The Past Week

The past week has been full of many different talks by different organizations.

Monday we went to Opportunity International and learned more about microfinance and how it benefits the clients it serves. We split up into different groups and went out into the local community to visit different branches. My group ended up going to a meeting and speaking with many different local business owners. It was really interesting to listen to how microfinance has helped them in their businesses.

Tuesday began at the Ugandan Stock Exchange where we learned more about the financial markets of Uganda. Then we went to Mulago National Hospital and talked with one of the doctors there and took a little tour of the hospital. The hospital was full of people, but it was not as full as it has been. The waiting time at the hospital can be 12 hours!

Wednesday was the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative. Then we went to The AIDS Support Organization where a drum group performed for us and we listened to a testimony of one of the members of the drum group. After that we were going to go downtown, but we had to change plans because the President was in town, so we went to a different restaurant. The restaurant was still really good.

Thursday was a relaxing day; we started off by visiting New Vision newspaper and listening to a presentation and then taking a tour of the plant. It was really so cool to see the process of how they make the newspaper. Then we went downtown to a craft market to shop and look around. After that, we went to a nice resort on Lake Victoria for dinner. The resort was on really tight security because the UN was having a meeting there. Because of the UN, we had to eat at the outside restaurant, which was still pretty good. I had tilapia, which was huge and they gave me the whole fish! It was really tasty!