Because I have none!

By Eda Cabaluna-Michaud

It was a beautiful morning as Mama Sarah and I took our morning walk along the Ibanda-Kamwenge Road. We tried to be regular in our morning exercise by walking about an hour before starting our day's work.

Along the way, we passed by children getting out from rough, gravel inner roads walking in the same direction as us. Children and adults alike took a pause from their walk to look at us as if wondering where we are heading to. Most of the children walked barefoot and I could not help asking the oldest of them.

"Because I have none!" was Caroline's quick reply when I asked why she walks barefoot. Caroline is 16 years old and a prefect in her school. I asked how far she had walked or how far is her house from school. She can't tell us the distance nor the time it takes her to school, but said it's very far! She walks to school  everyday.

Meet Caroline!

I noticed the clothes she wore  which turned out to be her school uniform was wet. "I washed it last night and didn't get dry," she explained, "and this is the only pair I have!"

I told her I want to be her friend and know her more so I invited her to come on Saturday and maybe after we talk or chat, we (with Mama Sarah) can walk her back to her house to meet her family. Mama Sarah had been very helpful in my conversations with children and folks as we do our morning walks.

Excited to talk with Caroline and know more about her!

Some of my friends from Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland have planned to put up a love basket during their care group meetings and encourage every one to drop some amount each time. Their goal is to save enough to give some children shoes so to make their daily walk to school feel a little better.

If you feel called to join us and share your blessings wih the barefoot school children in Western Uganda, please contact us at TCInternationalUS@gmail.com.

Changing paradigms - a step towards transformation

Changing paradigms of dependence and powerlessness to a paradigm of hope and belief in our dreams is the theme of next week's Board Meeting and Project Planning of Transformed Communities International (TCI) - Uganda which will run for three days in Kiburara, Ibanda District, Western Uganda. The meeting will also be attended by TCI President & Executive Director Eda Michaud.

A recent assessment facilitated by TCI-US together with the local leaders of the Covenant Global Ministries showed that one of the major obstacles to development is the unhelpful paradigm of dependence and resignation - "we are poor and there's nothing we can do" mentality.

"There is something we can do, and we should do something about our people's difficult situation," was what Pastor Moses, TCI-Uganda's Chairman of the Board told the local assessment team in July.

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What Is Paradigm Shift?

The concept ‘Paradigm shift’ dates back to 1962 when Thomas Kuhn, a well-known physicist, philosopher and historian of science, introduced the now-widespread term to countless settings. Paradigm shift means an important change in the way of thinking that leads to a change in the way of doing things. The same way that Khun puts paradigm shift in the field of science, it is the same paradigm shift that works in real, day to day life of groups and communities we help. Paradigm shift calls one to change the way he or she thinks and do things. When applied to poverty allevation, paradigm shift brings a sustained surge of hope and inspiration to the poor and needy that propels him or her to change the way they look at their ‘lack’ of many things into ‘haves and can do’ thinking. Such thinking provides an unexplained energy that inspires one experiencing a paradigm shift to change the way they do things. For a purpose. Yes, such change in thinking is always inspired by a purpose. A purpose for a better tomorrow. For a better future. Towards a personal mission and goals that come with the positive change in perspective. This is the paradigm shift I started in Western Uganda in October which now has more than 140 people benefiting and asking for more paradigm shift training and activities.

Very much tailored from the book ‘Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’ by Stephen Covey, the training normally runs for four days at 8 hours of sessions per day with eight modules that must be taken in the order listed below. No participants are allowed to join unless he or she begins with Module 1.

• Module 1 – Foundations

• Module 2 – My Desired Future (or Begin with the End in Mind)

• Module 3 – Be Proactive

• Module 4 – First Things First

• Module 5 – Think Win-Win

• Module 6 – Seek First to Understand Then to Be Understood

• Module 7 – Synergize

• Module 8 – Keeping the Goose Alive (Sharpen the Saw)

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Meet Eda Michaud

Eda has extensive leadership and management experience in a broad range of relief and development initiatives throughout Asia and the Pacific. She has spent 27 years with three international relief and development organizations: Catholic Relief Services, World Concern and ZOA International. As a development worker, Eda has worked with the poor in Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, China, Thailand, Afghanistan, North Korea and the Philippines and lived in seven of these countries.

It is due to her drive and experience that we are established as an organization!

TCI Uganda embarks on its first project!

Oct, 2019

Just two months from its conceptualization, Transformed Communities International (TCI) - Uganda is ready to implement its very first project, the “Capacity Building for TCI Uganda and KAOSS – Phase I”.

Eda Michaud, TCI US’ President & CEO arrived in Uganda on September 30th to provide both management and technical support to the project, working hand in hand with Pastor Moses, Chairman of TCI Uganda, his other Board members, staff and volunteers.

It was an exciting week for TCI Uganda to get Eda back to the country after her first visit in July. The first news Eda broke to Pastor Moses was the approval (by TCI-US) of TCI Uganda’s first project, the Capacity Building – Phase I.

When it’s God’s will, it surely will be done!

Both parties were not only committed to moving forward with the strategies they designed during the three-week assessment and planning workshop two months ago, both are ready to take on the work!

The Capacity Building Project – Phase I will work to build the skills of TCI staff, community leaders, teachers and students to help change people’s ways of seeing themselves as helpless individuals to a group endowed with talents and surrounded by resources they can use to address their underdevelopment and reach their desired future. Not the usual project that presents big funding and numbers of targets but definitely what the local leaders see as necessary to set a strong foundation to which future development projects can build on. There is no arguing to what local leaders believe as the best way to proceed– we always must remember and honor them as the real experts of their situation!

Join us in this exciting journey of transforming the lives of marginalized people in hard-to-reach communities in Western Uganda.