David, a community based trainer that works for Kyetume Community Based Health Care Center (CBHCP), GlobeMed at UMKC’s partner organization, said this while explaining to me what clans are.
Let’s get some background info first. Uganda consists of several different tribes, and each tribe is made up of several clans. During our big staff meeting early on, I was assigned a Ugandan name by a staff member so when I introduce myself to villagers it will be easier for them to say my name. That way they won’t have to call me “EYE-sha.”
I was chosen by Jacob, a Community Based Trainer, to be a part of his own Mamba clan. Mamba refers to a particular long fish in the local language of Luganda. He named me Nansubuga, which is a type of vegetable. When I mentioned how perfect that name was considering I’m vegetarian, the whole staff burst into laughter :D
Admittedly, at first I thought it was kind of silly. Like this picture of Reuben’s (Kyetume’s program director) son.
But now that I have done some field work—going out into the villages that Kyetume serves and talking with the beneficiaries first hand—it is very clear to me why my fellow staff gave me a Ugandan name. Whenever I introduce myself, I say “Nze Nansubuga” to which I have without fail always heard someone exclaim loudly, run towards me, grab my hand and maybe even embrace me, saying I am their sister or mother.
The whole clan system is the backbone of Ugandan social structure; the instant I got a clan, I gained access to the intimate network amongst clan members. Everywhere I go it’s like a spontaneous family reunion of people I’ve never met. This woman, for example, turned out to be my sister.
Having such a collectivist society makes it so that everyone is very welcoming and generous, even when they have so little. For instance, my neighbors are so friendly and supportive, answering all of my silly questions, giving me extra jerry can water when I use too much for the dishes, and even giving me some cooking tips.
Having such a social structure lends so much support to the community members. It is easy to see that they can rely on each other for just about anything. And of course, it is infinitely easier to trust and work side-by-side with someone if you consider them family.
Below you can see community members working on a Village Savings and Loan program, where some elected community leaders help the whole community grow by saving and lending money to people to grow their businesses.
Maybe that is why the community in Kyakuterekera is so invested in the GlobeMed endeavor to build a health center. A member of the community donated the land for the project, and after Kyetume donated some bricks, community members moved them to the site and roped it off. Everyone is eager to work together to be a part of their own change.
Below, Henry, the Monitoring and Evaluations officer at Kyetume, is rallying a group of youth to take part in our survey (more on that in my next post!) and get behind the health center project.
They are all invested in improving their status and getting out of poverty. They have hope and are willing to make the necessary changes to move forward.
As Isha, I’m looking in from the outside, happy to see an empowered community facing their challenges head on. But as Nansubuga, I’m sharing the pride of watching my brothers and sisters rise up and take their destinies into their own hands.
One last thing. The video below is of some women from Kyakuterekera who were gracious and thanked us for our time spent in the community by singing and dancing for us. I later learned their song is about welcoming us to their community. Armed only with their own hands and feet, a stick, and an empty plastic container, they created something truly beautiful.
http://ijain2016.tumblr.com/post/55661467893/a-group-of-women-from-kyakuterekera-welcoming-us
