As you may know, I was somewhat frustrated by ‘down times’ during my service in Bugiri. There were lots of reasons for this. I tried to go with the flow.
Now I might be a victim of the bromide “Be careful what you wish for…” I have been working 50-60 hours per week, including all day Saturday, I worked at home half of Sunday editing reports from senior staff which were due Monday morning. Usually I am at the office by 7:30 a.m. and I often get home at 7 p.m. It appears the other third year extension PCVs are also working hard. Anytime I go to a settlement it takes nearly two hours each way, and bracing against bumps in the road adds to fatigue.
I have a small pile of projects on my plate right now, and activities scheduled most days, as my work niche becomes clearer. I am learning to edit reports sent by project leaders and incorporating them into CARE’s portion of reports from all NGOs which are submitted to UNHCR and Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). I’m sure I will be writing and/or editing many other reports.
I’ve been tasked to draft 1-2 page descriptions of CARE’s Six Current Emergency Projects and Sectors. Right now CARE’s responsibilities are primarily in three sectors: 1) Building temporary shelters for People with Special Needs ((PSNs)- Unaccompanied mothers and/or children and disabled- and providing shelter materials to able-bodied refugees; 2) Mitigating Gender Based Violence (GBV) within the settlements; and 3) Raising awareness about, and supporting Sexual, Reproductive and Maternal Health.
It is a congenital factor that hinder the function of this medicine is to enhance the blood circulation in the reproductive cialis mg organs after dilating the blood vessels. Yohimbe stimulates chemical reactions in the body to deal with this specific situation can redeem this impotency impacts from lives and can buy cialis pills be helpful to them in regaining their confidence level. You will get so many advantages from a single course under a single roof. shop for viagra However, if the symptoms persist for more than 15 years now. find out now cialis properien Finally, I will interview Aid workers and beneficiaries to write “success stories” and human interest stories. This will be the most interesting and enjoyable part of my job. I interviewed a mid-wife in Imvepi settlement yesterday. She was so positive about what CARE does, it could have been a commercial. CARE has a worldwide contest for best human interest story. I want to draft a winner, so our staff can have a party with the prize money.
CARE’s projects are mostly in Rhino Camp (September 1 total refugees was 102,000); Imvepi Settlement (123,500); and it has a growing presence in Bidibidi Settlement (285,000) which recently became the world’s largest refugee settlement. Currently, there are six funded projects with a variety of sources.
One issue faced by CARE is the mandate to hire locally. Uganda’s generous policy toward refugees is supported by the idea that it will be good for the economies of the local communities. It causes tension. The foreigners up here are treated well, but there is resentment if Ugandans from other areas and tribes are hired. Last week in Yumbe, near the settlements, the signage of various NGOs were defaced by graffiti threatening violence for not hiring more locals. CARE has an office there but no signs. Never-the-less, an all-staff meeting to be held in Yumbe was switched to the Arua office, so we wouldn’t have a small caravan of CARE vehicles coming in.
In addition, CARE wants to hire a new team leader from Kenya, named Julius, to take Carly’s place. The Ministry of Immigration placed a hold on his work visa because they want CARE to hire a Ugandan. Our country director appeared before a tribunal this week to get his employment approved. The new team leader will step into Carly’s shoes. Like Anabol before him, Julius is staying in the guesthouse next to my place on a visit, so I am starting to get acquainted with my soon to be future boss. I like the idea of meeting interesting visitors who pass through the guesthouse.
In other news, while the USA endures record-setting hurricanes and fires, Ugandans are not escaping their own natural disasters. I forgot to get the source, but this was a news report from last week.
6 people are confirmed dead, 10 missing but feared dead and over 40,000 are already displaced by flooding and landslides in Kisoro, Bududa, Sironko, Bulambuli, Bundibugyo, Rukungiri and Elegu of Amuru. Much of Teso is getting flooded. Another 50,000 to 80,000 people will be displaced by floods in Teso subregion and Butaleja District.Storm winds and hailstorms have ravaged thousands of plantations and crops across the whole country. The 40,000 displaced have no shelter, no food, no cooking utensils, no blankets and no household kits. In addition to starving, the victims are exposed to extreme coldness.
Hundreds of people are crying out for help. They need shelter (tents & tarpaulins), blankets, food and cooking utensils. There is urgent need for a countrywide disaster damage and loss assessment.