Mother and child

Cooking chipati for a living

One thing that saddens me in my daily life here is the sight of so many child-mothers - girls barely reaching the age of puberty (ages 12 to 15) back-carrying their infants.  Sundays in church is a place where I see too many of them. Reports say

The care

that child-mothers is an off-shoot of poverty - not only in terms of material things but also of educational deprivation.  I learned that girls are easily enticed to have sexual relationship because they are promised financial support, something that they could not get from their family.

The pride

Most of these child-mothers are not formally married because to get married, the groom has to pay a dowry in cash and in kind to the bride's family.  And that could run into millions of shillings.

The joy

But whatever the circumstances are, the joy, pride, and care that a mother bestows a child are universal.

Children should not forget their mothers' birth-pangs.

Volunteers at work

That's me explaining SWOT analysis

Volunteers are told that we will probably come across many Africans during our volunteer time who are as skilled as we

Pius and his chicks

are, but may not have been exposed to the latest techniques for getting the job at hand done. 

Sandra in action

An important job in Africa is often that of the teacher rather than the do-er.  If we can teach 20 engineers a new technique for building safer bridges, we will have really made a difference - compare this to just building a bridge and not sharing our knowledge.  Pius works

Out of the poultry

at the Northern Uganda Youth Development Center.  It is a vocational school that trains the youth some skills such as carpentry, tailoring, catering, brick-making, metal fabrication, farming.

Martin, the one-legged volunteer

Hopefully, the youth will pick-up the skills and consequently engage in sustainable livelihood activities.

Vols at the Comboni Vocational School

VSO brings people together to share skills, creativity and learning to build a fairer world.

Simple pleasures

Susan at her new location.  We share a room.

As a volunteer who is not to impose on the locals, I learned of many ways to get my burning ideas across.  For example, I kept on harping how the new offices will be spacious and orderly, how desks will be free of clutter, and so

My new desk

on.  They probably believed me so they let me supervise the lay-out for the Finance

Alley of old office

Department - desks here, visitors chairs there, copier

Our new room, right

here, filing cabinets over there, computers and printers here and there.  The prize I got was one of the brand new desks and ergonomic chairs.  I showed them that I protect my desk from scratches and smudges and clear the top at the end of each day.  The power of example seems to be working and we get occasional

Look us up, Room No. 3

compliments on how our room should be the model for everyone. What I liked most during our transfer from the old offices was when the secretaries asked me if they can continue to put tablecloths on their old desks.

How it used to be

I just jokingly said that those tablecloths are for tables in restaurants.  And voila, the covers disappeared and the staff are now confident that exposed wooden desks can be beautiful.

Oh such simple pleasures.

Under the trees

I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree

Uganda's trees are beautiful and most are perfectly upright. 

A tree whose hungry mouth 

The branches grow evenly and seem to rejoice in the abundant sunshine. 

is pressed against the earth's

People would normally converge under the trees

sweet flowing breast

to seek refuge from 

A tree that may in Summer

wear a nest ..... in her hair

the harsh heat.
But the trees in Gulu are being endangered because of the onslaught of illegal cutters who burn the trees for commercial charcoal business.  And the majority of charcoal buyers are not the rural folks but the city dwellers.  Such is the reality in this part of the world where power supply is highly unreliable, cooking gas is deemed harmful, impractical or unaffordable,

A tree that looks at God all day

and purchasing power is being eroded by inflation. A year ago, inflation rate was at 6%; now it is 29%.

Only God can make a tree

by Joyce Kilmer

Been there, done that

Marker of the new Administration block

I seemed more eager than my colleagues in looking forward to the inauguration of the new Administration Block.  Perhaps it is because having previously held offices in intelligent and modern buildings then uprooted to

Eve of the inauguration

facilities that have seen better times, then going back to a comfort zone promises a great relief.  It's a bit philosophical.  If you don't know what to expect then you just watch things as they happen, calmly.  But that bliss of ignorance will not be for

Prisoners lend hands

long.  Once people get to know what's out there, they start thinking of what better things they deserve or what and where they want to be.... and perhaps do something about it.

At last, it's showtime

That's  when things get stirred, nerves get frayed, colleagues become competitors, time becomes a non-renewable possession, greetings become curt.

We just watch calmly

      There's always a price to pay for 
                         progress.