6/6/14
Finally, it is the end of a very very very long day, so I will be brief and elaborate more tomorrow. This morning, my husband, my colleague Delphin and a group from our partner AICM, led by Bishop Kayeye and I visited three of the four Batwa groups from the first phase of the Batwa Development Project. As always, the scenery was astounding and we are told that we were good luck visitors, as we brought the much needed rain with us.
I was really blown away to see the progress that was made since my last visit a year ago. The majority of the households are now living in the newly constructed houses we funded, there are crops of potatoes, beans and sorghum where there was very little food being grown, the Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) groups reported on how they had learned to save, give out loans and in some most cases pay back, allowing them to purchase items needed for the homes, more seeds for planting, etc.
I always so look forward to these visits, especially because the Batwa are gifted singers and dancers and the joy and energy is infectious. I will not be posting the video, however, where I joined in the dancing! We are planning to bring the groups together and organize a center where tourists can come to watch them perform, too. One group showed us how they have used VSLA loans to buy materials to make crafts that are really desirable, in fact.
There was much to learn from our visits. There has been much success and we also have many adjustments to make. The Batwa need to be guided more closely in their VSLA groups, as they are still getting the grasp of how it works, i.e. not loaning out the principle. We realized that there is still way too much malnutrition among the children and we need to make a strategy for a nutrition program for them.
The roads are very long, winding and bumpy and the distances are far. I have so much more to write, but I am exhausted and need to go to sleep, as tomorrow we set off to visit the four new groups we are have added to the project. I am adding new photos you can see by clicking on the link on the Batwa Project page of the website and
I will be uploading videos within the next week.
