Kiva Reports From the Field

Another night in the IDP camp?

2006-08-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

Oh no, that was the London Heathrow airport.

My trip home was a bit stressful, as you might imagine. I got off to a bad start as Jeffrey my taxi driver and I tried to enter the Entebbe airport in Uganda on Monday morning before dawn. We came to a police checkpoint and had to get out of the car. They patted us down and made us open the trunk so they could check my luggage. Police checkpoints always kind of freak me out, so I was on my guard as we stood in the dark behind the car, waiting for them to search my bags. A policeman approached me from behind and kind of whispered something to me. It sounded like "Your back is open," and I didn't really know what he was talking about, but I was kind of creeped out. He kept repeating similar things, and I couldn't figure out what he was trying to tell me until finally he said "your skirt is open in back." Yep, I had forgotten to zip the back of my skirt in the morning, so it was buttoned at the top, but unzipped the whole way down below my butt. I might have been grateful for the darkness, except that there was another car behind us, shining its headlights directly on my underwear for all the policemen to see. Humiliating.

After reluctantly surrendering my toothpaste, deodorant, and camera to the security at Entebbe to put in my checked luggage, I made it on my flight to London, only to find that my flight to Chicago had been cancelled. Thankfully, I got on an earlier flight the next morning, which meant that I didn't have time to stay with my friend in the city as I'd planned, and had to sleep in the airport instead. I woke up in the middle of the night to a rustling sound all around the row of chairs which had become my bed. Looking around, I saw that every person sleeping there had just received a foil blanket for warmth--everyone but me. So I laughed at the irony of receiving aid blankets in London rather than Uganda as I tried to ignore the cold and go back to sleep. My luggage didn't arrive in Chicago, but I made my connecting flight to Dayton and arrived home as scheduled on Tuesday evening, so I'm happy. As long as the luggage gets here soon--I'm worried about my camera and the priceless memories it has on it.

I don't know where to begin in describing my last few days in Uganda. I know I've mentioned the generosity a lot, but those last few days it was just overwhelming. Janet, the director of WITEP who hosted me in Mbale, had a full-fledged goodbye party for me, complete with photographer and feeding each other cake as if we were being married, after I'd stayed there for less than three days. She told me I am her daughter now, and I always have a home there. Then I returned to Kampala, where I visited the Acholi Quarters for the last time on Sunday. Probably 50 people gathered to express their gratitude to me for genuinely caring about them. Apparently they were very touched that I was willing to stay in their community for a night--I was the one who should be grateful for their hospitality and openness. They apologized that they didn't have anything more to give me as they presented me with an array of the paper bead necklaces, which they had all contributed. As I was leaving, they told me that they wanted to give me an Acholi name (Acholi is the name of their language and tribe.) They said they'll now call me Lakica Katie (pronounced Lakisha.) It means one who has mercy. I was touched and brought to tears as they sang farewell songs.

So yes, it's good to be home--I'm thrilled to see my family and friends here. But I am already looking forward to returning to work more with the awe-inspring people I met this summer.

Some Animal Encounters

2006-08-10T07:23:00.000-07:00

I left Kampala on Sunday to visit Soroti again for a few days and see some of the entrepreneurs that I missed the first time. It was a great visit, and I really enjoyed seeing everyone again--particularly all the kids around Carl's house. The moment that sticks out for me, though, was not such a pleasant one. We were driving to meet some beneficiaries at a village market, and we passed many bikes carrying livestock on the handlebars or on the back of the bike--a pretty common sight around here. But as we passed one bike which had a giant hog tied to the back of it, the poor pig's snout hit the rearview mirror of our car going full speed. It let out a groan of agony, and I about cried.

On Wednesday morning, I took a bus to Mbale, where I'm staying now with the last Kiva partner, WITEP. They are a really great organization. More than many of the MFIs I've seen here, their mission seems to truly be helping those in need. They charge 15% interest--very low by East Africa microfinance standards, and though they ask for collateral, they never actually confiscate people's property. I'm staying with Janet, the director, and she is incredibly hospitable and helpful. When I arrived yesterday, I put my suitcase in the corner of my bedroom and went out into the field. Last night as I was getting ready for bed, I opened up my suitcase to find my pajamas and noticed something behind it. Sure enough, squeezed between my suitcase and the wall was a perfectly contented chicken. She wasn't making a peep, just happily nesting there. She had actually laid an egg, too! Just not your everyday encounter. I'm so mad I didn't think to take a picture.

Yesterday and today I got to visit some of the Kiva sponsored businesses--it's been great! The best was today, when I got to visit Moses, whom I helped fund. He sells plow spares in his village, is caring for 10 children, and is HIV positive. He just received his loan last week, so he hadn't made much progress yet, but still it was so neat to meet someone to whom I'd lent directly! He had been bedridden for several months at the beginning of this year, but he's doing much better now and has gained a lot of weight back. He's taking antiretroviral medicine. I'll write a journal for him soon, so check out the kiva site to hear more about his business and family--it's called Home of Spares. He took us to his hut in the village--deep in the village, we almost got stuck several times in flooded potholes on the dirt path we were driving on--and I got to meet his wife and children. As we were getting ready to leave, he brought me a turkey as a gift. I'm not really one to hold a turkey, but what could I do? That's us in the picture above.

I can't believe it's back to Kampala on Saturday, and then I'm leaving on Monday. :(

Sorry

2006-08-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

So today at work, someone stubbed their toe and I instinctively said, "sorry." The person looked at me like I was crazy. I guess I forgot that I was back in America. In Africa, you say sorry at different times than in America. When someone falls, others say sorry. When you are telling a story and you say that you stubbed your toe, people say sorry. In America this just simply isn't the case. In fact, you usually get the same response that I did... A look like you are crazy and someone saying "it's not your fault."

Why is this? In America the only time most people would express regret for someone is when they were the direct cause of the discomfort. Is there really anything wrong with someone expressing regret for you even if they did not cause the experience? "I'm sorry" In America means... wow, I just did something wrong, and out of instinct, I must say this these two words that cancel out any retribution (in most cases).

In Africa, I think it is more along the lines of "wow, I have been in that situation, and even if I haven't I have been in similar situations which I can relate to yours. In this sense, I want you to know that I express my regret for you being in this situation." I think this may have a lot to do with an individual and collectivist culture. In any case, I encourage everyone reading this to try to use sorry with an African connotation once or twice to see what kind of reaction you get.

And to Katie, what a great experience... and pass along my sorry.

A Night in the IDP Camp

2006-08-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night I had the opportunity to stay in the Acholi Quarters, in the home of Stella and Jacob (Faustino's nephew.) It was one of my favorite experiences so far, and I really got to connect with several people and hear their stories. Heartbreaking stories.

The girl in the picture from my last blog, covered in dirt sticking her tongue out, that's Marcy Fiona, Faustino's daughter. She's been nearby every time I've visited the Acholi Quarters--she doesn't like to be far away from her father, and she loves to sprint up to me, wait for me to look at her, and then burst into laughter and run away as fast as she can. She definitely stood out as the most curious, energetic, happy, and fun-loving children in the area. They call her "small" because she was a very small baby. That's all I knew about her.

Yesterday morning, Faustino told me her story. When she was no more than one, her mother got sick. She tested positive for HIV and was scheduled to receive antiretroviral treatment to prolong her life. Before she started that treatment, she committed suicide, overdosing on her other medicine. Miraculously, Faustino was not infected with HIV, but Marcy was. She takes medicine twice a day, and he doesn't know how long she's expected to live.

Stella and Jacob's daughter, Presca, is in the picture above. She's four months old, and incredibly well behaved. Yes, she peed on me (making three times total) but it was all worth it, because before I left Stella told me that they are naming her after me! So now she's Ayo Katie Presca. I was so touched!

I interviewed, using the VEF poverty index, several women in the camp who make the paper beads. Not one of them is able to afford more than one meal a day, and most of them can't even afford tea (which is a must here, every morning, afternoon and evening.) They all work in the quarry making up to 1000 shillings a day, 7 days a week. That's about 50 cents a day. And they make the beads whenever they're not in the quarry--while I was there the power was out, so they were making them by candle light--even though they have no market for the beads. They just hope that some day they will make money from them, and they can't stand to be idle.

I'm definitely going to do my project here. :)

Special thanks to Stephanie Weinstein and Jill Klaiber who donated digital cameras to Kiva. Stephanie's went to WEEC in Nairobi and Jill's went to Life in Africa here in Kampala. Both organizations were incredibly grateful, as it has been difficult for the different staff working with Kiva entrepreneurs to share one camera. Thank you!

Class 5 Rafting on the Nile

2006-08-01T00:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I've certainly managed to keep busy since Nick left. The people at Life in Africa have been great about inviting me to spend time with them after work. I've spent time at some of the local churches, where they have youth centers in the afternoons and evenings for people to come and play sports and stuff. I also went to church with one member, Amisi Barbara, on Sunday. Then Teopista, another staff member, invited me to go to her daughter's primary school performance. That was GREAT! They did all sorts of folk dances from different regions of the country and sang songs and read speeches and poetry. All of the speeches and poems were on the theme of "The African Child," and they were very powerful--lamenting all the challenges that African children face and challenging parents and the government to help them survive. Last night Gilbert (an LiA staff member)invited me for dinner at his sister Alice's house. Alice's husband Ben traveled to L.A. years ago, and loves to expound upon the wonders of America. (There's no dust! There are telephones next to the toilets, so you don't even have to get up! The bed had water inside!) He literally calls it heaven on earth, and it's hard to convince him that there are any problems there. It's frustrating to talk to people who idealize the U.S. that way and don't appreciate all the wonderful things that Uganda has that America lacks (particularly the sense of community.) At the same time it makes me realize how trivial our problems often are--at least in comparison to the starvation and utter destitution that many people face here. Anyway, they were incredibly welcoming, and we had a great evening.

The most excitement I've had in a long time, though, had to be Friday. I went with three other Americans who are here working with VEF to Jinja, which is the source of the Nile. I had agreed to go rafting, but I didn't realize exactly what I was getting myself into. As we were getting our life jackets and helmets on, I asked Dunisia, who had been rafting several times in the U.S. before, how dangerous it was. She explained that rapids are rated class 1-6, and 6 are simply undoable. The highest she had done previously was class 3, which she described with her eyebrows raised as "very intense." Then I asked what class we would be rafting on, and she said class 5. I just laughed. Needless to say, I survived--didn't even fall out of the raft! It was exhilarating and breathtakingly beautiful. We got to get out and swim in the flat areas a few times. Geoffrey, our guide called every rapid "wicked!" and after each one we held our oars together in the center and shouted "hakuna matata!" It was fantastic.

This is the life.

Home

2006-07-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

Well...here I am. Back in America where toilets, electricity all day, and clean water are not bonuses in a hotel; but of course not without more adventure right? So I arrived in London and they informed me that my bags were in Chicago. Not a big deal, right, just go get some clothes for the ride home tomorrow and I'd be fine. So I stayed in a hotel that night and went to the airport the next morning. I arrived in Chicago at 3:30 and they informed me that my bags had not yet arrived. Hmm... That's interesting.
So my bags arrived two days later at three thirty in the morning. One bag was ripped, another had a broken zipper, and both of them had standing water in the bottom. Any other time, this might have just required a sigh and a trip to the dryer. However, I bought batiks while I was in Africa. Batiks are dyed cloths, and when wet, they bleed, and they ruin all other articles of clothing in your suitcase. Luckily, I took two dufflebags. O but I also had the great idea of splitting up the batiks between the bags. So, note to self, place batiks in plastic when carrying them on a plane. (not newspaper, as I did, which then contributed to the bleeding :)

All in all, though, what does it matter? I lost some clothes, some gifts for people, and a few souveniers;, but I am home safe and sound, in my airconditioned home, where I can sleep at night, wake up and get some fresh, clean, cold water, unlike half of the world. Life is great.

All by Myself

2006-07-26T00:18:00.002-07:00

That subject should be sung, as in the Celine Dionne song, in case you didn't realize. Nick left this morning, and I'm already feeling lonely. :( Miss you Nick!

The past few days have been absolutely wonderful! Life in Africa (LiA) is the coolest organization ever. Microfinance is just one part of their program--they're basically a community that provides all sorts of services to their members. Everyone comes to the center to make bracelets for the Invisible Children bracelet project (they're available online--get one!) They have a daycare center, computer training program, craft shop...I still don't even know about all their activities. People have to earn a certain number of "bananas," which they get for doing tasks in the community, to graduate to certain levels. A person needs 80 bananas to qualify for a loan. At that point, if they want one, they create a budget for their proposed project and get an agent who does an income assessment. Then the agent presents the person's proposal at a monthly loan review session, in which the whole community gathers. We got to sit in on that on Friday, and it was really interesting to see. They all trust each other very much within the community, so even though they have to guarantee each other's loans every loan application was approved except for one individual who doesn't spend much time in the community. Normally, loan recipients can pay back their loan with the money they earn from the invisible children bracelet making, so people can get loans for building houses and other things that aren't income generating. The neat thing about our experience here as opposed to the other MFIs is that we are spending time with the loan recipients every day and actually getting to know them, rather than just going to visit their home or shop and having a brief interview.

My favorite thing ever has been visiting the Acholi quarters--the IDP camp where displaced people from the north stay, many of whom are members of LiA and Kiva loan recipients. We went on Sunday, and I went back again on Monday. Many of the people, particularly women, there have started making jewelery from paper. They cut up colorful pages from magazines and roll them into beads, covering them with varnish and making beautiful necklaces, bracelets, and earrings that are all unique. When we visited, they all gathered together to demonstrate how they make the beads and let us buy them. They were really grateful for our support, and it was sooo nice to be able to buy such neat things directly from the people who make them, in an IDP camp...great. The woman in this picture was awesome--she came to show me her beads with the hugest grin on her face. (I'll add the picture later)

I also got a chance on Monday to talk with several Kiva funded businesses. It was really exciting because these loans were all used to start new businesses in the camp rather than expand old ones. Ocola Julius, for example, built a water pump to serve the community. It's cut down the distance that people have to walk to get their water significantly, and he's making his money back quickly. The problem is that the pump, along with all the pumps in the area, only works when there is electricity, which is roughly every other day.

Talking with Faustino and George, the LiA members who escorted me around the quarters (Kilama George already received a loan and Faustino was just approved for one on Friday, so he'll probably be up on the Kiva site soon--but I call funding him!) explained to me the hardships of living in the camp. Faustino has lived there for 11 years, George 5. Before they were working with LiA, they worked in the quarries which border the camp. They had to crush the rocks and carry a huge water jug full up from the bottom of the quarry. For one jug, they would earn 100 shillings--something like 6 cents. If they worked hard from dawn until night they could fill 10 jugs--15 at the very most, which is still less than $1 (the exchange rate is something around 1850 Ugandan shillings to the dollar.) You know, you hear statistics about the billion people in the world in extreme poverty making less than $1 a day, but to find out that your friends, well educated, intelligent, and sweet as can be, have just escaped that situation--it's shocking. And then they bought me a coke. And then one of the Kiva loan recipients, Umana Kustepa, whom we had just visited as he was working on finishing his home, came and brought us more drinks. He couldn't stay--he was still working--just wanted to welcome me. It blows my mind, the resilience and the generosity.

Seeing the camp made me really excited for working in Sudan, but it also kind of made me just want to work here in the Acholi quarters instead of Sudan. Faustino, George, and another LiA member Grace, were explaining to me that many of the women in the camp who make the paper beads would really love to get loans, but they can't afford to travel to LiA, and they don't have the income required to receive a loan. They already have such a strong community, and they're so hard working--starting a group loan program there would just be perfect. Almost no one within the camp has been able to find a steady job, but they want to work so badly. Grace would be a great person to run the program after I leave. And Faustino was truly like "If there's any way that you can think of, or anyone you know who could help the women in this camp to get loans, it would be so appreciated--they have lots of business ideas." So it seems kind of strange for me to go start a loan program in a camp that I've never been to that is probably very unstable. But at the same time, I really want to do something in Darfur, and I would hate to let down the Darfur Women's Empowerment Network now. So I'm not saying anything to the people here until I'm sure--I don't want to get hopes up if I can't follow through. Any advice?

Tanzania

2006-07-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

O.K. So this is my response to everyone who has been e-mailing me, asking if I am dead, and for everyone who just reads this blog and wonders what happened.. (As you probably already read from Katie's blog...
So Katie and I could not get tickets for Saturday as they were booked. We did get tickets for Sunday from Nairobe to Dar es Salaam. On the way to Dar, my stomach started killing me. I knew that it wasn't anything I had eaten, so then I tried to just stomach (no pun intended) the pain. That didn't work out so well. I was eventually in the worst pain of my entire life and I asked Katie to find out where the next stop with a hospital was going to be. This may seem extreme, but I thought I was having an apendicitis (not sure if that's how you spell it) and I really didn't think my mother would be too happy if I died in Tanzania. And besides, I was nearly fainting because of the pain.
So I was carried off of the bus and brought to the Arusha hospital where the first three doctors told me that I had apendicitis and would need an operation. The surgeon was called in and he gave me a "full examination" and he decided that it was kidney stones. So, after experiencing the worst pain of my life, I was introduced to real pain.

The next day we couldn't get a bus to Dar because I was released too late, and Katie really wanted to see animals. So, I stuck it out and we went to Arusha national park to see some animals (as you can see my favorite animal, a monkey, above).

I win the trooper of the day award, but I can't say that I made it the whole time :)

But now, I am safe and sound with my pain killers in Dar for one day. Today we traveled with Yosefo workers around to both a group meeting, and to visit the kiva clients. I have learned so much from this on the ground experience. It is really great to first learn about how a model works on paper, and what each group i.e. the MFI, the entrepeneurs, the credit officers, are doing. Then to be able to ask questions to each of those groups about what "really" goes on. . . is exactly the experience that I wanted.

I still have to write my dismount from kenya, which I will do later because Happy, the woman we are staying with, was supposed to just show us where the internet cafe was, instead she is here sitting and waiting for me and I think she just paid for my internet time.

There is no way to describe how generous, hospitable, and welcoming, people from Africa are. People would literally give you the shirt off of their back in a snow storm.

Wow.

2006-07-19T02:55:00.001-07:00

I don't know what else to say about the past week. Wow.

So we spent Thursday visiting more entrepreneurs with WEEC, which was awesome. They were mostly farmers and people renting rooms out, and they were amazingly sweet. I fell in love with one of the women, who everyone calls "shu shu" which means Grandma in Gikuyu, their mother tongue. She didn't hesitate to tell us the difficulties she was having along with her successes, and she had a shy smile that was incredibly endearing.

We couldn't get our bus tickets to Dar es Salaam for Saturday because it was booked, so after a long fiasco we got them for Sunday instead. We had a great time at the Masai market on Friday bartering for souvenirs. On Saturday we got to join Jedidah (director of WEEC) at a going away party for her friend's daughter who is going to study in the U.S. That was a neat experience, and we ate a lot of great food! There we also had an interesting encounter with an incredibly drunk guest who was trying to insist that all of us join him in his drunkenness. When he found out that we were working in microfinance, he scoffed and said he had a lot to say about microfinance--that there were a lot of problems. Upon further discussion, and after he repeatedly asked us our birthdays to do some sort of astrological analysis of our personalities, we discovered that he's the director of PRIDE Africa, one of the largest MFIs on the continent. The whole experience was just absurd.

We had to leave at 4:30 am from Herbert's house (I miss you Herbert!) to go into Nairobi and catch our 6:30 am bus. Aside from being held at the border waiting for our visas and holding up the bus, the ride was going smoothly until about 10, when Nick started having really bad abdominal pain. He thought it might be appendicitis, so I asked the bus driver when the next town with a hospital was. Thankfully, we were only 15 minutes from Arusha, the second biggest city in Tanzania, and a prime tourist spot. A couple of men had to carry Nick, who wasn't strong enough to walk by that point, off the bus and into a cab to the hospital. So, everything turned out ok, it was actually kidney stones. They kept him overnight while I slept on a broken chair in the hospital room with him.

But it was a blessing in disguise (at least for me since I didn't have to experience the pain part) because he was released too late on Monday for us to catch the bus to Dar, so we had the day to spend in Arusha. We decided to go to Arusha national park, and it was beautiful! Not 100 feet after we entered, there were about 8 giraffes immediately to our right. We stood up in the back of the car with our heads out the sunroof, and saw monkeys, zebras, buffalo, and a hippopotomus! It was pretty much the coolest thing ever. I would try to add photos to this,b ut I think the computer is too slow and I'm going to lose the post.

So we arrived in Dar es Salaam last night at about 6:30, and we're enjoying our brief visit with YOSEFO. We fly to Kampala tomorrow monrning!

In Nairobe

2006-07-12T05:13:00.000-07:00

Yes I know the title says "In Nairobe" but as with everything, getting there is half the fun....So we began our trek from Soroti to Mbane (Uganda) in a matato (A small bus that is crammed with people and used as a taxi. Just as Moses had left the taxi park a fight broke out between a man inside of our taxi and another man outside of the taxi. After the fight, we finally were moving and it took us 2 and a half hours to get to someplace that normally would take about an hour because of all of the stops that we made. We boarded a bus to Kenya, arrived at the border, bought passports and then boarded again... until we were leaving and the Kenyan police told everyone to get out with their passports and baggage to be searched and properly identified. We then began driving for some time (I would say around 5mph) until we stopped at a small town for some refreshments and bathroom breaks. I had just bought my gingersnaps and stoney (we should have stoney in the US) when across the street, a man was being robbed! There was a mob of people chasing one man, and then another mob chasing the mob (pretty exciting for only being in the country for a couple of hours). So we then arrived at the bus station where Jediddah couldn't find us for about an hour, and she drove us outside of the city to the WEEC headquarters... when her car broke down! By this point, I am no longer even surprised.

But now I sit at an internet cafe back in Nairobe as Katie and I had to come in to journal about our visits yesterday. Being with WEEC has been so educational and such a change from the Kiva/VEF office. The first day that we were in the office we made a weekly schedule that planned which clients we would visit, when we would visit, the literature we would need to read beforehand, and even the departments that we would need to speak to. This MFI is run so efficeintly! After we met with the operations manager, we met with the department of business development (it was all so informative).

I am very interested in WEEC's model. they first enroll women in a savings plan where they first form groups with people that they know, then they will deposit money to WEEC to begin a savings account. After a time, WEEC will allow the group to access a loan, but it is there own money and they pay interest to the group. After 31 days of business training, and proving that the women understand the concept of business, they can then access more seed capital through WEEC. WEEC then gives the loan to the group, the group gives the loan to the individual, and the individual pays back the loan to WEEC. However, there is constantly a pressure from the group members on each other to continue to pay back (Genius). The process is obviously much more complicated, but this is a blog not an informative brochure. If you want more info, link to WEEC through the Kiva site.

We are going into the field again tomorrow and then we are having a tour day on Friday where we will see lions, elephants, giraffes, and all the other fun animals of Africa. I'm not sure when I will blog again as we don't have internet acess in Kiseria. Hopefully I will get to write once more about Kenya, if not... Tanzania here I come.

Kenya!

2006-07-12T05:03:00.000-07:00

We're in Nairobi! Well, outside of Nairobi, near a town called Kiseria, where the Kiva partner WEEC is located.

We got in on Sunday morning, and aside from the car breaking down on the way home from the airport and being towed by a beaten up corolla with a rope, the trip went very smoothly. It's cold here, though! I wasn't expecting it, but this is the coldest season, and we're pretty high up. So I've been wearing the only two long sleeved shirts I brought layered with my paper thin jacket every day. It's nice to not have to worry about mosquitos and such, though.

WEEC is awesome! I've learned so much from them already. They do revolving fund group savings and loans. All of the employees are real experts in microfinance, and they've been great for providing advice for me on my project. I was talking with Martha, one of the field officers who is incredibly sweet, energetic, and passionate about her work. She's 8 months pregnant I think, but they still have to force her to come back from the field into the office. Her advice, when I was discussing the difficulty of starting a group loan program in the temporary situation of an IDP camp, was to form the groups with women from the same village so that when they resettled they could continue with the loans. I thought that was a really good idea. We're also brainstorming security issues with the money. Giving asset loans--an asset that would be income generating, like a bike to use as a bota-bota taxi--might be better than giving enterprise loans of money that could more easily be stolen. I don't know, I certainly don't have it all figured out, but it's great to get all of their input. Jedidah, the CEO, also offered to work as a consultant, so that could be useful!

We got to go out in the field yesterday and meet several entrepreneurs. It was great to see what they were doing and hear about how far they've come. They had all received loans through Kiva and thanked us profusely. WEEC explains Kiva to the entrepreneurs during the training, so they do understand that the money is coming from individuals in the U.S. I think, but I guess they just thought that we were those individuals, so we tried to explain that we weren't. I wanted to go visit a woman whom I had lent to throught the site, but it turns out she is very far and served by a different WEEC office. A lot of them were requesting funding for additional loans after they repaid their current ones. They were all really ambitious and hard working.

We have learned a little bit about why journaling is a burden to the partner MFIs. For WEEC at least, since they do group lending, they used to have very little direct contact with individual loan recipients, but rather with the group as a whole. In using the Kiva funds, they have had to change the methodology a little bit for those clients to spend time with each loan recipient and give the loan directly to them, not to the group to disburse as it sees fit. So the additional time that Kiva requires is not just the time spent journaling, but the time spent going to visit the entrepreneurs to prepare the journals as well. Still, all of the staff agree that it's well worth it. Their other funding comes from commercial banks, which they have to pay back at 15-18%, so they realize that Kiva is saving them a ton by providing interest-free loan capital, and they're incredibly appreciative.

We have limited internet access here, so sincere apologies if we don't get to blog much more before we go. We're leaving for Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on Saturday or Sunday, and then we'll go back to Kampala, Uganda on the 20th. Sorry there's no picture! The internet cafe won't let me hook up my camera.

The Dismount

2006-07-12T00:44:00.000-07:00

I have decided that after every trip (by trip I mean the week spent in one country) that I will have to make a dismount. This is actually a Paul Farmer term that I heard while reading, "Mountains Beyond Mountains" while here (highly recommended). Each day here offers me such a diverse experience, but they all seem to converge in the end. The dismount is simply my way of having some semblance to such a chaotic process of thought. This was my final thought, the conclusion, dismount, or whatever other name anyone would like to give it, at the end of my trip to Uganda.

Everything in this world is place. There is some place set off in our brains that connects one item to other items, thoughts, and ideas. When an object is placed outside of its context, it takes on a whole new (and often different) meaning. Even things that almost always have either a positive or negative connotation can be completely changed throught its context and surroundings. One object often associated with a negative connotation is dust or dirt. As Americans, we spend millions of dollars on cleaners, cleansers, anti bacterial, bleaches, and other chemical agents to rid us of, not only the topical, but even the unseen dirt. Being here has really helped me realize the extent to which this is a social construction.

I live in a wealthy enough nation, with citizens who have the means to keep up with such priniciples. But what about those places where even this stive for perfection is unattainable. Every day when I walk outside in Soroti, I meet dust, dirt, grime, and filth. I see the dejected, the dismissed, forgotten peoples of the world who society has tried to cleanse from its conscience. Today, I too can't tell where my tan ends and the dirt begins. I am working with, eating with, breathing, and living, in dirt. It is amazing what people can live with when they can't have the things I seem to need.

So much for that

2006-07-07T02:32:00.000-07:00

This morning there was a frog in the shower. I didn't have my contacts in, so I didn't notice until after I was already in and the water was running. We circled each other the entire time. Apparently he wasn't aware of Carl's rules.

No frogs allowed in the house

2006-07-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

Just as I started to type this blog, Carl came through the living room with a broom, and casually said "No frogs allowed in the house." Sure enough, he was gently escorting a small frog toward the door. We also have a nice pair of geckos, but they're allowed. And their movement provides great entertainment for the three of us. Life without tv and electricity is pretty cool. Seriously.

The latest games I've taught the kids are thumb wars and the card game war. Hmm, I'm just now realizing that they're both called war. Oops. At least they know Patty Cake too...that's about as nonviolent as you get.

A couple of touching moments from the past couple days:

Yesterday I was hanging out with Jimmy and his family, and they were eating--they each had like half or a third of an ear of corn. I've been there when they've eaten in the past, and it hasn't been a big deal, but yesterday Sarah, the mother, had her daughter Gloria bring me a cute little pan with a whole ear of corn in it! I was really moved. I've got to say, it was far from tasty, but I cherished that ear of corn more than anything I've ever eaten.

Secondly, and this borders a bit on disturbing..yesterday when I was leaving prayer, a bunch of the kids walked me home. Christie, one of the oldest girls always likes to give me a great big enthusiastic hug before I leave, told me that she hadn't washed her hands the previous day before eating. I asked her why, and she said "because I had hugged you! I didn't want to wash it off!" What do you say to that? I just hope she doesn't get sick from the poor hygiene.

How do I say goodbye to all of these people? :(

A most productive day

2006-07-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very productive day (as if the title didn't give give that away). When we went into the Kiva office, we were determined to either visit businesses and write journals, or just publish journals that had supposedly been written, but we couldn't find them on the site anywhere. As it turns out, the employees have been visiting the businesses and journaling, but then they are writing these journals on a Word program and awaiting for them to be published. The journals had been written, but they were just not actually posted to the website. I tried to explain to Moses that his employees were doing twice the work that they needed to be doing. "Kiva is set up to make it really easy for the journalists to do the posting. There is no need for them to type into a microsoft word program because kiva's journal page is just like a word program." Moses then explained that this was just something that they had been doing because they were new and wanted him to check over the journals before they were posted.

So tommorrow, we are going to go into the office and have a meeting with the employees explaining how they should log in and post their journals immediately after they visit the partners (even if they are not all perfect grammar).

Katie and I also wrote 6 journals ourselves after the employees had given us the details of their visits. It was going to be so hard to post all but 6 journals. So, we asked that they give us the details and we wrote them.

Today, there was no power all day and really nothing for us to do at the office, so we took a bus to Kumi, so that we could take a boda boda to nyora, and then walk about five miles to see some ancient rock paintings. At first we were at the wrong place and really dissappointed, then some kids came and we followed them to the big rock painting. I have to go to sleep now as we are leaving for the market tomorrow at 6 in the morning.

p.s. The picture above has nothing to do with they day, I just thought it was beautiful. :)

Prayer, bike ride, and Kiva businesses!

2006-07-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

I never want to leave Soroti! I've grown almost grateful when the power is out so that I can go play with the children without feeling guilty about not blogging. :) Not that I don't like blogging...

So on Sunday I was in the neighborhood playing with a few of the children, and I asked if I could go with them to see the well. We had a nice walk; it's really not far, but we passed lots of people whom I hadn't met yet on our way there. On the way back, though, I noticed that there was a huge rectangular hut, probably 6 or 8 times the size of the other huts people were living in. I asked the kids what it was, and one of the older ones told me it was a church. I wondered if I could go inside, and they said "Of course! Welcome!" (as always.)So I walked inside to find a huge open room, dark, with magenta flowers hung from the ceiling, a single cross placed at the front and center, and a few benches toward the front where people were gathered. Immediately they all confirmed that I was indeed welcome, and I joined them in the front.

Evelyn, one of the older girls who was leading the whole congregation, informed me that they were about to begin a drama on the theme of marriage. Of course, I couldn't understand a word of the Iteso, but the other children certainly enjoyed it, and I was glad to be a part of it. Afterward, they had some of the most joyful singing and dancing I've ever experienced. The past two nights, I've joined them for their nightly prayer, during which they say the rosary, read a passage from the Bible, and do more singing. It's really been a moving experience, and I'm amazed at how welcoming they are--translating everything they can into English for me, inviting me to do the readings, and thanking me countless times for joining them. It is so inspiring to see so much joy in people in a displaced persons camp! They have been separated from their homes, all their belongings, seen their family members killed, and they show more gratitude than I ever do. It's incredibly humbling.

Earlier this evening, Alfred, a Kiva staff member here, offered to take Nick and me on a bike ride around town. For any of you who know what the roads are like here, you know that there is a little bit of a risk in such an endeavor. Here, the bigger things have the right of way over the smaller things, so pedestrians are out of luck and cyclists aren't much better off. Trucks and cars speeding down the dirt roads just won't try to avoid you. Luckily, we finished our ride successfully. That is, our only troubles were me falling over on my way up a dirt hill, Nick getting stuck behind a long line of cows and having to circle behind them and eventually use his bell to make his way between them, and me tearing my pants on the seat as I tried to mount the bike after we stopped to chat with some friends who were passing on the road. Yes, I thought I was smart to change out of my skirt into pants for the ride, but it was really hard to get up onto the high seat, and my prized Good Will purchase just didn't cut it. So there was a huge gaping hole, letting the world see my bright green underwear. The children in the IDP camp we were passing through thought it was hilarious, though. I guess it was worth it to brighten their day?

So..more importantly..we visited Kiva businesses today! It was great. My favorite was Rose, widow and mother of five, who has a produce stand in the Soroti market. She was incredibly grateful for the loan and anxious to share with us about everything she has done with the money, both to expand her business and to take care of her family. Her children have all been in school--the youngest is just finishing primary, and the oldest has finished college and is working. One of them is studying to be a doctor, and another a pharmacist. She brought us cake as a gift since Alfred let her know we would be visiting.

We're looking forward to doing more visiting and journaling of Kiva businesses the rest of the week!

Our Day with VEF

2006-07-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

Today we visited people who had recieved a VEF grant. Villiage Enterprise Fund, who in the past has acted as an MFI for Kiva, is better known as the group that gave out grants. In Kiva's office in Soroti, the people who recieved a grant from VEF would then be considered for a loan from Kiva. I think that it is a great model. First, VEF gives half of the $100 dollar loan to people who are sought out by volunteers working within Soroti. The volunteers spend some time walking around in the villages and the city seeking people who they believe are hard working and would do well with a grant. After $50 is given, VEF then sends people to asess how well the money was managed, then the subsequent money may or may not be given. It was important for us to see this as it is the first step of the Kiva loan process in Soroti ... and we got some great stories!

To begin, we traveled into Rural Soroti (I didn't think that Soroti could get any more rural than it was) by taking a Land Rover far outside of town. First traveling on dirt roads, then making our own roads where there was previously only a walking path, we met William.

William began his small business under a tree in a town called Amen. He had very few goods, and was having an extremely difficult time competing while his tree was actually located on the east side of a much larger shop. VEF identified him as very hard working and gave him a grant of $50. After he had proven that his business had expanded, he was granted the other $50 of the grant. Although I could not see the exact track record of the business, William said that at his lowest point (when the rebels had chased all of his customers away), he and his business were only worth about 250,000 shillings (around $139). Since the grant, with the profits from his business, he has been able to buy a building for his shop, he rents out the other side as a hotel,

side note:
[When I say a hotel, I really mean a resturant. When people from the rural villages would travel into the larger cities they would go and visit hotels (where they often served food). The people were unaware that hotels actually offered accomodations (not like they could afford the accomodations anyway). When such people came to to the village and started their own places that served food, they wanted to be just like the big city hotels.]

he has built a new home for his wife and child, and has bought 12 cows. (one cow is estimated to be about $250) It is amazing to see what some people can do with only $100 dollars!

William's House Before and After

We then traveled to meet Isiah. This man lives in a very rural village and would not be able to survive, only selling goods like William. He and another man accepted the grant together and helped them buy staple goods such as soap, salt, sugar, millet and cassava, and they used the rest of his money to buy a team of oxen for agriculture. He was very protective of his Oxen as they were his most precious asset. Whenever one of them would come down with an ilness or injury, he would walk into town to see the local vet. The vet, though, would not only treat his animals, but explain what was wrong and tell him that he never wanted to have to treat his animals for that ailment again. He also travel to help the vet and other members of the community restrain an animal whenever it was being treated. These members in the neigboring villages would also teach him how and why they were treating their animals. Isaih's partner actually left the village as he was not tending to the crops or doing his part at the shop. Isaiah currently has left the agricultural business and his small shop to the other members of his family to run while he is now tending to more serious matters... acting as the village vet.

Another interesting stop was in between William's and Michael's. We had planned on stopping and visiting a family who VEF had seen as a what one might call a "high risk loan." The risk being that it might not be used properly. We were unable to visit as all of the men in the family had started drinking already (they were in no state to talk). As we left, though, Micheal explained what had happened in this instance. VEF did not want to give the loan to the men, as there was a good chance that it would be wasted on alchohol. They instead made the mother of the family the spokesman for the group (very interesting in an extermely patriachal society) and gave them two goats. VEF told the mother that she would be given the goats, but the first offspring would go back to VEF. After the mother had fed and watered the goats every day, they gave birth to healthy kids. VEF then told the mother that she could keep the animals as she had proven that she deserved the grant, and could manage her assets well. When we passed the house, on the right side was a field of at least 20 goats.

It was great to see the first step in the process and hear so many amazing stories, but I am anxioius for tomorrow when we meet the Kiva loan recipients.

Rock & Bar B Q

2006-07-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a great day. When I woke up, I went to the big climbing rock in town with Osio and Walter. When we got to the rock, I saw that there were stairs and railings to get up. (probably something that Carl and Katie would have like to see yesterday). After we reached the top, we saw a monkey, but it scurried off onto the other side of the rock. There was a boy who lived below the rock, who asked me if I wanted to follow the monkey. He hopped over the stairs and began scaling across to the other side as he called back, "you come with me." So, of course, I did. The two boys that had come with me urged me to stay as they pleaded "you will fall, what will we do?" I safely made it to the other side of the rock and we saw three monkeys. There were two little ones and then the big monkey came to the top of the rock. It was not very happy that I had come to his rock. "He is not used to your skin. He is scared," said the boy. Amazing that even the monkeys can pick out a mzungo.

We made our way back to the other side and back down the steps. On our way to town to get some water, we passed through an IDP (internally displaced persons) camp. In 2003, rebels from northern Uganda raided the villages, stole all of the cattle, and killed many people. The estimated number of people living in IDP camps in Soroti is 180,00. One of the boys was telling me that he remembers when the rebels came the first time
"It was night. I had been sleeping and I heard everyone screaming. When we went to see what it was about, everyone was running for the city. My uncle, they caught him. . . they used to catch people and make them kill their wives, then they would cook them in front of the other one. When they were done, they would make him eat the other person while they held a gun to their head. If you even made a bad face, the army would shoot you right there. dead.

"So is your uncle dead?" I asked.
"No, he is living."

After we got back from the rock, we were having an American Bar B Q. We had roasted chicken, goat, matoke, and potatoes . . . then we roasted Marshmallows. We had many people over for the Bar B Q, but we had way too much food, so Carl let some of the neighborhood kids in to eat on the front porch. Also, while we were roasting marshmallows, the kids were strewn all over the fence, "Nick. You give me one" "Nick." I think our guests and I ate about half of the marshmallows and the kids hanging over the fence got the rest. It was a great day. Tomorrow we will go with Micheal and see VEF grant recipients.

A weekend in Soroti

2006-07-02T04:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Carl and Katie and I went to town as we had planned to walk up the big rock (I forget the name). When we reached the rock, though, there was no path, just a rock. Carl and Katie were not as eager as I, so we just went back home after eating lunch and, of course, buying a soccer ball.

Every single day, when I walk out of the house I hear "Mzungo [white person], you bring ball." because John and Kale, who were here previously, bought a ball and played with the kids. You would think that someone would have taught them the word "please" after all of these years. However, everyday, "Mzungo, you bring ball, Mzungo, you give sweets." Children will crowd around Carl's house all day and find plenty of enjoyment just yelling, "Mzungo, how are you." Not that they know how to answer, but I guess it beats doing nothing. After getting the ball, finding a pump (from someone who was not going to charge me) I went out and played with the kids. After a while, the entire neighborhood was in a full-fledged game (with no goals, teams, or points of course). I met a couple of older kids named Osio and Walter. After we had played for some time, I asked if they would walk with me and we could all get something to drink. They agreed, and we went and I spent 3600 shillings on three liters of Coke (about two dollars). The store owner asked if we wanted a bag and I said no, and that we could carry them. On the way back, the two boys wer silent. We had previously been walking, chatting, and they were asking me nonstop questions about America.

The two boys had previously been arguing about whether Osio should be scared of all people from China because they know so much Kung Fu that when they hit you... you will go flying in the air for many kilometers.

When I asked why they were so quiet, they said, "We have never had this much soda, and drank it all by ourselves."

After we made it back to Carls, and we were all sitting in the little hut in Carl's front yard, they boys began teaching and writing Ateso for me. When I asked them for the translation for "please," they looked puzzled. I tried to give many English examples in which you would use the word please. "You mean to beg?" Walter asked.
No, to make it sound nicer, you know?" "
So you are trying to trick that one?
No, you are just being polite.

As it turns out, there is no Ateso equivalant for please. The kids aren't rude, they simply have no frame of reference in which they can put the word. It doesn't make sense to them.

We finished the night with dinner and, since Carl doens't have a TV, to the local Hotel to watch the world cup games. On this day, we don't have power, so only the houses and hotels with generators can watch. Tomorrow, I am going back with Walter and Osio to climb the rock.

I was peed on!

2006-07-01T06:48:00.000-07:00

I just got peed on by a three week old beautiful baby named Molly. You won't see much underwear, let alone diapers, on the kids in Soroti. It was definitely worth getting to hold her, though. :)

We have been free to do as we please today, since it's Saturday and no one is in the Kiva office. Our time there yesterday was really neat and very informative, as Nick explained. I was definitely disappointed to find that they require collateral from their loan recipients, since that was one of the things that I thought was coolest about microfinance and made it possible to loan to truly impoverished people. The borrowers also have to get two guarantors--generally friends who have more money and belongings to use as security on the loan. We also got to meet Janet, the director of WITEP, another MFI partner which I'll be working with in a few weeks after Nick leaves. She was great, and I'm looking forward to working with her organization, which is only about two years old. Apparently they have similar policies with regard to collateral, but hopefully some of the other MFIs won't.

For my own experience, I'm also hoping that some of the other partners provide loans to people who are starting new businesses rather than expanding old ones. For me, this internship is meant to help me understand the loan process of an MFI so that I can complete my Lang Scholar project. The scholarship gives me $10,000 to do a social justice project of my choice, and I will be working with the Darfur Women's Empowerment Network to start a microcredit loan program in Internally Displaced Persons camps in Sudan. These loans will be going to women who hope to start new businesses, so it will be helpful for me to see the evaluation process for a person who has no business experience. VEF does give grants to people in this situation, and we're visiting VEF funded businesses on Monday and Tuesday, so that might be a good opportunity to learn about the process.

I'm starting to learn a few phrases in Iteso, the local language. I can now say hello, how are you, I am fine, what is your name, my name is Katie, God bless you, and you have a beautiful child. The children are SO MUCH FUN!! The parents keep offering for me to take their babies (I'm not sure what that's all about) and I'm going to have to accept the offer. I taught Jimmy, my favorite little boy, patty cake today. The first couple of times, I tickled him at the end when I said "put it in the oven for Jimmy and me." The next time I did it, he tickled me at the same time. Adorable.

Our Day With Kiva

2006-06-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

Today was our first day actually working with Kiva. Moses picked us up around nine to go to the Kiva office. At the office, Moses first explained the connection between VEF (Village enterprise fund) and Kiva. As it was explained to us, VEF started out giving fifty dollar grants to Entrepenuers after they had attended an educational session on money management. After they had proven that they had used their money sucessfully (they had made more money) they were then given the other fifty dollars ( total $100 grant). After there had been so much success, VEF then looked at giving larger loans to the entrepenuers that had already proven themselves successful with the first grant.

After we got the quick orientation and background, I was really interested in finding the answers to a lot of questions. Because Kiva only acts as an interface, it is up to each individual partner to decide many of the policies. Therefore, the answers to my questions will vary based on which MFI I visit and who I am asking. I believe that this is extremely overlooked. What is each person's perspective during each step of the process' perception on what is happening? For instance, how does each partner view Kiva, compared to the entrepenuers? Or, what are the steps in choosing who does and does not recieve a loan?

Many of these questions were very hard to answer for two reasons. One is cultural. People in Uganda want to make visitors feel so welcome that they often will say what they feel that the visitor would like the answer to be. Katie and I quickly caught on in our interviews to not ask leading questions. For instance I asked "Was this individual only denied on a basis of inadequate information?"
"yes" was the response.
Moments later, Katie asked, "So was she denied because she is asking for too much money?" "yes," was the response.
I asked, "So if she was asking for less money, she would be approved?"
"Yes"
Katie: "But would she bea because she does not have enough information?"
No.
We soon learned the extent to John and Cale's observation, "There is no 'no' in Uganda."

The other reason that some of our questions were difficult to answer is that VEF has stopped providing new loans through Kiva and we could not see the entire process as it was happening. I was slightly confused as Moses explained that VEF was considering continuing funding, but they needed to send interns to explore whether the loans were being payed back. I had previously understood from our meetings in San Fransisco that VEF would not be handling new businesses as that was not their main objective (loans) and they would be moving their focus back to grants.

Most of the time at the Kiva office, though, is spent going through the entire application process for new loans. In fact, we got the opportunity to travel with Alfred to see an entrepenuer that is currently applying. We went and saw her current business of children's clothing (seen above) that she is planning on expanding, and then we went to her house and land where Afred took pictures of what she was offering as collateral. It did not seem to me, as we spoke with her later, that she knew that VEF had stopped facilitating Kiva loans. She was still under the impression that she could recieve a loan, and the Kiva office spends most of their workforce and time exploring and asessing new entrepenuers that are applying for new loans.

While in California, I asked many on the Kiva staff, what they would like to find out if they were in Africa. One staff member in told me that he would be interested in knowing whether Kiva is really reaching the "poorest of the poor?" (whatever that is). My immediate answer is "no" becuase they only fund already existing businesses. However, then I realized the beauty of Kiva is that the answers that I recieve today will be completely different from those that I receive at each individual MFI. That is the beauty of Kiva. They are not a regulating body which sets and enforces their policies. Kiva simply screens the partners so as to ensure that each of the partners are honest, credible businesses. Kiva only provides the platform for which partnering MFIs can gain more capital at a low interest. They don't tell anyone what game to play, or how to play it, they just give them a field.

And Then, We Were There... almost

2006-06-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

Wow. We are here. After an eight hour flight to London, a nine hour layover, an eight hour flight to Entebbe, an hour taxi ride to the bus station, and then a seven hour bus ride, we arrived at Carl's house in Soroti. The traffic was unbelievable in Kampala. For most of the trip to the bus station I had my window down. I literally could touch the car that was next to us while only sticking my hand (not arm) out of the window...(Yes I tried). We were on a dirt road (the main road of the city) for most of the time, but occasionally we had to take "short cuts" which, more or less meant driving around and over occasional small Ugandan Grand Canyons. I will never be able to hear another person in America complain about pot holes again!
The bus ride was a whole new adventure. We were again on the main road towards Soroti, but this road also included holes, missing pieces, and other obstacles. Not only was I wedged into the seat, but my backpack would not fit into the overhead holder. So there I am 6"3' 210 lbs wedged into a seat packed next to people like sardines. I didn't think that I would even have knees after the seven hour ride. After prying myself out of the seat and wabbling out of the bus, we met Moses. Moses is the Director of Kiva in Africa, and he drove us to Carl's house.
At Carl's we were invited to dinner at Moses' house, where we had a traditional african feast. It was so good. One thing that always amazes me about Africa (I was in South Africa and Swaziland last year) is the hopsitality that everyone shows. It is such a big deal for anyone who walks into the room to be greeted, (shake hands) by everyone else in the room. After dinner, it was all I could do to stay awake. We went back to Carl's and I slept for twelve hours.
In the morning we were told that moses would be picking us up a little after lunch. This actually turned out to five o'clock (due to Africa time).

For anyone who has never been to Africa, you must understand that there is a time difference. Not only the eight hour time difference that gives you jet lag, but another undocumented time difference. If someone in Africa tells you that they will pick you up at noon, if they arrive by twelve thirty, you should consider yourself lucky. You should really be thinking more along the lines of one or two. Many people outside of the culture never understand how this could be tolerated, more or less, encouraged. It just seems so ineffecient, right? The best explanation of this phenomenon came after I was complaining and saying "this would never fly in America." to which the man responded, "In Africa, when you see someone who you haven't seen in a while and they ask you how you are, you are obligated to sit and tell them. Afterall, you never know when they may die.

I was not near as frustrated with Moses' late arrival as I previously would have been. Katie and I actually walked around the neighborhood, were bombarded by children, and got some great photos. Tomorrow we start our work with Kiva!

We're Heeeere!

2006-06-29T02:07:00.000-07:00

We're safe and sound in Soroti Uganda as of yesterday afternoon! Africa is BEAUTIFUL! Everything is so green and all the people we've met have been amazing.

The trip wasn't too bad, though it was definitely long. Our flight arrived late into Entebbe yesterday, so Carl and his girlfriend Susan were waiting for us for over 2 hours starting at 5:45 am--they're wonderful. From there we had a 45 minute drive to Kampala, and then a bus ride which lasted about 7 hours to Soroti. I have some pretty severe bruising to the head from banging it on the window as I repeatedly fell asleep on that ride despite the bumpiness and heat. I wish I had been able to stay awake more and enjoy the scenery...oh well.

Carl's house is great, and the village is awesome! Hopefully we'll be able to walk into town today. I went out to meet some of the neighborhood kids yesterday, and they are all so sweet! They had fun laughing at me as I tried to greet them in the local language. I really can't stand not being able to communicate better with them--I just wish I could learn every language in the world.

We had dinner at Moses' house last night, and it was DELICIOUS! It was truly a feast. And he didn't mind me not eating the meat, which was really nice. We got to meet some of the other Uganda Kiva and VEF staff, and they were all awesome. We watched some of the world cup and discussed the bombings in Gaza.

We get electricity every other day here, and it worked last night, so tonight should be fun. :) It was great to wake up this morning after a wonderful night's sleep to a rooster crowing, and then hear all the sounds of the village--children playing and cows and sheep. I'm so happy to be here and I can't wait to start visiting entrepreneurs!

T'was The Night Before Uganda

2006-06-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

At this time tomorrow I will be on a plane from Chicago headed towards Uganda. Me being the extremely well-planned, meticulous person that I am, I have everything all ready in a neat pile by the door (haha). That's a lie. As a matter of fact, I am not even sure what time my flight leaves (I think nine pm). On the list of things to do before I leave: go to the post office and pick up plane tickets and itinerary, buy a digital camera for the trip, stop by the health clinic and get a copy of my shot record, locate my passport, go to the bank to deposit the money that was sent for my trip, and pack. O well, I still have twenty four hours to worry about all of that.
I am so excited to be going with katie and working with Kiva. I found out about Kiva in a very interesting sort of way. I am a Ronald Reagan Fellow at Eureka College, in Eureka Illinois (in between Bloomington and Peoria). The Fellowship consists of a full-tuition scholarship and two mentornships anywhere in the world fully paid for by the school. I was simply searching microfinance on the internet and Kiva was one of the first sites that I found. I wrote to matt and told him that I was interested. The next thing I knew I was on a plane headed for SanFransisco. I spent ten days in SanFransisco and Palo Alto learning about Kiva, staying with the staff, sitting in on meetings, and really just getting a crash course in small business start up. It was great to see all of the obstacles and advantages to being such a small, young company, while learning about the many different sides to microfinance. I am not even sure that the people who work for Kiva sleep, I swear! Their lives involve one thing...Work. It was such a great experience to be around people with only their optimistic attitudes and hope to change the world to keep them functioning throughout the day. (Well, that and coffee) The mentorship was not what many may imagine. By that I mean it was not a neat, well-planned, cookie cutter experience. There were not specific tasks, we were encouraged to explore SanFransisco, and I was not even sure who I was going to stay with most of the time. For me, It was perfect. Hopefully, this trip will follow suit. We'll see.

Getting Ready

2006-06-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

Wow, so we leave for Uganda in four days, and in the mean time I'm going to Pittsburgh for my brother John's wedding. His soon-to-be wife Courtney is actually how I got connected with Kiva, as she's close friends with Kiva co-founder Jessica Jackley Flannery, who will be a bridesmaid along with me. Anyway, I leave tomorrow for that, get back Sunday evening, and leave Monday for Africa. I've been looking forward to the trip for so long now that it seems surreal that I'm actually leaving.

Today I got my passport back in the mail with my Uganda visa (thank goodness.) I also got a package from Kiva with a donated laptop and digital cameras we'll be distributing to partners. I'm pretty much packed, and I have all my vaccinations--which was a lot, and I'll still have to take my malaria pills while I'm there. I opted out of the incredibly expensive rabies vaccine, so say a prayer that I don't get bitten by a rabid animal.

Last week I ate meat for the first time in 15 years just to make sure my stomach can handle it. It was a tough decision to eat meat while I'm there, but I really don't want to offend my hosts by refusing that generosity. Anyway, the trial went fine. I had some Thai chicken pizza and a Philly cheesesteak. Definitely weird mentally to put that in my mouth, and my stomach hurt a little, but I didn't throw up. I don't think it's possible, though, to prepare myself for seeing my food killed in front of me. We'll see how that goes.