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

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

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

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!

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'!

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

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.