An update of my first month:
The internship got off to a slow start (by American standards), which I was told to expect, so most of what I did included sitting in on various meetings to try to learn more about the CDD (Community Development Department), and go on field visits to get a glimpse of what is being done outside of the office. It’s been super interesting to see development concepts and practices that we’ve talked about in my classes happening in real life right in front of me. Sometimes I geek out a bit.
Some of the things I’ve been learning about include…
VSLA (Village Savings and Loans) – These are groups, usually in more rural areas, where members contribute a monthly amount of savings and are able to take small loans from the community chest. These groups tend to work well for people who might not have easy access to a bank, or the amount that they are able to save is smaller than what a bank would be willing to open an account for. Something I found interesting is that not all loans are monetary, but can be in-kind. For example, someone may be given two chickens for a few months, long enough for them to lay eggs and hatch more chicks. At the end of the period, they must return two chickens similar to the ones given to them and can keep all the rest for themselves.
SACCO (Savings and Credit Co-Operative) – This is an institution that, to my understanding, works similar to a bank but deals with smaller amounts (microfinance). There are a lot of these around, but there is one that shares an office with us (though is technically a separate entity) where our VSLA groups can hold accounts and even take group loans.
“Farming God’s Way” (aka Conservation Agriculture) – These farming methods try to address various problems farmers encounter, such as loss of topsoil from overuse and erosion (since many farms are located on the surrounding hills/mountains), land fragmentation, large family sizes, and the way the rainy seasons are starting to fluctuate or not bring enough rain because of climate change. The staff here promote mulching, manure (both animal and green), contouring, minimum tillage, certain crop rotations, and the growing of amaranth. I don’t know the specifics of amaranth, but I know it’s a big deal here because it is very nutritious, helping with certain vitamin deficiencies and making a big difference for people living with HIV.
Maternal and Child Health Program – I haven’t had quite as much exposure in this area yet, but we (the other intern, Jenet, and I) are sharing an office with Jane, who is in charge of the program. She works closely with the agriculture department and will sometimes give pregnant or breastfeeding mothers certain crops to help address certain deficiencies (like iron), as there is a heavy focus on nutrition. I know she also will give cooking demonstrations sometimes. I’m curious to see how this program might overlap with some of the stuff I learned about in my internship this summer at Family Futures, which focuses on children under 5. One overlap I know is the focus on proper nutrition for the first 1,000 days of life, which is a very critical window.
All of these programs will try to promote the other programs during field visits. For example, at VSLA meetings there is time for the facilitator to give a lesson, which can range anywhere from going over the characteristics necessary for a healthy VSLA group and promoting a culture of savings, to proper sanitation and handwashing. Each program, too, utilizes the help of community volunteers who will act as an extension into the community and ease the load of the CDD staff. As a development student, this methodology is generally considered best-practice and most sustainable, so I’m excited to be seeing it in real life. A challenge, though, is when other organizations working in the same area are giving away free handouts, which discourages people from wanting to do the work involved with what the CDD is trying to do (like trainings and capacity building), even though it is more sustainable.
Lindy in Kabale 