The project is in full swing

We started late on the Youth part of the project but it is really now in full operation. As protocol goes here, you can’t work in an area until you have introduced the project to the local leaders. So we had two introduction sessions mid May when we met with 30 or so local representatives in each of the two subcounties we will be working in.

The events were good, we had good turn-up, participation and based on the response from the youth it was a complete success.

The leaders were told to mobilize the youth (get them into groups and get them registered with the district sub county offices) and they did in spades. In one sub county alone we had 90 groups (20 members each) register. So imagine showing up and over 1500 youth were waiting for us. … pictures show the masses of youth we met with…..

The need in this area is overwhelming. and the they are the  most vulnerable people. Many child mothers, child headed families and former child soldiers and abductees.

In the end we interviewed 120 groups,  thats about 2500 youth.

Now my challenge is to identify 200 youth for the project… i am working on this but its going to be hard

 

Time for an update

Time for an update, its been a while.

 

Things are great here in Lira Land, learning the language and expanding my social calendar. Spending more time in the "village" and enjoying the dark skies and starry nights that only Africa can provide. I am settling in here and will post some new stories soon.

 

 Project is going well, we have now begun with the youth groups and have conducted more surveys than i would have thought possible. Today for example we had over 1000 youth show up in one sub county alone. Hard to count how many really, and it could have turned into a mob scene when we had to send alot home, but in the end the more we meet and understand the need the better. Wed we do it all over again. The pictures are from this work today, and the official launch of the project held in two areas we will be working in.

 

On the weekend I attended the swearing in of a neighbouring districts chairperson and local elected officials. Typically Ugandan, it started 5 hours late and ran over time. The formality of it all was facinating and so were the rather heated debates over the appointed executives. Thank goodness I had the local opposition party head and the minister for Production from another district sitting with me to coach me on the activities.  Especially when they started yelling at each other I needed a bit of help to decypher the situation.Of course the press were there and being the only white person everyone wanted their picture with me.So much for political neutrality!   At the reception they sat me at the head table and the chairmans brother told everyone we were going to have "obama" children together. My weekends here are never dull.

 

In a closing and sad note:

 

I want to formally say good bye to two of my worker bees (social work interns) who are returning to school after volunteering with us on this project. They were excellent in the field and have helped this project tremendously. Best of luck to Juliet and Fiona.

 

I also want to say good bye to my dear housemate Lin, who returned to her home in Scotland after a few weeks spent touring around Uganda with her son. Enjoy the quiet time, but I know you will miss:

the bats, the "shirts" (white and blue), finding new types of loo rolls, Dickens, Discovery Pork, the call to prayer, our local wake up rooster with the bad voice, ambrose and black kitten, the biting ants on the clothes line, toot toot, flop flop flop and so many other things.

 

For everyone else, these will all be explained in time.

 

Apwoyo matek, bedo aber,