...Masaka.. Mbarara... travels part 2

On Sunday I headed to Masaka.  I had gotten a call a few weeks before from Jude, who is the leader of a small residential community there.  He had expressed interest in me helping them with their sustainability effort and possibly doing some teaching.  He didn’t have to ask me twice to go to Masaka… I have many friends and connections there and was excited to get back. 

Masaka is somewhat flat and has many marshes.  The town is build on the small hills around the marshes.

I arrived on Sunday and was joyfully met by various members of the NET team who were at the community visiting… and most of all met by 2 of my DTS Students who now live there… including one of my “daughters”, Lydia!  I even got to stay in the same room with her.  It was fantastic to be together and catch up.  We talked for a long while, I rested a bit, then enjoyed Dinner and a chat with Jude in the evening.

The next morning I went across town to the MADDO Offices… the offices for the Masaka Archdiocese Development Organization.  I had asked Fr. Francis, their director of Education and a friend of mine, if he’d be interested in chatting about a possible Character Development program in their schools.  I came into the meeting and was very surprised to see the whole education team, assembled, and waiting!  We hadn’t agreed a time, we’d just said in the morning, but I felt a bit bad because they’d been waiting.  So suddenly I found myself on the spot, and didn’t really have a presentation prepared!

Chairs, Pots, and Jarred Cans... normal life around here.

Lydia, my daughter, while still on DTS!

Basically I told them I don’t have a primary school program, but that Javis and I can offer them an S5 Leadership Program, as well as do teacher training for their teachers.  They LOVED everything I had to offer!!  It was very exciting.  They said that they really really want the “pilot” school to be in Masaka, and that they are willing to invest in making it and teacher training happen!  They gave me a team right away of two hard working and organized men. 

(Update:  The program is now being written, I just met with Javis this past Friday and all the flesh is being put on the bones!  We have a meeting in Masaka with them on March 19^th to give them the basic outlines for the program!)

After my meeting with the Education people, I went and saw my good friend Fr. Edward.  I waited for him for a while, and then we got to chat over tea.  It was really lovely.  He insisted that I stay for lunch, so I went back down to MAADO and met with Cece, the Human Resource Manager and a friend.  We discussed sustainable development options for the community I am working with in Masaka.  It was  great time of collaboration.

Then I went back to the community (which is called Holy Trinity).  I rested, spent more time with Lydia and the other people around.  Then around 5:30 I had a meeting with Fred Mwanda… the master mind of pretty much everything great going on in Masaka.  We took a long time to brain storm, share ideas, discuss how I can be of assistance in Masaka, and established a mutually understood partnership arrangement!  I LOVE WORKING WITH EFFECTIVE AFRICANS!!!   He is really excited about helping us with teacher training.  He has been wanting to do it for a long time, but hasn’t had the connections to make it happen.

the end of a large veggie market about 2 Km from YA Community

I HAD planned to leave on Monday.  But because Fred wanted to meet on the later side, and because of the beautiful thing called African time, I decided to stay another night.  I had the great chance to eat dinner with the NET team, though I wasn’t a ton of fun because I was tired.   The next day I wrapped up things with my friends at the Community, stopped to pick up some documents from Fred, and then got a REALLY nice, cheap, and very comfortable bus home to Mbarara, which literally took me to my driveway!!  It was a huge blessing. 

Coming back to Mbarara was hard.  I had done so much great, effective work during my short trip out… that coming back to Mbarara was a bit of a shock.  I had asked a lot of people to get different things together while I was away.  I also had come back specifically in time to attend a few meetings.. all of which were changed or didn’t happen! I also moved rooms, again… for the 4^th time.  I basically have given up on having a stable place to live.  These days I tell people I live out of my backpack. 

So after my little working adventure, I settled into life in Mbarara for 3 weeks.  Next update will fill you in on what I did with that time.