Friday February 26
After two hours and some fairly essential attention to the 'faulty brakes' of our aeroplane, we were on our way to Uganda. We arrived at Entebbe airport and met our Oikocredit Uganda colleagues and Taxwa, our Taxi driver (who "has a better job than name"). Taxwa was kind enough to give us a quick introduction to Ugandan driving and the roads that go with it.
But it was a Friday night, and throughout the bumpy car ride the life of Kampala and its surrounds was scattered in the darkness. At almost midnight, small barber shops were doing business in the dim light of cramped sheds, music was pumping and barbecues were smoking on the side of the main road.
That 30km in the car - from airport to hotel - made me wonder exactly what's behind the facade of those places. Motor-cycle repair, phone accessories, barbershops, beauticians, general stores - most of them were locked tight. How many of those places have been opened with a microcredit loan? Maybe from an Oikocredit partner? From the car, we were outsiders looking in.
I hope that over the next two weeks, we'll get to meet the people who have taken out small loans or joined a co-operative to get a fair price for their product. We'll meet the people who oversee those loans and co-ordinate the practical training that empowers their clients.
Tomorrow (Saturday) we'll meet with the photographer who is coming to see a few of the projects, and get prepared before the rest of the group arrive... Over the weekend we'll be busy with preparations for Monday - the day when finally everyone is here and it all begins!
After two hours and some fairly essential attention to the 'faulty brakes' of our aeroplane, we were on our way to Uganda. We arrived at Entebbe airport and met our Oikocredit Uganda colleagues and Taxwa, our Taxi driver (who "has a better job than name"). Taxwa was kind enough to give us a quick introduction to Ugandan driving and the roads that go with it.
But it was a Friday night, and throughout the bumpy car ride the life of Kampala and its surrounds was scattered in the darkness. At almost midnight, small barber shops were doing business in the dim light of cramped sheds, music was pumping and barbecues were smoking on the side of the main road.
That 30km in the car - from airport to hotel - made me wonder exactly what's behind the facade of those places. Motor-cycle repair, phone accessories, barbershops, beauticians, general stores - most of them were locked tight. How many of those places have been opened with a microcredit loan? Maybe from an Oikocredit partner? From the car, we were outsiders looking in.
I hope that over the next two weeks, we'll get to meet the people who have taken out small loans or joined a co-operative to get a fair price for their product. We'll meet the people who oversee those loans and co-ordinate the practical training that empowers their clients.
Tomorrow (Saturday) we'll meet with the photographer who is coming to see a few of the projects, and get prepared before the rest of the group arrive... Over the weekend we'll be busy with preparations for Monday - the day when finally everyone is here and it all begins!
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