Pacey Economics Sponsoring Ugandan Village

I was fortunate enough to fulfill a long-standing dream to trek gorillas in the Impenetrable Forests of Uganda--and did so just before COVID closed everyone's borders!  It was a fascinating trip--trekking 5 to 10 hours a day through beautiful  pristine forests and meeting many wonderful Ugandans--both in the villages and at our lovely lodges (clearly designed for the tourist).   Not surprising to those of you who know me, I spent quite a bit of my time learning about the Ugandan economy and in particular, its people and its labor market.  A substantial percent of the lodge fees go to its local village to support the schools and medical/hospital care for the village--so much of the rural populace are becoming educated and staying healthy.    Generally, a village family has a small plot of land to farm for self-sustaining purposes and/or to sell to the local lodges or exchange their products with other villagers and some are fortunate enough to be porters or trekkers.  However, there are many more trekkers/porters than the demand and the average annual wages for these villagers is some $200 per year.  The only "modern" device owned by a few of the villagers is a cell phone--which is used to arrange trekking/porter work  and for community purposes.

I met Vicent--pictured below on the far left-- as he was my porter as we trekked gorillas in the Impenetrable Forest.  He is a charming young man, well-spoken, well-informed and very curious about the world.  Yet due to life's opportunities in Uganda, he and his villagers are disadvantaged and he appears to be a leader in his community--taking care of many --both family and neighbors.  The Ugandans have sustained serious setbacks due to COVID shutting down tourism  operations and also injring many villagers,  plus a locust infestation this spring wiped out  their summer crops, and then after replanting a drought, followed by torrential rains taking their latest crops.   In a word, the village is starving and Vicent, in desperation, contacted me for assistance.


I became endeared with these happy and lovely people--as you can see from the photos!  I have sent money to help them--but it is not enough so --as I attempt to enter the 21st century-- I have had my Pacey Economics team--the younger generation--show me how to set up a GoFundMe-- to seek some additional aid!! 



I am hoping you will find it in your heart (that's the easy part) and in your pocket book (a bit harder) to make a small contribution ($10, $20, or whatever you are comfortable with) to this village so they could purchase seed and replant!  

Thank you so much for your support!


The Pacey Economics, Inc. Team