Slowly Uncovering Uganda

I am constantly amazed at the candidness of people here and what they
are willing to share. Government officials who freely criticize the
elected officials and their corruption; academics who point out the
failures of the education in the country; aid workers who express
sadness at the failure of projects. It's refreshing to hear such
honesty. Everyone seems to want to share their frustration or concern
with the hope of finding a solution.

Uganda has had a rough go at things. From Idi Amin to the LRA, peace
and stability are still new and the without the correct steps, the
country could easily slide back into violence and conflict like so
many of its neighbours. Uganda can't handle that though. If it does
slip, it will be a long time before it recovers because old wounds run
very deeply. The image of mutilated bodies and child soldiers are
still on people's minds. People are therefore willing to accept the
current corrupt government so long as they don't have to return to the
horrors of the past. It's a trade-off that people are willing to
accept for now.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has risen and the average household
income level is up, at least on paper. What this doesn't show,
however, is that there is an enormous and ever growing gap between the
rich and the poor – there are a few VERY wealthy people (mostly
politicians), but the overwhelming majority of the country still live
on less than a dollar a day – and Uganda is not cheap.

Because of this, for me, I still find it hard to see the offices of
major aid agencies like the Red Cross who have huge gated armed
compounds enclosing mansions. Satellite dishes, air conditioners, and
generators clutter the otherwise impeccably kept gardens ensuring
people inside have all the comforts of western living. I've heard the
justifications (donor relations, the need for top executives and they
expect the best, the need for places to entertain and host
dignitaries, etc.) but we don't usually do that in Canada even. Why is
the standard different here? The contrast between the aid agencies and
those they are helping is a bit overwhelming. Maybe I shouldn't be so
hard of them though. Most are doing great work, and without them this
country would collapse. Approximately 80 percent of the funding in the
government budget is from foreign aid. No, that is not sustainable,
but it is keeping the peace for the time being, until the country gets
its feet on the ground again at least. The aid agencies are reducing
the chances of yet another eruption of conflict in Africa, something
that is always on the margins. They are also helping people on the
ground directly by helping reintegrate child soldiers, grow crops and
provide much needed medical assistance. HIV/Aids programs are reducing
the infection rate, something that many other countries are struggling
to even contain.

I remain optimistic. There are a lot of good people here doing great
things and I am still among the hopeful that things will only get
better.