So what is it really like working in Uganda? I don’t know if you could completely understand just how frustrating, exhausting and absolutely mind-boggling it has been for Karen and I to be here working on the ground in a culture we don’t even pretend to understand yet. Although we could just tell and show you all the “happy”, we thought it equally important so explain our challenges, so here it goes…

 

We’ve been here living and working alongside Ugandans for the last 7 months. Before that, we had set up a few projects that we supported from Canada after a visit to Kampala in October, 2006. 

 

I spent two weeks here in March 2007 making sure everything was still on track and witnessing for myself the explosion that was occurring at our school which had grown from 30 children to 120 children.

 

 Looking back, it was blissful just to send our money thinking that every dime we sent went straight to helping orphans, needy kids, HIV patients and widows in their distress. We were trying in the best way we knew how to quit “talking about what we would like to do” and to borrow the Nike slogan “just do it”.

 

When we arrived to live here in July, we expected to walk right into a finely tuned HIPPO machine already functioning at 100%. We were keen, ambitious and perhaps dangerously naïve. We quickly starting noticing discrepancies in their accounting practices, missing funds, and re-allocation of our funds that were sent to goodness knows where. The children were not being fed regularly as we were told and the meals when supplied were pathetic at best. We were shocked and angry but not discouraged. It was a good thing that we arrived when we did. We quickly took over all accounting and expenditures personally. We knew that if people from Canada were going to start helping with the needs and projects here, we had to ensure that every penny went to where it was supposed to go.

 

Karen and I had to begin buying every bean, every grain of rice, every bag of posho, sugar and salt and personally bring it to the school every morning to make sure the children would eat. When it became apparent that food was going missing from the school, we even had to store it at home and bring enough for each day. We also had to buy fresh vegetables every day at the market on our way to school or the children just wouldn’t get them. Soon, we would be buying and distributing every exercise book, every pen and every piece of chalk. These tasks, although tedious, were and still are necessary, I’m sad to say. 

 

Before we arrived, we were told that a lot of the money we were sending for the children was spent on medicine and trips to the clinics to cure such things as malaria, typhoid, coughs, and toothaches. When we asked for the receipts for all these visits and medicine purchases, there were none, even though we were ensured that they were keeping every receipt for us to see. Knowing what we know now, even if they had given us receipts, they would have meant nothing as shop owners are not accountable to keep receipt records for the government and they will write down any amount a Ugandan asks them to. So, we built a clinic, hired nurse Esther and bought medicine wholesale, saving money and giving way better care to these children than ever before. Can you believe that we even have to take and bring back all of the medicine each day so that it will not go “missing”? It’s a good thing too, because we learned that people came to the clinic on the weekends and tried to get in to get medicine outside of the authority of Karen, myself or nurse Esther. Some even tried to bother Esther at her home. It was hard to teach the community that this was not a free clinic for 10,000 neighbouring families as there are many clinics around, but a school clinic for our students and staff and only during school hours. The hardest part of living here has been learning to say ”no” to the numerous daily requests for “assistance” (money) and focusing in on the few specific projects we are able to fund.

 

I was also told that I would have to have a Ugandan go with me whenever I was purchasing anything because the price would increase if they saw our white skin. Turns out that this Ugandan I was using was charging me for this service (pocketing the upcharge). Because of this, my negotiating skills have been fine tuned and I have been getting better prices than I did with him back when we first started out. So, within the first few weeks, we took over every aspect of purchasing and delegating to ensure integrity within HIPPO. We had to eliminate petty cash from the school office because it was abused and emptied for meaningless purchases, without receipts of course. It seemed like everyone wanted to put their hands in our pockets and they only wanted to use us as their ATM machine. 

 

There have been so many instances of scams and corruption all around us. Would you believe someone actually approached the moms and caregivers of the kids at the school and told them they had to pay some small fees for land rent (which we pay for), for uniforms (which we supply), for the cook (whom we pay) etc. etc. etc. The list of examples is long and heart wrenching so we’ll just leave it at that.

 

As Karen and I were now controlling all funds and decisions at the school, we felt that our time here was being spent as micromanagers, something that we never intended. We are glad we did though, because just this week we were reminded of just how corrupt this culture can be. We learned that back in October, once we had stopped all cash flow through Ugandans, one of our leaders had contacted some good people from the U.S. and played on their compassion. The lie was told that the Canadian sponsors of the children (us) had left Uganda leaving children hungry, teachers unpaid, widows starving and rent due. The kind Americans responded in love and began supporting and paying for all expenses at our school, so they thought. For the past 5 months, they have been sending funds to this Ugandan's personal bank account to cover all the exact same expenditures that we already pay for personally each month. After uncovering this deception that was taking place, we had the difficult task of tracking them down and contacting them for the first time (we didn’t know they existed until this Tuesday) to tell them that they had been deceived. The American family and Karen and I have since broken all ties with this man and once again we have been enlightened on just how corrupt this place can be. 

 

If it wasn’t clear before, it is crystal clear this week as we spend countless hours taking the time to personally pay for and account for each and every item purchased with funds you guys have sent. We realize what a huge role it has been for us to be here on the ground to handle every detail and every shilling spent.

 

We thought that we would be appreciated by the Africans at little more than we are. But in their defence, Africa is full of examples of good natured people arriving here, trying to help but ending up leaving more of a mess than when they arrived. It seems as a culture, the Ugandans try to get what they can from you while they can because you will probably be leaving tomorrow. We have been told this on many occasions. It seems that foreign aid is viewed as their right and not a gesture of goodwill.

 

Our battle is definitely a spiritual one, and it is relentless. With every good deed we have tried to do, our enemy has tried to tear down and destroy. So why stay here? Well, I can see that if you were looking for results and success you would become quickly disillusioned and disappointed but Jesus taught us something early on which has become an anchor for us. We have not come to Africa for success and results. We have come simply to obey the teachings of Jesus, to love our neighbour, to help the poor and teach others to do the same. On this point, we cannot waiver. Results pale and are meaningless when compared to this truth. 

 

Now, not every experience is bad and not every relationship is corrupt. We have many wonderful examples of people genuinely being helped. Houses are being built for widows, many new businesses have been started, children are being fed, educated, have access to medical care, and are sleeping on mattresses with blankets under nets. Relationships have been made and hopefully hearts have been truly changed. When we look into the eyes of the children we are helping, we know that our being here is good. We put a little video together of our first 7 months here to encourage you as well as us that we are all making a difference.

 

Please click on the youtube link to view it.