Good News Bad News Time

Which do you want first?

Okay lets go with the bad - we will rip it off quick like a band-aid.

My grant was not funded. Whoops.

On to the good news!

Not receiving my grant has not totally offset my program. Surprised? So was I. That also makes me think that those FSD funds are probably going to be used for a program that needs it more. To be clear I said my program is not totally offset, but we are of course trying to scale back. As we speak (well as I type...) my supervisor is going over my budget to see where we can scale back and if they can contribute any more to our seminar funds.

The bulk of my grant was to fund a half day seminar in August, aiming to educate and empower all 250 plus members in their ownership and responsibilities as a part of Marusacco. This also is an avenue to debut Marusacco's new brand image and showcase our pilot program branded Village Savings and Lending Groups (VSLGs). Adjusting our program through trial and error, our training of trainers approach has saved us a lot in transportation and training materials. Revisiting our initial budget was laughable and we created a new to-do list including all the remaining expenses for the last three weeks of my program.

Remaining is to create advertisements for our market in two weeks, and plan for our empowerment seminar. Hopefully we can mobilize some funds for a tent, food, and transportation costs - but if not, well the show must go on.

Also these marketing and schedule details will need to come together quickly as next week I may be taking a quick trip across a border, which conveniently coincides with my expiring visa... Shout out to the incompetent immigration officer who gave me a shorter visa than I paid for, well done Nyabo.

Escape to Sipi Falls

This weekend, the FSD interns escaped from Jinja to Sipi Falls, a locale in the west of the country near the Kenyan border. Sipi is on the slopes of Mount Elgon, which is one of the tallest mountains in East Africa. The falls are a series of waterfalls that cascade down the side of Mt. Elgon into the valley below.

On Saturday morning, we woke up and climbed up the side of the mountain through groves of coffee and fields of corn. We reached the first waterfall, which dropped from the edge of the mountain and almost turned entirely to mist before it hammered down on the rocks below. Getting close to the fall meant being soaked from head to toe from all the mist.

After a quick dip in an ice-cold stream, we climbed down the side of the mountain to another fall, and were able to go into a cave right below the waterfall. The climb down the side of the mountain was ended up in me sliding on my butt down the side of the muddy slope!

The hike was a great way to escape, and see another side of Uganda. I love mountains, and Jinja and Kampala are very flat. I hadn't realized how long it had been since I had seen mountains and valleys.

It was refreshing to escape from the demands of our work and have a change of scenery from Jinja, and it was hard to leave the amazing views. This week, it's back to work as I prepare for my second training on savings culture!