Homeward Bound... for now, at least

As this trip to Uganda is winding down, I have some time to reflect on my time here. It's been interesting. It's great to know that I am still connected to this place. As my travel buddy Amanda said, I'm "so lucky to have a home here." And it's true. There are always people I can call, visit, stay with. There are always people who will welcome me into their lives.

But at the same time, I feel frustrated. The disconnect between my life in the states and here is vast. Our project here, Bodas for Life, is a great example of that. The project is very simple in nature: Certain designated Boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) drivers here are trained in emergency first response, and then their cell phone numbers and names are posted on fliers and posters which are located in heath centers and trading centers. When people need emergency transportation, they call or send for one of these boda drivers. Even the health centers can call them if they have a referral case to a bigger health center. The drivers wear bright yellow jackets with "Boda for Life" written on it, and carry first aid kits (see the picture below) so they are easily recognizable.

The drivers carry patients at subsidized rates; in exchange, they get a 10,000 USH fuel voucher for every 10 rides they give. More importantly, it's a huge point of pride for these drivers-- they experience increased self-esteem and they love helping the community. And the program is relatively cheap to operate-- just the helmets, jackets, log books, and voucher payments. Best of all, Amanda and I have spent the last few weeks talking to drivers, patients, and health workers, and all of them seem to love the program. And I know what you all are saying—of course they say they love the program, but do they really mean it? But the way we asked questions and presented ourselves shows me that they really do benefit from it—at least in some ways.

However, even though the idea essentially came from the districts themselves (we presented a menu of items to them last summer and they JUMPED on this one), they are so reluctant to own the program themselves. I can understand this; Uganda is so used to getting money thrown at them from foreign aid, why would they agree to take on a program when someone else might offer to pay for it? But the problem is that the Blum Center has to pull out of this program sometime. Soon.

So our next task, now that we’ve created this interesting, seemingly useful program, is to find a way to sustain it from within.

Um. I’ll let you know when I have a solution. Thoughts?