Witnessing Change: Reflection on Visiting the Programs with ADP

Stanley with one of our beneficiaries, and now leader, Ms. Mary

To my amazement, Africa was nothing like I had envisioned from watching television—it was so much more than I ever imagined. Yes, it was very different from where I live, but not in the ways I had expected. The two countries we visited were extremely mountainous, green, and lush—truly beautiful.

What stood out most to me was how ingenious the people are. They do so much with so little. That alone was incredibly eye-opening. What also surprised me was that nearly everyone seemed to have a cell phone, even in the most rural communities. For some reason, that struck me deeply. Their use of mobile banking was especially enlightening—widely used not only in large cities but also in the rural areas.

The cooperatives we visited had all made improvements from the previous year—some small, some large—but all significant. I also noticed subtle changes in the management of the programs, which I believe were for the better. It gave me a real sense of growth and development, which is so important.

One of the most inspiring parts of the trip was seeing younger women stepping into leadership roles. Their enthusiasm and pride in their work were contagious. They were excited to share their progress and accomplishments, and rightfully so.

In Rwanda, we visited pepper cooperatives that had improved their greenhouse ventilation systems to boost production. More of the sites had also been certified, which is a huge achievement. It was inspiring to see how they tackled challenges in the growing process and figured out what worked best for higher yields.

When we traveled to Uganda, one cooperative in particular stood out—the mushroom cooperative. The transformation there was absolutely incredible. New buildings had been constructed, storage tanks and pumps installed—it was phenomenal. Honestly, if that had been the only site we visited, it still would have been worth the trip. The look on the cooperative leader’s face when I hugged her—so full of pride and joy—made everything worthwhile.

Of course, the entire trip was so well organized, and the cultural experiences we had were outstanding!

Cherrelyn and I decided to return on another trip because we had such an amazing time the first time around. It was truly special to witness a friend of ours leading a program with so much promise—and so much liberation—for women.

By: Stanley Napue