I'm learning as I go...

I apologize for my last post being a tad bit depressing. I was a little in shock after seeing what had happened. I have learned since that the man was drunk; please pray for his soul. This post will not be as depressing, but more informative than the last ones. My eyes have been opened to Uganda more so than it perhaps is to most tourists or missionaries. I am not in the structured format of most missionaries, I travel more and have gotten to know the locals pretty well.

One thing I have learned is that aid from the U.S. and Europe has been pulled due to the culture here not accepting some things they deem as immoral. These are things fundamentally against their religion. They cannot in good conscience make them legal. When they were told they had to make certain things legal that are lawful in Europe and now the U.S. -- and refused -- they were cut off from aid. This is a travesty. I do not care what your morals are about something, we can all agree that taking food out of the mouths of orphans and medical aid away from the dying is wrong. That has been happening here; it is one way we have harmed these people.

Another problem is non-profits that do not give money to trustworthy sources. A lot of money gets pumped into this country from developed countries; most does not reach the poor. The money just disappears; the locals call it "eating the money."  I have heard a lot of stories about people eating the money from schools and in other aid projects like orphanages. Please do not trust your money to non-profits that you do not know. Learn about the area and the people who are trustworthy. Many people here seem trustworthy but cannot be trusted with large, or small, amounts of money.  

Another problem here that is difficult to solve is that the average person has become dependent on the developed world. They see a white person and think they will get free stuff. I am guilty of fostering this idea. I gave out what I could when I came, and it was the wrong choice. The best thing we can do is bring money for projects, and stay to make sure the projects get on track. Unless we have specialization in construction or civil engineering we should pay the locals to do the work. It gives them a job and makes them feel more responsible for the project being done. They are VERY proud of things made in Uganda, but few things are because they get them from other countries. We cannot stop corruption in their country (We can’t even stop it in ours!) or bail them out of poverty by throwing money at them. We have to teach them and then step back and let them do it. They have to be the ones to do it. This is not something most people will agree with, I know that. I am just giving my personal opinion and first-hand account. There are things we should help pay for, I believe. It just needs to be more structured, and we need to take the trouble to follow up on it to make sure the projects are done. I mentioned a few things in prior posts that I want to help students pay for, and I am sticking by those particular things. I believe more in giving money to trustworthy Ugandans than the government, though. Anything that goes into the hands of the government doesn’t reach the people.

That goes into my next point. What we should focus our philanthropic efforts on are the school system and the medical field. They do not have a good education system here. The supplies are limited and the style of teaching is not modern. When students misbehave they get caned, which many teachers in the U.S. might think isn’t a bad idea, but if I said the students misbehaved more would you believe me? They seem to behave in school, but once they get out of school they are free. They are much worse behaved than most high schoolers in the U.S. or Europe. It also does not allow trust. The students are afraid to answer questions or participate in class because they fear getting caned. This is not a healthy way to form minds. It is not working. The medical field is also lacking training and supplies. They need teachers for nurses and for doctors badly. They also need help learning how to use the limited equipment they have.

Another way they could use some help is training in the tourism field. The land here is beautiful, there are exotic animals and plants. It could be THE tourism spot, but the people do not know how to market to Americans or Europeans. There is a camp spot here that is very beautiful but does not get any national recognition. It is called the cave, and it is a cave by a huge lake. It is serene and gorgeous, but you would never know it is there from the main road. They need to have restaurants that are muzungu friendly also. I don’t eat out unless it is with a muzungu who knows the area because I am afraid the food will not be prepared safely. They have to be more punctual also, the culture here is slower paced. It's OK to natives if a meal takes 2 1/2 hours, but that will drive most people from the U.S. insane. Trust me.

Having said all that, it really is a joy to be here. Every time I say something in the local dialect the face of the person lighting up makes all the frustrations more than worth it. Oh and the kids. They are wonderful. I forgot to add in that a Dutch lady named Sophie, her husband (whose name I cannot spell or pronounce) and I taught the children a game with a tarp and beach balls. It’s a common game for grade schools with a parachute and large volleyballs but we improvised. You set kids on all of the sides of the tarp and get them to shake it while you throw the volleyball in the middle. The object is to keep the balls inside without touching them with your hands. The children LOVED it. They were jumping up and down with excitement. They couldn’t control their giggles. They were playing with THREE muzungu! They could not wait to tell their parents. It was a wonderful afternoon.

That will be all for this post, the next one may be in 6 or 7 days. I am going to a less developed part of Uganda that does not have the capabilities for posting this blog. It may only be 3 or 4 days though, you never know the plans they have here, and neither do they. Let go and let God, right?

Brian Kearney