Luzira Maximum Security Men's Prison: American Perspective

This morning we visited Luzira Maximum Security Men's Prison here in Luzira, Kampala, Uganda. At first glance, the prison seems very progressive. Inmates are getting educations, gardening, and learning trades like carpentry and tailoring. This is not exactly false. Inmates do learn trades and earn educations, but the behind the scenes of it all is quite different.

During our visit, we separated into small groups and spoke to inmates about their time in prison. The people I spoke to were all five in for aggravated defilement (sexual intercourse with a child under age 14). We asked them questions about their lives in Luzira, and their responses were upsetting. 

It tends to take at least 4 years to be tried and receive sentencing. Two of the men we spoke to had been in for two and three years without a trial. There is no system for bail (except maybe bribery), so people are stuck in a maximum security institution until the justice system gets to them. Speaking of the justice system, many inmates cannot afford private representation, so they are assigned a representative from the state. This person may require bribes to adequately represent an inmate. 

Further, we inquired about prison living conditions and found out that the food is sometimes inedible, sleeping conditions are tight and overcrowded, and money is what makes life easier. The gardens we saw were not because they were growing vegetables for the entire prison. Rather, the seeds were bought by individuals, and the produce is theirs alone. An inmate with no money and no family support lives drastically differently than someone with money and family near by. Granted, the money earned through working a trade at the prison can make life more comfortable, but it is unclear if the wage is livable for a prison inmate. Not to mention, technically, some of the people in this prison are innocent (innocent until proven guilty) because they haven't received a trial. 

Given our experiences today at the prison, I have a few questions for my classmates from Drake and MUBS.

1. What were you most surprised by during our visit to Luzira Prison?

2. What challenges to sustainable development did you see?

3. Do you think that Luzira Prison is a progressive prison model?

Sure Prospects

Today we visited Sure Prospects Institute, which is an inclusive school that integrates both disabled and abled children. It exists because many public schools do not have the resources to meet the needs of disabled children or because their parents do not want them going to a special needs school where they will only socialize with special needs children. Currently, there are 480 students, 210 of whom are disabled. The Institute often works with the Ministry of Education to make test taking easier for children with disabilities, such as allowing oral exams or braille exams. The Institute is always working to overcome any obstacles the children face in order to improve education for all. Furthermore, the Institute also has several disabled staff that serve as role models to the children. At the Institute, we played with the children and gave them gifts, like candy and stickers. We were also able to visit the classrooms and the dormitories to see what they were like. At the end, the children put on a very special dance performance and we said our goodbyes. The Institute faces many challenges, including space, machines, and transportation. They also face various challenges that are intangible. Many parents give up easily if they do not see their children making progress, or they do not even educate their children in the first place because there is still the belief that the disabled are "mad" or "cursed." Many children, especially those from war zone areas, face serious trauma. Yet, despite these challenges, Sure Prospects Institute stands as a revolutionary model in Uganda for inclusionary education and is making progress in changing current beliefs and systems.

Questions:
1. What comparisons do you see between Uganda and the U.S in terms of special needs education? What can Uganda learn from the U.S? What can the U.S learn from Sure Prospects?

2. What challenges do you think these children will face beyond Prospects? In what ways can Uganda assure that they can continue to be successful after they leave primary school?

3. Considering all of the challenges that Uganda faces, how soon do you think it will be before institutes like Sure Prospects becomes the norm? What will it take for that kind of change to occur?

4. The topic of affirmative action has been a common issue during the trip. The disabled is one minority group that must be represented in Parliament. Do you think this is sufficient for the changes need? Do you think it is a policy that the U.S should adopt?

How Does an Ant Do Its Banking?.......With Microfinance

At the micro-finance presentation yesterday, after speaking with other classmates, we discussed a number of points that we believe bring up valid points for sustainability. This is our discussion mixed with some personal opinion: 1) Mixing an HIV/AIDS initiative may be good for Uganda in the short run, but hard to sustain in the long run with employees that are not primarily focused on finance. Banking needs to evolve and offer services to most people in the public sector in order for the country to thrive with financial equality. 2) Interest rates and collateral expectations are somewhat questionable. From an economic standpoint, micro-finance interest rates of 100%+ are incredibly disastrous to an economy. However, with a developing economy, it is often the only option for people who cannot attain loans through banks. 3) The rule of saving 1,000 UGX per week is good for developing a savings habit. However, this amount may hold expectations too low for those who hope to escape poverty. In reality, poverty is everywhere and sometimes we have to get off of our 23% credit card interest rates to realize just how good we have it.

Fun Facts!

Some cool and interesting facts about Uganda are: bananas are a very famous fruit with many recopies and even wine made from bananas! It is also raked as one of he biggest alcohol consuming nations in the world, despite the poverty. To pair nicely with the wine, is a meal of pan-fried grasshopper, which is considered to be a great treat.