Getting Ready

Hello All,


I'm pretty sure even my subconscious is psyched (to say the least) to go to Africa because Rusted Root's song Send Me on My Way has been stuck in my head for the past 2 weeks. It only seemed fair to title the blog for this trip and the rest of my travels with a song that just makes me want to go see the world.


With less than a week left before my trip, I am really starting to get excited, and a bit nervous, about heading to Uganda. I've got just about everything I think I need, and I am savoring my last few warm showers and mosquito - make that bug - free room. 
I know I will have limited internet access throughout the 9 weeks in Africa, so my plan is to keep everyone up to date via this blog. 


I will be living and working in Kikajjo Village, which is supposedly less than an hour outside the capital Kampala; MapQuest still has some room for improvement when it comes to rural villages in Africa. Over the two months in Uganda I will be serving as an intern for a small NGO (TORUWU - Training of Rural Women in Uganda) educating women from rural areas about HIV/AIDS. In addition, they have a small microfinace project in the works that I will be helping out with. For those not familiar with MF, it is basically the granting of small loans, typically to women, to help advance a small business. The women then pay the initial loans back, and are subsequently eligible for a slightly larger loan. The loans are generally very small by Western standards - usually under $200, but they can make a difference. There is often a savings program also implemented, as many people in the target demographic of MF programs are not familiar with savings accounts and formal banking systems. The women that TORUWU serves make wine out of local fruits, and the NGO helps provide them support through the loan program and seminars. At the moment that is really all I know about what I will be doing, but more details to come soon.


I leave very early next Wednesday, May 11th, and I will try to detail all my wonderful, strange, and crazy stories here (Don't worry mom, nothing too scary!)


Thanks for everyone's support, interest, and kind thoughts,


Megan