Life it seems a struggle between what we see what we do ...

The world is a complex universe in and of itself. There is far too much that we are unaware of as we struggle with the troubles of our lives. None can be written off, nor understood by even those closest to us, however; none are too great to overcome the resilience of the human spirit. In our darkest times the capacity of our maker becomes the resourcefulness of our spirit.
Perception is a hell of a drug and far too often a manifestation of our own ignorance. Take for example the belief that Africa is some how a place

not made of our own being. Skepticism, arrogance and a lack of information make the struggles here seem as desolate as the Sahara. Despite my studies, my time spent away from you all, in lands which I wrongfully mislabeled and no doubt continue to, I was still a victim of a gross mischaracteristic of this place in which I will spend the next two years. The daily struggles of a Ugandan are only slightly different than those of us all. Issues of family, work and the constant struggle to provide for oneself and those we hold dear are true the world over. More aptly the internal struggles are a constant reminder that our life is finite.
Before I attempted to convey a picture of my life in training but let me say it was a pitiful one at best. Descriptions as a whole are only our baneful attempt to make sense of the world around us. Ideally the more we are informed the more accurate our story becomes but at the end of the day, as we say, it is what it is.
So let me convey the next chapter in my book of life. I’ve now been at “site” (PC lingo for where we live and work) for what’s fast approaching a month. If there is one thing true about Peace Corps it is that everyone’s experience is there own. My story is an African tale that I naively did not expect. I work for the Community Based Rehabilitation Alliance (COMBRA) which attempts to improve the livelihoods of people living with disabilities in Uganda. The majority of our work is conducted via trainings for community based rehabilitation workers. I had no idea what a community based rehabilitation worker was and let me be frank in stating I’m not sure I still do …. But I’m gettin there folks so hold tight.
CBR, as it’s called, is an approach taken by Physical Therapist to transfer services that were once solely provided by institutions (hospitals and the like) to client’s homes and communities. Uganda is a country plagued by disabilities ranging from leprosy to physical disabilities as a result of car crashes – loss of limbs, etc., etc., etc. from the many wars throughout the country and region. It’s overwhelming and only amplified by a lack of proper understanding of what disabilities are and / or why they occur.
Think of the situation in America in regards to the disabled. Though we have some standards; handicap access, laws protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, we still find those suffering from physical and mental conditions oftentimes in horrendous conditions. State and national care is lacking, an attempt to integrate these members of society is shortcoming and those families or persons dealing with disability are overwhelmed with where to even begin. Now compound those factors in a developing nation with a poorly funded healthcare system, gross stigmatization and an ever growing population in a modern context. Where do these people fit? What are their rights? And where the hell do you begin?
I’ve only spoken superficially with most of you in terms of my education and what it is I really do, for that I’m sorry. Let me be honest though and say a main reason is because I haven’t found an issue area or career that has really moved me. In reality in a sense I’ve just been going through the motions hoping to stumble upon something that re-awakened my soul and my life. Peace Corps was supposed to be that something or at least that’s what I told myself for these last few years as I shuffled my feet and tried not to screw it all up (which I constantly tried to do). Yet, through it all I’m here and I hope a better person because of it. Further, I really feel like I’m in the right place. I’m inspired by the work of the organization, my co-workers, the country, and the community at large. So thank you for being there, because I have depended on all of you more than you could ever know, for the support and the love that you’ve given throughout, not only these last few years but my life as a whole.
So on to the answer to that big question “What do I do?” Dad asked this one from time to time with some skepticism and dad might I say rightly so …. So thanks for keeping me honest through the bullshit. Aside from bullshitting and writing well, I am starting on a path of business development. Specifically, I work in non-profit and NGO development. The goal of this type of development is to strengthen the capacity of these organizations to fulfill there mission. Sooo again what the hell does that mean … well it means I work with upper management and donors to meet the needs of a larger and larger community that they target through their mission, in this case people with disabilities. How do I do this? Well it’s a tricky question because each organization’s needs vary according to the level of development the organization, the training and experience of the people with in the organization and the context in which the organization functions.

So the following is my job description any questions on it feel free to ask ..... heres a starter ... am I qualified .... no but if qualification and accomplishment were synonomiss then nothing would ever get done.

GENERAL BACKGROUND ON THE ORGANIZATION The Community Based Rehabilitation Alliance (COMBRA) is an indigenous non-governmental organization (NGO) committed to facilitating sustainable development of persons with disabilities (PWDs) at all levels. COMBRA was founded in December 1991 with aim of increasing accessibility to rehabilitation services, reduce attitudinal and physical barriers, and increase community participation through community-based rehabilitation (CBR).
POSITION TITLE NGO Development Advisor Scope of Work
SUMMARY STATEMENT OF THE JOB

The objective of this assignment for the Peace Corps Volunteer is to assist COMBRA in the strengthening of institutional capacity. This is an NGO development assignment; the Peace Corps Volunteer shall research, develop, organize, and conduct capacity building training, and institutional development programs for all levels of staff.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Familiarize self with the objectives and planned activities for COMBRA.
2. Work with senior management to build the capacity of COMBRA’s administration.
3. Conduct needs assessments of beneficiaries, develop, and implement an outreach plan to further the program and increase its effectiveness.
4. Assist with the development and design of organizational capacity building interventions to help improve staff skills.
5. Design assessment instruments that will be used by management to conduct a post training assessment to assess the impact of the training (before and after).
6. Research appropriate local training resources /vendors and lead the development and implementation of training programs and workshops.
7. Provide technical assistance in the area of information communication and technology to assist staff to improve their usage skills.
8. Assist in the research, development, and communication of policies and procedures.
9. Provide regular updates and reports on the progress made in capacity building activities within COMBRA.
10. Advise the management team on successes and lessons learnt, including which strategies are shown to work and which have not.
11. Facilitate and participate in project reviews and evaluations.
12. Participate in compilation of monthly and periodic reports of the organizations activities and functions attended on the behalf of the organization.
13. Assist in implementing community sensitization, training and other project activities as required.
14. Assist with the design and development of HIV/AIDS awareness and sensitization workshops and developing peer education programs for collaboration with management and staff.
SUPERVISION AND REPORTING

The Volunteer will be reporting to the (Title of Supervisor) of COMBRA who will assume primary responsibility with respect to project and job performance issues and adherence to policies and regulations of COMBRA. The Program Manager for Economic Development will assume primary responsibility for the supervision of the volunteer with respect to Peace Corps policies, regulations and benefits. The Volunteer will produce quarterly reports on his activities for COMBRA and Peace Corps. The report will follow a Peace Corps reporting format and any other format required by COMBRA.

Sooo in this case I am working with a fairly well developed organization in terms of its existence and assets (it was founded in 1990 and our operating budget is in the ball park of $1.4 million/yr). The organization is headed by a board of 9 members, an executive director Barbra who I report directly to, an accountant who I am to work directly with, a community director, a director of training, a director of appropriate technology and two assistants to the office who double in most capacities. Further, we have about 7 other support staff including drivers, cooks, groundskeepers, and security guards. These roles shouldn’t be thought of as concrete duties but serve more as headings for roles that are much larger than I could even summarize.
The organization’s prime source of income comes from training CBR workers in a series of workshops delivered throughout the year. The largest training is a 4 month, 5 day a week annual training which is a month into progress as I write. The “students” live on site here at the organization along with good ol’ William (the director of training and a dear friend along with his family (wife and 3 children)). We have a hotel on site and are in the process of building an additional 4 story hotel, though the first floor is all that is showing and was just completed this week. It’s nice to have company from the students who hail from across East Africa from as far away as Zambia and as close as a 15 minute matatu (taxi that looks like a van from Scooby doo and always holds 20 -24 though they are only licensed to hold 17) ride.
The organizations complex is located 5 miles east of Kampala the capital of Uganda on the main highway connecting it to Nairobi, Kenya and the Kenyan ports. Uganda gets its power supply from hydro-electric dams on the Nile which are 30 miles further to the east on the same road. This thankfully means that the area is lucky to avoid blackouts which are common for much of the country which typically receives power 3 -4 days a week. The road is also in very good shape though and it should be mentioned that highway in this case means a two lane paved road marked by potholes and speed bumps that make travel time double what it should be on a US highway. I've written far too much for this post that's at least a taste of life. I truly work an office 9 -5 most days though it's great when I can get to the community with William. I'll make sure to touch more on life outside of work in the next post. Weraba abantu!