6 months... over and out.

Well, where do I start... 6 months completed, it definitely feels weird to back on UK soil!  

I felt myself hurrying through the last few updates as I was quite time pressured at the internet cafe, so sitting in my room in front of my Computer - I definitely feel more relaxed not having the time counter weighing down on me or thinking 'gotta make sure I start to head out of town before the crazy Kampala traffic starts!'.

It's been an incredible 6 months - I think i've used the word rollercoaster a few times on these pages - and I think it is very apt description of the journey.  Both emotionally and mentally, you hit so many highs and lows - and being away from your normal comfort area's, these spikes/troughs do get magnified a lot more.  You see an everyday life that is so different - although the primary basis is still to 'feed the family', the route and means are so so different (not to mention the family sizes!).  And you really see the differences between the standards of livings that people are partied to. 

One of the major things I experienced in my village life - and this crosses both Uganda and Cameroon - was the lack of easy access to information.  We are blessed with so much information at our fingertips, and before the internet, I remember making regular visits to the library to help me with my homework, or even to look up the history of football teams or improve my snooker... Information, if interest was there, was available.  However, the people I was around in the villages did not have anything like this available.  They'd rely on word-of-mouth from people that travel to neighbouring villages and towns to get the latest info... and it's either that or find someone with some sort of knowledge.  For example, there was one person who was extremely interested in architecture, and he came to me with questions like - how thick did they make the wall of the Channel Tunnel to be sure it wouldn't develop a leak? - Unsurprisingly, that information was not stored at the forefront of my memory, and it made me think, if I'd been at home, I'd have clicked a few buttons and got the answer - but what do you do to foster out-of-the-box thinking like that in villages?  Currently there isn't enough done - and this means people just settle for what they know or what they are fed... and thus, a lack of pro-activeness becomes inherent.  So people settle, not seeing how they can drastically change what they do or how they do it.  

Going back a few decades, what would have happened? People would have relied on information through their elders.  Now people are caught between that and schooling.  A reliance on schooling is understandable, as it should technically provide the most up-to-date info, but for that, the schooling infrastructure etc needs to be working well...  

The other key element is electricity and internet - across many developing countries - there is some form of 'rural electrification programmes', and with mobile communications already present across the area in abundance, it's natural for this to be exploited to provide data across the air.  The challenges are there - like affordability and educating locals on using this technology, but steps are being made in the right direction, like the recent connection of the high speed cable to East Africa , which should reduce prices and improve speed and capacity (which may mean it will soon be possible to read the news in the internet cafe's without having to find low resolution news pages!!)

I could go on and on, but one of things I have come out with from the 6 months is that, information needs to be provided/facilitated, and the communities need to made to understand how they can use this information.  In Bangem, in Cameroon, there was definitely evidence of some enthusiasm, especially by younger members of certain groups - who took great interest in the various workshops we provided.  Even though, there were many who attended in the hope of getting some free seeds or free lunch, fostering the few is a potential means to providing a route for uplifting the communities.

That's zooming in on one of the area's I found quite interesting... Socially speaking - it was absolutely great connecting with the various personalities I met on the trip... and I didn't realise how different the everyday experience was until I was sitting in the Lounge at Nairobi airport waiting for my connecting flight to London.  Everywhere I looked were familiar tones, expressions, body languages - and it felt very weird.  I had a snippet of this when I was staying at the hostel where I went rafting - but even there, the majority of the people I met were Volunteers or working out in Uganda.  Being in the airport lounge - it hit home how different the daily experience is.  Obviously it's expected to a point - but the contrast is really quite fascinating!  

If you've made it this far - I'm impressed!! :o).  I hope you've enjoyed reading about my experiences over the last 6 months... I'll try and get a few pics on here too - but right now i'm struggling to get them off my camera :os.  But for now... That's all Folks!  Keep safe, keep smiling, and don't be worrying about things you can't control!

 

Last 3 weeks...

After my last update - I had enjoyed the white water rafting so much - that I decided to go again! I had a couple of unexpected spare days, and the rafting company offered me a good deal - but to be honest - I didn't need much convincing. And it was soo much fun!!! I also did a bungee jump - but that's a story for later!

Following the rafting adventures, I headed back to the village. Thankfully we got one of the initiatives up and running - the free testing day. This saw us get the same number of patients in one day as we had been getting in a month. Worryingly, the majority tested positive for both the malaria and intestinal worms tests...

The other initiatives are still in the pipeline - unfortunately the language barrier meant there was confusion for the vaccination day - but I'm hoping the team will be able to get that up and running this week.

FUGA also started a collaboration with Makerere University (the main uni in Uganda) - whereby they will provide training locally to interested students. We did some community outreach - a very busy couple of days - but very interesting... it bodes well for the upcoming few months, and hopefully can be the catalyst for much more activity on the ground.

Clocks ticking - times running out, so bye for now!

White Water!!!

Exhilarating, Enthralling, and an Adrenaline rush - that's a few words to describe my Saturday - which I spent white-water rafting on the River Nile! I managed to free the weekend and head to Jinja - and it was sooo much fun! Flips, wipeouts, floating in the Nile, being thrown about by a few grade 5's, and of course swallowing a little bit of the most famous river... A treat is certainly was! The campsite I was staying at had an absolutely stunning view of the Nile... words cannot describe - so you'll have to wait for the pics...

Between my last update and the rafting... We made some progress with the Health Centre - including agreeing and obtaining approval for Immunisations Days with the support of the Local District, having a free testing day, and other activities to get the local schools involved in the NGO's activities. The next few weeks will hopefully see the launch of these activities, which would be great for the local communities! I'm currently in Kampala, but as you can probably imagine, I'm looking forward to getting my teeth stuck in to the next few weeks in the village...

So just a short update, but will be back soon...

Lights anybody?

Hey people,

After my last update - I spent the next day running around Kampala meeting various people from different organisations. It was a great day - and I got a brief insight into some of the activities the major organisations are focusing on within Uganda. The next day I was on a bus - I was transporting a bike for one of the colleagues - which made life quite interesting. On several occasions, the conductor and his friends tried to convince me that I had to pay for transporting the bike - and the rate varied almost each time... I continued to play one guy against the other - and ended up paying zilch! Much fun...

Following that, I've spent 2 weeks in the village. Even after 5 months, I think I'm still begrudgingly adjusting to the work ethic and time-keeping (although I think the situations that are arising are quite unique to this organisation). I've had the opportunity to talk to some local health centres and other interested parties - and as a result, have initiated a few potential collaboration activities. Now it's just a matter of getting the management to buy-in and proactively manage some of the activity, and thus motivate the rest of the staff!

The preparations for electricity are still on-going - I've learnt that contractors cause issues whatever the country! As such, quite a bit of work remains within the Health Centre, but the main lines are on track... I still can't imagine the difference it will make to the area. Just to give you an idea of the population in the immediate vicinity of where I'm staying - most of them are subsistence crop farmers - growing mainly beans, matoke (plantains) and ground nut, with some also growing Sorghum (mainly used for local brew - which is incredibly strong!), and a few involved in animal farming. The other main activity is a local tin mine - where there are over 500 men & boys working... this adds an interesting dynamic to the local area. There are a limited number of shops, and there is selling of firewood and other such amenities. Due to the limited crop produce - the main diet consists of matoke and beans.

So the waiting game continues... I've promised myself some whitewater rafting before I leave Uganda - so hopefully I'll be able to fit that in... but it's difficult to schedule with the ever changing itineraries!!

Until next time...

One month in...

Well - I've completed a month in Uganda - and besides the repeated waiting, it's been quite interesting!

From where I left off 2 weeks ago - I spent 4 days walking around Kampala - and it was great fun. It is a very interesting city with various areas within the centre of town that breath a unique environment... There's some areas with mass markets and street vendors, and other areas completely built up with shopping malls and a golf course. There's also a multitude of eateries serving all types of cuisine (though I've been mainly going eating local way which has been much fun).

In Ruhamma, my activity has been stunted slightly as key meetings were delayed, but when the team meeting finally did take place last Wednesday, it was quite fruitful. The staff will all be participating in developing plans and activities to improve the way the health centre operates, improve the patient numbers, and understand better the potential of self-sustainability for the core operations of the organisation. I'm hoping to get people really moving on this - but it's a battle :o). The meeting itself was very interesting as it was in a mix of English and the local language, with a bit of French thrown in as well!

Besides this, I've also had the opportunity to learn about various medical techniques - although I was being explained in French - so although I think I understood quite a bit, I did struggle to ask clarification questions! I've also got used the heavily motokee (aka plantain) and beans diet.

In the afternoons, we are often visited by a group of local kids... who like to sing and dance for us... which is really kewl. We've been trying to get them to speak English, and also trying to make them understand some of the English songs they sing... Much fun! Also - people are mad about the football here... During the big Man U, Arsenal and Liverpool games, over 100 people watch a 32 inch tv running on a generator and they cheer so loudly it can be heard for quite a distance!

A fellow volunteer who was working with FUGA since December is leaving for the UK tomo - it's been quite refreshing to have someone to bounce ideas off etc... I'll be spending the majority of June in the village, but apparently we're still on target to receive electricity in the 1st week of July - which will completely change the dynamics of the village. One more month of untainted night sky!

A few steps east...

So, thanks to one of my colleagues friend, I was escorted through the entire airport and briskly deposited at the departure gate for my flight... I didn't even have to think where I was going! On arrival at Kampala, I was greeted by the director and another volunteer of FUGA, and so the Uganda adventure begun.

I spent the rest of the day sorting stuff out in Kampala, and the next day at 6 am, me and the other volunteer departed for Ruhamma - a village 6 hours away. The journey was on a bus which left on schedule - so already a stark contrast to the Cameroon travel. But 2 hours into the journey, the radiator deserted us, and the bus had to pull over. We had to wait 3 hours for a replacement bus, but once it arrived, we continued on the journey.

In Ruhamma, Fuga are running a medical centre - which is the primary activity of the NGO. The town is not yet connected with electricity though the pillars and wiring are going in as we speak, and they hope to be connected by 1st July. The plan was to return to Kampala in a few days, but I ended up staying until yesterday. As a result, I had a 2 week beard - and was rationing my mobile phone usage to make sure it lasted till I returned to my phone charger!

Its been an interesting start - understanding how the NGO works, and learning a lot more about the operations of a medical centre. It's been very interesting living without electricity, and great admiring the untainted night sky! One of the staff also took me and the other volunteer to his farm over the weekend - and we got to see his farm in action - including cows grazing at night under the moonlit sky (and the moon is very bright!).

Besides that, the first two weeks have included quite a bit of waiting around, reviewing the months expenses and budgets, and meeting a few of the relevant local officers from the government. I should be in Kampala for a few days, before returning back to the village... It seems a city full of life, and I'm looking forward to exploring!

And thats me from Cameroon!

Hey peeps...

So after 15 whole days without the internet...I'm back in Kumba having said my goodbyes to Bangem (and having found out on my last day that they now have an internet connection in town installed in the town - d'oh!). It was definitely weird saying goodbye...

The last two weeks were spent putting finishing touches to a few of the docs that i've produced, helping my colleagues in their activities and really winding down getting ready for Uganda. I was able to attend a WWF Workshop on the demarcation of national forest - which involved various delegates and local chiefs, and a great couple of presentations providing some good education to the attendees, and a TFTF workshop on tree planting (and I did some planting too!).

Yesterday afternoon I was treated to a scrumptious good bye meal by the family i'm staying with. They prepared so much food!! and it was soo nice and very enjoyable.

The little things I'll def not forget from Cameroon - the cold showers, the variety of insects (wait till u see the pics), power cuts (I was left with half a haircut at one point), lightning storms and heavy rains, the great hospitality, and the chilled out mode of operations!

So I'll be travelling to Douala tomorrow, hopefully flying out to schedule reaching Uganda on Wed morning. I'll be picked up by the Director of the NGO I'll be helping - and will hopefully start to discover more about the adventure there. Things i know at the mo - the NGO has a medical centre, a community, a tree plantation and a few vehicles... and is looking to achieve self-sustainability using these assets. Though my primary location is in Kampala, the field activities are in a town called Ruhanna. But I'll write more about all this when I reach Uganda. (oh yeah - and there's white water rafting that I'm really looking forward too!)

Ciao for now...

Last 3 weeks...

Hey y'all...

I've got the internet again after a couple of weeks - though was a close call as we've had no power for the night and most of the morning due to torrential rain and storms... and I'm travelling back to Bangem this morning. Luckily the lights came back just before I was leaving - so I've quickly nipped into the internet cafe.

So a quick update on the last 3 weeks... I did some touristing at Limbe - a seaside town close to here. I visited a primate zoo - it was really interesting watching the gorilla's and chimps... So many pics to keep you all interested when I'm back :o).

I also visited the Muanenguba lakes - the main tourist spot near Bangem, and what the local area is famous for. The lakes are result of a historic volcano eruption... and they are amazing. We had a 10km trek to the lakes.. which was slightly tiring, but the lakes and the surround area were gorgeous. We also visited the people who have inhabited the area - very interesting set... they concentrate on herding cows, goats etc, and seemed to have a very content and happy life!

In terms of work.. a couple of weeks ago I held a strategy workshop meeting with my colleagues. This was interesting as the younger members aren't normally used to inclusive planning - they are normally given tasks and that's it... We went through the various collateral I've created since I've been here... After the morning workshop, we went for a meal to celebrate our hard mornings work, as is customary!

For the last few weeks of my stay in Cameroon, I'm mainly supporting the two members of staff with their activities... and this is taking me to various workshops and meetings with community groups.

I have also completed my situational analysis of the Kupe-Muanenguba Division, which is basically a "how I see things" document outlining whats good and what are the opportunities and threats to the region. (if anyone wants a read, ping me an e-mail and I'll send it over).

Now i'm gonna see if i can post a couple of pics - I think u'll know if i'm successful or not!

ps. luckily I haven't had to travel with animals as yet... maybe that'll happen in Uganda :os!

A City boy!

Howdy!

Between a few proposals and business cases that I've helped create over the past week, I had a trip to Yaounde - the capital of Cameroon. To travel there involved a 2 hour minibus trip to Douala - the commercial centre (with a slightly larger population than Yaounde), and then a 3.5 hour coach journey - slightly different experience as they actually abide by the seat/passenger ratio!

Being in Yaounde reminded me of how much I love the city - and also made me aware of the contrast with a rural area which struggles with poverty. Things we're used to seeing everyday do become ever more apparent. This aside - it was much fun walking around the city, seeing the contrasting architectures and the variety of shops, street sellers and markets. Apparently the city wasn't it's normal self, as it was getting ready for the arrival of the Pope.. but by afternoon it was still very very manic! I wonder what it's like when its normal!!

The shared taxi system here in the cities are also quite cool - You stand by the roadside and shout your destination to the taxi's. If it's on route, they honk approval, pick you up and take you there... if it's not, then they just ignore you. It's quite good, and means that the taxi is normally full whilst travelling.

Working style is also interesting here... To complete a proposal, we did a full days work (9-5), and then I was told how hard we'd worked all day, so to reward ourselves, we went for a meal and a drink! Also, in shops, you are often greeted by what seems unhappiness at them having to complete your request, and they shrug and complete the request (though this often turns positive when you greet and smile at them!).

I've reached the halfway point of my stay in Cameroon... and begun contact with FUGA, the NGO I'll be working with in Uganda. But there is still much to do and see here! I'm due to travel back to Bangem tomorrow.

Ciao for now!

Ahh .. time to summarise 2 weeks in a few paragraphs, and try and make you smile again!

Well - after I left you last - I managed to continue my solo travelling successfully back to Bangem - but was again blessed with very little space for long periods! (though I am getting used to that now). The following week I mainly spent going round various delegates who work in the various ministries to try and get their views on the difficulties facing the people in Kupe-Muanenguba. It was really interesting hearing from them, and seeing things from their perspective. I'm aiming to compile a report on the area based on these conversations and what I'm seeing/hearing on the field, which will hopefully provide some guidance to NGO's to what things they should be concentrating on in the coming years.

One of the other highlights was definitely World Womens Day which took place on the 8th March, and is celebrated with some vigour in Cameroon. This years' theme - It is very relevant - as there is still a need for women empowerment activities within the region. The various Womens group from the local area all participated in singing, dancing and the Womens Day March - in which I had the honour of marching with the Womens Empowerment Centre!

Yesterday was another crazy day of travel - in which the car had to take a diversion as they were doing some maintenance on the road. Not a big deal one may think - except the diversion was through a field, and getting back on the road involved about 10 guys pushing the car and stopping it from overturning! We attended the first day of a 2-day workshop discussing a community forest within the region. The workshop was aimed to create a 5 year management plan for the forest - it looked promising yesterday - so hopefully the outputs will be good too. They do have a wealth of resources - although it does require a 3 hour trek to get to one of the villages managing the forest, so you could say they are slightly enclaved!

After meeting a man who literally dreams remedies, and another couple of interesting people, we began our journey back to Kumba, although 10 mins in, whilst going up a v narrow stoney road - the car cut out as the battery had leakage. Whilst waiting for a battery to re-start the car - I witnessed a lorry completely killing the neighbouring bush to pass our stationary vehicle. An hour later - we were on our way - and continued the bumpy journey to Kumba.

What else... Went to an annual fundraising party for a students association which was very interesting... and watched a couple of local footie matches.

Things that needed getting used to? no washing machine, cold showers, no sink or light in the kitchen, no-one easily at the end of a phone, no footie news. Needless to say - working for an NGO in this environment does have its inherent challenges... but it is much fun!

"White man!"

A bit more about my last couple of weeks...
Firstly - i'm getting used to being called "White man" by all the little kids - they get very excited when they see me (though the really little ones get very scared - I tried to play with a 1 year old - and he started crying and was super scared of me!).

I think I mentioned how friendly the people are... whenever we've been to visit a village I've been fed tremendously well, and been really welcomed. This morning we visited a village that can only be accessed by foot to have a look at the troubles they have (during the rainy season, they have a lone cane bridge that they have to cross to get access to their neighbouring village with road access (- I use that term very lightly), which every year claims at least 4 or 5 lives). They have to travel carrying loads on their heads or backs - and have to use this road to access medical care too... But besides this - they were really nice and had prepared a lovely meal for us to have sitting next to the river...

Also, my first bit of lone travelling was much fun (though mum's gonna kill me when she hears this). So to travel from Nyandong to Kumba involves a 1.5 hour bike journey (or a very powerful 4x4) to get to road access - If it wasn't eventful enough with the hills and the rocky road, the rear brake broke half way - so my driver somehow put it together, and we did the rest of the journey relying on the engine brakes (and no - we didn't see any other bikes pass so I couldn't swap), This was followed by a 1.5 hour taxi ride - in a car that would definitely not pass it's MOT - to start the car, they push-started and then plugged the accelerator and clutch hard... and to make things more interesting we averaged 8 passengers in a normal car.

TTFN!

Bangem Town and much more

I've made it back to an internet cafe - We've stopped over in Kumba again on our way to a town called Nyandong - where i'll be staying for a night before travelling back to Bangem...

So 2 weeks... I don't know where to start! After my last update, we departed to Bangem. For a major town within a province, to say it is badly connected would be understatement. To get to the town, you have to overcome a 1hr journey over a rocky road full of bumps and divots... even a powerful UNDP 4x4 needed to take it easy on the route! The day after arriving, I had an 'induction' of the town, where we went round and met the various dignitaries including the MP, the SDO and many more delegates.

The town itself is lovely - all the people i've met have been so very welcoming and friendly... PFPF have provided me a room, and we've had to throw together a kitchen area - as the living quarters being built for future volunteers isn't ready yet... (If we think the builders are slack in london - it's a different ball game here... if you're not standing over them, nothing's being done!).

The rooms are based behind a bar - and bars in Bangem like their music... they like it loud, and they like it till late! but i've quickly got used to the music - for once that finishes, the hens/dogs/birds are all contributing to ensure the liveliness is maintained.

One of the highlights so far has been the Youth Day celebrations that took place on the 8th... this included a serious of performances by the local school kids in the main square, watched by all the dignitaries, and this was followed by a football match with the local school team playing a neighbouring town... the kids sported various foot attire - from traditional footie boots to socks and some barefoot! It was a spirited game which finished on penalities which the home team won - and this sparked much celebrations for the next few hours with the kids taking laps of honour round the pitch, and then around town with their new trophy.

I also took part in a bee farming workshop that PFPF hosted last week - I now know heeps about bee's... and also had the chance to taste some freshly harvested honey from a bee hive (which about 15 of us visited with only 3 wearing bee suits... yep you guessed it, when the bees started buzzing, I promptly ran!)

In between, I've had the chance to get my teeth into PFPF's activities, and have created a plan for my next 2 months of activity in Cameroon... I don't have much time now as we're departing in a few minutes... hopefully i'll have a chance to check in before I head back to Bangem on Thursday.

In Cameroon!

Well - I'm currently sitting in a Internet cafe in Cameroon! :o)

It's been an interesting couple of days already - The Douala airport was very unique - you have guys offering to help you with your bags before you go through customs... and as soon as you get out, you have the offer of taxi's and phone sim cards etc... I had to wait a bit at the airport to get picked up, so it gave me a good chance to see the various people going about their day in a very relaxed way...

My first stop was at a hospital that is funded by a national church organisation, this wasn't part of the initial schedule, but i was lucky enough to talk to a couple of staff there and learn a bit about what they do and how. This was followed by an evening journey about 140km north (don't quote me on the distance). the first 3/4 of the journey took about 1.5 hours - with a couple of police checks, and my first experience of bribing police on the 3rd check (I didn't have to deal with this directly as the guy who taking me sorted it out). after this, the roads deteriorated drastically - and we averaged about 20km/h. Definitely digested my food! On the way - I was able to see the gorgeous green scenary - a lot of crops and also forestry. Also had a backdrop of Mount Cameroon on route...

Since then, I've been chilling in Kumba, staying at the home of the director of PFPF - Nzene, who I'll be working with. We've met a few of his friends and also fellow PFPF workers. Everyone's been very friendly. It's been interesting hearing the various thoughts about the challenges within the local region. We've got a planning meeting tomorrow (yep - on Sunday) to plan out my 12 weeks... and then I leave for Bangem on Monday afternoon...

Much Fun!

2 days to go!

Injections - check

Luggage - check

Visa - oops, couldn't get it today as I was snowed in!

So after closing everything off at work on Friday (hopefully successfully!), all that's standing in the way of my departure is the snow and ice in london.  I'll hopefully be collecting my visa from the Cameroon embassy tomorrow, and Heathrow would have sorted itself out and be working to schedule.  The best bit about the embassy visit - the guy that served me on Thursday was actually from Bangem, the town where I will be staying - it's a relatively small town, so it's quite amazing.  He was definitely very excited and he's gonna give me a letter to give to his family out there, and has told me to go visit them - Absolutely crazy and hopefully the sign of things to come.

What else... well - I've agreed to go without a laptop, and be 'yes man' (as much as I can).   Also, the internet access will be quite limited for me - Bangem doesn't as yet have access, so I will be travelling to a neighbouring town called Nkongsamba to reach the web (for which I have to take a car and a bus), so no promises re: updates. And, if anyone wants to know about malaria tablets... just give me a shout!  

Getting ready to go...

So it's finally happening... Qedis have agreed my sabbatical and I'm off to Cameroon and Uganda for 6.5 months to work with a couple of NGOs. I'll be trying to keep blogging regularly - but am not yet certain of how much access I'll have to the web, (and also I'm not good at doing these things) so we'll see how well I do.


So a bit about my plans...
In Cameroon, I will be working with an organisation called PFPF (Partners For Productivity Foundation). They have been around for about 10 years, and currently are involved in agriculture, education, environment, healthcare and livelihoods programmes for locals in the Kupe-Muanenguba Division of the South West Province. They are based in a small town called Bangem - which will be my home for my 12 week stay in Cameroon.

At PFPF, my role will be "Training and Resource Base Project – Planning and Development Officer". From the job description, I will be helping the organisation with the projects they've currently undertaking, and also looking at how the organisation works, in terms of communications, training, staff resources etc. In reality, it will be case of seeing what's going on, and figuring out ways I can be of help!

So I'm departing on the 4th Feb, and will be leaving Cameroon for Uganda on the 28th April. In Uganda, I'll be staying in Kampala, but I'll introduce this further later in the journey... For now, it's back to ticking off my to-do list...