Katherine Lucey at Solar Sister had a great post today about going big in your projects, Make No Small Plans. Earlier in the day, I had challenged her on Twitter to go big or go home as a way of encouraging her efforts with Solar Sister in Uganda. Her post was partly in response to that challenge, but it got me thinking about our projects here at PD. In a strange stream of consciousness thinking – which I am prone to drift into — about the difference one makes. I am not talking about Ghandi-Mother Theresa-Martin Luther King- scale of one person overcoming the tide of the times. Those are catalytic forces of change that come around once in a generation. I am talking about a regular ol’ Katherine Luceys, Erik Hersmans, Stacey Monks, Juliana Rotiches, perhaps you, or even me-catalysts that inspire others to dream big. Those of us that live on the edge of constant dissatisfaction with the status quo. Those of us married to our own ideals, despite the price we pay to achieve that goal. Those of us that breath because we create smiles in others. Those of us that make no small plans about what we want to achieve in life.

Our WoK project deals with 20 internally displaced, hard-working women in Uganda. Their 58 school-age children are their purpose to get up in the morning; to feed, clothe and educate them for a better future than the status quo. We love these women and their tireless enthusiasm to learn, to improve, and to squeeze out every bit of promise from each day. Their enthusiasm fuels my involvement. I’ve come to love them as my sisters, partners and friends. I learn as much from their ability to triumph over enormous struggles just to get through a day as they learn from the skills and opportunities me and my team shares with them. Every one of them is an agent of change in their own right.

A majority of that progress has happened in the last 5 months, and in no small part to the large and small contributions from the individuals that contribute to this project. Together we have introduced an internship program that places an intern with the women for 3-6 months at a time; we’ve built a web site to showcase their beautiful products (online store coming in September); we’ve struck partnerships with Solar Sister, DFCU Bank and Technoserve. All this in an effort to create a broad base of tools the women could rely on to sustain their business and livelihoods. Women of Kireka founder and advisor, Siena Anstis spent 3 months in Uganda earlier this year with me, as we kicked off skills training programs, business planning and marketing programs. We’ve also done a good job of introducing the women’s jewelry to clients in the UK and US. Siena’s internship program has proven to be a huge success. A massive thanks goes to our first intern, Kimberly Bilmer (@bilmerk) for working tirelessly during her tenure to put programs in place for the women’s future success.

Success has been measured one sale at a time, and largely due to the generous support of all of you who have donated your time, money, and purchasing power. Every sale has translated into smiles in Kireka and the availability of operating capital. Every donation meant one less student being left out of class. Our first sales success happened earlier this year when the women earned enough money from sales of their jewelry to pay for all 58 children to be in school for that term. The success was so sudden that it took me a month to convince the women that this was of their own doing. Their hard work paid off and resulted in enough sales for them to pay for their own children to be in school.

It will be a while before such successes are codified in regularity. There is still a lot of work for us to do. After proving that it was possible to generate enough capital to sustain the business, we are going forward and thinking big. For starters, we have decided to be bold enough as to declare that this school term will be the last one where we ask for donations. It is important that we continue this program from a business perspective. In doing so, we hope the skills we share with the women will endure long after our involvement. We instill in them that their success depends entirely on them and the skills they learn will help them get there.

So you are wondering why the long story? What does this all have to do with the difference one can make to change the status quo? I’ll put it this way. As much as we like to believe in the power of one to do great things, it really isn’t about one person. The success of that one person realizing their dream for change depends on the contributions of many. A community of entrepreneurs is what powers Solar Sister. A community of engaged citizens make Ushahidi the success that it is today. A global community of well-wishers put Epic Change on a path to making a difference. It is with that same spirit that I am calling for a community of supporters, customers and friends who believe in the future of 20 talented, hard-working women, the future of 58 children. To paraphrase Ghandi, we all have to buy into the change we want to see in the world, we all have to participate. So I invite you to participate, in any way you feel inclined.

Next month, Siena will dedicate her first marathon to raising the last remaining funds to cover the school fees for this term. I don’t expect everyone to run a marathon for the cause. There are plenty of ways to participate:

• If you can make a donation, please do so in any amount.
• If you can retweet this article and promote it, then that is a valuable contribution you can make.
• If you would like to comment, please do share below.
• If you would like to empower these women through trade and not aid model, and are interested in buying some jewelry, you can do that too.
• If you would like to cheer Siena as she winds down her marathon training, you can find her here.

So the question is for you as an individual, what role do you play?

The International Network for Availability of Science Publications (INASP) is interested in the perceptions of researchers and academics of African origin who live and work in the UK. In particular how they view the role and opportunities of researchers in the diaspora to
improve research communication in Africa.

If you are a researcher (undertaking a research course or working in research) of African origin, we would be grateful if you can help us do this by filling in a brief questionnaire. This should only take five minutes of your time and we greatly appreciate it.

If you know of other researchers of African origin who may be willing to fill in this questionnaire we would be grateful if you could forward this email to them.

INASP supports research communication in developing and emerging countries. We work to increase access to national and international scholarly information and knowledge with the aim of building capacities and intellectual capital in the countries we work with.

If you have any questions about the survey please contact myself or Alex
Ademokun at [ alexander.ademokun @ kcl.ac.uk ].

It seems the debate over poverty tourism is back to the surface again. You know, (at least as I understand it) that debate on wether it is morally right for tourists to wade through slums, snapping pictures. Over at AidWatch, there was a call for African voices to add to the cacophony of Western academics owning the mic on this topic. So here’s my two cents for what they are worth.

As an African, I have to say that poverty tourism is about the worst thing we could do for our dignity. If you have to travel thousands of miles from the comfort of your own home to experience a change in your life.. then you will have to admit, there’s something feverishly wrong with either you or your culture.

To get to my point, if all you are doing is going to a slum and taking pictures, yes you are robbing those individuals of their dignity. If you are also going there for that reason, you automatically assume that something is wrong. The West has this trumped up assumption that if you are not making money, then you are poor. Sustainability does not mean everyone has to be making beyond $3 a day. My mother makes less than that but she eats every day, is never starved of food, has a mobile phone and enjoys her existence. Ask anyone in her community if they think they are poor, they’ll tell you they are not rich, but content.

So we have to be careful about the labels we impose upon indigenous communities. Just because where you come from defines your idea of what it means to be content, that streets have to be paved in gold.. then you are going to have a skewed perception of those with less possessions.

Is there poverty by academic definition? Of course there is, but having yourself a tour doesn’t give you license to all of a sudden have the solutions to solve the problem.

CLUE: If you are an outsider, visiting a slum, and you need an escort and security to walk around, then you are not now, nor will you ever be the solution to the perceived problem. You might find out something profound about yourself or the meaning of life you lost years ago because of bad career choices or dissatisfaction with realizing that life is just a rat race of useless oneupmanship. You will discover things about yourself, but don’t get disillusioned thinking that by being there and snapping pictures you are going to play any role in bringing change.

But if you must, if you absolutely can’t live with yourself and feel it is your calling to make a difference (yay for altruistic passion), then get to know someone there, find out what’s missing in their life that you could contribute to. Pick your winners.

Then listen. It’s that simple. Listen and have a conversation.

Share your life as they share yours. Make a friend for life. I had a similar conversation with one of the workers at the Kireka quarry while I was trying to understand where I fit in as a difference maker for our Women of Kireka project. Amos taught me more than I could ever teach him in less than 10 minutes.

Have a listen (heart-breaking stuff):

You are nothing but a cog in the machine of inequality. It is part of this life and we are all on board for the magical ride.

You really want change? Put down the camera, walk up to anyone in that slum, get to know them. Have some tea and crumpets, maybe a chapati slice or two. But please, do adhere to Jeffry Sach’s guidelines and don’t feed the locals, not even sweets. Really Sachs, really? Let them feed you. Then when it gets down to why you are there, tell them you are there to learn how to make the most of life your life, how to be content, how to maintain culture in this ever-changing world. Ask them, ever so gently how you could help strop rampant muzungus wading thru their life and snapping pictures like they are wild animals. Because truthfully, that’s more achievable than solving a problem caused by your own lack of perception.

As many of you know, I am running the Montreal Oasis Marathon on September 5th, 2010 – in exactly 27 days! Running the marathon was partly inspired by the need to find a way to help pay school fees for the children of the Women of Kireka. These twenty women, who still work part-time in a quarry for a pittance, now have a small start-up jewelry business, which I helped to establish in 2008 in Kampala, Uganda and now assist through Project Diaspora.

As many of you also know, I’m generally no longer a fan of fundraising. After a couple years working on and off in Kenya and Uganda, and further experience in the “wheel of development,” I have learned to deeply appreciate the value of business. By business, I mean a system where a unique high-quality product, made through painstaking attention to detail, is fairly traded for monetary capital. This seems to be the most sustainable and engaging form of economic development.

In line with this, Women of Kireka has transformed itself from a donations-funded model, where international donors help to raise enough capital for the women to start their own business, to a small start-up business built on hard work by the people who make up the Women of Kireka and Project Diaspora.

However, in order to get Women of Kireka to where it is now, it was necessary to help the women spend a few less hours on the quarry. They identified school fees as one of their most expensive and stressful costs. By covering school fees for a year, Project Diaspora – and your first two round of donations – gave the women enough time to see if Women of Kireka was for them and whether we could build a successful business together.

This generous time has proved to be fruitful and we think that, after this final round of school fee donations, Women of Kireka will be entirely run as a business, no longer soliciting donations. In the little time we’ve had this year, we’ve registered Women of Kireka as a business, opened a local bank account for the women to place their savings, developed an emergency health fund scheme, launched one line of jewelry, developed a website and established a series of local and international partnerships with such groups as Solar Sister.

This final round of school fee donations will give the women the free time to perfect their second line of designs. It will also give us the time to focus on opening the online Women of Kireka store. We expect that these activities, particularly the opening of the online store, will ensure that the women can support their children next year in school and work increasingly with Women of Kireka, thus moving off the quarry for good.

Fortunately, the beginning of the children’s semester coincides with the Montreal Oasis Marathon. As I cross the finish line, the children will be getting ready for their final school term this year and we hope your generous contributions will help us pave the way for a successful new school term!

For more information on the Women of Kireka, please visit our website.

Last year I was giving a talk in DC. On the way to the venue, I was given a ride to the train station by this Zambian driver. He came to the US as a diplomat and now is working as a driver for the hotel in the DC area. This is one example of what Richard Cambridge, VP of the African Diaspora Program at The World Bank, would call “brain waste.” I didn’t get the driver’s name, but in my short conversation (and I don’t remember how I thought to record his nuggets of wisdom) I came away richly rewarded with insight on life, Africa and our future. It was one of the most rewarding taxi rides of my life. I didn’t get to record the whole conversation, but the little two-minute clip that I did record is worth a listen and worth pondering in the big picture.

“The young trees which are growing will be the forests of the future,” he says. “Who is going to take over from us. For us we are tree which are already old. Who is going to take over as an account… who is going to take over?”

In the span of those few minutes, I was struck by his truth, and his genuine concern for the future of Africa. Those who come here [ in the West ] to pursue a better life, but wasted the opportunity by being distracted from the goal depleted our future forest of trees of knowledge. On a continent of a billion people and counting, we need as many trees of knowledge as the forest can hold, and not simply for the benefit of the environment either.

I am loving this video interview of Richard Cambridge, Head of the African Diaspora Program (ADP) at The World Bank. I am especially intrigued by the new efforts by the World Bank to tap into the African Diaspora capacity for development. Instead of using highly-paid consultants on projects in Africa he asks, why not tap some of its Diaspora instead?

Of course there are many hurdles still in the way in order to maximize Diaspora participation, but I think many of those can be mitigated by a determined government that sees the value in its Diaspora. Many of the countries in Africa are in various stages of actively courting their Diaspora. In East Africa, Rwanda has made strides to tap into its Diaspora with a very well organized Diaspora office. Meanwhile, Uganda is still trying to figure out how to begin organizing its Diaspora that contributes north of $750 million annual in remittances. Next door, Kenya’s Diaspora is more or less self-organizing. Every time I am in Nairobi, I meet more and more former Diaspora who’ve turned “reaspora.”

Reaspora is a term I like to attach to members of the neo Diaspora who—for various reasons—have decided to move back home in the permanent sense. Where-by “neo Diaspora”, I mean that segment of Africa’s diaspora that started migrating at the end of colonial rule, when most of Africa was newly independent. This is a distinctly different set of migrants than the classic diaspora who were forcibly extracted during the centuries-long slave trade. The end of slavery in 1807 and the collapse of colonial rule in Africa in the 1950s and 60s marked nearly 150 years of cultural separation between the two diasporas by definition.

I welcome The World Bank’s adoption of the African Union’s definition of Africa’s Diaspora as an open-arms approach to welcoming back its citizens. However, I think it is a little too broad of  a definition and is there simply as a hedge not to come across as excluding anyone. For The World Bank’s effort to be more effective, I think efforts should be targeted at mobilizing this neo Diaspora population. It is typically younger, highly educated, mobile and technically savvy. Moreover, they have a traceable direct link to their homes through family members that are still on the continent. Many of us still call our countries of origin, “home.” Most of the Kenyans I know heading back home are in their late 20′s and early 30′s. They decided that their fortunates and careers lay in their homeland. It is a safe argument to make that Nairobi’s telecommunications innovations and subsequent renaissance can largely be attributed to the efforts of its growing tech-savvy reaspora population. Cambridge’s assessment that some members of the Diaspora (including himself) have set up family roots in the West thus reducing mobility is a valid point, but I think that applies to the older first or second-generation Diasporas, his age mates.

They can also go back home for short breaks or vacation. But they have careers here, they have families abroad. The notion that everybody will pack up and go back home is unrealistic. They are going to stay. They are international people, they will go where the opportunities are. They are trained to work in certain conditions. Those conditions may not exist immediately at home. But over time it does.

He also doesn’t account for the growing population of Diaspora who are moving their entire families back home. I currently spend half my time in Uganda and half in the US. My unique circumstances in career choice allow me the flexibility to do so. An internet connection, laptop and power are my only office requirements. Location is purely circumstantial. All to say that technology is making location irrelevant in how we as members of the Diaspora engage in Africa’s development.
Remittance are still a key conduit of financial development assistance, but we need a more streamlined solution to maximize our investments. This is where I think the World Bank is right to put its muscle – investing and encouraging new innovations that will lower the fees on international money transfers.

What is common is that this group, this fifth region, has the skills, talent, and resources to contribute to the continent. Skills, talent, financial resources. As a bank, we of course initially focused on finance. The estimates are that sub-saharan Africans who live abroad send home between 10 and 40 billion dollars per year back to their families on the continent. And those resources, of course, can be leveraged for development in many different ways.

Money Gram, Western Union and the banking industry charge a fortune to transfer funds. With the advent of mobile money facilities on the continent, the last mile is to feed the $40 billion in annual remittances through that delivery channel.

Certainly policies and regulatory frameworks allowing for greater diaspora participation are needed in many of these countries. But I’d be happy with a dedicated Diaspora window at Entebbe Airport. Now that would be a sign of great things to come!

BONUS:
If you’d like to dig deeper into Diaspora investment from a financial markets perspective, check out this ‘Diaspora Investment in Developing and Emerging Country Capital Markets: Patterns and Prospects‘ [PDF] paper by the Migration Policy Institute. Is it worth a read.

Jason Sadler shuttered 1 Million Shirts campaign to focus on iwearyourshirt.com

And so it ends. Just like that.

A few months a go, a social media phenomenon took hold on the web in the form of international development practitioners and defenders waylaying yet another do-gooder attempting to do right by his conscious. Jason Sadler, successful entrepreneur and founder of innovative upstart website, iwearyourshirt.com, waded into murky development waters by attempting to send 1 Million Shirts (1MS) to Africa. We can safely assume that Jason had no idea what kind of global reception his initiative would receive. Within 72 hours, a tinder box of echo-chamber tweets fueled blogs and blog comments from all corners of international development. Yours truly was especially rattled at yet another attempt to dump Western left-overs on my beloved continent. There was nothing sugary nice in my response.

In the months since the roundtable discussion hosted by Katrin Verclas at Mobile Active, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Mr. Sadler in an advisory role to try and redirect 1MS. Along with @mjamme, we held weekly conference calls in an attempt to strategize and brain storm some ideas in which Jason could redirect 1MS. We didn’t accept to be on the board because we have the time and nothing better to do. We did it because we believed in the power of an individual determined to make a difference in the world.

Personally, I did it because of my belief that it is important to foster partnerships. It is important as an African to have a voice in how my continent’s current and future development takes shape. It is important for me to be vociferous in rejecting ill-concieved packaged, top-down solutions meant as panaceas for our complex developmental challenges. It is important for me to do that because I now have a voice. As Africa’s renaissance ignites, it is imperative that we also take the microphone and speak for our selves, but not only to rebuke, but also to teach, partner and guide. I took the time from a hectic travel schedule to have audience with Jason every week. Wherever there was a wifi signal that could support Skype, I joined Jason, Stephen, and Mariame for our weekly one-hour conversation. The kerfuffle over the child-trafficking post was news to us as it was posted without our involvement and this was dealt with internally afterwards.

Jason’s decision to shutter 1MS came down to simply a personal decision. Jason’s priority was and remains his business. 1MS was never going to be something he took on full time. What he found out was that it required his full-time attention. I can safely say that Jason learned a lot during our meetings, which perhaps played a role in the decision. To responsibly do what he wanted to do required more time than he could afford to pull away from his successful business.

I’ve been masticating on the lessons gleaned from this whole saga and some it has forced me to look internally as well as the whole development/aid industrial complex as a whole. My only qualification in this field is that I have 30+ years being an African, 20 of those as a member of the Diaspora, if that even counts. I have a degree in Communications Design and pay the bills as a designer and photographer. Does that really qualify me to speak on behalf of one billion people? Does it qualify me to berate a genuinely well-meaning individual when within the African Diaspora community there are millions that do nothing at all? Does being an African in a field so dominated by degreed Western academics make me an unqualified poser? Do I side with with the corp of professional do-gooders or the recipients lulled into a tendered existence of expecting hand outs? Or am I just a photographer who’s lost focus on the purpose of my life because I am too drunk in idealism?

Whatever the verdict might be for me, a few things have risen out of this saga. Of importance is that for once, a meaningful global conversation was had on the nuances within the humanitarian aid complex. The industry wasted no time defending its turf. To me this signaled an entrenchment, both in the culture of thought and entitlement. Don’t get me wrong, a bad idea is a bad idea. No two ways about it. But I look at it beyond that. The fact that no one besides Mariame and myself ended up on the board to assist Jason, to me, is an indictment of the whole industry. We were all happy to heckle from the sidelines at the newest do-gooder out of his mind, but very few of us stepped beyond Jason’s arrogance to try to channel his energy in the right direction. In the 3 months I was on the board, no one reached out to leverage Jason’s marketing prowess or partner with his proven entrepreneurial clout.

This all begs a few more questions. Who is entitled to do good? What qualifications does one need to pass as a humanitarian/aid worker when passion is no longer a qualifying passport? Let’s remember Bill Gates is an entrepreneur turned do-gooder. Does his money magically seal him from criticism or is the industry too afraid to criticize a cash cow. He had no qualifications in global health before funding an initiative to synthesize artemisin and importing it into Kenya, thereby imploding Kenya’s natural artemisin industry without even a slap on the wrist. But I bet you he has learned a thing or two since then. So why can’t Jason be given the same due pass for his passion?

Too many of us were quick with the “good riddance” tweets at the news of the shuttering of 1MS. How many of us have actually thought about the fact that along with it, we dismiss the possibility, the idea of another Jason coming from the outskirts of the aid complex to truly change the world? It is absolutely possible for one person—wholly unqualified—to upend 60 years of aid industry inclusiveness with a new paradigm. But did we leave a sliver of room for such a person to even dare raise their head? Is there room for a lone ranger or are we too far gone in our self-righteousness to ever entertain that thought.

In our elitism, we have forgotten that we are humanitarians at the core. Paid professionals or not, we got into this business because the status quo in the world wasn’t good enough. Whatever our enclave of practice might be, lets not forget that at the heart of what we do, is a human doing. So let’s recognize the mistakes made, cross the divide and shake the hand of the next do-gooder with one hand and guide them with the other. Frankly, we need their help.

Project Diaspora (PD), a Texas registered not-for-profit, is thrilled to announce today the launch of BizSpring Africa Enterprise Development Programs. The program includes an on-line networking platform, innovation and entrepreneurship conferences and a resource database that will tap global skills within the collective intelligence of Africa’s Diaspora, and beyond, to empower Africa’s small to medium sized businesses. These programs aim to act as a linkage between Africa’s entrepreneurs and innovators with resources to grow small to medium sized entities. PD aims to provide a platform for these programs and is looking for collaborative partners to support this initiative.

PD has signed agreements with US and African institutions of higher learning to collaborate on African innovations. Agreements to launch the program have since been signed with the Monterey Institute of International Studies, Graduate School of International Policy and Management, in Monterey, California and LoftyInc Allied Partners Limited, a Nigeria based and West Africa sub-region focused venture incubator.

PD is passionate about providing various ways in which members of Africa’s diaspora can participate in Africa’s development, beyond our $40 billion in remittances. BizSpring is the first step towards a wide range of platforms designed to leverage that capital inflow for SME growth on the continent. Additionally, BizSpring will serve as a vehicle for continued global investment in African SMEs.

We will have more information on our partners, program details and information in the coming weeks. Check back regularly.

In the last 7 days, I have been on three continents and my feet have touched down in four countries. Dopplr says I’ve added in excess of 1,659 kg CO2 to my carbon footprint. My body feels like a stubborn piñata, beaten to a pulp, but hardly broken. My mind has absorbed, contemplated, calculated, commiserated and generally tried to make sense of the world around it. South Africa successfully concluded hosting the world’s biggest sporting competition; BP stopped it’s 3 month effort to fill the Gulf of Mexico with oil; Steve Jobs turned on his reality distortion field to quell “antennaegate,” and Washington, DC was hit with an earthquake.

My heart however, has been stuck in a geosynchronous orbit around Kampala, Uganda.

As of this posting, it has been exactly a week since Spain beat The Netherlands to stand alone atop the World Cup throne. The world watched, in celebration and disappointment as the games crowned their final champion. In Africa, many gathered in make-shift pool halls, barber shops, local beer joints or “locals,” or anywhere where there was a TV or radio tuned to the proper channel broadcasting the game.

In Uganda, 76 people did not get to see the final results of the game. They had began their day in frenzied preparation to finish whatever the day required them to accomplish in time for the match. Some went to pray, others went shopping for sports jerseys emblazoned with the colors of whatever team they were in support of, some had lunch with friends and placed bets with each other. Others made plans to meet at pubs or restaurants to enjoy the final game. None, it would seem, made plans to die that day.

Seven days ago, the Somali Islamic militant group, al Shabab, or “youth” detonated a series of bombs in Uganda’s capital of Kampala which injured hundreds and left the city with 76 less people that I will never get a chance to meet. An outdoor gathering at the Kyadondo rugby club was hit by a suicide bomber, while simultaneously another bomb hidden under a table ripped through Ethiopian Village, a popular restaurant and socializing spot for tourists and expats.

I ran across the news while sifting through the day’s tweets. I’d just returned from a dinner with colleagues I hadn’t seen in a while. One of them, left the dinner early to go watch the start the game with her father. Earlier before the dinner, I’d sped past the rugby club across from Lugogo Mall on Jinja Road, straddling a boda boda taxi. I’d just spent the day sifting and editing images at the Hive Colab offices. The air was crisp and the sky was clear as evening was setting in. The rugby club gates were busy with activity as the early arrivals filtered in to grab the best seat on the field.

The first tweet was from non other than Solomon Benge (@solomonking). Solomon tweeted from the front lines during the Kampala riots a year before.  I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I was curious enough to stay tuned while he confirmed the report. Soon enough there was a flurry of reports coming out. I remember a heavy sense despair descended on me as I sunk into disbelief. The winner of the final had just been announced, and the orange-clad Dutch expats were filtering out of the bar at the hostel, in dejected disbelief. I watched the Twitter stream a few more minutes before it occurred to me that I should start accounting for my team. “We are OK, are you?” “Have you heard from so-and-so? No, have you? Call them and I’ll call you back.” Within minutes everyone was accounted for, on the way or home and safe. A few hours later I was replying to Facebook messages and tweets; “team PD was accounted for and safe.” The news was now international, struggling upstream to break through the tide of World Cup coverage.

What amounted to a cloud of numbness occupied my soul for the two days before I was to board for my flight to Dallas. I took meetings in a daze of disbelief, meetings that were occupied with discussions of who was responsible, digesting the gory images in the tabloids of limbs and blood. The images were arresting and the same time disappointing as it seemed every newspaper was racing to print the most disturbing images from the two bombings. I was keenly paranoid of where I sat and who was around me.

Was this the new state of mind I would have every time I came home? Strangely, everyone seemed to be alone in their thoughts. Around Kampala, life went on as everyone tried to make sense of the events of Sunday night. The overly crowded taxi parks in the informal sector were just as packed, the nightly street vendors still sold you a rolex with a smile. The boda boda drivers still snaked through Kampala’s gridlock like water through a rockslide.

The most heart-wrenching reality of the bombings manifested itself at the airport as I was departing. Lines of expats, and tourists choked the check in lines to a point where the computing system shut down for several hours. It seemed a mass exodus was in play. It became clear that the effects of the bombings would spread beyond the loss of 76 lives. In contrast to South Africa’s .5% bump in GDP brought on by hosting the games, right here at Entebbe, Uganda’s tourism industry was bleeding massively. I immediately understood the somber countenance of John Hunwick, proprietor of Backpackers Kampala hostel, as I waved goodbye.

“We’re finished,” he muttered.

Instability in the city meant no tourists, volunteers, or traveling students – which spelt financial disaster for the hostel. Mr. Hunwick’s hospitality and tourism business depended on the assumption that it was safe to travel to Uganda. Kampala’s once vibrant nightlife won’t be the same for a long time as revelers avoid crowded establishments.

As I touch down in the fifth city this week, I am still haunted by the images of the zombie-like corpses on the front pages. Men and women, soaked in blood and frozen in repose in their plastic chairs on the lawns of the rugby grounds; a woman clutching a soft drink with her head slumped to the side, a man leaning in the chair clutching a cellphone on one ear. The most haunting image that I can’t shake is when I was driving by the rugby grounds days after the bombings and watching the massive prehistoric scavenger birds — famous for feasting on Kampala’s growing garbage dumps — land on the pitch. I couldn’t bare the thought of what they were feeding on in the grass.

So where do we go from here? How do we rebuilt our city? How do we sell stability again and inject customers back into the tourism sector and related businesses? How do we avoid sinking into a relentless cycle of xenophobic violence? President Museveni has vowed not to be intimidated and has called for a state of calm. Uganda’s continued presence in Somalia as part of the African Union’s peace-keeping mission means that we are now on a continued terror alert as al Shabab begins to retaliate beyond its borders. I suppose I have no choice but to resign to the fact that this is our new life now,  “…in blood and color.” Is this the price of progress and freedom? Please stay tuned.

In June 2010, I had the pleasure of presenting at Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media (GFEM)’s first Conversation. My task was to comment on the state of/ future of media, technology, and access to information on the continent. A fairly sizable task to accomplish in a 10-minute presentation.

The best part about the opportunity was that not only was I able to talk about the state of technology on the continent, but I was able to actually demonstrate it. I was fortunate enough to be in Kampala and have access the Appfrica Labs/Hive Colab working spaces. There was adequate bandwidth for me to do the presentation over Skype using screen share.

In June 2010, I had the pleasure of presenting at Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media (GFEM)’s first Conversation. My task was to comment on the state of/ future of media, technology, and access to information on the continent. A fairly sizable task to accomplish in a 10-minute presentation.

The best part about the opportunity was that not only was I able to talk about the state of technology on the continent, but I was able to actually demonstrate it. I was fortunate enough to be in Kampala and have access the Appfrica Labs/Hive Colab working spaces.  There was adequate bandwidth for me to do the presentation over Skype using screen share.

DiasporaCamp DC '10

On July 25, 2009, about 80 young Africans and people interested in Africa congregated in Washington, DC for BarCamp Diaspora ’09 to exchange ideas on entrepreneurship, innovation and development under the theme “Investing our talent where it counts. Through a breakout session at the event about healthcare in Ghana, a healthcare-focused NGO called REACH-Ghana was formed. Many attendees also have partnered to work on ongoing projects as a result. On July 24, 2010 at the Kenney Auditorium, School of Advanced International Studies – Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC, the conversations continue again, bringing together the African Diaspora to exchange ideas on doing business in Africa.

DiasporaCamp is a BarCamp with a focus on African Diaspora, primarily African affairs and issues. A BarCamp is an ad-hoc gathering where attendees meet for discussions, demos and networking. Unlike a typical conference, at a BarCamp everyone is both a speaker and a participant. The content is provided by all attendees based on their interests, unified under the theme. Though discussions will center on financial innovations and access to capital, there will be breakout sessions on various topics as organized by attendees.

DiasporaCamp DC ’10 is a FREE event for anyone who is interested in using their skills, talent, and resources to benefit Africa. African entrepreneurs and people with an active interest in African affairs are encouraged to attend. The focus will be on access to capital to fuel these entrepreneurial ventures, business ideas and projects. Panelists and speakers will include Joseph Obi of USAID, Dr. Philip Auerswald of George Mason University, Nii Simmonds of Nubiah Cheetah and Magogodi Makhene of Zenzele Circle.

DiasporaCamp DC 2010 is sponsored by the GhanaThink Foundation, and African Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies – Johns Hopkins University. It will run from 8am – 6pm at the Kenney Auditorium, School of Advanced International Studies – Johns Hopkins University at 1740 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC.

Register/RSVP today on the DiasporaCamp DC ’10 Eventbrite page or at DiasporaCamp.org. You may also contact us for sponsorship opportunities. You may participate online at the conference website if you are not close to the Washington DC area. If you are interested in organizing a breakout session, let us know, especially if you have special needs.

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New gems from Women of Kireka!

For a long time, Uganda’s value has been associated with its physical, tangible assets. This includes its natural resources, hospitable environment and cash crops such as coffee. In economic terms, the value proposition is shifting all around Uganda and the time is now to realize that the value attached to coffee and fruits is fast shifting to the knowledge possessed on how to grow these same things faster. Intellectual capital and intellectual property laws, the tools of protecting this capital are a key concern for today and the future of Uganda.

Broadly speaking, intellectual property law in Uganda is known to accommodate the laws that protect brands and the identifiers of value in businesses. These could be names, symbols, logos, slogans or a combination of these. It also covers Patent laws. Patents protect technical innovations for things like new methods of making medicine or even apparently simple inventions like modifications to a padlock. The third major area covered by IP law in Uganda is the law of copyright, which provides protection to those whose creative effort is reflected in music, books, artistic works, dramatic works and similar works. There are other less well known but equally important areas such as industrial designs, geographical indications, trade secrets and plant varieties that are included among the important areas of Intellectual property. However, although Uganda acknowledges their importance, some of them have not yet been specifically passed into legislation in this country.

Where do we stand in terms of intellectual property education in this country? IP has traditionally been the preserve of lawyers. As such, the subject was until the late 1990s only taught as part of the Post graduate Bar course at the Law Development Center in Kampala. During the intensive one year course, IP is taught in the course of two days. With the need to modernize legal education, Makerere University introduced the subject in the late 1990s and it was subsequently introduced on the Uganda Christian University Law school program, when that university started in 1997. Currently, the subject is taught as part of the LLB (Bachelor of Laws degree) with varying degrees of content in 6 universities. These are Makerere University, Uganda Matyrs University, UCU Mukono, Kampala International University and the Islamic University of Uganda in Mbale. It is apparent that all of these Universities only teach intellectual property law as a substantive subject to law students, leaving other disciplines with hardly any significant content in this regard.

Leaving the formal educational system, a number of Government institutions have now recognized the need to increase awareness of the value of IP in Uganda beyond the University setting. Key among these are the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), the Uganda National Council for science and Technology (UNCST), the Ministry of Trade Tourism and Industry and Makerere University.  This realization is critical and timely and I will share a few reasons in support of this position.

First of all, as Uganda becomes more integrated in the Global economy, its economy becomes even more vulnerable unless it becomes more innovative and competitive in its key industries. Many policy makers have recognized the vulnerability of holding on to the past ancient advantages of the cash crop-commodity era. This is because tea, sugar and coffee prices are subject to numerous trade barriers at the best of times, while newer products like vanilla have to compete with artificial flavors, thanks to modern science and technology. For this reason, scientists, artists and business people small and large need to appreciate the notion of intellectual property and what advantage it gives them in this new era of international trade.

The second reason that has compelled some of these organizations to rethink the intellectual property education processes is the intrusiveness of the internet.  The internet is recognized worldwide as being the most disruptive technology of the past century, almost in the same measure that mobile telephony was to Africa in the 1990s. It provides huge opportunities for learning as well as trading and commerce. Small and medium businesses in Uganda have latched on to electronic commerce as a sensible imperative of cutting out middle men in Kampala, and Nairobi, thereby saving themselves a lot of money and making more profits. More importantly in the context of intellectual property, cultural goods such as music now constitute a significant value of Uganda’s invisible exports. The Ministry of trade, tourism and industry, as well as other partner institutions have realized that enhancing artists and other actors in the creative industries sector will in turn lead to an increase in service sector exports.

Thirdly, Uganda as a least developed country that signed up to the World Trade Organization’s TRIPS agreement is bound to implement and enforce IP laws. Whereas Uganda has some flexibilities it enjoys until the year 2016 with respect to Pharmaceutical Patents, there is tremendous pressure from developed countries for it to comply in other areas. One of the key areas of concern in this regard is the area of trademarks and enforcement of stringent anti counterfeit legislation. Whereas most Ugandans appreciate the importance of stringent laws against counterfeit products, which include pharmaceuticals, there is a worry that the scope of the law may be so wide as to prevent generic medicines into the country under the guise that they are counterfeits. This is an area that requires the line ministry of Trade as well as that of Health to deploy significant resources in terms of sensitization and public awareness for the public to appreciate the purpose and imperatives of the law. If this does not happen, Uganda’s Anti counterfeit legislation is likely to face significant implementation challenges.

Lastly, IP education has become more important as learning in the online environment becomes more prominent. In the past, most teaching materials were in the form of physical text books. Due to war and the decline in local publishing, fewer local authors are on the approved list of published works for use in the public education system. Universities have come to appreciate that in order for their students to make use of the wide repertoire of works available on the internet; they have to navigate through the various copyright permissions necessary for them to access online resources. With the availability of better and faster internet access, there is increasingly the view that Universities churning out thousands of IT professionals should also focus on developing local content. This should have the effect of creating a greater appetite for online resources as well as local solutions. The challenge here is that the creators of this content will expect some form of compensation, as availed under copyright regimes that users are not yet aware of, or prepared to pay for. In light of this growing awareness, Makerere University passed its Intellectual Property policy in 2009 to assist its staff and students in determining how to assess, appropriate and distribute benefits from intellectual property.

Beyond the existing plans lie huge institutional minefields to overcome. The basic concepts of intellectual property and its application at an enterprise level and benefits at the macro level are yet to be understood by public officials. This could significantly delay or even derail any efforts in the direction of curriculum review or even public sensitization. It therefore means that all public and private organizations and companies should join hands and work together to enhance understanding on a subject that could potentially lift many from poverty as well as have a positive impact on the country’s export earnings.

On the other hand, it is high time developed countries and their multinationals that reap the most from Uganda’s consumption of their commodities give direct support to Intellectual property education drives, as opposed to crying foul when counterfeit products are found littering the streets of Kampala. This must go beyond workshop style education to practical support on how to use the intellectual property system ie through the transfer of know how to enterprises and supporting the establishment of a national innovation support system. Hopefully this is a formula that will leave everyone in a better position to exploit their creativity and entrepreneurship to the benefit of businesses and the country at large.

Paul Asiimwe, Advocate & IP  Consultant
Chairman, National IP Advisory Group under the UNCST
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Sipi Law Associates
Advocates, Patent & Trademark Agents
Investment & Corporate Legal Advisors

Tanzania is a country which lies on the eastern part of Africa just below the equator. Its population is over 30 million people. It became independent on 9th December 1961 from British colonial rule. The education provided by the colonial government in our country had a different purpose. It was not designed to prepare young people for service of their own country; instead it was motivated by desire to inculcate the values of the colonial society and to train them for the service of colonial state. During colonial rule, many schools were racially or religiously segregated, emphasized British values, and there was little emphasis on educating local children. Very few local children were in school. With the arrival of independence in 1961, many schools were built by missionaries. Still, very few children were able to join those schools.

In 1967, The Late President Julius Nyerere launched The Arusha Declaration and policy on socialism and self-reliance; the principles being:

1. That all human beings are equal;
2. That every individual has a right to dignity and respect;
3. That every citizen is an integral part of the nation and has the right to take an equal part in government at local, region and national level.
4. That every citizen has the right to freedom of expression, of movement and of religious belief. (just few to mention)

Government decided to take over all the schools, hospitals and other major services from private institutions and individuals. Private schools and hospitals were even outlawed. His aim was centralization to ensure everyone had equal access to these basic social services. Though primary education became nearly universal in our country, unfortunately, many years of poverty and inflation made it impossible for the government to maintain a high standard of education for every child. After some years, the standard of education dropped. I wanted to make it clear that The Late President Julius Nyerere had good intentions & even some good results, even though the final outcomes didn’t succeed.

In 1990s the government decided to allow the private sector to come back and give the services as before. It was too late, though, to cater to the problem quickly. Here are few reasons for the poor performance of education sector in Tanzania though the system is good:

• Overcrowding: The number of schools in Tanzania is very few compared to the number of children who are supposed to join schools. This causes a classroom to accommodate many kids compared to its capacity. One classroom in public schools accommodates 80 to 120 children with only one teacher. Even if a teacher is good, it’s impossible to produce good products.At our school, we control the number of students in each class, and build a good work environment, so that teachers can do a good job .The Tanzania’s Ministry of Education allows a class to have not more than 45 children. We adhere this rule and; in addition, in our preschool classrooms, we have assistant teachers to help manage younger students.
• Expensive but Low-Quality Private Schools: Most of the private schools charge highly. Unfortunately, other private schools are there to make money and not to offer high quality education. Many just have good buildings and offer good food but they provide a low standard of education.At our school, tuition is very low when compared with many private schools. In addition, we use income from paying students to provide free and reduced-cost education to many children at our school, including orphans and other children who could not otherwise afford a high-quality education.
• Insufficient Books & Supplies: This is a major problem to most of the schools in Tanzania. In public schools, the Government provides books to teachers and can’t give to pupils. The parents can’t afford buying the books. Children end up listening to teachers and have no books to reference. Due to the poverty problem, many parents can’t afford even to buy other learning materials. Some students miss school because they don’t have exercise books, mathematical sets and sometimes things like school uniforms, shoes or bags. In public school even the low school fees of Tshs. 20000 (~ $20 USD) per year is a problem to others.At our school, I always buy books for teachers and a few to support students who can’t get books especially orphans. Other children, the parents have to buy for them. Our school library, which is under construction, will give chance to all children to have wide range of books and other materials for their studies.
• Inadequate Technology: There is no modern technology equipment in most of the schools. The world now is like a village. Children need to know much about what’s going on in other places. Even to learn so many things from the computers/internet is very important. Very few schools have even a single computer for office work. Computers here are very expensive so only schools which charge very expensive fees can afford to buy computers for children to use.At our school, computer lessons are conducted in classes from class 3 upwards, including lessons on the internet. Our class 6 students are even called the TwitterKids of Tanzania for their use of Twitter. The technology lab is under construction too which will provide a classroom for technology learning and provide us with more security for our computers. I’m glad our school got computers and internet access through the efforts of US nonprofit, Epic Change.
• Communication Barriers: All public primary schools teach in Kiswahili but when they join secondary school, they are taught every subject in English except Kiswahili subject. This causes many children to fail understanding what teachers are teaching. The outcome is low performance.At our school, all classes are taught in English from the time students are in preschool when they are young and can learn the language quickly. Of course, we also teach our national language, Kiswahili, so all our students are bilingual and, once they are prepared for secondary school, will be able to fully participate in their classes.
• AIDS: This disease has left so many children with no place to stay, no food, no education and so many other problems.At our school, we offer free education, meals and shelter to our students who have lost their parents to AIDS. We hope to be able to offer this to even more children in our community as our partner, Epic Change, works to build a dormitory to house up to 50 students on our school campus. Our plan is to build a home for children at our school to cater problem of orphans and needy children moving from relatives’ houses day after day, which affects their good performance. Epic Change has raised USD $16,830+ so far for this purpose.
• Limited Government Investment to Expand Private Education Innovations: There is no budget from the government to support private schools. This is a big problem. We would like to tackle many things to reduce problems in this sector of education. I am certain improvements in education would be a source of solving many problems in our country which are caused by ignorance.Problems with School Transport: Many children are walking long way to/from schools. Others are walking 1 to 2 hours just to reach the school. Others who are lucky, parents are giving them bus fare to board public buses. Unfortunately, during peak hours, the buses do not allow children to board their buses, saying they pay too little bus fare. So they reach at school/home very late, and this causes low performance for many children.At our school, we have school buses which shuttle kids to and from school to give them good harmony for learning. They don’t get tired before or after their studies because of the long journey.
• Freedom in Learning: In government schools, both culturally and because other materials than the teacher aren’t widely available, the teacher is viewed and respected as the only way to get knowledge from. Children are encouraged to memorize and repeat what they are taught. Corporal punishment is common when students don’t comply. This situation, hinder creativity, critical and independent thinking among our students.In our classrooms, especially as students are beginning to access knowledge and, in some cases, master new technology even more quickly than their teachers, we are beginning to evolve toward an environment where students and teachers are learning with and from one another. Children are also starting to blog & tweet their opinions, and complete independent projects. This is a significant cultural change for our community, however, and will take time. I am totally opposing the corporal punishment for children at my school, and believe that the loving environment we cultivate at our school represents a significant difference from other local schools as well.
• Provision of Lunch at Schools: Most of the public schools and even other private schools do not provide lunch to children and teachers. This causes many children and teachers to perform poorly.At my school, we provide porridge/tea at 10am and lunch to children and staff of our school. This has been one of secret of our good performance and having happy children.
• Parental Involvement: In some schools, parents are not involved in anything concerning school development. No meetings with parents to discuss anything. This hinders the closeness and quick development of most schools.At our school, we have a very active parents committee that supports our school in many ways, including fundraising, policy changes and more. At our last parents meeting, hundreds of parents attended for several hours and actively participated in discussion about fees, meals, books and other important subjects.

When I started our school in 2003, I aimed on giving good education to my students, and I shared above what I’m doing to make this possible. I’m glad that the children of my school are performing well. On our most recent class 4 national exams (late last year) our school scored #2 out of 123 schools in our District. This gives me hope that we’ll create change in our community and positive outcomes for our students.

Last year I engaged in a very interesting e-mail discussion with friends from around the world. It all started with CNBC’s show “Dollars & Danger: Africa, The Final Investing Frontier”

The show could have used some work with the way it was edited and as an African I wanted to see my continent portrayed in a better fashion. The sad fact is that while Africa is a continent filled resources galore from our vast mineral wealth to fertile soils and warm hearted people, we find ourselves relegated to a third world status – with many of the poorest countries in the world. So we ask ourselves, “Why does Africa appear to have missed out on developing?” and “What will it take for us to ‘catch up’ with the rest of the world?”

After a long discourse it boiled down to two main items, a good education for all and effective policy that works.

The fact that 45% of Africa’s sub Sahara population is under 15 years old must raise a red flag in ones mind. Imagine what Africa could be if the next generation of Africa is educated in a new way; one in which a new breed of problem solving Africans is created, with tools needed to think critically and meet our problems head on with home grown solutions. This could be and should be our new future!

There is an old British saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. Likewise, we need to start with a clean slate, with the young pure and unadulterated minds of our three to six year olds. Educators and scientists tell us that our character is formed at a very early age; by the time one is six or seven their temperament is set. That’s why we need to start early. We all know how innately curious young two and three years olds are, engineering educators say that we “beat” the engineering out of our children when we fail to satiate their curiosity and teach them how to channel it constructively. A paradigm shift in our approach to education is called for, one in which our children’s minds will continuously be challenged to come up with creative solutions to problems with real life applications. Whatever is learned or dreamed up needs to be proved not only theoretically but also practically in the “real” world.

The East African Community (Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda) has entered into a partnership with the nonprofit OLPC (One Laptop Per Child), they plan to equip each primary school student in East Africa with a laptop by 2015! The estimated number for computers for this is 30 million and at $250 each the cost for this will be around 7.5 billion USD. This is a bold initiative by the East African Community that should be backed up by a new syllabus that is appropriate and relevant for this day and age. OLPC’s press release last month included the following statement from Nicholas Negroponte, founder and chairman of the nonprofit.

“OLPC’s partnership with the East African Community represents another significant step toward a world in which every child has access to a world-class education, to the world’s body of knowledge, and to each other,” Negroponte said. “The East African Community is dedicating itself not simply to One Laptop per Child, but to a world in which the children become agents of change – making things, teaching each other and their families and affecting the social development of their community.”

The laptops alone will not save our educational program. They come equipped with tailor made educational material and thousands of textbooks, which is good, but we need to insure that a new syllabus is created to go along with the OLPC initiative that focuses on encouraging creativity and developing problem solving skills. Intel has a K12 program, which employs such a syllabus. We should take advantage and make use of emerging fields like Engineering Education, which focuses on addressing the way children are educated. Such bold initiatives need to be adopted all across the continent for there is no better investment that a people can make like investing in their children for they are our future.

This new breed of Africans of well-educated people will be able to fashion policy that works and serves us well. The Ghanaian economist Dr. George Ayittey calls them the “http://www.ted.com/talks/george_ayittey_on_cheetahs_vs_hippos.html” fast-moving, entrepreneurial leaders and citizens who will rebuild Africa. The new Africa will be not only be well educated, but will also know how to think. It’s one thing to teach pupils how to memorize dates and stuff but another to engage and mold young minds in a fashion that enables them to have independent thought, to be innovative and creative. Only then will we be able to come up with new ways and solutions to address the problems that we face today and become serious players on the world stage.

The interventions needed for Africa are not simple nor one sided. Only a holistic approach will work. So when a call for educational reform rings out, we should not forget about those already in the system. Their needs must be addressed as well with adult education classes and trade skills that will enable them to contribute meaningfully to society and support themselves. Corruption that is endemic in many African countries must be addressed at the root. A well-informed population that exercises it’s right to be governed well is a good start. It won’t solve all the problems we have overnight like water & food security, health issues and poverty and it’s related problems but will provide our people with the tools they need to create solutions to address them. An inscription on the first public library in the USA (the Boston Public Library) reads, “The Commonwealth Requires The Education Of The People As The Safeguard of Order And Liberty”. We need good quality education for all in Africa as it will serve as a safeguard to order and liberty and will enable us to rapidly develop our communities.

The second item Policy can have far reaching and more immediate effect. Our leaders and lawmakers need to formulate better and more effective policy, which must be grounded in a firm understanding of the issues at hand, it needs to be realistic in relation to our given set of circumstances. The economist Paul Collier in his book the bottom billion argues for improved trade policies to help the poorest countries. We also need good internal policies to run our countries well.

Another economist Hernando de Soto in his book “The Mystery of Capitalism: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else” says:

property only becomes useful capital when it is legally recognized by a formal legal system, since it is only when it is formally titled that its potential can be harnessed for loans, taxes, and security.

As De Soto traces the development of the US economy, it becomes apparent that American economic stability and growth only flourished once the majority of its citizens achieved property rights and were integrated into a legal titling system.

This is a good example of how legislation that provided strong property rights enabled nations like the USA to develop. We all know that we need to have the rule of law for they’re to be justice and peace in our land. However, we also need good laws and good policies for us to abide by. Poor policy is detrimental to our development and therefore does not serve us well even though it’s adhered to strictly.

It is refreshing to note that our governments are starting to realize the importance of good legislation that protects local and foreign investments. As African countries work to lure investors to our lands we are challenged by investors to have strong property rights to protect their investments. Tanzania is in the process of working to use investment bonds to fund massive infrastructure project like a multi-billion dollar railway line to Rwanda. A limitation to this and other international investment is their weak legislation. Minister Kawambwa recently said:

“We need legislation that protects somebody’s investment. If you don’t have the requisite legislation, then the risk levels are high and it is very difficult to attract someone to come and invest,” Strong policy that protects people’s property rights is needed to encourage and protect our investments both local and foreign.

When we have addressed education adequately, we will then be in position to write good policies and laws for our land. This will provide a conducive environment for us to develop socially, politically and economically. Our prosperity will then serve as our defense against anarchy as we will all have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

What’s proposed here is not a simplistic solution to the multitude of problems that face many African countries today, but I believe that good education for all and strong effective policy that works will provide us with a good solid foundation to build a better Africa.

Women of Kireka: School Fees Fundraiser Project Diaspora is in the middle of raising funds to help keep 58 kids in school as part of our Women of Kireka project in Kireka, Uganda. This year’s remaining budget is $4,000 to pay for second and third terms of 2010. You can donate by clicking the Paypal donate button in the sidebar

The time has come to raise funds to keep the children of the Women of Kireka in school. We raised enough money in our last fundraiser to keep them in school through the first term of 2010. However now the 2nd and 3rd terms must be addressed as well. There are currently 58 children enrolled in school and we are raising the funds with a combination of sales of the beads made by the women and donations. We have been covering our work with the women here on the blog for quite some time. So if you are a regular reader you know the story, however if you are not here is a quick recap:

One of our projects involves a fantastic group of women who were displaced during the war in Northern Uganda and fled to a town called Kireka outside the capital city of Kampala. They live in what is called an IDP camp (internally displaced persons) and work in the rock quarry there. For the last year or more we have been working with them to transition them out of the quarry an into more profitable and safer work. We currently have a team of interns working with them on job skills training, business training, working to get them counseling and health services and more. Just this week we were able to get them a small two room office, where they can meet and get training. Their ultimate goal is to create beautiful handmade crafts. They are currently making jewelry and will begin their training as seamstresses very soon. So it has been a very exciting time.

However in the midst of all of this it is time again to raise money for the children’s school fees. This year we are looking at a total of $4000 that needs to be raised. This will cover cost of school for 58 children through the end of the year. I will have a small quantity of necklaces made by the women for sale, the proceeds of which will go to the school fees. I expect to receive that shipment any day. Donations are also welcome in any amount via paypal.

Here are a few links that you may find interesting!

Three Days Earnings

Last Year’s Fundraiser, with videos!

A Conversation with Grace Lamono

An Intern’s Story

Although I have not been around that long, it seems like the debate over foreign aid has been at the centre of discussions about international development. Amidst this brouhaha about whether or not foriegn aid is good for development, I seek to raise a different question, is aid is central to development?

I think not. At least not in its current state.

This is particularly surprising because given my background, I should be heads over heels in love with aid.

I am one of aid’s children.

I attended Loyola Jesuit College, a Jesuit high school in Nigeria that was funded by the USAID and the New York Diocese of the Catholic Church. Judging mostly from my present circumstances, it clearly hasn’t done the worst job of providing for Nigerians like me, education and oppurtunity.

But then here is the point where the tingly feeling of anecdotal evidence must bow to the cold and hard facts.

Aid has not contributed enormously to economic growth, especially in Africa.

Even by the freindliest estimates, aid’s dissappointing impact has meant that it will take aid worth 10% of a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to raise economic growth by 1% per year on average. To put that in context, this means it will take it will take another another $814 billion worth of aid over 55 years for sub Saharan Africa to grow to the 7% it needs to fulfill its millennium development goals.

I doubt these are the kind of results today’s many development experts would consider to be performance worthy of their time, resources and efforts.

More interestingly, it makes me wonder, why is aid still at the center of the development discourse? Especially when it must resort to petty aid/no aid binary arguments to make its point.

Allow me to venture one answer I have borrowed from respected academic, Alex De Waal, “aid is essentially, a western, Anglo-Saxon model of charitable endeavor that is being imposed on the rest of the world” . The truth is that because aid remains the west’s logical response to development, the entire discussion surrounding it is really not about what it contributes to actual development that it is about the fact that the west simply wishes to contribute to development in some manner, whether or not it is helpful.

It was not till I had sat through my first series of International Development classes that I realized this.

That class, filled with young, blue eyed Canadians looking to “change the world”, it seemed to me, was the wrong context for discussing any country’s international development. Indeed, there is no how, a classroom of 100 Canadian youngsters learning of foreign places into which they would be air dropped in their last year for a credit or two could be a more effective tool for development than the 6.2 million young people currently studying at sub par higher institutions across Africa.

But does this all matter to aid? Well, no.

Through that semester, as I listened to my teacher’s exaltations of micro-credit, negligent of the destruction high interest rates had caused it to wrought or idealistically championing of “cheap” agricultural technologies whose prices move quickly out of the farmer’s reach once the “resourceful” NGO’s grants and subsidies end, I became more convinced of the fact that international development has become all about how kind westerners could help poor countries whether or not in fact they actually can.

I call it, the “aid and development industrial complex”. It’s business? Manufacturing problems in the developing world that the developed world can feel good about “solving”.

Now do not get me wrong. I will be the first to admit that there remain certain cases where without such good natured generosity, whole peoples would have died and countless futures would not shine so bright. However, the west cannot in good conscience place its need for the self gratitude that comes from unsustaibable giving ahead of the interests of the developing world.

If aid must remain relevant to development, it must stop being so self-absorbed in all its imagined importance and listen more. More importantly, it should increase the capacity of their African counterparts to identify and solve their own problems. The current system where African higher education receives little or no support while universities in the west launch multi-million dollar “Development Research Centres” they don’t need is not only clearly unsustainable, but highly self serving.  It pushes an imperialistic mindset that allows western institutions to serve as command centres for Africa’s economic and political systems without the proper context and it leaches Africa’s best academic minds, leaving young Africans not fortunate enough to afford an expensive international education largely clueless and underesourced with respect to international development issues in their own countries.

“International Development” must in taking stock ask itself the important question:
Should international development teach developing countries to help themselves or should it, help developing countries to learn themselves?

I hope the field answers this question honestly. So that when I must obtain from a reputable university, my masters degree in International Development, there will be reason enough for me to be resident in Nairobi,  not New York.

Iyinoluwa “E” Aboyeji is a nineteen year old Nigerian junior at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Born and raised in Nigeria, he left his home in the Niger Delta to pursue an education abroad at age sixteen. Mr Aboyeji has worked with a number of local and international organisations most notably the World Youth Alliance, an international youth advocacy organisation with a permanent presence at the United Nations. He is currently the President of Imprint Publications, one of Canada’s largest student Newspapers where he also writes a weekly column called “E is for Error”. He also serves as Vice President (Projects) of the African Students Association at the University of Waterloo and Fundraising Manager of Harambe Africa. He is very interested in international development, economics, post secondary education and African political and philosophical issues. Unlike most other young people his age, this nerdy dude likely lacks sleep – and ofcourse, a normal life. Unreasonable as it may seem, his dream is to be a tenured professor at a reputable university before he is age twenty-five. (Photo by: Jonathan Menon)

We here at PD, are happy to announce the start a new series of discussions here on Project Diaspora. PD:FEW stands for ‘Project Diaspora Presents: Focused Engagement Week.’ Every once in a while we will tackle a particular topic that we think is worthy of a wider discussion. One of the main tenets here at PD is to get as many African voices—both within and without Africa—in on the conversation about Africa’s development. The advent of social media connectivity tools like Twitter, Facebook, email and blogging platforms have empowered many Africans and to raise to prominence on the global stage. While many conversations are had, many are never focused or engage a wider audience. A few stand out as exceptions.

Dambisa Moyo attempted to wrestle the microphone away from the Western academics with her critiques of aid efforts in Africa with her book, Dead Aid. The focused attention on the book brought much needed debate to this topic, and for many of us in the diaspora was it as opportunity to discuss the issue and lend our voices—both learned and anecdotal—to the conversation. Similar, though much smaller conversations were had here on PD regarding mosquito nets, 1 million t-shirts, and OLPC. In light of that, and as an extension of some email conversations on the subject, I thought it a good idea to invite some key people to weigh in on the state of education in Africa.

This past weekend I was honored to speak at TEDxKigali. The premise of my talk was that Africa’s flawed education system is one obstacle we can’t leap frog. In light of crumbling schools, underpaid and undertrained teachers, outdated curriculums, etc., technology can not be used to replace these missing pillars to a nations education system. My talk (as usual) was fiery and alarmist, but I think it was warranted. I’ll concede that laying the blame solely at government’s door step doesn’t tell the whole story, but it is hard not to in light of President Kagame’s focused push to reform education in Rwanda. Governments need and must set the agenda and tone for education reform. The private sector will seize on this push and fill the gaps or partner with government to help realize the mandates of reform.

I won’t steal the thunder from my guest columnists, who all are weighing in on the issue from very diverse perspectives. A new headline column will be published (above this entry) each day this whole week. PD:FEW picks up where the 1 million t-shirt discussion left off and will then venture deeper into the state of education in Africa; Without further ado, I’d like to introduce today’s entry.

Paul Asiimwe: Improving IP Education in Uganda, prospects and challenges »
by Paul Asiimwe
Uganda
May 27, 2010

Is aid central to development »
by Iyinoluwa “E” Aboyeji
Canada via Nigeria
May 24, 2010

Women of Kireka: School Fees Fundraiser Project Diaspora is in the middle of raising funds to help keep 58 kids in school as part of our Women of Kireka project in Kireka, Uganda. This year’s remaining budget is $4,000 to pay for second and third terms of 2010. You can donate by clicking the Paypal donate button in the sidebar

African Union to host ‘Building and maintaining peace and security through sports’ workshop in Addis Ababa on Africa Day (May 25th 2010)

Event: ‘Building and Maintaining Peace and Security through Sports’ Workshop
Date: 25th May 2010
Venue: African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Time: From 10.00am

Among those Attending the event will be:

The event is the latest in a series of fora across Africa to promote the African Union Year of Peace and Security. The workshop will provide information and share experiences on the role of sports in peace and security, as well as explore the opportunities presented by the Year of Peace and Security to further enhance the use of sports in peace-building both in 2010 and beyond.

The workshop will be held alongside other events including the Peace and Security Operations Division exhibition, Photo exhibition and the official flagging-off ceremony of the “Peace Journey”: an expedition across Africa aimed at creating awareness and spreading the message of peace amongst African citizens.

The Year of Peace and Security peaks on Peace Day, 21 September 2010, a day focussed on promoting non-violence and humanitarian assistance across Africa. All Year of Peace and Security activities build up to and follow on from Peace Day.

More about The African Union Year of Peace and Security
On 31 August 2009, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), meeting in Tripoli, on the occasion of the Special Session on the Consideration and Resolution of Conflicts in Africa, declared 2010 to be the Year of Peace and Security on the continent; proclaiming in paragraph 9 of the Tripoli Declaration:

“We are determined to deal once and for all with the scourge of conflicts and violence on our continent, acknowledging our shortcomings and errors, committing our resources and our best people, and missing no opportunity to push forward the agenda of conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction. We, as leaders, simply cannot bequeath the burden of conflicts to the next generation of Africans”.

During the AU Summit held in Addis Ababa in January 2010, all 53 African Heads of State and Government reaffirmed their commitment to the Tripoli Declaration and the objectives of the Year of Peace and Security in Africa.
The overarching message for The Year of Peace and Security in Africa is Make Peace Happen.

Correct me if I am wrong, but when did April become the official month of the idiot “do gooder” patrol? Not one day after the one year anniversary of Ashton Kutcher‘s popularity contest to cure malaria, comes this brilliant idea by another entrepreneur way out of his league. The 1 Million T-shirts campaign aims to collect and “send 1 million t-shirts to the people of Africa.” You know, those poor 1 billion shirtless inhabitants of the world’s only dark continent.

Quick! Send in your discarded Star Wars souvenir shirts before someone dies!! If you are feeling bold, how about envisioning that extra poser Abercrombie and Fitch shirt in the back of your closet on the back of an unsuspecting Kenyan.

This is a marketing gimmick from the word go. Not .25 seconds into his promotional video, Jason Sadler, the brainchild behind this campaign, throws out a not-so subtle marketing pitch for his other company, iwearyour.com. Kudos for self-promotion, but come-on, seriously. We are not that stupid.

Sigh.

I, I don’t even know where to begin with this one. I mean, really? Out of all the problems plaguing Africa, shirtless kids running around in tropical weather isn’t a global crisis! And don’t get me started on the gratuitous use of poverty porn in your video. Did you get permission to use the individuals in those photos for your own self-promotion? No? How about the permission of the parents? No? Mr. Sadler, do you even know, where on the map of Africa where those photos were taken? And what exactly qualifies you to be the spokesperson for Africa’s shirtless victims, may I ask? Wait, have you EVER been to Africa? Or you just talked to somebody who’s talked to somebody who read about it on wikipedia?

We don’t need half-baked charity. Clue: we actually buy these shirts for cheap. Therein feeding an entire ecosystem of vendors and suppliers who rely on us to do just that. Buying these shirts puts food on their table and a shirt on our back. Spending six figures to send 1 million shirts to East Africa puts an untold number of used clothing entrepreneurs out of business. Are you going to start a new campaign to send them food now that you have reduced their earning potential?

Let’s also have a conversation of perpetuating dependency on others to provide for us. The more half-baked solutions under the guise of “trying to help” that are lobbed at Africa, the less we are at arming ourselves with home grown solutions. The minute we start to get on our feet in any particular sector, some celebrity dead-brain decides — on their own — that Africa needs our dire help!! We were well on our way to a thriving industry growing our own raw materials for the production of anti-malarials before Bill Gates decided that synthesizing in China and importing the drugs would be beneficial to everyone. He single-handedly buried Kenya’s artemisin industry, putting thousands out of work.

Here’s a better idea, why don’t you take those 1 million shirts and ship them to Hello Rewind. Now here’s a company with sustainability and a social mission all in one. They take used t-shirts and employ former sex workers to sew laptop sleeves they can sell. This is called creating industries. This is how your help Africa Mr. Sadler, by creating economies instead of imploding them. Exactly what are poor Africans to do when your 1 million shirts wear out? Do you have a bat phone they can call so you can ramp up another shirt campaign? Relegate donation campaigns to disaster relief. As an entrepreneur, I am flummoxed why you couldn’t figure this out. Oh right, you did – self-promotion. Brilliant.

Here is another idea you completely overlooked for some reason. Why not actually BUY t-shirts from Africa that you can print your client logos on so you can wear them daily for a fee? See that? A win-win solution that creates more entrepreneurs than it destroys. This is how you help Africa.

For more ideas, check out Texas in Africa‘s post for on how to help and by all means, respond to Siena Anstis‘s open letter on the matter. And for Godsake, please educate yourself thoroughly lest you come across as some neo-colonialist do-gooder who thinks Africa can’t do for its own.

April 25th was designated as world malaria day by President George W. Bush. He called on all Americans to come together to help eradicate malaria in the African continent. Although malaria is a major problem in Africa, what lacked in President Bush’s proclamation is the fact that he did not call on Africans to join in on the same cause. While I commend the former president for his philanthropic efforts to bring awareness of malaria epidemic to the world, he forgot to include Africans in his statement. Malaria is not only a global problem, but more so an African problem.

Not quite sure if the problem has been made worse by Africans themselves or the introduction on the so called aid that has retarded the minds of innovative Africans to come up with their own strategies to combat this problem. The bottom line is that African nations need take the lead make collaborative efforts to lay out proper strategies on how to fight the disease and participate fully in the control malaria; in areas such as R&D in drug delivery systems, innovations in managerial and funding system and encouraging public-private partnerships.

Although, malaria and other parasitic diseases impose a substantial burden of mortality and morbidity around the globe, the rate of new drug delivery and development to control malaria is very low as compared to other segments, mainly due to the lack of economic incentives in this area. There is a need for collaborative research efforts between the African nations where the problem is prevalent and the western nations to engage in research and development efforts to effectively manage the existing drugs by modulating their discovery.
The most effective and commonly used antimalaria drug is Artemisinin, also known by the Chinese name Quinghaosu. Artemesinin has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of fevers for more than 2000 years. It is extracted from Artemisia annua L.plant and is present in 0.01 to 0.8% weight of the dry leaves.

This substance is highly effective against the multidrug resistant strains of the Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malarial parasites. Artemisinin formulations are usually administrated to adults and children in tablets or in liquid dosage forms. On the other hand, artemisinin is absorbed rapidly and the elimination is fast thus limiting its use and efficiency. It is chemically unstable and poorly soluble in water or oil, therefore posing formulation difficulties. Because of these problems, researchers are presently trying to find new and more efficient administration forms for this drug, using polymeric controlled drug release systems.

Drug delivery systems for parasitic infections are expected to be:

1. affordable
2. versatile enough to permit delivery of combination of anti-parasitic agent, and
3. have to ability to selectively transport the anti-parasitic agent to the parasite to render maximum efficacy with minimum adverse effects.

People of African nations should pioneer the lead in such R&D efforts, and take the burden of combating malaria from funding institutions and philanthropic efforts. Such efforts will not only produce innovative ideas, but also contribute to the reverse of brain drain as capable scientists and professionals strive to move back to their home countries to participate in such research efforts.

Kim Bilmer (above) began working as a Program Assistant Intern with the Women of Kireka last week. Over the next few months, she will be writing about her experiences on the Project Diaspora blog.

When I finally touched down on African soil, the word “excitement” definitely understated how I was feeling. After years of waiting to come to Africa, and after weeks of anticipation, it was finally time for me to be a part of the continent I had been longing to be a part of for years. Uganda is a country that I have always been drawn to through listening to the experience of past visitors and through reading the stories of those native to the land.  These personal accounts truly strengthened my desire to one day visit this captivating place, and realizing that this would be the country for my first experience in this field of work, only deepened my feelings of excitement.  When I stepped off the plane and felt the blast of heat from the sun, I knew the next few months were going to be fulfilling. I knew this would be an experience I would never forget, and only the beginning of my lifetime journey through Africa.

My first impressions of Uganda were very encouraging. It is always a bit nerve racking to come to a new place that is completely different from what you are accustomed to, but I already seem to have taken to the lifestyle quite nicely here. Compared to other places I have traveled, for some reason I feel more comfortable here in Kampala. The people of Kampala have a very warm and welcoming nature about them. One that makes you feel as though you have been here forever (and could stay forever too)! Although I was initially very anxious to explore Kampala, I was even more anxious to meet my team members and the women at the quarry.

When I first arrived at the quarry it was much larger and even more intimidating than I was expecting. There were many people of all ages scattered throughout this dangerous setting. It was hardly a place for any child to be playing or anyone to have to work without proper safety equipment. Not only was I taken aback by the sight of the quarry itself, but from my first encounter with the women as well. After reading so much about the women and their devastating hardships prior to my arrival, I felt very nervous to meet them and I was unsure how my presence would be received. However, within seconds of my arrival at the top of the hill, they rushed to greet me with welcoming hugs and friendly smiles. The quarry may have appeared dark and dreary at first, but seeing the women instantly added many colours to the surrounding environment. From their vibrant clothing, to their elaborate beads and especially their spirited personalities, the quarry felt full of life and simply inspiring.

The first meeting with the women was designed purely as an introduction in order to explain exactly what I was doing there. Although my shyness was evident throughout my first address to them, I still had a feeling that we were all going to become at ease with each other very soon. All I wanted was for the women to know that I had come for the right reasons. I really wanted them to believe in me. After everything they have been through in their lives, I knew that trusting a stranger might not come easily for them and I hoped I would be able to cross this potential barrier. However, I think I was even more nervous after leaving the quarry the first night. Now that I had met the women, seen their faces and witnessed what they and their children undertake everyday in order to live, my desire for this project to succeed was now at its strongest and I hoped that my efforts here would be able to contribute to the success of this project.

After spending my first week searching for tools, marketing materials, and training options for the women, I knew the second meeting was going to be a busy one. I met a wonderfully resourceful and incredibly clever woman named Evelyn who works with similar women in the north. Although our conception of the jewelry was similar, the jewelry pieces she represented were much more refined and unique. Her business methods were also much more efficient and organized.  My team and I knew immediately that our women could stand to learn a lot from her and that she would be an essential asset to our project. With Evelyn on our side, my teammates and I had a lot to discuss with the women concerning the improvement in the quality of their work and also we needed to introduce the possibility of beginning workshops with Evelyn that would teach new ways of styling and making their work even more creative and polished.

At this second meeting, the women reacted very enthusiastically to these ideas; they realized that with a little help they were very capable of making their beautiful jewelry even better. With this positive burst of energy in the group, we began a photo shoot of each individual woman with their beads for some new marketing ideas. The women took control of the shoot, choosing their own location and poses for each shot. They really made me laugh, displaying their beads humorously all over their bodies and ensuring their poses were action packed.

Unfortunately, at one point the mood fell from light hearted and fun to slightly frustrating as everyone unsuccessfully tried to put together a jewelry order that was to be picked up that day. There was a lot of confusion with the jewelry requests and each woman was very determined and adamant about having their work represented in the order. We originally planned to hold a training session to be included in this meeting, but unfortunately due to time we had to save it for another meeting. We ended by giving the women notebooks and homework. After this second encounter with the women, my teammates and I really started to brainstorm what would be necessary to make certain business practices more efficient.

Presently, the women are mobilized and excited for the next phases of the project, and therefore we definitely want to make things as easy as possible for them in order to keep the momentum up. I loved leaving that second meeting with abundant feelings of optimism at the incredible potential that is all around. I now look forward to my meetings with the women; it is definitely the highlight of my week.  The women, along with my team have made me feel confident in this project. Hopefully as my time here continues, I will be able to see the growth and success of this mission, along with the personal victories of each of these women.

Women of Kireka, a program under Project Diaspora, welcomes two new team members: Hadijah Nankanja and Kim Bilmer. Hadijah was born in Uganda and is an active member in the business and development community both locally and abroad. She will be running a series of capacity-building workshops (English, accounting, business practices and more) with the Women of Kireka. Kim Bilmer is a Canadian working as a Program Assistant Intern. She will be assisting the Project Diaspora and Women of Kireka teams with day to day duties at the quarry, as well as long-term business development and implementation. Welcome!

A week ago, team PD had the pleasure of being invited to attend a rare US performance by one of our favorite Ugandan musicians, Maurice Kirya. It was an intimate performance in Denton, TX, home of the music factory known as the University of North Texas, responsible for the careers of such crooners as Norah Jones and Harry Connick, Jr. The performance – in Art Six Cafe’s outdoor patio, kicked off with a number of opening acts including Amanda Mutamba Muhunde‘s spoken word and a rare acoustic set from Every Explosive Ending. A very fitting environment for Maurice’s jazzy and soulful sound.

After the concert, I caught up with Maurice outside one of Denton’s most famous watering holes (oh the memories!). We waxed poetic about the state of Ugandan music, Maurice’s unique twist on Ugandan soul, and his one-man mission to tell the world that Uganda is ready to stop onto the global music stage. Maurice also echoed what I have always believed to be true, that we as Africans need to start to take to the microphones and tell the good news about Africa. It is not always cloudy and full of doom and gloom on our continent. We need to shine light on the other side of the coin that is this magnificent continent.

I am sure there are other individuals out there spreading the good news on Africa. Soon enough our voices will merge into one beautiful chorus of good news. Let’s hope this is sooner rather than later.

For more on Maurice, you can catch up with him on Facebook, Twitter and his website, which has some audio samples from his latest CD. Additionally, don’t forget to check out his Youtube channel for some of his videos. I’ve also uploaded some photos I took at the performance.