So I had started to write a post which was a laundry list of things I wanted to talk about but I decided that it's probably better to stay focused.
I know I jump around enough that it's difficult to keep track of what exactly it is that I'm doing.
The Basics:
My title is Peace and Conflict officer and I'm working with the Ugandan Cooperative Alliance. My position is supported by the Canadian Cooperative Association and is a CIDA internship. I have been applying to CIDA internships for three years, it turns out that you need to be out of school to do one, and this is the first time that I have been out of school long enough to do one.
So what exactly is a cooperative, you might ask:
Cooperatives are self-governing groups of business which are democratic and have open membership. In Uganda there are three types of cooperatives: Credit Unions (or SACCOS), Area Cooperative Enterprises (ACEs) and Rural Production Enterprises (RPOs).
You probably already know what credit unions do so I'll skip it. RPOs are groups of farmers who come together to pool their resources in order to run more effectively. So for example cooperative members might pool their money to buy a tractor which they couldn't afford on their own, and then share the use of the tractor, they might also come together for training and value addition. Area cooperative enterprises are responsible for marketing of goods so for example they dry, package and label pineapples. All three groups support eachother and fall under the guidance and management of the Ugandan Cooperative Alliance.
Where I come in:
You may or may not know but Uganda has a fairly conflict ridden past. Most people are familiar with the violence of the Lord's Resistance Army in Northern Uganda, which I have learned was actually a form of rebellion against the centralized government, but Uganda was also plagued by politica violence prior to the Northern War.
One of UCA's projects called the Integrated Financial and Agricultural Production Initiative which seeks to reduce rural poverty is based in Northern Uganda in regions impacted by the conflict. So Halfway through the second phase of the project they decided to conduct a peace and conflict impact assessment which was carried out by the intern from last year.
The Peace and Conflict Impact Assessment contains several recommendations for how the IFAPI project and UCA more generally might integrate conflict sensitivity into their programming. So one of the first things I did when I got here was identify the key activities which could be undertaken to meet the recommendations.
So again I have a laundry list of things that I'm going to be doing here. The first task which I have undertaken has been to network with other organizations working in the peacebuilding field so that they (and I) have some external resources for things like training and print materials. So far I have visited the UN office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (and have been invited back for subsequent visits), the UN High Commision on Refugees and the Center for Conflict Resolution, who are helping to develop our training. I'm still planning to visit the refugee law project, War Child and the Danish De-mining group. I am also working with the Center for Conflict Resolution to help develop the training sessions which I expect will be a huge learning experience. In December I expect to travel to the North in Gulu to conduct another Peace and Conflict Impact Assessment and to do baseline surveys in the regions that I have already visited.
There are a few reasons I really like my job. First I get to work fairly independently in a subject area I enjoy. I learned over the last year that team work is not always my strong point although I am enjoying the opportunity to work on this through networking and working with my colleagues at UCA. The second reason I really like this position is that I get to do a lot of work one-on-one with people which is a great learning experience for me, but I also hope it gives them an opportunity to learn a little bit about conflict sensitivity. The third reason I like this position is I see a huge opportunity to make a lasting and constructive impact on the organization I'm working with and that the process will help me to further to develop my leadership skills.
I think we all know I really like networking.
There's one more thing, you're probably wondering what conflict-sensitivity is and why it is important. Conflict sensitivity is being aware of the context you're working in, the way your organization interacts with the context and then determining how to approach your work accordingly. The reason conflict sensitivity is important, is because if you lack that situational awareness, either the post-conflict setting may make your program or development intervention run less effectively, or worse your intervention may contribute to increased latent (non-violent) conflict and structural violence.
More to come
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Kampla: First Impressions
The First 24 Hours
I arrived in Kampala on October 2nd at 7:30 a.m.. The flight between London and Kampala had been much smoother and I had been able to sleep but I was still tired. On my flight I had met two interesting ladies sitting next to me. One was an older British woman who had been working with humanitarian organizations in Uganda for a number of years, the other was a young Ugandan woman, trained as a social worker but acting as a consultant for a local charity. It was great to hear their insights and we are still following up.
Upon arriving at the airport we were met by a driver sent by the UCA (Ugandan Cooperative Alliance) who took us to a hotel in downtown Kampala close to the Nakasero market, which even early on a Sunday morning was bustling.
For the first two nights we stayed at the Tourist Hotel, a cheapish hotel which offers the essentials (having seen the inside of the Imperial Royal Hotel in Kampala I'm not really sure how to describe the rooms in either hotel but they were quite opposite. I'm not saying the tourist hotel wasn't nice but it was simple, not luxurious like the Imperial.)In any case the Tourist did offer free high speed internet and had a nice cafe. The only real downside was that it's proximity to the market meant constant noise 24 hours a day. Kampala is generally a very noisy place.
After settling in the hotel room Carolyn, the other CCA intern and I, adventured out for some food, and we ended up with what was so far the worst meal I had in Kampala. Matoke (mashed plantain) with beef chunks in a tomato broth. Yuck. We then returned to the hotel room and jet lag got the better of me so I slept. In the evening we went salsa dancing at a Mexican restaurant and had a nice Indian dinner which was great
.
Finding an Apartment
Before leaving Ottawa Carolyn and I decided that we were going to live together. On our first day of work our supervisor took us to look at a variety of apartments in different corners of Kampala. By Tuesday we had settled on a furnished three bedroom apartment in an area called Muyenga, halfway down one of Kampala's many hills. The apartment is very beautiful with shiny tile floors and wood trim, it also has a modern kitchen with a stove and fridge. In case you were wondering, it also has running water and electricity, except when the power is out. Power outages have been a problem since I arrived in Uganda with one occurring approximately every other day. During the first power outage at our home we discovered that our apartment has cockroaches and a very frightened mouse. However, I haven't seen the mouse since the first power outage and the cockroaches for some reason only seem to come out during power outages and are very easy to kill. On Monday we had a third roommate move in named Mo from India. So far, I quite like our living arrangements.
Work
Everyone at work is very lovely. It's a bit hard to describe the building I work in, but basically there are two adjacent buildings which are connected by a small foot bridge. On the one side of the bridge is the main office where my supervisor works and on the other is the office that I work in which is a fairly small room with six people and five desks. The math doesn't quite work out but it's okay we seem to be able to get work done anyway. On my third day of work there was some confusion because I was asked by my supervisor to speak with the Microfinance manager who informed me that he was hoping that I would partially fill the role of Gender and HIV officer. I was a bit distressed by this because I had, had the opportunity to do this work in other countries but I was keen on the peace and conflict position I had hired to do. Luckily by Friday after some clarification from my supervisor, we had established that there had been a mis-communication and that I would in fact be doing peace and conflict work. This week has been a bit faster paced with meetings and things to do and I think I am going to enjoy working here quite a bit. It's also worth mentioning that the Secretary General of the UCA has taken us out for lunch a couple of times which has also proven to be quite enjoyable.
Socializing
I am getting to know people here in Kampala, mostly through contacts that I had before I came, in addition to my neighbours and coworkers. I have been out for dinner several evenings, often at Indian or Italian restaurants and I'm sure in time some of these contacts will become close friends.
Thanksgiving
As I did when I was in South Africa, on Monday night I prepared Thanksgiving Dinner. I prepared Roast Chicken, Mashed Potatos and Green Beans and our guests, a work colleague and one of Carolyn's friends contributed a lovely pumpkin (squash) dish, salad and drinks. Cooking the chicken proved to be quite a challenge because the gas element in our oven kept extinguishing. Since I'm afraid of matches we had to get one of the workers at the apartment, Peter, to relight it for us. The first time Peter lit the oven there was a small explosion in the oven but Peter was fortunately unharmed. I also had the opportunity to talk to my family on the phone late Monday night which was wonderful, although it did make me a bit homesick.
Why Yesterday was Awesome
On my way to get a Matatu (minibus) yesterday morning a car pulled up beside me and stopped. Rather than being a boda boda looking to pick me up I was delighted to discover that it was my nextdoor neighbours who I had not previously met. In a twist of fate I soon discovered that the woman in the couple, Olivia, is a program office for the UN High Commission on Human Rights. Excitedly, I explained my internship to her and she invited me to attend a screening of Uganda's Universal Periodic Review at the Office of the High Commission on Human Rights the same night. Olivia and her husband James also gave me a ride to work.
Before attending the screening I also had the opportunity to meet with the Executive Director of the Center for Conflict Resolution, a peace and conflict organization in Kampala. I quite enjoyed our meeting and hearing about their organization. Their collection of publications on Small Arms and Light Weapons alone was enough to make this academic's jaw drop. I am also eager to explore further opportunities to work together with the organization.
At about four o'clock yesterday afternoon I hopped on a boda boda (a motor cycle which you ride on the back of which are quite unsafe, I don't particularly like and only ride out of necessity) and headed for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The driver got lost so of course I was late, but what I did catch of the Universal Periodic Review I quite enjoyed. Despite my fascination with the UN I've never had the opportunity to watch in full any of it's proceedings and this offered an excellent opportunity to learn about the human rights situation in Uganda. I also had the opportunity to network with others working on similar issues to me, which is important because there is no one else within the UCA who is doing conflict work and the only people within the organization who have experience in the area, are those who have experienced it directly.
So, I think that's about enough writing for now.
I arrived in Kampala on October 2nd at 7:30 a.m.. The flight between London and Kampala had been much smoother and I had been able to sleep but I was still tired. On my flight I had met two interesting ladies sitting next to me. One was an older British woman who had been working with humanitarian organizations in Uganda for a number of years, the other was a young Ugandan woman, trained as a social worker but acting as a consultant for a local charity. It was great to hear their insights and we are still following up.
Upon arriving at the airport we were met by a driver sent by the UCA (Ugandan Cooperative Alliance) who took us to a hotel in downtown Kampala close to the Nakasero market, which even early on a Sunday morning was bustling.
For the first two nights we stayed at the Tourist Hotel, a cheapish hotel which offers the essentials (having seen the inside of the Imperial Royal Hotel in Kampala I'm not really sure how to describe the rooms in either hotel but they were quite opposite. I'm not saying the tourist hotel wasn't nice but it was simple, not luxurious like the Imperial.)In any case the Tourist did offer free high speed internet and had a nice cafe. The only real downside was that it's proximity to the market meant constant noise 24 hours a day. Kampala is generally a very noisy place.
After settling in the hotel room Carolyn, the other CCA intern and I, adventured out for some food, and we ended up with what was so far the worst meal I had in Kampala. Matoke (mashed plantain) with beef chunks in a tomato broth. Yuck. We then returned to the hotel room and jet lag got the better of me so I slept. In the evening we went salsa dancing at a Mexican restaurant and had a nice Indian dinner which was great
.
Finding an Apartment
Before leaving Ottawa Carolyn and I decided that we were going to live together. On our first day of work our supervisor took us to look at a variety of apartments in different corners of Kampala. By Tuesday we had settled on a furnished three bedroom apartment in an area called Muyenga, halfway down one of Kampala's many hills. The apartment is very beautiful with shiny tile floors and wood trim, it also has a modern kitchen with a stove and fridge. In case you were wondering, it also has running water and electricity, except when the power is out. Power outages have been a problem since I arrived in Uganda with one occurring approximately every other day. During the first power outage at our home we discovered that our apartment has cockroaches and a very frightened mouse. However, I haven't seen the mouse since the first power outage and the cockroaches for some reason only seem to come out during power outages and are very easy to kill. On Monday we had a third roommate move in named Mo from India. So far, I quite like our living arrangements.
Work
Everyone at work is very lovely. It's a bit hard to describe the building I work in, but basically there are two adjacent buildings which are connected by a small foot bridge. On the one side of the bridge is the main office where my supervisor works and on the other is the office that I work in which is a fairly small room with six people and five desks. The math doesn't quite work out but it's okay we seem to be able to get work done anyway. On my third day of work there was some confusion because I was asked by my supervisor to speak with the Microfinance manager who informed me that he was hoping that I would partially fill the role of Gender and HIV officer. I was a bit distressed by this because I had, had the opportunity to do this work in other countries but I was keen on the peace and conflict position I had hired to do. Luckily by Friday after some clarification from my supervisor, we had established that there had been a mis-communication and that I would in fact be doing peace and conflict work. This week has been a bit faster paced with meetings and things to do and I think I am going to enjoy working here quite a bit. It's also worth mentioning that the Secretary General of the UCA has taken us out for lunch a couple of times which has also proven to be quite enjoyable.
Socializing
I am getting to know people here in Kampala, mostly through contacts that I had before I came, in addition to my neighbours and coworkers. I have been out for dinner several evenings, often at Indian or Italian restaurants and I'm sure in time some of these contacts will become close friends.
Thanksgiving
As I did when I was in South Africa, on Monday night I prepared Thanksgiving Dinner. I prepared Roast Chicken, Mashed Potatos and Green Beans and our guests, a work colleague and one of Carolyn's friends contributed a lovely pumpkin (squash) dish, salad and drinks. Cooking the chicken proved to be quite a challenge because the gas element in our oven kept extinguishing. Since I'm afraid of matches we had to get one of the workers at the apartment, Peter, to relight it for us. The first time Peter lit the oven there was a small explosion in the oven but Peter was fortunately unharmed. I also had the opportunity to talk to my family on the phone late Monday night which was wonderful, although it did make me a bit homesick.
Why Yesterday was Awesome
On my way to get a Matatu (minibus) yesterday morning a car pulled up beside me and stopped. Rather than being a boda boda looking to pick me up I was delighted to discover that it was my nextdoor neighbours who I had not previously met. In a twist of fate I soon discovered that the woman in the couple, Olivia, is a program office for the UN High Commission on Human Rights. Excitedly, I explained my internship to her and she invited me to attend a screening of Uganda's Universal Periodic Review at the Office of the High Commission on Human Rights the same night. Olivia and her husband James also gave me a ride to work.
Before attending the screening I also had the opportunity to meet with the Executive Director of the Center for Conflict Resolution, a peace and conflict organization in Kampala. I quite enjoyed our meeting and hearing about their organization. Their collection of publications on Small Arms and Light Weapons alone was enough to make this academic's jaw drop. I am also eager to explore further opportunities to work together with the organization.
At about four o'clock yesterday afternoon I hopped on a boda boda (a motor cycle which you ride on the back of which are quite unsafe, I don't particularly like and only ride out of necessity) and headed for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The driver got lost so of course I was late, but what I did catch of the Universal Periodic Review I quite enjoyed. Despite my fascination with the UN I've never had the opportunity to watch in full any of it's proceedings and this offered an excellent opportunity to learn about the human rights situation in Uganda. I also had the opportunity to network with others working on similar issues to me, which is important because there is no one else within the UCA who is doing conflict work and the only people within the organization who have experience in the area, are those who have experienced it directly.
So, I think that's about enough writing for now.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Single Stories
Before I left Ottawa I participated in two days of training with the Center for Inter-Cultural Learning. Although I was already aware of many of the concepts discussed as part of the training a topic came up which I thought was worth discussing on my blog before writing about my experience in Uganda.
During the first afternoon of training we watched a TED talk called "The Danger of a Single Story."
The talk is given by Chimamanda Adichie, a writer from Nigeria who discusses the concept of a "single story." Basically what a single story is, is an explanation or story which we have developed for ourselves about a subject (such as a country or person) on which we do not have all of the information. So, for example, when many Westerners think about Sub-Saharan Africa, they often think of pictures of starving children with flies all over their faces. Of course such situations exist but it is not the only story. Indeed, there are also stories of power, of being rich and of overcoming adversity without the need for an interventions by muzungus (white people) or anybody else.
If you have been following my blog for a while you know that I try to discuss a variety of topics from a variety of angles (except for politics) (haha), but I would hope that the stories that I do present do not create a single story for anyone reading it.
So of course I encourage everyone to read more about Uganda, peace building and any other topics which might come up on this blog so that you have more than just a single story.
Here's the link for the TED talk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg
During the first afternoon of training we watched a TED talk called "The Danger of a Single Story."
The talk is given by Chimamanda Adichie, a writer from Nigeria who discusses the concept of a "single story." Basically what a single story is, is an explanation or story which we have developed for ourselves about a subject (such as a country or person) on which we do not have all of the information. So, for example, when many Westerners think about Sub-Saharan Africa, they often think of pictures of starving children with flies all over their faces. Of course such situations exist but it is not the only story. Indeed, there are also stories of power, of being rich and of overcoming adversity without the need for an interventions by muzungus (white people) or anybody else.
If you have been following my blog for a while you know that I try to discuss a variety of topics from a variety of angles (except for politics) (haha), but I would hope that the stories that I do present do not create a single story for anyone reading it.
So of course I encourage everyone to read more about Uganda, peace building and any other topics which might come up on this blog so that you have more than just a single story.
Here's the link for the TED talk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Tip of the Hat to London
So after flying from Ottawa to Halifax and Halifax to London I arrived at Heathrow International Airport with about an hour worth of sleep. (I spent two hours on the plane watching Bridesmaids and to be honest I don't know what the hype was about that movie it was just a raw romantic comedy).
Once I had arrived I checked in for my next flight which was to depart ten hours later and hopped on the Heathrow Express, then the Tube and arrived at Piccadily Circus. Not sure where to go I started meandering, as I normally do in a new place, and found myself in St. James Park by the Thames River. From there I followed a gaggle of tourists towards the cavalry barracks which were quite ornate and from which I had a clear view of the big ben, Westminster Abbey and the Ferris Wheel.
After taking a few moments to take in the sights and take some pictures I moved on to a street which was far less busy where I found a place called "The French Bakery." What a find! The bakery was full of delightful looking desserts. I of course had a cupcake and a cup of tea and met some other Canadians.
Once I was finished I continued along an area called "South Bank" which had a book market, restaurants, art installations and other such things. After picking up some postcard I continued to an area named St. Paul's Cathedral and had some traditional fish and chips. I then continued to wander until I decided I was too tired and headed back towards the tube route I had started on. Which took about an hour.
I learned an important lesson on this excursion. It is not a good idea to try to walk for five hours after only having slept for 1.
I then returned to Heathrow for a nap and to board my plane
.
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