As
part of my volunteering at Nyaka, I indicated I had training and experience in
micro-finance. Upon arriving at Nyaka, I clearly felt inadequate to
assist the grannies with this broad topic.
I didn’t know what kind of knowledge they already had on the subject or
where to begin. The night before the first class, I grilled Magambo, our driver,
on how best to help them since he is familiar with the daily life in Uganda. Magambo helped me understand things they
would relate to such as selling/buying eggs, chickens, goats, etc. I also
spent some time with Martin who is the Grannie Coordinator on site in Nyaka to
shape the training sessions. One thing that we agreed upon right away was that
it would be a participatory session. I wouldn’t just stand up there and give
them a bunch of information. I would allow them to participate and shape the
training based upon their feedback. This style of training also helped me to be
flexible and “go with the flow”.
Day 1 -
On
the first day I was not prepared for the in-depth discussion the grannies
wanted to have about life in general. They were very curious about the U.S. and
the lifestyle that I lived. I helped to clarify and even dispel any rumors. When it came to money, I quickly learned
that the grannies did not record or track money at all. This is due to a variety of reasons that they
shared with me. I also learned that they manage their money
through the pocket method; if they get money they put it in their pocket and
when they need to buy something they pull it out. When they are out, they’re out.
It also became evident on day one that they needed help in the very basics such as counting money.
I
was grateful for the depth of experiences in my own life so we could relate on
some basic level. I shared with them my experience in my photography business as an example as to how I needed to take out a loan for
the equipment and how I repaid that loan. On the other hand they encounter
challenging issues such as abusive husbands, theft, etc. and any concept of
managing money is difficult if not impossible to accomplish. The concept
of a woman being in full control of her life is only a dream for some. I tried to encourage them to know they are making
a real difference by sending their children and grandchildren to school. Education changes people’s lives. They understand this but cultural norms are
hard to combat, and I wanted them to feel valued for their commitment.
The
library is only about 3 miles from the school. Daniel, the outreach coordinator
for Nyaka, drove me in his car to the library for class, and we got stuck on a
section of the road. The non-surfaced roads in Uganda are what we in the
states would call farm lanes. There are huge ruts from flowing water that
only a tractor can effectively handle where I live. But cars and 4-wheel
drive vehicles try to maneuver around the ruts while staying on the road.
Because
people walk everywhere here, men started to appear on the road and assessed
Daniel’s situation. Within 15 minutes, we were moving again and I was
only 10 minutes late...which is hilarious since the grannies were not there
until close to 10:00 am (“Africa time”).
Day
2 –
The
second day of the micro-finance class saw two new grannies and one less than
the day before. This time we dove into record keeping and revolving
funds. Christine at the Nyaka School explained that this group of grannies are much more
literate than other women in the area. This is hard for me to grasp, but
today proved her point. We first practiced counting money that I had in
my wallet plus some from Martin, my partner on this project before doing anything else. Martin also tells me they don’t
put their money in banks. It is quite
possible a thug will steal their money if it is not safe in the bank, and one
grannie spoke of such an event. At the end of the day Martin asked the
grannies who will be opening a bank account – he considered it a success when 8
of the grannies said they would.
I
can’t remember how, but the grannies and I started talking about food. They asked me if I had ever eaten cassava,
and I drew a complete blank as to what that was. They informed me that cassava
is the root of a plant that grows well in the area. It is a big staple for them. They also asked me what the staple food was
in the United States. I said “bread” and
they laughed and laughed and said it does not have needed nutrients, and I had
to agree with them.
Day
3 –
Our
last day of micro-finance and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Two grannies
brought me gifts of cassava! One brought
the entire plant that was about 4 feet tall (they get much taller) and another
brought me just the cassava. It looked
roughly like a big potato, Martin says like a horn of an Ankole cow (Ankole cows are found in southwest Uganda), and he showed me how to eat it. It had a very mild flavor and I enjoyed it
raw. I gave the plant to Florence for
the large garden and ate part of the other one.
On our way back from visiting the grannies’ homes, Martin had Magambo
stop at a roadside market where they were roasting cassava and sweet potato and
he graciously bought some for us. We
took them back to Nyaka with us and Priscilla served them with our dinner. Yum!
In
the afternoon we headed to visit some beneficiaries of Nyaka and the houses
that are built for the Mukaakas ("Grandma" in the Uganda language). Nyaka has provided over
180 houses and over 400 kitchens or pit
latreens. Martin explained to us that without a kitchen when it rains there is
no meal and going without a meal is detrimental. We ended our tour at Mukaaka
Rose’s who gave us a tour of her and her husband’s land and showed me the
cassava she grows (along with Matoke’, beans and other things). She and Martin tell me that if you plant
cassava in Uganda, you will not grow hungry.
It spreads significantly, providing much food from one plant. Mukaaka Rose shows me how easy it is to
harvest it since it is not far below the ground. It is not unusual for them to dig one up, clean
it off, and eat it raw. Uganda is different from most of Africa in that it is near the equator and the soil is
able to grow produce fairly easily. When someone has land they use that to grow
gardens to harvest for their families and to sell if they have abundance. Not
everyone has access to land but when they have enough for a house and a garden
they are significantly better off.
I
shared basic budgeting with the grannies this last day. They worked in
teams in developing their own budgets, and I was very impressed. I felt like they came a long way in three
days, and I was very proud of them. Daniel
encouraged them at the end of the class to continue at home to do this.
They wrote thank you’s and I include some with this blog. Martin translated those that were not in
English. Several wanted to acknowledge Nyaka since they now had latrines
and one woman received both a kitchen and a latrine. Needs I would
consider basic are not taken for granted in Uganda, and they are cherished when
received.
Baskets,
baskets everywhere. Daniel and Martin have been traveling and gathering
baskets from the grannies and bringing them to the library. While I was
with the grannies and micro-finance, Tara was packing these baskets into our
two empty suitcases and an extra duffle she brought. The grannies take
local reed, such as from the banana tree, and use it to make the baskets.
