If there is time I like to watch the worst soap I’ve ever seen called “Hidden Passion”. The acting and dubbing (I think it’s either a Brazilian or other South American soap) is so bad it is hilarious

PIH is also rolling out support for local health centers in several areas of Rwanda. These are local clinics that can serve populations of up to 20,000 people, and are the first point in the health system.

 I was prepared for most things (slats for windows, rock hard beds, mosquitoes galore) but even still, the freezing cold showers have taken some getting used to!

Just as I was warned, the minute I stepped off the plane in Kathmandu, it was sensory overload!  The constant traffic is controlled by the beeping of horns; whether you are in a wagon, bus, car, motorcycle, bicycle or on foot, getting from a to be is no mean feat.  

 Sharing my bathroom with a bat and eating rural Ugandan food.

First impressions of Ghana - colourful and noisy!

Some tips for those heading off to the land of a thousand hills

Sometimes, in some places, this is the way it is. Its worth remembering this. In other words you may not be able to achieve everything you set out to do..

But, did I achieve anything? Looking back, I think that’s a fruitless question. To answer it I might be led to try to measure everything and some things aren’t that measurable. 

Our next volunteer workshops will be held on Friday 10th September, 08th October & 12th November.

Now that France are out of the World Cup I support England !!

The organisation has managed to get by without Financial Reports or Budgets, but this is clearly inadequate for the growing organisation.

The work plan I had played out in my head beforehand was quickly ditched when the Finance Officer commented that the external audit was due to start in two days time...

I was too late to see England's first World Cup game against the USA. I later found out that this was actually a blessing.

Well the day of the gorilla trekking was an eventful and an unforgettable one for good and bad reasons.

I have now been in Cambodia for over three weeks, and every day brings new experiences and challenges...

 I was introduced to numerous family members – parents, in-laws, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and neighbours. They were all so delightfully friendly and welcoming. Old ladies who could barely walk came to greet me, and also to have a good stare. Some of them commented on my hairy arms!

When I first arrived I never thought I would have gotten Christopher the Accounting Clerk to systematically analyse every month for discrepancies and fix them.

So begins my most unusual stock take assessing the clothes we have for the street children whom we take over night care of at our shelter.

So as the first week draws to an end I am making good progress and I am pretty busy

Butterflies is an NGO that helps street children between the ages of six and fourteen to reintegrate themselves into mainstream Indian society by eventually getting an education and a decent job

As I expected, the people over here so far have been really friendly. I was greeted at Entebbe Airport with the banner “USDC welcome Mr. Mark”.

 I spent this evening with some of EduSport’s peer group leaders having an absolute ball!

Wednesday was St Patricks Day and because I was not at home in Dublin I brought an Irish scarf with me! Eric hung it proudly in the office.

I could happily listen to my Zambian friends all day – their stories are so inspiring. As much as I am supposed to be here to help them, I feel like they have a lot to teach me!

A field trip to a couple of farms was especially memorable. I was greeted by song and dance, and after speeches all round was given gifts of a carved stool and a 'leader's stick'.

DIZA’s primary aim is to support vulnerable and orphaned children and to find ‘god-parents’ to sponsor their education and sometimes their materials, clothes and food – depending on the child’s needs.

It was quite hard saying good bye to everyone and I really did feel quite sad, almost tearful. It has been quite an intense time at points for a variety of reasons, so saying farewell, for what might be the last time ever did seem quite sad.  

So the final meeting is over. I ran through what I had done my findings on existing systems and processes and the spreadsheets I had set up for control and reporting. It all was very well received and everyone seems pleased and enthusiastic to implement them.

In truth I am not sure I have achieved everything I wanted to but then I guess I was coming in blind so not sure what I actually expected to achieve. 

A lot of people say Hello, how are you as I am walking down the street, and they smile when I wave back and say hello, so generally the feeling is warm, and the Luganda I have learned has earned me respect.

Yesterday was quite a busy day as I got stuck in about all their invoices and payments. It really was back to basics for me with a pile of receipts, invoices, cheque requisition forms to name but a few..

The school is basically a disused outhouse building, which if it had been in this country, would long since have been knocked down and new flats built on it! 

Today Vivian, the Accounts Assistant, and I got down to the real work in hand, in front of an audience of little black ants running over the desk!

Kalki has recently undergone a change in management and I have been asked to review their current accounting system and their new financial policy. With two donors it is necessary to develop systems for recording the expenditure relating to these donors, information which can be reported to them monthly.

Within 30 minutes of my arrival, India began ticking all the boxes - near road-kill in the taxi from the airport (no mirrors but a very loud horn), cows wondering along the pavements, an elephant, two monkeys, 5 people looking very relaxed on one scooter and ladies dressed in amazing saris with flowers in their hair.

Work has been really great. I have almost finished with the basic bookkeeping course for the 3 girls who make up the clinical team.

We are seeking a number of volunteers to join a small interactive email forum to source and reconcile good practical advice for our small NGO partners. Click on the link above for more details.

Everything started moving very quickly when I began work at Uganda Coalition for Crisis Prevention (UCCP). On the first Monday morning, a progress update meeting was held with the management team.

My remit was to implement QuickBooks. This was going to be a tricky task in the timeframe however made even trickier having spent my first week in Dar without the package to commence work and never having had exposure to NGO accounting or QBs. 

Kilwa Masoko is located on a peninsula approx 7-8 hour drive south of Dar Es Salaam. Much of the journey is on tarmac roads, but approx 3 hours is spent rocking and rolling trying to get through a 180km stretch of mud which during the wet season can become impossible to get through.

The appreciation of everyone at CVD is the best way of knowing that I made a positive impact and that I was able to pass on my skills, experience and personality in the best possible way.

Saturday was my last day in Pader and much as I am happy to be leaving I will miss it in a strange way. I have got used to the place and people and grown to like it – if only for the short term.

The weekend gave me time to explore the local sights of Battambang, riding on a homemade bamboo train along Cambodia’s main railway line and cruising along the river where locals live off the land and have little, if any, material possessions, but bigger smiles than most!

As I hopped on the back of a tuk-tuk and zipped past the colorful sights and aromatic smells of the markets in central Battambang I didn’t know what the next couple of weeks had in store for me.

Apparently Gulu has a couple of nice coffee shops/cafes, an Indian and an Ethiopian restaurant, a few shops that sell Pringles and a large market where you can get fresh fruit. The vehicle was meant to be here this morning but it’s now 2.30pm and still no sign nor any idea what is happening. Africa time!

The guest house swimming pool disappeared overnight but alas wasn't replaced by running water in the rooms – Today even hotter than previous ones and apparently gets even hotter as we enter the dry season.

First full day of volunteer work. After further introductions and brief office induction, cleared work and personal emails and then had 3 hour meeting with Innocent to try to understand the programme strategy, the context of the programme, the role of the partners and the challenges.

Sunday. what an eye opener. I went to the 2^nd day of the Peer Leader Workshop that was being held at Chawala. This was being run by Alice, Bright and Lazarus, with Toxi taking a ‘guest speaker role.

I did cause a few curious glances, but most people who approached me simply wanted to say “Good Morning, How are you?” and shake your hand. One girl did ask for my £1.50 pair of flip flops, but was not prepared to trade in her trainers so that I had some thing to wear to go home!

I have a 20 minute walk along Kasungu’s dusty tracks before arriving at work at 7.40am. This gives me 22 minutes on the internet before the service provider closes it down.