We're finally back in business!
After an exciting summer in Uganda, we have all had time to get back to our real lives in Norway. But it is now time to start planning AIM 2011!
Our plan so far is to start recruitment in January, after christmas break. This year, our main focus will be on following up on some of our already existing projects. This is to make sure that we finish what we have already started.
As of now, the plan is to send 8 people to Uganda who will stay there for four weeks. These eight will work on projects and/or get internships relevant to their field of study.
In addition to the 8, we intend on sending down 2 people who have already completed the AIM program. These 2 people will be responsible for following up on AIM projects.They will stay in Uganda for about 2 weeks. The reason we have decided on sending 2 people who have already been a part of AIM is because they know which projects have been done, and they understand the Ugandan culture. In this way, they do not need time to get used to the culture, and our project partners do not have to get to know new people every summer. We think this will lead to a more efficient follow-up of our projects.
More information about AIM 2011 will be sent out thoughout the year.
Stine Mari Sørensen
Aid-coordinator (Bistandsansvarlig)
Lions Club Bergen Student
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Not quite done yet
Four weeks can really pass by quickly. In one way it feels like we just arrived, and everything was new and very different. Yet now, I feel like home, and don't want to leave. So these days I'm unwinding at Zanzibar's white beaches prosponing my return home.
But it`s also weird beeing here among tourists and palm trees. The first evening at a restaurant I was suddenly surronded by several people standing up taking pictures of the sunset. I was perplexed. This is such a different world than the one we've been working in for the last month. Somehow this one feels more artificial.
Also I noticed something was missing. The video camera, which has been like an extra part of my body is no longer with me. Now it's back in Norway, as is most of the AIM delegation.
It's going to take time to get used to it. That is something I have learned while beeing in Africa - here, things takes time! But the patience I`ve had to develop I'm taking with me home, because editing 35 hours of material down to one will be a timeconsuming job. But I promise you now: The DVD can be ordered in time for christmas!
Brynhild "Hilda" - The documentarist
But it`s also weird beeing here among tourists and palm trees. The first evening at a restaurant I was suddenly surronded by several people standing up taking pictures of the sunset. I was perplexed. This is such a different world than the one we've been working in for the last month. Somehow this one feels more artificial.
Also I noticed something was missing. The video camera, which has been like an extra part of my body is no longer with me. Now it's back in Norway, as is most of the AIM delegation.
It's going to take time to get used to it. That is something I have learned while beeing in Africa - here, things takes time! But the patience I`ve had to develop I'm taking with me home, because editing 35 hours of material down to one will be a timeconsuming job. But I promise you now: The DVD can be ordered in time for christmas!
Brynhild "Hilda" - The documentarist
Monday, July 19, 2010
Project Legal Aid to a conclusion
The two weeks working on the projects passed by very quickly, and now suddenly the delegation is spread everywhere: some are leaving for Norway today, some are travelling further on in Africa. I'm in the last alternative, I haven't got enough of Uganda yet! I love it here.
About Project Legal Aid.
We successfully achieved everything we wanted to do during the project weeks: a meeting with the projects collaborators, an information meeting for local leaders about KCCC Advocacy, and a meeting with student leaders at Makerere University, faculty of law. We also got in contact with a Police Surgeon at Mulago hospital (the public hospital here), who is a Lions Club member as well. KCCC Advocacy will be able to collaborate with him further on. For all this, we are very satisfied. Together with Richard at KCCC Advocacy, we think these activities have been important for the project's way forward.
The question now, is how to conclude. How will the project continue in the future, and how can the next AIM delegation follow it up in the best way? The answer is not given, and we will have further evaluation on this subject when back in Norway in August. Although, we have some thoughts about it already. As the advocacy works now, they are in between the population in Kamwokya (the survivors/victims) and the different NGO's witch are specialized in different legal areas to provide legal aid services. As we see it, there could be different solutions.
The first one, is that KCCC Advocacy could develop to be an Advocacy that provides free legal aid services from its offices. This would be a new project, for the next AIM delegation. The challenge for such project, as we see it now, is the criteria of sustainability. Free legal aid provision is dependent of donors or other resources. We have already experienced KCCC's lack of resources, and lack of priority of the Advocacy program within the organisation. The other solution, is that the Advocacy at KCCC can continue working as they do now, to refer cases further on to different NGO's specialized in the legal areas, or to the police. The next delegation could then work on how to smoothen this collaboration of referral even better.
Anyways, how the conclusion on the way forward will look like, we are satisfied about the work we've done in collaboration with Richard and Sylvia at KCCC Advocacy. It has really been a great pleasure and good experience working together with them. Personally, I think I'll miss Kamwokya a little bit. :)
I would like to thank the Lions Club Norway and the AIM delegation 2010, this has been a really great experience!
- Therese
Project Legal Aid
About Project Legal Aid.
We successfully achieved everything we wanted to do during the project weeks: a meeting with the projects collaborators, an information meeting for local leaders about KCCC Advocacy, and a meeting with student leaders at Makerere University, faculty of law. We also got in contact with a Police Surgeon at Mulago hospital (the public hospital here), who is a Lions Club member as well. KCCC Advocacy will be able to collaborate with him further on. For all this, we are very satisfied. Together with Richard at KCCC Advocacy, we think these activities have been important for the project's way forward.
The question now, is how to conclude. How will the project continue in the future, and how can the next AIM delegation follow it up in the best way? The answer is not given, and we will have further evaluation on this subject when back in Norway in August. Although, we have some thoughts about it already. As the advocacy works now, they are in between the population in Kamwokya (the survivors/victims) and the different NGO's witch are specialized in different legal areas to provide legal aid services. As we see it, there could be different solutions.
The first one, is that KCCC Advocacy could develop to be an Advocacy that provides free legal aid services from its offices. This would be a new project, for the next AIM delegation. The challenge for such project, as we see it now, is the criteria of sustainability. Free legal aid provision is dependent of donors or other resources. We have already experienced KCCC's lack of resources, and lack of priority of the Advocacy program within the organisation. The other solution, is that the Advocacy at KCCC can continue working as they do now, to refer cases further on to different NGO's specialized in the legal areas, or to the police. The next delegation could then work on how to smoothen this collaboration of referral even better.
Anyways, how the conclusion on the way forward will look like, we are satisfied about the work we've done in collaboration with Richard and Sylvia at KCCC Advocacy. It has really been a great pleasure and good experience working together with them. Personally, I think I'll miss Kamwokya a little bit. :)
I would like to thank the Lions Club Norway and the AIM delegation 2010, this has been a really great experience!
- Therese
Project Legal Aid
Monday, July 12, 2010
Lions Quest
Although there has been terrible happenings in Kampala, we're still able to look back at a lovely week in Kasese. The Lions Club of Kasese welcomed us with open arms, making sure we got to do what we came for, as well as getting to see some of the sights. We were very pleased that all of the participants from the LQ Workshop in Kampala got to try out the material in the classrooms. It's been really interesting observing the different sessions, and the feedback from the participants themselves has been overwhelming.
In the afternoons we've had the opportunity to see the copper mines of Kilembe. We've also visited the Congolese border (where Kjersti became a legal visitor in Uganda), and we've got to visit a real Ugandan village where we enjoyed harvesting our own dinner (eager as small children).
Last, but not least, we attended the Installation Night of the Lions Club of Kasese, where we got to dance and hear the roars of the Lions.
Back in Kampala we're now getting ready for our last meeting, this time with the Lions Quest Uganda Team. We're looking forward to hearing their thoughts on LQ in Uganda, as well as sharing what we've experienced these last two weeks.
Wish you the best,
Kjersti (Christine), Stine (Tina), Petter (Petah) and Ranveig (Maya).
In the afternoons we've had the opportunity to see the copper mines of Kilembe. We've also visited the Congolese border (where Kjersti became a legal visitor in Uganda), and we've got to visit a real Ugandan village where we enjoyed harvesting our own dinner (eager as small children).
Last, but not least, we attended the Installation Night of the Lions Club of Kasese, where we got to dance and hear the roars of the Lions.
Back in Kampala we're now getting ready for our last meeting, this time with the Lions Quest Uganda Team. We're looking forward to hearing their thoughts on LQ in Uganda, as well as sharing what we've experienced these last two weeks.
Wish you the best,
Kjersti (Christine), Stine (Tina), Petter (Petah) and Ranveig (Maya).
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Terrorist bombings in Kampala
Yesterday evening two blasts went off in Kampala, and 64 people have by now been confirmed killed. The AIM delegation was not close to any of the explosions. Currently we are all safely located at Makerere University Guest House.
Hopefully our activities today will go on as planned.
Hanna and Jon
Hopefully our activities today will go on as planned.
Hanna and Jon
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The lonesome traveller
Things are going great! Right now, I'm sitting in the restaurant at my hotel in Arua, a city which is situated in Northern Uganda.
First of all I just have to tell you about what's happening at the hotel at the moment. Last time I witnessed this I was also alone, so this time I really need to share it. Here goes: I'm in the middle of a wedding, or in other words, there's a wedding at the small hotel I'm staying at. Ugandans seems to love weddings and there are hundreds of guests at the wedding receptions, I've even heard up to eight hundred. I'll tell you how a wedding usually (as I've now twice experienced from the outside) go about. In the morning they start putting up large tents, these are preferably white and pink. Chairs and tables are highly decorated with bows in the same colours. At about noon it's time for installing the sound system, and the DJ arrives. Sound testing and playing of music goes on for about one hour. At this time you believe that the music is extremely high beacause of the testing. This is not correct. When people start arriving at about 13:30, the music is turned up to the absolute maximum, and the DJ also picks up his microphone This is used so he is able to scream even higher than the music; either encouraging calls to the crowd to make them sing the song, to sing the song himself, or to cry out different religious messages (all of this on top of the already super loud music). The songs played are of two kinds. Most preferably are love songs from the nineties, for example: K-Ci and JoJo with «All my life», but different kinds of gospel songs is also frequently used. This goes on for about seven hours. Definately a lot of fun for the people attending, but I'll give it a medium minus for those of us who are just listening to it.
Anyway, over to what I was ment to tell you about. The AIM program in Uganda is roughly devided into three different periods. The first week is the starting week, which is supposed to give the participants information about Ugandan culture as well as gaining more knowledge about the work they are to in their sustainable aid projects. This year, the first week was spent on the very sucsessfull AIM ALL conference, a visit to the Norwegian Embassy and a round tour in Kampala and the slum of Kamwokya. The two next weeks are spent working on the aid projects. This year we have our four projects Pro:legal aid in Kamwokya (Kampala), Pro:piggery in Bushenyi, Sponsor a Dream in Kamwokya (Kampala) and Lions Quest in first Masaka and then Kasese. The last week of the month in Uganda the whole delegation gatheres again, and we spend time together to debrief, evaluate and share our experiences with each other. This year we will use the last week on the Lions World cup we are arraning in Kampala and going Safari at Murchinsons Falls. Some of us will attending the annual meeting of Silent Voices in Bushenyi the last weekend.
So today I'm really exited, and a bit freaked out, to say that theres only one day left of the «working weeks»! I don't have the latest report from all of the groups, but rougly I can say that the work in the projects has been prosperous and all of the groups have done more or less what they initially planned – some are even before scheduale! I'll update you later on the projects, right now I'm just very, very much looking forward to seeing each and every one again tomorrow afternoon.
As the delegation leader, it is my preveligie to be able to travel to different places both visiting this years groups, as well as following up last years projects. So far I've visited the Pro:piggery group in Bushenyi, the Lions Quest group in Masaka and I'm right now situated in Arua where I'm following up one of last years projects, AIM:art.
It's been a great experience to get to travel around and see more of the country. I can not easily decide on a favourite place, but I can tell you some of the things I've discovered during my trips. The south is very green and beautiful, and the villages are situated closely to each other. The north has a more scarce landscape and the villages doesn't pop up as often. In the north I also saw a lot of traditionally round clay houses with grass roofing, which I haven't seen any other place. As for the people, it feels like the people in the north are more used to seeing white people, also in the country side. Here I don't get as much attention as in the middle and southern country, where the children freely runs to you screaming «Mzungu, mzungu!». But some things regarding travelling are the same all around the country. The first rule is that people, food and living animals goes great togehter. Second rule is that the bus nearly never stops, while the last rule is that you will be covered in dust when you reach your destination, as the red soil roads are very dusty and the windows needs to be open beacause of the heath.
PS: The power just broke at thewhole hotel, so there's for the moment no more 90ies- or gospel music.
Delegation Leader Hanna
– who can't decide wether she's looking forward to the seven hour bus ride back to Kampala tomorrow morning or not.
First of all I just have to tell you about what's happening at the hotel at the moment. Last time I witnessed this I was also alone, so this time I really need to share it. Here goes: I'm in the middle of a wedding, or in other words, there's a wedding at the small hotel I'm staying at. Ugandans seems to love weddings and there are hundreds of guests at the wedding receptions, I've even heard up to eight hundred. I'll tell you how a wedding usually (as I've now twice experienced from the outside) go about. In the morning they start putting up large tents, these are preferably white and pink. Chairs and tables are highly decorated with bows in the same colours. At about noon it's time for installing the sound system, and the DJ arrives. Sound testing and playing of music goes on for about one hour. At this time you believe that the music is extremely high beacause of the testing. This is not correct. When people start arriving at about 13:30, the music is turned up to the absolute maximum, and the DJ also picks up his microphone This is used so he is able to scream even higher than the music; either encouraging calls to the crowd to make them sing the song, to sing the song himself, or to cry out different religious messages (all of this on top of the already super loud music). The songs played are of two kinds. Most preferably are love songs from the nineties, for example: K-Ci and JoJo with «All my life», but different kinds of gospel songs is also frequently used. This goes on for about seven hours. Definately a lot of fun for the people attending, but I'll give it a medium minus for those of us who are just listening to it.
Anyway, over to what I was ment to tell you about. The AIM program in Uganda is roughly devided into three different periods. The first week is the starting week, which is supposed to give the participants information about Ugandan culture as well as gaining more knowledge about the work they are to in their sustainable aid projects. This year, the first week was spent on the very sucsessfull AIM ALL conference, a visit to the Norwegian Embassy and a round tour in Kampala and the slum of Kamwokya. The two next weeks are spent working on the aid projects. This year we have our four projects Pro:legal aid in Kamwokya (Kampala), Pro:piggery in Bushenyi, Sponsor a Dream in Kamwokya (Kampala) and Lions Quest in first Masaka and then Kasese. The last week of the month in Uganda the whole delegation gatheres again, and we spend time together to debrief, evaluate and share our experiences with each other. This year we will use the last week on the Lions World cup we are arraning in Kampala and going Safari at Murchinsons Falls. Some of us will attending the annual meeting of Silent Voices in Bushenyi the last weekend.
So today I'm really exited, and a bit freaked out, to say that theres only one day left of the «working weeks»! I don't have the latest report from all of the groups, but rougly I can say that the work in the projects has been prosperous and all of the groups have done more or less what they initially planned – some are even before scheduale! I'll update you later on the projects, right now I'm just very, very much looking forward to seeing each and every one again tomorrow afternoon.
As the delegation leader, it is my preveligie to be able to travel to different places both visiting this years groups, as well as following up last years projects. So far I've visited the Pro:piggery group in Bushenyi, the Lions Quest group in Masaka and I'm right now situated in Arua where I'm following up one of last years projects, AIM:art.
It's been a great experience to get to travel around and see more of the country. I can not easily decide on a favourite place, but I can tell you some of the things I've discovered during my trips. The south is very green and beautiful, and the villages are situated closely to each other. The north has a more scarce landscape and the villages doesn't pop up as often. In the north I also saw a lot of traditionally round clay houses with grass roofing, which I haven't seen any other place. As for the people, it feels like the people in the north are more used to seeing white people, also in the country side. Here I don't get as much attention as in the middle and southern country, where the children freely runs to you screaming «Mzungu, mzungu!». But some things regarding travelling are the same all around the country. The first rule is that people, food and living animals goes great togehter. Second rule is that the bus nearly never stops, while the last rule is that you will be covered in dust when you reach your destination, as the red soil roads are very dusty and the windows needs to be open beacause of the heath.
PS: The power just broke at thewhole hotel, so there's for the moment no more 90ies- or gospel music.
Delegation Leader Hanna
– who can't decide wether she's looking forward to the seven hour bus ride back to Kampala tomorrow morning or not.
Pro:Piggery - The conclution
It is Saturday, and the Piggery group is back in Kampala after a 5 hour drive from Bushenyi. We have finished what we came to Uganda to do, and what we have worked with for 6 months. Now it is time to ask – did we achieve what we wanted?
We have had meetings with all parties, we have visited schools and Vocational Skills children and we have made new agreements.
If you asked me before we left for Uganda what the outcome of this trip was going to be, I think I could not have predicted the result.
So what is the result?
First of all, it is not going to be any big central piggery which provides Silent Voices with their central funding. Why? Because to run a large piggery like that, you’ll need artificial food, and that is so expensive that we wouldn’t make money.
So what have we decided to do?
We have decided to fund a pilot project called one One parent One pig. This project is to fund the local parts of Silent Voices. Basically each parent group will make 8 parents piglet breeders and 12 parents pig fatteners. Then they sell off the pigs, and hopefully makes money.
We are also looking in to a larger school based piggery to be a part of the central funding of Silent Voices. We are still researching this and we are yet to decide if we are to try this project.
The one parent one pig pilot will start right away, as soon as Silent Voices finishes a project plan and a budget. The pilot I approved by the Silent Voices committee, and all funding is in place.
We are happy to get some of the funding projects of Silent Voices up and running. If the pilot is a success we are not alien to get further involved in the project.
Apart from talking money, the last week we have visited several schools where deaf children attend. Monday we actually used some of the money from the AIM-Art project from last year and painted two classrooms at one school. We are all happy to see how the schools are treating the deaf children, and we are motivated to support the work of Silent Voices. Wednesday we went high up in the mountains, got a flat tire on the way, but reached a remote school, Butare. There the deaf children were baking cookies to fund some of their school fees. Fascinating.
Finally – last year the pro:piggery group funded Silent Voices’ vocational skills program. We have visited several of the children participating in this program. Where deaf children learn skills in their community. We are again very happy to see the program working, and the children learning skills. Nina and Jenny even bought one dress and one skirt from Erika, one of the children in the program.
What have this stay in Bushenyi given us?
It have been rough, coming from safe student life’s in Norway to conditions totally different from our normal life. We have met people who cannot imagine our standard of living. It have also been rewarding. We have seen that our work, supporting Silent Voices, actually makes a difference. We have also seen that it is not necessary to live in Norway to have a good life. And we ave experienced how it is to be different in a foreign country.
All in all a very rewarding two weeks in Bushenyi.
Anders – Pro Piggery
We have had meetings with all parties, we have visited schools and Vocational Skills children and we have made new agreements.
If you asked me before we left for Uganda what the outcome of this trip was going to be, I think I could not have predicted the result.
So what is the result?
First of all, it is not going to be any big central piggery which provides Silent Voices with their central funding. Why? Because to run a large piggery like that, you’ll need artificial food, and that is so expensive that we wouldn’t make money.
So what have we decided to do?
We have decided to fund a pilot project called one One parent One pig. This project is to fund the local parts of Silent Voices. Basically each parent group will make 8 parents piglet breeders and 12 parents pig fatteners. Then they sell off the pigs, and hopefully makes money.
We are also looking in to a larger school based piggery to be a part of the central funding of Silent Voices. We are still researching this and we are yet to decide if we are to try this project.
The one parent one pig pilot will start right away, as soon as Silent Voices finishes a project plan and a budget. The pilot I approved by the Silent Voices committee, and all funding is in place.
We are happy to get some of the funding projects of Silent Voices up and running. If the pilot is a success we are not alien to get further involved in the project.
Apart from talking money, the last week we have visited several schools where deaf children attend. Monday we actually used some of the money from the AIM-Art project from last year and painted two classrooms at one school. We are all happy to see how the schools are treating the deaf children, and we are motivated to support the work of Silent Voices. Wednesday we went high up in the mountains, got a flat tire on the way, but reached a remote school, Butare. There the deaf children were baking cookies to fund some of their school fees. Fascinating.
Finally – last year the pro:piggery group funded Silent Voices’ vocational skills program. We have visited several of the children participating in this program. Where deaf children learn skills in their community. We are again very happy to see the program working, and the children learning skills. Nina and Jenny even bought one dress and one skirt from Erika, one of the children in the program.
What have this stay in Bushenyi given us?
It have been rough, coming from safe student life’s in Norway to conditions totally different from our normal life. We have met people who cannot imagine our standard of living. It have also been rewarding. We have seen that our work, supporting Silent Voices, actually makes a difference. We have also seen that it is not necessary to live in Norway to have a good life. And we ave experienced how it is to be different in a foreign country.
All in all a very rewarding two weeks in Bushenyi.
Anders – Pro Piggery
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