Mondo's volunteers in Uganda: Eelmisel nädalal. / Last week.

Eelmine nädal möödus üsna kiiresti ja märkamatult, kuid tegemisi oli mitmeid. Näiteks kohtusin siinse vanima õiglase kaubanduse ideed edasi kandva poe juhatajaga (Betty Kinene, director of Uganda Crafts 2000 Ltd.), kes andis mitmeid häid mõtteid mõlema projekti jaoks ning lubas uurida, milliste käsitööoskuste arendamise osas on tal võimalik meistrite kontakte edastada. Kahel päeval liikusin linnas ringi koos Siisiga ning otsisime õmblusateljee jaoks sobivaid ruume. Ühel korral pidime otsingud katkestama väga tugeva vihmasaju tõttu, mille eest põgenesime ühe kohaliku pisikese toidukoha terrassikatuse alla ning sealt edasi tagaruumidesse peitu. Natuke rohkem kui tund aega sadas väga kõvasti vihma ja rahet ning seda kõike võimendas plekkkatus. Üldiselt ongi nii, et kui vihma sajab, siis tegemised seiskuvad ja hiljem minnakse toimetustega edasi. Kampalas sain ka õmblejate enditega kokku ning rääkisime sellest, kuidas nad oma ettevõtmist reklaamida sooviksid ja millisele sihtgrupile see suunatud võiks olla. Käisin Blueskys käsitöökeskuse ehituse edenemist pildistamas ja koolile kodulehe tegemise võimalusi uurimas.

Vahepeal ekslesin niisama ringi kui kuhugi minna tahtsin ja põikpäiselt bodaga sõitmisest loobusin, kuid kogemata natuke vale teeotsa peale sattusin.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last week went by pretty fast but here are some things I was busy with... I met the director of the oldest craft shop in Kampala that carries the fair trade idea – Betty Kinene, the director of Uganda Crafts 2000 Ltd. We talked for an hour and she gave me many good ideas regarding both of the projects and also promised to try to find some contacts of artisans who could deliver training for students at Bluesky school. Two days of last week were spent in Kampala together with Siisi, moving around and looking for good location and rooms for the new tailoring and crafts shop. Once we had to pause the search due to very heavy rainfall and escape onto the terrace of a small local restaurant. After some time the terrace was not enough and we sought shelter inside the tiny room for cooking. The heavy rain and hail went an for at least an hour, magnified by the corrugated iron roof. Usually this is how it works: when rain comes then everything stops and the activities are resumed later on during the day. I also met the women themselves in Kampala and we discussed how they would want to advertise their enterprise and what is the main target group. I visited Bluesky school, took pictures of the improvements on construction of the house for cottage industry and discussed the possibilities of making a webpage for the school.

Between all of that I also just wondered around and felt a bit confused at timed when I refused to take a boda and was determined to find some place on my own but somehow still managed to fail.