BOSCO Uganda

While I am here in Northern Uganda I have been volunteering for BOSCO Uganda. BOSCO stands for Battery Operated Systems for Community Outreach. It is a young organization started on the premise that communication through the internet in rural Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps can help in peace building and development here in Northern Uganda. There is a feeling of isolation in the IDP camps and BOSCO wants to "break the silence."

When BOSCO begins training trainers in the communities they have to start from the basics. To many people here, a computer is a "mystery box," but after training they see it as a communication tool. For the community it is cheaper than cell phones and because of the internet there are many other advantages, such as online newspapers, wikipedia, google search and social networking.

Right now the amount of computers does not meet the demand so BOSCO is hoping to expand. While I am there I am helping to develop and implement a Monitoring and Evaluation system, extend the training manual and help with the training of trainers. It is exciting to be a part of a young and growing organization that opens up the world of possibilities in the rural areas. You can visit boscouganda.com for more information.

School District Song and Dance Competition

The first weekend I was here Niki, Karin and myself hopped on the back of three boda boda's and headed to a nearby school. At the school was a yearly primary school song and dance competition.

"Boda" or "boda boda" is the Acholi word for motorcycle or motorcycle taxi. Aside from walking, it is our most common mode of transportation here in Gulu. There is no seat back on these motorbikes, nor do we wear helmets (even though the driver does when the police are near). In North America we often hold on to the person in front of us; here, that is inappropriate. My initial fear was of falling backwards, but after a few rides I realized that the drivers are fairly reliable. To go to town from our place on a boda boda it costs 1,000 Ugandan Shillings, which is equivalent to about 50 cents US.

The primary school song and dance competition was a great cultural introduction for me. We saw both a classical choir performance and then a traditional song and dance performance. For the first part, the district choirs came and sang the same song about East Africa. According to Karin it was the most organized activity she had seen in Gulu so far. The spectators, not including ourselves, were very well dressed including some of the young children who wore full suits. The primary school performers were of many different ages. Niki figured that many of the students were unable to attend school during the war and are now trying to catch up.

The traditional dance followed a pattern but told different stories. The dance always began with a problem. The problem usually had to do with drinking or stealing and a broken relationship. Through a process the conflict was solved and at the end of the dance the music became very lively and then there would be ululation to show that everyone was happy again. The songs were sung in Acholi and we had to ask afterwards what happened.