海角大神

Welcome to Rethinking the News, from 海角大神. I鈥檓 Clay Collins, one of its editors. Here鈥檚 another episode of People Making a Difference, an audio extension of the Monitor鈥檚 long-running聽series about individuals and organizations working to advance progress. You鈥檒l hear the backstories of some of the people you may have read about in the Monitor 鈥� and the stories of others you haven鈥檛 yet met. These episodes are hosted by Dave Scott, the Monitor鈥檚 audience engagement editor.

Dave Scott: That鈥檚 Ojok Okello. And the community he鈥檚 talking about is not yet a city, but a small village in Uganda. In a little over two years, he started to transform this community adding a preschool, a store, an adult literacy program, and a shea butter co-op, a boxing club, and more.

Welcome to 鈥淧eople Making a Difference,鈥� a podcast about people who are, step-by-step, making a better world.

I鈥檓 Dave Scott.

Welcome, Ojok!

Dave Scott: You鈥檝e called this effort . We鈥檙e going to get into the remarkable details of all that, but let鈥檚 back up for a moment and talk about your personal history, the personal journey you鈥檝e taken. What led you to that remote village of 4,000 people in Northern Uganda, where your father once lived.

Dave Scott: Ojok spoke to us from his home in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, where you can hear some construction going on in the background. But he is uniquely qualified to 鈥渄o something鈥� for his father鈥檚 village. He has two master鈥檚 degrees relating to rural development, including one from the London School of Economics. And he spent more than a decade working for various NGOs. He started this project modestly, by building a small hut for himself on his father鈥檚 land and even a smaller adjacent hut or utility shed.

But that鈥檚 when the magic began.

Dave Scott:聽And once the parents saw that the preschool was working for their children, then the community changes began to snowball from there.

Dave Scott: The Okere City Project was off to an impressive start in just a few months. The preschool, adult literacy, and village bank were up and running. But Ojok was an outsider. Yes, it was his father鈥檚 ancestral village, but he鈥檇 been gone for decades and Ojok hadn鈥檛 grown up there. So he really was a stranger. I asked him how he gained the respect of the villagers and got people to listen to him.

Dave Scott:聽Ojok helped refine ideas and work with the villagers during many community meetings. And then the idea came to start a shea butter co-op, or cooperative.

Dave Scott:聽And in this Ugandan village, women do most of the harvesting of the shea nuts and make oil out of the nuts for their own use. Then, they sell the rest to middlemen at regional markets. So, the co-op was seen as a possible path to pool resources and reach economies of scale. And they鈥檝e already had some success.

In July of 2020, during the pandemic lockdown, the village co-op marketed a shea butter hair product 鈥� mostly through social media. By December, they had made a net profit of $2,000.

Dave Scott:聽But the shea butter co-op is well, it鈥檚 more than a business. It also helps the women build a more sustainable income and save the shea trees. In other words Ojok says there鈥檚 a direct correlation between the shea butter co-op, more gender equity, and [in] reducing deforestation.

Dave Scott: I know it鈥檚 early days for the shea butter co-op but you鈥檝e actually stopped some trees from being cut down. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Dave Scott:聽Starting and especially sustaining a social enterprise like the one in Okere City is difficult. Ojok has been paying for many of these programs out of his own pocket. I asked him if that financial burden was sustainable.

Dave Scott:聽In fact, Ojok has written more than 100 grant proposals, seeking outside funding for the Okere City Project. But all but one, have been rejected. Most donors, he told me, didn鈥檛 believe that some 鈥渃razy guy in the middle of nowhere鈥� was accomplishing all this.

Dave Scott:聽At one point Ojok became so discouraged about seeking outside funding that he just stopped writing grant proposals. He found it too discouraging. But in recent months, he got some media coverage: In the Guardian in the U.K. and in 海角大神. And that [attention] has helped lift spirits and attract a few investors.

Dave Scott: As he鈥檚 worked with the villagers and they built everything from fresh water wells, solar electricity panels, and a community cinema and church. I asked Ojok what qualities he鈥檚 seen in the villagers that have contributed to this progress.

Dave Scott:聽Given all that he鈥檚 accomplished, I asked Ojok what advice [did he] have for those who want to be agents of change, people who want to bring hope to their communities. And what鈥檚 needed to keep his project going.

Dave Scott:聽And if our listeners are interested in supporting your work?

Dave Scott:聽Ojok has accomplished a lot in his father鈥檚 village in just a short amount of time. But what impressed me was the power of his humility and his willingness to listen. He put aside his master鈥檚 degrees and outside experience, and let the community brainstorm, steer, and execute. He filled the role of facilitator, recognizing their strengths and nurturing their dreams.

So here鈥檚 this week鈥檚 challenge. Ask yourself: 鈥淲hat would I do to help in the city or town or village where my parents or grandparents grew up? Do you know that town? What do they need?鈥�

If you鈥檙e not sure, you might check the website聽. The site may offer ways that you can help out in your ancestral city or town. Then, let me know how it goes. Call me at (617) 450-2410 and leave me a voice message about what happened. That鈥檚 (617) 450-2410.

Thanks for listening to 鈥淧eople Making a Difference,鈥� a podcast about people who are, step-by-step, making a better world.

Produced by 海角大神. Copyright 2021.

END