For the next twelve days
prepare yourself for a blog explosion. In
remember everyone’s favorite Christmas song that results in 364 gifts, I have
decided to write about my day-to-day adventures.
Warning: These posts will
most likely capture some of the random things that happen in Kitgum and the
random thoughts going through my brain at any given moment.
Here we go. Day 1.
Each Peace Corps V0lunteer
is assigned a Counterpart, whom we are to work alongside in our projects. Working with a Host Country National has its
benefits, including helping translate the language depending on the program and
assisting with cultural barriers. Now
don’t get me wrong, there are also barriers… Language, trying to convince them
that something is important but they just won’t be convinced, and the feeling
that they are always dragging a puppy around.
The puppy being the
Volunteer.
I got lucky. My Counterpart is awesome. When I shifted to Meeting Point I approached
my Supervisor about working in the Education Department, which would allow me
the opportunity to teach in the community and work with a USAID program. She allowed me to do this and at that point I
went to finding someone who would be willing to take me under his or her
wing. That’s when I met Nixon. Nixon is a social worker and spends a lot of
his time working with youth in various capacities.
Nixon was open to having
me work with him and we then began mapping out the rest of my time in Uganda and
how we could work together to make the best use of my time left. We started approaching schools that would be
open to holding life skills classes and every week we would tackle a new topic
to teach to the youth. Nixon helped me
identify topics that were appropriate and relevant to Ugandan youth while I
introduced creative facilitation. Furthermore,
Nixon has been open to my project proposals and supports my ideas, usually
providing a way forward.
Last Thursday, December
12, we put one of these proposals into action.
The USAID program we are working with, SCORE, Sustainable COmprehensive
REsponse for Vulnerable Children and Their Families, which has approximately
2,400 beneficiaries, mostly being youth in primary and secondary school. Due to this number, Nixon and I are unable to
reach all the beneficiaries in the schools so we decided to implement a Student
Seminar Series, SSS. The SSS program is
meant to reach our youth beneficiaries in larger groups on life skills
topics. The day program includes
everything from substance abuse and HIV/AIDS to communication and guest
speakers. We held out first one a week
ago and it went well. The day was long
and in true African fashion, the students showed up an hour late and we started
ninety minutes delayed. Throughout the
day we provided notebooks, pens, tea, lunch, water, and songs to keep the kids
awake and functioning.
Icebreaker #1. Spelling COCONUT with our bodies!
As the students left Nixon
and I recognized that for the next SSS we need to extend it to a 2-day program. This will allow for us ensure that the information
is being comprehended and each topic is being given ample time.
When I arrived at the
office the following day my Supervisor approached me saying that she saw the
SSS and was very impressed by the turnout.
She continued to say that one of the youth went home and went to tell
their parents how much they learned and enjoyed the day. It was good to know that this idea actually
had some impact.
As the holidays are quickly
approaching, we have decided to take on the SSS in full force in 2014. With a little revamp of the budget and the
program and we will be set. I am excited
to teach again and also to build the skills of the staff so that this can
continue when I am finished.
Nixon in the aisle checking in with the students as they arrive
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