Paremenides

Hope I'm not too late to the party! I spent a few months volunteering in Kampala, I loved it and I miss it.

Because you mentioned somewhere that you are christian, I'm wondering what you think of all the religious organizations in Uganda. It seems to me to be a place of extremism. It's great that people can find solace and positivity through a church, but there is just so much propaganda & corruption associated with the churches. HIV rates skyrocketing when the evangelicals decide condoms are bad, people being resigned to their HIV status because it's "god's will" (ummm no, god didn't will your husband to have unprotected sex with another person, and god didn't will your child to die because you don't have access to medical care). People in extreme poverty donating what they can so their church can build a massive crystal cathedral sized church and its leaders can get rich (I'm thinking of Watoto - yuck!). I've also heard of a lot of corruption at the lower level - bishops and ministers pocketing aid money or continuing to accept sponsorship money for kids who aren't actually enrolled in school. My time in Uganda has made me a lot more selective about the charities I give money to.

Corruption is everywhere in Uganda, not just in churches. And obviously many religious organizations are responsible for a lot of the aid that the country receives, and many organizations are genuinely working to improve living conditions. I guess I'm wondering if you think the churches do more harm or more good.

For those interested, David Suzuki did a radio interview on CBC about his time in a Japanese internment camp. David Suzuki is a prominent Canadian scientist, environmentalist, tv host and all around cool guy.

Also, here are some photos. They're mainly of the Japanese internment in Hastings Park, Vancouver. This is where many of the Japanese in BC were held before being sent east. There are buttons at the bottom that will allow you to see more pics.

I guess I did. So it was more of a rant than a question, sorry :)

I would love to see a Dateline style expose on Watoto. Its actually one of the few religious services I've been to in my life and it was fun, but it also angered me.

You probably aren't in the minority. The abstinence promoters are just more vocal. Actually when I was in Kampala, I organized an HIV testing and awareness event. We got a bunch of free condoms donated, but one of our partner organizations was firm that these condoms only be given out to individuals who received HIV testing :-/ I don't see the logic on that one.