My Site, Mag-Lite, and Casino Night

New Address:
Jenny Everett
PO Box 835
Mbarara, Uganda


Two mice, one stone (or Mag-Lite)
My mouse tally has now gone up by two, making it a total of 3. I have said previously that the only form of a mousetrap that I can find here is the non-lethal glue. Well, what they don’t tell you, in the Arabic directions, is that it spreads. When you squeeze it from the tube onto your piece of paper/cardboard, it spreads. Needless to say, I discovered that the sticky glue had spread off the sides of my paper after disposing of mouse #1, leaving a giant ocean of sticky glue on the concrete floor in my room. I had avoided cleaning it up, because I would have to buy alcohol to un-stickify (technical PC term, you wouldn’t understand) it. I awoke the other night at 3:15 in the morning to some rustling. I peered in the direction of noise, which happen to be the same direction as the sticky glue spot on the floor. Not one, but two mice were stuck in it, trying to break free. I had an initial cry of victory, but soon realized that I had two mice stuck to my floor…not on anything I could pick up and throw away, but on my floor. I took about 5 minutes to assess the situation while shining my Mag-Lite flashlight on the soon-to-be casualties. I had an idea. I slowly looked from the mice to my Mag-Lite…from the mice to the Mag-Lite. Could I?...I thought to myself? I knew what had to be done.
10 minutes and 2 lives later, I went back to sleep.


My Site Assignment...Finally
District: Isingiro

Town: Kaberebere

Organization Name: Rural Health Promotion and Poverty Alleviation Initiative (RUHEPAI)

Vision: A Community equipped with skills and knowledge in which women and youths have opportunities to work their way out of poverty, respond to disease prevention approaches, and participate in environmental protection, water, and sanitation programs.

Mission: To advocate for improved health and poverty alleviation initiatives geared towards bettering peoples livelihoods through their own participation.

Goal: To advocate for a healthier community that improves quality of live, has a clean environment, and is capable of participating in poverty alleviation initiatives.

Objectives:
1. To promote capacity building of women and youths self help groups for collective bargaining and poverty eradication strategies at grass roots.
2. To carry out health outreach programs through sensitization, awareness creation, campaigns, and other possible strategies in HIV/AIDS/STI’s, agriculture, water, hygiene, and sanitation
3. To enhance strategies for creating a clean and healthy environment in the community through awareness and conservation.
4. To conduct research and documentation of environmental issues, health, and social economic aspects of development

Proposed Job Description:

• Develop sustainable approaches, systems, and structures for program implementation
• Resource Mobilization

The organization has two offices. The one where I am going to be is the office that deals mostly in agriculture. They work with farmers, bringing them together to work as a group. They provide skills workshops and consulting. I’m not totally sure yet what my actual role will be in the organization, but I’m excited to find out. Where my background lies in Cattle/Ranch management, I’ll be learning about how to grow bananas, passion fruit, and pineapple in a climate that allows for things to grow year round.

Fact: Neither pineapple or passion fruit grow on trees. I just found this out. I feel like elementary school failed me.

The Only Place That Matters
I was in Kampala this weekend perusing a craft market with a friend looking for the perfect Ugandan over the shoulder bag. I was mid haggle, when I heard English being spoken nearby. My ears perked up, not at the English, but at the accent. I immediately looked around and pinpointed the source. The man who had spoken was walking in my direction. As he passed, I made my move.

“Excuse me, Sir. Where are you from?” I asked.
“The only place in America that matters”, he boldly replies.
“Texas!”, I exclaim matter of factly.
“Yep.”

We then high fived and talked about the only place in America that matters. He and his wife are from Lubbock and are on a mission trip for a few weeks. Turns out, we know some of the same people. Small world. I was later informed that my accent became super thick while talking to my new friend, Mr. Coggins.

I have discovered Casino Simba in Kampala.
Free drinks. Free food. Enough said.