A Trip Up Country in Uganda
A couple weeks back I got to go with some local NGO workers to Masaka, a town South-West of Kampala (the capital of Uganda and my new home).
My mission was to meet with some community-based organizations (CBOs), present the Firefly lamp and panel to them and see if I could identify a couple people who would like to become Firefly Solar Entrepreneurs and start micro-franchises in their communities. The groups were extremely excited about the product, and once they had all the information, they pulled together and chose someone from their group to go through the training and become a Firefly Entrepreneur.
These groups, who we have identified with the help of a couple Ugandan NGOs, will also play a part in the micro-franchise distribution model once it is established. The current roll of the group members has them circulating communities, educating people about health products (water treatment, mosquito nets, condoms, birth control pills, etc.), and income-generating activities so once their fellow group-members become Firefly Entrepreneurs, they will be able to help with awareness-raising and marketing.
I came away from a couple days in Masaka with 3 very enthusiastic fellows who will be starting training on August 18th.
Tourist note: On the way from Kampala to Masaka, my companions were nice enough to stop for a few minutes so I could do the tourist thing. The equator happens to run right across the road about half way between the two cities and so, of course, they have a line painted and some other photo opportunities. So I have officially set foot on the equator, and taken the obligatory cheesy photos.