Some experiences transcend language: a wedding day, the birth of a baby, the trip of a lifetime. When people ask about the experience, the words sound hollow and descriptions too vague.
It is impossible to articulate the magnitude of the event because I am fundamentally changed. My role, my identity, my future.
Therein lies the risk of this post.
On my 12th trip to East Africa, for the , I remain bemused, puzzled, and perplexed by the difficulty of reporting on the experience.
And yet, my heart is to continue to communicate how connected we truly are in our global village. So, let’s persist with the challenge of capturing the process of changemaking! We need to continue to learn from each other and document our work. The world will only advance as we share our experiences with transparency.
One week ago, I returned from a one week trip to Uganda, East Africa.
- 17,000mi or 27,000km as the crow flies
- 6 flights totalling approx 36 hours in an airplane
- approx 18 hrs in a tour bus for overland travel to Amuru District
- 12 team members from four continents
- 2 presentations and 4 formal team meetings totalling 10 hours in formal meetings
- Tours of three schools, large scale farm, demonstration farm, new Kampala development, university campus under construction, and table lending meeting
- another 12 hours in informal conversation
As I reflect, three major themes emerged from this incredible experience.
1. What does helping look like?
This theme has literally continued throughout the arc of my involvement in East Africa. I continue to read, research, learn, and expand my understanding of international development. I am acutely aware of the abuses both through colonialism and religion. In this report, I can’t begin to share the mistakes I’ve made in my own humanitarian work. But I know for sure, Africa has given me more than I have offered.
As we considered the nature of this particular initiative, we tenderly held our intention to see Africa progress, our desire for sustainable growth, our motives from places of deep faith, and the vulnerability of this particular population in Northern Uganda.
What do the leaders of the schools, community, and parents want for their children in this region? How can we listen and empower? What is our changemaking responsibility as members of the global community? What isn’t? How can we walk with our neighbours as critical friends?
Learning: In order to realize the transformation of a community, we must inspire, listen, and follow the dreams of that community.
2. How can we dignify African potential and leadership?
One of our team members and advisors from East Africa, Hamlet Kabushenga, exhorted, “Leadership is Africa’s greatest challenge, not money.” It’s true. Africa has resources, but needs to be empowered to steward them. That’s difficult in war-torn Northern Uganda. Many of the adults spent a decade or more of their lives, as internally displaced people, trying to stay safe from Joseph Kony’s militia and the violence that ensued.
As we toured, each village presented many requests to our team, all of which could be completed with a wave of the wand. Simple requests like roofs for the school rooms that don’t leak, books to learn from, and another latrine.
So, my question is, when is it a relief effort that must be done as a gift and when is it an empowerment initiative that must be an investment in leadership? One is almost instantaneous and can be achieved in less than a year; the other takes decades. What is the role of educating the young in that process?
Learning: In order to realize the transformation of a community, it is essential to engage, empower, and give ownership to African leadership.
3. Who is on the team of humanitarians investing in community transformation?
Our team was comprised of educators, African leaders, business investors, business leaders, developers, Christian relief workers, charitable fund managers, and farmers. All of whom have a heart for international development and community transformation.
How does a multi-national team committed to community transformation form? First, by sharing our stories. We invested a considerable amount of time getting to know one another, sharing stories, and encouraging each other. We learned about each other’s coffee farms, schools, and businesses. We shared our failures and heartaches. Quickly relationships blossomed.
Clearly community transformation, in any context, will take time. It won’t happen overnight. We could build a new school in the next 6-12 months, but equipping leadership and cultivating community requires a long-term investment. Who will invest in this process?
Learning: In order to realize the transformation of a community, a dynamic and committed team must invest over time.
Overall, our team considered some of the most pressing humanitarian issues of our age:
- education in conflict zones (#EducationCannotWait) and post-conflict
- education and empowerment for sustainability
- economic development for sustainability
- role of faith, spirituality, and religion in international development initiatives
, a Peabody award winning broadcaster, recently shared,
Our lives, well-being, survival, and flourishing is linked to the well-being of others on the other side of the planet, as well as those on the other side of the city, in a way that is unprecedented in human history.
Love, in all its fullness, is the only calling high enough for us to rise to this occasion.
Learn Forward is committed to changemaking. I am a changemaker. I believe our community of teachers and parents, our Learn Forward schools, and our children can make a difference! Will you join me?
For the sake of the children,
Karine
PS For more information on our humanitarian efforts, please like the Niteo Africa Facebook page.