tikoling

Hello family and friends!

Kirsten and I have just returned from practicum in Apac District, Uganda. We spent the month living and working with FH staff to do Community Needs Assessments in two communities: Barakalo and Tikoling. The task was daunting at times, but I enjoyed learning from and working with the staff, and I have rarely learned so much in such a short period of time.

I did most of my research activities in Tikoling. The community of Tikoling is located in the district of Apac, in the Northern region of Uganda. The main source of income lies in subsistence farming of cassava, sunflowers, beans, sim-sim, and millet. The major people groups present in the community of Tikoling are the Lango, Teso, and Acholi. The Lango people are the dominant group in the area, though in recent history, the populations of the Teso and Acholi people have risen due to periods of insecurity. The economic and social insecurities caused by the combination of cattle rustling, a period of armed robberies, LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) attacks, and HIV/AIDS , as well as the high rate of poverty as a result of these challenges were the precursors to Food for the Hungry entering the Tikoling community. Food for the Hungry entered Apac in 2004 and established Child Development Programs (CDP) in Barakalo and Tikoling. Between the two communities, FH has enrolled close to 800 children in the sponsorship program, with priority given to orphans and vulnerable children, girls, children whose parents who are receptive to working with FH, and children whose families are living in extreme poverty or have many children to support. In addition to CDP activities, FH works with income generating projects, women’s groups, and community trainings on issues of sanitation, maternal heath, agricultural techniques, children’s rights and responsibilities, and general heath and food security issues.

When Kirsten and I began our practicum, we were given the task of working with FH Apac staff to find what the communities believe are the greatest needs, what is being done, where the gaps are, and to write research reports on our findings for the FH office in Kampala. Some mornings, we woke up without a clue of what we’d be doing for the day, and scheduling meetings and interviews was often difficult since Apac is currently entering the rainy season. With poor road conditions, when it rains, everything stops. Each morning we rode from the staff compounds to the field offices on the back of boda-bodas (motorbikes). This was often my favorite part of the day – there are few scenes as beautiful as riding down bumpy dirt roads through fields and fields of sunflowers. However, strapped aback a motorbike, awkwardly straddling the bike in a skirt, and wearing huge helmet, I’m fairly certain I looked like an over-sized child playing astronaut.

During the month, we met with community elders, church members, a women’s group, and students. One of my favorite interviews was meeting with a group of P.7 students. I interviewed them about what they thought of their school and community and then asked them to draw a picture of what their community is like now, and a picture of their vision or hopes for their community. For the latter drawing, a boy named Bruno drew a picture of the soccer field in front of his school and wrote, “Arsenal and Manchester United playing on my field.”

The experience was a chance for us to disconnect from our reliance on technology. Doing research work without the convenience of the internet was quite a learning experience. I realized how dependent I am on “googling” the information I need. Without the convenience of search engines, we were forced to do our research person to person. The experience fostered a much more inquisitive spirit in me and it is a lesson I hope to hold on to…

For me personally, practicum was an eye-opening look into the complex reality of development work. The field of development work is often romanticized, while in reality it is quite messy and confusing. However progressive and empowering an organization’s mission statement is, making the vision and policies of an international NGO congruent with the realities of the particular field, the dynamics of the community, and the culture and history of the environment is a complex and evolving challenge, and one I do not believe is unique to FH. In the end, the realities are humbling and the questions continue, but I am learning more and more how necessary it is for me to view development work through the lens of the gospel and accept that no work will ever be fully complete on our own. During the month, I was often reminded of the poem, “Prophets of a Future Not Our Own” by the late Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador…

Prophets of a Future Not Our Own

- Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero of El Salvador (1917-1980)

It helps now and then to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a small fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the Church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about: We plant the seeds that will one day grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it well. It may be incomplete but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own.





Wishing you well in your corner of the world.

Much Love,
Elizabeth