Pic 1 – Dave, Jason, Kerry and yours truly at Nabiri Village after building a fuel-saving stove
Pic 2 – A lecture in Buyobo Village with staff member Richard Mangali
Pic 3 – The prehistoric looking white rhino in Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya
Pic 4 – Members of Breakdance Project Uganda after teaching a class at FDNC
Pic 5 – Tom, a student of the Special Needs School, after recent surgery to treat hydrocephalus

Hello friends,

So good to be with all of you again! It’s hard to believe that it has been 15 months now since I left San Francisco. I have been feeling swamped trying to stay on top of this new position, and have been neglecting to keep up with my blog. Between day-to-day responsibilities, preparing for and hosting volunteers, traveling with Dave, Jason and Kerry, and much more, it was pushed to the back burner. I’m still here though, pushing on with work, but missing many of you at home. And missing Thai food, and straight outta-the-oven chocolate chip cookies, renting movies that actually play without skipping, power 24 hours a day, the inner peace that comes from never hearing generators as loud as airplanes outside my office window, yoga classes, lightning fast Internet, basketball courts not covered in gravel, cell phones that are not pay as you go, mosquito free dreams, and The Family Guy. But still loving the smiles I get when I greet in Lugisu, moving around town on the motorcycle, never hearing about the absolute disaster in Iraq, my dogs Seera and Masaba playing in the yard, walking in the market everyday to buy vegetables, pretending I am Frankenstein’s monster (not much pretending there) when I play with the kids, and the kind staff and volunteers at FDNC.

Where to start?! I took over as the Executive Director of FDNC on April 1. It has been an incredibly rewarding challenge. FDNC is involved in so many different activities – education, community health and development, human rights, music and visual arts – that I am constantly wearing different hats. I rarely have enough resources to do the job at the standard I want, but we do what we can with what we have. One of the things I have done that I am very pleased with is the creation of a director level management team within the organization. We now have 6 directors, including myself at the top, who are responsible for different areas of operation. This system is helping me fulfill several goals. One, it is allowing me to build and empower Ugandan leaders within the organization who can take on more responsibility for the operations of the organization. Two, it is slowly, ever so slowly, allowing me to remove myself from daily nitty gritty so that I can focus on more strategic work. See www.fdncuganda.org/staff for our new organizational chart that we posted recently, and pictures of our entire staff.

I had a fantastic time in June with Dave, Kerry and Jason. I think I most enjoyed having them here in Mbale to see the work we are doing and spend time in the villages. We had a great day getting our hands dirty building a fuel-saving stove in Nabiri Village in the morning, and then visiting Wapondo Village in the afternoon to hear traditional music. We also had a great day hiking Mt. Wanale, which is the mountain you see to the East of Mbale, and another good day hiking through Sipi Falls. After three days in Mbale, we headed for Jinja to whitewater raft the Nile River. I think all of us got dumped except Jason, and I still laugh to myself, thinking about the image of Dave struggling in the water, his eyes wide with panic at first, and then grinning ear to ear and laughing as he realizes he isn’t going to sink to the depths. I think after four days in Uganda, DJ and K understood what a beautiful, lush country Uganda is, and how friendly the people are.

From Jinja, we trekked all over Kenya, visiting Nairobi (which wasn’t at all as bad as people make it out to be), Masai Mara, Kisumu, Lake Nakuru, Lamu Island, and Mombasa. I think the highlights for me were watching a group of lions stalking a herd of elephants in Masai Mara, seeing the white rhinos in Lake Nakuru, and having a night out on the town in Nairobi. After almost a year in Mbale, I was ready to get out and shake it! The last thing I did on the trip was tour the Kibera Slums in Nairobi with Jason. I believe that Kibera is the first or second largest slum area in Africa, and it was a great reminder for me of the most significant reason I came to Africa – to have a powerful service experience in a completely different context.

I think Dave, Jason and Kerry all had moving experiences here in East Africa. I think Jason in particular had a transformative experience climbing Mt. Kenya. I hope that some of you reading this will consider coming for a visit! I am truly grateful that the three of them came, both to witness and to enjoy, and for all of their financial and moral support for me and for FDNC’s programs. Thank you DJK!!!

After I came back from Kenya, I was right back into it with work. There was a solid group of 15 early twenties volunteers along with two great team leaders, Zoe and Kalman, from American Jewish World Service at FDNC for the summer. They were working on several construction projects, as well as doing an in-depth study of development as it relates to the concept of “healing the world” that is central to Judaism. There were also three great early twenties volunteers from the States - Fred, Ally and Emily - helping out with different programs, as well as Natasha (closer to my age), an individual volunteer with AJWS who was working closely with me to develop a proper human resources program for FDNC, as well as do some management training. She was an enormous help to me. It was great to have so many Americans (and a few Canadians) around – all committed to doing something positive in Uganda. I was privileged to work with all of them. Recently, Phil Monk, a long-time supporter of FDNC through his charity UGive2Uganda, has moved to Mbale to start a community farm, and to help push our band program forward with the goal of creating a full youth orchestra in the not-to-distant future.

I think the most interesting cultural experience I have had recently was attending the burial of Sam’s uncle, Peter. I had only met him a few times, and it was strange to be there to pay my respects as a representative of FDNC and friend of the family, but also as an observer of local customs. Peter was a local pastor, and was loved by many people from the community, so there were many hundreds who came to the service. Embalming fluid is far beyond the reach of the vast majority of Ugandans, so special nurses had to come and wrap the body to prevent swelling, plug the nostrils, and do other preparations to prevent rapid decomposition. Because there are no chemicals to preserve the body, the burial usually happens the day after the death. The open casket service was held in a large church in town, and afterwards, everyone came to his brother’s home for the burial, which was in a small family plot. The singing was beautiful, and the whole process taught me a bit about what death was like in the U.S. before great wealth and technology brought extravagant coffins and tombstones, hearses, embalming fluid, cremation, and other things we find at home. Although I thought this was a beautiful celebration of Peter’s life, it was very sad that Sam, as well as Peter’s brother David and sister-in-law Edith, were out of the country and could not attend. People die very young here in Uganda – the average life expectancy is 51 years – so it seems like every day I hear about someone going off to bury a family member or friend.

The last few months have been a bit challenging for me personally. I got rocked with a really bad case of malaria about three weeks ago. It came on me suddenly, and I couldn’t even walk under my own power into the clinic for treatment. I don’t know what happened – I was taking prophylaxis – but somehow it snuck up on me. I hadn’t had any problems for about five months. I was down for about a week and a half from this, but I am finally getting back to normal. When I first moved in this house, many of the windows were broken out, and of course, my landlord didn’t fix them. I have since fixed them all, but there are still a lot of mosquitoes, either left over, or coming in through some path I can’t find. I bought one of those electric mosquito zapping tennis rackets, and when I have it in my clutches, I am transformed into somewhat of a maniacal, rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth madman. Just before I zap each one, I think to myself, “That could be the one that gives me malaria!” and insecticide becomes veeeery easy. I really need to take some time in Kampala though, to get away and relax, and take a break from work. I think I’ve been pushing myself too hard.

I have enjoyed living in town and being more comfortable with space, and hot showers, and flush toilets! But I have also missed having Americans around after the summer ended. There are two long-term volunteers that will be here in mid-October, and I am definitely looking forward to that. I also miss being around Mai and everyone in the village. I am finding that I am spending more and more time in front of the computer corresponding with donors, doing budgets, writing performance reviews, etc., and less and less time in the villages, which is really what makes this experience so unique. This is a trend I am going to have to reverse.

But I am excited for what lies ahead. Sam is returning from a really productive trip in the U.S. in a few weeks, and I think he has drummed up a lot of new support for FDNC. Sam is a very compelling speaker, his life story is inspiring, and FDNC has a proven track record. The organization is on the move, and I’m happy to be a part of many positive developments, and pleased with what our team is accomplishing given our limited resources.

A lot of people are asking me when I am coming home. I’m not sure yet, but if I had to guess, it will be December 2008. It’s possible it could be summer 2008, or summer 2009, but it’s just too early to tell. I am determined to stay to see that the organization is in the right place, and with the right new leadership to move forward for the next five years. Working together with Sam and the Board of Directors, I think I will find the right time for me to move on to the next challenge.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has supported the fundraiser for my salary as the Executive Director of FDNC. As of today, we have raised $4,130 of my goal of $19,500. I have a long way to go, but I am off to a good start. FDNC could not possibly afford to pay me a salary from its existing funding, so this fundraiser is critical in enabling us to move forward through this period of transition and organizational development. Donations have come in from 23 people, ranging from $25, up to $500, and every single one will play its part in helping me and the organization to achieve our mission, which is to uplift some of the most underserved individuals and communities in the Eastern region of Uganda.

Now, if the hundred or so people reading this blog that have not yet contributed, were to give, on average, $150 each, this fundraiser will be over, and I can focus entirely on FDNC. I know that for many of you, $150 is not a struggle. For some of you though, it is. But if everyone who is not in a position to give, could just email a group of close friends and family who could give, we will hit our mark. Dear friend Aly Landy did this, and a family member of hers who had never met or even spoken to me before gave to the fundraiser! Thank you Aly! And thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who have made a contribution. I am working very hard every day to earn every dollar that you give. I think people understand how tough the situation is in Africa, and they want to be part of the solution, but just don’t know how or where to give. FDNC is one place you can make a difference, and I can personally guarantee you that your money is going to good use. Whether it is funding my salary, or sponsoring a student, or helping our health clinic, it is going to a good place. Ask Dave or Kerry or Jason about what they saw here. Maybe some of you feel that you don’t know me well enough to make a contribution like this. Don’t think about this just as a contribution to me, but as a positive act towards bringing about social and economic change in sub-Saharan Africa, the poorest region in the world. Whatever you can give, whether $5 or $500, it is deeply appreciated.

One last thing – every dollar you give to my salary fundraiser, or to any of FDNC’s programs, is completely tax deductible! Visit the website of HUGS Uganda, at http://hugsuganda.org/edsalaryfundraiser.html, to learn more about the fundraiser, and learn how to make a quick and easy donation that is, I say again, 100% tax deductible! HUGS is a registered 501c3 in the United States, created by former FDNC volunteers to support FDNC programs.

As I have said before, I am incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful community of people in my life, and to have been born in a country of such great wealth and opportunity, and to have the freedom to move around the world without restriction. I had a strong education, and I have good health. I don’t have to worry about many of the challenges people face here on a daily basis. I don’t feel I have any choice but to continue trying to do what I can to return this cosmic favor I have received. Thank you for continuing to be part of this experience with me.

I’ve got to get back to zapping mosquitoes now! I am so over this whole malaria thing...

Alinde, and Ubeumlayi, (Blessings, and Stay Well)

Mwambu (my latest nickname)