A recent Trinity engineering graduate loath to jump on the ‘volunteerism’ bandwagon, Aoife Wilson is now orchestrating her own sustainable development project in rural Uganda
I travelled to Uganda last September to begin a nine month project through the Foundation for Sustainable Development. On arrival I was partnered up with a local organisation called the Phoebe Educational Fund for AIDS Orphans and Vulnerable Children, but most of their work these days involves the grandmothers who are looking after the orphans.
My goal as an FSD volunteer was to come up with a sustainable project which would respond to the needs of the community, in my case a group of grandmothers who are all individually raising AIDs orphans. Fuel efficient stoves looked like something which could make the lives of the often overworked grannies just a little easier and the idea that they could build their own using local, affordable materials really appealed to me. When they themselves suggested they could make a small business out of it, once they had the stove building knowledge, I was pretty excited.
At the moment, we’re learning how to make baskets for “hay-boxes”, fire-less cooking devices which can also be used to store food, keeping it hot. The grandmothers absolutely adore the hay-boxes and there are a group of 15 of them who are keen to take it on as a small business. This group of fifteen have all been testing the boxes at home and had fantastic testimonies describing how they were able to cook food on the fire for breakfast, go to the fields and then when their grandchildren came in, the food would still piping hot. One lady made dinner and then carried it in the basket to her sick mother in hospital. They all took great joy in demonstrating the devices to their disbelieving neighbours. The excitement is starting to spread and they have already come up with different solutions as to how we can make them more marketable, durable and adaptable.
I live on a farm in rural Uganda. The Nile is a 10 minute stroll from my house. I bathe outside with a bucket every night and I wash my clothes by hand. We cook chapatti, matoke, beans, rice, ground-nut sauce and vegetables. There are 15 other people living with my family but the number seems to change daily. Half my family are Muslim and half are Christian; they are all incredible. I have learned the basics of Luganda, the major language here. I know all the neighbours and they know me (last month the kids at the bottom of the road finally made the switch from “bye Mzungu!” to “bye friend!”). I meet extraordinary people every day.
Flashback to last April; slouched in the 24 hour computer room. My enthusiasm for soil diagrams was beginning to wane. I needed some new motivation for learning. Somewhere in an email from Engineers Ireland I came across a reference to the ‘Foundation for Sustainable Development.’ I was looking for some, “meaningful,” work. I’d seen the Careers Service. I had been to talks by Comhlamh, by Engineers Ireland and by SUAS. I had sat in the front row at lectures on vague, ”development.” Every volunteering opportunity I encountered seemed to fit into one of the following two categories: short-term, unskilled, “volun-tourism,” or long-term, specialised work for people with a minimum of four years experience. I wasn’t interested in a quick fix, local job-robbing contribution to the dependency culture.
On the plus side, I had been left enough money in my Uncle’s will to volunteer with FSD for 9 months but for anyone with a normal post degree bank balance, it could have been a bit of a squeeze. I’ve since discovered there are in fact grants available for those wishing to get involved in this programme and many others just fund-raise amongst friends, relatives and local businesses.
Of course the Foundation for Sustainable Development is not the only organisation that allows people to do the kind of work I’m doing, it just happens to be the most suitable one I came across. They hook you up with a relevant organisation and supervisor and provide a weeks intensive training on everything from language and culture shock to asset mapping and grant writing. I learned a huge amount about sustainability and the dangers of aid in that week alone but I’ve since found that ‘Rural Development; Putting the First Last’ by Robert Chambers covers a lot of it. It’s also very comforting to know that their offices are always close by.
During my stay I was required to spend the first while getting to know my community and figure out what it is was that they really needed. Then I worked with them and my host organisation to develop a project proposal, a budget and a timeline. One intern here has worked with her community to build a massive fishing pond so her community can begin to build a fishing culture and mode of commerce. Another, is building and stocking a children’s library. Another intern set up a skills training cooperative for local businesses and another is giving computer literacy classes and establishing an internet forum dedicate to HIV awareness.
The other FSD volunteers came from different backgrounds and with different skills. Most of us had just graduated and only one of us had a full time job before coming out here, but that didn’t stop anyone from creating successful projects. Far more important than specific skills is an ability to be self motivated, flexible and open minded, creative, and (quite importantly in Africa) an ability to relax. You just have to keep the ideas appropriate and make sure the community are fully involved. If there is one thing I’ve learned here its that hand outs often do more harm than good.
I’m using my degree in ways I never could have foreseen. I’m also using every other resource I can dig up. I’ve had times where I wanted to grab my passport and make a break for it but most of the time, I think I’m the luckiest person on earth
At this stage there are only three out of the six FSD volunteers who came over left. One girl has already gotten herself a job with the Global Forum for Girl’s Education in New York. However, not everyone plans to go on to do development work. Whatever we all end up doing though I’am positive that this experience will change the rest of our lives in extraordinary ways. While you may not be a fountain of experience when you graduate, you are young. You’re not yet tied to a job or family. You should be excited enough about life to be able to make a difference.
Read more at aoifewilson.wordpress.com
