Inspector General of Government's OffIce

          After visiting the Vocation school today, we went to the Inspector General of Government. Unfortunately, because the Inspector General was out of the country, we talked to the Director of Legal Affairs.  In the beginning of his lecture, he talked about what the IGG does, what it helps prevent, and the definition of corruption.  The definition according to him was, "Abuse of public office for personal gain, embezzlement, theft of funds, fraud, etc."  Personally, I felt like he addressed the amount of corruption within the country excessively.  However, he also addressed the different acts that have been enacted within the past ten years.  Each of these acts either allowed the prosecution and arrest of those who committed crimes of corruption by the IGG, and allowed the country to see the information provided by the government.  He also described the mass quantities of money that have been embezzled.  According to the world bank in 2008, 70% of government contracts we're not rewarded.  He also read from the constitution from 1995 the whole time.  This personally made me feel like he really didn't understand what was going on and made the presentation very slow and uncreative.  Not that this type of presentation needs to be "creative," but I felt like he didn't really know what to talk about and spun in circles a lot. Did anyone else feel like he was contradictory and any point in his speech? What did he say?
          All facts aside, I personally found that the IGG of Uganda does not make the country sustainable.  A successful system of checks and balances allows for laws to be passed in a positive way.  The current system gives all power to the president without checks and balances. That being said, the question that was asked about the outside resources for help really bothered me.  He continued to argue that the reason that they can't stop all of the corruption because there isn't enough funding from the government.  However, with how corrupt the government is, why would they fund a program or person to try and stop them?  If they need funding, I personally feel like the funding needs to be from an outside source. What do you guys feel about this?


Other Questions: 
- Do you think the IGG relates to sustainable development?
- How else should they try to stop corruption in the country?

Foundation for Human Rights Initiative

Today we visited the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI)  which is an independent NGO founded in 1991 to protect and promote human rights. It is an advocacy organization that helps to link the government with the citizens of Uganda by ensuring that the concerns of the people are heard and that the government upholds what is stated in the Constitution. The director Livingstone Sewanyana talked to us about the challenges facing human rights in regards to areas such as elections, the judicial system, poverty, laws, the health and education system, unemployment, and the media. He went on to discuss what FHRI is doing to fight for human rights such as influencing legislation, issuing reports on the current state of the country, training Parliament members, and providing free legal services. What basic rights do you think all people deserve? How are these basic rights important to sustainable development? What shocked you most about the what the Director said? What do you think can be done to improve the state of human rights in the country?

Mulago Hospital

            After an exciting visit to TASO (The AIDS Support Organization), we split up into two different groups. Eight Drake students that were not focused on business/entrepreneurship got to visit and tour Mulago Hospital, the main and biggest public hospital in Kampala, where they treat the sickest of the sick. It was the most eye-opening day I have ever experienced. Today was the largest realization of culture shock,with the difference between an advanced country and a developing country, I have had on this entire trip. Words cannot even describe all the thoughts that were going through my head when walking through the hospital. We got to go ‘behind the scenes’ and see the different facilities and levels of the hospital. The way their system works is that the less you are able to pay or the fewer doctors you personally know, the worse service you get. The main things I noticed were the amount of families there to comfort and support their sick loved ones, sanitary problems in the wards, the lack of space (at least 20 very sick or hurt patients to a room, on top of lots of family members sitting with them), and that it seemed like most of the doctors, nurses, and staff seemed to not give the patients much attention or help. I thought it was amazing that Mulago just got a new heart institute, the best CAT scans in the country, as well as plans to get an MRI very soon. 

            Overall this was a great and meaningful experience to be apart of. What were you shocked about the most? What are the main comparisons and contradictions you can make between our hospitals and theirs? How does the quality of healthcare at Mulago effect sustainable development? What would you say needs the most improvement in order to be a more efficient hospital and how would you suggest they implement this improvement? 

The AIDS Support Organization (TASO)

Today, the students got the amazing opportunity to visit the largest AIDS focused organization in Uganda. From the very start, our two guides, Madam Patience and Miss Claire, greeted us for the day. In addition, all of the TASO patients waiting outside of the clinic gave us a round of applause and a welcoming that was a great representation of the Ugandan hospitality we have experienced here. Even with a very busy day, we were able to tour around the facility and talk with counselors, doctors, information managers, and others involved with the organization. This provided a great opportunity to many of those studying topics related to healthcare/AIDS while in Uganda and allowed time for questions involving their operations at TASO. We were also lucky enough to be able to listen to one of the performance troupes that TASO uses to educate the population. These performers are currently “living positively with AIDS” and after performing shared their personal stories about life with AIDS. With all of our experiences in mind at TASO today, will TASO be able to support the growing number of patients (about 30 new per day, three times per week) given the current facilities and services offered? While they have certainly had an impact on HIV/AIDS stigma and treatment, what kind of programs could TASO offer in the future to ensure the success of the program? A final note for this post: remember to be correct and consistent in your use!

City Secondary School!

We knew we were in for quite a treat today when the students from City Secondary School greeted us when we stepped off the bus with a marching band. After the warm greeting we got to learn about the history and make-up of their school, the education system in Uganda, as well as a few of the 55 cultures that are represented at their school through dance and comedy. We were then showed their art room and given the opportunity to create some of our own art. Many of us had tie-dyed before, but I think the method we used was new and quite different than what we were used to. Following tie-dying we got a brief preview of the school campus before breaking off into groups for lunch and discussions. For lunch we had the opportunity to begin interacting with the students and having various conversations about culture, how school is different in the two countries, and what we like to do in our spare time. Once we finished eating, we continued getting to know the students. Some groups played American games, taught American dance moves, and some listened to American music. The education majors and professors also had a chance to talk with their teachers about differences in schooling and what it takes to obtain a degree. To wrap our visit up we interacted some more with their students by playing volleyball and futbol (soccer). Our visit ended with saying goodbye to the students we met. How does education play a role in sustainable development? What specifically does City Secondary School do to promote this? Was there anything that surprised you from the visit today? What comparisons or contradictions can you make between their schooling and our schooling?

Amazing Talent!

If you could have seen us today you would have been very impressed! After our journey to the equator we headed to the Ndere Dance Cultural Center (www.ndere.com).We were treated to two hours of training as a dance troupe. After learning the fundamentals of Ugandan music and dance steps from the troupe members we divided into groups to develop our amazing talent. My instrument was the bass udungu. Others learned drums or  musical instruments as the dancers learned their steps. At the end of the session we regrouped to put it all together. The dancers were amazing but Kristiana and Michael stole the show with their performance on the Uganda keyboard. Braeden impressed the troupe musicians so that he may have a second career option. Parents, be sure to ask your student what role they played in the Drake dance troupe. Arthur, thanks for arranging this amazing experience. The evening culminated with a buffet and the incredible display of talent from the Ndere Dance Troupe. We are exhausted and head to the secondary school for the day tomorrow. Students, what surprised you most about the experience today? What did you learn about the role this troupe plays in sustainable development?

Equator

Today we went to visit the equator. It was cool because there was an actual line across the ground to show where it was, and on either side of the line was a type of bowl with a hole in the bottom, to demonstrate the way water drains in different directions in the different hemispheres. There was also a bowl right on the line, and apparently in that one the water drains straight down.
We spent a lot of time perusing and purchasing at the shops along the road, and all of us left with fun souvenirs. In Uganda, most purchases involve a process of bartering, so the stated price my not be the price you wind up paying. Many of the shops sold the same or similar items, but each of them was asking a different price. What do you think are the positive and negative effects of multiple vendors selling the same items for different prices? Do you think that a strong, sustainable business model can be made utilizing the barter system, and do you think it hurts a business if they refuse to barter in a culture where it is expected?