Quick update

I'm back in Kampala but just for the weekend. I leave for the field again very soon. Just enough time to wash some clothes, eat a pizza and take a shower with hot water.

This week I was with the P4P program (Purchase for Progress). It provides communities with seeds (of corn/ maize) in exchange for their work doing road rehabilitation. It also provides markets for the farmers to sell their product (the WFP buys it all and the road rehabilitation is really so the WFP can get trucks in). There is also some small business training for the farmers as well as some technical help. It was interesting to see. However, like most programs, this one has a few kinks to work out. It seems the intended beneficiaries don't really want to work and they don't want to work for seeds. They prefer good ol' cash money. So the program designers and donors (WFP) are working on making the necessary adjustments to make it work out. Since the program is just 2 months in, it's not unexpected there are a few bumps in the road. It was good to see that not every development project is perfect and what it looks like to listen to the needs of the community and adjust. I anticipate spending more time with this P4P program, but in a different region of the country where the attitudes of the people are different.