Many of them have expressed to me how life changing this experience has been for them; giving them a renewed confidence and an interest in pursuing a professional modeling career. These young women were selected from over 2000 hopeful applicants and they will return to their villages as celebrities. One of them will become a competitor in the 2010 Miss World pageant in China. This experience has been extraordinary for them, and it has offered them new and exciting opportunities.

Just this past week I was invited to attend another event for young women; it was the training conference for the Zawadi girls. Zawadi Africa is a non-profit organization that provides scholarships to academically gifted girls from disadvantaged backgrounds from Africa to pursue Bachelor’s degrees in the US, Europe and Africa. The program was founded by Dr. Susan Mboya, the daughter of Tom Mboya, himself a founder along with John F. Kennedy of the Africa Student Airlifts program of the 1960’s. That program “educated over 1000 bright young East Africans who went on to become their countries leaders in post-independence.” One of the graduates of the Airlift program was an academically motivated young man from Nyanza Province in Kenya named Barack Obama Sr., our President’s father.

Zawadi girls are taught that they have an obligation to their own country, and that their opportunities should eventually bring renewed opportunity back to their country in hopes of advancing the future of Africa, one educated woman at a time. Girls from disadvantaged backgrounds are targeted in hopes that they will help to diminish the pronounced rich-poor gap that characterizes many economies throughout Africa.

I believe that Zawadi Africa is an incredible organization and I am inspired by their efforts.

I was invited by the Chairperson of Zawadi Africa (who also happens to be the Chairperson of KAWBO, my host organization) to attend this training because one of these extraordinary girls is headed to Yale. That’s right, this young woman from a disadvantaged home in rural Kenya is headed to one of the most competitive undergraduate programs in the United States.

She and I spoke extensively about campus life, Yale classes and what she can expect from the Yale community. I insisted that she come over to have dinner at my house in New Haven whenever she’d like, and she promised to make chapatti for me (a delicious Kenyan flat bread).

I was able to offer some advice to the group of girls about undergraduate life in America, and general cultural/social norms. Many of them have preconceived notions about Americans and fraternity/sorority life. I shared with them a story about a guy I know who ended up being arrested while running around his campus naked as a result of his fraternity exploits (cough cough, my brother Noah, cough cough). I shared that story more as a warning of the potential ridiculousness of Greek life, but I also emphasized the value that it can have for forming a sisterhood and a sense of belonging and family when one is far from home.

All American cultural quips aside; these girls are embarking on an amazing journey. Undoubtedly, Zawadi Africa has offered these girls an extraordinary opportunity.

My question is; are the opportunities awarded to the Miss Kenya competitors comparable to those awarded to Zawadi girls? I assume most would say they are not. The pageant contestants are selected because of their beauty and adherence to a certain size requirement; Zawadi girls are selected because they have excelled academically, often despite the very limited academic resources afforded to them as children. The pageant contestants are given the opportunity to compete on an international stage, though all but one will return to their respective homes and schools after the Miss Kenya competition in August. The Zawadi girls are being sent all over the world, they will be attending excellent academic institutions, and they are being prepped to become leaders in their countries.

But isn’t an opportunity an opportunity? Perhaps it’s not fair to even compare Miss Kenya and Zawadi Africa; they are very different organizations, with very different intentions. If the Miss Kenya Competition purported to be a non-profit organization with purely development intentions than the comparison would be more founded. I think that I make the comparison in my head because I was inspired by the girls in both groups; they are all idealistic and hopeful and they all deserve to believe that they can excel and move beyond the confines of what they know. They all deserve opportunities.

Perhaps, a comparison is founded in that they are both reflective of the growing impact of globalization. The same international community that favors a Western education similarly produces a culture of voyeuristic reality television shows and beauty queens. Perhaps it’s not my place to judge whether one or the other is more in keeping with universal ideals. Perhaps, an opportunity is an opportunity.

Meet Hilary, An Eagle Woman
8:29 am 1 Comment
While working as the Program Director for Women in Law and Development in the Volta region, Hilary became aware that many problems faced by women had a strong base in their economic vulnerability. Without a position of economic stability, many women were forced to remain in unhealthy domestic situations with little hope of escape. In Hilary’s effort to find a nexus between human rights, women’s economic empowerment and development, she began collaborating with Vital Voices in 2009. Following her participation in the Cape Town Conference “Leveling the Playing Field”, Hilary initiated the program “Women on the Move”, a yearlong program in Ghana aimed at empowering young entrepreneurial women.

As co-founder and Rector of the Law Institute, the first vocational law facility in Ghana, Hilary trains young advocates in legal studies that include coursework in criminal, land, family, and human rights law. In the courses that Hilary and her associates lecture on, a point is made to infuse a gender dimension into curriculum, ensuring that students understand the importance of registering their business, for example, or that they have knowledge of family law and how to protect themselves. Hilary believes that with the knowledge and support system that The Law Institute can provide young women, they will then be able to have the boldness needed to launch into entrepreneurship.

With an impressive background in human rights law, entrepreneurship and women’s economic empowerment, Hilary adds to EWEC Board’s already eclectic mix of competencies a very powerful skill set. Together she hopes EWEC will be a driving force in changing policy, encouraging women, and positioning the hub of the ABWN to better understand the way women do business across the west African region and Africa.

A Living Saint
July 28, 2010 12:06 pm 2 Comments
It takes incredible passion and commitment to human rights and social justice to do the kind of work that Hakijamii does. Nearly every day the staff is in the office before I arrive and stays after I leave. Each member deserves a separate blog entry, but for length’s sake I will highlight one of them here. Louis has written about Odindo Opiata, Hakijamii’s director, in his latest blog entry.

I have been lucky enough to spend much of my time here with Marcy Kadenyeka, the Community Officer at Hakijamii. She is one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met. Though she is constantly busy acting as a liaison between Hakijamii and its community partners, often staying late into the night to finish her work, she never turns me down if I ask her for help (which is very, very often). She has truly acted as a mentor to Louis and me.

Originally from the Western part of Kenya, Marcy moved to Kibera, Nairobi in 1989. Since her arrival in Nairobi, she has been a leader in mobilizing marginalized communities, mainly from the people’s settlements (slums) of Nairobi. Having witnessed atrocities and substandard conditions in the settlements, including 6 people killed during tribal and political clashes in 2001, she wishes to be an agent for change in progressing toward a more equal world. A victim of domestic violence herself, she has provided assistance to countless women including the implementation of a support group for rape victims following the 2007 post-election violence. Despite only completing a primary education, she speaks 7 languages and is one of the fastest learners I’ve ever met.

She was elected as the chairperson for Nairobi People’s Settlement Network (a community partner of Hakijamii) when the organization was founded in 2005. Beating out candidates with university degrees, Marcy was hired at Hakijamii in 2009, an accomplishment she attributes to her spirit and experience with communities. At Hakijamii, Marcy feels that she is working toward her vision of a world where men, women, youth, and children can join together to access justice.

Marcy is the type of person that sees the best in everyone and brings out the best in everyone. If you go to lunch with her, she will insist on buying it despite having 5 children to provide for by herself. Often she surprises her co-workers with goodies like roasted corn and chocolate she bought from a street vendor. Many times I have heard her say, “[so and so] is a living saint,” to describe various people she knows. Indeed, I think anyone who knows her would agree that she, in fact, is the living saint.

Marcy’s personality and passion cannot be captured in words; meet her in this short video interview. Here she discusses the difficulties she has faced living in the slums, what problems are still going on, and what hopes she has for the future.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiLMBECuR9Q

Odindo Opiata
7:16 am 1 Comment
Odindo Opiata started Hakijamii in 2004 as a continuation of his work as a human rights lawyer at Kituo Cha Sheria in order to provide longer term support to communities than litigation alone allows. He holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and has attended numerous human rights trainings. He has long been involved in human rights activism, including Kenyan democracy struggles, serving three years in prison from 1986-1989 as a dissident under Kenya’s one-party state. He believes in empowering communities by informing them of their rights, assisting them with their day to day struggles, and complementing what they are already doing with new skills and evidence-based work. Opiata envisions that the work of Hakijamii and its partners will help ingrain a deep respect for human rights into the minds of all people so that someday every human being will see their right to equality and justice fulfilled.

Mr. Opiata multitasking at Hakijamii's office

Those that have met with Mr. Opiata have seen his drive and enthusiasm for advocacy work. His passion and dedication has allowed many people to join the cause, with Hakijamii, to make basic human rights a reality for all. His hard work over the years has improved the lives of countless people and we should all be grateful for the time and effort he has put into making Kenya a better place. If more people follow his example I’m sure that Kenya and the world will see a brighter future.

Watch the video below to learn more about the life Mr. Opiata, Hakijamii, and his hopes for a better Kenya:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lopp0o4waG0

South Kivu Travel Agency
July 27, 2010 10:54 am Leave a Comment
This evening, I returned home from my most recent series of planning meetings with AP’s DRC partner, SOS Femmes en Danger (SOS FED). This time, our meetings were logistical in nature, as we are currently organizing a large meeting/training session/organizational update for the SOS FED staff and have to figure out how exactly to get the staff from each SOS FED reception center to Mboko village in South Kivu to rendez-vous. SOS FED currently has 3 reception centers for survivors of sexual violence in South Kivu spread throughout the province in the villages of Mboko, Kikonde, and Kazimia.

300 kilometers of no roads and questionable security conditions through numerous rebel-held villages separate Center Kazimia, the southernmost from the SOS FED installation, from the northernmost Center Mboko. The SOS FED village field workers are preparing to arrive by a confusing combination of motorcycles, boats, and transport lorries normally reserved for corn and manioc in order to get to our meeting on the 2nd of August to speak face-to-face and truly begin putting the ‘Combating Sexual Violence in Eastern Congo’ campaign into action.

So, next time you are considering the horrible inconvenience of your two hour layover in Indianapolis or even your ten hour wait in Addis Ababa en route to somewhere else, consider the following itinerary for our SOS FED representative working in Kazimia, South Kivu:

1. Take the dugout pirogue from Kazimia towards Yungu. Estimated time of travel is anywhere between 5 hours and 2 days, depending on the load of fish being ferried and the availability of gas in Kazimia to power an unpredictable outboard motor. The captain of the ship has failed to sympathize with our plea to get our colleague to Yungu in time to meet and thus can’t even guarantee the day he might be on his way. Quote: ‘When gas costs $3/liter, we can’t really move without the boat being full of fish to sell to pay our way back. So, I’ll send a message once we get enough fish.’ This is more than understood by everyone on our end, but there are no cell phone networks in Kazimia, so we are unsure how the message will reach us.

2. Arrive at Yungu whenever, and get moving on foot towards Kikonde. Believe me, a 35 km walk is a lot slower when navigating around shady road blocks in mid-day Congo sun. In the event of a nighttime arrival our colleague will have to sleep at the port, because at night the road blocks get drunker.

3. Now, hitch a ride to Baraka, which is a city center in South Kivu, on board a motorcycle making the trip without a passenger. We’ve gotten lucky in the past with drivers from larger aid organizations on the lookout for an extra passenger or two and the ‘pocket money’ that service generates for them. And make haste, because real delays are to be expected at road blocks at Kikonde and on the outskirts of Baraka.

4. Finally, get yourself on a bus for the remaining 150km towards Mboko on any truck in sight moving north. Riding on top of bean sacks with 50 other passengers here is not to be ruled out, but don’t plan on a very cushy ride or even a seat for that matter. Also, everybody out on hills and on river crossings…

After all this, our colleague will be in Mboko with us, following between 2 days and a week of traveling. And, as I’ve seen with my own eyes many times, she’ll arrive in nice clean pagne (fabric), not a hair out of place, looking like she’s on the way to a wedding—at the same time mentally poised and ready to sort out a pretty complex program. It defies all logic, but then again the Congolese women are the toughest and most resilient I’ve ever been lucky enough to work with.

Ned Meerdink

The People’s Budget
4:56 am 2 Comments

Since 2007, Nairobi People’s Settlement Network (NPSN), in collaboration with other community groups,* has been holding an annual forum led by residents of the people’s settlements (slums) to prioritize the people’s needs and make recommendations to the Kenyan government on how to allocate the national budget. According to the People’s Budget, “[t]he primary responsibility of the government is to respect, protect, promote and fulfill all human rights of its citizens. To achieve this… the government must [enact] appropriate laws and policies as well as provide money and resources to address the basic needs of its citizens.”

A government’s commitment to fulfill basic human rights is determined by how it allocates its resources (national budget). It does not matter how just a constitution or laws are if the government does not provide the resources needed to put these laws into practice. Every government disperses resources through its annual budget and through this budget it becomes clear whom and what are valued by the government. Therefore, it is the belief of residents of the people’s settlements that the budget is a highly effective tool in improving their standard of living and claiming their rights.

Before the People’s Budget, most residents of the settlements had no platform to make their priorities heard by the government. The government would create the annual national budget with little input from the common Kenyan; projects that residents of the settlements found most essential to improving their quality of life were rarely funded. Nairobi People’s Settlement Network decided it was time for the people of the settlements to become more involved in the budgeting process and stop waiting for the government to solve their problems for them.

With the help of Hakijamii, residents of the settlements in Nairobi (and recently Kisumu) hold meetings to outline where the greatest need for government assistance lies within education, land and housing, food security, environment, economic and social empowerment, water and sanitation, health, and safety and security sectors. For the national budget to be properly utilized all citizens of the country, not just government officials, should play an active role in budget formulation. With input from the settlements the government can make a more informed decision on what, where and how money from the national budget should be spent.

See the following video to learn more about the People’s Budget:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB4oUawq6zI

Meetings have already begun in preparation for the next People’s Budget forum, scheduled for May of 2011. It is a long and arduous process, but it is worth all the time and effort. With the People’s Budget the residents of the settlements are one step closer to living a life with dignity.

*Though NPSN has been the most involved in the People’s Budget, other community groups have participated including Muungano Wa Wanavijiji, Kutoka Network, Kisumu Social Rights Association (KISORA).

Adventures in Masai Mara
July 26, 2010 2:54 pm 2 Comments
I will be posting a new blog entry later this week, for now I thought you might like to see a short movie that I made about my recent trip to Masai Mara. Enjoy!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1QskoE4P6w

The Advocates: Part II
July 23, 2010 5:43 am 3 Comments
Before our Digital Storytelling (DST) students could begin writing about their community and the issues that they see as affecting their quality of life, I asked them to think about or write up their own story. It was an opportunity for these youths to voice, for the first time, their own life experiences; the good, the bad, the tragic, the dark and the light. I’ve learned that a tremendous amount of empowerment and strength can be born from the slightest acknowledgment of past wrong-doings and struggles.

Below I have posted the narratives of our new DST students. One student (David) wrote his own while the others orally recounted their stories to me. I acknowledge this is a long blog, but I encourage readers to find some time here and there to meet these resilient kids and acknowledge the courage it took for them to share with the world the lives they live.

Grace Wanjiru

Grace is a 15-year-old girl born and raised in the Kiamaiko Slum. For the first ten years of her life she had a mother and father and several older sisters and brothers. Although poor, this first stage of her life had few remarkable events and in her telling of it, she says little more than that mentioned. In 2005, everything changed. Her father contacted malaria and died. In her own words, she says that her father’s death “feels like so long ago now.” Considering the tragic events about to occur to her and her family, this is understandable.

Before he died, Grace’s father was the only family member bringing in money for the household. After his passing, Grace’s teenage sisters became responsible for supporting their family and helping Grace go to school. To do so they took on odd jobs, mainly washing clothes. Her mother was unable to assist due to the fact that when her husband died she was 6 months pregnant with twins. Furthermore, besides having high blood pressure, Grace’s mother contacted TB and typhoid during her last months of pregnancy. Although they took her to the hospital for treatment, the cost was beyond their means and they were forced to bring her back home. When she gave birth to her twins, one, a girl, was stillborn while the other, a boy, managed to survive for 3 years.

Due to the family’s increasing level of poverty, Grace’s brother, out of need and idleness, became involved in petty crimes, including theft. One night, word reached the family that he had been shot and killed by the police. However no reason was given for the cause of the shooting. The news sent Grace’s mother back to the hospital due to her blood pressure but once again they could not afford the costs of care. On their way back to their home, they came upon the body of Grace’s brother, still lying in the street. After speaking with police, Grace’s sister discovered that her brother had not been caught in the middle of a crime or fleeing a scene. Rather, a police officer saw him, knew that he was a wanted criminal and shot him in the back.

At 15, Grace epitomizes her name with her soft manner of speaking and gentle approach to interacting with others. With profound gratitude she reiterates that her “sisters took care of everything for her, always providing her with what they could afford.” She dreams of one day finishing school and working in a hair salon with her sister. She says, “When I grow up, I want to help my mother…and if I have enough money I would like to help street children living in the slum.” In particular, Grace wants to work with and help advocate for slum youth who do not have parents through her Digital Storytelling blogs.

Sarah Janet

Sarah is a 15-year-old girl born and raised in the Huruma Slum. When she was three-years-old her mother passed away. Sarah’s father had been absent since her birth, so her grandfather took her to his village to care for her. Unfortunately, he did not have enough money to provide for the young child and decided to take her to her aunt’s home back in Huruma.

In Sarah’s words, her aunt “was not a good person. She did not like me. She took me [in as] a slave. [She] made me do a lot of work.” Sarah’s aunt did not want her to go to school because she did not have another girl (maid) to work in the house and to do the washing, cooking and retrieving water (an arduous task for any slum dweller). At the age of 5, Sarah was working day and night.

Sometimes, Sarah would tell her aunt that she wanted to go back to her grandfather’s house, but she would refuse in order to keep her free labor. Sarah would also ask to be taken to school but in response, her aunt would say that she would never take her to school because she was not her daughter, that she was too stupid, and that she was a maid first. When Sarah’s grandfather would come to visit Sarah, her aunt would pretend to love Sarah and treat her well. However, with a sharp warning look, Sarah knew she was not allowed to speak any hinting words to her grandfather about her treatment. Even when she kept her mouth closed, once her grandfather left, Sarah’s aunt would beat her and accuse her of speaking ill about her.

Some days, Sarah’s treatment by her aunt was beyond bearable. Occasionally she was forced to sleep outside in the chicken coop and constantly suffered severe beatings and no food. One day, Sarah was able to go see her grandmother (from different side of family) and told her she was being mistreated. In her own words, Sarah said: “I was very weak, like a tree with no leaves.” When Sarah’s aunt heard about this transgression she beat Sarah “like a pig.”

In 2005, at the age of 10, Sarah’s grandmother went to a headmaster of a nearby school and enrolled Sarah into Phase 1. However, Sarah’s grandmother did not have enough money for fees so she spoke to her husband about helping. Sarah’s grandfather went to visit Sarah and immediately saw how hungry, emaciated, weak and beaten she was. Her aunt could no longer hide her mistreatment. Her grandfather knew she could not stay there but no one was willing to take her in, they all said that Sarah was “not their problem.” So her grandmother and grandfather brought her to their home.

Sarah’s face lights up now when she talks about her grandmother. “She loves me and when I get sick she takes care of me. She saved my life. She says I am her daughter…I owe her my help now. When I grow up and get money I want to save my grandmother. I can make her happy…I will make her happy.” When she finished school, Sarah wants to become a hair dresser and dreams of her own salon. However she has other ambitions too. She wants to become a teacher “like the ones here [Mathare] because they are good to all children.” She wants to start a school that serves children without parents and who don’t have a good life. In her words, Sarah says “I don’t want other children to have a bad life like I did.”

For now, Sarah aims to focus her advocacy blogs for Digital Storytelling on the realities of growing up without parents for slums kids, and the ill treatment they endure at the hands of “family.”

David Odhiambo *Written in his own words

“My name is David Odhiambo. I am 15-years-old. I am Kenyan and I come from Siaya District in Uranga Division at Komenya [slum]. My story is about myself because I want people to know it. If people know [my story], it could help them.

When I was nine-years-old my dad and mom died in an automobile accident while on their way to Kisumu to visit my uncle. The ambulance was able to take them to the hospital but they died while the doctors were treating them.

After that, my aunt took me to her home to live with her. She said she would take care of me. But then she started to talk to me and treat me like her maid. She made me sell bananas, mangos, oranges, and lemons for her and when I went home at mid day I had to go graze the cows. She told me that I would not go to school to get an education because I am her maid for her home.

Three months later, my grandmother came to the house to visit me and see how I was doing. But I was sick with malaria [at the time] and so she took me to the hospital. After some time when the doctor had looked after me I started feeling better and then I was able to talk to my grandmother. She asked me how I was living with my aunt. I told her it was not good because I don’t go to school to get an education, I don’t have good clothes, and she treats me like her maid by making me wash clothes, house, plants, and look after her kids. My grandmother told me to go and prepare my things in a bag.

When she came for me, she and I went to my older brother’s house in Nairobi. When we were on the bus I saw many things beside the road. When we arrived in Nairobi, my brother told me he would take me to school and in the morning when I woke up he took me to buy a school uniform. However the fees for school were too high. Now I am at Undugu School in Mathare.”

David looks forward to becoming a motorbike mechanic once he finishes his education. He wants to go further in school but acknowledges that money will likely prevent this. He is very interested in writing his Digital Storytelling blogs on the environmental issues facing people in the slums. He observes that the slums have become a dumping ground for those who don’t live in the slums but rather in the nicer areas of Nairobi. And yet, the government refuses to offer trash removal services to these outskirts of Nairobi.

Whitney Owuor

Whitney is a very quiet and shy 13-year-old girl from the Dandora slum. Seven years ago, her mother and father died and she and her two sisters were made to live with their step-mother, whom her father had married and had several children with. She is still living there today.

In a statement that explains what is likely to follow, Whitney says that “[her stepmother] only likes her children. She makes us stepchildren work while her children play.” If Whitney and her sisters attempt to play with their friends, they’re beaten. If they go a far distance away to fetch water, they are accused of going to meet with boys and are beaten. When they try to explain to their Uncle the treatment they endure, he refuses to believe them and refuses to help.

Every day they wake up at 5:30am to begin the housework, which they must finish before they can go to school in Mathare. Their stepmother however only gives her children transportation money, forcing Whitney and her sisters to walk the long distance from Dandora to Mathare. When they return home, her stepmother has not made any attempt to cook, clean or wash in the house, so the girls continue their labor. They are able to go to bed around midnight, only to wake up in a few hours to repeat it all over again.

Whitney wants to be able to finish her education and find her “own work and make [her] own money.” She has a strong interest in working with computers and IT. At Digital Storytelling, Whitney is finally able to touch and work with a computer for the first time, and her eagerness is quite perceptive. In her blogs, Whitney would like to write about the suffering of slum children; their lack of food, education, and decent places to live. As she says, “these children can’t live happy.” From the glazed over look in her eyes, it seems clear that Whitney is including herself in that statement.

Justus Kanyingi

Justus is a tall, thin 15-year-old boy who speaks very little. He has lived in the Huruma slum for the past five years. Before he was even born, his father passed away. When asked if he knew how, he silently shakes his head indicating that is all the information even he has on the subject.

After his father’s passing, his mother arranged for Justus to go live in Huruma with his uncle who would likely be able to care for him better than she could. Justus explained that with his mother in the village, “there was not enough food for me.”

Unlike so many slum youths, Justus says that his uncle treats him very well and provides for him anything he may need. The two of them live alone in their small home in the slum and manage each day to find enough food to get by. When asked if he would ever like to return to his mother and his village, he shakes his head no, and says that he would much rather prefer to stay with his uncle.

Justus would like to receive mechanic skills training after finishing his education and looks forward to working on cars and matatus (buses). For his Digital Storytelling blogs, Justus would like to focus on environmental issues and sanitation concerns in the slums. He says in his near whisper voice, “things are not clean… [I] feel very bad.”

The Advocates: Part I
5:15 am 2 Comments
Allow me to ask you a question that every humanitarian organization is forced to consider on a daily basis: Which is more beneficial, offering physical care as a service provider or advocating to the local government on behalf of those who can’t do it for themselves? Is one more sustainable then the other? Does sustainability even matter when the most basic necessities of surviving one day are not being met? Where should people’s energy and limited money be directed?

If you are expecting an answer now, you won’t get it. Finding definitive and indubitable answers in the field of human rights is like searching for the missing half of a favorite pair of socks. An infuriating process that is likely to go on and on. However, for those in the field, the answer that most people derive is a constantly shifting compromise of the two options.

Undugu has been a service provider for street children for almost 40 years. However since 2008, they have begun a creative advocacy campaign that both highlights the struggles and mistreatment of street and slum youth as well as provides these youths with skills that could potentially elevate them into a better life. The Digital Storytelling Program (DST) takes a select group of street and slum youth and provides them with computer training skills as well as basic skills in photography and filming. With these tools, the youths write blogs and capture on film the struggle they face in their communities and in their homes. They open a window for the international community to peek into their dark corner of the world. They become their own advocate and the voice of their unheard generation. In the past two years the blogs have raised a variety of issues including: police harassment, drug use, environmental degradation, poor living conditions, abuse, and poverty. Past blogs can be found here: http://www.undugukenya.org/

Currently, I have begun a new DST program that is integrated within the Undugu informal schools in the slums of Nairobi. Located in a small classroom, five new students between 13 and 15-years-old are beginning to learn for the first time how to operate a computer, digital camera, and video recorder. These are all skills that almost every other slum child would never be able to receive and may help them obtain better jobs as they grow older. In addition, the students are learning about what human rights are, what advocacy means and how one can become a strong advocate for their cause and people. Imagine the experience of seeing a light go off in a young Kenyan youth’s mind when they understand that their government is “obligated” by international law to provide them with adequate shelter, food and education. It’s like watching Popeye eat a can of spinach to run and fight for his kidnapped prone love Olive Oil.

With three classes in the bag, our students are progressing quickly and eagerly. The thrill of touching a computer and camera for the first time is beginning to wane as they dig in to understand how these machines truly operate. With new notebooks in hand, each is responsible for keeping their eyes and ears open for the stories they need to report in their blogs. The students all have their own interest and we encourage them to focus on the causes closest to their hearts; be it the environment, abuse, or the loss of a parent.

Even though I am spending years within universities and thousands of dollars in student loans to work in the field of children’s rights and child protection, ultimately, the person who will be able to provide the most and do the most good will be the child him or herself…How is that for an answer?

Wimbiz Member Profile: Candy Agu
2:18 am 1 Comment

In the summer of 2006, Candy Agu was a successful IT Executive, but the desire to have more control over her career path compelled her to change course. The question of what entrepreneurial path to follow loomed large, however, until one night, when her son urged her to explore the toy and game industry through a dream. After much careful research, she decided to heed his advice and establish two separate, but connected, business entities in that precise sector.

The first, Party in a Box Limited, is a thriving party supply and gift retail outlet. The second, Adpete, is an educational toy and game manufacturer. When Mrs. Agu first launched Adpete in 2008, she soon realized that the country’s inadequate road network and power sector, would made it impossible for her to manufacture domestically and remain competitive, so she decided to outsource production abroad. Within the next five to ten years, however, she is hopeful that improvements in the country’s infrastructure will enable her company to begin domestic production.

Technical issues aside, Mrs. Agu’s gender has posed a unique set of challenges of its own. Given Nigeria’s fiercely patriarchal social structure, she has found that business women like herself often struggle to be taken seriously when it comes to negotiating and securing financing, for example. However for Mrs. Agu, the key to overcoming these hurdles has been to leverage the characteristics that set her apart from her male counterparts, such as her attention to detail, ability to multitask and manage effectively. From her perspective, once other female entrepreneurs learn to do the same, the tables have turned.

For more about how Candy Agu made it as a female entrepreneur in Nigeria, check out this video!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs_HUvdvIrI

A few thoughts on women in public spaces…
July 22, 2010 8:53 am 1 Comment
As I slowly get to know the members of the burgeoning Cameroon Businesswomen’s Network, its board members, and its staff (currently just Clemence, the Executive Secretary), I am also trying to gage what daily life is like for Cameroonian women. Yes, it differs from area to area, it differs based on socio-economic standing, and it differs along other lines, that can be drawn within every country on the globe. But I am nonetheless trying to get the women I speak to, from the President of CBWN’s own dental assistant, to the Executive Director of a development NGO, to describe their experience as a woman, in Cameroon.

I am of course then left with anecdotes, which do not amount to scientific research and/or data, and I am certainly no anthropologist. However, it is these anecdotes, and every conversation I have ever had with women of all nationalities and creeds, that keep me thinking at night.

One particular theme has been prominent for me, of late. Allow me to indulge.

I experience Cameroon as a white, Western woman. This means certain things for my every day existence. It means I am constantly having things hollered at me, from the innocent to the virtually pornographic. And when I say constant, I mean constant. It means I am inevitably approached if I dare sit anywhere by myself, with a book (although admittedly, women sitting alone here in public spaces is rare, unless she is selling something). It even means I have my arm grabbed from time to time.

Now, I grew up in South Asia –I am more than familiar with what it means to stand out and attract a great deal of (largely unwanted) attention. None of this is new (nor is it particular to Cameroon, of course). However, it is a phenomenon that more and more over the years has fed into how I experience the world around me, and is one I think worth mentioning. I also am very aware of the privilege that is associated with being a white, and namely American, woman in much of the world. I just find it…interesting that I can be simultaneously perceived as someone of a higher socio-economic status, and yet also worthy of being spoken to like either a zoo animal or an exotic dancer.

Clémence, another 26-year-old young woman, from Cameroon, experiences her home differently than I do (obviously). Tough as nails, Clémence has no problem navigating this city, at any hour of the day or night. If I were a guy, I wouldn’t mess with Clémence. That being said, she has told me stories, for example, of having been assumed to be a prostitute, if maybe eating at an expat-frequented restaurant, or seen talking to a white man. As she and I left a restaurant together recently, a man out front told her to go elsewhere to find ‘clients’. This apparently is not uncommon. Unlike me, whose temper and patience can be lost at times, Clémence takes this commentary in stride and tells me that I cannot stop people from ‘expressing themselves.’

But can’t we? I know that one of the complaints of the women working in market places here, is the way they are treated, and harassed by men, when trying to sell their produce. I know that women, in public spaces, the world over, are susceptible to all kinds of harassment, from the seemingly ‘innocent’ cat-calling, to physical or sexual assault.

I feel like this is an issue that is brushed aside. It is assumed that this is ‘just the way things are,’ or how men are programmed to operate, or perceived to be innocent bravado, etc. But I am not convinced that it is a non-issue, and I know that a great deal of men out there don’t appreciate it, nor do they want their own sisters/mothers/cousins/wives/girl friends spoken to in a demeaning or overly sexualized way (or worse, of course). So why is this still a part of most women’s daily existence, the world over? From Washington D.C to Douala?

These are just a few anecdotes. They don’t amount to much. But there isn’t a woman out there who isn’t familiar with what I am talking about. For most women, walking down the street is just DIFFERENT than a man walking down the street. Not always worse, just different. And instead of assuming that certain things are just the way they are, I am wondering if maybe we can’t start having a more frank conversation about what it would be like if I, or Clémence, could walk down a street, in any country, and not be treated like anything other than a living, breathing, dreaming, loving human being.

A living, breathing, dreaming, loving human being

A model for change: Anonymity, Remittances, and Ecuadorian line cooks
July 20, 2010 1:20 pm 1 Comment
I met with the owner of the 4^th largest travel agency in Kenya today, hoping that she would allow me to profile her for my blog and the ABWN newsletter. After explaining to her what the profile would entail and showing her several of the completed profiles of other members, she decided to decline my offer. She feels that she has reached a time in her life and career when she has less desire to publicize herself and boast of her successes and more of an interest in committing herself to others—through “actions, not words” (or photos or film for that matter).

In the spirit of her request for anonymity I will not reveal her name, nor her place of business. I will say that she inspired me—both in her commitment to support impoverished Kenyan girls and her disinterest in being praised or recognized for it. She has a vision of development for Kenya that is not dependent on external organizations but is reliant on the desire of the successful high-income earners of Kenya to give back to the villages where they came from.

This concept of “indigenous philanthropy” is a burgeoning concept in the development field—though it has been a dominant source of informal income maintaining the livelihoods of rural Africans for decades. Remittances (money generally sent from individuals in urban areas or the diaspora to family members in their home country or community) have long been a major source of income for many families in the developing world. When I worked as a waitress in New York City a few years ago I knew that my Ecuadorian co-workers were sending a large portion of their earnings home to support their parents, wives and children in Ecuador. In El Salvador remittances sent from family members in the US account for 18% of GDP. In Haiti, remittances account for nearly 30% of GDP. It’s as high as 45% in Tajikistan.

This trend leads me to wonder; can this culture of giving-back and this sense of obligation to your family be harnessed amongst the wealthy (or wealthier) in the developing world to promote poverty alleviation?

The owner of the travel business that I met with today feels that wealthier Kenyans have an obligation to give back; not only to their own families, but to their fellow country-men in general. For her part, she has chosen 10 young women from “up-country” to house, educate and employ in her business—a sort of experiment in empowerment. She feels that the greatest limitation to self-improvement for young Kenyans is a lack of access—not a lack of passion, interest or commitment. If these girls are given the opportunity to thrive, she believes they will do so, and inevitably delay marriage, pregnancy and financial dependency in the process.

I was invited to meet the 10 girls today, and found that they were quiet and timid; surely overwhelmed by the big city life in Nairobi and perhaps unable to fully comprehend the newly opened doors of opportunity ahead of them. Not unlike the Miss Kenya contestants that I wrote about last week, these girls come from a very different world than the one they currently find themselves in. They have been given an opportunity that most of their peers back in their villages will never have.

I asked this woman whether she would be willing to transcribe a plan, a model for her project that could perhaps be replicated by other well-meaning Kenyan women. She feels that she can do that, and that eventually she will. We discussed the value of support and inspiration coming from a fellow Kenyan, as opposed to the well-intended though perhaps less meaningful support that an outsider like myself could ever provide.

With each new woman that I meet, I am newly inspired to do the work that I do, and to continue to meet with more and more women. I would not expect to find any clear answers, but undoubtedly I’ve raised many new questions for myself and for others. And that is a good start.

*I don’t have photos of this woman, nor of her group of girls (out of respect for her request for anonymity). However I do have a few recent photos from my travels and work events, enjoy.

A Hotbed of Innovation
July 19, 2010 11:23 am 4 Comments
When most people hear the word slum, they imagine a place unsuitable for humans to live, raw sewage running down the streets, flying toilets, and tiny homes with rusty roofs crammed together. These images are all true, as can be seen any time one googles “urban slum photos.” What people don’t imagine is a “hotbed of innovation,” which was how a youth from Kibera described his home in a video he made for a TED talk, broadcast live from Oxford on July 15^th, 2010. For those unfamiliar with TED- Technology, Entertainment, Design- the nonprofit is dedicated to the spread of cutting edge ideas, holding various conferences featuring talks by some of the most innovative people today. Chris Anderson, TED curator, gave a talk on the phenomenon of Internet video in the proliferation of new ideas, showing the video made by local Kibera youth. After the video, the camera cut to the audience in Nairobi watching the broadcast, of which I was lucky enough to be a member.

How I became familiar with all this was the discovery of a new movie made about Kibera, in Kibera, with local actors and local musicians. It’s called Togetherness Supreme, and it has been screening in the Nairobi slums for the past few months. It is not yet available on DVD, as the makers have been submitting it to film festivals worldwide. I contacted the producer, Mercy Murugi, who graciously screened it for a group of about 20 people. The film is based on the true story of a man who got involved in the 2007 Kenyan election and the post-election violence that followed. It captures life in Kibera and Kenya- everything from ethnic tension, corruption, and the woes of street life to love, loyalty, and the vibrant culture of the slums. Truly a unique film and one to look out for in the U.S. soon!

Togetherness Supreme was produced by Hot Sun Films, started by director Nathan Collett. Hot Sun Films/Foundation also created the Kibera Film School, which trains youth from Kibera each year in film and television production. One initiative of the school is Kibera TV which produces local news reports for online viewing, providing stories difficult to find in the mainstream media. There are similar initiatives, such as Kibera News Network, started by Map Kibera, a project for Kiberans to create a digital map of the currently unmapped area.

Trailer for Togetherness Supreme:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUE2RMLFyWs

Projects like these are just a tiny glimpse of what is going on in the people’s settlements of Nairobi, and all over the world. Though Hakijamii is not directly involved in these technologies, the concept of creating awareness and promoting human rights through local agents is the same. Pamoja- together- through community efforts like these, positive change can happen.

To Speak of Being Left Behind
July 15, 2010 12:51 pm Leave a Comment
This past weekend Louis and I went to Garissa, the closest city to the Somalia in Kenya with a large Somali population, as well as a number of minority groups. According to Odindo Opiata, the Director of Hakijamii, the people living in this area are extremely marginalized, with few NGOs even working there. Much of the 10 percent of the country’s Muslim population lives in northeast Kenya.

Life here is worlds away from life in Nairobi. Dry, desert land is home to many pastoralists, camels roaming at every turn. The little agriculture that occurs must be done around the Tana River in Garissa. The small villages around Garissa town are spread out; houses are made of mud, many without electricity or running water.

Hakijamii is has just begun working with the community groups in this area, encouraging them to mobilize the same way as the Nairobi People’s Settlement Network in order to more effectively gain the government’s attention and claim their rights.

Though there are a number of community-based organizations (CBOs) in this area, we were able to meet with one, Nigateni, which was started by the Wailwana community (pop about 8,000). Nigateni, meaning “to speak” in the local language, was started when the community realized how far behind they were in development. “We have been left behind,” stated Ramadhan Divayu Babisami, the recently elected leader, or “king” as the community calls him.

During the few short hours we met with members of Nigateni, visiting their homes and watching traditional song and dance, the numerous problems they face became clear. In Kenya, the literacy rate is around 78%, though the locals in Wailwana estimated that their literacy rate was between 10 and 20%. Only one man from Wailwana had made it through university, ever. They recently sent the first woman from Wailwana to university, using pulled funds from members of Nigateni to pay for the school fees. Why is the literacy rate so low here? Once you make it past the 8^th grade, school fees skyrocket and most of the Wailwana community lives in poverty, subsisting on agriculture.

Additionally, one of the villages we visited in Wailwana is located right next to the Tana River. Villagers used to live along the river to have a water source nearby. From time to time, the river would flood and destroy crops and homes. The construction of dams for electricity proliferated in the 1980s, which exacerbated the flooding problem. Dam operators will open the flood gates as the water level rises, offering two days notice for farmers to pick up and move, leaving their crops and homes to be destroyed. The government has started relocating people due to the flooding, but so far has placed them on barren land in small mud houses with no electricity. At one of the relocation sites we saw, Sama Sama, residents were forced to walk 6 km or more each way to their crops and had no nearby water source.

Members of Nigateni are realizing they deserve basic human rights and are working to change their situation. The Wailwana community no longer wants to be “left behind” in terms of living conditions and access to basic services. Hakijamii hopes to bring the CBOs of the Garissa area, such as Nigateni, together so that they can create a strong network that will be heard across the country.

Halima, who serves on the Board of Directors for Nigateni, speaks of the the challenges that women face and what her hopes are for the community:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvZ1t3qkTno

**I would like to make a special note that The Advocacy Project was connected with Hakijamii through the Human Rights Advocates Program at Columbia University. Mr. Odindo Opiata, Director of Hakijamii, participated in the program and gained invaluable advocacy skills he was able to bring back to Kenya.

My journey to work each morning…
7:00 am 12 Comments
Over the past few months, many of you have inquired about some of the basics of my daily life in Ghana. Specifically, what I eat, how I get to work in the morning, or what the EWEC office environment looks like. In an attempt to give you a glimpse of my daily life, I’ve put together a short clip on my morning commute to work. As many of you know, my commute varies day-to-day and can consist of taking a taxi, a Tro Tro, walking or even all three means of transport.

This particular video will take you from my apartment in Osu to the EWEC office in Labadi. To give you an idea, a commute by taxi takes about 15 minutes while a commute in Tro Tro and taxi takes about 50 minutes. Fortunately, I live fairly close to the EWEC office and I do not face the 1-2 hour commute that most Ghanaians face each morning and afternoon. You’ll notice as I drive through the Labone neighborhood, the roads are wide, empty and lined with greenery. Living in such a central location is not feasible for the majority of Ghanaians.

As I mentioned in my previous post concerning Ghanaian Time, conducting business can be quite difficult when travel times are long and unreliable. A developing country faces a multitude of social, political and economical issues and like most businesses in Ghana, EWEC is often hurt by a lack of solid infrastructure here.

As Ghanaians like to say, however, “small, small” or one little step at a time. It’s a phrase I hear often and I believe it accurately depicts the determination of Ghanaians to push forward despite the many obstacles they are challenged by daily. I plan to devote an entire blog to the saying, actually, so keep your eye out for it!

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy a small taste of what my eyes see each morning on my way to work.

Thanks for reading and watching!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiAqY4BgiDs

Water and Sanitation is Basic Human Right
5:02 am 4 Comments
WASH United is a global campaign that uses the sport of football (soccer) to promote safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene for all. Its launch corresponded with the start of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa to take advantage of World Cup fever. WASH United’s campaign targets a wide range of groups from schools, youth football clubs and local communities to politicians, governments, civil society organizations and the media. By uniting all stakeholders, WASH United hopes to promote water and sanitation as a basic human right.

In Kenya, universal access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene is still far from being achieved. According to official figures, 76% of residents in Nairobi’s informal settlements do not have access to toilet facilities at household level. Instead many use open spaces or flying toilets (human feces placed in a plastic bag which is then thrown outside). Hand washing with soap can reduce the incidence of diarrhea by 35-50%, but only 5% of Kenyans use it consistently. Diarrhea-related diseases kill more Kenyan children under the age of 5 than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined.

It is crucial for Kenya’s development to have a well educated and healthy workforce to improve the struggling economy. Yet it is estimated that 50% of all hospital visits in Kenya are due to preventable water, sanitation, and hygiene related illnesses. These illnesses prevent children from attending school and adults from going to work. The need for clean water, bathroom facilities and for all Kenyans to wash their hands before eating and after going to the toilet are essential in improving the country’s economic and social well being.

On July 3, 2010, WASH United held an event in Raila, Kibera to teach children the importance of using a toilet and washing their hands. The event had many different activities for children to participate in. First was the World Toilet Cup game. The object of the game was to kick a poo ball (soccer ball) into a toilet or latrine to win a small prize. Another activity was the Blue Hand game which illustrates how germs spread. Some of the children had blue chalk on their hands while others did not. Both the children with blue hands and the children without blue hands formed a circle and tossed a ball to one another. After the game the children that originally didn’t have blue hands noticed that their hand were blue. The last game was the charcoal game where children washed charcoal off of their hands to learn how to properly wash their hands so that they were germ free. After they were done washing they wiped their hand on white paper towels to see if they had got their hands completely clean.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66UpbcQ1_08

Brenda, a student at Olympic Primary School in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, speaks about what she learned at a WASH United event on July 3, 2010.

With the help of groups like Hakijamii WASH United hopes that individuals, communities, and the government will increase their efforts to make safe water, sanitation and hygiene available to all. Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said that access to safe drinking water and sanitation is a fundamental human need and therefore, a basic human right. With campaigns like WASH I am hopefull that someday soon everyone will have access to this basic human right.

a pageant tangent
July 14, 2010 8:44 am 5 Comments
I had the unique opportunity 2 nights ago to observe and lend a hand to the Miss World Kenya competition. The contestants are aged 18-25 and they were selected from over 3000 applicants to represent their country in hopes of eventually becoming Miss World 2010.

They are all beautiful at the cusp of fame and international notoriety.

In contrast to previous years, the Miss World Kenya competition of 2010 is modeled off of American pageants; girls will not be judged on looks alone but on their personalities, their work ethic, and their ability to be a team player. Contestants are expected to choose a social issue that they would advocate for if selected as Miss Kenya, and they are trained on the values of poise, cultural respect and civic responsibility.

The organizers of the event are motivated to create something new—not just a singular event that produces a Miss World competitor, but a culture of confident young women and a community of socially responsible peer leaders.

I have decided, as long as I continue to have the permission of the pageant organizers, to incorporate profiles of the pageant and it’s contestants with my broader advocacy work. The 20 remaining contestants (2 are eliminated each week) are representative of all regions of Kenya. Many of them had never been to Nairobi before this competition and as of last week and for the remaining month they will be living together in a house and starring in a reality show about the competition.

I walked in as a stranger and I was amazed at the extent to which they welcomed me into their community; the contestants, the organizers, even the make-up artists and hair stylist were generous enough to let me interrupt their work with questions and photographs.

I look forward to following their stories, I hope you will too.

A Matter of Perspective
7:57 am 2 Comments

I’ve never been very good at portraying my first impressions of people, places or things. Why? I think there are two explanations, really: 1) I tend to skim over details that are essential to painting a vivid picture of some place or someone, and 2) My eyes naturally gravitate toward commonalities and similarities more so than difference.

This shortcoming has complicated my work here significantly. Finding a way to portray the reality of daily life here is an important aspect of my fellowship, but I’ve struggled to find the right perspective.

The problem is, the country of Nigeria in general, and the city of Lagos in particular, are far from one dimensional. Yes, to be clear, there is unspeakable poverty here and living and working conditions even the most downtrodden westerner couldn’t possibly imagine, but the thought of perpetuating this image of Africa unsettles my stomach. The explanation for why is complicated.

First of all, like all other outsiders drawn into this community, I’m blown away by the poverty and deprivation here and feel an obligation to share my experiences with those back home.

But as a Nigerian myself, I’m hesitant to play the role of expatriate voyeur, peering into the impoverished lives of helpless, hopeless Africans.

During my first trip back in 2006, I remember welling up at the sight of street children selling snacks and household odds-and-ends on the side of the road. In every child’s face, I saw my own. The fate that could have easily been mine if not for an accident of birth. So to photograph them, expose their vulnerabilities to the world, feels unthinkable. Despite the fact that, in many ways, they are the face of Africa.

The question is, whose story do you tell?

The women I’ve interacted with through Wimbiz in particular are some of the most intelligent and successful I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Tapping into their brilliance is the key to developing Africa, as far as I’m concerned. Yet strangely, part of me feels that by sharing their stories, I’m painted an unrepresentative picture of the continent. Exposing a side of it the rest of the world seems reluctant to recognize: the flourishing, resilient side.

For example, in my blog post “Patience is a Virtue,” I went into great detail describing a couple of the greatest challenges to doing business here. Yet, as much as I am blown away by these obstacles, what I find most shocking is the extent to which people here are able to work around them. The extent to which they don’t seem to get in the way of people living their lives, or accomplishing their goals. Furthermore, given that all of my previous trips to Nigeria were to the quaint city of Ibadon, my hometown, I often find myself impressed by Lagos. The level of public services and infrastructural development here, far surpass those of several other Nigerian cities I’ve visited. Yes, in several respects this city is still hopelessly underdeveloped, but the more time I spend here, the less inclined I am to focus on its inadequacies.

I’ve come to the conclusion that it is just as important to highlight the successes of the this place, as it is to draw attention to its shortcomings. In an effort to do just that, I’ve posted the first of a series of short videos I plan to produce on Wimbiz “Success Stories.” I hope you find it inspirational, I certainly did!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtYi-2750sk

A video on Fulera…
July 13, 2010 6:23 am 2 Comments
A few blogs previous, I introduced everyone to Fulera, an Eagle Woman. Take a look at Fulera live on camera below.

Thanks for watching!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCJwUO5xOg8

Notes to Self (and a Snowsuit)
July 12, 2010 2:52 pm Leave a Comment
I’ve been delinquent in my blogging. After an enlightening few days, capped off by the senseless and tragic bombing of two Kampala gathering places, I haven’t known what to say.

Here are some of the themes of the last week or so in no particular order.

1. Africa, in this case Uganda, is more than we think we know. What seems like a distant drama — complete with kinte cloth costumes, tales of child sacrifice, militant tribalism and inhumane poverty — is real. When we criticize a government, when we discredit someone’s qualifications, when we scorn a way of life, we are dismissing people with a history that is astoundingly rich and strongly rooted. This is difficult to truly grasp without actually being here.

2. Women are human too. Those of us working to promote gender equality and support women’s empowerment can sometimes give the impression that women are a cure-all; that women are, by their very nature, less corrupt, more democratic, less selfish and generally more fair.

This is, of course, false. Gender equality is for better or for worse. In the past week, a new friend and once respected employee of a Ugandan non-profit was accused of embezzlement. Whether or not she is guilty is not entirely the point. The point is, for all my expectations of corruption and cheating and theft, I did not imagine the perpetrator would look like me. But when women rob strangers, take up arms, deny other women rights, and generally engage in acts that are considered ‘male-dominated’, this is also empowerment. For better or for worse.

3. Whose ownership? Modern development practitioners are more aware of the importance of local ownership of development efforts. That means we play supporting rather than leading roles. So I did not expect that the West would be idealized and generalized to the point of complete inaccuracy. I’ve heard, “In the UK, there is no class division.” “In the US, there is no police corruption.” “Things were better when white people taught us English.” (Better for whom?) Now it seems as if doing things the Ugandan way means doing things the Western way, and doing things the Western way means doing things the Ugandan way. Confusing.

Finally, 4. Insecurity is indiscriminate. A loud crash woke me late last night, but I assumed I was imagining things. The sound of sudden destruction, the sight of bodies being carried away, and the shock on survivors’ faces might be familiar scenes for someone who has been in New York, Port-au-Prince, Moscow, Madrid, London or other major cities on a particular day at a particular time. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to get easier. I was personally not hurt, nor was anyone close to my new friends and colleagues (as far as we know at time of writing). Many others were, and I grieve with them.

**********************

A man lugs supplies while wearing a snowsuit. Kampala's weather is surprising mild at this time of year, particularly compared to recent heat waves in much of North America.

Zohra: from local design to international department store
10:19 am 6 Comments
Zohra Baraka started Mohazo over 20 years ago and has successfully grown her company from a small-scale handicrafts distributor to an “African lifestyle brand” exporting to retailers in the United States, Japan, Greece, Italy and the United Kingdom. Her success exporting handmade baskets, soap stone sculptures and wooden masks to international retailers has demonstrated that an innovative perspective on African crafts combined with the benefits of an increasingly globalized economy can lead to lucrative partnerships.

Mohazo’s products first emerge as an idea from their full time designer in Nairobi, which is then communicated to suppliers employing female and male artisans in rural villages throughout Kenya. The expertly produced wares are then packed onto containers and shipped around the world until finally they arrive on the display tables of a TJ Max in your average American suburban town.

This chain of production and distribution is a great source of pride for Zohra. Mohazo has provided a market for many rural producers offering these craftspeople (mostly women) an opportunity to envision distribution beyond their villages and, according to Zohra, “realize their potential” for success.

It was in 1994 that Mohazo had its first big breakthrough when a Japanese company placed an order for 5000 hand-woven baskets—leading Zohra to start a woman’s cooperative and employ 250 women to fill the order. Zohra continues to support this original group of women, and sends them orders as often as possible. “In the long run my vision is to have at least 1000 women on board,” Zohra proclaims. “I am a female chauvinist…I give the women priority (in regards to selecting suppliers and craftspeople) because I say, with us Africans, if a woman gets money, the whole family will eat.”

In regards to the future of Mohazo, Zohra feels that “the sky’s the limit.” Undoubtedly she will continue to expand her market, diversify her products and employ more and more women. “We want to be the best company selling handicrafts in this region…that is our vision.”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WFCJPBZqcQ

Back to work in Congo & Sange village
5:36 am Leave a Comment
I arrived last week to Uvira, South Kivu, in order to participate in a marathon of surprisingly exhausting meetings with SOS FED field workers concerning the current rape prevention program they have partnered with AP on. The journey to Congo from Bujumbura was much the usual-annoying slow and marred with checkpoints. However, a shocking event occurring on the road into Uvira the previous week had forced me to prepare a bit for the chaos that often ensues when working in and around South Kivu, Congo. This blog, consequently, is much more about this event than the content of the meetings we held in Uvira.

Last week, a gas truck coming into town overturned on the ever-perilous excuse for a road into Uvira. The truck flipped near Sange village, which is just outside Uvira, and was reportedly trying to make good time to Uvira to avoid driving at night when the road fills with armed groups and road blocks. As many Congolese in the area of the truck converged to collect the valuable gas spilling from the ruptured tanker, the spill ignited and burned possibly 300 people to death. Many of those burned to death were not interested in the pillage of the spilling gas, but were simply watching World Cup matches on generator-powered television sets in the thatch hut bars which offer the ‘nightlife’ in any Congolese village. An exploding tanker, however, does not discriminate and a large portion of the densely populated village was reduced to ashes.

The estimates of the death toll are imprecise, but the fall-out since the original accident has been drastic as Uvira has no medical facilities equipped to deal with burn victims, and no space to keep them out of the dust and dirt. A nurse from SOS FED working in Sange temporarily commented that the death toll could easily double due to the likeliness of burn victims not killed by their wounds developing untreatable infections. He also mentioned the difficulty in counting the dead, as ‘…young kids and those closest to the truck when it exploded were just ash by the time the fire died down a bit.’ Some burn victims were sent to the already over-burdened hospitals in Bukavu, the provincial capital, but the majority of burned civilians have to make do with local services and occasional visits by Médecins Sans Frontières mobile clinics and other NGOs helping out where they can. You’ll find a recent report of the incident here.

In a place where a liter of gas’s value is a lot more than most people’s daily income, one can understand the lure of spilling gas quickly absorbing into the sand. I immediately thought of the situation a lot of people in Sange might have been in at the time and the difficult decision to be made. The opportunity to grab an empty US AID oil can and join in on a classic ‘victimless crime’-especially in order to assure another week’s meals-might be too hard to resist. In this instance, small-time theft had tragic repercussions for an area of the world which has already seen its share of tragedy.

IDPs (Internally Displaced People) on the road out of Sange village ahead of CNDP/Kimia II advances last year. This family actually ended up living in the house next to mine in Uvira for a few months.

Ned Meerdink

Video Interview with Mme. Ebene on YouTube
July 11, 2010 1:10 pm Leave a Comment
My first video interview/profile is up on the new CBWN YouTube site. It is of Jacqueline Ebene, the founder of MERENSO who I wrote about in a previous entry. I hope you all enjoy it!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vvKZAd39Ao

Introducing: Olive Fonjeu Fokou
July 9, 2010 9:07 am Leave a Comment
After attending the ‘Ecole Supérieure des Sciences, Economiques et Commerciales’ (ESSEC) in Douala, Cameroon in 1990, Mme. Olive Fonjeu Fokou quickly found work as a financial controller, followed by four years as a sales marketer for an insurance company. During those same years, she became increasingly aware of, and concerned by, what was ultimately an economic and social crisis in Cameroon. There were many who took to the streets to express their dissatisfaction with the status quo, and what struck Mme. Fokou in particular was the role of the youth in this civil strife. However, she felt that these very youth lacked the social education and means to advance their causes.

It was shortly thereafter that Mme. Fokou founded AMCODE, and immediately began to involve herself amongst various governmental Ministries in an attempt to uncover just what programs existed to socially educate the youth, including young women. In 1995, the issue of HIV took center stage and for the next nine years AMCODE took part in trainings, seminars and programs for the youth on this very issue, partnering with the government, as well as international organizations such as GTZ and UNICEF.

When funding was limited, Mme. Fokou managed to oversee various revenue generating activities, the longest standing of which has been the selling of honey, which after fourteen years, she continues today.

Over the course of the last few years, AMCODE has expanded its mandate from a focus on the education of youth, and awareness-raising around HIV/AIDS, to include such areas as the environment, local governance and gender; and it is through such associations as the CBWN that Mme. Fokou envisions a further expansion of AMCODE’s wide-reaching programs.

Olive Fonjeu Fokou

A Place of Safety
3:16 am 4 Comments
While roaming around Kenya, the sight of skinny ragged street children becomes numbingly common. After some time, you may find yourself instinctively looking away, walking a bit faster to avoid their eyes, and responding to their pleas for food and money with a rapid “na, pole” (no sorry). At Undugu however, staff members, volunteers, and older street youths seek out these young children to help reintegrate them with their families or take them to Undugu’s Rehabilitation Center in Kitengela (approx. 40 min outside of Nairobi). This Center acts as a temporary transition shelter, whose number one task is to reintegrate these children back into a safe home and into school. Occasionally sometimes, the child’s situation makes this almost impossible.

On a recent visit, I was able to interview several street boys about their lives and future aspirations. The details behind these brief stories are devastating and I lack the space to go into them in detail here. All of these boys are unable to be reintegrated due to having no known living relative or one that will agree to take them in. However, what is most important is for readers is to witness these kids’ strength, resilience, and charm. If you would like to learn more about them please just reply. Also, there are no girls interviewed for several reasons, mainly being that there were only 3 at the Center, two were deaf and one had severe mental disabilities. However, I must say that learning Kenyan Sign language with them was a wonderful treat!

Although I was able to film my visit at Kitengela, my blog is not allowing me to upload the video clips. For the time being I have pictures and the translated transcripts posted. If the technology fairies help me out, I will post the videos shortly. Apologies!

Patrick Muendua

My name is Patrick Muendua. I am 11-years-old

What made you take to the streets?

I was big headed…I wasn’t listening, I refused to listen. I was leaving and at times I would come back [home].

By saying you weren’t listening, what did you mean?

By not being obedient to my parents.

How long have you been on the streets?

One year

From the time you came to the rehabilitation center, have there been any differences to living on the street?

Yes

How?

Eating, Bathing, we have everything. We play futbol, we have a very big field.

What would you love to do in the future to better yourself as an individual?

I want to work

What about education?

I want to study and be a pilot.

Paul Chegue

My name is Paul Chegue. I lived at a place called Banana…my mother passed on and I was staying with my dad. My dad took us to our grandmother’s place and my uncle would beat us…until he chopped off my finger and I was rushed to Kiambu hospital for treatment…and then I took off to the streets.

When you took to the streets, how did you come to meet USK staff?

I met one of the USK teachers and he asked if I would love to go back to school and I said yes.

Is there any difference between USK and street life?

Yes

How?

We play futbol, we eat, shower and we are able to sleep comfortably. And…like in the streets…we never sleep comfortably…no food, just begging.

Would you like to better your life to be self-reliant? How would you like to change [your life]?

I would like to go for a mechanic course and when I’m through I would like to assist my other siblings.

Bran Louie

My name is Bran Louie. I come from Gudurai 44. I am 10-years-old.

What made you take to the streets?

My dad and mom passed on when I was very small…and the neighbor came to my rescue and she took me in. She took me to school. And one day I woke up and found that she was dead. She was stabbed with a knife.

How did you come to USK?

I took a long walk and came across a certain boy whom I explained everything that had happened and he took me to his father. I explained to them how my parents had died and the woman who had taken me in. I spent that night at their place and the following day the father of that boy took me to Kasarani police station. They took me to the kids department and then I was relocated to the USK rehabilitation center.

Since you have arrived at USK, have there been any changes in your life?

Yes, here I am able to eat, shower, sleep well and read.

What do you want to do in the future to change your life?

I would love to be a musician.

Brian Omega

My name is Brian Omega. I am 15-years-old.

How did you start your street life?

We were born, two of us, my sister and I, and after the passing on of my dad and mom, we stopped [our] schooling. I lived with my elder sister for 1 ½ months and thereafter she took off. I decided I couldn’t stay there alone and that’s when I left home.

After leaving your place, where did you go to?

I took a bus going to Nairobi. After reaching Nairobi, I started looking for food from begging. I was forced to do odd jobs so that I could afford a plate of meal. Thereafter I took to Mutura Market* and I stayed there for five years.

How did you come to know USK organization?

There’s a teacher from Undugu who asked us if we would love to be assisted and I accepted. She took our names then she came for us the following day.

Since you came to the USK rehabilitation center, have you noticed any difference compared to life on the street?

Yes, here in Undugu I’m able to read, eat, shower, sleep comfortably without being disturbed…and like…street life…there is no peace. You’re beaten anytime. At times you go on empty stomach.

What would you love to do in the future to be self-reliant?

I would like to go for a mechanic course so that I would be able to assist my family.

As a personal note, I found it incredible that many of these boys talked about “taking care of their families” when all of them either lacked one or were told by their families that they were unwanted. Further, no child expressed anger or frustration for their circumstances and some even placed the blame on themselves despite their abusive pasts. Their perseverance and hope for the future is infectious, and for me, leaving this quiet tucked away compound at the end of the day was tremendously difficult.

Introducing: Marguerite Limagnack Miko, President of CBWN
July 8, 2010 2:13 pm Leave a Comment
Dr. Marguerite Limagnack is currently the President of the Cameroon Businesswomen’s Network, based in Douala. The road leading up to this Presidency has been a long and busy one. After receiving her formal training in France, Marguerite Limagnack became Dr. Limagnack, a dental surgeon and epidemiologist. Shortly thereafter, she spent three years in Germany, during which time she was also the Managing Director of a gender project on dental health. Here you will get a best dentist Eugene OR for quality service. Visit https://urbansmileschicago.com/ for the best dentist in the Chicago. You might not know it, but the procedure for placing dental implants is quite similar to the procedure for placing dentures. While dental implants do necessitate surgery, it can be performed under anaesthetic in the comfort of your own dentist’s office. Dentures frequently require surgery to rectify abnormalities in the mouth before they can be worn, which you may not be aware of. Depending on the state of your mouth, tooth extractions or other procedures may be necessary in both circumstances. The most significant advantage of implant dentistry Pflugerville over dentures is that they provide a permanent solution to tooth loss.

Once back in Cameroon, Dr. Limagnack founded her own dental practice in June of 2000. She also then became the founder and President of SMILE, an association which trains female dental assistants to work in mobile dental clinics. Since January of 2007, SMILE has trained 20 such dental assistants, and each year SMILE sensitizes and screens around 2,000 people. Dr. Limagnack also actively takes part in preventative health campaigns in primary schools, in the poorer areas of Cameroon, and is currently campaigning for a project that would make quality dental health care affordable to everyone.

In 2000, Dr. Limagnack formed BORMAR Ltd, an organization that produces publicity materials for companies, and along with her husband, an agro-engineer, she is establishing an integrated development farm that helps small neighborhood farmers improve revenue. Furthermore, as a board member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cameroon, she organizes meetings and discussions with top CEOs in country around the issues of importance to their various businesses.

Finally, Dr. Limagnack is on the board of a magazine called ‘Héra,’ written for Cameroonian, and African women alike, which addresses issues of both a professional and personal nature.

CBWN finds itself in good hands, and will undoubtedly continue to grow with Dr. Limagnack’s guidance.

Dr. Marguerite Limagnack Miko

Patience: Both a virtue, and an entrepreneur
July 7, 2010 5:09 pm 1 Comment
Patience Nyaoga is the owner and managing director of Tintoria, a laundry company that provides dry cleaning services to individuals and businesses throughout Nairobi. Armed with an MBA from Nairobi University and a commitment to addressing a “gap in the market” Patience has successfully built Tintoria into one of the most prominent laundry service providers in Nairobi. With 50 employees and a fleet of delivery vehicles Patience provides dry cleaning services to various hotels, international organizations and corporate offices throughout the city. Well melodyeotvos can guide you more better on this. The executive services that she offers to individual customers cater to the burgeoning middle class of Kenya—maintaining a level of quality and high standards that has resulted in a loyal and growing customer following.

Despite her many successes Patience is very conscious of her role as a woman in business, and acknowledges the challenges that she and most Kenyan women face in a developing economy. She notes that women often lack access to collateral and as a result they are unable to access the finance needed to grow their businesses. “People don’t take you as seriously as they should because they probably think you don’t have the capability.” Patience is confident that upcoming policy reforms in Kenya combined with supportive networks of women in business (like KAWBO) have the potential to improve the status of women in Nairobi and strengthen the country as a whole. Although she acknowledges that women in business have a long way to go, Patience also emphasizes that the potential is enormous; “it’s possible, it can be done with focus, determination and setting out the right goals for yourself. It’s possible.” Patience, as they say, is a virtue.

Watch my video profile of Patience below:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAFWQS8i6Gk

Meet Sheila – An Eagle Woman
9:00 am 2 Comments
When Sheila Bartel-Sam, CEO and founder of Platinum Technologies, walked into Ghana Oil two years ago, she was not prepared for what she would be asked to do. Impressed with Platinum Technologies proposal to set up electronic payments and improve upon customer experiences, Ghana Oil requested that Sheila set up a customer payment system within two weeks. Sheila was up for the task. As she recalls, it was the hardest two weeks of her life, “I am a very daring person. At the time, Platinum Technologies didn’t have any systems in place. I didn’t have anything.” Six years later and with over 25 employees, Platinum Technologies has gone from 6 payment locations to over 80 nationwide. Ghana Oil remains one of Platinum Technologies primary clients.

A self-starter with a natural talent in IT Technologies, Sheila’s keen sense for recognizing market needs led her to start Platinum Technologies in 2004. Over the years and following emerging market needs, Platinum Technologies has shifted from IT Training to providing corporate electronic payment services in the area of card program, loyalty management and services enhancing productivity and efficiency in payments. Moving forward, Sheila hopes to not only work with large corporations but also revolutionize the way Ghanaian organizations such as churches and schools collect payments.

One of Sheila’s greatest obstacles as a businesswoman in Ghana has been access to capitol. She is hopeful that in the future, women will have greater ease in obtaining sufficient capital to get their businesses off the ground.

Meet Fulera – An Eagle Woman
8:28 am 6 Comments
Several years ago, Fulera got off the bus in Accra with her daughter and 10 pesawas to her name. Through a great deal of perseverance and passion, today Fulera is the proud owner of an artisan business that she has operated out of her home since 2008. While the road has not been an easy one, an ever-growing client base and unique artisan designs have allowed Fulera’s business to experience a great deal of growth in the past two years.

Fulera prides herself on her unique designs that are made out of natural materials found across Africa. Traveling as far as Burkina Faso and Mali for leather, seeds, and beads, Fulera has learned to reuse materials left for waste and create environmentally friendly yet fashionable designs. Often traveling long distances with her office carried on her shoulder, a studio to create and display her work is Fulera’s next step in expanding her business. With enough capital, Fulera is hopeful that she’ll be able to open a studio and purchase her own stone and leather cutting machines.

Eagle Women Empowerment Club (EWEC) has helped Fulera become a more confident businesswoman, specifically training her in strategic planning and providing her with valuable networking opportunities. In the true spirit of an Eagle Woman, Fulera’s ultimate mission is to share her design knowledge and skills with other women less privileged than her. A mentor at heart, Fulera hopes she will be able to give other women the opportunity to also be proud, independent businesswomen.

Katiba ni sasa (the constitution is now)
July 6, 2010 7:06 am 3 Comments
There is a palpable energy in the streets of Nairobi—partially because the daily traffic is ridiculously chaotic—but mostly because the referendum on Kenya’s new proposed constitution is less than a month away. This constitution has been in the works for the past several years and represents for many “the most far reaching institutional reforms since independence” (S. Mitra, PKF Kenya). Every day the Kenyan newspapers display headlines representing the alternating viewpoints of the “yes” and “no” camps—those in favor of the constitution and those opposed. The highways bordering the center city are spotted with huge billboards asking Kenyan citizens to “Soma. Elewa. Amua.” (Read. Understand. Decide.) Everyone is talking about it, a lot of people are worried about it, and some have even become violent as a result of it.

In the midst of all of this energy and discussion I was able to take the place of my host-mom at an invite-only discussion of the relevance of the constitution for Kenyan business owners hosted at the Intercontinental Hotel several days ago (the priciest and most famous hotel in Kenya—I was reminded by several people that this was where Joe Biden stayed when he was here a few months ago.) Although presented as an “unbiased forum for information exchange” regarding the proposed constitution, it was clearly organized by and directed towards the “yes” camp. I spent all day at the conference learning about the ins and outs of the new constitution as well as the failures of the antiquated constitution that it will be replacing. I heard from various prominent Kenyan CEOs and business leaders representing public finance, manufacturing, banking and investment, land and property, the private sector and more. It was a fascinating “meeting of the minds” and an exhibition of many of the most progressive, innovative thinkers in modern Kenya.

As an observer, what struck me the most was that the issues deemed most significant in this conference were very different from what the Kenyan media focuses on every day. Before I attended this conference all I heard about regarding this constitution was abortion and Muslim courts. According to the popular media, the most controversial reforms in the constitution are the “Right to Life” clause that maintains the illegality of abortion except if the health of the mother is at risk and the constitution’s acknowledgement of the Kadhis’ Courts—which maintain certain Muslim laws apart from Kenyan law. The “No” party has used these two items to protest vehemently against the constitution.

What became clear during the conference yesterday was that the far more contentious issues that are at the crux of the political dispute over the constitution surround reforms of land ownership and leadership.

Poignantly, it was just one day before the conference that the “Daily Nation” displayed a front-page article with the headline “MPs Give Themselves Hefty Pay Raise.” The Members of Parliament voted to increase their own monthly earnings from 851,000 KSHs to 1.1 Million KSHs. Many of the speakers at the conference raised this very news item—pointing out that a new constitution would make this type of corrupt governance a thing of the past. They contend that the proposed constitution will create independent commissions that determine the salaries of all public officials and ideally diminish the culture of paternalism that has thrived for as long as anyone can remember.

As a student of International Relations I couldn’t help but relate this discussion to my own struggles as a development practitioner focused on Africa. The slow development of the continent is often blamed on the rampant corruption and poor governance that plagues many African countries. With this new constitution many Kenyans hope to usher in a new era of good governance, a system of checks and balances and a democratic government that is answerable to its people and not to its own pockets. This new constitution represents what Thomas Dichter calls “development with a small D,” progressive reforms that are brought about by “primary agents for their own societies” as opposed to “secondary agents” –the “Western world”—under the auspices of “aid” or “development assistance.” This is not to say that the international community has not attempted to sway Kenyan leadership towards a certain decision, made quite obvious by Joe Biden’s most recent visit to the country.

The incentives for Kenya’s international partners aside, I believe that Kenya has the opportunity to do something great with the passing of this constitution. Honorable Njoki Ndungu, an incredibly powerful speaker at the conference, told those present that the new constitution, if passed, would “change and transform their lives.” She noted that the constitution would no longer allow the president to be “above the law”, would ensure that it is no longer exclusively the friends of the president who receive government jobs and high salaries, and make sure that all government officials pay taxes.

She also emphasized that the proposed constitution is imperfect. It will not please everyone and it does not solve every problem.

In the end the responsibility belongs to every Kenya; Soma. Elewa. Amua.

Eviction Task Force
6:46 am 3 Comments
I continue to be amazed at the efforts by community groups happening around me. Last week we attended a meeting with groups from the people’s settlements and the Civil Society (i.e. NGO) Housing Coalition. The purpose of the meeting: to mobilize community groups to develop a cohesive and pro-active response to evictions- a rapid response mechanism. Though there is an NGO housing coalition, community members often don’t know where to go or which group to contact when an eviction emergency occurs.

Last week, Louis and I introduced the notorious railway evictions in Kenya. We knew little about other evictions that frequently take place in the people’s settlements. Land rights are a huge issue here; it is difficult to know who owns what land and often deals are made to purchase land where people reside- mostly, the people’s settlements.

In short, there is government-owned or unclaimed land where people settle. They live there for awhile in peace. They build houses and establish businesses, churches, schools, and clinics. Then a developer wants to build on that land. He talks to a few government employees, pays a little money and it is agreed that the settlers will be asked to leave their homes. This is often done at night to avoid riots. Police can come with teargas and guns to intimidate people. Since residents feel there is nothing they can do, many leave without a struggle, unaware that they are entitled to certain rights. Sometimes, though, they refuse to go. If the residents put up a fight, it is common for the developers to find someone willing to make a buck (probably not even that much) to burn their houses, leaving them with nothing. (For more details on this subject, read Amnesty International’s report from 2009)

Now community groups are coming together to try and prevent unfair evictions like these. They know that they deserve a fair resettlement process, that the conditions that force them to live as they do need to be changed. They are working together to create awareness, analyze which settlements are likely to be affected, and lobby and work with the government to create and enforce proper eviction and resettlement guidelines.

Whose idea was this “eviction task force”? Who thought to bring together community groups to develop a strategy to work against unfair and forceful evictions? “Oh, that was Opiata [Director of Hakijamii],” says Marcy, the Community Development officer at Hakijamii.

As the days go by and I talk to more people, attend more meetings, and do more research, it is clear that Hakijamii has had its hand in an incredible amount of pro-poor, pro-community, pro-human rights work. One amazing event that Hakijamii and the Nairobi People’s Settlement Network were on the front lines for (that organization members mentioned in passing, as if this was some small feat): the 2007 World Social Forum in Nairobi. For those unfamiliar, the World Social Forum is THE event for groups to come together to coordinate world campaigns, share and refine organizing strategies, and inform each other about movements from around the world and their issues; it is an alternative to the World Economic Forum, which revolves around capitalist, neoliberal ideas. It’s a space for those trying to create a more just, fair, and democratic world who don’t necessarily believe economics will solve the world’s problems.

Kenya’s Free Primary Education
5:09 am 2 Comments
In 2003, the Kenyan government introduced Free Primary Education (FPE) for all. Since its inception, the number of students attending primary schools has significantly increased. Statistical indicators show that the FPE initiative has brought some positive changes, but it is still beyond the reach of many Kenyan families to get a child through primary school.

The FPE program provides children with staffed public schools to attend as well as learning materials. However, it does not supply them with a uniform, food, or transport to school. These costs are to be paid by the student’s parents, many of whom live in the people’s settlements (slums) and make less than a dollar per day. Therefore, they cannot afford to send them to public school.

Though the Kenyan government has increased funding to the education sector (to 17% of the national budget), it is beyond the scope of the budget to provide free primary education to all. Many international donors were assisting the government in supporting the initiative, but in 2009 an audit revealed that 1 million USD in grant money was missing and 26 million USD had been diverted from the education fund. Due to this incident, many international agencies (World Bank, Canada, UK and USAID) have suspended funding.

Although free primary education has provided children from the poorer areas of society with hope, it has also created significant problems. Rapid expansion of enrollment has drastically increased the student to teacher ratio, causing the quality of education to suffer. Statistics have shown that although there is an increase in the number of students taking the exam to get their Certificate of Primary Education the percentage of students that pass the exam has decreased.

As a result of the poor quality of education the number of private schools in Kenya is almost 10 times greater than before the FPE initiative started. Many people who would normally send their children to public schools have been forced towards private schools because of overcrowding. Private schools in Kenya are no longer just for the rich. There are now private schools catering toward people of all social and economic backgrounds.

In the people’s settlements many families send their children to private informal schools funded by NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations). These informal schools provide children who cannot afford to buy uniforms or pay for transport to a public school a place to learn. Most of these informal schools don’t have electricity, running water, or sanitary bathrooms, but at least the children are given a chance to learn.

To improve education in the people’s settlements of Nairobi, NPSN (Nairobi People’s Settlement Network), with the help of Hakijamii, has brought together educational groups from each of the 8 constituencies (districts). These groups come together to discuss ways to provide a better education for their children.

In June 2010 NPSN held Education Accountability meetings in each of the 8 constituencies, where members of the communities, teachers, and government officials came together to discuss the state of education in the settlements. Government officials explained the application process for funds allocated for poor and disadvantaged youth. After, members of the community asked questions directly to the officials and made suggestions for improvement of the process. With these sessions community members hope that the government will listen and utilize their suggestions. A member of NPSN said that before the network was formed it was impossible for the community to have a conversation with a government official. Now that they have unified government officials will take the time to come and listen to their ideas.

The problems with FPE in Kenya are many, but the initiative is a step in the right direction. There needs to be an unbiased private firm doing the monitoring and evaluations to combat corruption and ensure that allocated funds go to free primary education. The government also needs to maintain a dialogue with groups at the grassroots level to better be able to meet the needs of the common Kenyan. If they manage to do these things I am hopeful that someday there will be free primary education for all.

It’s Good to be Back in Great Lakes Africa
July 5, 2010 1:00 pm Leave a Comment
After an absence that ran far too long, I am happy to be back in Bujumbura, Burundi en route to Congo.

I arrived just in time to see the result of the Burundian ‘election’—there was only one candidate. Much to the surprise of international observers, the US Department of State, and myself, the only candidate was reelected with a minimal amount of disarray in Bujumbura. Some quartiers in Bujumbura were victims of opposition-led grenade attacks and shootings. However, the general opinion in town was that some disturbances are only normal for a Great Lakes election. So one experiences an air of business as usual in Bujumbura, an incumbent president successful in his campaign, and an unsettling finality to a more or less stolen election.

Across the border in Congo, the end of June brought the celebration of their 50^th year free from Belgian colonial rule. Amid the country-wide parades, demonstrations of military prowess, and self-congratulatory speeches given by President Joseph Kabila, a movement of discontent was visible and televised throughout the region. Large demonstrations were organized throughout eastern Congo as counters to the enthusiastic celebration of the 50^th anniversary of independence. Most were led by groups holding signs declaring ‘50 Years of Blood Flow’, ’50 Years Later: The Theft Continues During Our Days’ and ‘Congo Raped Before and After Independence’. Organizers were quoted at length, and most commented on the current kleptocracy’s theft of minerals and lack of proper allocation of profit towards social services promised by the current government, the continuing violence in North and South Kivu provinces, and the feeling that war will always be a part of Congolese day-to-day life.

These protest marches were of course not meant simply to give a pessimistic air to Congo’s party, but to call attention to the overwhelming failings of the current administration to address the issues which affect all Congolese. Of these, the issue which comes to the forefront and draws me here again is sexual violence, and the quite literal rape of Congo.

In 2007, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the work of a Congolese NGO called SOS Femmes en Danger (SOS FED), which works to provide basic care for the ever-increasing number of rape victims in south Kivu Province. AP was able to solidify a tight partnership with SOS FED since then, and has been working to support and draw international attention to their work. This next year, with the help of AP and the German Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (IVF), SOS FED is unrolling a broad-based campaign of rape prevention, which is targeted towards empowering women to reduce their personal and collective vulnerability to rape. As AP’s representative in Congo, I am charged with monitoring and reporting abroad on this ambitious project. Marceline Kongolo, SOS FED’s Executive Director, has already been recognized by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and scores of the ‘who’s who’ in foreign service, and I am pretty honored to be part of her excellent team again. I’ll be blogging regularly until January, and will be providing much more in depth information as we go along. Please don’t hesitate to follow this blog, link to it where pertinent, and help get the word out about SOS FED’s work in eastern Congo. I’m off to Congo tomorrow morning, and I must say I am itching with anticipation over this much-awaited homecoming.

Ned Meerdink

Do you know your Ghanaian name?
June 29, 2010 8:00 am 6 Comments
Last week I finally learned what my Ghanaian name is. In Ghana there exists a tradition where ethnic groups base the first name of their newborn on the day of the week in which their child was born. This tradition has widely spread throughout Ghana and West Africa and the majority of Ghanaians have part of their name taken from this tradition. An example that everyone would know is of ex Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. Born on a Friday, he was given the first name of Kofi.

Interestingly, it has taken me 4 weeks of living in Ghana to finally figure out what day of the week I was born on. This is surprising being that 75% of locals I have met here have inevitably asked me what my Ghanaian name was within minutes of meeting me.

After some Internet investigations, I learned that February, 5th 1981 fell on a Thursday. In terms of my Ghanaian name, I am called “Yaa”(pronounced “yeah”). Being that there are limited choices for a person’s Ghanaian name, additional names are often added for originality. Sometimes the additional name might have to do with what number child you are in a line of siblings. Other times, friends or family might unofficially add a term of endearment to your Ghanaian name. On that note, the incredible women of EWEC have recently deemed me “Nana-Yaa” which translates to Queen Thursday. Initially, I was unsure about being called Queen Thursday, particularly due to the “queen” part. But I’ve since been assured that this is a good name and has nothing to do with staff members perceiving my behavior to be queen-like! My new name has taken off with ease and I’ve found it brings big smiles to everyone’s face.

Being given my name was a reminder that as with any new situation, it takes time to grow and cultivate a relationship. Respect can come slowly and requires hard work on both ends of a relationship. It wasn’t until my coworkers warmly gave me a Ghanaian name that I realized I’m slowly becoming a true member of the EWEC team. Similarly, as a young organization trying to build a network of businesswomen, EWEC is also learning how to best cultivate long lasting relationships with Ghanaian businesswomen. Through mentorship, leadership and training EWEC is slowly building upon its relationship with each member. And while this process is slow going and requires a great commitment from both EWEC and its members, ultimately, a common goal is shared by everyone: To provide meaningful change in the lives of women and their families by creating independent and financially stable businesswomen. I’m proud to be a part of such a great organization.

For those of you who are interested in what your Ghanaian name is, I’ve included the below information from Wikipedia for you. Enjoy!

First figure out what day of the week you were born: http://www.fi.edu/time/Journey/OnceUponATime/dayofweekbirth.htm

Males
Monday: Kojo, Kwadwo, Jojo, Cudjoe
Tuesday: Kwabena, Ebo, Kobena, Kobina, Kobby
Wednesday: Kwaku, Kweku
Thursday: Yaw, Ekow, Yao, Yokow
Friday: Kofi, Fiifi, Yoofi
Saturday: Kwame, Ato, Atoapem, Kwamena, Kwami
Sunday: Kwasi, Akwasi, Kwesi

Females
Monday: Adwoa, Adzo, Ajoba, Ejo, Adjoa
Tuesday: Abena, Abla, Araba, Abina
Wednesday: Akua, Akuba,
Thursday: Yaa, Aba, Yaaba, Yaayaa
Friday: Afua, Afi, Afia, Efie, Efua
Saturday: Ama, Amma, Awo
Sunday: Akosua, Esi, Kisi

Characteristics of Each Day

Monday’s child is the father or mother in the family; nurturing in nature, dependable and organized, and protective of his/her family.

Tuesday’s child is the problem solver and planner of the family. They are structured in nature, neutral in all matters and never takes sides.

Wednesday’s child is fully in control of every situation, does not want to be told what to do, knows it all, is spontaneous, vibrant and cordial. Be sure not to cross his or her path though…

Thursday’s child is quiet in nature and incredibly observant. They are generally listeners, not talkers, and analyzes situations very well.

Friday’s child is a leader, not a follower. He/she is very temperamental but has a big heart. Generally the instigator of everything.

Saturday’s child likes to take control of family situations. He/she runs the show and make the rules, but will go out of his/her way for others anytime.

Sunday’s child is the passive, sensitive and warm member of the family. He/she tends to be shy and likes to keep to his/her self, but is very aware of his/her surroundings and usually is the secret keeper of the family.

“Ghana Time” and Eagle Women
5:22 am 2 Comments
Like Ghanaian clockwork, the meeting started very late. “Ghana Time” is a concept that has taken me some getting used to. Whether you’re going to a social event, an appointment to get your hair cut, or a very important business meeting, inevitably things will start later than anticipated. Much, much later. I’ve had several weeks to consider why exactly this is the case and while some of it can be attributed to a relaxed Ghanaian culture, a large part of it is due to unpredictable weather in a developing city that battles unreliable public transportation, bad roads and heavy traffic.

On Thursday evening of last week, Accra experienced very heavy rains that persisted throughout the night and into the day on Friday. With a city largely webbed together with dirt roads and a lack of efficient drainage systems, this can mean travel that is slow going and at times impassable. It can also mean long and uncomfortable Tro Tro rides met with muddy walks and more rain. Particularly in a country where people greatly pride themselves on their crisp attire and spotless appearance, traveling a few miles in the rain might appear daunting. What is remarkable about days like this, however, is the people who bare the weather, mud, and long journeys to arrive at their appointment, albeit often late, looking sharp and ready to go.

And so on Friday evening of last week, I had the great pleasure of meeting some of Eagle Women Empowerment Club’s most committed members. Coming from as far as eight hours away and bravely traversing the elements in dresses and heels, approximately 30 proud Eagle Women members gathered together at The Hotel Wangara for one of EWEC’s quarterly meetings. Set in a small conference room with chairs, a podium and projector, we discussed EWEC’s previous activities, introduced several new programs (me being one of them!) and conducted a brief informational session on taxation and an EWEC Rewards Card.

I was able to introduce to the group the Vital Voice’s Baseline Survey and member profiling that I’ll be starting later this week. I received a very warm reception from members and am excited to get into the field to better understand their backgrounds, struggles and successes. There is certainly a diverse mix of Eagle Women, however one thing is very clear. All of these women are strong, independent women who have conquered a great deal to be where they are today (weather issues aside!). I look forward to learning from each of them over the next few weeks.

Thanks for reading.

The Kinawataka Women’s Initiative: Breathing New Life Into Drinking Straws
June 28, 2010 7:39 pm 7 Comments

From her home in one of Kampala’s poorest neighbourhoods, Benedicta Nangoya has adapted an ancient Buganda custom and turned it into a livelihood, a public service, and a niche. By weaving discarded plastic straws into mats, bags, belts, jewellry and countless other items, this retired mother of five has turned waste into opportunity for herself, for the environment, and for women.

Benedicta and her team collect straws from the local Coca Cola plant and other sites around the city. This in itself is an achievement — Kampala has a serious waste management problem. The straws are brought to Benedicta’s modest home-cum-workshop, then sorted, cleaned, pressed, woven and sewn in a meticulous ten-stage process. Quite deliberately, 80% of her employees and trainees are women. Her aim is to give these women the skills and financial independence to shed the inequalities of their households and societies, and build a sustainable business that can thrive in her absence.

Her five year plan? A three story building: separate rooms for the each stage of the process below ground, a showroom and office on the main floor, and living quarters for her and her 15 foster children on top. She’ll achieve it, with support. On June 26, 2010, Benedicta received a straw pressing machine engineered specifically for her businesses and subsidized by a grant from Vital Voices. This will triple her productivity, and help her meet the rapidly growing demand for her products.

Next time you discard your straw, let’s hope Benedicta finds it.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lkd_rA6rmog

To see some finished products and to support Benedicta, visit www.strawbags.org.

Beating The Odds Through Collaboration
7:03 am 4 Comments
Source: werievents

Last Friday, June 25, 2010, I sat in on a Mentor’s Breakfast hosted by Wimbiz. The informal gathering held at Robert’s Cafe, a charming little bistro in Victoria Island- Lagos, was organized to give the women who had agreed to serve as Mentors in Wimbiz’s Mentoring Program, the opportunity to learn more about what their new roles would entail. A fascinating mix of female entrepreneurs were in attendance: Tara Durotoye (CEO, House of Tara-Nigeria’s top, domestically owned cosmetic company), Dupe Ajayi (CEO, Oleander Hospitality and Catering-an enterprise employing hundreds of men and women in and around Lagos) and Audrey Ezeigbo (Executive Director, Falcon Petroleum-one of Nigeria’s leading private and wholly indigenous downstream oil & gas companies), to name a few.

This was an impressive group of women. Women who have forged their own path to success, overcoming sexual discrimination in addition to all of the “normal” obstacles to doing business in Nigeria (inadequate infrastructure, corruption, excessive government red-tape, etc). Women who have made a name for themselves in highly competitive sectors and those who have played a vital role in expanding formally undeveloped industries. It was incredible to hear their experiences with the Mentoring Program.

Most women at the breakfast were new to the program, but a few were among the batch of 19 Mentors who participated in the first, hugely successful round that took place this spring. While listening to former Mentors, like Tara Durotoye, discuss the pleasure they took in sharing their invaluable business skills with other women, something occurred to me. The notion of collaboration and the vital role it plays in fostering economic empowerment in the underdeveloped world, was smartly at the conceptual basis of this and many other Wimbiz’s initiatives, yet it was a concept that I’ve rarely heard mentioned in development discourse.

The brilliance of this program, and any other based upon the concept of peer learning, is the ability to harness the distinct know-how and sheer gumption that it takes to turn a mere idea into a thriving reality, and share it with as many willing recipients as possible. The reality is, even in developed countries, a mere fraction of business ventures reach the level of success achieved by the business women noted above (in both relative and absolute terms). To not investigate how these women were able to succeed, despite all the odds, and spread that knowledge as far and wide as possible, would be an unforgivable offense.

In the harsh business environment that is Lagos State, and Nigeria as a whole, strong social networks are vital. Anyone who has “made it” here will tell you how instrumental a strong support group was to his or her success. But the key here is that those connections remain relevant even after one has “made it.” By counseling the next generation of business women, Wimbiz Mentors spreading the impact of their success, enabling their professional achievements to inspire the next generation, and uplift their communities at large.

I’m in the process of developing a series of short video documentaries on how the woman of Wimbiz have managed to beat the odds, with a particular emphasis on the importance of informal social networks and professional collaboration. I look forward to sharing more about this and other projects as they develop.

A la prochaine!

Setting the Scene – A Few Observations of Douala
June 25, 2010 6:43 pm 3 Comments
Douala is a city rife with activity. The streets are almost over flowing at times, with vehicles, pedestrians and road-side stalls. Yellow taxi cabs are rarely hard to find, and zipping in between and amongst them are the motorcycle taxis, carrying as many as three people.

As primarily a pedestrian myself, Douala is also to me ‘the city with no sidewalks.’ Where there should be pedestrian walk-ways are parked cars, stalls and other obstructions. They do tend to clear out as night wanes, but for safety reasons I am rarely on foot when night falls.

I see Douala not just as a pedestrian, but also as a foreigner. It is impossible for me to blend in, and so it is to a constant chorus of various cries that I walk down the streets of my new neighborhood. “La Blanche!” “Cherie!” “Mon amie!” It isn’t threatening, and having grown up in South Asia, it is something I am more than accustomed to.

While there is of course a wide array of attire throughout the city, in general the women are seemingly far more fashionable than I am! I have seen everything from power suits, to ‘evening-out’ attire, to the equivalent of blue-collar clothing or even more ‘traditional’ looking outfits. The women are seemingly quite feminine, and largely quite chic. Just the other day my colleague Clémence came to the office wearing a dress she had designed herself. I was duly impressed.

When the World Cup matches are on, all the road-side bars and cafes overflow with men eagerly watching them. I can often hear their cries through the window of my office. The women I have encountered are just as passionate about their national team, as well as their fellow African teams, however I don’t see nearly as many of them crowding the corner cafes.

That being said, last night I decided to go to a restaurant near where I am staying to watch Cameroon’s last World Cup game. The restaurant is a popular one, amongst locals and expats alike (although admittedly perhaps more the latter), and has a large open-air patio where they have set up a big screen on which to watch the matches. As the game started, in strolled a large group of young women, all dressed as if going out on the town – and to say they were vocal throughout the match would be an understatement. The restaurant itself is certainly on the more expensive side, and my guess is that patrons are largely from the middle class, or above (in addition to the expats). The places frequented by expats are what I have heard referred to as “pour les blancs,” or for the white people, often indicating a higher price range. There is definitely an economic, and perhaps cultural, divide present in the city, as in many cities – a fact I simply find worth noting (and keeping in mind).

***

I am working on a video interview I just filmed yesterday, and have a full day meeting with members of the CBWN tomorrow, so more Association-specific material will follow soon!

The Ladder That Runs Down
June 23, 2010 8:32 am 10 Comments
The following is a short video about Ngazi Ya Chini, a group that was established in order to fight for the rights of the railway dwellers who have been facing possible eviction since 2004 due to a railway expansion project. The video speaks for itself, and for more in depth history, read Louis’s blog.

Ngazi Ya Chini means “the ladder that runs down,” referring to the railroad tracks.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I4jTWmshiU

Hakijamii has been on the frontlines of the railway eviction process, providing community groups with the expertise and tools to be able to claim their rights in the relocation process.

The Ladder That Runs Down
1:37 am 4 Comments
Ngazi Ya Chini (The Ladder That Runs Down) is an organization that represents and fights for the rights of the people living along the railway (railway dwellers) in Kibera and Mukuru people’s settlements (slums) in Nairobi, Kenya.

In 2004, Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) sent out a notice of eviction to railway dwellers in Kibera and Mukuru people’s settlements. The communities reacted, bringing their objections to the evictions to court. The World Bank, upon hearing about the case, suspended funding to the KRC. In order for KRC to continue to receive funds they would need to follow the World Bank’s guidelines for resettling Project Affected Persons (PAPs). This action put a stop to evictions without relocation or compensation.

To follow the guidelines KRC hired Pamoja Trust to act as human rights consultants. Pamoja Trust was responsible for creating a Relocation Action Plan (RAP), a report that seeks to ensure proper resettlement guidelines are enforced during the railroad expansion process. The consultants began by using community groups to count the number of residential houses, businesses, and institutions that would be affected by the project. They then spoke with the communities to determine what the railway dwellers considered fair compensation for their relocation. Using this information, Pamoja Trust developed the 2005 RAP.

After examining the RAP railway dwellers realized that parts of it did not reflect what they had told Pamoja Trust, spurring them to form Ngazi Ya Chini. With the help of Odindo Opiata (Then of Kituo Cha Sheria and now Director of Hakijamii), they wrote a counter proposal that was sent to the World Bank, highlighting problematic areas.

Along with the counter proposal, other events caused delays in the RAP’s implementation. In 2006, the railway operation formerly run by KRC was contracted out to Rift Valley Railways (RVR), a private company. Then in 2007 the post election violence, centered mainly in the slums, uprooted parts of the railway. Most notable was a train derailment that caused 10 fatalities beyond the 5.2 meter safety zone initially proposed in the 2005 RAP.

In 2010, RVR contracted Pamoja Trust to produce another RAP. This time a 30 meter safety zone was proposed on both sides of the track. They told members of Ngazi Ya Chini that the reason for the larger safety zone was to improve operational speed, provide area to expand from one to three railway lines, and to protect railway dwellers from another derailment. According to the new enumerations done by Pamoja Trust, there are 5071 homes, 3836 businesses, and 262 institutions (including churches, medical clinics, and 49 informal schools) within this 60 meter zone.

Pamoja Trust submitted a draft of the new RAP on May 15, 2010. In it they propose that, in Kibera, parameter walls be built 23 to 25 meters from the center line of the track. With the remaining 5 to 7 meters (of the 30 meter total) they plan to create a paved 3 meter wide footpath that runs parallel to the perimeter walls and a 3-story building to house the displaced residents of Kibera and their businesses. Schools, churches, and clinics will not be relocated. The RAP gives the following options for students attending schools that will be demolished:

“Some of the public schools may be able to accommodate additional pupils within some of the classes… within the public schools additional [classrooms] can be constructed to accommodate more pupils…However, both solutions will call for additional teaching staff…and that may take some time to actualize.”

In Mukuru, part of the railway reserve is shared by Kenya Pipeline Company and Kenya Power and Lighting Company so it is not possible to build a three-story structure next to the perimeter walls as is proposed in Kibera. Instead, the RAP suggests purchasing land somewhere in Nairobi and providing the necessary infrastructure (water, storm drains, and roads) so that the displaced people can build their own housing units. The security of tenure granted to the displaced would be 45 years.

On the 16^th through the 18^th of June, 2010, Ngazi Ya Chini held meetings with the PAPs of Kibera and Mukuru. They analyzed the new RAP and discussed problematic areas, such as mistakes in the enumerations and too little area for resettlement. The residents of Kibera agreed that it was impossible to fit all of the people, businesses, and a 3-meter wide path into the 5 to 7 meter wide areas the proposal allotted for. Mukuru residents were concerned that there was not a specific relocation site written in the RAP and that they would only be given 45 years of tenure over this unknown site. One member stated, “Why would I build a house if it’s only secure for 45 years?”

With help from Hakijamii, Ngazi Ya Chini will submit a counter proposal using input from these community meetings to ensure that the concerns of the PAPs will be heard.

After submitting the counter proposal Ngazi Ya Chini can only hope that the World Bank, RVR, and Pamoja Trust will modify the RAP to address the needs of those people most directly affected.

Finding the Success Stories
June 19, 2010 5:36 pm 3 Comments
When you pick up a newspaper, or perhaps even peruse a UN or NGO publication, often times the stories that pertain to women are stories of violence, rape and discrimination.

This appears to be especially the case when it comes to women in developing countries, of various religions and cultures. People the world over have become, by in large, at least familiarized with such terms as ‘honor killings,’ ‘bride burning,’ ‘sex slavery’ and perhaps even ‘rape as a tool of war.’

After a quick scan on Google for articles on ‘women in Cameroon,’ I immediately found a press release by the World Organization Against Torture on ‘Violence Against Women’ which stated, “An analyses of the legal and socio-economic and political status of women in Cameroon shows the link between the high levels of violence against women in Cameroon and their low status in all aspects of life.” Another report released by CEDAW writes, “…discriminatory administrative policies, practices, laws, cultural beliefs and attitudes hamper the enjoyment of human rights of women [in Cameroon].”

I have spent much of my professional and academic career thus far very much involved in the issues around violence against women (VAW) – and this is something I have every intention to continue working on and highlighting, as it is a problem of global and epidemic proportions (and not just in the developing world). That being said, since arriving here in Cameroon, and preparing to interview women who have, in large part, strolled past the ‘do not enter’ signs and established their own businesses and networks – I have been asking myself, where are the success stories? Where are the stories about women’s resistance to violent and discriminatory systems? Where are the tales that do NOT tend to portray women, especially African women, as eternal victims under the fist of patriarchy?

That is the kind of story I hope to explore this summer. This does not mean to sugar coat the situation for women, or overlook the traumas some women may have faced. What it does mean is that we shift to look at what women are doing in response, or in spite of the obstacles they face.

These stories are out there. I have recently seen several documentaries tracing what various women, or groups of women, have done to stand up to the violence in their countries – my first thought is of the Liberian women who played a fundamental role in ending the civil war in their country. There are also the mothers of the abducted and disappeared, in countries from Nepal to Argentina, who never stopped asking questions.

These stories exist. And while the majority of the women I will be talking to, surveying and profiling this summer are not necessarily emerging from conflict or enduring daily violence, they are examples of the success stories that are out there and should be told. Women need to know they aren’t alone in their struggles, or their successes. Young women and girls need affirmation that self-sustenance is possible. And the paradigm of the disenfranchised woman, shrouded in her victimhood, needs to have an additional, more nuanced side, which includes those powerful women who run their own businesses, despite a legal and political environment which may render that difficult.

I have only been in Cameroon for one week, but I am already impressed by the accomplishments and strengths of the three women I have had the good fortune to work with this first week. It is these stories too, that deserve to be told, and I look forward to introducing them all to you, my readers.

“Tukusanyukidde / You are Welcome”
5:02 pm 1 Comment
This is how I was greeted (in Luganda) on arriving at the airport, at my hosts’ residence in Kampala and at UWEAL, and how I am commonly greeted around town. Although it’s clearly just the formal version of the simple “welcome” I’m accustomed to, it has taken on a new warmth for me here. It also seems a fitting greeting for business in Uganda. After only one week in Kampala, I’m beginning to see the city and the world in terms of an opportunity to sell, to hustle, to do business. Kampala is open for business, and Ugandans are taking advantage.

Several of my Vital Voices/The Advocacy Project counterparts in Nairobi and elsewhere have been struck by the stark inequality that separates poor from rich. A few live relatively opulent lives — defined here as having multiple well-paid servants, computer(s) and internet access, running and hot water, and other luxuries — while most live more simply, and others in far worse conditions. One northerner tells me that the proliferation of non-governmental organizations has dampened many Ugandans’ traditional spirit of hard work, initiative and economic independence. But this obscures the contribution of a vibrant Ugandan middle class made up in part of hundreds of small and medium-sized business owners who are creating wealth from the ground up.

This group of thriving entrepreneurs did not always include women. Limited access to credit, legal restrictions on the ownership of property and other assets, and pervasive norms around gender roles severely restricted women’s freedom to do business in Uganda. Enter UWEAL in the 1980s. UWEAL has become a source of information and inspiration, as one board member puts it, for women in business. This Association of over 700 women does not exist for it’s own sake. It trains women in marketing, administration, finance and other key business issues; it connects Ugandan women with their counterparts in the region, around Africa and all over the world; it mentors new businesswomen and it cultivates a spirit of entrepreneurship among girls. This group of experienced, capable, professional and entrepreunerial women will serve as my mentors for the next three months. Please follow me online as we research how UWEAL members successes, ongoing challenges and opportunities in life and in business.

The extraordinarily empowered woman, and her less empowered counterpart
8:22 am 4 Comments
I wanted to work for Vital Voices because their vision of development is directly in line with my own: locate emerging women leaders who are already empowered and have great ideas for community development and support their projects however necessary. Vital Voices provides means for capacity building through access to funds, training and broad based advocacy initiatives.

Through their relationship to ABWN (the Africa Business Women’s Network) and hub offices throughout sub-Saharan Africa, Vital Voices aims to strengthen businesswomen’s organizations throughout the region. This strengthening occurs through regional conferences where business growth skills and “best practices” are shared across the continent as well as through increased funding and infrastructural/organizational support. My counterpart organization, KAWBO, is Kenya’s hub, and its mission is to become the leading businesswomen’s organization in Kenya. The board members that I have met are all empowered, successful Kenyan woman. They have conquered adversity, attained economic independence and committed themselves to empowering other women business owners in Nairobi. The work that I will be doing here will hopefully enable KAWBO to broaden their membership and increase their visibility locally and internationally. No pressure.

A few days ago, with my host sister and mother out of the house I sat down at the dinner table alone and was presented with an amazing feast—which somehow seemed less exciting because there was no one to share it with. I asked Beatrice, the servant in the house to sit with me and try some of the amazing butternut squash soup that she had made. After much protestation she eventually agreed to sit with me. She had left the previous afternoon to visit three of her four children who live on the outskirts of Nairobi and had returned that afternoon. I inquired how her visit went.

Beatrice told me that she cooked for her children, washed and ironed all of their clothes and cleaned their house–the same thing that she does every week on her one day-off. She told me that she woke up at 5 in the morning to transport water from the community pump to her children’s home. She walked ¼ mile with a 20-liter bucket on her head, and a 5-liter bucket in one hand, and she repeated this trip 6 times. I told her that it didn’t sound like much of a day off-and she laughed and said that this was her responsibility. She has been single since her husband died 7 years ago from Malaria and she wanted her children to go to school and be taken care of. Her oldest is about to take his exam to enter college and she is hopeful that he will pass but unaware of how he will be able to afford college if he does decide to go. Scholarships are few and far between and bank loans difficult to obtain.

When I inquired about her own schooling as a child Beatrice told me a story that is all too familiar throughout Africa, Asia and the Middle East where resources are scarce and male children are favored. Beatrice is from the Western Province of Kenya. She grew up in a house built of mud walls with aluminum sheets for a roof. She grew up with 10 siblings; 6 brothers and 4 sisters. Beatrice is the second oldest girl, and she and her sister were not allowed to attend school beyond the 6^th grade because her parents refused to pay for it. Funding her brothers’ education was justifiable because they would later contribute to the household income—paying for a girls education however, was the equivalent of throwing money away. These girls would marry, move out of the house, and that investment would have been wasted. I asked Beatrice whether her younger sisters went to school. She answered that yes, they had, because Beatrice and her older sister were working and therefore were able to help pay for their younger sisters’ schooling. Beatrice was never able to attend school beyond the 6^th grade and thus was limited in her job opportunities as an adult, she didn’t want to the same limitations to affect her children.

I have only been in Nairobi for a week, and only met a handful of women and already I can’t help but be struck by the stark contrasts between different women’s lives. My host-mother attended college in Florida, became a leader in her field and has owned her own successful business for the past 10 years. Beatrice left school at the age of 12, is only able to visit her mother in Western Province once a year and never really gets a day off. This scenario is familiar in almost any developing or developed country that I have lived in—the advancement and empowerment of some women in a society is inevitable counter balanced by the influx of poorer, less educated women as domestic help. My professor in Gender and Sexuality 101 at NYU described this trend as feminism’s dirty little secret. In all of our excitement over women entering the workforce in America—abandoning their aprons and burning their bras—we failed to notice the Filipino, Ecuadorian and Caribbean women walking right back into these women’s aprons and kitchens to take their place. This is not to undermine the great importance of those women who enter the workforce and gain access to careers that would have previously been impossible, only a recognition that these “gender advancements”, and strives toward “equality” are not necessarily impacting all women equally.

I would never belittle my host-mother or her accomplishments; she has achieved extraordinary things as a businesswoman in the face of great challenges and has earned all of her great success. I only wish to highlight an inequality that seems to be pervasive internationally. I can’t necessarily even dismiss it as “right” or “wrong,” but simply complicated, and frustrating. This inequity further highlights the foolishness of a one-size-fits-all gender development strategy. In central Nairobi women need access to business growth strategies and in Western Province women need access to the 7^th grade.

Development projects should vary accordingly.

Poverty, Violence…and the Lunch Lady
4:27 am 3 Comments
In 1994, Adam Sandler and Chris Farley performed an inspiring song titled “Lunch Lady Land” on Saturday Night Live. Thanks to this national treasure we can always feel assured that Lunch Lady and her paramour Sloppy Joe are continuing their domestic life in greasy and hair net bliss.

However Mr. Sandler touched upon something else in his song that has a (perhaps) more profound impact and international significance than men in drag and dancing pizzas. He opened his performance with a dedication to “the person who more than anyone else puts young people on the right path.” In many ways he was right. Today the implementation of a “Free Lunch Program” in slum or poverty stricken schools is considered to be the vital component in increasing attendance, lowering levels of child labor, and reducing the potential for slum violence.

Potatos and Beans....Another yummy lunch at Mathare Undugu School

With no sustainable income, slum kids are constantly on the search for that day’s meal. The ‘animal spirit’ of survival flickers in the back of their wide open eyes while they “hustle” for enough Kenyan Shillings to buy Chapatti (flat bread) or maybe even some beef to eat. While obsessed with scavenging, school and education get left behind. Glue sniffing, the consumption of toxic homemade alcohol, rape, and other street crimes become attractive pastimes to either support the food hunt or just to forget their circumstances.

A young boy walks through a slum alley filled with waste

Two very young boys walk alone through a Nairobi slum

Due to the hustling drive, the lack of education and a mind-numbing idleness, slum youth-particularly boys-can become extremely vulnerable to the polarizing rhetoric and manipulation of Kenya’s ambitious political parties. Commonly known throughout Kenya but not outside of the country is that many of the people who swung the panga blades (machete-like knives) or pulled the triggers during the 2007 post-election violence were young slum boys who were offered 50 Kenyan Shillings (approximately .62 cents) to kill civilians by affiliates of particular political parties.

Finding ways to pass the time

Imagine the effects then, if every primary and secondary school provided a free lunch program for its students. Kenya recently passed a law making primary education free. Thus for a period of several years, a slum dwelling child could have a place to go to 5 days of the week that offered a vital education and a reliable hot meal.

The Undugu Society of Kenya believes that providing a free lunch to students will increase school attendance and lower the amount of child labor, street crimes and drug use around the slums. Furthermore, with a less urgent need to find money to buy a meal and an education that empowers youth to think independently, the ability for politicians to buy lives would become less likely. Undugu’s free lunch program occurs in all its slum schools but funding is a constant worry and for many other Kenyan schools the only reason why no such program exists. Currently an effort is being made by USK and others to force the government to increase their (staggeringly low) allocation of funds towards youth and programs like “free lunch.” Nevertheless it is an uphill battle with a stubborn government.

A hot meal at lunch time

Perhaps we should ask Mr. Sandler to present the case in his way to parliament.

The Mirage of Slum Upgrading
June 17, 2010 12:26 pm Leave a Comment
In my last entry, I focused on the visit to Kasarani through the Nairobi Peoples Settlement Network (NPSN). The next day we visited the Soweto Community People’s Settlement Forum, another network focused in the Kibera people’s settlement. They have weekly meetings where they learn about different topics, such as what is in the proposed Kenyan Constitution (to be voted on August 4^th and the source of much controversy) and gender-based violence. The groups who comprise the Soweto Forum (24 groups, 500 families) do various activities, such as bead-making and urban gardening (see pictures below).

The Forum’s main objective, however, is to make sure that community members are involved in the slum upgrading project that has been discussed by the Kenyan government and UN-HABITAT for a long time now. Initially, there was a settlement executive committee (SEC) established to represent the people of Soweto in this slum upgrading project, to act as the link between the government and the people. However, community members thought the SEC did not provide adequate communication between the government and the community, nor did it represent the people’s needs as they would have liked. To address these problems and empower people in the community to have a voice, Soweto Forum was established in 2004.

To people living in Soweto, “this [slum upgrading] project is a mirage” (John Mwihia Karanja, Soweto Forum chairman). They have been promised new houses for years now. Some people were in fact moved out of Soweto into a “decanting,” or temporary housing, site in Lang’ata, away from their community and what they knew. They were told they would shortly be moved into new houses and land, better than what they had before. These new houses were built, but were given to people from other communities for reasons the Soweto community was never informed about. Those who had been moved from Soweto were left in the decanting sites.

My understanding of these politics is very limited, and what I’ve said here is incredibly simplistic. All I can gather is that ethnicity and money play a disproportionate role in who gets what. Groups like Soweto Forum have a lot to overcome, but one must admire their courage for standing up and claiming their rights.

A short clip of John Mwihia Karanja showing the conditions in Soweto, Kibera:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoJTEQNOrAY

Ghana Scores!
June 16, 2010 4:27 am 3 Comments
I was surrounded by hundreds of sweaty men screaming, leaping, chanting, and going absolutely wild. I admit this wouldn’t normally be a situation I would actively choose to put myself in.

Determined to be where the action was for the World Cup 2010 game between Ghana and Serbia, I set out on Sunday afternoon to find the men. In Ghana, while both males and females have great pride for their country and soccer team, it hasn’t been hard to miss that when a soccer match is televised, you’ll find a good majority of males, regardless of age, closely huddled around the nearest TV or radio in rapt attention. With the city streets of Accra lined with local food vendors and merchants, this often means two dozen men packed around an outdoor food stall watching a mini TV that receives less then satisfactory reception. Regardless, rain or shine, day or night, you’ll see this image repeating itself throughout the city. And so is the commitment of Ghanaian men to their beloved soccer.

Told that the game would be televised on a large outdoor screen not far from where I live, I set out with enough time to have a local street artist paint the Ghanaian flag on half of my face (for less than a dollar!) and find a cozy spot on the street to watch the game (in the middle of hundreds of men). I quickly learned that one of the keys to a Ghanaian’s heart is to paint your face with their country’s flag. I was welcomed into the crowd of soccer fans with thumbs-up and high-fives, and was even picked up several times in moments of excitement. My Ghanaian soccer support was greatly appreciated! Needless to say, it was an intense and fantastic 90 minutes of soccer game, though I really had no idea of the utter mayhem that would take place when Ghana scored the only point of the game. My calves, I admit, were slightly sore on Monday from the non-stop bouncing that took place throughout the game and when Ghana scored the only point, I joined the masses of men (and some women) leap with pure joy for 10 straight minutes. It was a LOT of fun.

Interestingly, it was only after the game had ended that all of Ghana came out of the woodwork and fled to the streets to celebrate their victory. Men, women and children of all ages were out in full force sporting their country’s colors, holding their country’s flag, and truly celebrating Ghana’s win with great pride. I spent much of the afternoon and evening smiling and laughing, thankful to be able to join Ghana in such a great day of celebration.

While this victory was clearly important to all Ghanaians and to Africa, I still believe it is the men of this country that hold a special place in their hearts for soccer. As I type this now, without even peering out my apartment window, I am comforted by the perpetual hum of the local mechanic’s TV playing its soccer and the voices of the boy, the friend, the father, and the grandfather watching their game together.

See you soon!

People’s Settlements, Not Slums
June 14, 2010 11:41 am 1 Comment
My first real working week has proved a whirlwind of navigating the seemingly endless number of community organizations that Hakijamii works with. As the first AP Fellows with Hakijamii, we have been trying to create a feasible work plan for our time here. Hakijamii’s work is vast- the best I can compare it to is a Kenyan-focused Amnesty International. We began by meeting with several of the networks that Hakijamii supports- the Nairobi People’s Settlement Network (NPSN) and the Soweto Forum. NPSN is large and incorporates 87 groups ranging across the 168 slums of Nairobi. Soweto Forum is geographically focused in Soweto village, Kibera, and is comprised of about 18 groups.

Our first real site visit was to Kasarani, located in the Korogocho slum, several kilometers out of Nairobi. Marcy, the Community Officer at Hakijamii, took us on the visit.

Marcy is from Kibera, and provided us with a wealth of stories about life in the slums and the difficulties that people in these communities are facing. Perhaps the most important thing that she informed us about was the proper way to refer to these areas. The word “slum” is used regularly- by the media, NGOs, every day citizens- so I assumed this was an appropriate way to describe the settlements. In fact, Marcy informed us, in the past people in the communities had no problem referring to their homes as slum areas. That is, until they discovered the connotations behind the word “slum”- meaning a place unfit for humans to live, a place suited for pigs. This was an insult to the people living there. Though residents were fully aware of the unsanitary and harsh conditions when compared to cosmopolitan Nairobi, the settlements were still livable- people have been living there for decades, after all!

Therefore, residents call their communities “people’s settlements,” and I will do my best to refer to the areas this way. Change must come from the bottom-up, from those the most affected; a small step outsiders can take is to reduce the stigma associated with slum areas by referring to them as the communities do.

Kasarani village is located right next to the Nairobi city dump. I won’t say much on this subject, as Louis has blogged about it, except to say that this is both a blessing and a curse to those who live around it. There are obvious health implications of literally living in the dump- high levels of lead in your blood, respiratory problems, higher rates of problem pregnancies. But, the dump provides livelihood for thousands of people (5,000, according to one blog post). Every day, residents of this area scour it in search of items to resell- plastic bags, appliances, anything they can. The Kenyan government has been discussing the removal of the dump for some time, and the debate between long-term health effects v. being able to buy food today continues. (See pictures below of Kasarani and plastic bags from the dumpsite)

Alleyway in Kasarani, Korogocho

Plastic bags drying after being washed, Dandora dump, Kasarani

Despite the conditions, within this community are an abundance of organizations doing incredible work. We attended a meeting held by the secretary of NPSN, Samuel Njoroge (see picture below, with Louis Rezac), where about 17 groups came to discuss their efforts using theater and entertainment to illustrate the different issues facing the settlements- i.e. HIV/AIDS, water and sanitation, education. Jungle Africa is Samuel’s theater group, and they often perform at soccer matches and other community events. He said that lecturing people is ineffective in getting messages across, but if you entertain them they will listen.

Samuel Njoroge explaining NPSN's work to Louis Rezac

As Americans we might think of ourselves as educated and interested in learning about the world’s issues without the need to be entertained to do so. But how does the average American become aware of the world’s troubles in the first place? I’m thinking of movies like Blood Diamond and Slumdog Millionaire, and famous artists who rap about the injustice of the ghetto (we were also treated to a performance by a Kasarani rapper while there- see link to video below).

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEkc-n1demk

We shall be attending a Jungle Africa performance sometime in the future, so stay tuned.

New Beginnings
8:50 am 85 Comments
I apologize for cramming 2 separate entries into one blog, there is simply too much going on in this first week and I wanted to make sure to share as much as possible. Enjoy!

Jambo!

I arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Friday morning, exhausted after my 2-day journey from New York and incredibly excited to begin this adventure in Nairobi. I will be working with the Kenyan Association of Women Business Owners while I’m here, and I am already quite convinced that they will be extraordinarily hospitable and welcoming hosts during my 2 ½ month stay.

I was met at the airport by Taiyana, a member of KAWBO who was generous enough to answer the slew of questions that I had in our taxi ride over to what would be my residence during my stay here. She told me all about Vice President Biden’s recent trip to Nairobi and the incredible traffic jams that it caused as well as her familiarity with Yale, my present University, thanks to her love of Gilmore Girls. She dropped me off at the home of Njambi, a board member of KAWBO who, concerned about the safety and quality of the hostels that my meager budget would allow for, has agreed to let me stay in her home for the summer. I am incredibly grateful to her. If I even attempted to properly express the generosity and kindness of this woman I would not do her justice. As someone who has lived with homestay families in 3 different countries (Italy, Uzbekistan and Suriname) I knew immediately upon meeting her that Njambi would be an amazing host. And she is.

Planning for my 2 ½ month work plan and potluck contributions begin…

Yesterday I had my first meeting with the KAWBO board, an incredibly inspiring and committed group of women who are eager to make use of my 10 weeks here. My responsibilities consist of administering a baseline survey of current KAWBO members; intended to assess their needs, challenges and expectations as businesswomen in Nairobi. I will also have the opportunity to profile a few of these women; sharing their stories via film, photography and interviews through this blog, the newsletter of the African Business Women’s Network and their own website. It was clear from our meeting yesterday that I will also be supporting KAWBO’s overall advocacy goals; helping them to establish a long-term plan to increase their national exposure and broaden their membership.

Our very professional discussion of the work plan and long-term goals was spotted with discussion of Nairobi nightlife, politics and a potential potluck that the board and I will have soon. I’ve promised to make a “traditional American dish”, which is more likely to be my Eastern European Jewish contribution of mandelbrodt or haroset. Thankfully, my Passover Seder staples will come to some use. The ladies of KAWBO are eager to try them out.

I went food shopping with Njambi and we went into this amazingly crowded and fragrant shop filled with spices. The man in the photo (all you see is his hand) is presently filling that small paper bag with freshly ground ginger. It smelled amazing!

patience is a virtue…
8:41 am 10 Comments
I am now over a week into my fellowship. Things have been slow moving so far, but I’ve been learning a lot. I’ve yet to receive the Vital Voices survey that I will spend much of the summer administering to Wimbiz members, so most of my work in the past few days has concentrated on expanding the role of social networking in Wimbiz’s advocacy efforts. See the new Wimbiz Flickr and Twitter pages to get an idea of what I’ve done so far!

Although I have yet to formally interaction with the Nigerian business women that compose Wimbiz, I’ve already gotten quite a frightening impression of how difficult it must be to run a business here, particularly as a result of the following:

Traffic

The “go-slow” that perpetual clogs up all major roadways in Lagos brings standard big-city-congestion to epic proportions. During the past week, I’ve spent up to 1 hour traveling a distance of less than 2 miles. The upside is that while you wait for the hold-up to clear, you could do your weekly grocery shopping or refurnish your apartment based on the wide array of products offered by vendors walking through traffic or those that who have smartly setup shop along the road. Lagosian could buy everything from fruit to a new love seat without even leaving the car during their morning commute!

What makes Lagos traffic so bad, you might ask? There are several explanations:

As sub-Saharan Africa’s most populous city, Lagos is very densely populated.

While there are major construction projects underway, the condition of most roads remain poor.

The city lacks a mass transit system.

All of these factors make navigating through the city to accomplish the simplest of tasks, an incredibly frustrating and time-consuming endeavor.

NEPA

Lagos has long been Nigeria’s commercial and economic capital, even after State Administrative bodies moved to Abuja in 1991. Yet local residents and business owners cannot rely on the State to provide the most basic of services. NEPA (the National Electric Power Authority) rarely provides more than 8-12 hours of electricity per day. The rest of the time, Lagosians most either reply upon generators for electricity or sit in the dark. For Wimbiz’s modest 3 room office, the cost of using a generator to subsides the electricity provided by the State can reach up to $80-$90 per week, plus generator maintenance fees. When one takes into account the productivity lost each time an unexpected power outage wipes unsaved work off of office computers, the costs soar even higher.

These are just two of the major obstacles that I’ve come in direct contact with in my short time here, there are many more. In fact, the World Bank recently identified a whole host of government regulations that constrain business activity here in Nigeria in Doing Business Nigeria 2010: Reforming Through Difficult Times, an annual publication that presents quantitative indicators on business regulations across 183 economies. According to this report, Nigeria ranks 125th in Ease of Doing Business, approximately 30 positions after Ghana and 50 before Benin. Unsurprisingly, Singapore ranks first.

It bears mention that all of the above were difficulties I well anticipated. (This is my 4th stay in Nigeria in the past 4 years.) But these annoyances take on a whole new life force when experienced through the eyes of a local worker. Hopefully, once I start to administer the baseline member survey and profile Wimbiz success stories later this week, I’ll have a better idea of just how one overcomes the many obstacles to doing business in Nigeria.

**Personal highlight of the week: taking a horseback riding lesson on Lekki beach Saturday afternoon 🙂

“You can’t preach water then drink wine”
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UPDATE: Last night about 1 mile away from my apartment, two homemade gasoline bombs exploded In Nairobi’s Uhuru Park during a crowded prayer rally arranged by Kenyan church leaders opposing the new constitution (which will be voted on in a referendum August 4^th). At least 6 people were killed and around 100 were injured. The tension between the “No” and “Yes” parties has been building for some time, and with the impact of the 2007 post-election violence still reverberating throughout the country, the current escalation of violence is cause for major concern. The poor and uneducated youth living in Nairobi slums are particularly vulnerable to the political rhetoric as those in power on either side find them easily manipulable (I’ll explain the relationship between slum youth and political violence in a future entry). Tragedy: Explosion in Uhuru Park

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzY5n3Au4iw

For Quick Background on the New Constitution and Referendum:

Two Kenyans sit across the room from each other. One is a young professional woman about 20 years old. The other is a deeply religious teenage boy from the slums. They represent the opposing sides of the new constitution debate, and here in this small attic room they launch into a heated argument. Although entangled with both their personal beliefs and life experiences, their argument conveys the general opinions of both sides. Here is a portion of what I heard:

Young Woman: How can these church leaders, who call themselves Christians, spread lies to the people of Kenya?! That is not their job. They must choose between being a spiritual leader or a politician. They cannot be both. They tell people that the constitution legalizes abortion when it clearly states that abortion is only allowed if a licensed doctor believes that the mother’s life is in danger!

Young Boy: Well, if you really look at it, it is legalizing abortion. It’s saying it’s OK. Anyone could get some medical person to say they can do it.

Young Woman: NO! They just want you to think that. Listen to me, my sister died and do you know why? Because she had a bad pregnancy, it killed her. If she had been able to lose the baby she would still be alive today and she would be voting YES on the constitution. Priest don’t marry, they don’t get pregnant, they don’t have children…They don’t know what it is like.

Young Boy: That is very sad

Young Woman: Not until you lose blood (family member), will you be able to understand

Young Boy: You make a good point, but religion is what guides us every day. Without it I would not be here, I may not be alive. I could be still living on the streets. These people are standing up for what God says is right and wrong. They would not lie.

Young Woman: These priest travel to poor rural areas, telling people how they should live while at the same time they buy land and wealth for themselves. They are only afraid of their personal loss and they are using abortion and lies about government seizure of property as an excuse to become powerful political leaders. They may be stirring up violence and anger based on incorrect information. They cannot preach water then drink wine!

Young Boy: Again it is a good point. But you know what will happen don’t you? No matter what the outcome, there may be war come August….

The NO party believes the new constitution will only benefit those who wrote it and not Kenyan citizens

The YES party believes that church leaders who oppose the new constitution are using religion as a political tool which will harm women and violate their human rights

Two Worlds, One Nairobi
4:39 am 6 Comments
My first week in Nairobi was a blur of traffic, exhaust, and crowded streets. My first thoughts were on how much more developed Nairobi was than Bamako, Mali (I spent a little over two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali.). Everyone seemed to be driving a car and wearing a suit. While looking for a secure apartment Christy (my fiancé and colleague) and I found that the rent was as much as where we live in the U.S.

We met with the Hakijamii; the organization we would be interning for. They help connect grassroots human rights organizations so that they can come together and clearly articulate their problems to the government. During our first week we visited two people’s settlements (slums). They were a stark contrast to downtown Nairobi. While downtown Nairobi has high rise buildings and clean wide streets and sidewalks, the people’s settlements have tiny mud houses and sewage running down narrow dirt paths (See pictures above and below). I had always heard about the inequality in Kenya, but you need to see it in person to truly appreciate the injustice.

On a visit to Korogocho people’s settlement we saw the Dandora dump (located inside Korogocho). The government is currently trying to clean up and move the dump to a new location. The 30-acre dump takes garbage that includes industrial and medical waste. A U.N. study found high levels of lead, mercury and cadmium at the site and surrounding slums in eastern Nairobi.

Another study was done to see if these high levels of toxins were affecting the local population. 328 children had their blood tested to evaluate the level of toxins. The results showed that half of the children tested exceeded the internationally accepted level of lead concentrations in their blood. Most of them suffer respiratory problems.

Cleaning up and moving the dump sounds great until you realize many people in Korogocho earn a living by selling things they find in the dump. We met one woman who was washing used plastic bags, collected from the dump, in the polluted Nairobi River to resell (See pic below). She explained that she would rather earn a living selling used plastic bags than become a prostitute like many women in her situation do. While the dump is unsanitary and leads to many problems in the settlement it also provides income for many of the residents. If the dump moves many of these people will lose their means of income.

Proponents of the move and clean up said that they would employ the people already working in the dumps to clean it up and will build a modern recycling facility which will later employ these same people working to clean up the site. The problem is that many of the promises made are not kept. We talked to some young men who were helping with the clean-up. They told us that they started the cleanup, but they had stopped because they were not being paid.

On Friday we went out to a bar with a Kenyan friend to celebrate the start of the world cup. After being in the people’s settlement earlier that day it was shocking to be in a bar watching a game on a large flat screen TV while drinking a beer. The beer cost two dollars, more than the woman washing trash bags could earn in a whole day. The bar was packed full of working Kenyan’s drinking and enjoying the night. I wondered how this could be? How can these two different worlds exist so close to one another?

Slum Schools: Food or Thought?
June 11, 2010 6:51 am 7 Comments
While working with refugee youth in my previous life before graduate school, I discovered a striking difference between American and refugee kids. From the moment of their birth, American kids are trained to prepare and plan for not only most hours of the day, but for well into their future lives as well. Preschool applications are in high demand because apparently that will determine the child’s Ivy League college admissions status. We are constantly preparing for a future that we naturally assume with certainty will arrive.

This is not the same for everyone.

The refugee youth I worked with had difficulty grasping the concept of not just a future that involved tomorrow, but one that could be years from now. Few children and teenagers knew what they wanted to do for a job let alone a career. The same is true for the street and slum youth the Undugu Society of Kenya (USK) works with. 24 hours a day, the child’s prerogative is to literally “survive” the day. Where will I find food? Where will I sleep? Trapped in this struggle, achieving a basic education can be considered a luxury or even a waste of time. When the choice is between working at a garbage dump for a few Kenyan shillings to buy a meal or learning to write the days of the week, it should come as no surprise that child labor statistics in Kenya are skyrocketing.

Young students resting in empty classroom in Undugu Mathare informal school

USK has 4 informal schools in the Nairobi slums. Instead of grades there are 4 ‘phases,’ beginning with phase 1 which has children age 10 and 11 but who due to malnutrition, have the physical appearance of kindergarteners. The hope is that by the end of phase 4 the student will be willing and able to integrate into a formal Kenyan school or begin one of Undugu’s vocation skills training programs.

The informal schools have around 200 students and 6 teachers. The buildings are good for slum dwellings but almost all rooms lack electricity and the roofs are tin sheets with plenty of holes to allow the room to flood during a heavy rain. In one school, the teachers described to me how they must use the same toilets as the children but that there are no doors to provide privacy. A teacher described it as being brought down to “the lowest level of degradation.” There are no playgrounds but rather fields or cleared areas to allow students to run around. While walking through these fields you are not immune from the waste that litters all the streets and on several visits, human feces.

Geometry lesson in a Phase 2 class Kibera.

As bleak as this is, I must write that upon visiting these schools, I have never met a more friendly, open, and energetic group of kids. In their formal English training, each child attempts to shake my hand and say hello. They run to show me their work books and demonstrate the games they created with garbage and barbed wire as jumping ropes. Some students are wearing tattered rags and broken flip flops. The image of a young boy in dirty ripped clothes but also cracked shinning black dress shoes that softly click upon the rugged cement floors simultaneously makes me smile and tear up.

"Hello Madam!"

Jmping rope made out of plastic bag parts

Smiles at the Mathare school

The desired plan for these amazing kids is not grand. There is little chance that they will entirely remove themselves from the life they know now. However, the USK schools are attempting to offer the students the possibility of a future beyond tomorrow.

The Arrival
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Accra welcomed me with some very thick, warm air on Sunday afternoon, May 31^st. While I had been mentally prepared for the heat, my body still experienced a minor panic as my hub Manager, Bridget, met me at Kotoka International Airport and led me out to her car. Within minutes I could feel the sweat on my forehead and upper lip collecting. Exhausted and confused about exactly what time it was for me, I was thankful to be taken under Bridget’s wing that evening. She fed me a delicious home cooked Ghanaian meal and delivered me to my hotel. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

My first day of work began bright and early the following morning at 6:30am. Accra is notoriously horrendous for its traffic, so morning commute starts early. Traveling a mere few miles can take well over an hour during the heart of traffic hour. I was lucky enough to commute with Bridget during my first week of work and I accompanied her to the EWEC office on my first morning in Accra.

EWEC’s office is set along the eastern side of Accra in a fairly quiet neighborhood called Labadi. Upon initial inspection, the neighborhood appears a bit sparse, with large open spaces connected primarily by dirt roads. A closer look, however, reveals a great deal of growth and development taking place in the neighborhood. I would not be surprised to find the area bustling in just a few years. As I sit here and type this, actually, I hear numerous hammers pounding away in the near distance. In general, I’ve noticed a great deal of development taking place throughout Accra and it is great to see the economic growth the city is experiencing.

Founded in 2008, EWEC is a young organization with a full time staff of 5 people. Currently sharing the two story office space of Eagle Productions Limited (staff of 24) until sufficient resources are available for their own office, the work environment is busy, committed and friendly. I’ve noticed an eagerness from everyone on the EWEC staff to learn from the knowledge I have to offer and I’m excited to share some of my experiences with them. I’ve also realized that I have a great deal to learn about business in Ghana!

Over all, my first week has been exhausting, fascinating, confusing and wonderful. I’ve received such a warm welcome from Ghana, my new co-workers, and in particular, EWEC’s hub manager, Bridget. It has been a great first week and I’ll be updating often as I dive into work with EWEC.

Thanks for reading and see you soon!

Bridget, EWEC's hub manager, shares lunch with me

EWEC/Eagle Productions Limited Office

EWEC staff member, Mercy, poses for a picture.

An Introduction to the Slums
2:06 am 9 Comments
This is the place: these narrow ways, diverging to the right and left, and reeking everywhere with dirt and filth. See how the rotten beams are tumbling down, and how the patched and broken windows seem to scowl dimly. Narrow ways, diverging to the right and left…where neither ray of light nor breath of air appears to come.

The passage above was written in the travelogue ‘American Notes’ by Charles Dickens in 1842 during a walking tour of the Five Points slum in New York City. His vivid details of the 19^th century urban slum and the lives that were surviving within ignite the senses in all their foul glory. Although rife with unnecessary upper class disdain and misunderstandings, Dickens predecessor of the modern day travel blog was one the first thoughts that came to my head when it dawned on me that I may not have the adequate skills to convey the modern African urban slum.

However here is my attempt….Don’t judge me too harshly Mr. Dickens:

A large alleyway leading to various homes

Upon entering the slum, you immediately feel the world close in, the light disappears, and the air turns rancid. Homes are literally shacks made up of material the occupants were lucky enough to stumble upon in their scavenging efforts. Rigged tin sheets, rotten wooden boards, and crumbling red mud and grass are nailed, packed or tied together in crooked patterns to form small square rooms barely higher than five feet. Swaying back and forth on an exposed wire is a single light bulb illuminating the cramped quarters inside. A single mattress may have been obtained if fortunate, but if so it can be possible for 5 or 6 people to be sharing it. There are no glass windows in these shacks, or doors for that matter. A single curtain of thin material hangs to provide a mocking sense of privacy.

A glance into a tailoring shop in Kibera slum

The ground is dirt mixed with trash and after the rains a bog is formed of mud and waste made up of all you can imagine. The alleys are an impossible maze of twists and turns and are narrow enough at times for only one person shuffle by sideways. Running down the middle of these alleys is a trench which carries the flow of sewage water, plastic bags and old shoes which on more than one occasion I witnessed people picking up and trying on. Emaciated packs of dogs and cats scurry through their own passageways in search of food or trash that smells close enough like food. Children wander around unattended and if lucky are wearing shoes. However, wherever I travel a high pitched chorus of “Allow! Ow are you?!” mixed with giggles and laughter trail beside me.

Young children beside small market in Kibera

A newly paved road in the Gomongo Slum. To make the road, the governemnt bulldozed any building in its way including half a school

In the past week I have been to four slums around the hectic and crowded city of Nairobi Kenya: Mathare, Kibera, Dandora, and Gomongo. In total, over 2 million people live inside these and other Kenyan slums. To offer some perspective, the entire population for the state of Utah is just over 2.5 million. The largest slum in Africa, Kibera, is approximately the size of Central Park and houses 1 million of the total slum dwelling population.

As an outsider, and a white ‘muzungu’ one at that, my presence in the slums is simultaneously an attraction and an irritation. Besides the obvious safety concern, taking out my camera to capture the images of the slum feels like an invasion of privacy that turns the suffering of a people into merely a tourist attraction. You grab the shots you can, but as future notice to readers, when it comes to obtaining illustrated evidence of my work or allowing the poorest of the poor to maintain their dignity, I will choose the later and simply work on achieving the descriptive powers or Mr. Dickens.

Arrival in Nairobi: witnessing Kenyan disparity
June 8, 2010 10:50 am 7 Comments
I’m fortunate enough to have my fiancé, Louis Rezac, working with me for the summer at Hakijamii. We stepped off the Emirates flight into Nairobi almost a week ago. The airport was large- much bigger than anything I had seen in West Africa. The driver from Hakijamii graciously received us at the airport, and we drove through the massive traffic jams to get to the city center YMCA. At first glance the city doesn’t look much different from an American city- paved roads, large buildings, shopping centers, every kind of restaurant you could imagine. The YMCA was similar to other hostels I had stayed in. With American commodities and infrastructure came American prices- immediately it became clear that living here would not be cheap.

We began looking for apartments to rent right away. We wanted something modest but secure. Because of Nairobi’s notoriety, we knew we needed gates and a guard. After speaking with several different real estate agents and viewing various apartments, we realized that there was no “modest” living if one wanted to be secure. The apartments we viewed were large, luxurious, with lavish gardens and pools. Most we could not begin to afford. After several days of constant searching, we finally found one that, with an additional roommate, would come out to about what we pay in Massachusetts.

Nairobi city center

A five-minute walk from our safe haven is the Kibera slum. Also a five-minute walk from our place are two supermarkets and a mall. Modest accommodation as we have in the U.S. seems to not really exist here. As we walk to our relaxing, comfortable home from work or the market, most of the other people are walking to their 5-foot square home, made of mud, with no electricity, scarce water, and virtually no sanitation. Cholera and HIV/AIDS are just two of the prominent diseases in Kibera. I have witnessed inequality within the same city before, having been to Johannesburg, South Africa- but never at this level and within such a short distance. Walking through the city it is clear that Kenya has money, somewhere. Everywhere are people in business suits, driving cars and eating in fancy restaurants. But this money is not reaching millions of people, who lack access to the most basic of human services.

Typical Kibera living situation, photo taken by Hakijamii

It is even clearer to me now the need for human rights organizations such as Hakijamii. For here, the problem is not so much the lack of “development” or “aid,” but rather where the money goes and the disparity between the rich and the poor. Kenya has a high Gini Coefficient of 42.5, a statistic the CIA uses to measure income inequality. Despite relatively advanced agricultural and industrial sectors, Kenya is still among the poorest countries in world, with per-capita income averaging $360, ranking 148^th among 177 countries in the United Nations Development Programme’s human development index (more). With such advanced infrastructure but such low per-capita income, it is clear that most of the population lives in poverty. According to UN-HABITAT, the slum to urban population in Kenya is 71%. Rural to urban migration is increasing, and if nothing is changed within government and civil society, the slum situation will continue to get worse.

Away I go!
June 2, 2010 1:57 pm 2 Comments
It is less than 24 hours before I am scheduled to begin my Advocacy Project fellowship. While the three days of training in DC last week gave me a fairly clear picture of what I will be responsible for this summer, I am still not sure exactly what to expect, on both a personal and professional level.

However, I am incredibly passionate about the work I’ll be doing this summer. Along with many of my colleagues, I am convinced that tapping into the intelligence, drive and ambition of African women is a prerequisite for sustainable development on the continent. Working with Vital Voices and WIMBIZ should provide me with invaluable insight into exactly what type of support business women in the region really need. As much emphases has been placed in micro-finance in recent years, I have got a sneaking suspicion that a lack of financial resources is only one of the many obstacles women here face, but I am sure I will have a much better understanding of these issues come the end of August.

On a personal note, participating in this fellowship will also enable me to reconnect with my homeland. Although I was born just a few hours north of Lagos (in a city called Ibadon), I’ve spent a very small portion of my life here in Nigeria. This summer, I will spend more time here than I have since the age of 2. So there is no doubt this experience will change me. I cannot wait for the adventure to begin!

Much preparation and few expectations
May 27, 2010 6:44 pm 2 Comments

According to mainstream media, Uganda has made significant improvements in the economic and human rights spheres since the official end of conflict, including recently banning female circumcision. Today, Ugandan women exercise more and more political and economic power as activists, voters, professionals, mothers and in the many other roles they play. But experience has shown me that mainstream media cannot always capture the atmosphere of a country or the perspectives of its discriminated groups. What challenges and opportunities do women face? Are they generally hopeful about their prospects? How can women collaborate for change?

Addressing these questions will be part of my work with the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited (UWEAL), a member of the the Africa Businesswomen’s Network developed in partnership with Vital Voices, and part of The Advocacy Project. I will not be doing ‘a development project’; I’ll conduct a baseline survey of UWEAL’s members, help the Association use social media to make its voice heard and assist in any other advocacy work UWEAL requires from now to September. As I prepare to leave (and there’s still much to do), I have no expectations and a completely open mind. Follow my journey and learn more about women doing business in Uganda on this blog, with photos on flickr, or send me an email at aallman@advocacynet.org.

Entering the world of advocacy in Nairobi
6:38 pm 7 Comments
It’s difficult to describe all the feelings I’m experiencing a week before I depart for Nairobi, Kenya. It’s different from what I felt going into the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa- then I was full of apprehension, fear, and naivety. Anxiety is inevitable before embarking on a journey to the developing world- and Kenya is no exception- but this time I know what I will be doing, what my purpose is. My biggest fear is Nairobi, for I have never lived in a big city, and certainly not one as notorious as this (a common nickname for the city is “Nairobbery”). But here, I have the opportunity to do more than in a rural village in Mali, to work with organizations doing advocacy work in one of the most unequal nations in the world.

Through The Advocacy Project, I am partnered with Hakijamii, or the Social and Economic Rights Centre as it roughly translates from Swahili (the most widely used language in Kenya). Hakijamii works to strengthen and build capacity of community-based, or grassroots, organizations that are advocating for economic, social and cultural rights. Right now, Hakijamii supports over 120 organizations throughout Kenya and even other countries. It provides assistance through awareness raising, training, support for new community movements, advocacy and litigation support, and much more. Many of its achievements have been related to campaigning against forced evictions, a serious problem in Kenya. For decades, Kenyans have been forced out of their informal settlements to make way for government development projects. Faced with homelessness and loss of livelihood, they live in substandard conditions with little or no access to food, shelter, clean water, education, and healthcare. Nairobi is home to one of the largest slums in the world, Kibera, where between 600,000 and 1.2 million people live in an area smaller than Central Park in New York City, according to the Economist.

Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya

Though I haven’t had much contact with Hakijamii staff personally yet, Odindo Opiata, Hakijamii’s director, and I have laid out a rough job description for my time there, which involves profiling the members of the Hakijamii’s partner organizations through picture and videos and compiling a database for the website. I am thrilled to do this, as it will allow me to work in the field where these grassroots groups operate. I will be collaborating with the Nairobi People’s Settlement Network (NPSN) and the Kisumu Social Rights Association (KISORA), coalitions formed as a result of Hakijamii’s work that bring together the smaller organizations. NPSN and KISORA focus on rights to food, education, and healthcare in addition to housing. Hakijamii and its partners operate in the same vein as Amnesty International and Cordaid, two international partners.

The work of Hakijamii and its partners is moving and inspiring. They face tremendous obstacles as they fight for justice and continue to make change where others have given up. I’m excited, honored, and ready to be introduced to a new world of human rights advocacy work.

Welcome to my blog!
6:36 pm Leave a Comment
Hello all! This is the first installation of my blog, which I will be maintaining throughout my summer internship. In just 2 weeks I will be heading to Nairobi, Kenya to work with the Kenyan Association of Women Business Owners (KAWBO). As a Vital Voices/Advocacy Project fellow I will be conducting a baseline survey developed by Vital Voices of KAWBO participants, as well as producing success story profiles, networking with media outlets, expanding the KAWBO website and maintaining this weekly blog.

I look forward to arriving in Kenya, meeting with my co-workers at KAWBO and spending the summer supporting their efforts to strengthen female business owners in Nairobi. Keep following my blog and I’ll keep you updated on my life and work in Kenya.

Preparing for Departure
6:24 pm 5 Comments
The journey begins on an eleven hour train from Bellows Falls Vermont to Washington D.C, where The Advocacy Project (AP) is leading a three day training. I am eager to meet the other Peace Fellows and finally put faces to the AP individuals I have been emailing the past few months!

Apart from the training, my initial tasks will involve, first and foremost, securing a visa to Cameroon. Fingers are crossed that the process will be as painless as obtaining a visa can be; ‘on va voir’, or we will see. I plan to attend a Vital Voices organized meeting on June 7^th, also in D.C., where I will be further familiarized with the work of their organization, and their goals for the Cameroon Hub in particular.

Having the opportunity to conduct a baseline survey, as developed by Vital Voices, of the Cameroon Business Women Network participants is something I am very much looking forward to – engaging with these women and learning what obstacles they face in their daily lives, as well as what they have overcome and achieved, will not only be helpful for the network itself, but elucidating on a personal and professional level. I am interested in knowing more about how women are resilient, and eager to depict them in their resilience, as opposed to the image of ‘victimhood’ women are so often portrayed in. I imagine this summer will be more than a learning experience for me; I look forward to the stories of inspiration and hard work that I will undoubtedly encounter.

T-minus 4 days!
11:39 am 1 Comment
T-minus four days until I embark upon my Ghanaian adventure. As I sit at my parent’s home in Washington DC, typing away in the sweet summer night air, I find myself wandering off up into my head, pondering the challenges and adventures that await me in Ghana. My curiosities and questions are endless, of course. Some are simple and some a bit more complex. Really, though, just how hot is it in Accra during the summer months? And is it true that I might actually, physically melt? Will I be able to find my beloved (and necessary) cup of coffee each morning and if not, do Ghanaians get their morning jolt some other way? Do taxis take tips? ? How does the public school system function? What are the major challenges of a successful Ghanaian businesswoman? And of immediate concern, what exactly will I eat for dinner Sunday night? An onion? As a predominantly visual thinker, in a sense, Ghana is my onion. With so much to explore and learn about Ghana and its people, I hope to peel away (carefully and with my eyes open!) the many layers of culture, tradition and history that make Ghana the amazing place that so many have described to me.

Having never been to the African continent, I am beyond excited (ok, thrilled!) to experience a new culture. But more importantly (and less selfishly), I am excited to be working directly with one of Vital Voices African Business Women Network Hubs, the Eagle Women’s Empowerment Club (EWEC). Based out of Accra, Ghana’s capitol, EWEC is committed to empowering women to achieve their highest potential economically and socially through mentorship, leadership and small business training. As an Advocacy Project Fellow in partnership with Vital Voices, I will specifically focus on providing EWEC with a forum for peer learning, information exchange, business development, access to education, resources and tools, and building networks for businesswomen in the region. It is truly a privilege to be chosen as an Advocacy Project Fellow and I hope to make a lasting contribution both this summer and into the future with The Advocacy Project.

While I do not expect the next three months to be easy, I am ready. Ready to devote myself to the Eagle Women’s Empower Club. Ready to assimilate into a new culture as well as share my own culture with others. And ready to contribute my knowledge and expertise in a meaningful and tangible way to the women of Ghana.

Ghana, I am ready for you. See you in 4 days!

Ready for Ghana

Flying to DC

Article on Rising Insecurity in Karamoja
October 21, 2009 1:10 pm Leave a Comment
Photo by Courtney Chance, AP Fellow 2009. Location: Kotido, Uganda (Karamoja). Partner: CECORE/IANSA

Unfortunately, food shortage in Karamoja is causing the security situation to deteriorate. Once again, arms and ammunition trading is on the rise. I want to bring attention to an article published in the East African yesterday.

To read the article, please click on the following link: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/DKAN-7WZMV4?OpenDocument#

“International Aid and Gender Equality in Kenya”
October 8, 2009 10:09 am 1 Comment

I N T E R N AT I O N A L A I D A N D G E N D E R E Q UA L I T Y I N K E N Y A

My dear fellows:

Please feel free to join my presentation & discussion with the Development Circle, stemming from my recent work in Kenya.
Wednesday, October 14th
12:15pm — 1:30pm
MSPP Community Lounge, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Refreshments will be served, I am looking forward to seeing you there!

Presentation Poster

Gender-Based Violence and Frontier Justice in Karamoja
October 6, 2009 8:15 pm Leave a Comment

Photo by Courtney Chance, 2009 AP Fellow. Location: Kotido, Uganda. Partner: CECORE/IANSA.

Joyce Ilukori is a former police officer who now advocates for women’s rights on behalf of Mother Care, a community based organization in Kaabong. Joyce’s experiences as a police officer revealed to her just how few resources are available to victims of gender-based violence in Karamoja. When I spoke with her, she described an incident in which a relative of hers was brutally raped by five men. The police merely detained and later released the perpetrators without pursuing charges. According to Joyce, when women report violence, it is “typical for nothing to happen.” In Karamoja, the prevalence and severity of domestic violence and inter-clan armed rape are staggering, yet a lack of infrastructure and an adherence to traditional practices barricade women from seeking justice.

Domestic violence against both women and children is so severe that many are left permanently disabled. Given that the Karimojong are a semi-nomadic pastoralist people, being disabled is a tremendous hardship. During raids, being disabled becomes an extreme liability. Those who are unable to escape or defend themselves are exposed to a much greater risk of being raped or shot by rival warriors. In addition, disabled survivors face an elevated risk of repeated attacks.

Children also suffer both directly and indirectly from domestic violence. Adolescent boys, charged with watching cattle, may be beaten or even killed for losing an animal or falling victim to a raid. Girls are at risk of being raped while gathering firewood or walking to and from school. Patrick Osekeny of UNFPA recounted a recent incident in which two female students were on their way to school when they were stopped by members of a rival clan. The men used the barrel of a rifle to rape the girls.

Determining the rate of armed domestic violence in Karamoja is nearly impossible because reporting is all but nonexistent, and official structures go unused. Osekeny asserts that “deaths [are] not even reported.” Likewise, Patrick Lomongin of FORDIPOM claims that if one is to search peoples records and police records do not reflect the “many cases” of spousal murder in the region. He provided an example of a wealthy cattle rustler from Lotome who shot two of his eleven wives. Lomongin said that despite everyone in town knowing about this man’s crimes, no attempt has been made to bring him to justice or even to ostracize him from the community.

Instead of seeking help from the police or the courts, affected parties usually settle disputes within their community or tribe. Some disputes are referred to the Akiliket, the local council of elders. Oftentimes, the Akiliket dismisses claims of domestic violence outright because wife-beating is considered normal or a private family issue. If the victim’s family protests or the violence results in major injury or death, then the aggressor may be asked to compensate the victim’s family. Once this is done, the case is deemed to be resolved.

Patrick Osekeny recalls a case from last year when a widow was raped in her hut. There were several witnesses, but no one intervened. The woman was so distraught that she hung herself. Police detained the perpetrator, but they released him when his relatives agreed to pay compensation to the widow’s son.

In addition to cultural barriers, survivors must surmount systemic obstacles to justice. There are no resident judges or magistrates in Karamoja. The region’s presiding magistrate oversees Soroti District plus all five (soon to be six) of the districts in Karamoja. The only court in the region is situated in Moroto, and there are no resources available to transport witnesses or plaintiffs to and from Moroto. According to Lomongin, the chief magistrate spent only four days in Moroto during the previous year. As a result, there is a backlog of more than 300 cases. Ironically, the sign outside the Moroto courthouse reads “Justice delayed is justice denied.”

Furthermore, because the Karimojong are a semi-nomadic people, locating witnesses and following up on cases is very difficult. Ann Grace Namer of Caritas claims that both victims and witnesses fear that they will be harassed or killed if they report violence or testify in court.

In Karamoja, there are few police units, and only a handful of officers have received gender sensitivity training. Currently, UNFPA and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) are training community development officers to collect and manage cases, but this project is still in the early stages. Women’s organizations are also forming more cohesive alliances. At least 80 women’s groups are now registered with the Karamoja Women Umbrella Organisation. Even though Karamoja is a difficult working environment, community-based organizations, such as FORDIPOM and Warrior Squad, are using innovative methods to reach out to the communities in the region. I was truly inspired by their enthusiasm and their dedication to promoting peace and gender equality.

I want to recognize some of the individuals and organizations committed to women’s rights in Karamoja. The following were kind enough to share their time and expertise.

Milton Lopiria, Warrior Squad Foundation

Romano Longole, Kotido Peace Initiative (KOPEIN)

Patrick Osekeny, UNFPA Moroto

Mark Can Lain, International Rescue Committee

Anna Lomonyang and Patrick Lomongin, Foundation of Rural Disabled Persons of Moroto (FORDIPOM)

Ann Grace Namer, Caritas

Juliet Achieng, Karamoja Women’s Umbrella Organization (KAWUO)

Joyce Ilukori, Mother Care

Paulina Chepkumun, nurse/midwife and women’s health advocate affiliated with KAWUO

NEW SEASON, OLD SOCIAL JUSTICE PLEAS
October 1, 2009 3:41 am 250 Comments

The summer is over.

Now, back home in Madrid, and enjoying the first days of the autumn I take some time to reflect about the summer. My reflections can not go too far because my soul is still somewhre in central Africa, taking some time to rejoin my body. I thought that a long and complicated four day-trip back home would make things easier; I thought that it would give me time to organize and find place for the new feelings and the bright images; I thought that pasing through other European (familiar) countries before finally making it to Madrid would give me some clues about world emotional flows, injustices and stories… but it didn´t.

I just simply extremely exhausted.

Ryanair (the European lo-cost airline) gave me a very hard time in London, making me do impossible queues, pay absurd amounts of money for the extra-luggage and treating me worse than in any of the Congolese borders (!). When I realised that the company was actually making me miss my flight (with them!) with their funny procedures and I was starting to feel stressed, angry and anxious I decided to leave aside these typical European-first world feelings and to fly with another company. Easyjet gave me good deal and I arrived to Madrid one day later. When I was buying the new ticket in the Easyjet desk to the nicest employee of the company (no doubt), I began to cry silently, I don´t know quite well where it came from…

I have spent the whole summer in “war-torn Congo”, having encounters with victims of sexual violence (old women, little girls, young women), hearing outrageous stories of the war, looking at the eyes of misery and injustice. And no tears. But broke apart in Standstead airport. Life is so absurd and wise.

While I am back at my comfortable working place trying to focus and get back to a European rythm, I can not help but think that with even though the summer is over, the old pleas for social justice for women in Congo are not. During these weeks, the women of AFEM-SK are working hard to continue with their activities in a climate of fear and doubt, trying to understand how to perform a strong activism and not risk their lives. Sometimes this is just not possible.

From Madrid, I want to send my hope, strenght and faith in their efforts. Change can happen.

Following, I post their communication on the events of the last month (below, translated in English)

INDIGNATION DE L’ASSOCIATION DES FEMMES DES MEDIAS DU SUD-KIVU FACE AUX MENACES DE MORT PROFEREES A SES MEMBRES.

L’association des femmes des Médias du Sud-Kivu (AFEM) s’indigne face aux menaces de mort proférées à leur endroit à travers un SMS citant nommément 3 femmes journalistes, 2 de Radio okapi et 1 de Radio Maendeleo. Ce SMS envoyé le 8 septembre 2009 en kiswahili est ainsi libellé : « Mulisha zoweya mubaya munaanza ingia mu mambo haibaone ju kuonesha kama habawezi bagusa, sasa munataka kufa ako juu munyamaze. Tulisha pata ruusa ya kuaanzia ako Kadi, kiisha Kamuntu kiisha , Kintu Namuto…risasi mu kichwa.»

Traduction en français

«Vous avez pris la mauvaise habitude de vous immiscer dans ce qui ne vous regarde pas pour montrer que vous êtes des intouchables, maintenant certains d’entre vous vont mourir pour que vous la boucliez. Nous venons d’avoir l’autorisation de commencer par Kadi, puis Kamuntu puis Namuto …une balle dans la tête »

Pendant le deuil du journaliste Bruno Koko le mois d’Aout passé, on pouvait entendre dans la foule que ” Après cela, ce sera le tour des journalistes femmes à être tuées”.

Lors du passage de Mme la Secrétaire d’Etat Américaine à Goma le 11 août dernier, dans sa présentation, l’Association des Femmes des Médias du Sud Kivu avait justement plaidé auprès de Mme Clinton pour qu’elle use de son influence afin la liberté d’expression soit renforcée en RDC, pays où plusieurs médias venaient d’être interdits de diffusion comme RFI et une Radio rurale située à Shabunda (Radio Mutanga) venait d’être détruite. A posteriori ce plaidoyer se révèle encore plus pertinent.

Ceci prouve à suffisance que les journalistes continuent à être la cible des ennemis de la liberté d’expression dans une province du Sud Kivu où 3 journalistes ont été tués en 3 ans : Serge Maheshe et Didace Namujimbo de la Radio Okapi et Bruno Koko de la Radio Star.

Face à cette situation, l’Association des Femmes des Médias du Sud-Kivu souhaite mettre l’autorité provinciale devant ses responsabilités de sécuriser les journalistes avant qu’un nouveau drame ne survienne.

Au service de renseignements, AFEM demande de diligenter sans délais une enquête pour identifier les auteurs de ces menaces à partir du numéro vodacom qu’ils avaient utilisé.

A tous nos Amis et partenaires, nous lançons un appel pour nous aider dans les mécanismes de sécurisation des journalistes, ce dont nous vous remercions d’avance.

Association des femmes des Medias du Su-Kivu(AFEM)

INDIGNATION OF THE ASSOCIATION DES FEMMES DES MEDIAS DU SUD-KIVU AFTER THE DEATH THREATS UTTERED TO ITS MEMBERS

The Association des femmes des Médias du Sud-Kivu (AFEM) is outraged due to the death threats receieved via SMS by three women journalists, 2 from Radio Okapi and 1 from Radio Maendeleo. This SMS, sent on the 8th of September 2009 in kiswahili said: «You have acquired the bad habit of interfering in things that are none of your bussiness to show that you are untouchable, now some of you are going to die. We just received the authorisation to start with Kadi, then Kamuntu and then Namuto …a bullet in the head »

During the mourning of the journalist Bruno Koko, last August, we could hear people shouting in the crowd “After this, it will the be turn of the women journalists”

When the Secretary of State of the USA came to Goma last August the 11th, in her presentation, the Association des Femmes des Médias du Sud Kivu asked Mrs.Clinton to use her influence to promote and strengthen the freedom of speech in DRC, a country where many media have been fordibben, such as RFI and a rural radio in Shabunda (Radio Mutanga) has been destroyed. A posteriori this cause seems to be even more pertinent.

This proves that the journalists are still the target of the enemies of the freedom of speech in the province of Sud Kivu where 3 journalists have been killed in 3 years : Serge Maheshe and Didace Namujimbo of Radio Okapi and Bruno Koko of Radio Star.

In this context, the Association des Femmes des Médias du Sud-Kivu wants to ask the provincial authorities to be accountable with its responsibilities of securitising journalists before we have to learn of a new tragedy. Also, to do a legal prosecution, AFEM asks for a procedure to identify the authors of this threats through their Vodacom phone number.

To all our friends and partnerss, we launch a message of demand of help to assist with the mechanisms of protection of journalists, thanking you in advance.”

 In Bukavu, 15/09/09

Association des femmes des Medias du Su-Kivu(AFEM)

SEE YOU SOON, CONGO
2:38 am 106 Comments

It will be impossible to forget the noise of the streets, the smell of the fresh fish in the market and the colour of the city, buried under an everlasting layer of dust. I leave with the dry season; here I leave the tropical heat and the heavy rains of the rainy season that will bring back the exuberance to the fields. I leave behind many days of exploring and discovering, not understanding and trying to understand, learning, and finally, knowing. When you make a great effort to get to know something so remote and hard you will end up loving it somehow… we can say that Congo is hard to get to know, it is incomprehensible and unfair, but beautiful, visceral and moving.

Many faces, many stories, many heartbreaking testimonies, many laughs, many gestures, many shared meals, many discussed projects, many exchanged ideas, many doubts, many requests and many gifts.

My eyes will never forget the hills of Idwji Island, the mamas carrying enormous bags of dozens of kilos of charcoal, the colours of the fruit in the market, the morning light, the sunsets in the shores of the Kivu Lake, the thousands of small mud houses scattered in the hills, the goats in the city centre, the convoy of white jeeps, the colours of the pagnes of the neat mamas going to the mass, the crowded dances of the ceremonies, the young soldiers marching in the city, the huge MONUC lorries and vehicles, the incredible girls´ hairdos, the men travelling on the top of a huge pile of merchandises on the lorries, the parishioners dancing during the mass, the babies in their mother’s, sister’s or auntie’s back…

Now I understand those who keep coming back to the heart of Africa; those who travel through the transnational routes between Europe and Africa; those who feel a home when they are at these cities… shattered, crowded, chaotic, vibrant, awake, ugly, alive… cities that wake up early and go to bed late, full of dust or mud, depending on the season, but always full of people full of dreams that fly and sometimes crash.

En Español: Hasta pronto, Congo

Será imposible olvidar el ruido de las calles, el olor del pescado fresco en el mercado y el color de la ciudad enterrada bajo una capa de polvo. Me voy con la estación seca; atrás dejo el calor tropical y las lluvias torrenciales de la estación de lluvias que volverá a traer la exuberancia a los campos. Atrás quedan muchos días de descubrir, explorar, aprender, no entender y, finalmente, conocer. Cuando te esfuerzas tanto por conocer algo tan remoto y ajeno de alguna manera acabas amándolo… y es que Congo es difícil de conocer, es tan incomprensible e injusto, pero tan bello, visceral y apasionante.

Muchas caras, muchas historias, muchos testimonios de sufrimiento, muchas risas, muchos gestos, muchas comidas compartidas, muchos proyectos discutidos, muchas ideas intercambiadas, muchas dudas, mucha esperanza, muchas peticiones y muchos regalos.

Se quedan en mi retina las colinas de la Isla de Idwji, las mamas acarreando sacos de decenas kilos de carbón, los colores de las frutas en el mercado, la luz de la mañana, los atardeceres en el lago Kivu, la miles de casas de barro desperdigadas por los cerros, los cabritillos en el centro de la ciudad, el convoy de camionetas blancas con logos, los colores de los pagnes y las mamas impecables para ir a la iglesia, los bailes multitudinarios de las ceremonias, los soldados jovencísimos marchando por la ciudad, los camiones y tanquetas de la MONUC, las cabezas trenzadas de las niñas, los hombres viajando encima de las mercancías de un camión, los fieles bailando en misa, los bebés en las espaldas de sus madres o tías o hermanas…

Ahora entiendo a aquellos que vuelven aquí, al corazón de África, una y otra vez, a aquellos que transitan por los caminos transnacionales entre Europa y África. Aquellos que se sienten en casa en estas ciudades desbaratadas, amontonadas, caóticas, vibrantes, despiertas, feas, vivas… ciudades que madrugan y ciudades que trasnochan, llenas de polvo o de barro según la estación, pero siempre llenas de gente con sueños que vuelan y que a veces se estrellan.

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Ripe for a composting hub	Tasty snacks produce organic waste

Caitlin helps to assemble a garden	Vena has started a garden beside a road

Stella and Irene with Lishe-Grow leachate. Irene produced 50 kilos in 2024	Michael Amaya and Stella installed a tower garden at Project Elimu

Beldine protects her plants against sun and rain	Esther and her daughter Hope in their garden

Ruth turned waste-land ……….	………. into a kitchen garden

Category Archive: Africa

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“I isolated myself in one on the rooms though I couldn’t avoid my son Josh who is only four years old and very stubborn.”