July 4th in Gulu

The second day of the conference was July 4^th. Therefore our final dinner / party was also a July 4^th celebration. It was held at the Acholi Inn in the yard. There was a great feast and a dance party. There was line-dancing (see photo), a Michael Jackson montage, popular music from the area and lots more. When the Acoli music game over the speakers, many of our partner teachers tried to teach us Acoli dance moves. I don’t think we were completely hopeless.

One of the teachers from Layibi was SO moved by the whole event. He said that he just couldn’t believe the integration of ideas at the conference and the genuine way we were all integrating socially. After one of the Acoli songs, I thought he was going to tear up. He said he was so excited about the transformative experience ahead. I reminded him that it would be transformative for all of us. My partner teacher Odong Robert and his pal, another teacher John Christopher, had a rocking good time (photo at left). They were dancing and laughing so much.

At one point, the sparklers came out to great celebration. John Christopher kept saying “take my picture” with the sparkler, with the very tall teacher, with the cookie, with the brownie, dancing etc. At one point a man addressed the grouped. John Christopher and Odong Robert were so excited. He is the “president’s representative in Gulu district.” John Christopher of course instructed me to take his picture. Odong Robert said “If he is here, the security is good.” The politician chided us for not inviting him to the dance. Then he led a big congo line. I thought Odong Robert was going to lose his mind. Instead, he took a video of the dance with his telephone.

Some people paid the 7000 UGX (approximately $3.50) to go in the pool. All in all it was an amazing night filled with optimism and friendship.

Invisible Children Conference

The IC conference was centered around advocacy and empowerment of teachers and students. We were welcomed by Jolly Okot, the country director of IC and Patrick Mduga, the program manager of the Schools for Schools initiative. Their opening message was to encourage a more positive societal attitude towards teachers, by first building confidence in pride in the teachers of Northern Uganda. Many teachers did not choose the profession but were instead assigned to it due to lower examination results. Part of the teacher exchange is to expose the partner teachers and the staff at the partner schools to teachers who are passionate about their job and feel that it is valuable. Jolly talked about an experience arriving at the airport in Dubai and seeing an escalator for the first time. How she was frightened and embarrassed at her ignorance. She emphasized how we learn best through experience.

On the first day of the conference, each participating school from the first two teacher exchange groups (I am group 3) presented on a variety of topics: improving economic standing of teachers, improving communication between students, teachers, administration, and families, meeting student needs given changing curriculum, using current resources to promote need for more resources, overcoming the hurdle of large classes, balancing personal and professional life, and managing with minimal contact hours. Each school presented on one topic, they would describe the issue and then present short term and long term solutions. At that point the issue was opened up to all member of the conference. I was struck at the degree of conversation, and number of solutions offered.

We would break off into small groups by school and discuss how each of the issues mentioned appeared at our individual schools. This was the first time our group met our partner teachers. There are six of us placed at St. Joseph’s Layibi College. Our partners were there as well as the director of studies. It was so exciting meeting them. Their energy is wonderful and they seemed to have an excellent sense of humour. Because it was our first day meeting, we ended the day with dinner at a fancy hotel. The conversation was easy and fun. We came home very optimistic about the next six weeks.

The second day of the conference was centered around empowerment of students. We participated in a fishbowl – observing students participating in workshops: basketball skills, drama, art, rapping, and hip-hop dance. The last three were fascillitated by the youth from the previously described Bavubuka All Stars in Kampala.

I was most fascinated by the art table. The students had never used paints or a paint brush before. The only art they had done involved paper and pencil. What completely blew me away were all the questions from teachers regarding the mixing of colours. They were watching Zuzu from Bavubuka mixing red and yellow to make orange and utterly amazed. She described how adding white could make it lighter, or adding blue would make it brown. Then a teacher asked how to make blue and she explained that blue is a primary colour. She explained that primary colours can be mixed to make other colours but cannot be made by mixing colours. I got goosebumps at the level of interest and excitement in the teachers and couldn’t help but think back to Jolly’s comment about the escalator in Dubai.

We met back with our school groups and talked about student programmes at our schools. We were regularly told by teachers at other schools that St. Joseph’s Layibi is one of the top schools in the region and we are very fortunate to be there!

The day ended with an exhibition of the student workshops. The rappers performed in a mixture of English and Luo – their piece was called “Power to the People of Gulu!”. It ended with the dance to much laughter and cheers. The students certainly did feel empowered.

All of the teachers, both western and Ugandan, felt that they had gained a great deal by participating in the conference. The goal of increasing excitement and positivity towards the profession was achieved.

Orientation and Inspiration

We’ve had many presentations / lectures in the last couple of days. It is hard to know what to write about it all. I’ve filled two small notebooks already.
We’ve had a general overview of the education system in Uganda. Invisible Children (IC) chose to focus on Secondary Education as they realized that there are 100s of NGOs working with primary school and only 2 others supporting secondary schools.
As you are likely aware, I read a great deal about IC before I left, summarizing a number of their programs in an earlier post. I had a good feeling about their philosophy but one can’t help but have a little scepticism with any agency. I’ve been incredibly impressed with the people I’ve met, their thoughtful approach to projects, ability to identify what is and is not working, and implement new initiatives as needed. They are also committed to creating something that will persist.

Of the 90 people employed by Invisible Children in Uganda, only 5 positions are held by non-Ugandans and none of those are the most senior positions. Although I was familiar with almost all of the programs described, I was blown away at the thought that went into everything including how to choose students for scholarships, how to pay fees, roles of mentors, selecting contractors for building projects, choosing economic opportunities etc. Everything is directed by needs identified by people in Uganda. The schools which are part of the schools for schools fundraising provide a list of priorities determined by a committee of students, teachers, and parents. In year one, all schools prioritized clean water and sanitation.

Schools themselves must come up with 5% of the cost of any project as a way of creating ownership and also demonstrating that after IC leaves, the school will be able to afford to maintain itself. Some of the exit goals that must be met for a school to “graduate” from schools 4 schools are:

Student: teacher ratio of 60:1
Student: textbook ratio of 3:1
Student: latrine ratio of 25:1

So IC started with the scholarship/mentorship program, then schools4schools to improve the schools and learning that the students were receiving but they realised that all this was meaningless if students went home to see their parents unemployed and didn’t see hope. This pushed IC to implement economic development initiatives and provide training to those employed in the programs on how to save money, and invest in their communities. Their latest initiative is to grow cotton. This area of Uganda is known for its fertile soil and with peace in the area now people are able to return home to their fields. 4000 farmers will grow organic cotton and Eden apparel (Bono’s wife’s company) has agreed to buy it.

One presenter specifically addressed our roles as participants of the teacher exchange. He said that it is simply the relationships we build with our partner teachers which will create change. Many teachers in Uganda did not really choose the profession and it is not always highly regarded by society. So simply sharing our passion is enough. After the teacher exchange each year the schools experience a “high” and motivation increases.

My new home is Elephant Graceland

The drive to Gulu was long but there were some beautiful sights along the way. Especially breath-taking was driving by a section of the Nile River where there were rapids. . . soooo much water! Then just around the corner we had to slow down suddenly due to all the baboons on the road.

Our accommodation at the Tailoring School fell through and we were told we would spend the first week at a hotel. But no one told us ahead of time that we would be at Elephant Graceland Hotel! You have to love the name. We are staying one or two to a room and there is a bathroom and shower IN THE ROOM! This is quite luxurious compared to what we can expect for the rest of the stay when we will stay on bunk beds that are three beds tall and where there is one shower for 26 people. . . but that isn’t until Monday.

The night we arrived we unpacked. Actually there are still 8 people waiting for their bags. Someone suggested a craft fair. . . in each room we displayed all our wares from the market and described our purchases and compared prices. We had dinner at a place in town and then crashed. This is when we discovered the disadvantages of Elephant Graceland. . . the hopping club a few doors down which plays loud music late into the night combined with Skippy, the howling dog who seems to live in the alley next to our rooms and his distant friend, Enrique, who replies. Thank goodness for ear plugs.


The last two mornings we’ve had breakfast at Elephant Graceland on the front porch and then walked just over 1 km to the Invisible Children House for our orientations sessions. Last night when we returned home around 7:30 pm (it is already dark) we sat up and talked for hours about the program, education in general, the war, and more. I am with such a wonderful group of people. I am sure it will be an amazing six weeks.