latest news

Dear friends, my excuses for not updating the blog. We had a serious problem with the Internet connection which made it almost impossible to send any mails. Seems to be solved and its time to continue writing!
Well many things happened:
Hamukaaka village has really managed to start their projects. Groups are meeting once a week to work together and plan for the next steps. Now Irish potatoes are planted, handicrafts are made weekly in the group.
Some basket made in Kabale,

And the first 11 pupils have started schooling.

Our Appreciative Inquiry team went out for a second time and worked with another community. This was also successful, Similar groups are made. Main Target is to expand the existing primary school from 2 to 6 classrooms.

Mukurizi (old man, a respect in Rukiga) and his wife, The two eldest participants in the AI workshop

Ans myself I am working on some guidelines for the use of Appreciative Inquiry in rural communities.
In Kabale the rainy season has actually started. Farmers are busy planting. At our side we have constructed a few ditches and trenches along contour liens and planted leguminous scrubs (Typhrosia) and grass (Vetiver grass and Rhodes grass) for soil stabilisation and as fodder. between the trenches we inter-cropped beans and maize in rows. Our neighbours watched full of amazement, how someone can spend all that time on planting in rows. Their broadcasting is much faster, so why wasting time. Now we are praying that we have a good harvest to show the benefit!
Kabale has strange soils. Dusty during the dry season, very had with a slippery surface in the rainy season. This makes roads on hills and slopes almost impassible. even fur wheel drives glide sometimes of the road. So every planned journey starts with a look to of the window to see if rain is preparing come. Last Sunday rain surprised me on the way from Amasiko to Kabale (20 km) going down the slopes was like driving on black ice and it took me almost one hour.
Will I reach in this rain?

Africa remains a Continent full of challenges, surprises, magic and miracles.

Hamukaaka Community Primary School takes off!

On Friday, community members sat together at the church and took some good steps to get the so much desired primary school going. First they agreed on a name: Hamukaaka Community Primary School. A school development committee of 7 people was selected. The members agreed to start in February with a nursery class of 35 children. The class will be held in the church. Next week the members will come together an start constructing a pit latrine. The committee appointed a young lady as nursery teacher. The lady has a certificate as nursery teacher and some working experience. Also a budget was prepared with necessary equipment and three months salary for the teacher. Parents have agreed to pay each 4 Euro as school fees to cover this expenses. what a wonderful development!

The appointed teacher presents one of the action plans during AI

2nd Appreciative Inquiry at lake Bunyonyi

After the 1st AI session we went back to Kabale town for a hot shower, a nice evening out at our local pub with the two teenagers and some shopping for Christmas. Then back to the Lake, buying a sheep, slaughtering it and hanging it for the night in a cool hut. Next day marinading and roasting it on a slow fire for hours and finally enjoying tender lamb with roasted potatoes and a glass of red wine. What else do we need in such a place? We had a nice and relaxing Christmas, with swimming, canoeing and giving swimming lessons to some kids from the village! Imagine, people are living at a large lake, using dug-out canoes and don't know how to swim! This week gave us really a taste how visitors can come, relax and enjoy their stay here.

After Christmas, we had planned for a second AI session. On arrival at the venue, we were so surprised about the impact the previous session had made.The community had actually formed three groups and registered participants for Poultry rearing, Handicrafts project and communal Irish potato growing respectively.
The poultry group registered 70 members, each had contributed Ush 1000/=, a location for a chicken house was found, and a day set for construction of the house, whereby each member will bring construction material and participate in the construction.
The handicraft group had registered 24 members, all contributed Ush 1000/= . A leader was identified based on her knowledge of weaving local baskets.
The Irish Potato group registered 14 members so far, but more wanted to come. Each person had already paid an amount of Ush 3000/=, a sac of seed potatoes collected and a piece of land for rent was identified and a rent of Ush 80,000/= agreed with the owner.

Finally the community discussed about the purpose of these income generation activities, namely to construct a primary school nearby. They agreed that the first step is to start a nursery class. The catechist agreed that the first class will start in February in the nearby church.

The community appointed a leader for the school project and planned for a meeting on 9th of January. During the meeting, they will select a school committee and agree on conditions for the appointment of a teacher.
What a transformation, from asking for hand-outs to so much self-initiative!!!

Appreciative Inquiry at Hamukaaka Village

On 18th December, a crew composed of 2 farmer/facilitators, 2 Community Development facilitators, 2 observers and I went to the Amasiko site to facilitate a three days Appreciative Inquiry (AI) workshop with the residents of the village where Amasiko is located.
While working for a Broederlijk Delen a Belgian NGO, from 1999 to 2004, I was exposed to AI and got a training in the TCDC training centre in Arusha Tanzania. It was a rather difficult paradigm shift to move a way from the conventional Problem Solving Approaches to an approach looking for success, achievements. what people are proud as a basis for a vision and development planning. Introducing it in rural communities here in Uganda has been a great challenge. So many communities have worked with external facilitation and learned about problem solving. How do you feel when every time a stranger comes to your village and s/he asks about what is wrong in your place?, what are your problems? Finally one sees his place only as place full of problems, without development opportunities. In some areas it's even worse: The more problems a village can produce in front of facilitators, the more help will come, is a believe in some communities. depressing isn't it?
Also in Hamukaaka village we faced a similar problem: During the introduction meeting, leaders expressed that their village is are poor, resident have no money, there is no development, no help, harvests are poor, there is sometimes famine..........
When we went for the Appreciative Inquiry Workshop, facilitators were wondering, will this AI make a difference?
Well the answer is easy: YES, IT DID MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Christina, one of the two observers wrote a beautiful story on her blog: http://christinaswwworld.blogspot.com/2008/12/special-holiday-treat-appreciative.html

I believe the village as a whole has made a paradigm shift and action is going on. Three groups developed a vision for the future, three themes are selected as plans for immediate action:

• Women want to put their capacities together, train each other in specific handicrafts items, produce and market as a group.

• Men are starting a commercial poultry farm

• Youth formed a new group to save money, make bricks and build permanent houses for for each of the members in turn building one house after another.

After Christmas a second workshop is agreed upon, to work out detailed action plans.


Women prepare a vision for the village


participants make a combined village vision




preparing a meal for all participants

CELEBRATION!!!!