Not long ago, I was trapped in a mind numbing corporate cubicle, devoid of spirit, trading my time for money. I fantasized about days like this. Well, not exactly.
Grace didn’t tell me we were going into the field today. I was wearing my best clothes - navy blue slacks, a [...]
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No Ordinary Day
December 1st, 2008 — , BRAC Uganda, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), PEARL Microfinance, Uganda, bill brick from Bill Brick @ Kiva Stories from the Field
A Ghost Called Specioza
November 16th, 2008 — , BRAC Uganda, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), PEARL Microfinance, Uganda, bill brick from Bill Brick @ Kiva Stories from the Field
They seem to always be where you are, which is to say everywhere, as repellant and inescapable as a maelstrom of gnats. Step around one and you bump into another. You politely wave them off and mumble “no, thanks” with a disingenuous smile. Making eye contact might suggest interest or intent; or worse, [...]
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November 8th, 2008 — , Ankush, BRAC, BRAC South Sudan, Dhupar, KF6, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Kiva, Sudan, Uganda, africa, juba from ankushdhupar @ Kiva Stories from the Field
ankush.dhupar@fellows.kiva.org
MDG3
November 7th, 2008 — , BRAC Uganda, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Micro Credit Development Trust SACCO (MCDT), PEARL Microfinance, Uganda from Bill Brick @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Poverty is a riot of inconsistencies and mysterious shades of complexity. Today, after a long week in the field, I’m wondering how anyone could possibly work their way out of the despair they inherited with birth when so many forces conspire against them, especially women.
Poverty is defined as a condition of unacceptable material deprivation, according [...]
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October 25th, 2008 — , KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), PEARL Microfinance, Uganda, bill brick from Bill Brick @ Kiva Stories from the Field
We exited the main highway to Jinja, somewhere between Lugazi and Njeri. It’s an obscure and easily missed unimproved road, and not one I would guess leads anywhere. The dirt track is peppered with fissures and ruts and undulations, and winds slowly through countless hectares of banana and pineapple trees. Uganda is blessed with fertile [...]
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October 15th, 2008 — , BRAC Uganda, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Uganda, Uncategorized, bill brick from Bill Brick @ Kiva Stories from the Field
“I plan to end our relationship with Kiva next week, unless … (rattles off a laundry list of consequential things for Kiva to change immediately). I like Kiva very much - nice people, very smart, hard-working, doing fine things. Kiva has served our needs well. But I’m afraid we’ve graduated beyond Kiva. I’m not sure [...]
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October 7th, 2008 — , BRAC, BRAC Uganda, KF6, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Uganda, bill brick from Bill Brick @ Kiva Stories from the Field
I came across a flier this morning that I found as humorous as I did frightening. I wanted to share it with you, perhaps deepening your insight into just one of the many day-to-day rituals of being a Kiva Fellow in the field. This is a sequel, of sorts, to my earlier blog. I promise [...]
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October 6th, 2008 — , BRAC, BRAC Uganda, KF6, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Uganda, bill brick from Bill Brick @ Kiva Stories from the Field
The 41 km road from the airport in Entebbe to Kampala is an endlessly spreading slum, the road choked with traffic and with boda-bodas and minibuses that serve as public transportation and which obey a vague set of driving rules. The banks of the road are littered with broken-down vehicles and garbage, and burning piles [...]
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September 18th, 2008 — , BRAC Uganda, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Uganda, bill brick from Bill Brick @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Everyone is this is room is an experienced traveler. Collectively, we’ve ventured to the farthest corners of the globe. Most have spent time in the developing world. Yet, the excitement level is off the charts as we prepare for our adventures. I’m humbled by the extraordinary company I find myself so privileged to among. The [...]
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Continue reading → Kiva Stories from the Field 2008-09-18 23:48:41
My First Ugandan Fight
July 27th, 2008 — , KF5 (Kiva Fellows 5th Class), Micro Credit Development Trust SACCO (MCDT), Taryn Goodman, Uganda from Taryn Goodman @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Yesterday I was not in a fight, but rather saw my first fight in Uganda. This fight was over a woman - me. However, it was not between jealous lovers. Rather, the fight was between two taxi drivers vying for my fare.
In Kampala, if one doesn’t have a car or is too scared to [...]
Tororo, Uganda
June 30th, 2008 — , Add new tag, KF5 (Kiva Fellows 5th Class), Micro Credit Development Trust SACCO (MCDT), Taryn Goodman, Uganda from Taryn Goodman @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Each morning before heading into the field, I read the New Vision, a daily newspaper in Kampala. A few weeks ago there was a special article about a town in Uganda in which the men do nothing but drink, gamble and nurse their hangovers while the women work and tend to the house, children and [...]
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June 15th, 2008 — , KF5 (Kiva Fellows 5th Class), Taryn Goodman, Uganda from Taryn Goodman @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
So much has happened since I last wrote that I feel it is necessary to cover three topics in this entry. For my friends who have inquired about Kampala, I wanted to speak more about the city. In addition, I have officially started work and have been in the field on several occasions, piquing my [...]
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June 2nd, 2008 — , Taryn Goodman, Uganda from Taryn Goodman @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Upon arrival in Entebbe (the airport for Kampala is actually in Entebbe, the old capital city which is 45 minutes from Kampala), I knew I was definitely back in Africa. It wasn’t because as a white woman I was in the minority, but rather it was the smell. On the drive to Kampala and my [...]
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May 30th, 2008 — , Laura Toepfer, Micro Credit Development Trust, Uganda from toepfer @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
The first week I came to MCDT, Justine, my supervisor, and Olivia, her supervisor, were looking at pictures of borrowers they were preparing to post to the Kiva website. They called me over to look at one person in particular, standing in the middle of a group of five and said, “You must meet Ruth!” [...]
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May 28th, 2008 — , Taryn Goodman, Uganda from Taryn Goodman @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Here it is: my first blog entry! As I write this, I am putting the finishing touches on my packing and realizing I truly have no idea what to expect! I am in the phase of packing in which I second guess my second guesses and start throwing the unnecessary items [...]
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May 20th, 2008 — , Laura Toepfer, MCDT, Uganda from toepfer @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
These past couple of weeks at MCDT, my primary task has been interviewing women who will be getting their first Kiva loan (though not their first loan) in order to write up the brief introduction posted on the Kiva website. Keep an eye out for them! They’re terrific people and a terrific organization [...]
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May 14th, 2008 — , Adam Williams, Uganda from willyontour @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Trying to get a bus out of town from Kampala’s central bus park is an interesting experience. The large buses operate in a similar way to the smaller minibus taxis in that they don’t leave the station until they are completely full. There are almost 100 seats to fill so this can take anything between [...]
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May 14th, 2008 — , Uganda from willyontour @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
I’ve been in Uganda for over two months now and even though we’re living in one of the quietest parts of town, I’m pretty sure that I haven’t managed to make it through an entire night without being woken.
I’m getting used to it now – I’ve stopped expecting to get a solid night’s sleep. [...]
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April 21st, 2008 — , Adam Williams, Uganda from willyontour @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Last week I had a heated discussion with a minibus taxi conductor. The locals that witnessed this event rarely see anyone losing their temper, let alone raising their voice in public. Genevieve and I have been using the same bus route for a number of weeks now and, while at first we paid slightly more [...]
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April 10th, 2008 — , Adam Williams, Uganda from willyontour @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Almost everywhere we go it feels like we’re the centre of attention. Most often we’re the only white people around amongst a sea of locals. The attention isn’t bad – it can’t be classed as harassment like we receive in India, Morocco and certain other countries – but we’re aware that all eyes are on [...]
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My Muzungu Man
April 10th, 2008 — , Genevieve Williams, Uganda from genevievewilliams @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
We entered the wooden hut that served as the meeting room for Rubaga Women’s Group, desperate for some respite from the Kampala sunshine. It was much cooler inside, despite the absence of windows and surprisingly, the thin gaps between the planks of wood let in a cool breeze. So we sat down and were grateful [...]
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April 2nd, 2008 — , Laura Toepfer, Life in Africa Foundation (LiA), Uganda, microfinance, tourism from toepfer @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Man, it seems like the Ugandan fellows have taken over the blog! I probably should wait my turn but I wanted to tell you about an encounter I had last Sunday.
One of the great sites in Kampala is the Kasubi tombs where the Buganda kings are buried, and so on Sunday in search of [...]
A conversation to ponder
March 28th, 2008 — , Genevieve Williams, Uganda from genevievewilliams @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Yesterday, while walking home from work, my husband and I fell into a rhythm that kept pace with a young man of who was walking in the same direction. In the big city I come from, people tend to avoid making eye contact when they chance upon strangers in the street. In a country town, [...]
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March 28th, 2008 — , Adam Williams, Kampala, Uganda from willyontour @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
18th March 2008… Yesterday we were on a mutatu coming back from Ggaba (around seven miles away on the shores of Lake Victoria). We covered the first five miles in good time – in fact at the precise moment that I was thinking how quick the journey had been we hit a jam. We didn’t move [...]
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March 28th, 2008 — , Adam Williams, Kampala, Uganda, Willyontour, microfinance from willyontour @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
4th March 2008… Arriving in Uganda was as welcoming as my wife (Genevieve) and I had expected. We had heard and read such glowing reports of the country and its people. After only a few days in the country my first impressions of both the locals and the city of Kampala are extremely positive ones. As we [...]
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March 28th, 2008 — , Kampala, Uganda, microfinance from genevievewilliams @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
I thought I knew what to expect when we arrived in Uganda. We’d been to Africa before – to Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia – for six weeks as part of a round the world backpacking trip. I fell in love with the continent then, and vowed to return. Next time, I promised myself, I’d do [...]
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March 25th, 2008 — , Laura Toepfer, Life in Africa Foundation (LiA), Uganda, Uganda. Kampala, shopping, time from toepfer @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Ezra, the administrator of Life in Africa’s new internet cafe, is working on configuring my laptop so that I am connected to the internet here. In the meantime, I am trying to [...]
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March 19th, 2008 — , Laura Toefler, Laura Toepfer. clothing, Life in Africa, Life in Africa Foundation (LiA), Uganda, culture from toepfer @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Hello from Uganda! I have been in Kampala for a week now and all is going very well, but I have to say I feel woefully underdressed most of the time. People on the street are by and large impeccably turned out. Looking around the Life in Africa office, the men are [...]
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March 19th, 2008 — , Drew Kinder, Laura Toefler, Laura Toepfer, Life in Africa, Life in Africa Foundation (LiA), Uganda, animals from toepfer @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Thanks to Drew Kinder, recently returned Kiva Fellow, I was able to stay at Kampala Kolping House for my first week of (and an easy transition to) Kampala life. Coming back after my first full day at the Life in Africa office, on my last night at Kolping House, I found the following to [...]
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February 26th, 2008 — Drew Kinder, Share an Opportunity Microfinance Ltd., Uganda from Drew Kinder @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
I am writing from Buffalo NY upon the completion of my three month commitment as a Kiva Fellow in Uganda. I want to use my final post on the Kiva Fellows Blog to thank the people who made this one of the most significant and rewarding experiences of my life.
KIVA.ORG: First, thank you Matt and [...]
Post-Conflict Education in Uganda
February 20th, 2008 — Drew Kinder, P2P Lending, Share an Opportunity Microfinance Ltd., Uganda from Drew Kinder @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Kampala, Uganda “Poverty reduction is a three legged stool balanced on income generation, savings, and education” according to Mr. Knondoker Ariful Islam, BRAC Uganda Country Manager. “Take one leg away and the stool tips over.”
While Kiva social lenders are focused on the income generating leg of poverty reduction, this discussion pertains to the education leg; [...]
“Double Bottom Line” Loans
February 15th, 2008 — Drew Kinder, P2P Lending, Share an Opportunity Microfinance Ltd., Uganda from Drew Kinder @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Kampala, Uganda A loan funded by Kiva social lenders benefits the Microfinance Institution (MFI), the lender, as well as the poor borrower. The MFI potentially earns gross profit from the loan to sustain its business and, in the case of a MFI structured as a for-profit company, to generate a financial return for the owners.
Where [...]
Kiva Friends Donate $4,430 to Mirembe Youth Development Projects
January 30th, 2008 — Drew Kinder, P2P Lending, Share an Opportunity Microfinance Ltd., Uganda from Drew Kinder @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Kampala, Uganda. On Saturday, January 26, 2008 I had the honor and pleasure of presenting a check in the amount of $7,389,750 Uganda Shillings (US $4,430) from Kiva Friends to Florence Kaluuba and the Mirembe Youth Development Projects.
The purpose of this blog is to report back to the generous donors at http://www.kivafriends.org/ who contributed [...]
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Continue reading → Kiva Friends Donate $4,430 to Mirembe Youth Development Projects
Christmas in Uganda
December 21st, 2007 — Drew Kinder, P2P Lending, Share an Opportunity Microfinance Ltd., Uganda from Drew Kinder @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Gifts are on my mind as Christmas approaches.
I won’t be home on December 25 so I’m not thinking of material gifts, like the ones we wrap and place under the Christmas tree. I’m thinking of the gifts Ugandans share with each other every day of the year.
Here are some of the unique gifts I will [...]
Mirembe Youth Development Project
December 11th, 2007 — Drew Kinder, Share an Opportunity Microfinance Ltd., Uganda from Drew Kinder @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Kampala, Uganda Florence Kaluuba is a soft spoken 50 year old school principal who won’t accept no for an answer.
As a teenager she was a brilliant student, excelling in mathematics. At a time when she ranked 8th out of 160 students, her uncle refused to allow her to enroll in the next higher grade level, [...]
FAQ’s
December 10th, 2007 — Drew Kinder, Share an Opportunity Microfinance Ltd., Uganda from Drew Kinder @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Friends and family have asked about the mundane details of my life as a Kiva Fellow in Uganda. “Where do you live?”and “What is your job?” are two frequently asked questions (FAQ’s).
Where I live: I am a resident of the Kolping Guest House on Bombo Road in the Bwaise neighborhood of Kampala. The Kolping is [...]
Microfinance Plus-Plus
December 10th, 2007 — Drew Kinder, Share an Opportunity Microfinance Ltd., Uganda from Drew Kinder @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Kampala, Uganda I’m learning there is more to microfinance than simply loaning money to poor people. My boss at Share an Opportunity (SAO) took me on a field trip to Ngogwe, a village about 40 miles outside of Kampala, to show me what he calls “Microfinance Plus-Plus”.
The elements of SAO’s “Microfinance Plus-Plus” are;
1. Rural Development. [...]
Work with Life in Africa
December 3rd, 2007 — Life in Africa Foundation (LiA), Tamara Moore, Uganda from tamarakiva @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
After being in Uganda for a few months and journaling for Kiva, September seems like years ago. Everything was so unfamiliar and I felt like the world I entered was insane. Yet, now I am used to the traffic, the city, the wonderful people, and the smells. J
My experience with Life In Africa has [...]
Meet Samuel “Sam” Mayanja Ssekajja, Manager of Share an Opportunity Micro-finance Ltd, Kampala, Uganda
December 1st, 2007 — Drew Kinder, Share an Opportunity Microfinance Ltd., Uganda from Drew Kinder @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
David Groves is a hero. I will probably never meet him, but if I do, I will shake his hand and thank him for boarding an airplane in Australia bound for Kampala, Uganda in 1991, armed with nothing more than the name of the author of an article published in the Baptist Union General Society [...]
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November 26th, 2007 — Drew Kinder, P2P Lending, Share an Opportunity Microfinance Ltd., Uganda from Drew Kinder @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
My name is Drew Kinder. I am a Kiva Fellow from Buffalo, NY assigned to Share an Opportunity (SAO), a Micro-Finance Institution (MFI) headquartered in Kampala, Uganda.
Although my future postings will be about the borrowers I meet in Uganda, this first blog answers the question of how I ended up in Uganda volunteering for three [...]
Greetings from Kampala!
October 14th, 2007 — Tamara Moore, Taylor Moore, Uganda from taylorkiva @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
My husband, Taylor and I have had an exciting and challenging first few weeks as we meet new people, learn about the culture, and try to navigate in a city of a million people, with 2 traffic lights total ? Peter, LiA’s staff member was the first to show us around. I thought we would [...]
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August 27th, 2007 — Kiva Microfinance Partner, Maura Lee Burk, Uganda from mburk @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
I had the opportunity to attend the 3rd Annual African Microfinance Conference last week! Over 500 top government officials, academics, policy makers, and representatives from the private and public sector congregated at the Speke Resort in Munyonyo, Kampala for the four day event. Although I learned a lot from the presentations, speeches, and panel discussions, [...]
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7 Hours To Go
August 18th, 2007 — Kenya, Kiva Microfinance Partner, Kiva Staff, People Microcredit Investment Bureau, Share an Opportunity Microfinance Ltd., Tanzania, Uganda, Women`s Economic Empowerment Consort, Youth Self Employment Foundation from benkivaorg @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Hi readers! My name is Ben Elberger and I work with Kiva as a Microfinance Partnerships Manager. I’ll be blogging for the next six weeks from Africa as I travel with Chelsa Bocci and John Berry, Kiva Microfinance Partnership Directors, to our partners in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique.
Right now, I’m sitting in my [...]
A Sobering Week in Uganda
August 15th, 2007 — Kiva Microfinance Partner, Maura Lee Burk, P2P Lending, Uganda from mburk @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Amidst many adventures, this week has had its share of sobering events. Many of Life in Africa’s (LiA) Kiva borrowers live in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Kampala. As a Kiva fellow, I travel to their homes to chat with them about the challenges they face operating small-scale businesses. On most days, the [...]
Greetings from Uganda!
August 6th, 2007 — Kiva Microfinance Partner, Maura Lee Burk, P2P Lending, Uganda from mburk @ Kiva Blogs from the Field
Greetings from Uganda! My name is Maura and I have been working with Life in Africa (LiA) for the past four weeks. LiA is a community based organization servicing families affected by Northern Uganda’s civil war. Approximately 80% of members belonging to the Kampala LiA Center are mothers living in the Acholi Quarters–an Internally Displaced [...]
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