Nyaka School - Part 1 (The Grannies)

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.