I was told that in my last blog I came across "frustrated" with what I observed in Uganda, and that perhaps my perspective would be different if my starting point was not me but them. All that is correct, although I think "shock" with the conditions I observed would also be an accurate description. But, as I leave my placements in Peru and Uganda, I try to focus less on the gaps between my culture and theirs, and more on what they have achieved. Clearly there are huge gaps--in economical advantages, in systems of justice and education, in politics, religious freedom, social norms, and infrastructure (e.g., roads, electricity, water). Yet there is progress. Frederickson, a young Ugandan, told me that he changed his name to Rickson because he saw a city billboard promoting family planning that said, "Don't be like Fred." Fred is surrounded by 12 little children whom he can't sufficiently feed. And Uganda recently built a new dam on the Nile River to increase hydroelectric power. True, the villagers, who lost their land to the government, were not paid commensurate with their loss, and the locals complain about the negative effects of the dam both on the beauty of the Nile and its fish. But at least there are efforts being made to improve this poor country where running water and electricity are luxuries.
Even with my attempts to appreciate the country's progressive steps, I was uncomfortable living in a poor country. But it wasn't only about my physical discomfort - living without heat (Peru), toilets, electricity, and running water; eating a diet primarily of starches; and avoiding swimming in the contaminated waters as I watched the children splash around with utter enjoyment -- all of which I eventually adjusted to.
The discomfort came from confusion and lack of understanding. I cannot easily understand why there are the gaps between the America I know and these countries. The answers are likely complex and beyond my non-academic background. Is there a lack of knowledge that things can be easier? Lack of sufficient income? Lack of will and interest--a desire to do things the way they have always been done? What I label as "poverty" is perhaps their culture, their way of life. Lack of infrastructure? A team of experts sent from the government of UK to help Uganda develop its fishing industry shared with me its challenges: Even if they are able to improve methods of catching fish, there is no efficient way to keep the fish cold during transport. Electricity is rare and expensive, and ice, another rare commodity, would have to be made from treated water. Are the problems too abundant such that progress is restricted to only a few priorities? I think of the young girl who beats stalks with a stick to remove the beans for dinner after she lugged up cans of water from the pond with her baby strapped to her back. I think of the woman who first kills and then plucks each feather from the chicken she took from the yard. (Yes, the females seem to do a disproportionate amount of work, and there is also polygamy and domestic violence in the villages.) "You don't have to do this where you come from," the feather-plucking woman said to me with some recognition. I think of the street worker in Peru who heaves a hand tool to break up concrete.
Why do we have sidewalks, yellow and white street marks to keep cars aligned, and yellow caution tape around deep gaps in cement? Are these luxury items? Why do our children wear shoes when playing outside, particularly when playing on dirty rough roads?
I was frequently asked to make things better: If you would only give me money, I could buy dentures, use AFRIpads (washable sanitary napkins), or go to university. If only we had more money, we would build another school room, buy a water tank or a solar panel, provide transportation or dormitory space for students who walk 10 kilometers to school, or offer more medical tests, etc, etc, etc. My white skin invites these requests at every corner.
I wonder. Who succeeds? The members of the Ugandan Jewish Abayudayan communities who fundraise from the Jews in America? (Frankly, however, the living conditions in their villages are similar to other villages, although they do have funds to support university education for their young men and women.) The bolder villagers who are able to ask the white volunteers to support their education? (I was solicited by two local teachers.) In the village where I was placed, 20% manage to finance university education, move out of the village, and get better jobs--and they don't generally return to the village to help out.
I find partial answers from experiences in the Engari village where I was placed, a village which sought out a Peace Corps representative and the assistance of volunteers.
The answer is not about hand-outs, it is about self-help. Helping them help themselves, is the assistance with sustainable results. Granted, the self-help efforts I observed were spear-headed by a resourceful village leader, and not all villages have such visionary individuals. Solomon Kigane led a community assessment to explain the high number of orphans. Solomon merely spoke with community leaders and the orphans themselves, and then gathered a group of villagers to develop an approach to change. To address poverty, they developed a pooled loan program whereby groups of 30 villagers met weekly to announce the amount they could loan to someone with an income-producing idea. Money would be returned at the end of the year, together with a small interest. Inspired by this approach, I responded to a local teacher that while I couldn't pay for his whole education, I could help him buy a cow from which he will have an ongoing source of increased income (selling of milk). The guidance from our sages was wise: Rather than giving someone a fish, teach him how to fish.
It is not up to you to complete the work; neither are you free to desist from that work (Hillel). Frustrating and shocking, yes. But not hopeless. Our own challenge is to continue to find and follow through on ways to help the aspiring individuals and their developing communities and countries create their own manageable plans for long-term sustainability.
