Project Focus Progress

Northwestern University Conference on Human Rights 2012

2012-01-10T04:41:00.008-06:00

Ahabwe Michael, Founder of ICOD ActionNetwork, Project FOCUS’s partner organization in Uganda, has been invited back to the States to participate the ninth annual Northwestern University Conference on Human Rights (NUCHR).

This year’s NUCHR is entitled From Famine to Food Deserts: Human Rights and the Global Food Crisis. Join Project FOCUS in attending the conference, and don’t miss Ahabwe’s panel discussion, Failure of Distribution: Feeding Today, Starving Tomorrow, in which panelists will explore the failure of international systems to adequately distribute food to those that need it the most.

We look forward to seeing you at this thoughtful and inspiring event!

Northwestern University Conference on Human Rights

January 19-21, 2012
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL

Panel Discussion - Failure of Distribution: Feeding Today, Starving Tomorrow
Saturday, January 21, 2012
2:00 - 3:30 pm
McCormick Tribune Center

During his visit last year, Ahabwe spent four weeks with Growing Power in Milwaukee as a food security-fellow, was an honored guest speaker at the at the Jane Addams Hull House food activism series, Re-Thinking Soup. He was also interviewed on WBEZ’s Worldview for his work as a global activist.

To hear the full interview click here.

Ahabwe Michael - Guest of Honor!

2011-10-21T18:18:00.008-05:00

Tune in to WBEZ's Worldview, to listen to Ahabwe Michael, Founder of ICOD ActionNetwork, Project FOCUS’s partner organization in Uganda, discuss issues of food security and sustainable agriculture in the rural community of Lyantonde. He will also touch on how the recently established Lyantonde Internet Center can assist local farmers in advancing their practices!

During his stay in the United States Ahabwe spent four

weeks with Growing

Power in Milwaukee as a food security-fellow. He worked side-by-side with

the Growing Power staff to explore sustainable farming practices, gain hands-on experience in setting up extensive community food systems, and examined challenges pertaining to food security. Fortunately, he was able to sneak away and spend a few days with us here in Chicago, where he was invited to be a guest speaker at the Jane Addams Hull House

Museum as well

as on

Worldview with host Jerome McDonnell.

You can listen to the interview on-line here.

You're Invited!

2011-09-30T17:28:00.008-05:00

Ahabwe Michael, founder of ICOD Action Network, our local partner in Lyantonde, Uganda, will be visiting us here in Chicago!

While here, Michael will be an honored guest speaker at the Jane Addams Hull House food activism series, Re-Thinking Soup. His presentation will include thoughts on how rural African communities can be a leading source of the world’s health food supplies if respective governments make technical and policy adjustments. He will also discuss the importance of access to healthy and sustainable foods in rural communities, as well as ICOD Action Network's use of the Lyantonde Internet Center to promote agriculture information and training within the Lyantonde community.

Please join us for this thought-provoking presentation and a delicious bowl of soup!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011@ 12:00-1:00pm
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
The University of Illinois at Chicago
800 S. Halsted Chicago, IL 60607

Also, Ahabwe Michael has been invited to speak on Worldview with Jerome McDonnell to discuss the continued progress and challenges with the Lyantonde Internet Center.

Stay tuned for the date and time of the WBEZ broadcast!

Community Art, Community Growth

2011-05-14T09:48:00.014-05:00

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our table at the Global Activism Expo!

Below are some photos of the Community Art Mural from the event. We were painting Jane, a farmer from Kywanula village in Southwestern Uganda. She has been an active partner of Project FOCUS from the beginning.

Jane, as a leader in her community, was featured in the Portraits of Resilience art project in 2007. More recently, she participated in a permaculture workshop hosted by Project FOCUS and ICOD Action Network to learn sustainable farming techniques to improve her yields and the health of her crops.

Jane is also training to use the Internet and communication technologies at the Lyantonde Internet Center. The internet center allows rural villagers like Jane access to weather predictions and market information for their products.

Seeds!

If you took home seeds to plant, we would love to see how your Sugar Snap Peas are doing! Send a photo of your growing plant and any other information you would like to share to info@projectfocus.org. We will post the photos here on our blog and our facebook page to share with with Project FOCUS community in the U.S. and Uganda.

If you were not there but would still like to participate, let us know!

ICT and Permaculture Training in Lyantonde

2011-05-01T18:14:00.004-05:00

With your help, the Lyantonde Internet Center opened its doors in June 2010, providing people with access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) previously unavailable in the area.

Individuals now have access to the Internet for personal and professional use, but the benefits of the Center extend beyond individual use. ICOD Action Network and Project FOCUS have partnered to provide capacity-building training on a community level through the Center. Thus far, over 60 people have been trained in ICT, nearly 70% of whom are women.

In addition to ICT training, Project FOCUS and ICOD Action Network have also partnered to implement a 1 week long Permaculture workshop for local farmers in the rural community. 137 farmers, over 80% women, participated in the Permaculture skills workshop.

Our partnership will continue to serve the general population of the Lyantonde region, with an emphasis on developing practical skills, especially for women.

One Permaculture training participant, Nalukwago Fatuma, shared her experience with us: "Before March this year, none of us here in Lyantonde knew about permaculture... Throughout this course, I was introduced to many new things that are very important for our daily lives like planting a food forest and embracing nature so as to sustain ourselves and the future generations. I now believe that our standards of living can only be achieved if we only embrace nature and preserve it."

Global Activism Expo 2011

2011-04-24T12:16:00.015-05:00

Reconnect with your favorite organization at the Global Activism Expo hosted by Chicago Public Radio on Saturday, April 30, 2011. After being interviewed by Jerome McDonnell, host of WBEZ’s Worldview, about the Lyantonde Internet Center, we’ve been invited to display our work at this international celebration of social activism. Complete with food, music and over 100 Chicago-area Global Activists we promise it will be worth your while!

Say hello to Project FOCUS at our booth, get updated on the Internet Center in Uganda, talk to us about our upcoming Permaculture projects, participate in our community art mural, and pick up some seeds to plant in your garden!

The Global Activism Expo is also an incredible opportunity to meet similarly-minded organizations, representing work in over 40 countries with efforts ranging from buying cows for Kenyan families, sending bicycles to Latin America, providing medical services in Haiti, and so much more!

In case you missed it in February, listen to Project FOCUS' interview on Chicago Public Radio here.

Details of the Expo:

What: Global Activism Expo hosted by Chicago Public Radio
When: Saturday, April 30 · 12:00pm - 6:00pm
Where: UIC Forum 725 W Roosevelt Rd. Chicago, IL 60607
Cost: FREE Admission!

RSVP for this event on facebook.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Permaculture in Uganda

2011-04-12T09:40:00.003-05:00

Permaculture is a conscious integrated design system based on ecological principles that create resource efficient and productive human environments.

In partnership with Project FOCUS, ICOD Action Network recently facilitated a Permaculture Design Course with over 80 farmers in Lyantonde, Uganda. The course focused on sustainability, and drew on local knowledge and materials to address agricultural challenges. In Ahabwe Michael's second video blog, he takes us through the course and shares the farmers' experiences with us.

For more information on Permaculture, visit True Nature Designs.

2010 - A Year to be Proud Of!

2011-03-31T12:47:00.012-05:00

Project FOCUS started 2010 with our biggest goal ever: to build an Internet Center in Lyantonde, Uganda. Last year, you played a pivotal role in making this goal a reality. Please click here to view our 2010 Annual Report.

In 2010...

Our community contributed over $28,000 to fund the building of the Internet Center in Lyantonde.

We established a partnership with the Lyantonde community-based organization, ICOD Action Network.

We formed relationships with six different schools around Chicago who raised funds to "adopt" computers for the new Internet Center.

We opened the first Internet Center in Lyantonde, Uganda with more 3,000 visits from community members since its opening.

We organized five agricultural groups in rural villages surrounding Lyantonde to create a system of information sharing and skill building, and the center has partnered with female trainees from the village agricultural co-ops to provide ICT training.

We would like to thank all of you who have been involved with Project FOCUS; without you, our accomplishments this year would have never been possible. Whether you have invested your time, your talents, your ideas, or your hard earned money, we are deeply grateful for your support.

If you have trouble viewing the annual report, please copy and paste the following link into your browser: http://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?i=63337

Project FOCUS on Chicago Public Radio's Worldview 2011

2011-02-23T09:34:00.011-06:00

Last year, Project FOCUS was featured on Chicago Public Radio's Worldview with Jerome McDonnell. PF Member Grant Buhr spoke about about the history of Project FOCUS, our philosophies, and the early stages of our first development project, the Lyantonde Internet Center.

Now the Internet Center is up and running, and Grant was invited back on Worldview's Global Activism Series to speak about both the successes and the struggles encountered while developing the Center in southwestern Uganda.

If you missed it live, you can still listen to it here via WBEZ online.

Remembering David Kato

2011-02-04T16:34:00.014-06:00

On January 26, 2011, Ugandan Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) activist David Kato was brutally murdered in his home. Just a few months ago, a Ugandan newspaper published Mr. Kato’s and other gay Ugandans’ names and pictures, alongside the message “Hang them”.

As local and global allies to the Ugandan LGBTI movement, Project FOCUS and our Ugandan partnering organization ICOD Action Network are standing with Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), and other international organizations to publicly condemn this tragedy, and to call upon the Ugandan Government to protect sexual minorities in Uganda.

We call upon the government of Uganda to carry out a full and fair investigation into David’s murder, prosecute the perpetrators to the full extent of the law, and ensure that members of Uganda’s LGBTI community have adequate protection from violence, starting by eliminating consideration of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

Please join us in taking action:

Donate to SMUG here or contact florencia@projectfocus.org for a pledge form
Inform SMUG of your action around David Kato’s murder: justicefordavidkato@gmail.com
Urge the Ugandan Government to take the following steps:

Publicly condemn David’s murder
Carry out a full investigation into David’s murder
Communicate with LGBTI leaders throughout the investigation
Ensure that members of Uganda’s LGBTI community have adequate protection from violence
Eliminate any possibility of consideration or passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Contact your own government authorities and urge them to communicate these concerns to the Ugandan authorities in direct and private advocacy.
Sign petitions to tell American Evangelicals to Condemn David Kato’s murder and the Ugandan Government to back off anti-gay legislation.

Ugandan Government Contact:
President of The Republic of Uganda H.E. Yoweri Museveni
Parliament Building
PO Box 7168 Kampala, Uganda
info@govexecutive.net
Salutation: Your Excellency

Resources:
Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG)
Frank Mugisha on NPR’s Worldview
Ice Breakers Uganda (LGBTI Support Organization)
BBC: Uganda Fear Over Gay Death-Penalty Plans
NYTimes: Remembering David Kato
Reuters: Scuffles at funeral of Uganda gay activist

5th Vlog - Information Sharing Groups in Lyantonde, Uganda

2010-07-31T15:03:00.003-05:00

Grant introduces the first video blog created by Ahabwe Michael, Director of ICOD, which highlights 2 leaders of the Agriculture Information Sharing Groups in Lyantonde, Uganda. Flavia and Dan, both farmers and ICT Trainees discuss the benefits of having access to the Internet and their hopes of using this information to improve agriculture in their communities.

All Vlogs related to the progress of the Lyantonde Internet Center from this point on will be created by ICOD staff. We look forward to watching!

Termination of Our Relationship with Prince Primary School

2010-07-30T18:25:00.000-05:00

Dear Project Focus Family,

We are writing to fill you in on a very disheartening yet critical decision that Project FOCUS has had to make in the past couple of months. As supporters of Project FOCUS, you have trusted us to make responsible decisions with the money, time, and ideas that have been invested into our work. We had been operating according to the plan that when the Lyantonde Internet Center begins to make a profit those proceeds will be given to Prince Primary School to assist with both teacher salaries and the school lunch program. However, due to the dishonest and deceptive actions of the school’s Headmaster that we have slowly become aware of over the past several months, we’ve decided to terminate our relationship with Prince Primary School and use the projected profits from the Internet Center in a way that will benefit more than one community in the surrounding area. This blog post seeks to summarize the details that have unfolded so that our supporters can understand the reasons for and the weight of this decision.

Reasons for the Termination

Our relationship with Prince Primary School began in 2007 during our series of Art and Art Therapy Projects that were conducted in Lyantonde. Some of the artwork that many of you have seen at our past exhibits was created by the students at Prince. Our ties to the Prince Primary School go way beyond them being the beneficiary of profits made from the Internet Café thus making it difficult to believe and to admit that we’ve been deceived by their leader. Our suspicions began to arise when Grant returned to Lyantonde in February of this year to begin implementation of the Internet Center. Despite many attempts, Grant was unable to locate the Headmaster for months. The staff of ICOD, our local community-based based partner, hadn’t heard from him either. His wife informed Grant that he was visiting a friend; others told him that he was caring for his sick mother, and he was even notified that the Headmaster was dealing with some business matters in neighboring Tanzania. This went on, and on, and on. The teachers at Prince also claimed ignorance to his whereabouts. Although this seemed strange, at this point we had no reason to assume that we would be unable to continue our relationship with Prince Primary.

We were perplexed. In order to move forward we needed the participation of the Headmaster to continue with the Lyantonde Internet Center as planned. So eventually ICOD decided to investigate further and went into the community to put their ear to the gossip wire. They asked shop owners, taxi drivers, youth, and older folks what they had heard about the missing Headmaster. The inquiry produced a unanimous reply – that he was in prison. Initially nobody seemed to know (or wanted to say) why he had been detained. However we soon came to learn that he had been put in jail for defaulting on loan payments to a micro finance agency. We then discovered that this was only 1 of 5 lending organizations who wanted to bring him to court for defaulting on loans reaching back to 2007. It took a while for Project FOCUS to digest this news and to face the fact that we now had a very difficult decision to make.

What Does This Mean for Project FOCUS and ICOD?

ICOD and Grant sat down and hammered out these key points and questions:

1) These loans had been taken out in the name of the school but it was clear that they weren’t being invested there. Teachers were not being paid and the existing lunch program was in shambles. Although being told repeatedly that Project FOCUS would not donate money to Prince Primary School directly, the Headmaster often requested money from Project FOCUS insisting that they were in a very desperate situation. So where is the money that was borrowed in the name of Prince Primary School?

2) In retrospect this was not the first red flag regarding the Headmaster’s questionable behavior when handling money. In 2007 and 2009, he resisted accounting for money spent on events at Prince Primary, and when he finally did there were several figures that didn’t seem to add up. In 2008, there was a large community rift when the Headmaster’s failure to provide students with identity cards (that their parents already paid for) for a national exam resulted in their nullification. The 12 students were forced to retake the 7^th grade exam. In retrospect, Grant recalls the community’s accusations of foul play, but at the time Project FOCUS trusted the Headmaster’s intentions. Now we regret not having investigating further.

3) Over the years that we have been cultivating a relationship with Prince Primary School we celebrated the fact that it was a community owned and operated establishment. The Headmaster reassured us many times that this was the case. However, after some investigation, we are now aware that it is located on the Headmaster’s private property – not a plot of community owned land that was donated to the school.

4) The Headmaster, his staff, and his wife directly lied to ICOD and Project FOCUS about his whereabouts during the time that he was detained.

5) Given all of this information, is it responsible of ICOD and Project FOCUS to channel money into an institution that has a dishonest leader? Our commitment was to the Prince Primary community as a whole, not the Headmaster, so it is deeply disheartening to think that the students and families will not be able to benefit from the Internet Center project. But, it is equally disheartening to think that we could be contributing to the Headmaster’s personal gains while the students and teachers of the school receive little to no benefits from the proceeds.

After a careful review of the facts and several discussions weighing the possible consequences of our choices, the decision was made to terminate Project FOCUS’ relationship with Prince Primary School.

Soon after we made this decision we were informed that the Headmaster had been released from prison and we scheduled a community meeting at Prince Primary to inform everyone of our decision. The Headmaster was made aware of the meeting but chose not to attend. It was difficult enough to make our decision, but planning to explain it to the students, parents, and teachers who hadn’t done anything wrong was grueling. Michael, the Director of ICOD, explained our stance in local languages, which was met by several community members expressing similar sentiments of mistrust. Although disappointed, for the most part everyone seemed very understanding of our decision to terminate the relationship.

Upon hearing our decision, the Headmaster immediately contacted Grant (the first time in the three months that he had been there), sounding shocked and requesting to meet. Grant met with the Headmaster twice, once with ICOD (which resulted in physical threats to Michael) and once alone (which resulted in mud-slinging). After these meetings, and events since, Grant along with Project FOCUS became even more convinced that we had made the right decision.

Moving Forward

Since 2007, Prince Primary has been just one of several local communities Project FOCUS has been involved with. Others include the network of People Living with Aids from the Lyantonde Hospital, and farmers groups from Kyewanula, Lwensinga, Kitazigolowa, and Luwama villages. The aim of our organization, and partnership with ICOD, has always been to support locally driven initiatives that are making positive changes within the community. While we were re-evaluating our relationship with Prince Primary we were naturally building upon the relationships with these other groups through their participation in the educational programming of the Internet Center. It has been decided that the eventual proceeds from the Internet Café will be directed toward these groups. We will do our best to rely on our past experiences, especially those with Prince Primary, and the advice of our Ugandan Board of Advisors to ensure that this is done in a responsible and transparent way.

Difficult Lessons for a Young Organization

Project FOCUS does acknowledge the efforts that the Prince Primary students and staff put forth throughout our relationship, and agree that it is very disheartening not to see those efforts bear fruit. However, any blame assigned to why we cannot move forward should be clearly stated as a lack of trust in the Headmaster, and not any fault of the students or community at large. Unfortunately, the scope of the problem is beyond anything Project FOCUS has the capacity (or the right) to address.

That being said, we have learned countless lessons regarding the unintended consequences that can arise while developing relationships with institutions in real need, and the lengths that individuals may go to in order to capitalize on the possible benefits. We also agree that there are contributing factors to this situation that could easily be credited to Project FOCUS’s lack of foresight and experience. For this we sincerely apologize and promise to continue to learn and adjust from our mistakes to refine our approach.

We apologize if this seems like an over-simplification of the situation. The complexities that arise in this work, especially the slow and cumbersome approach of community building, could never be revealed in a single blog post. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns regarding this information. info@projectfocus.org

Creation and Launch of the Internet Cafe!

2010-06-15T21:28:00.005-05:00

Its finally here! On June 5th, 2010 the Lyantonde Internet Center was launched. This project is a collaborative effort between ICOD and Project FOCUS several years in the making. We are very grateful to those who have supported us in this endeavor and are excited about the information the center will bring to the community of Lyantonde. The cafe is connected through a satellite internet access and powered by solar panels. This video blog shows the creation and opening of the cafe. There was a bicycle race to commence opening day festivities along with a lot of excitement and good spirit.

Bwera Information Center

2010-06-15T21:05:00.011-05:00

In this third video blog we get a look at the Bwera Information Center. The center was founded in 2003 as a community based organization and is run and owned by a consortium of about 40 local civil society organizations. Its mission is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of the predominantly rural farming communities, with a special focus on women and marginalized groups.

On a demand driven basis, BIC provides information on agriculture, marketing, soil and water conservation, human rights, good governance, basic health care, HIV/AIDS, environmental protection, education, gender and peaceful conflict resolution and coexistence. BIC has grown into a centre where local people meet and freely share information and meet Martin a member of ICOD.

Five farmers within the Lyantonde community will learn about effective IT communication and information dissemination through the center. We also meet Martin, a community development officer within ICOD who talks about the importance of the information Bwera had to offer.

PF Featured as a Model for Fundraising

2010-06-11T08:38:00.003-05:00

This week, Project FOCUS was featured on Inveneo's ICTworks site as a model for fundraising in their story, 'How to Fundraise Money for Computer Labs and Internet Cafes in 3 Easy Steps.' While I can't think of anyone in Project FOCUS who would put the words "fundraising" and "easy" in the same sentence, Inveneo does a great job of highlighting the key components of our fundraising strategy.

Inveneo is a partner with Project FOCUS in establishing the internet cafe in Lyantonde. They are a non-profit social enterprise that gets the tools of information communications technology to people and organizations in rural and highly underserved communities of the developing world. Click here to visit Inveneo's website.

A Space for Learning, Sharing, Creating, and Income Generation: Vlog #2!

2010-04-19T15:52:00.005-05:00

In his second video blog Grant welcomes the Project FOCUS community to the empty space that will soon be transformed into the community Internet Cafe. He also introduces Michael, the founder of our partnering organization, ICOD, and takes us on a brief trip to the Lyantonde market where we can see and hear some local flavors of the community.

Enjoy!

Our First Video Blog from Uganda!

2010-03-28T08:51:00.007-05:00

Welcome to the first of my video blogs from Uganda.

I hope this can help you to feel a little more connected to the lives you've touched in Lyantonde through your support of Project Focus and our work here. This is an introduction, and with each posting I'll try to go a little deeper into life in Lyantonde.

Since I'm flying solo out here your comments and feedback would help me frame the postings in ways you'll enjoy and learn from.

All my gratitude,

Grant Buhr

International Women's Day

2010-03-08T16:04:00.003-06:00

Today is International Women's Day, a day to celebrate the strengths and accomplishments of women around the world. For me, the first person who came to mind was my grandmother, someone who decided after the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 to fight for compensation of her Jewish grandfather's textile business that was taken away by the Nazi government. She did all this from Argentina, where she grew up and lives today, and though it took her nearly eight years to fight the case she and her cousins were finally compensated.

It is women like my grandmother who have paved the way for me to do the work I do now, and be involved in organizations like Project FOCUS.

Recently I spoke with my grandmother over skype. She called me from Buenos Aires to congratulate us on our worldview spot that she listened to after seeing it posted as my skype status. She shared how inspired she was by our project to bring Internet to a community in rural Uganda. We began to talk about the complexities of development work and activism, and I found myself connecting with her in a way I had not before.

So Happy International Women's Day, in honor of all our grandmothers and these beautiful moments that connect us.

Here is a video from the World Food Programme made especially for today:

PF's Internet Cafe Featured in Global Giving's Technology for Good Initiative

2010-03-02T12:21:00.003-06:00

PF is getting noticed as more and more people are recognizing that connecting people is fundamental to the global economy, to societies, to infrastructure, and to life.

One of Global Giving's corporate partners, Ericsson, has selected Project FOCUS' internet cafe in Lyantonde, Uganda as one of six projects that they are promoting as part of their Technology for Good giving campaign!

To view our project on Global Giving, click here.

To make an investment, visit our microsite and click 'Invest Now'

When Good Intentions Meet the Law.

2010-02-26T13:22:00.009-06:00

In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti this January - with an estimated 200,000 dead, 300,000 injured, millions made homeless, and a country's infrastructure in rubbles - one particular story has gripped the international media's attention.

Recently, a group of 10 U.S. missionaries were jailed in Haiti on child abduction charges after the group was caught attempting to remove 33 children from the country without government authorization or papers. The missionaries have denied any wrongdoing and insist they were acting with noble intentions trying to rescue children from the devastating earthquake. They believed that the children were orphans and came from a reputable orphanage. However, it's been since reported that nearly half of the Haitian children are believed to have at least one living parent.

When I first came across the story I had a visceral reaction that told me something was fundamentally wrong. It's not the just the actions of the 10 missionaries that were troubling to me, but the underlying assumptions that motivated this group of well-intentioned Americans to jump on a plane, swoop into a country in chaos, and attempt to rescue children in desperate need. These assumptions are not unique to this group from Idaho; they are shared to varying degrees by most of the development community.

Here are 5 assumptions to be wary of - most times they manifest themselves in subtle and complex ways:

1) Good intentions are good enough.

2) Tragedies like the earthquake in Haiti can be addressed with quick-fixes.

3) Children in desperate conditions need rescuing from the West.

4) A warm bed, food and a decent education are preferable to one's family, community, and cultural heritage

5) Local customs and local laws can be easily ignored.

This story is a sobering reminder for those of working in international community development that good intentions are not enough, that naive idealism can be dangerous, and that the real victims in this story are not the well-intentioned missionaries and volunteers that have been imprisoned, but the 33 Haitian children (and hundreds of thousands more) who still remain homeless and parentless.

Project FOCUS interviewed on Chicago Public Radio's Worldview

2010-02-18T10:20:00.006-06:00

Project FOCUS is being featured on Chicago Public Radio's Worldview today, Thursday, February 18th at 12:00pm and again at 9:00pm (CST).

Grant Buhr, will speak with host Jerome McDonnell on the weekly Global Activism series about the history of Project FOCUS, our philosophies, and our current development project - a solar-powered Internet cafe in Southwestern Uganda.

If you're in chicago, tune into WBEZ 91.5 FM.
or Click Here to listen live via WBEZ online.

A nod from Change.org

2010-02-03T09:54:00.012-06:00

Nathaniel Whittemore -editor of the Social Entrepreneurship blog on Change.org- pens some accolades to the PF process, while reminding us and all social entrepreneurs of the importance of balance when considering scale and relationships.

Nathaniel writes:

"To me, the lesson here isn't that social entrepreneurs should abruptly abandon their ambitions to scale up. Complex global problems require massive solutions, and when it comes to changing systems, scale is essential. What's more, the dichotomy of "breadth" vs. "depth" is a false one. The best social entrepreneurs have to understand how to balance both.

At the same time, I do think PF's story is a reminder of the value of going deep to connect with, learn from, and be an ambassador for a community. It also demonstrates that there's strength to be found in different kinds of social entrepreneurs, all working in their own way to make an incredible difference."

Read the full PF blog at socialentrepreneurship.change.org here

Haiti: Development wake-up call

2010-01-22T18:19:00.006-06:00

(Photo: Mark Ovaska/ovaska.com)

In the wake of Haiti’s mammoth earthquake we’re seeing the harsh repercussions of neglecting the development of locally controlled infrastructure in and around Port-au-Prince. Social media platforms in the west have done a tremendous job of rallying a compelling and urgent response, but without the basic IT and power grid operations on the ground, Twitter and Facebook haven’t managed to make relief efforts any easier to carry out, nor have they told the complete story of Haiti’s abject poverty. Slavery, war, deforestation, and political instability (US intervention) have long been laying the groundwork for a disaster of this scale.

NY Times op-ed columnist David Brooks reminds us that the 1989 7.0 earthquake in Northern California killed 63 people, compared to approx 45,000 in and around Port-au-Prince. It’s also been reported that Haiti has more NGO’s per capita that anywhere on the planet (more than Northern Uganda?). The influx of donations right now is imperative to saving lives, but if the US’s aid and development strategy isn’t one that builds local capacity, and continues long after the Retweets and text messages die down, it may leave Haiti with less control over its future than ever.

If you’re in Chicago on Monday, January 25 check out the Café Society discussion at Intelligentsia Coffee: Haiti’s hard times: Are we helping or hurting even more?

Whether you can make it out not, consider these questions:

What has been your reaction to the crisis in Haiti? Do you think the way aid is being dispensed will truly help Haitians? What role should the U.S. play in Haiti now? What are your ideas for helping Haiti become a truly democratic and stable country? What sources of information are you relying on to understand Haiti? Is there hope for Haiti? Why or why not? What does the rest of the world owe Haiti now?

And these resources:

From Tweets to YouTube, world gets a clearer view of Haiti's suffering

The Disaster of the Century: How to Help Haiti

Local efforts to help Haiti

Our role in Haiti's plight

U.S. Marines Land in Villages on the Edge

Rich Nations Call for Haiti Debt Relief

Haiti: The Pearl of the Antilles

U.S. Corporations, Private Mercenaries and the IMF Rush in to Profit from Haiti's Crisis

Lyantonde Connected Video - Spread the Love!!!

2010-01-18T11:10:00.008-06:00

Have you ever wondered how a video gets viral? How in just a few days it becomes a cultural phenomenon that everyone seems to knows about?

We wonder about that too.

We think it has something to do with friends blasting a link to other friends through e-mail, facebook, gchat messages, twitter, and blogs.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ProjectFOCUSorg

Help us prove that an online community can gather enough support to provide the internet to a rural community in Uganda without it.

Spread the internet love. Make an investment. Repeat.

Read more and INVEST here - http://www.projectfocus.org/current

Uganda: A Banana Republic

2009-12-21T11:57:00.007-06:00

According to Wikipedia, Banana Republic is "a pejorative term for a country that is politically unstable, dependent on limited agriculture (e.g. bananas), and ruled by a small, self-elected, wealthy, and corrupt clique." On all accounts Uganda seems to qualify, but at the moment let us focus on the second definition.

Agriculture is the most important sector of the Ugandan economy, as 89% of the population is rural. The sector accounts for 51% of GDP, 90% of exports, and employs 80% of the population. The country is blessed with a good climate and fertile soils and the agricultural sector has the potential to feed the country, to supply food for the regional market (Uganda is often referred to as East Africa's food basket), and to act as a powerful engine of growth. But bananas -a staple food and export- are in trouble. Bacterial Wilt (or BXW) hit Uganda in 2001, destroying most plantations and causing losses of an estimated $35m (sh57b). "BXW is the most serious threat to banana production in East Africa,” says Wafa Khoury, a plant pathologist and agricultural officer in the Plant Production and Protection Division of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s commitment to grant $74,000 to sponsor a planned Pan African banana conference in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa is being praised by African banana farmers, despite the controversy surrounding the foundation's spearheading ($30 million endowment) of Africa's potentially devastating Green Revolution. In a Sept 2009 article in The Nation magazine Raj Patel warns us of past Green Revolution destruction...

"Beyond the massive displacement of peasants, the Green Revolution wrought other social damage--urban slums sprawled around cities to house displaced workers, pesticide use went up, groundwater levels fell and industrial agricultural practices began racking up significant environmental debt."

Read more about BXW and Banana Wilt in the Crested Journal.

And the Gates Foundation's Green Revolution in the The Nation article.

...and let us know what you think.

PF Holiday Cards Now Available

2009-12-01T09:17:00.007-06:00

Greetings!

Project FOCUS is selling handmade holiday cards this year as a social entrepreneurship project to support our work towards sustainable development in Lyantonde, Uganda. Photos of the cards are below.

Card packages are being sold for $12.95 per package of 10 cards (5 of each image, photographed by Project FOCUS member Gloria Bernard). Each 51/2" x 41/4" card, printed on recycled paper, contains the simple message of "peace" inside, with plenty of room to include your own message. Printed on the back of each card is a photo description and how this card benefits the work of Project FOCUS.

Cards may be purchased by check or credit card.

* Checks may be made out to Project FOCUS and mailed to our office (1618 W 17th St, Unit 2R, Chicago, IL 60608).
* To pay by credit card, please click here and you will be taken to our paypal account.

If you have any questions, please contact Rhea at rhea@projectfocus.org or 630-310-0964.

Happy Holidays!

With Gratitude,
Project FOCUS

This photo, taken in Lyantonde as children returned from school and ran to greet an unfamiliar face, captures the energy and curiosity of the Lyantonde youth.

This photo was taken outside of Prince Primary School in Lyantonde as children gathered for a game of Duck Duck Goose before one of Project FOCUS’ art therapy classes.

Ugandan 'Anti-Homosexuality' Bill

2009-11-02T10:44:00.008-06:00

There is an alarmingly violent bill that is currently being debated in Uganda and we wanted to share this information.

The bill that was introduced by David Bahati, a Ugandan member of parliament, criminalizes homosexual acts "with penalties ranging from up to 10 years imprisonment for single acts of homosexual sex to life imprisonment and the death penalty for a category of crime labelled 'aggravated homosexuality.'"

Instead of addressing the conditions that are keeping so many Ugandans in poverty, this bill has made a scapegoat of Uganda's LGBTQI community and anyone who supports that community.

Here are some of the penalties that Bahati's bill includes:

The death penalty is mandated for HIV-positive people who engage in sex with people of the same gender.
There are threats against any Ugandan media organization that allows LGBT Ugandans to air their views or publish press statements.
The bill would criminalize organizations providing health information for men who have sex with men.
The bill criminalizes homosexual acts, with penalties ranging from up to 10 years imprisonment for single acts of homosexual sex to life imprisonment and the death penalty for a category of crime labeled 'aggravated homosexuality'.
The bill calls for Uganda to withdraw from all international treaties and conventions which support the rights of lesbians, gays and bisexuals
The bill introduces extradition arrangements for Ugandan citizens who perform 'homosexual acts' abroad
The bill includes legal penalties for people who fail to report alleged homosexual acts or individuals and institutions that promote homosexuality or same-sex marriage to the authorities.
Article 13 of the bill calls for up to seven years imprisonment or a monetary fine for any person or institution believed to be promoting homosexuality. Business and NGOs convicted of promoting homosexuality are liable to be de-registered.
Bahati’s proposed bill also supports stigma and discrimination against HIV-positive people
The bill requires employees and managers in institutions who are aware of the sexual practices of their colleagues to report them to the authorities.

For more information about the bill check out Human Rights Watch.

You can take a look at the actual bill here.

To take action you can join the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and speak out against the bill.

Stopping this bill from passing needs to come from Ugandans. However, we can share our support for the LGBTQI community and for human rights for all. The Uganda that we know is a community of acceptance and support...and this bill is far from that.

Internet Café Fundraising Campaign

2009-10-28T22:34:00.004-05:00

Internet Café Fundraising Campaign

$12,000 Down. $13,000 To Go.

As Project FOCUS is working on fundraising for a Lyantonde Internet Café, we want to keep you updated on our progress. Over the past couple of months we have raised $12,000 towards the café, as well as enough money to send our long term volunteer back to Uganda to implement the café through a different campaign.

Here’s the breakdown of donations we’ve received/been promised thus far:

$5,000 – Canaday Foundation Grant

$5,000 – Individual Donor

$2,000 – Individual Donor

TOTAL: $12,000

Thank you for your continued support! You can view more information about the Internet Cafe Development project, as well as a proposal and budget here.

Also, thanks to all of you who came out to our Funky Buddha Event on October 15^th! We raised $600, which will pay for most of Grant’s flight ticket back to Uganda, and we had an amazing time.

Tonight! Project FOCUS Party and Birthday Celebration for Harishi & Jonathan!

2009-10-14T18:11:00.001-05:00

Peace!

Come cut a rug with Project FOCUS on Thursday, Oct 15th @ the Funky Buddha Lounge to celebrate Harishi and Jonathan's Bdays.

Funky Buddha Lounge
728 W GRAND AVE
Chicago, IL

IMPORTANT: YOU MUST SAY "PROJECT FOCUS" AT THE DOOR for your cover to benefit PF and to receive a discounted cover charge.

Check the dope music lineup:
9-10 - DJs David Marques, Naomi Walker and Serwin Avid spinnin
10-10:20 - Bollywood battlin - an Indian Music Remix Contest
10:20-11:05 - Rebel Rhythm Collective [Afro Jazz Band]
11:05-11:30 - Live Hip hop Collabo featuring: F.E.W. collective + Stick & Move Dance Crew + Soul MCs
11:30 - 12:30 - DJ Sidewords

COVER: $5 BEFORE 10:30, $10 AFTER.

Come early! Dance late!GET ON THE GUEST LIST: info@projectfocus.org

This Saturday 9/26: Pizza/PBR/PF Love

2009-09-24T15:30:00.002-05:00

Join us for Pizza+PBR+a Project FOCUS presentation with a screening of our radio documentary and promotional video. Our presentation will introduce the details of our latest project - a solar-powered, internet cafe in rural Southwestern Uganda. As our close friends and members of the PF community, we value your feedback and your questions. We're asking for your help to brainstorm, create, and execute an innovative, grassroots campaign to make this project a success!

with love,

Project FOCUS

Saturday, September 26, 2009
5:30pm - 8:00pm

Project FOCUS Office
1618 W. 17th St. Apt 2R
Chicago, IL

Drought and Environment by Ahabwe Mugerwa Michael (ICOD)

2009-09-07T12:45:00.009-05:00

Between the months of June and September `09, Lyantonde experienced a more severe drought than in the recent years. There was no rainfall received throughout the month of June, July and August, and temperatures increased by 0.3^° centigrade leading to drought and loss of crops in over 99% of rural households and death over 50 cows due to lack of water and pastures.

Geographically, Lyantonde district lies in the dry cattle corridor; a dry zone with savannah grass lands, thorny acacia shrubs and many semi arid zones that produces more cattle and cattle products than other areas in Uganda. There is a popular tale in other parts of the country that milk flows in village footpaths of the cattle corridor. However, during the month of June to August, milk prices rose from Uganda shilling 300 per liter to 900 per liter whilst a liter of milk in Kampala rose from Uganda shillings 1000 to 2000. Such price increases have had dire effects on other sectors and livelihoods both in rural and urban areas of Lyantonde.

During this period, water sources dried out. Lyantonde town council whose population is over 15000 people has remained with only two functional bores and with no running water. The price for a 20 liters water can has risen from Uganda shillings 200 to 1000. Reynolds Construction Company; the company contracted to construct the Kampala – Mbarara road intervened by bringing in two water tankers to collect water from Lake Kacheera which is 22 kilometers from Lyantonde town. The area member of parliament also donated 200 bags of maize, 50 bags of beans and a water tanker to help the famine and drought affected people. Boba-boda (motorcycle taxi) drivers changed business from transporting people to fetching water from distant sources because of the high demand and price.

Like famine, water and milk shortages in Lyantonde have their root in environmental degradation. The National Forestry Authority estimates that Uganda loses 80,000 hectares of forest cover annually; 730,000 hectares are lost to rapid tree cutting on private land while 7,000 hectares are lost in protected areas like forest reserves. On private land, trees are cut to meet demand for forestry products and clearing of farming land. In protected areas, encroachment and related activity is eating away forest cover as an estimated 350,000 encroachers open settlements, gardens and forage for survival. In Buyaga forestry reserve in the north east of Lyantonde district, encroachers have cut down all trees and vegetation for charcoal burning, settlement and farming. Such deforestation has led to erratic rains, prolonged drought and receding water levels.

Lyantonde district has always developed environment action plans but little has been done to implement the plans. For example, in 2006, Rakai Community Based Aids project liaised with Lyantonde Town Council to plant trees along streets. Over 300 trees were planted in town but less than 30 are surviving. Local leaders attribute this to ‘inadequate funds’ to monitor the project progress. In most developing countries’ towns like Lyantonde where corruption has eaten through all sectors of public service provision, inadequacy of funds to monitor an important project like the above is always reported but there can never be funds inadequacy to pay staff and politicians travel, feeding and sitting allowances! Perhaps, these heartless corrupt public officials need to learn that when they inhumanly steal public funds, they push the poorest to attack nature for survival; and once natural endowments succumb to the pressure, the consequences are disastrous to both the rich and the poor.

Investment in environment protection is the cheapest project to undertake for either the poor or rich. In a rural area like most of Lyantonde district; one can begin with turning their leaking or worn out water can into a trash bin, deposit all trash in it, recycle or burry if they have to, to maturing a fruit tree and giving the seedlings to the neighbor and in a few years, a greener, fresher and pollution-free environment is built with its benefits of more rain and less effects to the ozone layer. I think every one needs to start working towards restoring the natural beauty of places like Lyantonde. One other way would be intensifying initiatives like tree planting campaigns, environment policing to enact environment bye-laws and establishment of communal tree nurseries. This would check the downward movement of the Sahara. I think Lyantonde will be the next Sahara if nothing is done; local leaders have done more talking, they need to translate their talking to real action.

DROUGHT HITS LYANTONDE: Prince Primary Students Affected

2009-08-29T17:33:00.009-05:00

Lyantonde district lies in the geographical Ankole – Masaka cattle corridor; a dry zone with savanna grass lands, thorny acacia shrubs and many semi arid zones. The district is usually hit by severe dry spell between June and September. The average annual rainfall is about 750mm to 1000mm and the annual maximum temperature is about 29 degrees centigrade. There has been a drastic increase in temperature in the district leading to severe drought, which is attributed to encroachment on fragile ecosystems of wetlands, bush burning and deforestation. Drought has also led to drying up of open water sources and over 70% of boreholes.

The district has two rain seasons; the 1st runs from March to May and the 2nd from August to November. At the beginning of this years 1st planting season, local community-based organization ICOD distributed free planting seeds to vulnerable households, Prince Primary School and three farmers groups to build their capacity to produce enough food for their communities and sustain themselves. However due to severe drought, all beneficiaries lost their crops making them more vulnerable. The most affected are child headed households, orphans families and Prince Primary students, many of which come from extremely vulnerable situations. Local government records indicate that over 95% of rural farmers also lost their crops to drought.

Links to drought story online:
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/9/36/692125

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=83267

http://allafrica.com/stories/200907300153.html

http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2009/april/uganda%20temperatures%20rising.htm

Look. Watch. Listen. - LA Exhibit Update

2009-08-26T11:24:00.025-05:00

A Creative Collaboration of Art and Community

Host: Phantom Galleries L.A.
Location: Long Beach, CA
Date: July 18-24th

Exhibiting in the tabula rasa of Southern California, Project FOCUS embarked on an evolutionary tour that began with a 4 day journey across the united states and a plan to create an experiential multi-media art exhibition that provided the audience member with a lens from which to view Prince Primary School and its surrounding community. Upon reaching our destination, we realized that we had our work cut out for us. 5000 square feet of gallery space stared down at us while a sort of sinusoidal array of emotions rushed through our veins. Humbled and anxious, we forged through with the help of Liza Simone at Phantom Galleries L.A. and many others, creating an impressive exhibit. The 7 day show embodied progress and offered us the opportunity to solidify a presence in Long Beach.

While short on resources, we were able to connect to several community members and inspire productive conversations. A generous amount of people at the show have expressed interest in a Los Angeles based Project FOCUS where we will be able to pool new energy and resources. We found that when it comes to work that is critical of injustice; people (the community) tend to engage the show on an intimate level. Even though we are addressing serious issues and attempting to combat social apathy, it was important to "seduce" the audience in a formally aesthetic way. This was a successful moment for us; the exhibit was nothing short of stunning and felicitous for the evolution of Project FOCUS.

Much love to those who attended the event and especially those that volunteered their time and resources to make this a successful show. 100% of the money raised throughout the exhibition did go toward the development of Prince Primary School.

A special thank you to Deborah Diesel at Sepulveda Building Materials for hooking us up with a pallet of bricks for the duration of our show, and Winter Byington at Apple for donating ipods for the audio installation.

Back from the farm with a lot of homework to do....

2009-08-19T12:15:00.009-05:00

After leaving a utopia like Quail Springs, settling back into a city like Chicago will have its challenges, but what I took with me most from the 4 weeks worth of workshops was that the folks there are more committed to people, than any dogma or movement philosophy.

I am having troubled mustering up the words to explain the whole experience. I learned more in a month then in the rest of my days combined about nature and its intricate and intuitive intelligence. I learned (even just for a moment) to actually open up and see what was happening around me, and I did a shitload of dishes.

I did self-evaluations, community development project presentations, and conflict resolutions exercises. I designed a music and yoga studio for the desert with passive air-conditioning that was shaped like a banjo, and I made what I am sure will be lifelong allies. I'm certain that many of the principles of permaculture will benefit the work of Project Focus and the work in Project Focus.

Chicago Global Donors Network Profile

2009-08-05T15:46:00.005-05:00

The Chicago Global Donors Network, an organization founded with a mission to increase knowledge about and resources directed toward international philanthropy and to deepen its impact, has highlighted Project FOCUS in a Donor Profile.

"Our vision is to build an ever-expanding, vibrant network of institutions and individuals who believe that an inter-connected, equitable world is in the best interest of all humankind. Towards that end, CGDN seeks to create a community of giving that builds upon the knowledge and resources of donors who are young and old, beginning and experienced, rich or poor, US- or foreign born alike. Our common purpose is to work together to build a culture of giving in order to improve the quality and condition of human life."

We are happy to be a part of that community!

Reflections by Rhea

2009-08-04T19:53:00.000-05:00

In three words, Project FOCUS’ mission is to Educate, Inspire, and Empower. But when I sit back, exhale, and really think about our organization, one word stands out the most: Community.

That is what drew me to Project FOCUS, it is what keeps me inspired, and it is what makes me proud to be part of this group of people.

Everything that we do is with communities, not for communities. Everything we do is with the intention of empowering people to create their own change, both in the United States and in Uganda. We work to build sustainable relationships that lead to sustainable projects.

Too often communities are lost within the grand scheme of international development. Organizations forget that the people who are the most capable of developing long term, sustainable solutions are the people who actually live in the communities themselves. They forget that U.S. solutions cannot be applied to Ugandan problems. They forget that endless grant money, a bottomless pit of inspired volunteers, and even the best intentions are pointless without community involvement.

We are different, and that is what I love about Project FOCUS; our relationship building, meaningful conversations, honest friendships, community partnerships, equal collaboration, and long term solutions.

Project FOCUS is not always the most efficient organization. We do not have the most experience, and we certainly do not have the most funding.

But what inspires me about this group is the process we choose to follow. The intentional, well thought out, endlessly discussed decisions that are always made with the Ugandan community at the forefront of our minds.

What inspires me is the people within the communities that we support and are supported by. Inspired, visionary individuals throughout two countries who are actively looking for ways to shape their lives, to come together and change systems bigger than themselves. To change mentalities; to impact their communities; to create their futures.

-Rhea

Permaculture Update

2009-07-23T09:03:00.004-05:00

Permaculture: an approach to designing human settlements and perennial agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in the natural ecologies.

As you may remember, Grant is taking a Permaculture course this summer in California. Here are some of his reflections over his experience so far:

Hello from the farm! It has been an incredible journey so far. The days are filled with a mixture of classroom talks, on-site "practical" adventures, my work-trade chores (I am paying a small portion of the tuition through jobs like clearing campsites, harvesting juniper trees for fence posts for the tomato garden, fixing the classroom roof after hard winds, etc), amazing organic meals and equally amazing company. The information flow has been dense and captivating, but thankfully the philosophy of permaculture is more about seeing a situation from new eyes, than memorizing characteristics of plants and animals (research is still imperative). It is about looking deeper and observing the intelligent functions of all aspects of nature and trying to mimic those symbiotic relationships while working to restore all that we have destroyed, and maintain what we have left.

The principles of permaculture apply to all the movements we are a part of, and so many of the situations that occur in nature reflect the human drama. Diversity is a key component in permaculture - the more diverse a system is the more mutually beneficial relationships there will be to feed back to the system. But as we are learning, diversity only truly works when the system benefits all its participants. Another important principle is to "obtain a yield". This reminds us that any system we design should provide self-reliance at all levels - including ourselves. So take care of yourself!

Huge thanks for your help in getting me here!

LA Closing Party - Friday, July 24

2009-07-23T08:36:00.009-05:00

Friday, July 24
8 PM - 12 AM
Phantom Galleries LA, 170 The Promenade North, Long Beach, CA

Project FOCUS and Phantom Galleries L.A. would like to invite you to our closing event, where we will be celebrating the connection between art and sustainable development. Join us in our efforts to rebuild Prince Primary School in Lyantonde, Uganda.

Common Threads - Boston

2009-07-17T17:36:00.002-05:00

The month of June was an exciting one for Project FOCUS in Boston. Thanks to the fabulousness of Annie Newbold and David Craft at Gallery 263 (gallery263.com) we were able to open a show featuring our beautiful HIV/AIDS quilts from Lyantonde, Uganda. These quilts represent a culmination of our “Common Threads” project, which focused on AIDS education and dialoguing through group art-making. The opening of Common Threads on Thursday June 11^th was attended by about 30-40 people. The intimacy of the gallery space provided opportunity for informal conversations/discussions about our work and I was able to form many positive relationships. The night ended with an audiovisual slideshow of images from Uganda and a brief explanation of why we chose to focus on one region (Lyantonde District).

A week later, on Saturday June 20^th, I was joined by my cohorts Danny Yang and Gloria Bernard to host a “Meet Project Focus” event. Danny presented an articulate and professional powerpoint about the origins of Project Focus and the details of our upcoming project to create a solar-powered internet café in Lyantonde. Danny’s words prompted a really thoughtful question and answer session afterwards and I was so grateful to have the support of my fellow PF friends!

During the process of planning, organizing and implementing the various events for this show, my mind was drawn again and again to the memories of my time spent in Uganda. Missing the smiles of familiar faces, the sights and sounds and cultural eccentricities I had come to love and even adopt as my own. I thought of my personal friendships from my time in Lyantonde and I hope I was able to somehow portray the reality and beauty of these people’s lives through this show.
- Madelene

PF Spotlighted on Synchronized Chaos Magazine

2009-07-14T11:44:00.003-05:00

Sychronized Chaos, an interdisciplinary art, poetry, literary, science, nature, cultural issues, and travel writing webzine, has spotlighted Project FOCUS and our Los Angeles Exhibition.

"The brainchild of an international group of contributors and volunteer editors/creative facilitators. Inspired by the mathematical concept of chaos theory, the study of how to effectively model and predict the behavior of systems which seem random, but are in fact highly influenced by initial conditions not yet fully understood." More About Synchronized Chaos

Thank you to Syncronized Chaos and Creative Facilitator Christina Deptula for bringing more awareness to our projects and for the ongoing support!

PF Featured by The Green Grocer

2009-07-11T10:21:00.001-05:00

The Green Grocer, a small grocery store in West Town that is committed to selling both organic and local products, has recently committed to donating a percentage of their monthly profits to small non-profit organizations in the Chicago area who are working to make a difference in the world. The kind and cheerful owner, Cassiee Green, approached Project FOCUS (whose members shop there frequently) and offered to feature us as their month of July recipients.

If you buy your groceries at the Green Grocer in the month of July, the benefits are enormous! You'll get great quality food, you'll be supporting local farmers and food markets, you'll help the young Green Grocer's business boom in an economy that has made it difficult for the little guys to survive, AND your favorite organization, Project FOCUS, gets a cut. If that isn't enough incentive, you should know that they love to give out free samples of new products as you shop.

We hope to bump into you in the produce section!

Green Grocer
1402 W Grand Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
(Corner of Grand and Noble) Phone: (312) 624-9508
Fax: (312) 624-9509
info@greengrocerchicago.com

www.greengrocerchicago.com

Internet Cafe in Lyantonde - Global Giving

2009-07-07T23:21:00.004-05:00

The Internet Cafe will offer the community in Lyantonde, Uganda affordable access to the internet. The proceeds from the cafe will provide financial support for a local, community-based primary school.

You can become a project donor through our page at global giving.

Access to current information in today's competitive world is imperative for community growth and development. More than 2.5 billion people live in rural areas of developing countries where access to communication is severely limited due to availability or affordability. In rural Uganda, most teachers, students, farmers, business owners, and health care providers work without access to technologies that can transform their lives and work in simple yet profound ways.

The internet cafe, consisting of 8 solar-powered computers, will be managed by a Ugandan community-based organization that will also offer classes to familiarize new users and students to information technology.

Project FOCUS Community Dinners: Fridays 6:30 - 9:30 PM

2009-07-07T09:35:00.000-05:00

what?

the community dinner provides a space to share food, ideas, conversations, stories, and passions.

why?

because in light of our economic recession which has exposed us to the consequences of self-interest and individualism, we chose to build community.

because in contrast to the condo developments in pilsen and around chicago that have destroyed existing communities and replaced them with personal balconies and their grills, we chose to build community.

because we're tired of walking around the city with headphones on, closed to the diverse world around us, physically close but distant in every other way.

who?

artists, writers, dancers, social activists, teachers, young professionals, and students.

where?

an old theater converted into a Project FOCUS work and living space. 1618 W. 17th St. Chicago, IL - a few blocks from the 18th st. pink line stop.

when?

friday's 6:30 - 9:30 PM.

Project FOCUS Los Angeles Exhibit, July 18th

2009-07-05T10:31:00.001-05:00

Saturday, July 18th

6 PM - 10 PM

Phantom Galleries LA, 170 The Promenade North, Long Beach, CA

Project FOCUS + Phantom Galleries LA would like to invite you to our Los Angeles Premier where we will unveil the artwork generated by the people of Lyantonde and Project FOCUS artists in an effort to educate and inspire audiences. Project FOCUS will be fundraising for a sustainable development initiative in rural Lyantonde, Uganda.This multi media exhibit features photography, digital arts and video, writing, fabric collages, painting, interactive installation, reaction art, and more.

This multi media exhibit features photography, digital arts and video, writing, fabric collages, painting, interactive installation, reaction art, and more.

Lyantonde Internet Audio Documentary

2009-06-22T11:27:00.004-05:00

In rural Uganda, most teachers, students, farmers, business owners, and health care providers work without access to information and communication technologies that can transform their lives in simple yet profound ways. An Internet-cafe in Lyantonde, Uganda is designed to provide public access to vital information at an affordable price, allow for new computer and Internet users to familiarize themselves with the benefits of I.T., provide the space and equipment for the production of community-driven multi-media projects, and provide an income to financially support Prince Primary School. Project Focus is currently working with ICOD and Inveneo to establish the first Internet cafe in Lyantonde. Below is an audio documentary created to highlight the need for Internet in Lyantonde in the community's own words.

Permaculture

2009-06-05T06:20:00.003-05:00

Permaculture: an approach to designing human settlements and perennial agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in the natural ecologies.

I’m freakishly excited because this summer I get to take a course in the California desert on permaculture - or permanent agriculture - meaning sustainable systems of agriculture that reduce reliance on damaging industrial systems of production and distribution. This is the future for lasting development solutions needed in communities like Lyantonde, and will greatly improve my understanding of issues the community members are facing. The course also focuses on the ins-and-outs of sustainable aid (i.e. working with cultural diversity, conflict resolution, etc). I couldn’t think of anything more fitting to prepare me for the trip back post summer fundraising.

The courses are developed by Robyn Francis, a permaculture designer with over 25 years of experience in rural and urban community development all over the globe. The action takes place in Quail Springs California. Quail Springs’ site is a 450 acre spring-fed canyon in a high desert, semi-arid landscape, at 3,800 feet elevation (about 3 hours from L.A.). I’ll be camping on the site for the duration of the courses and when I’m not participating in classes I’ll be gaining extra experience thru hands-on labor in the work/trade aspect of the program.

The diversity of these courses are for anyone working in community development in any setting, and I advice you to check out the website at ... quailsprings.org and direct your questions the wonderful Kolmi at info@quailsprings.org

Join me!

State House

2009-05-31T16:36:00.015-05:00

Bitone graced the states house in Entebbe on sat morning, performing for Uganda's own, president Museveni, and Burundian president Pierre Nkunziza. Nkunziza was visiting the pearl for 3 days, and Bitone helped send him off in style.

The performance was short and sweet (maybe 3 minutes) but Museveni spent a considerable amount of time talking with the kids afterwords, asking them each their name, age, and place of birth.

I was honored to shake his hand (sorry no picture), and he gave me about 8.5 seconds of his time to explain what I was doing in Uganda, and the work of Project Focus. The fact that PF is based in Lyantonde (very very near to where the big guy hails from) didn't hurt, and I was able to get him some PF literature. The security at statehouse was no joke and at first they weren't going to allow me to take any photos or video of the performance, but as soon as I dropped the names of some Lyantonde restaurants and businesses on the soldiers to prove myself, we got on just fine. Nepotism doesn't seem so bad when you're on the right side of it.

The kids were elated, and they are in the process of writing some personal reflections on the day for there own blog (bitonetroupe.blogspot.com), so keep an eye out. This is definitely the direction Bitone wants to be heading into, and the folks who arranged the show also promised future bookings for state diners and government functions.

A professional photographer from the New Vision newspaper took a few snaps for the whole Bitone crew with the president, and hopefully I'll be getting my hand son those soon.

Ankole Spirit World

2009-05-27T14:35:00.005-05:00

The mighty spirits of the Ankole people are partial to 3 offerings: milk, millet, and money. That’s what our tour guide told us as we trudged from prayer site to prayer site to pay homage to the ancient Chwezi (demigods) of Bigobyamugenyi in Sembabule, a village about 2 potholed and dusty hours from Lyantonde by motorcycle. Allegedly my knees graced the same grass and dirt alters frequented by president Museveni (which didn’t stop my pasty neck from burning, but did sharpen my secret hopes of one day becoming a bush-war hero).

We hoofed past trails that if taken would trigger your eternal disappearance, deep empty pits where the sounds of ancient drums are said to be ever-pounding, and a grass mansion that a spirit couple telepathically commissioned the care-takers to construct for them and their set of dybbuk-duo twins. Michael and I took the journey with 3 other Ugandan tourists - technicians from Kampala enjoying a day off from erecting a mobile phone tower nearby. Together we would enter each site – first removing our shoes – and kneel down to sprinkle millet seeds and coins over banana leaves and pray to those who protect and bring prosperity to believers.

The air was the freshest I’d smelt since Mt. Elgon, and all the walking and “praying” gave me time to dwell on recent events and positive-but-unexpected changes that have jolted me out of routine that I was unconsciously falling into here in Uganda.

After some discussion its been decided that I will return to the states for the summer to assist in some fund and morale raising, visit mommy-dearest (she’s coming off shoulder surgery – too much rugby), take a sustainable aid course, and eat 1000 burritos. Project Focus has decided to first conquer the internet café and other smaller projects in Lyantonde to garner a network of development partners, donors, and project-implementing experience before tackling the construction of a school. The café will start extra income flowing into the school, allowing us to establish a solid financial system on a smaller scale before the large amounts of money that come with construction will begin changing hands. This is the right move, but will present a healthy challenge in trust-maintenance among the relationships we’ve built in the Prince community over the past few years. The school management committee (who represents the guardian community) is now onboard, so all that is left is convincing the parents that when the rain descends, the floods come, and the wind blows, theirs will be a school that was founded upon a well-planned rock and not upon the rushed and poorly thought-out sand.

Branco – the Bitone founder and director – has been awarded an illustrious Fulbright scholarship to complete his masters degree in music from a university in Connecticut. This is great news for the long-term stability of Bitone because it will secure him a fulltime position at Makerere University (where he is now a part time lecturer) when he returns to Uganda. His shoes will be hard to fill at the center, and the kids (and me) will hate to see him go, but it will also help to spread some of the responsibilities out so Bitone becomes a more manageable and effective organization whose fate is not hinged on one man. Speaking of president Museveni; Bitone also scored themselves a performance arranged by the bigwigs we traveled to Ethiopia with, at which they will be sending good ol’ Yoweri off from the state house (Uganda’s version of the white house) and then Entebbe airport when he goes to who-knows-where to do who-knows-what. These are the high-profile performances Bitone’s talent deserves.

A little over a week ago I hosted two volunteers (Brian and Alexis) who are touring around East Africa doing third-party analysis of projects that have received funding through an organization called Global Giving. Most of the money Project Focus raised for the materials used in the Ugandan art programs was collected through Global Giving’s online donation services, so the two came to check out the impact of those programs and see what we are up to now. I took them to Prince so they could interview some students and staff about the “Story Ki?” project, and hear about our plans for the future.

I left the room to allow the students to answer freely, and the feedback was better then I would have guessed. Being here and focusing solely on logistical-type aspects for the past 8 months has dulled my right-brain wherewithal, and that day reminded me of the fact that this all begin with children whose lives and creative capacities were forever opened up by art, and that this is something we really need to continue. You can read their full review of our visit to Prince at... ggcommunity.tumblr.com I also took them to my favorite Lyantonde prayer site “the rock”. We disregarding the threats I received last time I was there by a rifle-wielding vigilante security guard posing as a police officer. He said that I would be arrested if he ever saw me there again. The sunset photos we got would have been worth a night or two in the Lyantonde clink.
After Michael and I left the spirit grounds we made a stop at a compound that would rival the Bush family ranch. This was home to a young women who has been coined “the holy one”. In her, the spirits from the other sites often take refuge to escape the trials and tribulations of the celestial space. Photos were not allowed there, but the holy one has built herself a nice little empire from a herbal medical product line, and happened to be out of town overseeing her new church in Kampala. Apparently on certain holidays you can find her parking lot full of the Benzes and Range Rovers of Kampala’s finest coming to seek blessings. I searched the labels of as many of her oils and solutions as I could to find a cure for the hatred of onions, issues with fundraising, or lack of college degree, but to no avail.

It's only been 7 months and I'm out of titles

2009-05-02T08:16:00.008-05:00

April has been the fastest month of my life. All month I was doing one of two things; either recording interviews for an audio documentary on access to safe water, or planning the Prince Primary fundraising bonanza with the rest of the committee. Both required me to constantly be out in what snazzy NGO folks call “the field”, which really means you are visiting peoples homes – usually rural and poor. The term irks me because they are just that - peoples homes. Anyway, I was fully immersed and my eyes and relationships were opened up further. I’ll wait until I get a chance to edit the audio to touch on that, so we’ll just chat about the Prince event.

The fundraiser was Friday, April 24th, purposely coinciding with the regular end of the term celebrations. We held a community auction in hopes of making some of the money back that the school lost due to the UNEB business. Trying to cut planning costs at every possible turn, we pounded the red-dirt roads and went home-to-home invited folks and asking for donations of food, woven goodies, art, goats, etc to be auctioned off.

Then we hit the district offices to invite as many hotshot politicians as possible to buy up all the auction items. The community gave an incredible effort, filling up a classroom with bunches of bananas, watermelons, sugarcane, and a few plump goats. The planning committee made up of guardians, teachers, Meddy from ICOD, and a white guy also put there hearts and backs into the days leading up.

African time was in full effect. The guest of honor was the district chairman, and he was five hours late. Culturally nothing can really begin with out him so that means we all waited (not that he was the only one late.) Once we got rolling the festivities went really well save a few bumps in the road. We ate, listens to politicians, watched the Prince kids shake out some traditional dances, tried to outbid each other (maybe about 8-10% of the guests have money for this kind of thing), and planted some tress.

A little money was raised, some big promises were made to myself and the headmaster regarding political help for the project, we danced and laughed, and it didn’t rain. I personally made some bad judgment calls in terms of penny-pinching and perpetuating the lop-sided dynamic between the people with and the people without. I re-realized that cost-cutting usually only affects those who already don’t have – and can be disempowering and disrespectful to the people who really deserve it.

This thing is tricky; there are by-products of culture that no one would argue need changing (poverty, corruption, etc), but most people - even the oppressed - scoff at the idea of challenging those traits inside of the culture (gender imbalance, subserviency, false sense of superiority, etc).

Prince Primary

2009-04-07T10:40:00.010-05:00

There’s a lot to be excited about right now, and a lot of work to be done. A while back I told you about the UNEB scandal and the trouble it caused in the community. Of course things didn’t stop there, but of course we are doing the best we can to turn trouble into something that will make us stronger.

The rumors that ran thru town were enough to scare a substantial amount of families away from either continuing with their kids at Prince, or enrolling their new little ones in the baby classes. Around 40 students were lost this term. You add that to the 10 or so students who are retaking Primary 7 at an 80% discount and you have a serious financial crisis at Prince Primary. The teachers salaries were not being paid as a result, and they were understandably upset enough to call a meeting and request some action to be taken. Their original approach was to ask PF for money, but that is simply not possible at the moment, as our bank account resembles the pot at one of my 6^th grade poker games (we mostly played for gummy sharks), besides being very out of alignment with our goals. So the conclusion we came to was to role up our sleeves and have a good old fashion community auction. The next step was to have a meeting with the parents/guardians of Prince and to get them on board. Thankfully this was not that difficult. At the parents meetings we held elections to create a committee to plan and execute the event (including 2 students!), discussed which district politicians and community bigwigs to invite, and set a fundraising goal (12 million big ones). The date is set for April 24^th and the planning is moving along. I will be doing a documentary video on the planning process and its culmination to give a deeper look into the way the Prince community works together when times get tough.

We also finally started the “Citizens of the World” pen pal program at Prince which is taking place with 2 elementary schools from St. Paul, Minnesota. Each Prince student in Primary 6 and 7 received 2 letters, one from each school in MN. The program explore themes like identity, value, and social responsibility on levels ranging from family to global. The Prince students also created a committee to facilitate their end of the program, and their reply’s are in the mail. Prince has a blog where you can read more about Prince students, the pen pal program, and check out some samples from all three of the schools student letters (very soon): princeprimary.blogspot.com

I also will be doing audio recordings of some of the students reading their letters, and incorporating them into the coming Prince doc video.

There are pictures from the community meetings but as you could imagine they are not so fun so this is a picture of the Prince students spreading "traditional cement" on the classroom floors a. It's cows sh*t mixed with a little mud.

Bitone also has established their own blog: bitonetroupe.blogspot.com and will be using it to create more personal relationships with a children’s choir from Los Angeles, CA. The 2 groups of kids will also be exploring similar themes to the “ Citizens of the World” program, but instead of sharing thru letters, they will be co-creating music over the internet. The blog will feature short personal backgrounds of each of the kids, along with the progress of the music collaboration and anything else that comes up at the center... and the documentary video I put together featuring footage from our trip to Ethiopia.

Lyantondepalooza

2009-03-20T02:23:00.012-05:00

So it’s been a while since I last wrote. I haven’t been lazy, just absent minded about blogging. I’ve finished 2 audio documentaries (Prince Primary and Lyantonde vs. Internet Pt. 1), finalized and received the blueprints and bill of quantities for the renovations at Prince Primary School, edited a Bitone documentary video (already accepted at Sundance and Cannes), held the second Project Focus Uganda board meeting, celebrated my 37th birthday, started the Prince Primary pen-pal program, moved places in Kampala, took the bus to Rwanda to refresh my expired visa and explored 3 mind-bending genocide memorials... and some other busy-work, but the only thing I feel like telling you about is Lyantonde concert number 2. Last time I told you it was the duo Radio and Weasel, this time it was Weasel’s older brother and rival – the self-proclaimed “heavyweight” – Chameleon. Chameleon can’t catch a break lately. I haven’t really kept up with the tabloids as much as I should but I know that he slept-walk off of a 2nd story balcony in Tanzania and broke both of his ankles, had a bad car accident and got roughed up by some thugs. He was in the paper a few weeks ago leaning on a cane while handing out money to traders to help rebuild Kampala’s biggest market – Owino – after a devastating fire. Maybe it’s all lies for publicity, you couldn't pay me to care, I just know Lyantonde was bubblin. I’m not sure why I am so moved by these concerts but I’ll try to paint you a picture.

Imagine a back lit outdoor stage with massive trees hanging over both sides, the silhouetted branches broken up by stacks of slightly mismatched speakers ascending up to clearest night-sky on the planet. Next to the stage is an incapacitated petrol station; the outside walls lined with peeling coca-cola advertisements, English football posters, and NRM campaign flyers dating back two decades. The empty station finds life during the concert, serving as the main bar, but there are many tables scattered around selling single-serving bags of gin and vodka. Behind the stage the artists congregate before and after they go on. I didn’t make it backstage but I heard Coldplay and Nas were around. There is one band for the whole night. The horn players were both dressed like Jermaine Dupri, but as repetitive and one dimensional contemporary Uganda pop seems to my foreign ears, this band had a range, blessing us with Al Green, Stevie, and Bob Marley covers in between artists.

The chairs run out fast and most people bring their own stools from home but loose them half way through the opening acts and clear the rug for some cuttin. I think this is really why I love these shows; I get to dance with the butcher (and his wife), waitresses, shoe polishers, restaurant and shop owners, mill-workers, hair-dresses, and everyone in between with no thought or mention of our positions on the hierarchical totem pole. I know this is the same reason everybody loves a celebration, but it seems different here. I’m not completely sure of the extent that people here really identify with those roles anyway; it wouldn’t surprise me if it were just my perception. All I know is people get nutty to live music, and there isn’t much that I like better then bumpin asses with a big bad Ugandan woman in a gomesa. Because of the single-serving bags of gin and vodka, the repeating drum pattern, and my bad Luganda, all the songs ran together for me by the time Chameleon came on, and I found myself in the middle of dance circles defying the whiteness of my pelvis. “Muzungu! Omoni Okuzina!” -- “Whitey! You can dance!”
Now it’s the next day and I’m staring down the barrel of my to-do list. Thank God for Chameleon. Thank God for fun.

Unnatural Selection

2009-02-10T01:18:00.000-06:00

Every November in Uganda hundreds of thousands of Primary 7 students gear-up to take their P.L.E. (Primary Leaving Exam). The results are of heavy consequence for both the individual students who hope for high scores that will enable them to enter the secondary school (high school) of their choice, and for the private primary schools who hope for a solid school-wide performance to attract new students in the following term. Government (or public) schools are already over-enrolled and are generally dispassionate to the outcome of their candidate’s exams. In late January the top scores are published in the newspaper for all to see. Unfortunately for many students who study for free from the government primary schools, P7 represents the end of their classroom education, as a state-subsidized secondary school program has yet to be realized, and secondary school-fees are unmanageable for the average Ugandan family.

Not every school qualifies for a P.L.E. testing or “sitting” center. Standards set by UNEB (Uganda National Exam Board) must be met before your school is allowed to hold the exam. In it’s current state Prince Primary does not qualify for a sitting center, so the P7 candidates must travel about 10 miles to St. Kizito Malongo Primary School (a government school) to test. Even though the distance sounds short, the change of environment can add to the stress surrounding these exams. In late November of 2008, 19 students from Prince and 96 students from St. Kizito sat for their P.L.E., and on January 16th, 96 students (12 from Prince and 84 from St. Kizitio) were informed that their exam results had been nullified due to “impersonation”. That’s it! A one-word explanation from UNEB as to why nearly one hundred children’s past 12 months of studying had been deemed “a dead year” and must be retaken. The head mistress of St. Kizito received the letter and shared it with Joshum, the headmaster of Prince Primary. Before informing Joshum, said mistress wrote a reply to UNEB in which she bent the truth regarding the student’s I.D. cards – the student’s photos and identification information were compiled in a book at the testing center, and in her letter she stated that they had individual I.D. cards (the book was officially accepted by UNEB’s on-site supervisor). They were given no proof or further explanation so it’s impossible to know if this had any actual bearing in the mess.

Apparently it’s not uncommon for exam mal-practice to take place, either by schools themselves or students (sometimes their parents) for the reasons I mentioned above, but I’ve discovered it’s even more common for UNEB to nullify without supplying evidence or remorse (it reminds me of our beloved patriot act). Students who wish to contest the decision are charged a non-refundable 200,000-shilling appeal fee per individual case, and all cases are closed indefinitely14-days from the initial ruling. At a rural school like Prince, the entire year costs around 100,000-shillings, and many vulnerable students are charged less on Joshum’s sliding scale, so UNEB’S appeal fee is inconceivable for any struggling rural family (and most families have more then one child attending).

A handful of students were sent into UNEB in Kampala and “investigated”, but none of them claimed to have been aware of any mal-practice. One of the students was Jackie, who I spent Christmas with in Lyatonde. She had her uncle contact me and asked me to come see her in Kampala. She was devastated, and told me she would not leave Kampala without her test results. Since Prince students were testing from a different school, their administration had little-to-no control over the situation, which means I had absolutely none. The 2-week window had already closed, and considering that almost 30,000 (out of approx 400,000) P7 students had their P.L.E. nullified across Uganda this year alone, a small rural school without it’s own testing-center is like a tiny gnat on UNEB’s windshield. Some folks tell me that when poor rural schools test exceptionally well, UNEB becomes suspicious and takes action without rhyme or reason. Jackie would have been a prime “suspect” for performing too well relative to her situation.

The fun doesn’t stop here. In a small village community like Kalegero – where Prince is located – a scandal like this puts the gossip alert into the red zone. Rumors spread like malaria that Joshum had intentionally neglected to register his students in an evil ploy to collect school fees from them again next year. The rumors came from an ex-Prince teacher who was recently recruited by a new school located in the Kalegero trading center. Since he knew the entire Prince guardian community, he literally moved door-to-door spewing lies like “Prince won’t be open this term”, “Joshum is a thief”, and “Prince has been sold to whites who are building it up for rich children only”. These were admirable attempts to lure students to his new place of employment (the school was also offering free uniforms as an incentive). Many guardians stayed loyal to Joshum, or at least came to him first to allow him to explain for himself, but a few were easily swayed and some even threw gas on the fire by contributing to the mud-slinging, so we printed flyers and announced on the Lyantonde loud speaker that we would be holding a community meeting in which Joshum would explain the details of the saga. I felt sympathy for him. He had no control over the situation, and after 11 years of service to the community he was clearly hurt that some people’s faith in his motivations could be so easily shaken.

Despite a death in the community on the morning of the meeting, people turned out in impressive numbers. Joshum presented all the evidence needed to clear his name and came to a compromise with the guardians of the students forced to retake P7. I took the opportunity to reiterate to the community that buying or controlling the school was the polar opposite of Project Focus’s objectives, and reminded them that the reason we have had so many previous meetings, interviews, and planning sessions together was so that a school that works specifically for them is what gets developed. I also reminded them that since exhibitions of their children’s artwork and their own stories are the real driving-force behind the school’s development, this project is theirs, and will only progress and survive with their cohesive efforts. It seamed appropriate to apologize for the way UNEB had marginalized their community, and by publicly expressing condolences to Joshum for the frustrations he had suffered, I was able to shine some light on the fact that they were all mistreated. By the end of the meeting community members were standing up and consoling the headmaster, and one man – thru a Ugandan proverb – compared the parents who so easily abandoned Prince on the brink of it’s improvements to a wife who toils alongside her husband while cultivating the fields for the whole season, and leaves him right before the harvest.

A sense of relief filled the air as we all filed out of the classroom, but the whole situation reminded me how easily things can fall apart if people are not together. This helped me to really see how so many other outsiders with gobs of money and worthy intentions have failed to truly empower communities like Lyantonde because they have put the people’s ideas and voices second to their own. Even though the planned renovations will qualify Prince for their own P.L.E. sitting center, it also became obvious that no amount of water tanks, micro-loans, or classroom blocks will ever substitute for the compassion-vacuum created by the UNEBs of the world.

Level Best

2009-01-26T05:27:00.003-06:00

Last week we began leveling the site for the new buildings at Prince Primary. Four months ago I would have pretended to know what that really meant, and thanks to the unexpected generosity of Reynolds Construction Company – an Israeli-owned outfit building new roads from the capital of Kampala to the southwest town of Mbarara – we are conquering this task relatively cheaply. Other than some after-hours fuel and auxiliary motivation for the machine operator working on his Sundays off, we are receiving the service as a donation. Lesson: Be fearless in asking for help from others. This is not my project, or Project Focus’s project, or even a project limited to this community, but rather a project to improve humanity on a small scale, and all people should be expected to give what they can. Even though this is a relatively small stage of the project, I was absurdly excited to watch the first cuts into the red mound of earth where the new school will sit, and I wasn’t alone. Dozens of community members came out and sat with me for hours as we savored in the initial (tangible) signs of change.

Since Christmas I have spent a good portion of my time around Prince doing interviews for a recently completed radio documentary about the school’s history, struggles, strengths and what the all stakeholders see as the path to success. I interviewed the founders, staff, students, parents and guardians, and the headmaster of the nearby government school to get a sense of the community involvement in both public and private school circumstances. I am very happy with the results of the piece, and if I ever find a way to email the 18-minute file, you can make your judgments.

The search for our dream-engineer continues. It’s not easy to find someone who is willing to work with our approach of community involvement, stringent accountability and transparency guidelines, and relatively bizarre methods of fundraising… all at the right price. Especially when the “right price” seams to be a bit of an anomaly. Of all the consultations I’ve gotten the estimates for essentially the same building (a few variables) have ranged from $45,000 to over $600,000. I’m not exaggerating. It’s been a mystifying but advantageous experience in which I’ve learned about things like corruption, corruption and corruption. I’ve got our search narrowed down to a few trustworthy candidates and will be deciding within the weeks end.

Last Wednesday Lyantonde had a visit from Uganda’s hottest music duo called Moses Radio and Weasel. It was damn fun to see everyone that I greet and chat with from around town all in one place, dressed to kill and letting loose at the concert. I had a ridiculously good time and gained a new level of respect once I unleashed my rug-cutting prowess.

Village Christmas

2008-12-28T06:30:00.006-06:00

Being apart from friends and family around the holidays can be emotionally arduous but I claim an evolved freeloader instinct. No matter what the distance from home or how little I have to offer potential hosts, I always end up around those transformative families whose love and openhandedness towards wanders calls to me. Christmas in Lyantonde was nothing unfamiliar. Jackie and Olivia – sisters among the brightest and most outspoken students a Prince Primary School – invited Jonathon St. Clause and me to their home for Christmas lunch in the village of Kalegero. The experience was pure. We carried gifts of huge jackfruits by motorcycle to Prince to meet Jackie and followed her the rest of the way on foot. We arrived and greeted the younger Olivia, Jajja (grandma), grandpa, little brother Henry, and uncle Mark. They welcomed us with fresh mangos and watermelon and we chatted about their land, Mark’s med-school studies, American life, Prince Primary, and how we love food. Jonathon and I tried to pepper the conversation with our limited Luganda but most of the day we communicated with Jajja via Mark’s translation. The family packed us full of every vegetarian dish in the Ugandan cookbook, introduced us to their alpha-piggybank (his promiscuity puts the girls through school), and gave us a tour of their gardens. The girls shared with me Akon lyrics, their top-secret solutions for high-level government corruption, some family history and career aspirations: Jackie – lawyer, Olivia - doctor.

Jajja is a tough woman. I met her a few days back when she agreed to sit down with me and discuss some of her opinions for the school’s improvements. I had gotten the impression that she was the mother of the girls because they call her maama, but deeper into our conversation she allowed some details of their situation. Their family history is complex but sadly typical. I am gathering it now for an audio piece on Prince Primary that will feature the girls’ story – so watch for it. For now lets just say… the fact that the girls still possess that kind of drive to educate themselves and give back speaks directly to Jajja’s influence in their lives. Watching them in action together at their home made it clear. The peeling and matted turquoise walls of their living room - lit by the pre-rain afternoon sky - suggested an almost meditative mood in which the girls and jajja floated around effortlessly anticipating each other’s needs.

I’m incredibly fortunate to have these kinds of experiences on a daily basis, and I’m truly grateful. My affinity for Lyantonde, and Ugandan in general seems to be at a perpetual apex, and it’s difficult to even consider the spectrum of things I am learning about. The work has been slow but encouraging, and I want thank the folks in Project Focus for being my surrogate family and reminding me to step back every so often to take it all in.
Remember to be happy.

(pics will not load on thecomputer I type from but they are coming)

Bitone in Ethiopia!

2008-12-06T04:40:00.003-06:00

Addis Ababa has been amazing! I learned before we left Uganda that the festival organizers should have “been sent the broom” as Branco from Bitone so brilliantly put it, but the kids didn’t let that stop them from destroying the competition. They had 5 performances during 6 days of music, theater, and storytelling from Ugandan, Tanzania, Kenya, Sweden, the U.S. and the many provinces of Ethiopia. For months leading up to the journey Bitone worked to combine selected instrumental pieces, dances, and narration to create a 45 minute production/story about a wealthy princess’s search for a husband based on his artistic talents, knowledge of culture, and sense of self; not his family’s financial/social status.

They warmed up with 2 shows at Hager Fikir Theatre. The sound and lighting operators made me want to swallow broken glass and gasoline (they had been swallowin something else) but the kids hung with it and rocked the packed houses. Then came the real fire (the kids constantly refer to a good performance as “bringing fire”) - the headmaster of Addis’s most prestigious primary/secondary school – St Joseph’s- caught wind of Bitone’s show and invited them to perform for his entire student body. It was the biggest audience they had ever played for but they handled it with the swagger of veteran artists. Playing for their peers was obviously more comfortable for them and the Ethiopian students received them with deafening standing ovations. It chokes me up to write about it. The show was perfect and I had thought it would have been the best I would see from them for a while, but that same night they had another last-minute invitation. They were asked to perform at the ritzy Addis Hilton for a fashion show put on by the American Chamber of Commerce in Ethiopia. Outside of hanging with Ethiopian models this idea rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning and I ended up getting into it with the coordinator because he had us arrive 5 hours before our performance and then refused to feed the children from the posh buffet all the snazzy Americans were wasting. But back to the Ethiopian models… are you f#*king kidding me? The average Ethiopian woman already makes me want to cry tears of gratitude for the genius design-sense of the creator. The Bitone girls shared a dressing room with the models and I found as many “administrative” reasons as possible to urgently enter and speak to them. Roscoe – the 16 year-old man of the Bitone home – whispered to me, “Grant, I think God made a mistake. He put all the beautiful women here and made Uganda too far away.”

Once Bitone hit the stage they killed it. The set-up was perfect for their production. The sound was pristine and the girls used the runway as their dance floor. Even though it was a corporate function the energy of the place was electric. The crowd lost their minds and when all was said and done the children were served a 3 course meal in a private room… and two models slipped me their phone numbers. Ha! Of course they were then asked to close the entire festival at Hager Fickir on the last night, and fresh off my victory over the Hilton coordinator I demanded to do the sound myself. It was much improved and Bitone brought the house down to end an amazing week of artistic exchange from all over the globe.

The kid’s reactions to culture shock were deep. For the first time they were approached by beggars even though they exist everywhere in their home country. They got a better understanding of being stereotyped – just because they are foreigners and standing in front of a relatively nice hotel they are assumed to have money, and got constantly hassled. I have been struggling to expand their minds as far as food goes because they are used to eating the same 3 things everyday for their entire lives, and Uganda is damn hot; the cooler weather in Addis has been frustrating for the group of kids, many of whom have never owned a coat. Italian influence here is very evident here and Ethiopia’s history of fighting off Italian colonization crept into most conversations between the kids and locals. It gave them (and me) some serious homework to do.

They had to get out of their shells socially as well; they were the only youth in the festival and were forced to mingle with hoards of grown-up artists from all over the world who were dying to praise them. For this I feel they were better prepared than most Ugandan children would have been. At Bitone the children are encouraged to express themselves emphatically, even to adults, which is definitely not the cultural norm in Uganda. From my experience if 2 or more adults are in a room talking the children are sent out. Again I take my hat off to Branco and Hassan for creating such a loving and nurturing environment for these beautiful and talented children to grow into beautiful and talented adults. I have felt so much closer to the kids since returning to Uganda this time around but during this trip I have definitely become part of their family. Special thanks to all who have bought a Bitone cd, responded to my emergency email, listened to me mindlessly blab about how much I love them, or helped out in any other way. You should be as proud as I am.

As usual I think it’s only fair to share all aspects of an experience, pretty or not. Addis Ababa reminds me of Los Angeles from some reason. The tall buildings mixed with scattered palm trees, the expansive and broken-up layout, cool nights and grey mornings, and similar little pockets of grime. You can be in a totally “safe” looking area and turn down a tiny side street and be in the shit. One night after a performance I was walking the kids back from a late dinner, when we got back to the hotel I realized I forgot the receipt. I have reoccurring nightmares where Harish softly whispers the word “accountability” over and over like Chinese water torture in my ear so I went back to get it. On the way back to the hotel I was coming down one of these side streets and I heard and saw something strange. As I got closer it got clearer, a man was trying to rape a women up against a wall. Confused, I looked around and there was some fucking coward taxi driver sitting in his car and watching it right next to me. I looked at him and put my hands up in a way to ask what the hell is happening and he says “don’t worry they are friends”. I walked closer to the two and could clearly see the woman crying and faintly fighting back in way like she has been fighting this battle her whole life and was too tired to fight again. When the man (he looked maybe 17) realized I was coming he frantically started back peddling and repeating “sorry my friend, no problem” and then ran. The women ran in the other direction. I had such a rush of anger that I went to the taxi driver and tried gave him a piece of my mind but it was pointless due to a combination of language barrier and the fact that he obviously doesn’t give a shit anyway or he wouldn’t have been casually watching a woman get raped in the first place. That was night number 2 and since I have been going grey trying keep every Bitone girl within my sights at all times. They are all so beautiful and now I want to fight every time a man looks at them. My daughters are going to hate me.

2008-11-22T09:06:00.004-06:00

Project FOCUS & World AIDS Day

December 1st is World AIDS Day and Project FOCUS is participating in a Boston event commemorating World's AIDS Day at St Mark's Congregational Church in Roxbury.

St Mark's is a prominent African American community church that seeks to create a dialogue about AIDS in the African American community and help memorialize those who have been lost to this devastating virus.

Project FOCUS will display our HIV/AIDS quilts from Uganda and discuss how stigmas and struggles faced in Africa are similar to those that exist in the United States. We will also participate in a panel discussion about AIDS and women of color.

2008-11-21T18:40:00.004-06:00

On Saturday, November 22nd, Project FOCUS members Madelene Griffin, MAAT and Meg Wolf, MAAT will present at the Annual American Art Therapy Conference in Cleveland, OH.

The Art of Discovering: Re-defining Art Therapy Within the Context of Ugandan Culture

In 2007, a small group of artists and art therapists traveled to Southwest Uganda with an organization called Project FOCUS and implemented four pilot projects intending to educate, empower and inspire through art. This workshop explores their discoveries during a challenging 5-month journey using images, personal narratives, and examples of artwork created with local materials.

2008-11-21T18:23:00.012-06:00

Project FOCUS: Creative Dialogues Exhibit
November 13th - December 31, 2008

On November 13th, Project FOCUS celebrated the opening of its first exhibit in New York; Project FOCUS: Creative Dialogues. The exhibit features photography by Gloria Bernard and the artwork created by the community members of Lyantonde.

The exhibit will be up through December 31st, 2008.

Gallery Location:
The Bronfman Center Gallery
7 East 10th Street NY, NY 10003

Gallery Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 8am-10pm, Friday: 8am-4pm, Saturday: CLOSED, Sunday: 9am-9pm

Election Fire

2008-11-09T06:34:00.006-06:00

I have to begin with recognizing the amazing achievement that is Barack Obama! This monumental moment in history gives me hope that sometime in the not-so-distant future, the work of organizations like Project Focus will be operating abroad to compliment the positive impact of American foreign policy, and not simply attempting to alleviate aspects of the suffering directly caused by it. I know I'm not the only one with these lofty hopes, as I was fortunate enough to spend the days surrounding the election in Kenya, where the electricity had to rival places like Chicago and New York. As you know, most Kenyans claim Obama as their "son in the White House", and see him as a new source of national pride. The streets were electric with chanting marchers, taxi drivers worked their horns and voices to death with Obama's picture taped to every inch of the vehicles and newspaper salesmen – ten to every corner - proudly wielding the victorious front-page headlines - "Yes We Did". I literally just got off of a 20-plus hour bus ride back to Uganda (15 of which in the back seat, if you know the roads here you feel for me now) and still couldn't wait to get to a computer.

Confidence

2008-11-09T06:16:00.008-06:00

The weeks leading up to the elections were just as exciting for me in Lyantonde. I spent the bulk of my time holding community meetings in the 7 villages that were home to lasts year's project participants. I returned to each community to update the members on the work of PF since leaving Uganda last December, listen to any changes they have experienced in their lives, and share with them our aspirations and course of action for the future. I presented to them the extent in which they will be expected to contribute to the development planning and implementation process, and although some of the meeting started off with words of skepticism and doubt, most ended with the communities scheduling elections of their own to establish project planning committees. I explained to them how communities like theirs are usually represented in the mainstream media outlets of the West. They laughed in disbelief, and agreed that the sharing of their stories of suffering and cultural richness, frustration and perseverance will build a better understanding of the complexities of their daily lives. I left each village chairman/chairwomen with a translated list of project criteria that will be explored thoroughly before we can begin finalizing any proposal. Those who seemed genuinely interested expressed a solid understanding and appreciation for our approach. An extremely summarized version of the criteria looks like this: Sound Financial System, Community Investment, Sustainability, and a Trusted Implementing Partner/Committee.

Prince Primary School – the first of the 7 development projects – is moving along at a comfortable pace. A local engineer has completed a topographical survey of the school's property. I've received a topographical map (including levels, size measurements and existing buildings) and price quotes for the leveling of the site and the cost of completing an actual architectural blueprint of the future site plan (including a list of specs and bill of quantities). I plan to check his numbers against other engineers and organizations with experience in school renovation. I also look forward to having our first Ugandan board of advisers meeting sometime this month, beginning Price Primary's pen-pal program (in partnership with an Falcon Heights Elementary School in St. Paul, Minnesota) titled "Citizens of the World" and Bitone's journey to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for their performance in the East African Theater Institutes's annual cultural festivals.

Movie Night

2008-11-09T06:13:00.005-06:00

One night after a late dinner last week, I was walking home through Lyantonde and passed by the local theater. Because the power in the rest of town was off, I could better hear something out-of-the-ordinary coming from inside - something about "Chicago", "Harvard" and "his wife Michelle". I hadn't even started to shift my eyes toward the building to see what I was hearing when one of the dozens of theater salesman had me by the arm and was escorting me in. "My American brother"… "you will like" , "you will like" , "Obama" , "you go" , "you go"… "give me 200." Next thing I know I'm in the theater that's usually home to bad action videos from the states (Nick Cage, Steven Seagal, etc, dubbed in Luganda at insane volumes), Nigerian soap operas, or English Premier League football matches. I never thought of setting foot in that place before that moment, due to its bad reputation as a "thieves den", and now I'm sitting with at least 50 young Ugandan males in dead silence watching an Obama documentary in English. My eyes burned from of the overwhelming smell of Waragi (Ugandan's national drink originally named "war gin" by British soldiers during WWI) which added to the surreal experience. Everyone was glued to the screen, and I can't imagine that too many others besides me could fully understand the film's narration. That's what made it so powerful. The world is waiting for this man, or at least what he represents, which to me is a renewed sense of service and personal responsibility in each other. The same sense that makes a room full of 20-something Ugandan males – already labeled as thieves by their community - sit down and try to educate themselves by watching a documentary in a language they don't speak, about a man in whom they see hope.

You Are Most Welcome

2008-10-16T06:32:00.009-05:00

It has been a week of acclimating and reacquainting, and it’s difficult to imagine a warmer reception. “You are most welcome” echoes through my day, as I share and receive updates with the friends and colleagues we met last year. Our news ranges from exciting, to troubling, to comforting, to depressing, and I’m reminded of the spectrum of emotions brought to the surface by life here.

I spent the first part of the week meeting with Dr. Lim, Focus, Bitone and In Movement. My homecoming with Bitone will be a life-long memory. The hugs and smiles, the laughter and stories, a spirit I haven’t felt anywhere else. The youth at the center have grown in: musicianship; confidence; intelligence; love, and numbers - a true testimony to the effectiveness of the program. A new 3-year-old at Bitone named Tina is without a doubt James Brown reincarnated. All is well with Focus and In Movement (though there was some surprising staff changes in the latter) and members from each generously agreed to provide formal guidance to Project Focus as part of our in-country board of advisers, along with Branco from Bitone. Others will be sought out.

This past weekend brought me to Lyantonde. An impressive tour of ICOD’s current programming – including a partnership with Prince Primary headmaster Joshum, who is also PF’s partner for our first development crusade - gave me confidence that out of the ashes of PARDI, Michael has emerged as a natural leader. I look forward to carefully and consciously rebuilding our relationship. ICOD (Integrated Community Efforts for Development) is an organization in Lyantonde made up mostly of ex-PARDI staff, who resigned from PARDI when rumors and accusations of theft and corruption were confirmed. Michael seems to have spearheaded the resignations, and moved forward with the formation of ICOD.

As of today, I’ve managed to secure permanent housing in both Kampala and Lyantonde, and I know with the feeling of settling, comes the real work. Even though I can’t seem to sleep past 3 am, I’ve never felt so energized and committed.

As I’ve shared a bit of promising news regarding Bitone, it’s only fair to my experience thus far to share something troubling. At projectfocus.org you’ll find a short photo/audio documentary giving a glimpse into the lives of one of Lyantonde’s “vulnerable families”. This family is Gertrude and her six children. Gertrude is HIV positive (along with her second youngest, John) and lost her husband to AIDS in 2006. I have a special affinity for this family, due mostly in part to their open generosity in sharing their difficult story with me. On my second day in Lyantonde I went with Meddy and Michael from ICOD to pay the family a visit. Along the way, Michael – with a nervous smile – told me that Gertrude had a surprise for me. As soon as we pulled up the secret was out, Gertrude was very pregnant, and due next month. The story – a disturbingly common one – goes like this… an HIV positive man was looking to sow his seed, realized Gertrude’s plight, and promised some small support (when I arrived their mud home was about 1/3 bigger than last year) in exchange for a child. Michael and Meddy informed me that they were also very surprised when some months back they passed her in town and noticed she was pregnant. She has always been very honest and open with the two of them, and freely shared with them her reasoning – she saw no other opportunity to gain support for her family. Michael was obviously disappointed that Gertrude’s fragile situation was taken advantage of, but informed me that if all precautions are met, the baby could be born in good health. Gertrude’s seventh child will be her first born in a hospital. This story defines what it is to be vulnerable in Lyantonde, and although it is a bit more extreme than the average situation, it can provide some context to the statistics of poverty in Uganda.

I’m not used to feeling sorrow when a child is about to come into this world, but I guess they’re right… there’s a first time for everything.

2008-09-30T16:38:00.003-05:00

Project FOCUS is exited to host its upcoming art exhibit and wine reception fundraiser on Saturday, October 18th, 2008. The exhibit will feature artistic reflections from Project FOCUS volunteers. The $40 entrance ticket will include wine and hors d'oeuvres. This is PF's final fundraiser in garnering financial support to send a long term volunteer back to Uganda.

Tickets can be purchased in the STORE section of the Project FOCUS website. Click here to purchase.

If you would like to contribute to this event, but cannot attend, please contact Rhea Vitalis at rhea.vitalis@gmail.com to find out how you can help. We greatly appreciate your continued support!

Project Descriptions

2007-12-03T22:42:00.000-06:00

This blog post is about our projects. At Project FOCUS we recognize our responsibility to share our progress with the people that have supported us. We apologize for the inexcusable delay in updates. Please stay involved and please keep us accountable; your participation keeps us motivated.

First, let's begin by defining art therapy.

Art therapy is a form of counseling which uses art making as a way to express feelings, emotions, and personal stories.

Unfortunately, the role of art therapy in Uganda has been drowned out by the overwhelming necessity of material needs. In the community of Lyantonde, Uganda, some children need access to clean water, a healthy diet, stable structures to live in, and an education to break the vicious cycle of poverty. At Project FOCUS we do not ignore these needs, but we also do not underestimate the complexity of the problems that underly these circumstances. We do not claim to have answers. All we can offer is an open mind, our skills and resources. Unfortunately, we do not have engineers or economists on our team (yet). Our philosophy and work has resonated specifically with artists, social workers, students and activists who were inspired to travel to Uganda this summer to do what they could, offering a voice to individuals living in a community devastated by HIV/AIDS. Perhaps a fresh water well could have saved hundreds of lives, a new school could have educated a village, or a few thousand dollars could have fortified homes or bought bushels of drought-resistant seeds - we don't know. So we act according to what we do know - that the simple act of creating art can make people feel powerful. Important ideas are expressed, personal stories are shared, and a community can come together to acknowledge and appreciate their own strengths and weaknesses.

What follows are the description of six projects that are currently being carried out by a group of seven committed and capable members of our group. The six projects represent a diversity of voices, art medias, questions, and collaborations with local organizations.

Project 1: Portraits of Resiliency in Lyantonde, Uganda

Using a wide variety of art media, artists from the United States and Uganda will come together to work with 12 individuals from the villages of Lyantonde to create collaborative portraits that explore issues of stigma, poverty, and resiliency to obstacles. These pieces will be compiled and displayed both in Uganda and the United States to raise awareness about the complexity of life in Lyantonde.

Partnering Organization: Participatory Organization for Rural Development Initiative (PARDI) (http://www.pardiusa.apictureaday.com/)

Project 2: Common Threads: HIV/AIDS Quilt

In this project, individuals will design and create squares for a quilt that illustrate a collection of stories discussing the personal effects of HIV/AIDS. Facilitators will teach basic skills in textile art and sewing. The intent of this project is to facilitate the growth of self-sustaining art groups and to support grassroots networks in these communities.

Partnering Organization: Participatory Organization for Rural Development Initiative (PARDI)

Project 3: Art Therapy at Prince Primary School

An art therapy program will be developed for middle school students at Prince Primary School. The focus of the program will be recording and preserving oral history and educating the community about local family traditions and life lessons through symbolic stories.

Partnering Organization: Prince Primary School

Project 4: Multi-dimensional Photography Project

This project will give adolescents the opportunity to express their identity through the art of photography. Group members will be asked to document people, places, and objects that are meaningful to them. These photos will be arranged and constructed using other materials into a multi-dimensional collage.

Partnering Organization: Participatory Organization for Rural Development Initiative (PARDI)

Project 5: Pin-Hole Photography Project

This project gives students an opportunity to appreciate non-traditional photography by exploring the art and technique of pin-hole photography. Students will build and take photographs with pinhole cameras made out of tin cans, giant boxes, and matchboxes.

Partnering Organization: In Movement (http://inmovement.org/).

Project 6: Recording/Producing/Promoting of Bitone Troupe Album

In this project, the voices and music of the Bitone Troupe will be captured, produced, and promoted as an album to benefit the Bitone Troupe Children's Home in Kampala, Uganda. The Children's Home provides abandoned and orphaned children with a safe environment to live, study, and mature while learning traditional arts from accomplished local artists.

Partnering Organization: Bitone Troupe (http://www.bitonechildren.org/aboutus.html)

Photo Stories

2007-11-29T20:52:00.002-06:00

Lauren Pond (photographer) and Grant Buhr (sound engineer) spent two weeks in Lyantonde, Uganda this summer to document the sights and sounds of everyday life in the community. Together, they completed four photo/audio stories. The first three stories were focused on vocational training centers that provide essential assistance for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Students at these training centers are taught marketable skills that offer children a sustainable form of financial stability.

The following video was the first one completed. It follows the work of students at a carpentry training center from harvesting wood to finishing a piece of furniture. The other three videos have not been finished. We hope to post the videos as they become available.

If you'd like to support the carpentry training center featured in this story, contact us at info@projectfocus.org. Thanks!

The Focus Exhibit in Kampala

2007-10-25T20:53:00.001-05:00

Project FOCUS initially started with a photography project. In the summer of 2006, Daniel, Harish, and Aura traveled to Uganda with donated cameras and film and were lucky to have found FOCUS Uganda: The Mulago Child Development Project, who let us work with 16 of their students. In an attempt to portray the every day lives of a group of youth living in Kampala, the FOCUS Exhibit was developed. Through it, we were able to see the powerful effects of using art as a tool of expression to communicate unique and delicate stories to people who might not otherwise have chance to experience it. As we began to plan our return trip to Uganda to begin a similar project with another Community-Based Organization in a different region of Uganda, we were imagining ways that we could continue our collaboration with FOCUS. One idea was to bring the actual exhibit back to the youth who took the photographs and allow the students the opportunity to display their work for their own community. We arrived one year later with the photographs in digital form which made them easy to view, compare, and discuss. After the selection of the photographs, we worked alongside the staff and students of FOCUS to make the exhibit a fun and educational event.

We were very excited to be able to bring the photographs back to the youth, and to have the opportunity to show the students how well received their photographs had been in the United States. Unfortunately, the four “Response Banners” that were hung at all of the exhibits in the U.S., where people were able to write or draw their reactions to the photographs, were in luggage that never arrived in Uganda (we finally got them upon returning to Chicago!) Fortunately we were able to have a running slideshow of photographs that had been taken at The FOCUS Exhibit in Chicago. The photographs were able to capture the audience’s reaction to the art work. The students seemed very pleased to see a diverse group of American’s so intrigued by the stories that they told with their cameras.

Another element of the exhibit was a continuation of the Community Art Projects that we began last spring in Chicago. Everyone present at the exhibit was invited to participate in the mural painting, and be a part of the beautiful finished product.

Aside from the photography exhibit and the Community Art Project, there was also wonderful performances the Bitone Troupe, a youth group from Katanga Church, and the students of FOCUS. The entertainment certainly added energy to the day, and seemed to be thoroughly enjoyed by all.

While reflecting on the exhibit, as a group, we were trying to measure its success. As an organization, all of our projects aim to meet the three criteria that we have established: Educate, Inspire, and Empower. If all three are achieved to a relative degree, than we can consider a project or event successful. We assumed that because the exhibit had been a success in Chicago, that it would receive the same appreciation in Uganda. There was a sense of pride coming from the youth, their family members and local community leaders which speaks to the ability of such a project to empower a group of youth. However, it was difficult for us to gauge how much the audience actually learned from the experience. In an exhibit that displays their daily lives, their community, the streets they live on it, we wondered if the exhibit had provided them an opportunity to see their community through a different lens. The inspiration sparked from the exhibit is another concept that was difficult to measure. Project FOCUS can hope that the students, parents, and community leaders found inspiration in seeing that there are individuals across the world as well as in their own community who are committed to bringing change to their community through their youth. Project FOCUS members found inspiration in the photographs, the dancing, the music, and the smiles on everyone’s face as we came together as people from very different worlds and enjoyed the day.

The students and staff of the Mulago Child Development Project also spent time reflecting on the exhibit and sent us a formal evaluation. One very important point that was raised was the oversight of our group to assume that photography in Uganda is revered as an art form, and a tool for expression. It would have been helpful lead a class on photography before handing the students cameras and film with a very vague prompt. Another important observation made by some of the older participants was the inequality or “opportunity gap” that exists between the two worlds and that it is unfair that they are unable to travel to the US and give kids cameras so that they could experience life in the States. The evaluation suggests that “the kids are perceptive enough to locate that gap, and some kind of compensation should take place if the photo exhibition partnership is to continue into the future,” which could take the form of doing a very similar photo project here in the states and brining it to the students of FOCUS.

Not surprisingly, in our reflections of the overall event, we realized that we still have a lot to learn about immersing ourselves into a different culture, and we have to continuously reexamine our actions. Our collaboration with FOCUS has provided us with great teachers, so long as we continue to view ourselves as learners. Madelene, the most recent addition to Project FOCUS arrived in Uganda just one week prior to the Exhibit. In a reflection of the day (and her overall initial impressions of Uganda) she stated, “I am already infinitely impressed by the local Ugandans I have met who commit their time and energy to working with the youth. Their dedication inspires and humbles me. In working with Nelson, Ernest and Audrey (staff of the Mulago Child Development Project) to bring this exhibition to fruition, I was continually struck by the absolute necessity to develop positive collaborative relationships with community-based organizations like FOCUS.” We are fortunate to have met the leaders of FOCUS because they do not hesitate to give us honest and constructive criticism. We, admire their work and their individual characters. Their guidance to us as a young group has been necessary and deeply appreciated.

Originally, we wanted this exhibit to bring a sense of closure to the project so that we can begin focusing all of our energy to launching new projects in Lyantonde, Uganda. However, through discussions with the leaders of FOCUS Uganda, we realized that there is an immense amount of value in continuing the photography project in some capacity with the students of FOCUS. We are not sure exactly what shape it will take, but we are very excited and honored to strengthen our relationship with FOCUS Uganda both through future projects as well as viewing the staff of the Mulago Child Development Project as mentors and advisors.

Waiting for words.

2007-08-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

tensions started when our cultures collided

silence (a blank figure)

grew heads of mistrust and misunderstanding.

creativity was oppressed. progress scattered.

in silence, my friends, listen carefully.

wait for thoughts to find its' voice. wrestle the silent tensions.

SPEAK OUT! AND FLATTEN THESE IMAGINARY WALLS!

seek dialogue and find your resolution.

-Daniel Yang

Tension, Confrontation and Resolution

2007-07-23T07:22:00.001-05:00

We've made progress in the last few weeks, but not in ways we expected. There won't be any artwork, music or photography in this post but the reflections of a group struggling to understand where we are and where we've come from. Working and living in a foreign country has brought excitement into the smallest activity but has also presented us with difficult challenges and fundamental tensions.

This past week our entire group, recently joined by a social worker (Aura) and two art therapists (Sunny and Meg), traveled to Lyantonde to meet with the staff of PARDI, a community-based organization (CBO) established in 2001 to address the economic and social impact of HIV/AIDS on rural communities. PARDI (Participatory Action for Rural Development Initiative) supports a variety of community initiatives in Lyantonde, Rakai and Sembabule districts. Their activities range from providing school uniforms for children orphaned by AIDS to guidance and counseling for HIV positive parents. Similar to Project FOCUS, PARDI is composed of volunteers who offer their time, their professional skills and a sizable chunk of their salaries to support the organization and the communities it serves.

Our reasons for working with PARDI are two-fold. First, PARDI represents the community's response to a crisis that no one else seemed to care about, or knew how to address. Second, we have no desire to undermine the existing effort of community members who are committed and passionate to creating change in their their environment. We believe a collaboration with a CBO such as PARDI is our best option. Such a partnership will allow us to implement our programs with the guidance of community members who are best equipped to understand the needs and identify the assets of their community.

Tensions:

Every relationship faces challenges and undergoes tension. Unfortunately, our challenges over the last week have been extremely difficult and confusing to understand. Tension resulting from misunderstanding and mistrust have almost led our organization to cut ties with PARDI and move on. Not all relationships work, no matter how perfect they seem upon first impression. Some of these issues are difficult to write about, but we hope that others can learn from our mistakes and experiences. As an organization we have nothing to hide but much to learn. We welcome your comments and questions.

1) Misunderstanding

There was a lot of misunderstanding between Project FOCUS and PARDI concerning art therapy and it's role in the community. We prematurely assumed that the community would understand and embrace the concept of self-expression as a form of therapy without explanation or proof. Should they believe us just because we come from the United States? And what about language? How does their understanding of 'art', 'self-expression' and 'therapy' differ from our definitions informed by western culture and history? And how can we reasonably and ethically address psycho-social needs when survival is constantly challenged by absolute poverty and a lack of material support? What should we offer children orphaned by AIDS -- blankets and clothes or an opportunity to grieve the loss of their parents?

2) Mistrust

Misunderstanding often breeds mistrust. In our case, stereotypical assumptions and a lack of transparency resulted in problems. Foreigners from the United States and other developed countries are often perceived as wealthy donors when they're in Uganda. It's not uncommon for a child to walk up to you, to pull your shirt and ask you to sponsor her school fees. Though it's difficult to say, it's easy to see that in many way Uganda is a country suffering from financial dependency on international NGOs and development agencies. As a non-profit organization coming to work in Uganda, Project FOCUS was immediately targeted for its money. In dealing with an individual that represents PARDI, there's been a lot of confusion and dispute over finances, from 50 cents to $500. We were concerned that we had been taken advantage of and repeatedly lied to. It's important not to assume trust, but to build it. And in working with a community-based organization, it's also important to understand the accountability and decision-making structure of the organization. We've heard too many stories of well-intentioned organizations and victimized communities being robbed by individuals that participate in a culture of corruption. Who's responsible for the system that condones, even encourages, corruption? It may not be who you think it is. Over the last few decades developed countries have given lots of money to Africa, perhaps out of guilt, without following where it's gone. Support meant for millions has too often created millionaires.

Confrontation:

In order to address the causes of these growing tensions, we organized a meeting between all of the members of Project FOCUS and the entire staff of PARDI. A total of 10 of us and 10 PARDI staff members met in the courtyard of a small hotel, seated in a large circle after dark. The meeting had two objectives -- to address our previous concerns and misunderstandings and to define the future partnership between PARDI and Project FOCUS.

The meeting was an open dialogue and both groups were encouraged to ask difficult questions and respond honestly. We wanted our relationship to be built on a stable foundation of transparency and accountability. Some moments of the meeting were extremely uncomfortable but afterwards provided us with a sense of relief and deeper understanding of each other's mistakes and intentions.

Resolution:

The process of building trust takes time. Not all of the tensions were resolved in the staff meeting. There are some challenges that may never be resolved, like the issue of finding a balance between meeting psycho-social needs and material needs. The past few week has been a struggle, but it's brought our group closer together. It's challenged us to rethink our philosophy and question our intentions and project ideas. We'll follow-up this post with a more complete discussion of the resolution as it evolves between our organizations. But we're hopeful for a supportive and successful collaboration between Project FOCUS and PARDI.

An Introduction to Lyantonde, Uganda

2007-07-11T10:15:00.000-05:00

Three of us, Rhea, Lauren and I (Daniel), spent the last four days in Lyantonde, Uganda, a small town located three and half hours southwest of the capital Kampala. Until last year, when district boundaries were modified, Lyantonde was part of Rakai district, notoriously known as the birthplace of AIDS in Uganda.

Introduced by truck drivers from all across East Africa, HIV spread quickly into the surrounding rural community, brought home by young women forced into prostitution by the heavy demands of absolute poverty.

This is the town where Project FOCUS will be working for the next six months. No running water, no internet and unreliable electricity. A region of spectacular natural beauty juxtaposed to the suffering of a community devastated by AIDS.

Prince Primary School

A school of four classrooms constructed by the community in response to an orphan crisis without historical precedence. More than 200 children from the surrounding rural areas attend school daily at Prince Primary. Unfortunately, most of them have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Project FOCUS will be working with the headmaster and school teachers to implement an art curriculum that provides psychosocial therapy and empowers youth with an outlet for creative self-expression and story-telling through different media.

Vocational Training -- (a work in progress...)

Lauren, the photographer of the images in this post, is still in Lyantonde working on a series of photo stories that explore opportunities available for children orphaned by AIDS. The following photographs were taken at a carpentry shop that trains older students with practical skills they can use to support themselves and their families.

Meet the Family

2007-07-07T16:16:00.040-05:00

U.S. / Midwest

Chicago, Illinois

Aura is currently a School Social Worker at Chicago Public Schools but has a secret, yet financially implausible, dream of becoming a pilot. She enjoys working with Chicago’s youth and believes that a well-rounded and positive education is the key to a happy future. She is currently enrolled in Northwestern University’s Art Therapy Certificate Program in a personal attempt to tap into an undiscovered creative side and to have more skills to bring to those that she works with, in CPS as well as with Project FOCUS.

In Uganda, Grant worked as the country director of Project FOCUS for nearly two years. In addition to his work with Project Focus, he has recorded and produced two albums with Ugandan youth from the Bitone Children's Home. He is now in Chicago pursuing a degree in sociology at University of Illinois at Chicago and teaching digital music production through Enlace Chicago's after-school programing.

Rhea Vitalis holds a BS in Marketing from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She works in the for-profit world as a marketing and sales coordinator in a shipping logistics company and also runs her own graphic design and marketing company, Idea Sprout Studio. As a member of Project FOCUS, she applies her professional skills in managing the business and marketing aspects of the organization. In the future, she would like to merge her vocation and avocation in the field of social entrepreneurship.

Daniel Yang holds a BS in Biological Sciences from UIC where he is continuing his studies as a medical student. His interests include public health, radio documentary, and anything else that sparks the imagination. Upon finishing his medical degree, he would like to pursue a career in international health, addressing both the physical and psychosocial health needs of vulnerable communities.

Florencia Rojo is a student at DePaul University studying Sociology with a concentration in Health and Human Services. In 2008, she traveled to Nicaragua where she volunteered with a local youth and woman’s advocacy center. Her experience abroad and her work with Planned Parenthood in Ann Arbor has sparked an interest in international development and woman’s health issues. She was drawn to Project FOCUS because of its’ strong community in the United States and its’ commitment to community-driven development in Uganda.

Gloria Bernard holds an MA in Art Therapy from the Steinhart School of New York University. Creativity has always been an integral part of Gloria's life since childhood. She is a process-oriented artist who finds meaning in all mediums. She continues to pursue a life of creativity through music, drawing, painting, and photography.

Seva Gandhi recently graduated with her Masters of Social Work from the University of Michigan. Her focus was in management of human services and community organizing. She is currently working within the realm of international development with non-profit based in the US. Seva is interested in resource development within rural areas and is a big advocate of systems thinking.

U.S. / East Coast

Boston, Massachusets

Madelene Pario is an artist and credentialed Registered Art Therapist who received her BA in Visual Arts from Brown University and her MA in Art Therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She describes her art as a way to visually piece together the fragments of her identity. As an art therapist, she helps create an open and safe space for others to weave their stories and express difficult emotions through metaphor and imagination. Her current interests are in facilitating culturally sensitive art therapy in Uganda through coordination with local artists and professionals. She also promotes group art-making as a powerful tool for personal and social change.

U.S. / West Coast

Los Angeles, California

Mary Tims holds a B Arch from the Woodbury University School of Architecture and currently resides in the Los Angeles region where she is pursuing her liscensure in the state of California. Future plans include: graduate school to study Art History and develop an interdisciplinary architectural practice. Mary’s current interests include: feminist theory, minimalism, public art (serra, kapoor), french cuisine, your mom, reflective facades, carved apertures and theatrical cavities.

About This Blog

2007-07-03T08:27:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the Project FOCUS blog! Project FOCUS is a Chicago-based non-profit organization composed of young artists and students bound by a common purpose to educate, inspire and empower youth through art. This summer, members of Project FOCUS are working in Uganda from June to December planning and implementing art projects that serve disadvantaged youth affected by absolute poverty, disease, gender inequality and a lack of educational opportunities. But instead of focusing on what these children lack, we want emphasize their assets -- their skills and stories.

We conceive of this blog as a work of art in itself -- an outlet for creative expression, a space for dialogue and an avenue of exploration.

We also want this blog to be based on a variety of media, presenting a layered and complex view of life in Uganda. this requires patience and thought on our part. We'll try our best to upload images, to present work in progress. But some weeks may be slower than others. We don't know what's possible yet, given our limited access to the internet and our lack of formal expectations.

We'll have to be creative.

We want to ask you to stay involved in our project by offering comments, criticisms, contacts and ideas. We envision this blog to be interactive, a meeting point for a community of the like-minded. For this to work we need your buy in. The more you contribute, the greater motivation we'll have to share. and the more we share, the more you'll have to respond to. Let's keep it natural and informal. respectful, but never boring.

At this point there's no set structure to the blog. We want to keep it flexible, leaving room for growth and creativity. We value your support and we look forward to hearing from you.