As I complete my CorpsAfrica service in Lyantonde district Nakaseeta A and B villages, I have a sense of pride, gratitude, and accomplishment. The past nine months have been a transformative journey. I am only eager to share the lessons and experiences that have shaped me.
Serving as a Ugandan in my own country has given me a deeper understanding of our community’s strengths, challenges, and resilience. I have had the privilege of working alongside my amazingly strong and resilient community members on five projects, including the following.
Nakaseeta Community Farmers’ Market
Together with the community, we established a farmers’ market where local members sell their farm products daily. This market not only supports local agriculture but also fosters connections within our community. Together, we built structures that will serve as a foundation for future development while promoting community cohesion.
Bakery project
I partnered with 35 youths to establish a bakery, providing skills training and economic empowerment. The enthusiastic youth are dreaming big with ambitions of being a household brand in confectionaries.
Piggery projects
We collaborated to establish piggery farms for income generation for 65 individuals in Nakaseeta. The project brings an integration where piggery provides organic manure for the farmers’ gardens thereby contributing to increased productivity in agriculture.
Bricklaying projects
We also undertook a brick-laying project that has been a game-changer for our community. 65 members worked together to produce quality bricks, which we then sold to raise funds. Members have used the proceeds from these sales to purchase pigs to diversify their incomes. This initiative not only provided a source of income but also empowered members to invest in their agricultural ventures, promoting sustainability and self-sufficiency.
Through my service, I had other projects including Soap making and Tomato farming among a women group of 29 members.
These projects taught me the value of Community-Led Development, where people are invested in their growth and progress. I learned that true development happens when communities take charge and ownership of their projects, using available resources to drive change. This experience showed me that poverty is but a mindset that can be addressed with local solutions by local people.
My time in service has also taught me valuable lessons of empathy. I learned to see myself in another person’s shoes, understanding their struggles and aspirations which helped me to fully integrate while creating meaningful relationships.
Facilitation vs. Help
I realized that my role is to facilitate growth, not just provide help. I have learned that certain styles of helping are doing more harm than good. As the famous quote goes when we do change people, they experience it as violence but when people change for themselves, they experience it as liberation.
Community ownership
I learned that when people are invested in their own development, they are more likely to succeed and sustain progress. We grew by focusing on the assets within the community that we would tap into to catalyze development.
A better life for a young boy
One story that stands out is that of a young boy who was born with a hernia. His family could not afford treatment until I connected them with a hospital that offers free surgery. Seeing him thrive after the operation was a powerful reminder of the impact we can have when we work together.
As I close this chapter, I want to express my deepest gratitude to CorpsAfrica for this life-changing opportunity. My community, Nakaseeta has embraced me, working tirelessly to see a desired end. I leave with a network of great friends and like-minded change-makers, my fellow volunteers with who I have walked on an amazing journey.
