Week 2 - Blogging by Candlelight

Location:Kampala

I'm writing this blog by candlelight. This the second time in the past 24 hours that we have lost power. Oddly I find this all very exciting and begin to comprehend the true meaning of immersion. When we arrived over two weeks ago, we discovered our apartments shared many of the same amenities that we are used to and have become reliant on back home. For example, we have standard toilets that flush, plumbing (although lately there's been a water shortage especially in the guys' apartment), electricity (except in this case), television, internet, and a balcony (which I don't even have at my apartment in Evanston). This is all to say that aside from the lack of air-conditioning and having to adjust to sleeping under a malaria net, our domestic lifestyles have not been interrupted. Compared with living conditions in the rest of the country, our situation is quite luxurious. These power outages, though far from modeling the true circumstances of many Ugandan people, have at least moderately demonstrated the type of domestic challenges and inequities that many people face daily. As I eagerly light the candles and collect the flashlights, delighted by the challenge and naively nostalgic for the days before electricity, I realize to most others, a loss of power would render feelings of hopelessness and frustration. So while for us it may be fun and games --temporary and exciting, for others it's certainly an uncomfortable way of life to say the least.

This week we visited a number of NGOs ranging from HIV clinics to hospitals to homeless and orphaned children's homes and schools. One of the most striking visits was to Mulago Bright. A primary school located near Mulago hospital which functions as both a home and school for children who are orphaned, homeless and/or otherwise affected by HIV/AIDS. The school offers first through seventh grade education as well as an MDD program. The living conditions at the school were astoundingly squalid, yet even despite this adversity, the students had developed an extraordinarily talent in music and dance, winning an impressive number of awards and honors. The entire experience was very touching and hopeful.

Another impressive aspect of many of these NGOs is their intense social responsibility and reintegration programs. A majority of the NGOs we've visited, cater towards individuals marginalized from society due to HIV, mental illness, or immense poverty. A common denominator between a number of these NGOs however, has been a focus on reintegrating these people back into the community after their respective treatments, recuperation or re-stabilization processes. This reintegration is catalyzed through the creative enterprise of craft-making. Many of these NGOs train these people in crafts such as jewelry making, carving, weaving etc, building a self-sufficiency that will benefit them once they reenter society. This demonstrates a deep social consciousness and consideration that I've seldom seen elsewhere.