July 3, 2009 (continued...)

Today we visited Invisible Children’s EDI (Economic Development Initiative) Programs on the ground. We first visited the VSLA group to see how micro-financing is helping them generate new capital. The group was very excited for us to visit and gave us a warm thank you when we left. While we were there we watched as they held a meeting and deposited money that they had saved over the week. They had even come together and created a welfare program that they contributed to each week so that if a person in their village had an emergency they had funds to fall back on. It was great to see how well the program was working. As the years pass more capital will be gained and they will come out of poverty.

We then went to visit the MEND Program after dropping Andrew off at the Gulu Clinic because he was suffering from a poisonous spider bite he had received the night before. MEND is a new EDI program formed under Invisible Children. Thirteen women make bags that will be sold in the United States and around the world. The head director of the program used to design for Tommy Hillfiger, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren; it’s pretty cool. The women were all very nice and seem to really enjoy their work. They are all formerly abducted/war effected women that are recovering from an extremely difficult past.

After leaving MEND we stopped in to check up on Andrew only to discover he was on a steroid IV and wouldn’t be able to join us for a few more hours. We went to lunch at a little cafe in town where I had rice and beans; they were delicious. We then made our was to a village to visit a cotton EDI program. In this program farmers are given free cotton seed that they then grow and sell to Invisible Children (who buys it at a fair price). Invisible Children then sells the cotton to Eden, a clothing company that makes clothes out of organic cotton. I fell asleep during our trip to the village but woke to the sound of singing joyful voices. As I looked out the window I could see the dancing women leading us through the bush to their huts. We pulled up to the village and the whole community was dancing and singing. They sat us down after about 4 songs and thanked us for coming. They then led us into the field to plant cotton. We weren’t great at it, but we did our best.

The day had been long, the sun was beating on our backs, and we were ready to go to the market to pick up our things. When we got to the market I discovered that the woman who made my dress wasn’t there! So, I’ll have to figure out a way to pick it up tomorrow. I did pick up a halter-top I ordered though and bought some headbands and bags. Once we all met up and loaded into the matatu we went to an African Cradt Shop who’s profits supported local women with HIV/Aids.

We then headed home and ate/packed up all out things because bright and early Sunday morning we leave for Murchison! I talked to my Mom tonight and apparently it’s been raining since I left. I hope it stops raining by the time I get back.