During the trip to Uganda, BAP was able to distribute a total of 102 bicycles to men and women of Kona Nwoya and Lulyango, located in Amuru District (previously part of Gulu). The people of these villages were internally displaced from the war and continue to live in IDP camps away from their farmlands. Many of the individuals who received bicycles are farmers who will be able to use their bike to travel to and from their farmland, as well as to transport their goods to market. Since most of these farmers have to walk between one and three hours to and from their farm per day, a bicycle will drastically improve their day-to-day lives by quickening their commute and by easing the burden of carrying crops. During the implementation of the Bicycles Against Poverty project, members learned many lessons through trial and error. A major change in our project was that at the time we went to the IDPs the government had started refusing unauthorized people to do any form of work within the camps. This was caused by some opportunists who took advantage of people by making promises they failed to keep. Therefore we needed to learn facts about the area, such as who needed to approve our project before we could begin. Due to this delay and our limited time in Gulu, we were somewhat rushed in the tasks we needed to accomplish. This caused a certain level of confusion among BAPers at the beginning of our time in Gulu. However, from this experience we learned a lot about the area, the people, and how the local government and non-governmental organizations function. This will be a huge advantage in planning and implementing for the continuation of the BAP project. Despite this confusion and slight disorganization, the BAP project was successful for two reasons. One was the determination of the members whose response was to work as hard as possible to overcome obstacles. The other reason our project plan was accomplished was due to the idea itself. Our main idea of giving bicycles to families in former IDP camps so they could more easily access farmland and social resources was very much in need by the people in the area. The project was immediately accepted by the residents of these camps which provided BAP members with the motivation to continue to work long and hard to ensure 102 bicycles were given to the rightful recipients. BAP employed translators to overcome the language barrier. Our initial contacts on the ground were able to find very knowledgeable local people who not only helped translate but also assisted us in writing the necessary letters to local officials to obtain permission to start our work in the camps. Most notably, all BAP documents were translated into the local language, Acholi, for maximum comprehension. The sustainability of this project rests on the fact that every beneficiary agreed by the signing of the terms and agreement of our program that they will pay back half the cost of the bicycle (shs 140,000) in 18 months maximum. This will be achieved through paying shs 4,000 every month. The money collected from the beneficiaries will be used to buy more bicycles for people in the community. Given that people will be paying back half the cost of the bicycles, the number of bicycles put back in the community will be halved after everyone in the pilot project has paid back. Our collaboration with the local officials proved very effective as well. While community members filled out applications, station was set up for the local councils where the applicants would go to get their applications stamped showing the approval of local council members. We ensured that the applicants were not charged for the stamps, and instead paid for them ourselves, in order to avoid conflict in case the applicant is not selected to receive a bicycle. The transportation of bicycles to the two villages proved to be difficult due to the rough roads and long distance from Gulu. The fact that we operated in the two villages of Lulyango and Kona Nwoya made a difference in operation. Starting our project in Kona Nwoya we tried to correct mistakes and apply lessons learned there to Lulyango. An example of such a lesson learned is the way in which we painted BAP logos, bike numbers and put stickers on the bicycles for easy identification. While in Kona Nwoya we attempted to do all this on the day of bicycle distribution, for Lulyango we were able to accomplish all of this ahead of time. In the BAP project, we defined peace as a calm state of mind brought about by economic sufficiency. We realized that one of the many facets of the war in Uganda was that rebel leader Joseph Kony was fighting against the government army whose soldiers were misusing their power by stealing cattle from the people they were meant to protect. We therefore believe that the better off a community is, the less likely it is to engage in war because the people understand that war results in the loss of property and wealth. As a result, the bicycles BAP distributed were not simply tools for economic development, but a source of joy and new beginnings for the beneficiaries and their neighbors. One of BAP's goals is conflict reconciliation because only by reconciling their violent pasts are people able to work together and improve their situation for the future. In order to meet this goal, two of BAP's five consultants are experts in the field of conflict management, which we feel is vital to the ultimate success of the project. The consultants can work on the ground to resolve disputes and send us feedback on how to improve this area of our project in the future. In addition, community members now understand that the future of the project depends on the success of the beneficiaries from the pilot project; thus beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries must work together to ensure repayments are met. During the war people did not leave their huts and were even less likely to work together in any type of circumstance. This project is changing the way both community members and BAP members see the world. After travelling to Gulu, we were exposed to the negative psychological and emotional effects of war. Even two years after fighting has ceased, people live in constant fear, a feeling that has become engrained in their psyche. Although the project cannot alter this reality immediately, we have seen how joy, excitement, gratefulness, and hope can break down looming fear. Through this project, we have come to believe that indeed the power to make a difference lies in our hands. True inspiration causes a change of heart and leads to action by the inspired; students in BAP are proud to say, they were truly inspired and as a result took action. BAP in Gulu, Uganda |