Damiano and Francesca are a couple of volunteers serving on Mivo in Burundi and in September they came to Iriir to visit us (in Karamoja). The purpose of the visit provided for them, a collection of 'information that would help them to draft a new project. To date the project in Burundi was addressed more to a 'social action aimed at' integration of the Batwa (pygmies who are leaving just forests) in other ethnic groups in the area, an action due to a wrong initial approach has always had a 'welfarist footprint. The new project involves a change of direction instead (already begun by Tania, Gabriel and Mark, ex-volunteers to Mivo) which will include the involvement of all ethnic groups in the area, also aimed at intensive agricultural activities, and that explains why of their visit.
During the week of the visit, there have been many exchanges at a professional level as those at the human level. The possibility of being able to compare with people who were doing our own experience, but in a completely different context, allowed one week to become a melting pot of ideas, doubts, fears and inspirations as well as a professional research, in fact led to a interior analysis fueled by external factors that had led to Damien and Francesca Iriir.
At the end of their presence in the Karamoja "Burundians" returned to Kampala, where Claudio would have made concrete with the preparation of the draft, thanks to information received here, but before leaving they did rip the promise that we would have returned the visit, also because during the exchange of one thing Iriir emerged that at project could be very interesting. In fact, in Burundi, Uganda, one of the biggest problems on the environment is deforestation, mainly caused by the 'uncontrolled use of wood as fuel.
in Karamoja, one of the solutions adopted to try to counter this problem, was
's introduction (which still continues) to' internal community, these particular energy-saving stoves.
These stoves are made entirely of traditional materials readily available on site such as sand, water, natural glue and fiber, and as well as bring significant practical benefits to the user, have a capacity of fuel savings of 60%.
About this, the thing that most struck me and Luke in a trade that week, was that in Burundi, at least in the area where Damien and Francesca work, had never heard of improved stoves.
And here we are then, one day in mid-October, sitting on a bus killer (bullets overloaded humans run at the speed of light along a street in the form of Hemmental for a period of about 14 hours, but this is an 'other story) that would lead us in Burundi. We decided to take with us one of our extension workers, the "Mustache" so that he taught to build the stoves to workers in the project Mivo. During our visit we re-establish a climate of sharing Iriir arisen for bringing our paths to new developments in both business and personal meanwhile continued the teachings of the mustache and the construction of the stoves.
the end of this international twinning I fully satisfied. I have known a country so different and fascinating, we have helped the development of a project, I learn more about two people personally and professionally interesting, but mostly I had confirmation of one thing: that the exchange and sharing are addressed with common sense 's only weapon available of those working for change, provided that this can be slow and at times as it may seem unattainable. I think in addition, that we should never stop questioning, we should never give us definitive answers, because only by so doing, you can leave the space open to dialogue with the different that would allow the change to take place.
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