The Buhugu Initiative

Lunch or No Lunch

2009-09-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, the volunteers in Buhugu put forth a proposal - to provide lunch for the children attending the nursery school, entirely subsidised by I Buhugu.

The deliberation was a difficult one. How does one quantify hunger, malnutrition or the general well being of children? How does it stack up on the priority list? Wouldn't it be better for the community to come up with a local solution? After all, agriculture is what Buhugu does best. However, we knew, instinctively and by studying other lunch programs, that sourcing the resources locally is not all that feasible given the logistics involved.

In the end, the vote was in favor of "sustainability" and the proposal was shelved.

Well, last week, this decision was seriously challenged by a couple of friends - a pediatrician and a pathologist. They stressed home the role nutrition plays in early childhood development. Even a temporary access to regular and balanced meals could potentially make a big difference, they argued. What more, they offered to contribute to the program if it were to be launched.

Grateful for their input, we are now reconsidering the decision. In the coming months before the next academic year, we will consult our advisors, have discussions with the parents and design program that addresses the immediate needs of the children, while challenging ourselves to come up with a more "sustainable" solution for the long run. Whether one exists or not remains to be seen.

Charles

2009-09-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

As a co-initiator of I Buhugu, Charles has invested much energy and resources over the lifetime of the project.

Now, we are investing in him. Charles has been accepted to an evening MBA program at Makerere University and I Buhugu is contributing part of the fees.

Classes have begun and we wish Charles all the best as he juggles family, work (as Implementation Manager at Standard Chartered Bank, Kampala), studies and, of course, volunteering with I Buhugu.

As we expand our experiments with income generation in Buhugu, it is our expectation that Charles' newly acquired knowledge will be put to much use!

Words of Encouragement

2009-09-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

"We were very impressed by what was happening at the Buhugu Resource Center and the enthusiasm of the young volunteers that manage it."

We are happy and encouraged to receive this email from our visitor from the US Mission in Kampala.

The Library Receives Visitors and Books

2009-08-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

Mr Kintu of Mbale Public Library followed up on his promise and paid the library another visit. Travelling with him were visitors from the American Embassy in Uganda.

We very much appreciate them coming by and are grateful for the donation of books.

Mr Kintu is a dedicated librarian who truly strives to share his knowledge and resources, so more libraries could grow and flourish, especially where there are none.

If you are in the Mbale or Sironko area and would like to start a library in your community, do drop by at the Mbale public library (on Republic Street in Mbale town) and pay him a visit. His decades long experience in this field is invaluable and he shares what is at his disposal with enthusiasm and humility.

Briefs: Volunteer News

2009-08-26T12:07:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Wangwe Rogers, "the healer", who has been offered a position as a nursing assistant by the district government. He will be overseeing immunisations at the rural health center at Buteza. This is exciting news for all of us, knowing so well that getting a salaried position in Uganda is almost akin to winning the lottery. We are, however, losing someone who has overseen the operations on the ground so capably. Rogers will spend weekends in Buhugu and continue to volunteer at the center. Transition plans are underway.

Sam is returning for the last semester of his degree and will be fully supported by I Buhugu till graduation in December.

Some Quiet Time

2009-05-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

This blog is going to be a little quieter over the next few months due to travel. However, the eventual destination is expected to be in the vicinity of Buhugu, so we'll bring you fresh posts after the break.

If you are not already subscribing to our feed, may we suggest you sign up to have new posts delivered to your inbox?

For those of you in the "North", have a great summer, and if you are in the "South", stay warm. And if you are in Uganda, well, it's always beautiful there, isn't it?

If You are in the Bay Area

2009-04-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

We recently received a mail from Books For African Schools. They are currently holding a book drive to benefit Buhugu Senior Secondary School.

So, if you are in the Bay Area, and have books you'd like to donate, please consider dropping them off at their collection point at 1261 Campus Dr., Berkeley.

For a list of books that are most needed, please see their books we want section. Books that are not needed for the school, but can be sold locally, are also helpful, as they help cover the shipping costs.

Please help spread the word.

The No. 1 Book

2009-04-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

So, what's the most popular book in the library?

"Where There is No Doctor" by David Werner et al.

We added it to the collection at the suggestion of a nearby school that trains primary health care workers. It is full of practical advice and suggestions and covers a comprehensive list of health related issues, with illustrations that are customised for the local context.

"This book is very famous. There was one time we tried to get it for the community, but we couldn't find a copy in any of the bookstores", Chairman Alex mentioned as soon as he saw the book. "You better lock it up and monitor who reads it", he added laughingly.

According to Wikipedia, this book is "the most widely used health education book in tropical and sub-tropical developing countries". Printed on what appears to be recycled paper, it costs around $10 in the bookshops in Kampala.

So, if you are planning on travelling to a place where there might be no doctor, we highly recommend you pick up a copy (there are different versions for different parts of the world). It might come in handy and when it is time for you to leave, leave the book behind!

Or if you are able and are so inclined, help to spread more copies of the book around to where ever it might be needed.

Low Cost Websites

2009-03-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

March has been a good month for Buhugu IT. We've been kept busy by the launch of a couple of websites, website updates and transcription work.

After much research, we have identified a number of ways to deliver low cost websites to our clients. In doing so, we are hoping to provide avenues for individuals, organisations and businesses who are currently not part of the digital information archive (the Internet), to add their voices to it.

This, of course, in addition to creating opportunities for knowledge transfer and income generation for young people in Buhugu.

Project Spotlight - here are two websites we launched this month:

JNUinfo: An information portal for (foreign) students at the Jawarhalal Nehru University in Delhi, India. We created a new site for JNUinfo using content from an older site, improving the look and feel as well as making it simple for the client to make changes.

Country: India / Belgium

Joge Rescue Center: A brand new website for a community project in Kenya that provides services to orphaned children and widows.

Country: Kenya / USA

Briefs

2009-03-24T07:36:00.000-07:00

Meeting: last weekend, the volunteers gathered in Buhugu for a meeting. Charles travelled from Kampala for the occasion. The progress as well as the challenges were discussed. We are now processing this feedback and planning for the path ahead.

Positive Feedback: students who sat for national exams last year have now received their results. We are getting feedback from the community that the library has had an impact. During exam season, students used the library resources, especially the text books, to prepare and the word is that it seems to have helped. The best performer in the final year (S6) at Masaba Secondary School, the main secondary school in the region, is from Buhugu.

Sharon: one of our core volunteers, Sharon, also sat for the exam (S4). She passed, but not with great results. The advice she has received so far, from family, friends and mentors, is that she should not continue through the final two years of schooling, which is essential for those aspiring for university education. Keen to study further, she is considering her options from teaching, nursing to IT.

Mount Elgon

2009-03-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

We have (finally!) launched the Mount Elgon website: http://mountelgon.net

Mount Elgon forms a graceful and inspiring backdrop in Buhugu. Tourism is not well developed in this part of Uganda and not many people have even heard of the mountain.

After much consultation with elders and volunteers in Buhugu, the staff at the Mount Elgon National Park and also people involved in the tourism sector in Budadiri (one of the bases for summit treks), we decided to launch an unofficial website featuring information about the mountain aimed at travellers.

It's a work in progress and hopefully will grow in to a comprehensive resource over time.

"The mesmerising beauty of the peaks in the early morning light, the rainbows after the rains, the bird songs, gorgeous sunsets, the glittering night sky, the Milky Way, the fireflies... At times it felt like we had stumbled upon a secret, and perhaps it was better to keep it that way." More on the about page.

Writing Our Own Manual

2009-02-27T09:04:00.000-08:00

Last month we encountered a hitch - to do with money. Every month, the volunteers in Buhugu come up with a budget. It is discussed and items prioritised and the amount needed starts its journey from the US, via Kampala and Mbale before reaching Buhugu and being disbursed.

And last month, part of the money didn't reach its intended recipients. Many of the volunteers were discouraged at this news. We try, sometimes hard, to keep things honest and transparent, and this was a surely a blow.

But some reflection tempers the emotions and adds perspective. What does this piece of paper mean? For some, it's simply the equivalent of a few dollars. For others, it is something they can exchange for a product or service they dearly want or need. And for others, it represents a small fortune, an amount they have rarely possessed.

In Buhugu, the lives of all such people intersect. And as a result of this collision of worlds, the meaning of what this piece of paper means is regularly challenged.

Perhaps the hitch happened because there was a greater need (what if one's child was sick?). Or perhaps not. But, there are no quick conclusions.

How we deal with this will have a bearing on the "soul" of the project. What is our priority? Is it a clean balance sheet? Or is it achieving goals we set while pragmatically sweeping aside such indiscretions? Or is it openly sharing with each other the challenges, growing together, and seeing what comes of it?

It remains to be seen, for we are still talking about how to best resolve this. This is how one of the volunteers put it: "things are getting tricky but we will manage it... yes we can"

It hasn't been easy to share this publicly on this blog, for it is tempting to write only about what's good, the progress, the achievements. But that would be painting a skewed picture of the reality of things.

Sam

2009-02-09T08:18:00.001-08:00

Sam, one of the core volunteers of I Buhugu, has just returned to university to start the final year of his degree program.

He is majoring in Development Studies at IUIU in Mbale (about an hour by road from Buhugu).

I Buhugu is partially supporting Sam's education through a scholarship.

We wish him all the best!

Briefs

2009-02-02T06:26:00.000-08:00

The nursery school reopened today, the start of the 2009 academic year!

The computer centre and the library are also back in operation.

However, the Internet saga continues. MTN has slapped us with the responsibility of tracing past records of payment which they are yet to reflect on our account. We have located some, but the search for the rest continues.

It never occurred to us that the trickiest part of setting up Internet in the village would be the payment process. To quote Charles, in one of our emails to MTN: "An internet connection in village should be given priority just like any other or if you only attend to customers in your proximity you have to let us know."

Looking Back with Gratitude

2009-01-21T11:34:00.000-08:00

A brief look at the year that has passed.

A library was launched and Internet came to the village. A nursery school opened its doors. Reading, art and sports each became a fad. IT services were delivered to the community and to clients in the US, and chickens were studied closely. Friends from near and far dropped by and kids wrote letters to each other.

We used our own resources, received help from friends and didn't apply for any funding.

We learned new things, made mistakes, at times worked hard, other times dodged work, we argued, played, laughed and even cried.

It has been a journey of discovering new horizons, of altering perspectives. It was a year of magic and mischief.

The Team:

Buhugu: Geoffrey (the chief), Rogers (the healer), Sam (the gangster), Sharon (the chick), Chairman Alex (the elder), Mzei Ndugu (the senior)

The travellers: Charles (the kayungirizi), Sri (the idiot), Oliver (the preacher), Nicole, Tristan

Kampala: Susan, Jeff

Virtual: N

Special Thanks:

Annet, Rebecca, Bulombi Simon, Saad and Wobaka Simon in Buhugu. All the young people who helped out with the renovation and continue to pitch in. The mums, Richard and Juliet for sharing their home with the travellers and the generous care. Esther and Zitah, the staff at the nursery school.

The elders and the leaders who so passionately made the case for this project to the community. The advisory committee for helping us steer this project. And everyone in Buhugu who supported the efforts and encouraged us.

Jeanne for visiting us in Buhugu with books and chocolates.

Peter, Dorothy and Don for the friendship, advice and support from three different continents.

Henk, Noah, Hyongjeen, Cindy, Moez, Ben and many others in the US for the laptops, books, support and encouragement.

And the readers of this blog, we sincerely thank you for sharing the journey!

It's a New Year

2009-01-16T10:41:00.000-08:00

After a bit of a break, we are trying to reboot and swing back in to action.

Sam and Rogers are putting things in order at the library and computer center and opening the doors again.

Internet is down. We are wondering why it has to be so hard for MTN to account for money deposited in their account. Anyway, Getting this fixed is the biggest priority at the moment.

Otherwise, 2009 is promising to be an exciting year. More soon.

Education

2008-12-22T19:38:00.000-08:00

Every volunteer has a story to tell about education and their struggle to have access to it. There are stories of not being able to afford pencils, years lost for lack of fees, cutting the journey short or putting dreams on hold. There are also stories of family, friends, strangers and even the government stepping in, lending a hand, in big and small ways.

The stories are by no means unique. Just about every young person in Buhugu, and numerous other communities around the world, has such a story. The difference is that the volunteers have gone further than most in their quest.

It is no surprise then that for each of us, education remains close to our hearts.

When looking at Buhugu through this lens, a layered challenge emerges:

Literacy: statistics put the number at 30% - about 1 in three people, from children to those in positions of leadership, could potentially benefit from functional literacy programs

Access to education: while primary education is now universal, only about 25% of those who complete primary education are able to advance to secondary schools, primarily due school fees.

Quality and relevancy of education: Even where there is access to education, the quality and relevancy of the curriculum remains a challenge.

Access to resources: especially in rural areas, students have extremely limited access to books, labs, computres and so on.

We started off by providing access to books and computers and then started tackling early childhood education in the form of a nursery school.

However, the challenge that is staring in our face is that most students are unable to afford secondary schooling. And the number grows even further when considering higher education.

Faced with a vast challenge as this, one has to prioritise and look for areas where the impact will be the most.

One such area, perhaps an obvious one, is emerging. It is to identify promising students (of all ages) and invest in them through scholarships.

This is likely to shape up to be a main focus for the coming new year.

Briefs

2008-11-28T08:56:00.000-08:00

It's been a little busy over the last weeks, hence the silence. On the up side, we are looking good financially for 2009, thanks to some interesting IT projects undertaken in the last couple of months.

Oliver visited Buhugu briefly to say good bye. He has now relocated to England after an extended stay in Uganda. We all benefited greatly from having him around, and we wish him all the best. Hopefully it won't be too long before we all reconnect in Buhugu!

New chicks! Alex has reported that the poultry project has produced a batch of new chicks. He will share a detailed update in the near future.

The nursery school is planning for a "graduation ceremony" and in the meantime Geoffrey has been invited to attend a meeting next week at the district regarding nursery and private primary schools.

Talking Fish and Crops

2008-11-08T09:51:00.000-08:00

Mzei Ndugu is a prominent member of the community and is much loved. His name is Mr. Wamala Samuel, but people affectionately calls him Mzei Ndugu (Mzei being a term of respect and Ndugu loosely meaning brother).

A headmaster, having worked at a number of schools in various parts of Uganda, he is now settled in Buhugu. He works on a number of projects in the community, ranging from education to agriculture.

He is also an I Buhugu volunteer and is on the advisory committee. He refers to himself as the "senior volunteer" - a joke on his age.

During Nicole's visit to Buhugu, she spent a day with Mzei Ndugu looking at the various agricultural activities that he coordinates. She took a camcorder along, and here's part 1 of what she filmed.

Thank you to Pradeep for lending us the camcorder that has allowed us to bring all the video clips so far.

Students as Facilitators

2008-11-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

Paul, a Masaba Secondary School student, showing how it's done.
(Photo taken this week.)

"We are getting reports from Masaba SS that the students who come from this community are not learners but rather facilitators in the computer lab", said an elder (paraphrased here) during one of the community meetings held some months back.

He was presenting a case for why the community should continue to support the library and the computer centre.

Masaba SS, is one of the main secondary schools that students in Buhugu attend. It is impressive that the school even has a computer lab. However, the challenges the school faces are not unlike most other schools in this region:

the computers are few, old, available during limited hours and rely on the unreliable power supply
the teacher's knowledge of technology is limited (given the limited access to tools during teacher training)
students spend most of the time copying down notes during class (given the absence of text books) which often refer to obsolete technology

With free access to the computers, and free to learn from the volunteers and each other, students who live in proximity to the computer centre are gaining practical knowledge that they then seem to be spreading in the schools they attend.

That in a way underlies the model of the centre: plant seeds of knowledge in the hope that they spread - exponentially.

On a related note: last week one of the leading dailies in Uganda, The Monitor, published an op-ed piece regarding the recently announced decision by the cabinet mandating Computer Science for secondary school students. It argues that "making the subject compulsory at school is a necessary first step, whatever the challenges".

Bi-Lingual Babes

2008-10-29T08:30:00.001-07:00

A few days in to the launch of the nursery school, some of us volunteers dropped by - with a camcorder. We found the kids learning songs (in English and Lugisu) and learning to count (in English).

We thought we would share a couple of clips here:

And last week, Esther, the teacher, floated the suggestion that we organise an end of the year show with performances by the children. Now, that would be sweet.

The Short Term and the Long Term

2008-10-23T09:39:00.000-07:00

The bulk of our running cost is generated by doing IT work for our clients, and we are currently in the process of doing some projects to ensure the continuity of the computer centre, the library and the nursery school through the end of next year (2009).

As the short term future is being tackled, we are also thinking about the longer term. One thing that is becoming clear is that it would be ideal to secure some premises that can host the various activities - for the longer term.

Currently the library and the computer centre are hosted in a community building that was originally built to house coffee (the main cash crop of the area), and the nursery school in a private house.

Well, this doesn't bode well for longer term planning or for expansion of the services offered, especially as the coffee cooperatives, once defunct, are now regrouping.

So, what to do? One of the options is to build. Perhaps the only option, as we can't yet think of another one. But, is that even a realistic option? It would blow our current lean and mean budget that smells of sustainability. And are we even capable of taking on this challenge?

Perhaps we won't really know until we try it. In any case, these are some of the thoughts that are circling in our heads these days.

"A Wordy But True Tale"

2008-10-12T05:52:00.000-07:00

During Jeanne's visit to Buhugu some months back, she and Simon could often be seen at the library together. They connected over their love for literature and out of that came a story that was recently published in a magazine in South Africa (where Jeanne is based).

"Before I traveled to Uganda at the beginning of this winter (in south-eastern Uganda the end of the first of two annual rainy seasons) I did not suspect that there was anything as established as Ugandan English. That people speaking English in Uganda erred in definable ways, along marked pathways. Did not err, in fact. Ugandan English was something that Ugandans spoke well."

So the story begins. We have shared a version of the story here.

The Buhugu Tree

2008-10-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

by Nicole "Namataka" Gilbo

Buhugu IT

2008-09-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

Do you need a website? Or own one? Need to add some photos to your page? Or upload the latest news?

No need to sweat the small stuff.

From as little as $1, Buhugu IT offers services to help you with your IT needs.

Think of it like a bazaar. The price is unbeatable, you can buy just about anything and in the quantity you need, and you can even haggle!

"Thanks for doing this. It looks so professional!" - to quote one of our clients.

Drop us a note, no matter where you are in the world: it [at] buhugu [dot] org

Buhugu IT - bringing the village to the global marketplace.