Culminating Project Reflection e Sarah LaRose
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odfrey is 30 years old and lives in the town of Kasese in the southwestern part of Uganda. He is married and has three children, one of whom is currently in school. Godfrey owns a business, which he has run for five years, and to help expand this business, Godfrey has requested a loan of 1,500,000 UGX from Kiva partner, BRAC Uganda. The loan will be used to purchase more merchandise such as beer and sodas for resale. With the help of his loan from BRAC, Godfrey wishes to make more money to be able to pay for his children to go to school. In the future, he hopes to expand his business further.
Uganda is an African country slightly bigger than the state of Oregon that is located west of Kenya and east of Democratic Republic of the Congo. The country got its independence from the United Kingdom on October 9, 1962. It has a terrain that is mostly plateau with a rim of mountains. The capital of Uganda is Kampala. Uganda is a landlocked, fertile, and well-watered country with many lakes and rivers. English is its official national language, as it is taught in grade schools and is used in courts of law and by most newspapers. As of 2010, it has 144.2 square kilometers of irrigated land that is broken up as follows: 27.94% is arable land, 9.11% is permanent crops, and 62.95% is used for other things.
I cannot start to imagine how helpful it was for Godfrey to receive his loan request. He is now able to buy merchandise for his business, which will pay for his children to go to school one day. He is now able to more securely ensure a happy future for his family. Just knowing that I was a part of a group that could make an impact on his life is a thought that will keep me involved in organizations like Kiva. Godfrey is in Africa, I am in the United States, and we were still able to connect in a way that made us both very satisfied. The Avila students who were involved were able to affect a few different peoples’ lives who we never even would have known about otherwise. Kiva, and other programs like it, has opened doors that allow people across the globe to help each other have better lives. This is something that would have been unthinkable 50 years ago.
Works Cited “Central Intelligence Agency.” The World Factbook. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ug.html.
The current issues for the Ugandan environment are that the wetlands are being drained for agricultural use, deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion, and widespread poaching. Most women are beginning to have babies at the average age of 19, and the average life expectancy in Uganda is 54. Six and one-half percent of Ugandan adults have HIV/AIDS, which translates to about 1.2 million Ugandan citizens living with this disease. Seventy-three percent of the population that is 15 years old and older, are literate, but citizens stop going to school around the age of 11. Citizens gain suffrage when they turn 18. The Ugandan government has many similarities with the United States government. In loaning to Godfrey, I learned that helping people who cannot repay you is one of the most satisfactory feelings a person can have. Although technically Godfrey will be repaying his loan, the fundraising and amount of thought and effort that went into loaning to him is something that the Avila students did without needing or wanting repayment. It truly does make you feel good when you know you are helping someone who lives in a completely different country. Knowing your loan is helping parents pay for school for their children, making better lives for their families, and keeping themselves healthy and happy as well, is something I can take into my future. I can tell my children and others around me about this experience one day in hopes that my story of impacting someone will inspire them to do good for the people around them – or not around them.
Major: Prehealth Professions Hometown: Lee’s Summit, Mo.
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