Don't forget about developmental aid

As I watch the Hope for Haiti telethon, I have to rant.

Emergency aid is important but be careful who you give to

People all over the world have been donating money to organizations such as Red Cross, World Vision, UNICEF and United Way to assist with aid to the Haitian people. Although I agree that emergency aid is important when an country is struck by a natural disaster, I do have a couple of concerns.

My first concern is to be careful which organizations you donate to. For most, approximately 90% of your money will get to the people you are donating to but if you want to make the most of your money, do some research before giving it away. You wouldn't throw your money at the first car you purchase without making sure it will work to its fullest potential. You wouldn't buy the first house you see without inspecting the interior. So I wonder why anyone would risk sending money to give a family a jug of clean water when after a quick internet search, you could also send them a bag of rice.

Some organizations will have a breakdown on their website or you can call them to ask how much of your money will go toward their projects. The simplest way to compare is at Charity Navigator. On this website you can search for a charity and a pie chart will appear, giving a breakdown of where the funds go. Unfortunately there isn't a Canadian version of this website (as far as I know) but it's a good site to visit for your reference.

Donate your time

Another concern of mine is that many people aren't noticing the need for developmental aid. One of the biggest things I learned during my short time in Uganda is the need for enhancing skills among the people of developing countries. Not everyone can go overseas to train Africans, Haitians, etc. how to better excel in their trade but if you do have a little bit of free time, volunteer for an organization and donate your time.

Admiration

I adore the children at the schools I work at for educating themselves about Haiti and donating their allowance to various organizations. I have a lot of respect for my awesome friends like Mandippal Jandu contributing musical talents to local telethons and half of his earnings, over the next couple of months, to the Haitian people.

Of course, keep donating your money, but I also ask that we all try to donate some time at one point in our lives. A month can make a huge difference. If you feel like you can't give any of your time or you just don't want to go to a developing country, there's nothing wrong with that.

If money is all you feel that you can give, then spread the love. Give to grassroots NGOs (like Peace For All International) that are trying to support volunteers who are leaving the comforts of Canada to help out. Give your money to organizations throughout the year that are trying to build a country through developmental assistance (like Journalists for Human Rights). And I hope this isn't a surprise but there are organizations and campus clubs (like Future of Africa) that are trying to help out the local community while they learn about international needs.

Essentially, give what you can (whether it's money, time or prayers). But please don't forget that many countries are still in need even if they haven't been struck by a natural disaster. And as much as I love the media, newspapers, online media and news broadcasts are still trying to sell their products. Just because a country isn't on the front page of the Toronto Star or the Globe and Mail with a "shocking photo", doesn't mean they aren't in need.

If you have donated to a Haiti relief fund, all I ask is that throughout the year, you think about how good it felt. Next, learn about a new organization and donate your Starbucks money to it.

The plight of the African child

Enjoy!

Riots continue in Kampala

Yesterday I was informed of the riots that are ongoing in Kampala, Uganda. Knowing firsthand how peaceful Uganda is, I assumed that it would only last for a couple hours but this morning when I read this article on the BBC, I started to get nervous.

Watching the video brought a lot of discomfort. I had just walked those streets less than two months ago. The first scene is one that looks very familiar. I'm pretty sure we went shopping down those roads during our first week in Uganda. I remember looking out onto the city from the second floor of a building. The only thing unruly about Kampala was the way people were driving.

The second scene shows an alley with blazing fires. Those alleys are found all over Uganda and could be any number of places that I've been to.

All of this is pulling at the heartstrings and even though I wasn't particularly fond of my experience in Uganda this summer, my heart goes back to my time spent there.

I made friends in Kampala and Arua. Many of them are still there and it is not uncommon for them to travel between the two cities.

Also, as I'm writing this entry my eyes are drawn down to the sparkling diamond ring on my left hand. I met and got engaged to the love of my life in Uganda this summer. He's still in Uganda and is set to come home on October 21. Although Dave is an 8 hour drive from the capital city and faces incredibly slim chances of being affected by the riots, I'm still nervous.

Before going to Uganda, I would have brushed past this story as just another African riot but seeing the country (even in a peaceful state) brings a connection to this story that I never thought was possible.

When researching international stories for my articles, I had always said that it was easy for me to attach myself to a news story and empathize with the people who are killed by massive earthquakes or washed away by tsunamis. I'm recognizing now that my feelings then were more about sympathy, rather than the empathy that I so ignorantly thought I felt.

I still haven't walked in the shoes of a local Ugandan but the emotional attachment I've gained from a short visit to such a beautiful country works away at my heart more than I could ever attempt to explain.

This is not the Uganda I know:


This is:

27 blog posts and 10 weeks later

I've been back in Canada for a couple days now and I'm still fighting off the jet lag. It's noon here in Oshawa but in Arua it's 7pm and that means supper time.

I was supposed to come home on July 20 but I got to the Heathrow Airport in London and I had no desire to stay. I tried to tell myself that it would be a cool adventure to wander around London by myself for a few days (despite the minimal funds in my bank account) so I found a pamphlet with all the public transit times and maps. My hostel wasn't even on the map. Serves me right for choosing one that's out of town.

Back upstairs I went. I went out into the fresh air to search for a taxi only to discover that it would cost nearly $200 to bring me to my hostel. Not a chance!

Another thought crossed my mind: "What if I just went home?" So, I visited the Air Canada desk to try my luck. The lady there said that she had space on a flight at 12:35 pm but it would come at a cost. Looking at me with worry, I wondered the damage.

To my surprise it was only going to cost $150 to fly home in just five hours from then! Of course, I took it.

I checked in, went to Starbucks and spent the last of my British pounds on the tastiest Vanilla Latte I've had in my life, and read a little more of the Kite Runner while I waited.

Getting on that plane was one of the most anticipated moments of the past couple months. I was going home :)

I curled up in a ball under my blanket and because the movie screens were broken I was left to my thoughts of the past ten weeks in Uganda and wondered what life was going to be like back in Canada.

Luckily the 4am phone call I made to my little brother Andrew paid off and my dad was waiting there for me when I got off the flight. It felt good to breathe Toronto air (a sentence I never thought I'd say). It felt great to have a BBQ with my family for supper and it felt amazing to have a nice, hot shower.

I'll still be writing a couple more blogs. Although it might not seem as interesting because I'm not in Uganda anymore, there are a few more topics I'd like to touch on so try to check back over the next month and I'll let you all know when my photo gallery comes out on the Cord Weekly website as well as when my articles are published.

Thank you to everyone who supported my trip (financially and morally) and thanks for reading this blog faithfully. Writing gave me something to do during the ridiculous amount of downtime I had in Uganda.

Almost home

It's my last night in Uganda and it's a bittersweet feeling. I came here thinking that I had no expectations. It was going to be a carefree trip and whatever happened was okay with me. Well, I realized that I had many expectations.

I hoped to work with a passionate and intelligent group of people - some of them were while others not so much. I expected to be inspired to write and I actually became so overwhelmed with things to write about that it's somewhat difficult to formulate all of my thoughts into one coherent thought.

This blog likely turned out to be very negative but I'd prefer we use the word cynical. I was cynical of Ugandan culture and government. I was cynical of the local people as well as the other Canadians I was working with. Above all, I was very cynical (or rather, critical) of the organization I worked for.

Yes, I'm excited to come home and after a few days in London, I'll be right back in Pearson airport. Almost three months ago our flight was delayed by about eight hours and I couldn't wait to get out of that airport. It seems a little dramatic but I might just be kissing the ground of that airport when I arrive home on July 20.

It's difficult for me to reflect right now because I'm still in Uganda but I know this summer provided me with an incredible learning experience and it wasn't until after one of our last group meetings that I thought to myself that I shouldn't have taken this opportunity for granted.

The people I met here are incredible. The random locals were all very friendly. Sometimes it seemed as if a day didn't go by that they didn't ask us for money or footballs but emergency aid from white people is all they understood when they saw us.

The good friends that I made here are unforgettable. Maya is a hilarious woman and despite cultural differences she gives great advice. Gillian is a beautiful young girl that welcomed us to Uganda and was sad to see us all go. Her trouble-maker daughter, Rosette is a riot too.

Robert, our night guard is indescribable. For a man that's taken a few bullet wounds and carries around a bow and arrow to protect us, it's surprising how sweet he is. He listened intently and never asked us for a single unreasonable thing.

There are so many people that I could mention: Patrick, the bartender at the hotel down the road or Lucy, the greatest cook in Uganda. This post is getting too long though and I have to repack everything I own for my quick trip to London.

So on a final note, it's the relationships that I made that I'll remember the most about Uganda. Soon I'll forget about the terrible food, the triple decker bunk bed and the burning garbage smell. It's unlikely that I'll keep in touch with everyone I met but that's okay.

When my new Ugandan friends asked when I was coming back to visit, I told them I probably wasn't. It seems harsh to say to someone but I owe them the truth. I have no intention of going back and it's not exactly because I had a rough time here (because I'd take this experience again in a heartbeat) but because I have more places in the world that I want to see. And to be honest, all I can think about right now is going back to Canada, visiting friends in Waterloo, chatting with the Cordies in the office, eating dinner with my family, pigging out on junk food with my Oshawa girls (damn, I miss you guys!) and then heading out to New Brunswick for Alex and Bethany's wedding and visits with the coolest family in the world.

*sigh* Five more days! :)