Architects Without Borders Canada

“To do something, however small, to make others happier and better, is the highest ambition, the most elevating hope, which can inspire a human being.” (John Lubbock)

I have always felt an obligation to accomplish something important, to give something back to the world that has given me so much. As a child and throughout my life I have been given the opportunity to travel the world and have been deeply shaped by it. Part of that discovery was that Architecture could give me the tools and opportunities to make a real impact on people's lives. I felt that this course would give me a chance for personal fulfillment by offering myself to others in the form of service, hard work, and dedication.

The weeks leading up to our departure for Uganda were full of anticipation – anticipation for the unknown. I had no clear understanding of what to expect from this journey, beyond the opportunity that the course description had outlined. Together we would be designing and building a small community project in a fishing village called Katebo, located on the banks of Lake Victoria in Uganda. It would be a collaborative process between my fellow students, instructors, a local non-government organization called African Child Foundation, the community, local trades people, and consultants.

The real question was what would happen when you take eleven university students, varied in age, education, and life experience, and send them to live and work together in rural Uganda for a month, without running water or electricity? I realized that it was best not to speculate. Paul Theroux once said: “True travel is launching oneself into the unknown. There is no excuse for it except that one offers oneself in a spirit of experiment.”

Reciprocal Learning
The first day that we visited the site in Katebo, the foundations seemed finished and the walls were already coming up. In that instant, I realized that I had no idea how this process was going to work, what order things would be done, or what my role was supposed to be. I came to Katebo with the intention of providing a design service that years of education and life experience had supposedly prepared me for. The beauty of reciprocal learning was that I discovered early on that I had at least as much to learn as I had knowledge to offer.

At the forefront of this experience was the team of local craftsman that we were working with, whom despite language barriers, some initial caution, and wage disputes, were willing and open to teaching us and learning from us throughout the course of the project. I appreciated that although they had never worked alongside women on a construction site before, they never made an issue of it. They were willing to teach and work with us all on equal terms. There were few things that could not be solved by through observation, simple drawings, trial and error, and patience. Laughter was also a constant on the site, and one of the strongest binding forces in our relationship.

Hands-On
One of the benefits of this service learning course was the opportunity to design outside of the traditional studio environment. Through this experience we were able to discover the constraints and possibilities of building with our own hands. You begin to realize that without a back-hoe, it takes over a week to haul enough dirt to fill in a shallow foundation. Even making concrete requires chipping your own gravel and pushing bags of cement on the back of a bicycle. Each wheelbarrow load, each swing of a hoe gives you a stronger understanding of the materials and connection to the process of 'making'.

This direct and interactive understanding of 'making' also influences the design process. In our case, we began to understand and accept our own limitations. The realization that ensued was that our reality had situated us back to the basics of simple, uncomplicated design. The greatest discovery was that that reality did not limit creativity or our ability to give something special to the community.  

Giving up the infamous Architect's ego is imperative to both service learning and collaborative design, as it offers us a different set of circumstances whereby we have to accept that things do not always go as planned. It is about balancing design rigour with the ability to let your ideas develop into something totally different from what you initially imagined. It is about pushing the envelope with smaller details rather than bold statements. It is about trying to improve what already exists rather than creating something completely new. It is that cultural understanding that if something has been done a certain way for a long time, there is probably a reason for it.

Confronting Poverty
Although most of our experience in Katebo was wonderful, it also had its share of frustrations. It was frustrating when things were not getting done, even though we were working as hard as we could or waking up to pouring rain for what felt like a week. It was frustrating waiting for materials to show up or vehicles to arrive. It was frustrating that the workers' did not get paid for four weeks and had no choice but to stop working. It was frustrating when your body felt weak or your head was out of the game and you could not contribute as you wanted to. But perhaps the most frustrating thing of all was the poverty.

Living in Katebo has brought me closer to poverty than I have even been in my life and I think part of me found it difficult to confront the level of suffering. The truth is that this village has been ravaged by AIDS, that nearly an entire generation has been lost to this pandemic, leaving the next generation orphaned or in the care of elderly relatives. Access to basic medical services and doctor's is minimal. Many of the children seem to live off of sugarcane, sometimes their only meal is a cup of porridge at school. They are hungry, their families have little money, and they do not have enough food to eat. Although clean and put together, most of the children come to school each day with the same ripped clothes and without shoes on their feet. The hardest part seems to be that their suffering cannot be blamed on a lack of effort. The people here work incredibly hard just to make it through the obstacles of daily life.

Faced with such imagery, it can be difficult to feel like we can make any sort of dent or difference. Some people even began to question whether what we are doing is even valuable. Personally, I had to constantly remind myself that any action, no matter how big or how small, can help improve people's lives and that change cannot happen overnight. The library may just seem like a building right now, but that building is going to be used to educate, and that education will give the children of this village a chance to protect and support themselves in the future. At least that is the belief that I have to hold onto.

If you were to look at these scenes alone, it would indeed paint a bleak picture of village life in Katebo. However, there is another, more beautiful side to this story as well. There may be poverty in Katebo, but there is also a richness of spirit that is often missing back home. This spirit is expressed particularly through the attitude of the people, who for the most part were warm and friendly, despite what one might consider difficult situations. They are intensely spiritual people, who may not have much, but are more than generous in sharing what they do have. The women here seem to display incredible courage and strength, whether it is by hauling a gerrycan full of water in one hand, a baby on their back, and a basket of supplies on their head, or whether they are raising money by making beads and mats in the Women's Empowerment group.

The children in particular brought a joy to this experience that no one else could have provided. Each day I looked forward to the hugs from Junior or swinging hand-in-hand with Teddy, to our after-dinner dance parties with David and Anouk, and to the school children chanting “Mzungu” with big smiles and bright eyes. There were always at least a few children on site with us, eager to hang out and willing to help in any way they could. Everyone here seems to find a way to use colour, music, singing, dance, play, laughter, and kindness to bring light into their lives.

To understand the collective impact of what all of our experiences in Uganda have had would be near impossible. I think that they we will continue to influence our lives in ways unexpected and moments unknown. I came here with the intention of finding responsibility, use, and some sort of purpose. What I discovered was that my purpose for coming here was to learn about each other, to learn about the people of Katebo, and to participate in something meaningful. We had to cope with the frustrations and the harsh realities of issues beyond our control, but in the end we were proud of what we had accomplished.

Looking back at those four weeks, it is amazing to see the relationships that have developed, not only between the students and instructors, but also between the local workers and the community as well. Time is an incredible phenomena. Being here has allowed us to serve another community and it makes me happy to be able to do it. It is an amazing thing to do. In-turn, by immersing ourselves in this project and culture, we have been given the gift of experience and knowledge. Though travelling allows you to explore and appreciate new places and cultures, my experiences here have also allowed me to gain a new respect for home. Though a few tears fell as we left the village, I was looking forward to the comforts of my house, my family and my friends.

This is not the end of a journey however. The objective that has been constant throughout my education is that of allowing the process to guide you. The phenomenal experiences I had in Uganda are all apart of the journey that continues to shape my life.