Uganda, land of beauty, is riddled with dark spots.
President Yoweri Museveni, elected January 1986, currently serves his 26th year in office. Before the 2006 elections, Museveni loosened the constitutional strictures binding presidential term limits, and in 2011, he won with a 68 percent majority. The opposition cried corruption. And while Uganda?s economy grew under Museveni, poverty levels also increased.
Women suffered profoundly, unable in their lack of rights to protect or provide for themselves; they became sex-slaves, many were raped, and still others farm rigorously for little to no income. AIDs, Joseph Kony, fraud, poverty, and a non-existent middle class each injects a distinct poison into what should be a growing, hardy economy.
Federal programs, humanitarian causes and Christian outreach all attempt to bolster Uganda and alleviate the pain of a continual crawl.
TAPP (Tumaini Aids Prevention Program) began as an inner Ugandan effort to assist and encourage women dealing with the emotional, physical and societal effects of HIV and AIDs.
Colleen Stevenson, Church of God missionary to Uganda, founded the outreach effort.
Most people see the American side of business: TAPP USA. The Falls School of Business undertook TAPP in 2007, and now, according to the Falls Experiential Learning webpage, ?hosts the business as a way of creating a market for products made in Uganda in the United States. The funds assist in providing for the financial needs of families in Africa.?
The website also said, ?TAPP USA advocates for a more just world from the bottom up, offering a sound education in business as mission while exploring intersections of faith and social justice, and learning how to be sustainable along the way.?
TAPP USA sells hand-crafted Ugandan beads and jewelry in an effort to foster ?economic empowerment and creating space for relationships to transform through stories and cross-cultural friendship.?
However, according to Colleen Stevenson and Jennie McMullin, junior Christian Ministries major who interned with Stevenson this summer, however, TAPP encompasses far more than the business school realizes.
?There?s a lot more to TAPP than just beads,? said Stevenson.
In reality, TAPP encompasses and cares for hundreds of women by teaching viable economic and survival skills. The program focuses on a holistic approach, whether selling vegetables and charcoal or teaching the basics of tailoring and bead making.
Currently, Stevenson is initiating an exciting development. Three women are given keys and a box with a lock.
?They meet and put money into this box for savings. It?s a very affective program because it?s a real support. I cannot emphasize enough, TAPP is more than just beads.
?There are six bead making centers covered by TAPP USA. However, there are over 40 centers [producing] beads. With the purchasing of beads, what we?ve found is it?s for sure not enough to keep people functioning on a good level. It?s just an assistance to get their daily food or to help toward rent or school fees.
?There are so many groups out there that want to open bead making centers. Even in the States there?s a glut on the market. And that?s why we?ve included a variety of different projects.?
The business school, however, remains unaware of the greater scope of its adopted project. TAPP USA continually frustrates Stevenson?s plans for greater expansion and involvement because of poor communication and little to no interest in the Ugandan women themselves.
?Truthfully, I must say there hasn?t been any relationship; I?ve had maybe two emails asking who I was [since 2007]. We?ve tried to get some of these people to come to Uganda to find out what TAPP really is, but most don?t really understand it. They support this thing in name but there?s really no relationship. If you ask any of them what TAPP was they?d have a hard time understanding. Jennie [McMullin] didn?t even know.?
McMullin said she had ?known about TAPP for a long time, seeing as I?m a Church of God kid and there are times of great promotion.?
A summer with Stevenson and the women of TAPP changed her perspective.
McMullin conveyed the women?s gratitude toward the FSB?s efforts, saying, ?I know these women are grateful for whatever we can do for them. They truly do deserve the income and their product sold. I honestly think that whomever is making these decisions needs to meet these women or hear their stories from the multiple people here at Anderson that have encountered TAPP women. We are a campus full of missions-hearted people that have been to Uganda. We?ve met the men and women and we need to passionately tell their stories for them, because their stories deserve to be told. These women are incredible.
?If we want things to change, though, we have got to speak up. This is a matter of someone?s life. We have such an amazing opportunity here to help so many women across the world have a better life, and we need to do the best we can with what we have to help our sisters in Christ. I?m saying, let?s use our advantage to help these women who are fighting to take care of their children.
?I can?t stress enough, these women work harder than anything. They care and love deeply, and would welcome any of us gladly. There just needs to be a connection with the women. It is hard to ignore an issue if you are looking it in their face; seeing their children and hearing about their dreams.?
Stevenson agreed. Fixing the flaws on the American side of the program will require effort, but it is entirely within reach. ?How are you supporting TAPP?? asked Stevenson. ?How are you being more interactive? There?s so much more we can do once you connect with someone. A small internship, making a connection with the people they?re talking about, seeing who these people are, getting that webpage up and running, mini-interviews and realizing there?s more to TAPP than just beads. We?ve got theatre, music, dance programs.?
?Don?t give up,? she emphasized. ?Try to work it through. The biggest challenge is taking time out and sending people to see what they?re supporting. Because now, there is no existing connection. I think they would be interested in a better one.?
Issue No. 4 of the Andersonian (Oct. 3) will include an article focusing on a Ugandan woman?s TAPP success story.
The representatives of TAPP USA were unavailable for comment.
Source: http://andersonian.com/2012/09/19/poor-relations-between-countries-program/
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