Ian and Renate in Kampala

Happy New Year and some changes

2012-01-31T17:26:00.002+03:00

Apologies for the long gap between this post and the last one in November. Things have been hectic. Renate and Ian went back to Sheffield for Christmas and celebrated with Laura and Shola and with Holly and Matt. It was good to experience a Christmas in the 'cold' after a gap of two years.
Ian has returned to Kampala and will stay until just before Easter continuing to work with the MARPs Network. As this is only a 12 week assignment, Renate is staying back in Sheffield and it has to be said that the main reason is the scheduled arrival of a grandchild in late April, so there's much to prepare for.
Ian and Renate celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary on Monday - apart!
Ian will try and make as many posts as possible in the next few weeks, so watch this space!

A holiday with two Petes who Ian met at Goldsmiths' College 40 years ago

2011-11-27T12:37:00.006+03:00

Pete Sacker and Pete Wilde and Ian met in September 1971 when they enrolled on the Community Work Certificate course at Goldsmiths' College in New Cross, south east London. Pete Sacker and Ian moved to Sunderland when they graduated in 1973. In 1979 Pete Sacker moved to Sheffield, where Pete Wilde was also working at the time. In 1983 Ian moved to Sheffield after encouragement from Pete that he was no longer part of the solution in Sunderland - instead becoming part of the problem!
It's great to have remained in contact for 40 years and the decision by the 2 Petes to come and spend two weeks with Renate and Ian was warmly welcomed. The pictures below summarise a very enjoyable two weeks together.
Renate and the 2 Petes embarking on the boat trip to the Source of the Nile
The three wise men ruminating - still putting the world to right after 40 years!
A visit to Kilombera weaving factory near Jinja is great for pictures! Also a good place for buying presents to take home.
Pete Wilde showing the results of his photo skills to the guys who had just been his models
Morning mist and cloud on the floor of the rift valley - a sight to behold.
Our cottage with the view of the rift valley and the distant mountains of the Congo.
In our cottage there was an extra bed. If we wanted to sleep under the stars all we had to do was wheel this second bed out onto the verandah - unfortunately it was cold and damp, so we didn't.
A common sight - Pete Sacker with his binoculars and Pete Wilde with his camera - focusing on the feast of birds that Uganda has to offer.
In this part of western Uganda there are many 'crater lakes' - not quite sure how they were formed but they are stunning to see and the surrounding countryside is amazingly lush.
The wonderful backdrop of Kibale Forest where we stayed for two days - the two Petes sharing a tree house!

Completing the Regional framework for the Network

2011-11-27T12:18:00.004+03:00

The past month has been very busy. Following the setting up of the regional technical working group in Kasese in the middle of October, three more regional groups have been established. The second was in Lira, covering four districts of Northern Uganda - see below:After Lira, we moved to Eastern Uganda, right next to the Kenyan border at Tororo. Shown below are the participants who attended the Tororo launch meeting.

The four districts covered by the Eastern region technical working group.
Finally, last Thursday, we launched the Central regional technical working groups which covers the five Divisions of the Kampala Capital City Authority. We had collective anxiety on Thursday morning as it was pouring with rain - and had been all night - so we wondered whether anyone would turn up. At start time - 9.30 am - 10 had arrived, out of nearly 40 invited. However by 11.30 am we had a full house and a very successful launch.
To sum up, the four launch meetings were attended by 101 community-based organisations and 17 District / Divisional local government organisations. We are all very pleased with this outcome, it is confirmation that the Network is wanted and is timely. The next job, which we are working on this coming week is appointing locally-based organisations to work on our behalf to support these regional groups. Hopefully that will all be completed by Christmas and everyone in the team at the MARPs Network can enjoy a well earned two week's rest!

Return to Kasese in Western Uganda

2011-10-15T21:26:00.011+03:00

Last year, just after Easter, Ian travelled with Taremwa Sam who was at that time Finance Officer with the Network, to Western Uganda to meet with small community based organisations working with most at-risk populations (MARPs). This was to gather data for the public dialogue project. It was good to go back, especially as this time the Network has the resources to offer practical support through the setting up of a regional support group - with the somewhat awkward name of "technical working group" (TWG). It was great to meet several amazing people once again at a 24 hour workshop held to launch the TWG. The diagram below shows the engagement structure of the MARPs Network (click on the diagram to see an enlarged version). Community-based organisations (the focus for the Network's membership) are grouped into one of four TWGs - one for each of the four regions of Uganda. Each TWG will be facilitated by a regional service organisation (RSO) - an organisation commissioned by the MARPs Network to carry out the task on its behalf. Rather than become a large bureaucracy, the MARPs Network decided to appoint other existing organisations, who already enjoy trust in the region, to work on our behalf. The MARPs Network will be appointing the RSOs next month. The Network enjoys support and advice nationally from a valued group of organisations / partners which include United Nations organisations, Government Departments and national and international non-governmental organisations. These partners will form the National Technical Working Group which will offer advice and guidance to the MARPs Secretariat and also to the four regional RSOs and TWGs.
This year the MARPs Network is working with four priority Districts in each region (Next year another four Districts will be added in each Region). The map below shows the four Districts that are initially forming the membership of the Western Region TWG.
The MARPs Network worked with District Officials to identify the participants invited to launch the TWG. Each District sent three officials along with representatives from four community-based organisations (CBOs) working with most at-risk populations. Finally the civil society forum in each District was invited to send a representative. 29 participants, out of a possible 32, attended the launch workshop which was held in Kasese, perhaps the lowest Town in Uganda - close to the floor of the Western (Albertine) Rift Valley.
Here's Geoffrey Mujisha, the Executive Director of the MARPs Network welcoming participants and explaining the objectives for the workshop.
And getting good quality listen from participants!. The workshop was held in a thatched 'barn' with gauze spaces at the top and bottom of the side walls - above and below wooden panels. The result was a wonderfully cool and gently lit meeting space - very unusual in its design.
Despite the comfort of the 'thatched barn' participants still opted to take the chance to discuss issues in the gardens next to the 'barn'. Here are participants from Bushenyi discussing who they believe are the most at-risk populations in their area, in terms of exposure to catching HIV / AIDS.
Sagal, the Finance Officer from the MARPs Network, on the left, helping to facilitate a discussion with participants from Kabarole District.
Having heard how the TWG is going to function and how the RSO will support the TWG participants were invited to register as members. This required completing a questionnaire detailing information about their organisation and which most at-risk populations they target in their work.
Having completed the registration questionnaire, participants signed the membership contract which was counter-signed by Geoffrey Mujisha. By the way everyone signed up!
And at the end of the proceedings . . the group photograph! A thoroughly enjoyable three days in Kasese. Next week it's the Northern Region's turn . . in Lira.

After the Introduction . . The Wedding!

2011-09-18T16:29:00.006+03:00

11am, Saturday 17 September 2011. An occasion to remember at All Saints Cathedral in Kampala. These few photographs give a glimpse of the celebration.25 minutes early - the Bride is supposed to keep the groom waiting - but Natukunda Shalince wasn't going to take any chances!
Her big Brother Geoffrey 'gives her away' at the start of the celebration.
Pages and flower girls lead the procession at the end of the celebration.
Geoffrey's son is as proud a page as can be.
Natkunda Shalince with her Grandmother on her right next to her Mother. Her Mother's Brother is behind between a very happy Renate and Ian.

An Introduction for Ian's 'Shadow'!

2011-09-14T22:46:00.007+03:00

Natukunda Shalince is Ian's 'shadow'. She works at the MARPs Network as a trainee organisation development facilitator. The plan is that when Ian leaves Natukunda will take on the task of leading (with the Executive Director) the growth of the Network. But before that can happen Natukunda decided to get married (with Eddie's agreement of course). And before you get married Eddie has to be introduced to Natukunda's family and they have to grant permission for her to be given away.
On 10 September the 'Introduction' ceremony took place - actually quite an achievement as 2 days before the venue had to be changed because of flood damage. As the images indicate it was a truly lovely occasion and congratulations to the families of Natukunda and Eddie - proud you are and deservedly so! Being patient and waiting for the action to start.
Two of Natukunda's relatives share a reflection while waiting.
Eddie's family arrive - Eddie's in the lighter grey suit
Natukunda arrives with her escorts - she's the one with a white top
And Eddie looks very pleased!
Now it's time for a delicious lunch and everyone forms an orderly queue
This is what Ian chose to eat - Irish potatos, rice, ground nut paste (G-Nuts), greens, rolled chappati, steamed banana (Matooke) and millet. Very good!
A great contemporary / traditional band / dance troupe called "Da' Crowns!" entertained us.
Natukunda and her escorts enjoyed that.
Now it's time for Natukunda to go into the 'visitor's tent' to get her man!
And . . she's got him and they both look pleased enough.
"Da' Crowns" seem especially joyous!
Finishing things off was an incredible dance by a guy in an astonishing blod wig. A truly lovely day! Ian and Renate loved every minute and slept very well.

Travelling East

2011-09-14T21:37:00.010+03:00

Following the field trip to northern Uganda, the next excursion was to eastern Uganda to visit local government officials in Bugiri, Busia and Tororo Districts. These districts have the "Trans Africa Highway" running through from Kampala in the west through to Kenya and Tanzania in the East. An apparently endless stream of long distance trucks carrying essential goods and fuel for South Sudan, Uganda, Burundi, Congo and Rwanda use this road. The trucks stop at 'hot spots' along this stretch and the drivers get 'relief'. There are plenty of suppliers eager to satisfy their needs and risky sex is commonplace. If the spread of HIV infection is to be arrested effective action has to be taking along this road. In addition to truckers, fisher folk from Lake Victoria with money to spend after selling their catches in Busia and Tororo are also known to be partial to some risky sex.
Mboizi Richard and Ian visited the District Community Development Officers in the three districts to introduce them to other colleagues to secure permission and agreement to collaborate around better coordination of the variety of 'players'. The aim is to try together for the all important breakthrough in securing a change in personal behaviour among these most at-risk populations.
In all three districts Mboizi Richard and Ian received a great welcome and were happy to leave with signed commitments for joint work in the near future to come!
This map shows the four regions of Uganda with, in Eastern Region, the District headquarters of Bugiri, Busia and Tororo. Jinja is the important town close to the source of the River Nile.
This diagram (click to enlarge) illustrates how the MARPs Network seeks to enable its member organisations at the very local level to be empowered to make a difference. The members will have an automatic right to belong to regional 'technical working groups' (TWGs). The TWGs will be forums for sharing success and challenges and for coming up with shared solutions - they'll also be forums where bigger non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the very small civil society organisations (CSOs) can agree to collaborate to make a difference. Each TWG will be facilitated by a local (large) NGO that the Network will appoint to act on its behalf.
The visits that Ian and his colleagues are making to the four regions of Uganda right now are crucial to building this structure. So far the preparatory work is going well. Within the next 6 weeks the four launch meetings will have been held - watch the bogs for updates!
The proximity of the Trans Africa Highway makes for a good place to set up a cement factory - ease of distribution plus access to power.
Tororo is not far from the hydro electricity plants situated along the upper Nile Valley and it's also close to a couple of additional power plants that generate electricity from thermal energy that's powered by diesel fuel. This plant (along with other similar thermal plants) tries to produce enough electricity to bridge the gap between what the hydro electricity plants on the Nile produce and what Uganda needs. Right now the gap is not closed - mainly because of these two reasons: (1) a drought has reduced water flow levels - thus reducing the amount of electricity generated along the Nile; and (2) the cost of diesel fuel has risen sharply making the thermally generated electricity hard to afford. Result - right now there are power cuts (load shedding!) every other day in most parts of Kampala - these cuts can last for 24 hours.
Ian walking with the District Community Development Office under the shadow of the 'Rock' of Tororo.
Ian thanking the HIV Focal Person at the Tororo District Local Government Offices for his welcome and commitment to work with the MARPs Network.
By the way, Mboizi Richard loves taking photographs - he's taken many of the photographs of the field trip to the north and east of Uganda.

After the trip to the three eastern Districts the Network organised a 24 hour briefing events for its newly chosen Directors - see earlier blog post focusing on the Network's first Annual General Assembly. Here are some images from a highly enjoyable and productive event.
Here's Emmanuel - the Network's communications and networking officer (feeling the cold - in the green shawl) working with Directors Julius Nkuba and Bob Bwana.
Eva, the Network's finance and contracts manager working with Directors Peter Ogwal and Oboth Ofumbi.
Dr Geoffrey Mujisha enjoying a discussion with Director Sanyu Batte
The seven Directors about to board the minibus to make the journey back to Kampala. On the left is Peter Ogwal representing the Royal Danish Embassy - in the middle is Dr Geoffrey Mujisha the Network's Executive Director. The newly elected Chair of the Board of Directors is Veronica Asaba on Geoffrey's immediate left.

Field trip to Northern Uganda

2011-08-28T22:05:00.009+03:00

Last week Mboizi Richard, Natukunda Shalince and Ian travelled from Kampala to Northern Uganda. The MARPs Network is focusing its work in priority districts where most at-risk populations are especially vulnerable to HIV infection. The Network has chosen four priority districts in each of Northern, Eastern, Western and Central Uganda. The districts in Northern Uganda are Apac, Amolotar, Lira and Dokolo. These Districts form a Lango speaking sub region to the north of Lake Kyoga.The purpose of the visits was to meet officials from the District Local Government offices to brief them on the work of the MARPs Network. And to gain their support for forming partnerships to enable small civil society organisations to be supported in their work with most at-risk populations. Each District in Uganda employs an HIV Focal person who's job it is to try to coordinate effective action to combat the spread of HIV infection. The HIV Focal Person usually works very closely with the District Community Development Officer so as to engage with small and very local organisations that are likely to be trusted by most at-risk populations.
On our way from Lira to Apac along a very bumpy road we passed many very traditional compounds - in this compound a small thatched grain store can be seen - standing on legs to gain protection from insects.
A little further down the bumpy and by now very muddy road (the second rainy season of the year in this part of Uganda had just begun) we passed a contented group of cattle - these rounded horns caught the eye!
Another perfectly maintained compound in the local style which has been unchanged for centuries - the pattern of recently flowing water on the ground shows that the recent rain was significant.
Here we are meeting with Jolly, the Community Development Officer for Lira District. On the right of the picture in the grey T shirt is Natukunda Shalince who is the Organisational Development Trainee at the MARPs Network - shadowing Ian. On the far right is Judith Shiraku who is a VSO volunteer working in Lira - Judith is from Kenya and she's working as a public health manager with Lira District.
A meeting in Amolotar with District Local Government Officials - many expressed enthusiasm at the prospect of partnering with the MARPs Network.
Ian chatting to Alex Agoo who is the HIV Focal Person working with Amolotar District Local Government.

Mabira - a rainforest threatened by sugar

2011-08-14T22:28:00.005+03:00

Late last month Renate and Ian spent a night in Mabira Forest. This is rainforest half way between Kampala and Jinja - 50 km from the City. During Idi Amin's rule in the 1970s chunks of the forest were lost to the encroachment of settlements and to charcoal burning. In recent years the Uganda Government has entrusted the safe keeping of the rain forest to the National Forest Authority (NFA). The NFA arrange guided walks through this million year-old remnant of much greater expanses of rainforest.
In today's Sunday Monitor newspaper it's reported that the forest future is under threat to enable expansion of sugar growing and production - something that goes on either side of the forest. This is a good example of difficult decisions faced by a Country that needs to create more jobs and wealth for its people. Some will argue that eco tourism might provide greater and more sustainable employment in the future. But maybe that argument has yet to prevail.
It will be more than sad to see Mabira go. Once gone it won't come back.
The view from the window of our wooden 'lodge' in the forest.
Renate and our guide standing by a 'fig' tree (Ian thinks he said fig tree!)
People from nearby settlements come to this tree to carve bits of its bark to grind into a powder which is used to calm upset stomachs. Its very spicy!
This tree's roots have spread as the tree has grown and created an amazing arch - this will have taken hundreds of years to happen.
A magnificent mahogany tree - straight as straight can be - we couldn't see the top as it was lost in the leaf canopy above us.

A team building event for the new employees of the MARPs Network Secretariat

2011-08-14T21:46:00.010+03:00

The team at the MARPs Network Secretariat now numbers 10. A big change from October last year when the team was Geoffrey and Ian. This is thanks to the grant that the MARPs Network has received from the Danish Government. Last week the new team went for an 'orientation' in Jinja on the shore of Lake Victoria.Here's Eva (Finance Manager) discussing a point with Geoffrey (Executive Director)
Natukunda (Organisation Development Trainee) giving feedback (in a blur) on her group's views on what the team's ground rules should be.
Mboizi Richard (Office Manager) giving feedback from his group on what they believe the team needs to do to ensure effective delivery.
Sagal Simon Peter (Finance Officer) giving feedback on his group's opinions on how to develop a 'standard operating procedure'.
More group work involving Eva, Natukunda and Mboizi Richard.
Emmanuel (Communications and Network Officer) with Marco (Finance Intern) and Richard (Office Assistant - Security) enjoying the shade in the garden.
Natukunda, Eva and Mercy (Office Assistant - Reception) also enjoy the late afternoon sun in the garden.
Geoffrey settling into the boat that would take the team to a nearby island to do some bird watching.
The boat setting off with its precious cargo!

Work visit to Hoima in north west Uganda - inducting a new Director and recruiting new members for the Network

2011-08-14T21:15:00.007+03:00

Following the successful first Annual General Assembly of the MARPs Network we have visited all the newly chosen members of the Network's Board of Directors. Veronica Asaba is the Director chosen to represent the experience of people living with HIV / AIDS. Veronica is the executive director of Meeting Point Hoima, a voluntary organisation that provides comprehensive counselling, testing and treatment for people with the HIV infection. It was a pleasure for Mboizi Richard, Natukunda Shalince and I to visit her and her colleagues on behalf of the Network.

Before meeting up with Veronica we held a briefing meeting for organisations interested in becoming members of the Network. 13 signed expression of interest forms. Membership is open to community based organisations who target most at-risk populations (in terms of HIV infection) in their work.
Ian introducing the work of the Network and explaining benefits of membership.
Natukunda Shalince - is Ian's shadow! Natukunda is the organisation development trainee at the Network's Secretariat and works closely with Ian to 'learn on the job'. She'll also be enrolling soon on an appropriate part-time learning programme.
Ian and Natukunda with Veronica Asaba at Meeting Point in Hoima
Veronica wanted to explain to her team what being a Director of the MARPs Network would entail - she stressed that she would be absent on Network business from time to time. She was also careful to point out that she was a Director to represent the experience of people living with HIV and not to directly represent the interests of Meeting Point Hoima. Everyone was very happy for Veronica to sign on the dotted line and commit to being a Director of the MARPs Network!
Veronica signing the declaration, committing herself to the code of conduct required of Directors of the Network.
On the way back from Hoima to Kampala we could not resist stopping at several road-side stall selling cheap, fresh, high quality fruit and vegetables.
In a forest half-way between Hoima and Kampala a special passion fruit is to be found. Much smaller than the ordinary passion fruit, with a rock hard skin, they have the most amazing flavour - completely moorish! We bought every single one that this stall had to offer - here's Mboizi Richard supervising the packing of the fruit.
These tiny bananas are delicious - very sweet!

13 July 2011 - the day the MARPs Network held its first Annual General Assembly!

2011-07-17T22:55:00.004+03:00

The Assembly was held at the Crested Crane Hotel in Jinja - a Uganda Government training initiative for people seeking careers in the hotel and tourism industry.
43 organisations took part in this, the very first Annual General Assembly of the MARPs Network. All the organisations at the event work with most at-risk populations - in terms of contracting HIV. Key discussions focused on future membership categories and criteria for membership as well as priorities for the new Network's early work plans.
Perhaps the most important business was the choosing of 5 members to join the Board of Directors. Organisations targeting one of the 5 most at-risk groupings (sex workers, sexual minorities, long distance truckers, fisher folk and people living with HIV / AIDS) each went into an electoral college made up of others targeting the same at risk grouping. In a good natured and serious discussion 5 new Directors were duly announced and celebrated by the rest of the participants. The new Directors will serve initially for one year.
The 43 participants plus the members of the Network Staff team together with an independent chair and rapporteur meant that over 50 people just about squeezed into the conference room.
Dr Geoffrey Mujisha - the Network's Executive Director - (on the left) appreciates a participant's contribution
This point is being enthusiastically explained!
Veronica Asaba from Hoima in Western Uganda was chosen by her peers to be a Director 'representing' the interests of people living with HIV / AIDS. Next to her is Tadeo who gracefully accepted the runner-up position.
This is the group 'representing' the interests of "Fisher Folk" discussing who they should choose to be their Director.
A very inspiring day with participants very pleased to be in Jinja to finally launch the new Network after several years of hard lobbying and fund-raising!

Wanting to get married? In Uganda you have to be properly 'introduced' first!

2011-06-28T23:38:00.005+03:00

Edward and Annet have featured several times in this blog. They take very good care of Ian and Renate at their apartment in Ntinda, Kampala.
Edward and Annet decided a few months back that they wanted to get married. But in Uganda tradition a man must be properly 'introduced' to the Family and home village of the woman that he intends to marry. So, for the last two to three months Edward and Annet have been working hard to save every penny and planning for the 'Introduction Ceremony' which took place on Sunday 26 June at Annet's family home - 75 kilometres south west of Kampala right on the Equator.
An introduction ceremony is a bit like a pageant. The 'bride-to-be' and her Family and friends from the village await the arrival of the 'groom-to-be' along with his family and supporters. Both 'sides' appoint a spokesman - the duty of the spokesman for the 'bride-to-be' is to interrogate the spokesman for the 'groom-to-be'. The objective of this 'inquisition' is to discover whether the man is worthy or not!
Once, everyone is satisfied that the 'groom-to-be' is OK, it's time for gifts to be presented and finally for food to be enjoyed. It's an enjoyable, but serious occasion. Edward checking that he's still welcome - we've just arrived from Kampala. We had intended getting to Annet's village by 1.00 pm - it's just gone 3.00 pm. But they are not ready for us just yet!
The traditional ceremony dress for Ugandan women is called a "Gomez" - after a Portuguese who invented the style over 100 years ago. Here the cloth is being re-wrapped while we wait to be summoned to the Introduction. The wrapped cloth is secured by a large satin belt.
We receive the summons and those of us accompanying Edward makes our way up to Annet's family home through the banana plantation.
The chief challenger on behalf of Annet’s Family and friends in the village - it's his job to make sure Edward and his Spokesman sweat - to really get them to vouch for his good intentions and character.
Edward's spokesman together with the leader of the choir at his Church - there for moral support. Edward's spokesman had to rebut challenges from the village's spokesman that maybe he wasn't good enough for Annet.
Young women in Annet's village trying to 'catch the attention' of Edward and he has an opportunity to choose one. He rejects them and they weep - or pretend to weep!
At last . . after nearly two hours of pageant, the star attraction arrives to unanimous approval!

Phew! Nearly finished!
Linking hands towards the end of the 'Introduction'

Uganda 2, Guinea-Bissau 0 - African Cup of Nations Qualifying match

2011-06-05T20:54:00.008+03:00

On Saturday 4 June we joined a group of fellow VSO volunteers on a trip to the Mandela International Stadium in Kampala to cheer on the Uganda national football team - known as the "Cranes" - in a qualifying match for the African Cup of Nations that will be held in Gabon later this year. The opponents - Guinea-Bissau, a tiny West African country. The pictures below provide a flavour of our experience.A view of the stadium minutes before the match started - no spare seats and still many outside wanting to get in
A 'vuvuzela' player warming up just in front of us - the noise from thousands of vuvuzelas is something else!
People around us celebrate the opening goal for Uganda, just before half-time
Some of the VSO crew enjoing a breather at half-time
In this picture is Niamh, our new neighbour. Niamh's from Ireland and is a VSO volunteer working with Tradelinks - an organisation supporting the gowth of entrepreneurship in Uganda. The top of the head in the foreground belongs to Tom Brennan another Irish VSO volunteer working to support primary school improvement in a district just to the west of Kampala
On the left is Stuart Richie - a volunteer from Edinburgh supporting the development of Uganda's school inspectorate. On the right our good neighbour Bob Vos who lives in the flat below us - sadly he's returning to the Netherlands next week after a year's business development work with Mango Tree - an educational materials publishing house close to us in Ntinda
Great excitement as the "Cranes" go 2-0 up soon after half-time - time for everyone to relax and really enjoy the rest of the game
The sprinklers came on immediately after the end of the match and someone said that it's to stop people running on the pitch
A happy crowd head home into the setting sun at the end of the game - for some the journey will take two to three hours, just to travel 5 km. Bob and Ian walked home - between 3 and 4 km in just about an hour. A couple of cold beers were very welcome at the end of the walk. But a good day out in great company.

Very happy to be back in the same flat in Ntinda!

2011-06-05T20:49:00.005+03:00

VSO kindly arranged for us to live back in the same lovely flat with the view of the valley and birdlife. Good to catch up with the neighbours and also some new ones too. Renate took this picture of, we think, a Woodland Kingfisher drying itself on a lighting pole at the edge of our compound.

Safe journey back and straight to a wedding!

2011-05-30T11:58:00.003+03:00

Richard is the office manager for the MARPs Network and Saturday 28 May 2011 was the day that he and Prosy married in the village of Petete, near Mbale, in Eastern Uganda.

Ian and Renate travelled with Dr Geoffrey Mujisha (the MARPs Network's CEO) and Betty Nassaka (the Network's Treasurer) to celebrate the wedding in the company of what seemed to be the entire population of Petete. A great day and a lovely event to come back to Uganda and enjoy.

Return to Kampala - 22 May 2011!

2011-05-09T20:18:00.003+03:00

After the excitement of the wedding in New York we are ready to return to Kampala.

We leave our house in Sheffield on Friday 20 May - stay over in Manchester and leave for Kampala in the evening of Saturday 21 May, arriving in Kampala in the early morning of Sunday 22 May.

We are pleased to be returning. Ian will once again be working with the MARPs Network - supporting Dr Geoffrey Mujisha and other members of the Network's team to build the organisation with the generous financial support of the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA). To secure four years core funding with money to support activities as well in the current economic climate is an opportunity to be hugely thankful for.

Regular progress reports will be posted on this blog during the six months that we'll be in Kampala.

The interlude - a wonderful wedding in New York City

2011-05-09T20:08:00.003+03:00

On 21 April our son Matthew married Holly Robinson in City Hall, New York City. It was a very special day with wonderful blue skies - celebrated with special friends.
Matthew and Holly saying "I do"
Laura, brother Matthew, Holly - the new Mrs Smith and Briony, Holly's sister
Proud 'old' Mr and Mrs Smith at the Empire State Building

Working with the MARPs Network – a roller-coaster of a year!

2011-03-22T15:25:00.004+03:00

Last year in March I wrote:
“Despite the fact that the MARPs Network has been officially launched by the Uganda Aids Commission and the team has been properly appointed to roles within the MARPs network secretariat - they all work for nothing at the moment! The Network’s been commissioned by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and others to carry out a public dialogue with people from organisations working on HIV / AIDS prevention work with most at-risk populations throughout Uganda but, as yet, no one has put their hand in their pocket to fund the running costs of the Secretariat. There is currently a bid on the table with a large donor organisation so please keep your fingers crossed.

The team is an inspiration to be working with and all have made me very welcome. They call me "Mzee Ian" - "Mzee" is a Swahili word for 'old wise man'. We've all had a good conversation about the priority areas for my work - all of which will be to work with the team individually and collectively to build the organisation's strength and effectiveness. Right now I'm supporting a process for analysing the significance of the findings that have come out of the public dialogue events. I'm learning so much! It's a privilege.”

For clarity, the MARPs Network intends to promote coordinated leadership in the prevention of HIV infections among Most At-Risk Populations (MARPs) in Uganda through:
(1) Managing knowledge - collecting and sharing information that provides evidence-based best practice guidance on policy, program and project interventions;
(2) Strengthening network member organisations - by securing resources for developing the knowledge and skills and commissioning high quality learning program delivery;
(3) Advocating with and on behalf of MARPs groups for access to universal services, and to ensure that MARPs groups are able to influence the design and delivery of such services;
(4) Coordinating the work that collectively is done by member organizations to further: (1) empowerment of stakeholders; (2) learning from evidence; (3) development of quality services; and (4) achievement of effective partnership working.

Here’s a summary of what followed in my year with the MARPs Network:

March 2010
At the end of the month, Dr Geoffrey Mujisha and Dr Thomas Muyenga, delivered a presentation to a gathering of stakeholders at the UNFPA offices on progress achieved on the Public Dialogue Project. The presentation contained interim findings gathered from participants in 3 of the 4 regions of the Country involved in the Public Dialogue. There was good discussion and the progress was appreciated.

At the conclusion of the meeting it was agreed to meet again after Easter to focus on organisation development issues and the next steps needed to conclude the Public Dialogue Project.

April 2010
We worked hard on both sides of the Easter weekend to prepare a presentation on how we would address organisation development issues and also on a checklist of suggestions for how best to complete the Public Dialogue Project. The re-convened gathering was set for 7 April.

On the morning of 7 April we learned that a “member” had challenged Geoffrey’s authority to call this re-convened meeting – and it was cancelled by the UNFPA who were to be our hosts once again. Personally I was aghast - a room full of people had agreed to meet again on 7 April – including the individual challenging Geoffrey. We had no real clue as to what it was all about. There seemed little point in speculating.

The mood in the team was very low – especially because:
(1) We had no agreement as to how to proceed with the completion of the Public Dialogue Project; and
(2) We were worried as to what effect the challenge might have on our ongoing funding bid.

Secretly I wondered if my placement would end early! But that was before I truly appreciated Geoffrey’s determination and the respect that he clearly enjoys from key stakeholders.

As it happened negotiations continued on the detail of the funding bid and we were hopeful of securing funding for establishing a proper office (at the time we were ‘squatting’ in a spare room at Uganda’s Food Hotel Tourism and Allied Workers Trade Union – free of charge!) together with running costs for up to 9 months.

Way out West
Boosted by the positive funding negotiations we then enjoyed a brilliant team meeting where we resolved to take the initiative on work to complete the Public Dialogue Project. While securing the agreement of stakeholders was crucial to getting the funding from UNFPA to complete the Public Dialogue, there would be nothing to stop us going on a field trip to meet organisations in western Uganda if we could secure alternative funding. A combination of personal well-wishers and VSO (who funded my travel and accommodation and fuel for the car) enabled us to spend the last week of April ‘on the road’ and to become properly inspired by the amazing work being done to support people who are HIV positive (or at real risk of becoming HIV positive) by often very small community and voluntary organisations on tiny amounts of money. We visited 25 organisations and all said they would be very keen to join the Network.

The field trip ended on a high note as a message from the Network’s bank said that the funding for setting up the office and for April and May’s running costs had arrived from Nairobi. Team members were going to get paid for the first time. Smiles all round as we journeyed back to Kampala.

May 2010
The month began sorting and storing the purchases that had been made with the money received from the donor in Nairobi. The money arrived on 29 April and the understanding was that the April disbursement had to be spent by the end of the month!

Contracts were agreed on new premises for the Network Secretariat and a moving date of 4 June agreed.

Later in the month we discovered that our expectations for 9 months funding to cover start-up running costs were too optimistic. We only had secured running costs for two months – April and May. Oh well, back to the fund raising drawing board!

But we resolved to plough on as hard as we could (to support any fundraising) efforts to:
(1) Get the Public Dialogue Project finished
(2) Publish a report of the Public Dialogue findings
(3) Enroll into membership the 100 plus organisations that said they wanted to join the network
(4) Hold the annual assembly
(5) Elect a new Board of Directors from the membership

The expected (and final) running costs payment for the month of May failed to arrive by the end of the month. Team members had to re-arrange their personal finances!

June 2010
We made the office move to our own place in Kamwokya - a cause for rejoicing in the team - a real lift to our spirits - a source of pride in achieving a significant milestone.

At our first team meeting in Kamwokya, we agreed a timetable of priority work covering:
- Completing the Public Dialogue Project and Report
- Developing a business plan
- Developing a fund raising plan and prospectus

The delayed final payment of running costs for May still did not arrive – cause for Team members to further re-arrange their personal finances!

July 2010
At a team meeting to discuss the business plan and fundraising prospects, we agreed that we needed a plan B – for the Network and for ourselves as individuals – we needed to agree a time limit for how long we could go on without securing funding. We agreed - following this very necessary conversation:
(1) For the Network – a time limit of 31st December 2010. If no funding had been secured by then, we would reluctantly place the Network ‘on hold’
(2) For individuals – we should start looking for alternative work and in the absence of any re-imbursement for travel and lunch costs we should stay at home (especially problematical as the May running costs had still not come through from the donor)

Despite all of this I did not detect that team members had lost any of their determination to stay with the struggle to establish the Network.

Dr Thomas Muyunga deservedly secured sponsorship to attend the 2010 International AIDS Conference in Vienna. We were all pleased for Dr Thomas – the real academic in the team – he would contribute wisely and bring back plenty of valuable learning for everyone’s benefit.

Later in the month we agreed what the contents of the business plan should be, we shared out the work and agreed deadlines.

Finally, just before the month’s end May’s running costs arrived enabling debts to be paid and bills to be settled – big sighs of relief all round. Big worries though as to where the next coin would come from!

August 2010
Dr Thomas secured an offer of employed working with the Ministry of Health as a coordinator for a very large and strategically important National AIDS Indicator Survey. We are all pleased for Thomas and wish him well. But the team is shrinking.

The rest of the month is consumed by work on preparing for:
- The final leg of the Public Dialogue Project to be held in Fort Portal in the middle of September; and
- Work on the business plan

At a team meeting to review progress we discussed the problem of holding an annual assembly with (a) no money available to pay for its organisation, and (b) no money available to follow up the assembly with any work to implement the functioning of the Network. We agreed that the annual assembly must be put on hold until core funding is secured.

It’s probably fair to say that during this month we began to envisage, for the first time, a future without the Network and what this might mean for making plans for putting the Network on hold.

September 2010
UNFPA, having decided to go on working with us, provided the money to complete the Public Dialogue Project. We got really busy making plans for the Fort Portal dialogue event – Richard made a 48 hour round trip to check out the venue and practicalities. He returned with a big smile on his face with everything to his liking. He’d also managed to get local government staff in Fort Portal to assist with delegate recruitment. Richard is so good at getting people to help us!

During September our finances and financial systems were audited. Very clean bill of health reported in terms of accounting for every coin, but some challenges reported for improving management systems. Good and constructive meetings with Sam, the Finance and Administrative Officer, follow and he responds by getting everything sorted before the month’s end.

The Fort Portal dialogue event was rewarding – over 30 organisations took part, we gathered high quality data to complete the dialogue. The organisations participating said that they really enjoyed the networking and sharing of experience and expressed a keen desire to join the Network. Tired but happy we returned to Kampala knowing that we can now finish the analysis of the finding and the writing up of the finding and publishing a report.

October 2010
The team shrinks to two. Still no sign of any core funding, and it’s no big surprise when Richard tells us that he’s accepting an offer to go and join Thomas at the Ministry of Health. Soon after, Sam – with a heavy heart – decided that he too needs to look to his own future and after three or four weeks of research he secured a promising career development opportunity with an international accounting and auditing company – PKF – in Kigali, capital of Rwanda.

This just left Geoffrey and “Mzee” Ian in the team. Hopefully not an odd couple!

The two of us had our work cut out in the month to finish off a list of tasks before I depart on a pre-booked holiday with our friends David and Gina from Sheffield who were due to arrive mid November. We needed to finish off the report of the Public Dialogue findings, finish the business plan and develop the funding prospectus. We succeeded and assembled a package that would be delivered to prospective donors at the beginning of November.

At the end of the month The MARPs Network was invited to attend a pre-bidding workshop by the Uganda Civil Society Fund – this is a big pot of money that (mainly) western Government donors shovel loads of cash into for work on HIV/AIDS. The motivation of the western Donors is to avoid giving cash to the Uganda Government who many of the Donors consider to be corrupt. Every so often lumps of this money is put up for Civil Society (not for profit) Organisations to bid for against a specification for achievement of particular outcomes. On this occasion 3 billion Uganda shillings (about $1.3m) was set aside for developing networking/coordination for organisations working in the HIV / AIDS field.

Right up our street you’d think! Not so. For an organisation to bid to the CSF, it has to have a 5 year track record – has to have experience of managing big money etc. The only chance was for us to become part of a bidding consortium. No chance. The Network was a ‘new kid on the block’, Geoffrey doesn’t do voluntary sector politics, he also doesn’t play golf and doesn’t know what schmoozing is all about.

Still. It was an education being in a huge room in a posh hotel with 300 suits eager to bid for a pot of gold. Many Toyota Land Cruisers in the car park! Spending $1.3m on setting up a network from a standing start in 18 months (money to be spent by June 2012) may keep the money out of Uganda Government hands, but value for money? Maybe. But me thinks probably not.

By the end of October we were knackered! But we shared a sense of pride and satisfaction that even if the fundraising failed there would be a good legacy to leave to others who might wish to pick up the Network baton in the future. It’s been a real privilege to work with and really to get to know Geoffrey – this period of intense collaboration built strong bonds!

November 2010
We selected a list of 45 prospective donors – a mixture of Uganda Government Departments, big strategic AIDS development partners (e.g. UNAIDS, UNFPA) International NGOs (e.g. OXFAM, Save the Children, World Vision) and Embassies.

We produced personalized letters using recently developed contact information (Renate had just completed a donor mapping exercise for VSO and was encouraged to share the results with VSO’s partners). 45 packages – produced on to a MARPs Network branded DVD – were hand delivered to 45 addresses around Kampala.

A lovely surprise
Our friends from Sheffield, David and Gina visited the MARPs Office on 17 November. The previous Saturday David had celebrated his 60th birthday in Sheffield. They arranged a whip-round and their friends gave generously for the MARPs Network. Geoffrey was thrilled with the contribution and pledged that he would now be able to keep the office open through January! Geoffrey and I (considerably cheered) agreed to meet next on 1 December.

December 2010
25 replies to our fund raising letters. Most replies were very kind and appreciative of the MARPs Network concept. However no offers of any funding support. Mainly the feedback was that funding was already committed or that their priority was for other areas of work.

Very disappointing. Geoffrey began to alert strategic partners in Kampala that it would be most likely that the Network would have to fold – he explained that there was a limit to how long he could go on without funding.

But big high points in the month:
(1) Hosting a workshop on World AIDS Day for organisations in Kampala providing support to people from Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities. Over 70 people attended the workshop and commended the MARPs Network for being one of a very few ‘safe havens’ in a country ever more frighteningly homophobic.
(2) At the request of UNFPA, facilitating workshops for local government programme and policy makers in the HIV / AIDS field – in Gulu and Kampala – both workshops achieved positive outcomes and the contribution of the Network strongly appreciated.

Geoffrey and I headed off for Christmas with an expectation that we would most probably be spending January closing down the Network.

January 2011
No new replies to greet us on our return to work on 4 January. During the holiday period some thieves had stolen our lovely “MARPs Network” sign from the end of the street. Not a good omen.

Although the funding future for the Network appeared extremely bleak, Geoffrey and I remained positive. Firstly because we knew the Network had achieved and produced a positive legacy and secondly, there would be life after the Network for Geoffrey! As a medical practitioner, Geoffrey could, and most probably, would return to practice medicine on a full time basis. It was good to explore the kinds of opportunities that he could follow up. As well as practicing medicine Geoffrey’s enthusiasm for learning could be planned for. No sense of gloom.

Towards the end of the month, I happened to check the marps.net@gmail.com inbox and noticed that there were 7 unread emails. I contacted Geoffrey and told him “You’ve got mail!”

The reason these emails has escaped his attention was that David and Gina’s donation had been exhausted and there was no money left to replenish the internet dongle. That sorted, he scrutinized the emails. One from the Royal Danish Embassy, dated 12 January (!), said that they were ‘intrigued’ by the Network’s prospectus and would like to meet to discuss it in more detail.

February 2011
Not surprisingly Geoffrey and I spent many an hour speculating about what was meant by the word "intrigued". Would they want to meet us if they were only mildly interested? The days passed slowly. The meeting was scheduled for 11.00 am on Friday 11 February at the Royal Danish Embassy.

On Thursday 10th, Geoffrey and I were having lunch at ‘Hannahs’, our second favourite Uganda food restaurant (after Rwenzori Foods!), when his ‘phone rang. It was Peter from the Royal Danish Embassy – something had cropped up and they’d need to reschedule. Geoffrey looked alarmed and my heart sank. Not to worry. They agreed on 10.00 on Tuesday 15 February. When I saw Geoffrey’s expression I thought he was being told that it was all off, but he was only alarmed because he wanted me to be there with him and that he knew my last day at work was 15 February!

Full of nerves we got to the Embassy at 9.30. I needed to go to the toilet. Eventually we were led to a shaded courtyard in the Embassy where coffee, tea, juice and biscuits were laid out. We were welcomed by Peter, a Ugandan staff member who heads up their HIV / AIDS programme and he was accompanied by Sanne, his boss who heads up the Embassy’s human resource development program.

After small talk and pleasantries had been exchanged, Peter asked Geoffrey to give a background to the importance of the Network. Geoffrey was brilliant - I was in awe of his telling of the Network story. I was also questioned a bit but I can’t now remember exactly what I was asked or what my response was.

After nearly two hours, a very encouraging meeting came to an end with an assurance that Sanne and Peter would have a meeting “in the kitchen” to decide whether they would fund us. When Geoffrey and I left we really felt in no doubt that they were going to fund us. When we were out of sight we did a jig of delight!

On our return from Lamu after the Presidential election, we discovered that the Network had received email confirmation of the Royal Danish Embassy’s agreement to fund the Network for four years!

Wow! What a year!

A consequence of this thrilling finale is that Renate and I are hoping to return to Kampala with VSO, probably in early May, to continue to support Geoffrey in re-establishing the team and building and implementing the Network. We are very pleased.

But first we are concentrating on, and looking forward to the wedding of our son Matthew to Holly in New York just before Easter!

Escape to Lamu

2011-02-27T12:25:00.009+03:00

Friday 18 February was the occasion of Uganda's presidential and parliamentary elections. The last time these elections were held in 2006 there was a fair amount of violence and unrest. Even though most analysts reckoned that this year's election would pass peacefully (as indeed they did) VSO wasn't prepared to take any chances with volunteer safety. As a result volunteers were requested to stay at home from Thursday 17 to Tuesday 22 February . . just in case.

The thought of confinement for 6 days did not appeal, so we decided to visit the island of Lamu just of the Kenya coast in the Indian Ocean. Matt and Holly, visited Lamu after staying with us for Christmas and they enjoyed it very much. Here are some images from the trip.
The main square in Lamu - on Sunday night football matches are screened on the wall opposite the island's Fort
The sea bounces off the sea wall at high tide, as this tide was close to the full moon it was particularly high and we thought this guy wasn't going to keep dry - but he did and didn't in fact take the cigarette from his mouth as he moved from boat to boat to dry land!
Renate standing in a beautifully carved door post - typical of most buildings in Lamu
The buildings are constructed close together and at ground level there's some shade walking along the alleyways - many buildings have roof top structures where they can catch the breeze.

a "Lamu Sea Breeze" and an "Apple and Mint Crush" - fruit juices to die for.
The main means of transporting goods and supplies is via the island's donkeys who look slight and gentle. We resisted the opportunities to have a ride and our pictures taken. There's a donkey sanctuary on the island that provides veterinary care and a place to retire. It is run by a charity from Sidmouth in Devon!
Here we are posing in front of the guest bedroom in the Swahili House!
Intricate plasterwork shelves at the Swahili House Museum

Ruby Wedding Celebration on 30 January 2011

2011-02-02T17:30:00.025+03:00

On 30th January 1971 Renate and Ian got married in Mochudi, Botswana. Ian was working as a volunteer in Mochudi and Renate who then lived in South Africa (the country of her birth) visited Mochudi for a weekend and a few months later a wedding happened! The photo below shows the young couple with Ian's Best Man, Henderson Thloiwe on the right. On the left of the photo is Ian's "Father" - hired to organise the wedding and make sure everything was done in the proper manner! By the way, Mochudi is the village in Botswana where Mma Precious Ramotswe of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency was born. Fast forward 40 years and the continent is still Africa! Renate and Ian are once again volunteers! This time the venue for the celebration is the Kingfisher Safari Resort on the banks of Lake Victoria right beside where the River Nile begins its journey north to the Mediterranean sea.
Below are the happy couple standing by amazing flowers that neighbours Bob and Baukje have collected to celebrate. Ten good volunteer friends helped to make the celebration special by joining Renate and Ian for the weekend.
Here's Bob and Baukje with Renate and the flowers.
Finlay on the left, and James on the right pouring Cava into glasses so that the 40 years are properly 'toasted' on a gorgeous evening in really beautiful surroundings.
Elizabeth, Renate, Baukje and Wissit (she took this photo!) having walked from the Kingfisher round to above the Source of the Nile, decided to take a boat back.
Below is our good friend Wissit. She came out to Uganda on the 'plane with us a year ago to undertake a two-month placement in Gulu in northern Uganda. She really loved it and is now back to do a year's placement focusing on youth development work, once again in Gulu.Renate enjoying the morning mist over the Nile at the point where it leaves Lake Victoria.
The weekend in Jinja was a lovely way to celebrate 40 years of marriage. Big thanks to the Good Friends that we have made in Uganda who came with us to make it a memorable occasion - and to all of our other dear Family and Friends who have sent good wishes!

Two very recent and random images

2011-01-26T19:00:00.005+03:00

Last night Renate was about to put her night dress on when she spotted s creature! Isn't this a splendid beetle!? Probably between the size of the head of a tea spoon and desert spoon. Renate's quite glad that she spotted it before putting her night dress on!Today is Liberation Day, a public holiday in Uganda celebrating the day 25 years ago when the National Resistance Movement marched into Kampala to begin what's turned out to be an unbroken period of rule by President Museveni. Presidential elections are three weeks away and Uganda waits to see whether M7 (as he's called) can be elected for a 4th term of office.
As it's a public holiday Renate and Ian were mooching around in town and spotted this brilliant knife sharpener. When a customer is spotted he 'hitches' the bike up on a stand and engages a belt linking the pedals to a grinding wheel and "jobs a good 'un!"

A visit to Kkalwe - a village in Central Uganda

2011-01-26T18:08:00.017+03:00

Our friend and fellow VSO volunteer Diane took us to visit Kkalwe - a village in Central Uganda, about an hour's drive north of Kampala. Diane has been to Uganda before this assignment as a volunteer and has developed good friendships with some families in this village and promised to take Renate and Ian to meet them one recent Saturday. Diane works as a volunteer supporting the development of Midwife training at the International Hospital in Kampala
Diane's daughter Sarah with the children from two of the village families that her mum Diane has become good friends with
This is another Sarah, a close friend to Diane and a supporter of the village school and church
When we arrived we were soon surrounded by a group of village children 'messing about'.
Below are photographs of the children who went with us as we were taken to visit the village school and church - in the church they grabbed the chance to start drumming and dancing for our benefit. They also much enjoyed 'posing' for Ian's camera!

Fetching water from the communal pump is a task that all children in the village have to undertake. This first photograph shows an ingenious contraption that has been made to make the task easier, using the 'sprocket' from a bicycle wheel as the 'wheel' for this water barrow.
This photograph below shows that even small children are supplied with tiny plastic gerry cans so that they can play their part as well.
The village school is committed to doing its best to raise awareness amongst young people about the dangers of contracting HIV / AIDS. Here are some slogans painted on the school walls. The first one warns that 'fornication can lead to catching HIV / AIDS' and the second one encourages people to have compassion for those who do get HIV / AIDS.

Family get together

2011-01-09T22:34:00.011+03:00

Renate and Ian enjoyed a brilliant finale to 2010 when Laura and Shola and Matt and Holly made the journey to Kampala to celebrate a family Christmas with a difference - on Safari at Murchison Falls on the River Nile! The photographs shown in this post are just a sample from the 1450 photographs that we managed to take between us!
After Matt and Holly arrived at Entebbe airport on the Saturday before Christmas we all stayed over in this lovely town on the shore of Lake Victoria and next day went to the Botanical Gardens - which as well as brilliant trees and flowering shrubs has a resident population of vervet monkeys
Who like to be fed pop corn - the monkeys store any un-eaten pop corn in their cheeks and then chew it some more when they are feeling a bit peckish
Just the bluest balls you have ever seen - they go this colour during the breeding season and signifies that the little fella is really up for it!
After Entebbe we made the journey east from Kampala to Jinja and the source of the River Nile - here's the group with Joseph who drove our boat from the Kingfisher resort where we stayed - Renate's missing as she took the picture
The Kingfisher resort on Lake Victoria - just a few hundred metres from where the Nile River begins its 4000 mile journey from Lake Victoria to Alexandria in Egypt - the guides at the Source of the Nile say that it takes the water from Lake Victoria 90 days to make the journey to the Med.
Shola doing his best to hide from the camera in the craft shop on the island next to the Source of the Nile
On Christmas Eve we travelled 200 miles from Kampala to Murchison Falls - a magnificent water fall on the River Nile, and in a national park that takes its name from the Falls. This photograph shows the Nile bursting through the narrow gorge at the top of the Falls
From the top of the Falls it took us another hour to drive the 15 miles to the tented camp where we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Night
Early on Christmas morning - 7.00 am - we took a ferry across the Nile to go on a game drive through the national Park and this giraffe was happy to welcome us
The giraffes in the park were amazing and this little baby was temporarily separated from its mother - we think a reunion took place soon after
A large collective intake of breath as we saw this lioness - there were three or four minibuses full of Christmas Day tourists looking on but she didn't give any of us a moment's attention.
Matt bursting into the background of this portrait of Laura and Shola
After a Christmas Dinner of (for Ian) of beans and chapattis, we hopped onto a boat for a 2 to 3 hour trip up the Nile to the base of the Falls
Soon we were watching a group of elephants making short work of a clutch of bushes and small trees on the River bank
It was the breeding season for crocodiles and this beast is lying on its eggs - it hardly moves while it does this although our guide did caution that if we jumped close to its head we would see a flash of movement!
And finally we made it to within 400 metres of the base of the falls - the 'suds' are (again according to a guide) organic pollution generated by plant and animal waste
And if you are cruising gently down the Nile having been to the base of the Falls what do you drink? Nile Special of course!
The happy team enjoying their starters before tucking into a Christmas Night BBQ organised at the campsite. Note the paper hats - Holly brought six crackers with her from Manchester so that we could capture a bit of the Christmas 'Spirit'.

Not captured on camera by any of us was a hippo that came up from the river, waddled right through the campsite, past the BBQ and camp fire, to munch the grass that was growing around our tents. Laura and Shola were woken at 2.30 on Boxing Day morning by the loud sound of munching and they could see a huge 'hippo shape' through the tent's window. As if this wasn't bad enough some especially 'sensitive' American tourists thought this was the moment to take their 'Facebook Photo' and so flash guns went off - further scaring the living daylights out of Shola and Laura. At every turn we were advised NOT to shine a torch or use flash photography at hippos - they don't like it and can react unpredictably.
Fortunately no unpredictable behaviour was forthcoming and Shola and Laura are still in one piece. You'll not be surprised to hear that Laura exchanged spicy words a bit later on with our north American 'cousins' - about which, more later!
On our way back to Kampala on Boxing Day we had arranged to call in at the ZIWA Rhino Sanctuary. Because of poaching and civil war Uganda's rhino population was wiped out in the 70s and 80s. Now this sanctuary is beginning the task of reintroducing white rhinos from other countries - Kenya and South Africa (and also from the Disney Animal Kingdom) - to safe habitats in Uganda. Once the rhino population in the sanctuary is 'ready' they'll be transported to the Murchison Falls national park. The photograph is of Kawesa, our guide on our walk to see the rhinos - no safety in a big safari bus - a quieter and gentler approach on our two feet. Kawesa knows all the rhinos well and can look at a pile of rhino 'poo' and tell you which one dumped it! He told us that the rhinos have a great sense of smell and they know his 'smell' well - so although the rhinos will 'smell' strangers - it's OK if they are with Kawesa! Hugely reassuring to hear this! We got VERY CLOSE.
This photograph shows some of the north American tourist group that we had the pleasure of spending Christmas with. They gave Kawesa a hard time - they just didn't seem to get it that rhinos are dangerous animals - they wanted to get CLOSER to get that Facebook Photograph. We think Kawesa was badly hassled and if we had been allowed to raise our voices we probably would have. Anyway we congratulated Kawesa on the way he managed them - and commended his approach to his bosses later when we had lunch.
This experience with loutish, over-privileged, arrogant, demanding, white, tourists was a wake-up call for us and a reminder of what Ugandan Citizens sometimes have to put up with when show-casing their Country's natural wonders. If he had encouraged the rhinos to charge us all it would have been understandable!
A mother with 2 year old "Obama" - so called because mum is from America (Disney!) and dad is from Kenya!
This big beast was looking at us for a while and we started checking for trees to climb into - thankfully a few seconds after this photograph was taken he lay down and went back to sleep. Dry mouths as we walked back to have our lunch.

But a good way to end a memorable Christmas Family Get Together!

1st December - World AIDS Day

2010-12-03T22:41:00.010+03:00

1 December is a big day in Uganda, and in other countries where HIV / AIDS touches so many lives. The celebration event was organised by the National Association of People Living with HIV / AIDS. VSO helped with some of the organising and sponsored T shirts and drinking water. Staff from the VSO Uganda Office along with several VSO volunteers took part in the celebrations and the march which preceded them. VSO staff and volunteers on the march
Young people from an organisation supported by the Most At Risk Populations (MARPs) Network which Ian works for
Here are the brilliant volunteers from Touch Namuwongo, the group that organised the community clean up that this blog reported on in September
The celebrations took place in a primary school on the outskirts of Kampala, here children from the school perform a song they had written for the day
An exhibition of art work produced by Kampala Senior Secondary School students
Renate and her friend Romaine, catching their breath after the two hour march - both have the catchy title of "non volunteering accompanying partners" - load of rubbish - both are busy volunteers - Renate with the donor mapping work she's doing for VSO Uganda and Romaine is busy helping out at a nursery school near where she lives teaching "Jollyphonics" and supporting other teachers in the school to teach it as well.

A great holiday with our friends David and Gina from Sheffield

2010-12-03T20:54:00.008+03:00

It's been 9 months since Renate and Ian arrived in Uganda - a holiday was due and their good friends David and Gina from Sheffield came out to visit Uganda during the last two weeks of November. A journey taking in Kibale Forest and the Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda was undertaken! Here are some images from the holiday.David and Gina's first full day in Uganda was spent relaxing in Entebbe by Lake Victoria and the Botanical Gardens are home to a clutch of Vervet Monkeys - who like to be fed
This baby was just two days old
From the sublime quiet of the Botanical Gardens to the manic rush of Kampala's taxi park - needs to be seen to be believed!
The view from the cottage / tree house accommodation in Kibale Forest - the evening sun is catching the density of the forest trees
Here, Gina, Renate and David are with Julius the guide from the community project that manages the Bigodi Swamp near Kibale Forest - this wooden walkway is 300 metres long and was constructed by volunteers from the nearby village. 50% of tourist fees are used to pay for community development projects in the village.
Chimps grooming each other in Kibale Forest
The tree house in Bigodi Swamp provides a great place to view the Forest canopy
Also a good place to relax and have a laugh!
Mother and baby black and white Colobus monkeys at Bigodi
Here's a croc with his gob open at the Kazinga Channel which runs between Lake Edward and Lake George in the Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda. The croc's gob stayed open for all the time we were watching - at least five minutes!
A gorgeous Yellow-billed Stork at Kazinga Channel
Hippos wallowing in "glorious mud" in the Kazinga Channel
This is one seriously proud African Fish Eagle! . .
Moments later, he or she is flying over our heads with a catfish in its claw . . freshly caught!
The very graceful Ugandan Kob antelope in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Here are buffalos, Ugandan Kobs and Egyptian Geese
The wide open landscape of the Queen Elizabeth Park savannah with the Rwenzori Mountains behind - marking the edge of the western Rift Valley and the border with the Congo
Finally, just as breakfast was calling this lazy lion was spotted chilling in a tree - he was 200 to 250 metres away but our guide's amazing eye-sight spotted him

A visit to Annette's House

2010-11-15T21:00:00.009+03:00

Annette and Edward take very good care of us in our compound of flats in Ntinda, Kampala - Edward is the caretaker and Annette, his partner, helps us with washing and cleaning. They have two children, Joshua and Joy - Joshua's four and Joy is coming up for two. Annette has been really keen for us to visit her Mum and Dad at her home in 'the village' 75 kilometres south west of Kampala. So a couple of weeks ago we set off with gifts of rice, paraffin and a framed photograph of Annette, Edward and the children which Ian took. Edward could not come with us as he has yet to be formally 'introduced' to Annette's parents - a serious custom that must be properly honoured. So one day, when Annette and Edward have the money there'll be an introduction party - and then he can go and visit!This is the picture that was framed for a present for Annette's Mum and Dad
It was a real privilege to meet Annette's family and they really went to town to entertain us - wrapping a chicken in banana leaves and putting it on to steam at 7.00 am - by the time we sat down at 2.30 pm it was tender, sweet and delicious. Annette's dad grows three different kinds of bananas - green one's for steaming, small sweet one's for eating straight after being peeled, and a kind that is more bitter that is used for making beer which, by all accounts, is quite lethal. He also tends coffee 'trees' and he struggles when the international price for coffee goes down a lot. Annette's dad is also really worried about climate change - during this rainy season which 'officially' started in September, there's only been two good days of rain at his land - this was at the end of October.
Annette's Mum and Dad, for all that their life is hard work, still make sure that they take care of each other and indeed of several other children who have been abandoned.
Here are some photographs taken on the visit.
Here's the family group with Annette's Mum and Dad standing between Renate and Annette. Joshua is in the front with the red shirt and Joy is in Brenda's arms on the right of the picture (she's the eldest at home)
Annette's got the children dancing in a groups and then . . .. . . all fall down!Annette joins in the dancing with Joy and Joshua - not sure they were too keen though!Renate admires a coffee tree

Sorry about the silence

2010-11-15T20:46:00.003+03:00

It's been six weeks since our last post on the blog. Three reasons:
(1) Ian managed to catch a really nasty cold which laid him low - even had to have a week off work - when he did recover he's been busy catching up
(2) Things are coming to a head with fund-raising in Ian's placement and three key documents have had to be completed by Ian and Dr Geoffrey Mujisha (Ian's boss)- these are (i) a report of a nationwide consultation carried out with organizations working with most at-risk populations (in terms of HIV infection); (ii) a business plan for the MARPs Network; and (iii) a general funding proposal aimed at international donors
Finally (3) Renate and Ian set off on holiday today with first stop at Entebbe to meet their good friends David and Gina Hawkins who are coming to stay for two weeks in Uganda - so we've been rushing to get everything finished in time for holiday jollies.
This post is being written - after a swim and lovely dinner at the wonderful Boma Guest House in Entebbe (check it out - www.boma.co.ug) - we're bringing David and Gina back here tomorrow from their flight from Manchester.
Over the next two weeks we'll be visiting Kibale Forest in Western Uganda and will do chimp tracking and 'swamp walking' - then on to the Queen Elizabeth National Park where we'll have a game drive and a river safari - we'll be rounding the holiday off at a favourite haunt of ours - the source of the Nile at Jinja. We'll try and post piccies during the coming weeks.

Namuwongo Clean-Up

2010-10-05T21:42:00.015+03:00

VSO volunteers in any given country are grouped into 'clusters' to enable them to meet and have a say in the way the VSO programme is run in the country. Each cluster is also allocated a sum of money (typically £250) to use in the organising of a community project - something that will be of benefit to the community in which the VSO volunteers are based and which will also give them a chance to work as a team outside of their day jobs.

The Kampala VSO cluster decided to choose a project in the Namuwongo 'slum' which is next-door to the leafy suburb where VSO has its office. The "Als" - Alison and Alan Cowan, members of the VSO cluster live on the edge of Namuwongo and they introduced us to the most amazing community group you could ever wish to meet. This group - "Touch Namuwongo" has 140 community-based volunteers and their main purpose is to do outreach work in the community in order to get people to take HIV tests as well as promoting safer sex. When the group is not busy with that, they also organise wider public health days. We discovered from the "Als" that they wanted to do a community clean up - the drainage ditches in Namuwongo were badly clogged and with recent heavy rain they overflowed allowing sewerage to flow freely around people's houses and there had been an outbreak of cholera. However the Touch Namuwongo group were concerned that without proper tools and protective clothing they wouldn't be able to mobilize the community to get involved.Ruth, the amazing mobiliser / organiser of "Touch Namuwongo"

The Kampala VSO cluster was asked to get involved, and so Alan and Ian (as the 'cluster' chair) had a meeting with Ruth, the organiser of the Touch Namuwongo group, to see how we could assist. After listening to Ruth we agreed to ask the Kampala cluster to commit £250 towards the purchase of tools and protective clothing and also to turn up on Saturday 25th September to work shoulder-to-shoulder with residents in cleaning up the paths and ditches running through the community.

So, with just a degree of trepidation, fifteen or so VSO volunteers showed up at 9.00 am to be overwhelmed by the site of hundreds of residents ready and waiting to get stuck in!Here's Renate improvising with some bucket lids as shovels
A group of amazing women volunteers from the "Touch Namuwongo" group - who, we discovered later, had mobilized over 400 residents to get involved!
This railway line (along which we dragged the collected rubbish) runs from Kampala City Centre, through Namuwongo, to Port Bell on Lake Victoria - three goods trains a week use the line
A view from the railway line down to an area of the community that's freshly cleaned!
A group of volunteers and residents hard at it
Our neighbour Bob (a Dutch VSO volunteer) getting down and very dirty in the drainage ditch - which as can be seen is now clean and clear
Here's a huge lump of concrete that somehow people managed to lift from the drainage ditch - no wonder the ditch got blocked quite easily!
After the clean-up everyone went to the local Parish Chair's compound for a bit of a celebration - here the entertainment is some vigorous dancing and drumming - the tools bought by the VSO cluster can be seen in the foreground
After the dancing, the troupe (all members of Touch Namuwongo) presented a 'play' about the dangers of HIV / AIDS - funny, sad, angry, emotional - brilliant! Here's a dramatic moment . .
The audience is rapt - and here Alison Cowan (a VSO volunteer medical doctor at the International Hospital) sits with her three daughters - all of whom worked their socks off during the clean-up
A Namuwongo resident enjoys an extremely well-earned ice lolly
And these three seem quite pleased about it all as well!

Bayimba International Cultural Festival

2010-09-22T18:58:00.006+03:00

On Sunday evening we went with our guests to the Bayimba International Cultural Festival at the National Theatre. Here are some photographs of the group 'Percussion Discussion' performing to a warmly appreciative crowd.
The lead male singer and the young boy who danced frenetically are both wearing 'bark-cloth' - made from tree bark and traditional clothing of the Baganda people from central Uganda
This little fella was enjoying a grand-stand view from dad's shoulders
Renate's chilling!

Lemon Drizzle Cake!

2010-09-22T18:36:00.010+03:00

When Ian returned from Fort Portal he was greeted by visitors - VSO volunteers who work in the far south west of Uganda in a place called Kisoro. Poppy is an experienced sign language interpreter and trainer working with the Peace Education Trust and Chantal is training teachers in special needs education. They were both in Kampala to attend a conference on deaf education. On Saturday afternoon we suddenly decided it would be a great idea to make a cake!

But how can you make a cake with no oven? "Easy!" says Poppy - who went on to explain how we would need to nip out and buy three cheap cooking pots - each one a little bigger than the other. The first pot goes on the hob, next the pot with the cake mixture is placed inside the first pot - leaving a gap of about 1 to 2 centimetres between the bottom of the first pot and the bottom of the second pot. Finally the third pot is place on top to 'seal' the oven.

A basic sponge cake mix was checked out on t'internet and forty five minutes later a light and risen sponge cake appeared. Baukje, Poppy and Chantal then whipped up a lemon drizzle icing and 'afternoon tea' was ready.

By the way the cake was really very delicious!Here, the three chefs, left to right - Baukje, Chantal and Poppy are doing the baking businessHere's the cooked cake in its 'oven' potPoppy cuts the iced cake
The 'tea party' enjoys the result on the balcony in the warmth of a Kampala afternoon - spot on!

MARPs Network Public Dialogue in Western Uganda

2010-09-22T18:06:00.010+03:00

For four days last week Geoffrey, Richard, Prossy and Ian from the Most At Risk Populations (MARPs) Network were in very beautiful Fort Portal, a town in Western Uganda - 300 kilometres from Kampala. The purpose of the trip was for the Network team to meet with and listen to small civil society organisations (CSOs) who are working with people from most at-risk population groups (in terms of contracting HIV / AIDS). The event, held in a comfortable Catholic conference centre, also provided a good chance for the 31 people who came along to meet each other and to share their experiences of trying to reach out to, and work with, most at-risk populations. The event was very successful with those attending keen to join the Network. Here are some photographs taken by Geoffrey and Richard.Richard and Prossy walking in the green and lush grounds of the Lisieux Centre in Fort PortalDr Geoffrey Mujisha, the Executive Director of the MARPs Network, welcoming participants at the beginning of the dialogueParticipants enjoying the group discussionA group's list of those they think are most at-riskGiving good listening!This participant felt passionately that people living with HIV / AIDS should be treated with respect and without discrimination
Ian checking which flip chart sheets to stick on the wallThe 'group photograph'!

Uganda Wildlife Education Centre

2010-09-10T23:35:00.009+03:00

Today was a public holiday in Uganda, celebrating the Eid Festival at the end of the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan. Renate and Ian went to Entebbe on the shore of Lake Victoria - 40 km south of Kampala. Their destination was the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC).

UWEC was opened in 1952 by the Colonial Government as an animal Orphanage that offered sanctuary to young animals found abandoned in protected areas due to the death or poaching of parent animals. In the early 1960s, it became a traditional zoo until 1994 when it was converted into a wildlife education centre.

All the animals have been rescued from poachers, illegal trade or accidents. The animals are brought to the centre by government agencies, animal welfare groups and concerned citizens.

Here are some highlights from the visit.One of the residents of "Chimpanzee Island" at UWEC.
While looking through the view finder - aiming to focus on the Chimp - this nasty looking spider came into focus, so instead of the Chimp, the spider became the subject of this photograph. (you can enlarge the photograph by clicking on it)
These Vervet monkeys (at least that's what Ian thinks they're called) use team-work as a good way of speeding up the process of shifting the nits!
This little fella was messing about in a tree just a few feet away from Ian's face.
This baby otter seemed keen to show off newly developed swimming and diving skills
A relaxed doze - no sign of any attention being paid to anything - nice skin though - no wonder crocodiles are hunted for it.

Cumin spuds

2010-09-06T21:09:00.007+03:00

Since arriving in Uganda Ian has been eating less meat and experimenting more with vegetarian food. Uganda has a bountiful harvest when there's rain and a good variety of fresh vegetables are easy to come by.

The spuds in the picture turned out to be really delicious. So here's the recipe.

Three large spuds, peeled and chopped into rough centimetre cubes and boiled until there's just a little bit of an edge / bite to them - drain and set aside.

Chop up a large onion and five or six cloves of garlic (coursely chopped) and brown in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 'heavy bottomed / non stick' pan. When brown and sizzling nicely throw in the spuds and stir for a minute, then throw in two chopped ripe tomatoes and stir some more. Now throw in 1 teaspoon of cumin powder and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir thoroughly and leave to simmer with the pan covered for 5 minutes. Then remove the lid and stir some more to allow the spuds to lose excess moisture and also to begin to 'catch' and brown a bit on the pan bottom.

Delicious with green beans - boiled for just a few minutes with a pinch of salt and 'chunk' of naughty butter added. Enjoy!

66 not out! - A lovely birthday with Kampala friends

2010-09-06T20:52:00.009+03:00

At 8.15 am there's a knock on the door and our dear VSO neighbours arrive with a birthday cake!
Our neighbours - Bob, Baukje and Julia
The happy ageing hippie couple
At work, the team celebrated my birthday with me and had a really good business plan discussion at the same time!
Richard gave me a great birthday hug
I took this picture of children when I was on the trip out west with Sam
Our VSO volunteer friend Jan turned into this lovely painting for my birthday pressie
Jan with the painting - this was on the occasion of her first exhibition of her work - on Friday night - coinciding nicely with my birthday. The exhibition was a huge success and Jan breathed a massive sigh of relief - she had been a touch scared at what the reaction might be - and it was overwhelming positive!!

Recently . . .

2010-08-14T21:10:00.024+03:00

The Network Team and Partners
The other night Geoffrey, Richard and Sam came round to our place for supper and they honoured us by bringing their partners along as well. We had a really great time together. Here are Geoffrey with Enid, Sam with Maria and Richard with Prossie.

Hugh O'Donnell MSP
VSO runs a scheme that enables Parliamentarians to 'sample' the volunteer experience. For the past 10 days Hugh O'Donnell has been staying with us. Hugh is a Lib Dem member of the Scottish Parliament. During his brief stay in Kampala Hugh was placed with the National Union of Disabled People - facilitating discussion around the development of an advocacy strategy. He also had a chance to visit the British High Commission and the Uganda Electoral Commission. Our task as hosts was to enable Hugh to meet with other volunteers so as to develop an understanding of the range of stuff that volunteers do and the diverse range of people who are volunteers. Ian managed to avoid discussing UK politics for the first week but during the second week failed to resist the temptation to tell Hugh that he thought his chances of re-election next May (as a Lib Dem) were slim to say the least!
Here's Hugh relaxing by the Nile in Jinja - a typical day off for volunteers in Kampala!Four images from our trip with Hugh to Jinja
A wild grass going to seedWe saw this monitor lizard as we travelled by boat to the source of the NileDawn on the NileA guy fishing at Dawn on the Nile
Boda boys
These guys saw me taking the photograph of the poster at the Rugby Club and were over in a flash to pose! Boda boys are totally fearless (crazy!) motor bike riders who transport equally crazy passengers
Two of our local Boda boys
These guys greet us every day as we pass on our way out or on our returnAnd finally . . .A hotel sign that makes us grin every time we see it

11 July Bombings

2010-08-14T21:05:00.005+03:00

Here's a poster that Renate and Ian saw outside the Rugby Club where over 60 people lost their lives on 11 July while watching the World Cup Final. We like this poster very much.You can click on the picture to enlarge it.

Catch Up since last post

2010-08-14T20:05:00.029+03:00

Cluster Chair
Ian was a bit slow to leave the room at one of the first Kampala volunteers 'cluster' meetings he attended and found himself elected chair of the 'Cluster' - not too onerous except for the responsibility of ensuring volunteers are involved is discussing security issues and acting as a link with the VSO Uganda office.

Shortly after taking the chair, Ian was contacted by one of the VSO volunteers in the Kampala Cluster who actually lives and works in Masaka - 135km to the southwest of Kampala. Rajgopal Swaminathan - from VSO India - is managing the Masaka Vocational Rehabilitation Centre. He invited us to travel to Masaka for a weekend away a few weeks back so that we could see the Centre and get to know something of his role - he's day-to-day manger as well as being responsible for marketing and development. Six of us went in our Toyota "Noah" micro bus and had a great time - we were all very impressed with the progress the Centre's making under his stewardship. Here's a photograph of some of the kids at the Centre who had made toy trucks from plastic bottles.
Fund raising challenge update
In an earlier post I mentioned exploring the setting up of a UK-based Trust to support the MARPs Network secure the funding it needs to carry out it's work. Following further discussions and a couple of very helpful replies from blog readers this idea is 'on hold' until core funding has been secured from a Ugandan source. Getting core funding is key to building strong foundations for the Network's work. The team are working hard now to complete our first annual report and our first business plan. These two documents draw significantly on the findings from the Network's public dialogue project - a consultation carried out with over 100 civil society organisations (mostly small community-based organisations) who are working with Most At-Risk Populations in terms of HIV / AIDS. The team are developing a funding strategy and hope to secure success in gaining core funding within the next few months - this strategy will be under-pinned by the business plan but also by the outcomes from the World AIDS conference held in Vienna in July - a key message from this conference was that greater focus should be given to working with Most At-Risk Populations.

Visit from VSO and placement extension
A few weeks back the MARPs Network received a visit from the Programme Manager at VSO Uganda - Abigail Akirapa - to discuss progress with Ian's placement. Everyone felt that it was progressing positively and agreement was reached to extend the placement from 6 months to a year! Yippee - we are not going to be homeless - our house in Marlcliffe Road, Sheffield is rented out for a year and if Ian was to finish his placement this month we'd have to go travelling! Here's a photograph of Ian and Geoffrey Mujisha (Ian's boss) with Ruby (a visitor from VSO London) and Abigail from VSO Uganda.

Kampala bombings - 11 July 2010

2010-07-13T21:58:00.004+03:00

Three bombs were detonated on Sunday 11 July around 11 pm just as the World Cup Final was nearing its climax.

The first bomb was detonated in the Ethiopian Village Restaurant in the Kabalagala suburb of Kampala. This partly open-air restaurant has several large flat screen TVs fixed to its walls and is a popular place for many to watch football. Many VSO volunteers join people from a range of nations in the welcoming atmosphere of the restaurant. Tragically it proved a very soft target for a terrorist bomber (allegedly) from 'Al Shabah' - a militant group from Somalia.

Shortly afterwards two further bombs were detonated at the Rugby Club at Lugogo about 2 miles east of Kampala City Centre. Here the New Vision newspaper had arranged a big free screening of the World Cup Final. Another very soft target that proved too tempting to resist for the (allegedly) 'Al Shabah' terrorists.

Yesterday 'Al Shabah' claimed responsibility for the bombings at a press conference in Mogadishu in Somalia. At the time of writing this blog over 80 people - Ugandans mostly but also people from other nations including USA, India and Ireland - have been killed. Countless others are horribly injured.

Renate, Ian and other VSO volunteers in Kampala are all OK but all of our thoughts are with the victims and their families at this sad time as the whole Country begins a period of mourning.

As with similar incidents elsewhere it continues to be an action that is very hard if not impossible to come to terms with and to understand. But life does goes on and we overwhelmingly experience around us people who are are generous, welcoming, kind and loving especially to us 'Muzungu' visitors.

The fund raising challenge

2010-06-22T22:48:00.001+03:00

My role with the Most At Risk Populations (MARPs) Network is to facilitate the building of a stronger organisation. As readers of this blog will have discovered by now I am hugely impressed by the organisation and the colleagues in the Network Secretariat team that I work with. The previous post describes the achievement of the Network moving into its own offices for the first time. There's a tangible feeling of "now we can really crack on and achieve something!".

A key factor in being able to secure the new office was that the Network received a set-up grant from a large donor agency. The funding received has allowed for 6 months rent to be paid, for the office building to be cleaned and decorated and for some additional basic office furniture. As well as setting up the building, there’s two months worth of funding for salaries, travelling and office expenses.

Two months worth of running costs! In January the donor was talking about 6 months worth of running cost support but when the crunch came it was just two months - and the first payment arrived on the 29th day of the first month - and this first payment had to be used by the 30th day (it was April). The team managed to achieve this and then complete all the very detailed claim sheets 100% accurately otherwise no second payment. Well that hurdle has been achieved but we’re still awaiting the second payment - due in May but we’re now at 22 June and the money in the second payment has to be spent by 30 June.

From what I understand this donor’s funding practices are not completely unusual - many are (maybe understandably) cautious because they do not want their funds to be misused. However from where I observe matters I feel that the MARPs Network team are actually being close to being humiliated by this donor’s process. Sam, the Finance and Admin Officer seems to have done little else in the last six weeks other than run backwards and forwards to the donor’s local office to provide incredibly detailed reporting which then gets fed up to the donor’s regional HQ in Nairobi. It feels like MARPs Network is being funded to jump up and down for the donor rather than to get on with the task of supporting organisations working to support Most At Risk Populations.

I want to make it a priority in my work to assist the MARPs Secretariat team to seek out and secure funding support from organisations who have an approach which although appropriately robust will however leave the recipients feeling that they are dignified partners rather than wretched surfs. It’s also important to the effective working of a Network Support organisation to have access to money that can be used flexibly and promptly to support a particular priority or urgent issue that emerges. So much of current funding is strictly administered and tied to detailed historical budgets that may well be out-of-date by the time the money arrives.

I have noticed in my research that many or most of the potential British and European donors who appear willing to fund organisations like the MARPs Network will only do so through a British / European-based Trust or Foundation that is working with or linked to a Ugandan-based organisation. This is, for example, certainly true for Comic Relief who in every other respect are celebrated for having a brilliant relationship with the organisations that they fund.

So what can we do?

In the past months we have been busy setting up good systems within the MARPs Secretariat and we have now achieved “PADOR” status with the European Union - deemed theoretically suitable to receive EU Aid. We are exploring a particular avenue at the moment. However that funding, if we get it, will be very tightly focused.

So we’d like to get a UK Trust established that can be linked to the MARPs Network. We imagine that any such UK Trust would have: (1) a UK / focus of interest around positive sexual health - perhaps focusing on young people; and (2) a focus of supporting the MARPs Network in Uganda by acting as a fund raising vehicle and a conduit for funds from other grant-making bodies in the UK / Europe.

Having two such focuses will open up the possibility of joint working / exchanges and mutual learning.

Are you, dear reader / follower of this blog able and willing to help?

It would be great if someone could do the research needed to set up a Trust and to co-ordinate the recruitment of some Trustees.

We’ll do loads from this end to supply information and photographs explaining the importance of the work - especially in Uganda at this time.

If anyone feels inspired to respond to this (gentle and loving!!) challenge please send us a message on ianandrenate@gmail.com and we can take it from there.

Sorry if this has seemed a bit of a long and ‘ranty’ post!

The MARPs Network moves to its own offices for the first time!

2010-06-22T20:45:00.021+03:00

It's been a while since I've posted a blog. Life has been busy for both Renate and I. Renate has begun her voluntary work with the VSO Uganda Programme Office and she's been head down on t'internet checking out who the donor agencies / governments are in Uganda and what are the kinds of work that they are keen to fund. At the MARPs Network the last four weeks have been dominated by the exciting and long overdue move to the organisation's own offices for the very first time. Since starting out nearly two years ago the Network has been like a 'cuckoo in the nest' in other people's offices. These hosts have been kind and considerate but of course there are awkward moments. It is really lovely to be settling in at plot 16 Kenneth Dale Drive, Kamwokya (pronounced "Camwotcha").

This first picture shows our most recent office - it's the shed with the blue roof at the end of the yard. Cosy to say the least but the Uganda Hotels, Food and Tourism Trade Union didn't take a penny in rent and were kind and friendly to us.Here's the new office, practically hidden by lovely bushes, flowers and trees - it's a converted house in an estate where nearly all the houses have become offices - it's near a busy road and it's better for commercial use than for residential use.
Below is the view of the garden from the 'boardroom window' - it's really lovely as the greenery does keep the building cooler on the hot daysDoctor Geoffrey (MARPs Network Executive Director) and Doctor Thomas Muyunga (Senior Programme Officer) preparing for a meeting in the nice bright new boardroom
There's a dining room and we share a meal together at midday which is very civilised - here Geoffrey's Mum has popped in to see the new offices and she is thrilled that at last her son (who she is rightly hugely proud of) has a decent place to work from
I get to meet Geoffrey's Mum and she has just said that it's nice to meet the Mzee (Old Man!) at last!
Here, Richard our Office Manager - standing on the right is having his work station 'blessed' by a minister who has taken a supportive interest in his career since he was a little lad. Richard has put his heart and soul into the organisation of the move and it's great to see how proud and relieved he is that we are all so thrilled by the result.

I confess to have been a little taken aback by the extent to which the office move has been celebrated by my colleagues. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't really take in the fact that they all see the achievement of getting and furnishing an office as hugely symbolic - "nothing's going to stop us now!" is the mood. I suppose if I had been around from the start I would have been more tuned in to this. Geoffrey's Mum said during lunch that it had been a big struggle to get to this point and many was the time that she thought the difficulties being encountered would prove just too much to overcome. She also went on to say that having overcome the difficulties - winning the struggle - meant that there are now firm foundations for the future of the MARPs Network's.

These wise words helped me understand better, and properly for the first time, the concept of 'the struggle' that is endured - and expected - by many if not all Ugandans in their everyday lives. So that when an achievement is realised, like the Network getting its first offices, it really is a time for celebration and giving thanks.

To Jinja and the source of the Nile

2010-05-24T21:31:00.019+03:00

Uganda is an amazingly beautiful country - stunning stuff to see and lovely people to greet you and show you round wherever you go. This past weekend we felt in need of a 'pick-me-up' away from the bustle of Kampala. Fifty miles from Kampala is the source of the river Nile at a place called Jinja. We set off on Saturday morning - we'd booked into a cosy guest house - we arrived in time for lunch and to our delight discovered that Rhona and Bobby (also VSO volunteers from Kampala) were also staying at the same place with a couple of friends from Edinburgh - where Rhona and Bobby are from. This was great as Rhona and Bobby had been to Jinja a couple of times already and so we were going to be in the hands of experienced tour guides!

Here's the group of us pictured on tiny Ripon Falls island in the middle of the brand new River Nile - just after it has left Lake Victoria. In three month's time the water passing this island will emerge into the Mediterranean Sea. The main body of water in the new River Nile flows north out of Lake Victoria but there's also an upsurge of underground water at 'the source' and in this photograph you might be able to make this out just below the white fringed wavelets
Here's a Kingfisher lining up its dive right above 'the source' - oblivious to us such was its concentration
A graceful beauty (I have no idea what it's called!) resting in a tree very close to 'the source' - it was about 3.00 pm and still very warm and many of the birds seemed quite dozy
The boatman who took us out on the River Nile had good local knowledge and after we'd left 'the Source' he steered a course directly towards this tree where he was fairly sure we'd see an African Fish Eagle - sure enough there was this sleepy beauty - she/he didn't move a muscle
12 kilometres north of 'the Source' of the Nile are Bujagali Falls - sadly soon to be submerged under a dam that is currently being constructed
As a way of earning cash from tourists local guys strap themselves to a yellow plastic 5 gallon petrol can and surf the falls - unfortunately several have gone permanently missing over the last few years - here's a guy getting into position for the best line through the falls
He's on his way - with a look of determination on his face?
He's successfully through the first rapids, just the really nasty ones with the jagged rocks to negotiate next - scary stuff
Mr and Mrs Smith posing for the family album!
In the distance is Lake Victoria and the Nile flows towards the foreground where below and to the right are the Bujagali Falls
The "Gately-on-the-Nile" guesthouse - lovely house, lovely people, lovely food and gorgeous gardens - perfick for a pick-me-up!
Bright coloured flowers are in abundance in the gardens
An early morning butterfly
Below is a "Google Earth" image showing the River Nile flowing out of Lake Victoria at the bottom of the picture. You can make out the white foam of the Bujagali Falls towards the top of the picture.

Renate's new job

2010-05-24T21:06:00.004+03:00

Starting today Renate has begun a volunteer assignment with VSO Uganda. She has accepted the challenge of supporting the VSO Uganda team in developing a donor relationship strategy. To start with Renate will be doing detective work to find out who are the key donors in Uganda and whether or not they have priorities that might coincide with the priorities of VSO Uganda. Once the promising key donors have been identified Renate will be working with members of the VSO staff team to develop a plan for contacting likely looking donors to explore potential for partnership working.

Renate will be working from home most of the time but will visit the VSO Uganda office (which is on the other side of Kampala from here) a couple of days a week. Initially the assignment is scheduled to last for six weeks. Renate's very pleased and excited by the challenge.

Sam and Ian go West!

2010-05-02T16:40:00.020+03:00

You can click on this map to enlarge it.

Sam (see earlier blog describing colleagues in the MARPs Network) and I embarked on a trip to the west of Uganda on Sunday 25 April. We focused on the districts of Kasese, Busheyni and Mbarara. The purpose of the trip was to recruit member organisations for the MARPs Network.

The journey from Kampala took us via Fort Portal, then down to Kasese, through the Queen Elizabeth National Park to Busheyni and then on to Mbarara before returning to Kampala via Masaka. Including a detour from Kasese to see a project near the Democratic Republic of Congo border we clocked up 1200 kilometres in 5 days.

What follows is a pictorial record of our adventure.

The car - a Toyota "Noah" - a sort of mini people carrier - goes OK and you can fit a few in!
Dawn in Kasese - our first morning - time to get cracking recruiting member organisations!
Meeting the 'Sisters' at the Kasanga Health Centre - very close to the Congo border - isolated up an unbelievably rough track!
We got an enthusiastic welcome from this group of children in Kasese
Sam discovers he has an army of young fans
North of Busheyni there are several large tea estates - here's an example
I have heard the expression "a pig in muck" - and here is the best example I think you could possibly imagine!
The trip was amazing and the car was good despite my attempts to wreck it - I managed to reverse it out of a compound into a ditch - which I knew was there as I had driven past it on the way in to the compound - senior moment!! Here's a picture of the car's tyre marks at the ditch in question
The gallant metal work guys who gladly came up the lane to 'lift' the car out and send us on our way - me with a sheepish grin and a blushing cheeks! -

Later that day we went to visit Sam's Mum and Dad who live just off our route up in the hills. Sam said that history was made on Tuesday 27 April as I was the first "Muzungu" (white man) to visit his village, let alone his parents! His Mum cooked a delicious and memorable meal of boiled chicken with about eight fresh vegetables from their farm/garden. His Mum and Dad were so warm and welcoming and so we stayed late - I was a bit nervous about driving after dark.

The first picture shows the landscape on the way to Sam's place, the next picture is of Sam's parents and the third picture is of a proud shop owner in Sam's village

All in all the trip was very enjoyable - great scenery - great roads (apart from the very beginning and very end of the journey) - we met and interviewed an array of lovely people doing astonishing work with most at risk populations (in terms of getting HIV & AIDS). We had a target of recruiting 15 organisations into membership of the network - and we managed 17 - helped it has to be said - by members of Sam's extended family in two of the three districts we visited. Here's a guy who Sam was at Makerere University with at the Integrated Community Based Initiatives project in Kabwohe near to Busheyni.

Sam and I got on well and learned a lot from each other. It was good - just the two of us - and Sam got to do a lot of up front interviewing which I am happy to say he is really very good at - and very thorough and patient too!

Here he is in the top picture interviewing Joyce Tibaijuka who chairs the Mbarara branch of the National Community of Women Living with HIV and AIDs (NACWOLA) and - in the second picture - Sedrack Bakulirahi the District Health bio-statistician in Kasese

Finally, when we got back to Kampala on Thursday evening there was very good news for us. The MARPs Network had just received it first grant! So on Friday Sam and the team got paid for the very first time - there were quite big smiles in the office.

ICT2, Entebbe and that cloud of ash

2010-05-02T14:54:00.013+03:00

After volunteers have been in the Country for 8 weeks VSO brings everyone together for a second spell of in-country training (ICT2). As well as providing a good opportunity for us to begin to make sense of our early experiences of Uganda, it's also good to meet up with the 'batch' of people who we started the journey with. Here's our volunteer 'batch' in the VSO 'banda' (big thatched room with open walls)

Several of the volunteers from a distance from Kampala began assembling at our flat in the days before ICT2 began and we decided to set off for an overnight stay in Entebbe which is on the shores of Lake Victoria. Here we are, below, relaxing in the gardens of a lakeside hotel. In the right foreground is Felicity (aka "Wissit") - Wissit was due to fly home on Sunday 18 April but due to the ash cloud had an extra ten days in Uganda - she didn't complain at all!
While in Entebbe we visited the Botanical gardens - brilliant spectacle and here's an awesome looking spider
Our guide decided he just had to show us his impersonation of Tarzan in a section of rain forest within the Botanical Gardens
This is a crossing point for little red ants on the pathway through the Gardens - some ants provide a guard while the rest march through - we were warned not to get too close - apparently they bite hard!

Easter 2010 and no danger of crocodiles!

2010-04-04T18:56:00.004+03:00

At the suggestion of Diane another VSO volunteer in Kampala - she's working as a midwife Tutor at the International Hospital - we have just spent Easter at Lake Nabugabo with Diane and her daughter Sarah. We set off on Good Friday morning and were at the Lake early in the afternoon. The weather when we arrived was great and we were soon swimming - reassured by the sign on the tree above - which says: "no danger of crocodiles"!On the way to Lake Nabugabo we crossed the Equator - the cheesy picture above is proof!As you can see from the above picture we found Sand Beach resort peaceful and tranquil - ideal for a chilled Easter breakSarah spent hours on the swingsA family of donkeys roams the Sand Beach resort - keeping the grass short - however a whiff of water melon had them bothering Diane and Sarah for their slice!This is Abdul - he drives a Kampala special hire taxi and he agreed to take us to Lake Nabugabo and back. Here he is organising our greengrocery shopping at a brilliant road-side stall on our way home.

The Kasubi Tombs

2010-03-21T21:55:00.005+03:00

Last Tuesday night the historic burial ground of the Buganda Kings - the Kasubi Tombs - were seriously damaged by fire. The Buganda Kingdom is a significant traditional Kingdom within Uganda. Kampala is also the historic Capital of Buganda.

The fire is a cause of great sadness for many and there's been much discussion and debate these last few days as to the cause of the tragedy.

For more information follow these links:

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/882844/-/wjr01d/-/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2010/03/100317_uganda_nh_sl.shtml

More about the Most At Risk Populations network team that Ian's working with

2010-03-21T19:43:00.013+03:00

This is Geoffrey Mujisha the Executive Director and driving force behind the Most At Risk Populations (MARPs) network. Geoffrey is a medical doctor by profession but decided while working at the big Mulago hospital in Kampala that his passion was prevention - working to create really effective public health programmes that are essential to tackle challenges like HIV / AIDs. Geoffrey rallied people to the cause and the MARPs network was officially launched by the Uganda Aids Commission last June. MARPs exists to support, co-ordinate and strengthen organisations and programmes focused on people who are most at risk of becoming HIV positive.
Thomas Muyunga, also medically trained, is the senior programme officer at MARPs. A key part of Thomas' role is to design and implement mobilization initiatives that raise awareness about and advocate for best practice in combatting transmission of HIV / AIDs. Thomas has taken on the task of supervising my work.
Sam Rabwehare is MARPs' finance and administrative officer - Sam is a recent graduate from Makerere University in Kampala. Sam has also shown Ian how to negotiate his way from the office through Kampala's taxi parks and market area to get his taxi to Ntinda!
Richard Mboizi is MARPs' office manager and takes care of much of the practical stuff.

Despite the fact that MARPs has been officially launched by the Uganda Aids Commission and that the team has been properly appointed to roles within the MARPs network secretariat - they all work for nothing at the moment! MARPs has been commissioned by the UN and others to carry out a public dialogue with people from organisations working on HIV / AIDS prevention work throughout Uganda but, as yet, no one has put their hand in their pocket to fund the running costs of the Secretariat. There is currently a bid on the table with a large donor organisation so please keep your fingers crossed.

The team are an inspiration to be working with and they have made me very welcome. They call me "Mzee Ian" - "Mzee" is a Swahili word for 'old man' - and usually a term of respect. We've all had a good conversation about the priority areas for my work - all of which will be to work with the team individually and collectively to build the organisation's strength and effectiveness. Right now I'm supporting a process for analysing the significance of the findings that have come out of the public dialogue events. I'm learning so much! It's a privilege.

I'll post further updates on MARPs progress.
A workshop at the public dialogue event held in Kampala just before Christmas

Renate on her first 4 weeks in Uganda

2010-03-21T19:10:00.010+03:00

Four weeks ago we were approaching the dimly lit Kampala airport after a great flight and it's hard to believe time has passed so quickly. We seem to have been on the go non-stop and are only just coming up for air.

Our In Country Training took place at the VSO Programme office in the ‘Banda’ - a large thatched roof with open sides all round. It was so good to be back in Africa and I kept filling up with sheer joy as memories of my early childhood in the 1950s in Venda in the far northern part of South Africa, near the Zimbabwean Border, were vividly recalled - the heat, the bright light, the red soil, the tropical down pours, the lush green vegetation and familiar plants and birds.

To be in a place where ‘Muzungus’ (white people) are in a minority also reminded me of life on mission stations where we mixed freely with local people and life moved at a relaxed pace. What a treat and a joy to experience something of that again after almost 40 years in England.

Having said that Kampala could not be more different - a sprawling city, bustling with hundreds if not thousands of white minibus taxis all blowing their horns as they compete for space with boda-bodas (small motorbikes that take passengers), cyclists, pedestrians, special hire taxis (private saloon cars) and huge 4x4s.

A "Google Earth" view of Kampala's taxi park - the little white shapes are all taxis!!

May seem like chaos to us, but it works! And up the road from where we were being trained is a huge Italian Super Market that sells everything, including delicious ice cream in many yummy flavours and dozens of different types of pasta and pesto! So the differences to the Venda district of South Africa are just as stark as the similarities are noticeable!

We really like our spacious flat in a relatively quiet part of Kampala and love sitting on our balcony in the evenings overlooking a narrow green valley. Down side is that it is quite far from the centre and from other volunteers except for the 2 living in the same block.

The first week was tough as Ian started work right away on the Monday. Our flat only had a bed and a three piece suite in it. The temptation was to rush out and buy all sorts, the challenge to get simple tasks done with little or no equipment. How to dry dripping hand washed laundry in the pouring rain without hooks, hangers, airers, rope or hooks? Leave it out in the rain, of course, or put it on the floor, which I did in our empty spare bedroom after sweeping up the fine red dust that covers everything.

Enjoying our kitchen in the amazing flat that we have

Going shopping was also a challenge as £1 = 3,000 Ugandan Shillings! Before venturing out, I wrote down what coins (in 100, 200 and 500 Shilling denominations) I had and went without any notion of what anything might cost. Most people speak English and are happy to wait patiently while we sort the cash out. I bought food locally and was gutted when it went off so quickly. I soon learned I had to go out everyday and buy just 2 bananas, 2 tomatoes, a small bunch of greens. This is obvious but I’m used to a weekly shop and being a full-time housewife is also a new experience. We have succumbed to getting a fridge and are generally better equipped now. I’m now in a routine of boiling water, filtering it, washing smalls by hand, going out shopping, go to the air-conditioned internet cafe and have even managed to soak beans overnight and make a bean dish!

A lovely woman called Sarah, a Ugandan who was a VSO volunteer in Zambia asked me to help her with funding applications for a new organisation she is setting up to tackle the problem of jiggers in a district east of Kampala. Jiggers are parasites (worms) that burrow under the skin in toes, feet and fingers, where they multiply and spread causing severe pain and in extreme cases the loss of digits. In the absence of adequate health care in this very poor rural area, unsterilised, shared needles are used to remove the jiggers and in so doing spread jiggers and HIV/AIDS. People with jiggers are outcast and live in abject poverty.

The project has a clear vision and the aim is to tackle the poverty in a holistic way, but securing initial funding for a brand new organisation is well nigh impossible. I doubt I can be of much use as I have no idea (yet) what grant aid, if any, is available here in Uganda. In the mean time, it's been a real pleasure meeting up with the applicant on a number of occasions, usually in a cafe and having lunch together. I've learnt a huge amount from her and she's been friendly and looking after me.

Thinking of starting to ask around for voluntary work, although I've enjoyed being at home and as we have met quite a few other volunteers and been out and about quite a bit, there's been no time to get bored or lonely, so that is very good.

Over to Ian to post this on our blog. I want to learn how to import photos how to use our Christmas and leaving gifts: short wave radio, my electronic reader, e-photo frame and Ian's sophisticated lap top! Crazy - come to Africa and move into the 21st century!

Love to family and friends - you are often in my thoughts.

Writing this post on the balcony tonight

The friendly supermarket in Ntinda where we get stuff we need

I have been spending a fair bit of time here in Ntinda's Internet cafe during the day researching the information that Sarah needs for her fund raising bids

Today is 21 March - the Spring Equinox - the day when the sun is directly overhead at the Equator (just down the road!) - but we had cloud cover at midday - so you'll have to imagine the shadow right underneath me!

A flavour of our neighbourhood - Ntinda

2010-03-08T10:15:00.008+03:00

Hopefully these photographs will provide a bit of a flavour of the neighbourhood where we are living - we are just getting to know it and the pictures were taken during a Sunday strollA view of one of the many hills in Kampala
In the bottom left-hand corner of this photograph you can just see a bright blue roof - the angle of this roof is pointing to the balcony of our flat
This is Annette with her daughter Joy - Annette's Partner Edward is the caretaker of our flats
Joyful Joy!
The main road that runs through our neighbourhood - in the foreground is one of the white minibus taxis licensed to carry 14 passengers - the cheapest form of public transport
A mural decorating the wall of one of several primary schools / nurseries in the neighbourhood
What a paint job! - a parade of small shops on the main road
A little local cafe on a side road near our flat - shame it was closed when we passed
Mum's got left behind here - this family is walking up the quite steep lane beside our flats

A lovely day for Ian got off to a very bad start!

2010-03-03T22:48:00.010+03:00

We were warned to be on the lookout for pick-pockets when using the minibus taxis in Kampala. This morning, (Ian) having been warmly greeted and offered a prize seat up front was told after 600 metres that I was on the 'wrong' bus and I'd have to get off and get another - so after scrambling out I discovered my pocket had been picked clean of loose change and bank notes - fortunately the wallet was in the rucksack that was clutched safely on my lap.

A bit of blow to start the day - still, within 10 minutes, Abdul, a 'special hire' driver (saloon car taxi that you have to yourself) was taking me to work via an ATM to replenish stocks of the folding stuff. As it turned out Abdul forgot to go via an ATM and dropped me at work assuring me that it'd be OK to settle up next time I booked a ride. Things definitely looking up!

Once at work (my third day) I felt - and was - really included in an excellent problem solving discussion in which we focused on the problem of having to arrange a public consultation event 200 miles away without a sufficient budget to do the work - we came up with several options (including saying: "No - without the resources we can't do it!"). Pleased with ourselves, we went off for lunch together. I had stewed beans to die for with chappati and spinach.
Back at the office we all tackled a budget setting exercise together with writing a justification for why we need the money (for a funding bid to US AID to establish a proper office for the MARPs Network - the organisation I'm working for). Again we're all chuffed by how much we've enjoyed working together on the task.

Now, at the end of the day, I had to go to an ATM to get cash - so Sam, one of my colleagues, offered to walk into the City Centre with me to find a VISA ATM. The route that Sam chose took us right through the minibus taxi parks and market areas - absolutely heaving - and I can't recall seeing another white face. I felt a little keyed up by this but needn't have worried - most people didn't look twice and those that did make eye contact had a twinkle or a smile for me. Wow! The walk was about two miles in length through the very busy evening rush hour crowds and up and down the very hilly Kampala streets in the warm evening sun. My senses were (mostly pleasantly) assaulted by unfamiliar sights, sounds and smells - probably soon to become everyday experiences.

At the end of the walk with more cash in my pocket and having waved farewell to Sam I sank into a chair in a cafe and waited for Renate and Abdul. I had a smile on my face and a freshly blended and ice cold water melon juice drink in my hand. I had that lovely knackered feeling!

Settling in

2010-03-01T21:48:00.022+03:00

We've been in Kampala for 10 days and it's been non-stop since we arrived. We've started to learn some of the language in Kampala - Luganda - we've had some enjoyable induction training from VSO, we've sampled sights, sounds and tastes and today Ian started work. He met Geoffrey Mujisha, his employer, last Friday and he and Geoffrey 'clicked' straight away.

Geoffrey helped us move into our flat over the weekend and now Renate and Ian (Renate mostly) are building their nest for the next 12 months.

Here are some photographs that might capture the flavour of our early experiences:

The Uganda music and dance evening we went to on our second evening began with guys playing this huge zylophone - it did sound great as well!

This dance troupe is amazing - here they are dressed in the Ugandan national colours - their energy and speed left us exhausted after 10 minutes! And they got us dancing later on!

These guys are representing dancers from the north east of the Country

A view of the garden of the place we stayed during our first week - the place is run by an Irish faith based organisation - no booze allowed on the premises!

Another view of the place we stayed in during the first week - look carefully and you might spot Renate on the verandah

This is a photograph from our balcony of a neighbouring flat - just like ours - we'll be living here for the next 12 months

Renate 'online' in our sitting room - we've got ourselves a 'go anywhere internet dongle' - amazing!

A view along the valley from our balcony - we're to the north east of the City centre near a place called Ntinda

A view across the valley from our balcony - taken at 6.00 pm in the evening sun - it had been pouring all morning - the 'short' rainy season has started

This four poster in our flat has a purpose - the mozzie net hangs perfectly!

Yippee! Confirmation of volunteer placement!

2010-01-12T02:13:00.000+03:00

Just after setting up this blog we encountered a 'hitch' with the original volunteer placement in Kampala - working with the Uganda Local Government Association. VSO got in touch with us to say that this placement was going to need more development work before they could supply a volunteer. Obviously we were disappointed. But we soon cheered up when VSO suggested an alternative placement.

The new placement involves Ian working to provide 'capacity building' support for a newly established umbrella organisation - MARP - which stands for Most At Risk Populations. MARP exists to support the members of its network - voluntary organisations who are working to support people in Uganda with HIV / Aids.

Renate and Ian are very excited about this placement and the departure day of 18 February has been confirmed today! So now it is all systems go to pack up our house which we've lived in for 27 years - we're renting it out for the year we'll be in Kampala.

Yippee! Excited! Nervous!

First post

2009-12-16T10:47:00.000+03:00

Hello

We will use this blog to share news of our 'adventure' as volunteers in Uganda. At the time of writing this first post we expect to be setting off from Sheffield in mid February.