Back to my African Continent!

I’m sure you might be wondering who this is! Well, my name is Hester Bentil, born and raised in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. I’m a proud Ross MBA Candidate at the University of Michigan and WDI Fellow currently on my summer internship with “The Market Project”(TMP).Though from Africa, I have not been very much adventurous travelling around the Africa Continent. Thanks to the William Davidson Institute (WDI), I made my first expeditious trip to East Africa – Uganda! 

So about my journey so far….

I arrived in Uganda on the eve of May 19, had a 2 hour sleep and hit the ground running at 8:10 AM the next morning. For the most part of that day, I had to survive on water, coffee and energy drink (Sounds ridiculous huh!) I had four meetings in a row on that day (Yeah, it felt like taking classes back to back). I started my journey from Kampala (the Capital City) to Gulu (Northern Uganda) at 6:00AM in the morning and there was my smile early in the morning before getting on the bus, probably because I found a coffee shop (Java Café) that reminded me of Starbucks.  

My adventure on the bus…..

The pictures below are self-explanatory. Imagine an 8-hour journey by bus (nothing close to comfort) with no air conditioning, on a rough, very bumpy and dusty road to Gulu. My advice to any pregnant lady who intends to make this journey will be “Lady, please reconsider your decision!

In the Bus

Notwithstanding the obvious discomfort, I endured the journey by admiring nature, River Nile.

The Nile is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is 6,853 km (4,258 miles) long. The Nile is an "international" river as its water resources are shared by eleven countries, namely, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo-Kinshasa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt. In particular, the Nile is the primary water source of Egypt and Sudan.

Thanks to God, I arrived in Gulu safely, and embarked on my three consecutive meetings the next day. 

River Nile

Field work….

So let me tell you a little bit about TMP and my internship. TMP partners with established organizations caring for men and women rescued from trafficking, trauma and exploitation and provides robust business training, resources and mentoring to start and keep sustainable businesses and my role as a Market Research Analyst includes international and regional market research of African-made products. My field research began on an insightful note and has so far been a great experience, conducting interviews, surveys about timber / wooden products, the local and exports market for these products, supply-chain solutions, and seeking Capital Investors. All I think and dream about these days is everything that has to do with wood. Very soon you will see me in the forest cutting down trees or in the carpentry shop designing my own unique product. The Good news is, my market research and landscape assessment has kicked off on a good note and I will be sharing my experience with you as the days unfold.

On the fun side…..

I have discovered two favorite cafés with interesting names like “The Iron Donkey” and “Coffee hut”. Well, not only do they have interesting names, they pride themselves as the best coffee shops quiet close to international standards serving rich Ugandan coffee, sandwiches and cupcakes in locations with reliable and fast internet Wi-Fi complementary service. I guess you would better appreciate this after reading a little bit about Northern Uganda where Gulu is located. I will post pictures of my next visit to these favorite places of mine and I bet you would love it!

According to the Ugandan National Survey, Northern Uganda has a far greater population living below the poverty line than any other region of the country. Additionally, it has among the lowest level of literacy rates in the country, the lowest access to educational facilities, high unemployment and the highest teacher absenteeism. Yeah, there isn’t much to desire in Gulu as you can imagine.

Actually, the two areas in Northern Uganda most conflict-affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda (GoU) are Acholi and Lango located in Gulu. The people of Northern Uganda have numerous horrifying past experiences which include destruction and / or looting of properties, abduction, forced recruitment, forced disappearance, severe beating or torture, being deliberatively set on fire, being victims of and survivors of massacre and sexual abuse. I hope I didn’t create any panic! At least, you’d now appreciate my excitement at the coffee shop discovery earlier.  I’m safe and sound as these conflicts have ended. Northern Uganda is currently doing its best to pull the pieces of remnants together. The huts you see below are the current habitats of most people here in Gulu, with the hope of better living conditions as they continue to strive for economic emancipation. And as you can see, motor-cycles (commonly called boda-boda) is the only means of transportation within the city. 

Habitats

Street of Gulu

Street of Gulu

Street of Gulu

Currently, Gulu is considered by many as the “hottest” town with huge business opportunities! I have met a couple of expatriates who currently here and are considering a longer stay.

I’m glad to be part of the employment creation era in Gulu and I’m looking forward to making great impact within my period of stay here! In a nutshell, my first 2 weeks in Uganda has been full of hard work, exploration, adventure and mixed emotions!!!