I’d like
to share about the work I was sent here to do, but it seems a little lengthy
for one post, so I’ll break it up. Stay
tuned for Part 2. (:
I have
been in the Bugiri district now since Monday evening. I traveled here with Maria, a Ugandan who
works at the CRS offices in Kampala and who handles many logistics of the
volunteers. On Tuesday we drove to
Nankoma, which is a town anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes away, depending on how
fast you decide to go through the immense pot holes in the red dirt road. Through the course of the morning I met Agnes,
the leader of Nankoma RPO, and other group leaders for farmers in the
cooperative. We discussed a schedule for
my trainings and a basic outline of what I planned to cover. My trainings with each group would be over
two days, the first day being more focused on “theory”, and the second day
focused on more practical information.
I’ll admit, at this point I was
still a little out of it and more than a little nervous. I had many thoughts of “What did I get myself
into?? I’m not qualified for this!”
After
saying goodbye to Maria as she headed back to Kampala (which also meant saying
goodbye to the most fluent English speaker I knew), I got a chance to walk
around and see some of the local produce and fish sold at a market nearby. On Wednesday morning before the training
began I was also able to walk around and see some women cooking traditional
dishes, like posho, matoke,
potato, beans, etc. I’ll post
more about Ugandan food and cooking another time. We also visited the main water source, and
the hospital, where I saw pregnant mothers lined up for their check-ups and
many AIDS patients lined up for their medicine.
Though I think the AIDS epidemic has at least stabilized and receded in
Uganda, it’s obviously still a concern and a big focus of the government.
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| The clean water source |
Then, ready
or not, it was time to start. The trainings
are generally supposed to be from around 10:00-2:00 pm, depending on how long
things take. To me it sounded like a
very long time, but I realized that by the time we got started, and with the
extra time it took to translate and discuss things, you’d be surprised at how
quickly time goes. On my first day, my
stomach sank a little as 10:00 and 10:30 came and went and I thought that no
one would show up, but I found there was no need to worry. Ugandans often hold time in a very loose way,
so after many agitated phone calls from Agnes, most of the farmers finally came
around 11:00. On this first day (with
Agnes translating), I taught the basics of how we get carbohydrates, protein,
fat, vitamins, and minerals from our food and what foods are good sources of
these things, and gave them a handout with a more Ugandan version of our food
pyramid. The ironic thing is that they have
so many foods here which are considered very healthy in America, like avocado,
mango, millet, beans, peanuts, etc…. but Ugandans either don’t really eat them
or they don’t eat them to the level that they should. Some people just let the avocados on their
avocado trees fall to the ground and rot, which is certainly a crime. I wish they would forget growing corn and soya bean and just grow fruits. They have such a good climate for it! For some, it is expensive and difficult to
eat a balanced diet, but at least now I hope they understand how important it
is, especially when pregnant or nursing.
 |
| My first group of trainees. I like this picture a lot for many reasons, and it makes me laugh. One, Agnes took it, so it's not very good and she cut people off. (: The woman on the front left is holding the charcoal we used to start the fire, as if we need to see it in the picture. In general, Ugandans usually look awkward in photographs, like they don't know what to do with themselves. Before we took the picture, I think they were all making jokes about me being the only white head in the picture. And I'm pretty sure during the picture I felt someone playing with my hair (I don't blame them, the texture is quite different). |
On the second
day, I taught basics of infant and child nutrition, and anything else we didn’t
get a chance to cover on the first day.
Then we covered specific things around selection and preparation that
would allow them to get more nutrients from their food. For example,
- using whole corn, sorghum, and millet, rather than just refined corn flour (basically starch) and cassava flour to make porridge and posho
- sprouting grains to help extract more nutrients and adding them to stews or porridge… which they always find hilarious. It’s very uncommon to eat whole grains here. I try to tell them that it’s becoming popular in America (:
- not peeling potatoes to get more fiber and minerals (this they also find hilarious and crazy)
- cooking vegetables only as long as needed and saving the cooking water, which contains nutrients
- not drinking black tea with meals because it inhibits iron absorption
- etc...
I get
the sense that they are far less experimental with food than we are in the
US. They make things in the same way
that their mothers made before them, and so on.
This is why they are shocked when I tell them to add whole grains to
their stews or not peel potatoes or to trim some fat off of their meat from the
butcher. Along with this discussion, we
talk about safe and hygienic cooking and eating practices. Some of these they know, and some of which
they have questions about, especially when I tell them they shouldn’t leave
their food sit for several hours.
At the
end of the second day, we made soya milk, which was quite fun to teach. It was definitely a little different than how
it would go in America, so all of you be thankful for your sinks, blenders, and
stoves. Here is an outline of how it
went…
- Agnes soaked some soya beans overnight for me, which we added to the large wooden mortar and pounded with the pestle to make a paste. At first, I was doing the paste-making, which the women thought was funny (they usually treat me like I shouldn’t do any work… you know, really strenuous things… like picking up trash, carrying things, or standing for too long), but they enjoyed it. It was at this point they told me that they wanted to give me some African princess name. After a little bit Agnes took over because she was more effective. (:
- We added the soya bean paste with water from the rain tank to the pot. I told them they could also add pounded sugar cane, sugar, or sweet banana to make it taste a little better. They liked that tidbit.
- The charcoal fire took a little while to get going, but once it was burning we simmered/boiled (it’s hard to control the heat) the soya milk over the fire for about 20 minutes.
- A friend of Agnes had run to the store and bought a piece of white synthetic clothing fabric to use as a strainer. At first I thought it wouldn’t work because the holes were too small, but it ended up working out really nicely. We strained the soya bean through the cloth, and poured it into a couple of cups that the women passed around. Agnes told me I couldn’t try it because it might make me sick, but later one of the women handed me the cup and I couldn’t refuse. It was pretty good. And if I get sick, it’s probably more from sharing a cup with 10 women than from the water. :/
 |
| This is Agnes, the star of the show. After she took over making soya bean paste, I got revenge by taking her picture. |
 |
| Getting the fire going to cook the soya milk. The Ugandan women seem to be pretty much immune to the smoke. It's impressive, but probably not healthy. |
By the
end of the second day, I started to feel more comfortable in my role, and I got
the sense that the women (and men) enjoyed the information and thought it was
helpful. After I finished with the soy
milk demonstration on the second day, one of the older women gave me a
handshake (Ugandan version), a nod, and told me something in Lugandan. Agnes laughed and explained that she said she
likes me and she doesn't want me to go back to America, and that made my heart
smile.
Reading this makes my heart smile.
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