Co-operatives in Northern Uganda have invited Six Canadian Co-operative Association volunteers to help them measure their enterprises against international standards using CCA’s Development Ladder Assessment Tool (DLA). Follow Linda Archer’s exciting account of their 2-week mission working side-by-side with Ugandan co-operators as they plot the path forward for their co-ops and credit unions. The result is a snapshot of how the co-op is doing - and a set of benchmark scores for measuring progress as they grow their co-operative enterprise.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Day 11 - More work and less rain...hopefully

The Halloween party was a great success last night.  We tried the Ugandan wine but I don’t think I’ll be bringing any home.  It’s made from tamarind and has a very smoky taste.  I’m not sure if that has something to do with how they make it or not.  We gathered in the courtyard of the hotel and drank it under the overhang because it was pouring again.  I hate to think of the condition of the roads but luckily we’re at a location that’s on the main highway so we don’t have to worry for a day or so.  We then went to an Indian/Chinese/African restaurant for dinner.  We ordered Indian food and shared the dishes, it was very nice.  Three of our Ugandan friends joined us so it was another opportunity to learn more about Uganda.  They are so glad that we’re here and helping the cooperatives to develop.  

Today we started work with a new SACCO and there was a mix up on the dates so we didn’t have the full board present but we did quite well in spite of that.  They are mostly teachers or retired teachers.  Once again they are absolutely delightful.  There are 3 women on the board of 7 which is a sign of the gender equity issue that UCA and CCA are trying to stress.  Historically Ugandan women haven’t had opportunities for education and are the ones who tend the farms and take care of the children.  I think I mentioned that the families are very large here with 9 – 10 children being more the norm than the exception.  Once again one of the board members had traveled to Europe, Edinburgh and London.  It’s interesting how much they know about Canada and they want to know more.  I show them a map of Canada when I introduce myself and they’re fascinated by how large and diverse Canada is compared to Uganda.    

A number of countries are involved in development projects here in Uganda and tonight I met a German fellow who has just arrived here on a 2 year posting to work primarily with the SACCOs so there’s a close relationship with CCA and UCA. He’ll come with us tomorrow to finish the work we’re doing with Surenet  SACCO.

We didn’t have even a threat of rain today so I’m hopeful that we can get a couple dry days which will help since we’re back on the country roads on Saturday. 

I’ll write more tomorrow. 
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