It’s all about co-operation!

Ever since I first visited SALEM-Uganda few years ago, I have been struck by the sheer amount of work that happens there. I try to get back to visit every year and usually find that yet more projects have developed, more people are being helped and the village resonates with the buzz of determination against the twin challenges of poverty and climate change.

Part of SALEM’s success, I think, is that it believes in co-operation with other people and organisations.
It is co-operation that has made the huge tree planting project possible – 1,000,000 trees to be planted in three years in the surrounding three districts.
It is co-operation that has enabled the fledgling SALEM-Scotland to donate a little money and time to help SALEM-Uganda face some of its challenges.
It is co-operation with organisations such as Anamed International that has enabled so many learn how to grow and process their own medicines from plants – in places where there is often no alternative.

It was this last partnership that inspired me to study herbal medicine some years ago. The secure, village base of SALEM around the world coupled with the teaching programme of Anamed – Action for Natural Medicine – empowering many people to take more control over their health. So it was with great excitement that I agreed to assist Anamed to run a training programme at SALEM-Uganda in October.

The programme was the first of its kind – Anamed brought together active trainers from all over Uganda, Kenya and Congo. Why did they come to SALEM-Uganda? Because so much can be learned just by being there. Although I am clearly not part of the staff who work so hard in the village, it was still with a certain amount of SALEM pride that I organised tours of the compound and particularly of the herb garden and apiary. Our guests, a mixture of agriculturalists, ministers, nurses, doctors and midwives were immersed in SALEM culture for eight days and were very impressed with what they learned. Some commented on the leafy shade within SALEM that creates its own micro-climate. Others were extremely impressed with the medicinal herb garden. Others were touched by meeting the children in our home and reported back that the children were very happy and truly loved by the house parents. And almost all who, it must be said, worried about the lack of meat for such a long time (!) heaped praise upon the kitchen staff for such delicious food. Some even decided to reduce the amount of meat in their own diets because of the food they had enjoyed so much.

During my stay, I was also fortunate to be able to attend a board meeting and, I am pleased to report that at that meeting SALEM-Scotland and SALEM-Uganda signed our own co-operation agreement – yet another testament to partnership working in the future!

Pamela Spence, Director of SALEM-Scotland