Getting to work!

So many of you may or may not know what the heck I’m doing here. Well we are more than less still figuring that out. But the good news is, the picture of my purpose here is becoming more and more clear. So quick overview: I am here doing work for a non profit organization called M.A.P.L.E. We were formed just over a year ago by three University of Oregon students, therefore our mission statement is still ever changing; however, we would ultimately like to give microloans and provide our clients with business training and possibly mentorship opportunities. By partnering new entrepreneurs with business students (ideally Ugandan...eventually) we hope to help them develop a more successful business and allow them to escape poverty. So in our first steps to develop a training program, we are working with a SACCO called Mbale United Womens Assocation, in very short, it is a savings group, where members put a little money into the pot every month and when they need a big sum of money they borrow it from the group.
Today, myself and the two new arrivals Emily and Shawna got to visit and interview five of the SACCO members businesses along with the leader and creator of the group, Vironica (who told us we are about to get a lot of new Aunties!) And we kind of figured out of next move. We asked the women what kind of skills they would be interested in learning more about, which generally was some form of book keeping, saving strategies, investing and expanding their businesses. So we set a date and on the 25th of this month we will have a big meeting with all the members to further discuss what they want to learn about and for an official meet and greet. Then we are going to develop a curriculum for weekend workshops where members will come once a week and learn more about creating a successful business. The whole task can be pretty daunting, but after meeting these women, I am absolutely going to do the best I can to help them. They seem to have faith in me, so now I just to find a little bit more in myself and see what we can do :)