I've been thinking a lot about whether I should write to you all about a certain burden that has been on my heart or if I should just keep it to myself so as not to discourage people from helping or caring for people here in Uganda...especially in northern Uganda. And I do not want to knock the selflessness of all those who give. but truly --my intentions with this note to you all is to ENCOURAGE you to think outside the box to get creative to help someone in a way that will LAST.
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Every time I walk down main street here in Jinja town I usually see a white SUV with some sort of NGO logo plastered on the side of it. I remember when I was up north seeing huge tents that had WFP (world food program) on them. Whenever I meet a new mzungu they always ask what organization I am volunteering with because why else would white people be in Uganda? It's everywhere. In northern Uganda people are feeling secure enough to leave the displaced camps they have been living in for the past many years but most are not going to leave because of the security that they find in food/clothes/school fees being handed to them. They fear going back to there lands because they might not have food. The Acholi people are not beggars they are hardworking people but because of the war and being forced out of there villages they have become beggars and I think with all the aid/hand outs/ ngo's they will continue to be beggers -- they will rely on mzungus so much that they will become lazy.
I don't want this for the Acholi people.. I don't want this for the Ugandan people.
I want to bring market to them..I want to offer them skills and new ideas so they can learn to once again sustain themselves. this is where I think SUUBI and the new EPOHbags project comes in.
pray for change, friends.
pray for... something...
-melissa
I appreciate your compassion.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's hard to break our mentality of being given the fish instead of learning how to fish but we will get there.
It's a slow process but we will get there.
What you do is not in vain.
... and we pray, God knows how to make miracles
dear bosses,
ReplyDeletethank you for your hard work. thank you for being there physically, emotionally, rationally. thank you for your sense of humor (not because individually you are dull, but because together you are hysterical) thank you for fighting the good fight everyday, even when it is hard to leave the mansion and gilmore girls is so witty and entertaining. you are superb individuals and role models in the constant battle of what we should do vs. what we actually do. i miss you and hope you are well.
love,
amber
You would like "The Man Who Tried To Save The World". Its a book about an international relief worker, Fred Cuny, and his efforts to get people to see this exact problem. He actually wrote some books on disaster relief, apparently they are supposed to be pretty good.
ReplyDelete