Corruption

I've been busy planning World Malaria Day over the last several weeks. World Malaria Day in this Sunday the 25th of April. I'm working with a local CBO (Community Based Organization) and we've invited other organziations to partner with us in making a health fair focused on malaria at the local football field. We're going to have an awareness march from the local hospital to the football field and then a program and fair.

There has been a lot of busy work taking invitations out, finding organizations who have resources we need and covering all our bases as far as protocol is concerned. Since we are having a march the police need to be informed and traffice officers must come with us. Great! When we went to the police to tell them of our event they had no problems and as we were leaving, mentioned how we'd have to be sure to provide lunch and a little "something" for the officers who would be working with us that day. Now, in the States you are paid for your job and you do it. In Uganda you are paid for your job, you don't always do it and if you do you still expect some bribary. We really have to bribe the police to do their job? I told our group we should just not have them. Everyone was horrified and informed me that if we didn't they would then arrest us for having an illegal event and we'd pay a much bigger fine then simply giving them, "a little something."

If you want to get anything done, you have to accept corruption. At least to some degree. And so, the cycle of corruption continues.