The Details: Return to Uganda

This summer I will be traveling to Uganda for 8-12 weeks to continue working with Hope Alive! (www.hopealiveafrica.com). Following the completion of my graduate classes on June 2^nd, I will be returning (with all of my possessions) to Titusville, FL, for several weeks. I will then be leaving for Uganda in late June or early July.

My goal is to utilize the new skills and knowledge I have acquired during my graduate studies to benefit Hope Alive! and the Ugandan people. I will be conducting assessments that will provide Hope Alive! with quantitative and qualitative feedback that can then be used to determine the effectiveness of their programs and identify any gaps that are not being addressed through current levels of support. For example, I will be conversing with families about their livelihoods, income generation, health of family members, accessibility to food and water, accessibility to land for farming, and other specific challenges they may be facing in order to survive. Additionally, I hope to evaluate the educational progress of each sponsored student, and, if necessary, to identify possible reasons why a student may not be succeeding in the classroom. Though these kinds of assessments already occur informally on a regular basis through the visitation of mentors and other staff members to student homes, a formal assessment has not been conducted or documented in recent years. This assessment will allow Hope Alive! to pinpoint areas of serious concern and to consider how the organization may be able to responsibly and knowledgably extend its aid to the families of our sponsored students.

The assessments will likely involve a considerable amount of time and travel as it would require me to talk personally with each student and their family. One of the main challenges will be to actually locate the students who live in rural areas and communicate in advance the desire to make a formal visit to their home. Though some people own cell phones, communication in rural areas is still quite primitive. Information and messages are passed primarily by word of mouth. This often makes it difficult to arrange scheduled meetings. Transportation will also present a challenge. Villages in rural areas are sometimes not accessible by car, either due to the poor condition of the roads or due to a lack of roads. Transportation by motorcycle, bicycle, and foot offer adequate alternatives, but can be much more time-consuming. I will also need to locate and hire translators as students at our different sites speak several different tribal languages.

In addition to the primary projects on which I will be working, I will also be participating in regular Hope Alive! activities and meetings as much as possible with students and staff . I hope to continue training the karate class I established during my initial stay in Uganda in 2007. Additionally, I aim to involve several of the project’s older students in my assessments as guides, translators, and assistants. The experienced gained would be highly beneficial as much of Uganda’s educated population finds jobs in the non-profit sector with NGOs or other agencies.

I will be raising money from now until June 4^th to fund this trip. Please see the post below or my Facebook page “Dough for Uganda” for more information on how you can help. If you have any questions or comments, I welcome your emails at holly.philpot@gmail.com. Copies of my budget are also available for those who are interested.