On Sunday evening, we picked up copies of the first 20 of the 56 case files on which we would be working this week and got to work. We broke into five teams, each of which consisted of an American lawyer, Ugandan lawyer, two Pepperdine students, and a Ugandan law student. Here are the American […]
Each of Friday’s meetings went according to plan, though the day started off with a regrettable run-in with the local police. On my way to meet with Uganda’s Director of Public Prosecutions in the morning, I was going to pick up John Niemeyer on the road near where he was staying in town. As usual, […]
I Bought a Rolex . . . and Ate It On Wednesday morning, I went for a run on a dirt road by Lake Victoria – the largest lake in the world. The air was clean and crisp, if not a bit muggy. What seemed like such a good and healthy idea quickly turned south. […]
On Sunday, Joline, Jessica, and I hopped on a flight out of Los Angeles bound for Kampala. Since we returned from our six-month sabbatical in Uganda, Jessica and Joline have been yearning to get back to the medical clinic work with which they were so heavily involved previously. Jessica graduated from High School (bound for […]
Since we started the J-FASTER juvenile justice project early last year, the Uganda Christian Lawyer’s Fraternity (UCLF) has provided legal representation for the children imprisoned in the remand home in Kampala. Just before I left Uganda last June, Shane Michael (Nootbaar Fellow) and I prepared and submitted a funding proposal to the Danish government on […]
The day I have been praying about and preparing for over the course of three years finally arrived. This morning I awoke at 2:00 a.m. to the kind of thunderstorms I have only experienced in Africa. They are Biblical in proportions. In addition to the bunker-busting thunder strikes, I could hear the showers ricocheting off […]
I set off early on Sunday morning so I could see Henry when he got out of the church service at his school. We spent an hour or so running through what was scheduled to happen on Tuesday at the oral argument. In many ways, it was the visually impaired leading the one without eyes […]
One of the most surprising things I learned about Uganda when I moved here in 2012 for six months was the shockingly low cost of human capital. While goods imported from Europe or the United States are quite expensive here, the cost of goods and services produced and delivered locally is miniscule. It is literally […]
I rarely get lost, but when I do, I am not particularly receptive to requests to pull over for directions. This is one of my many faults. I am not sure if this allergy to being told I am lost is genetic or environmental. Either would work in my case – I grew up at […]
It took until I was 42 before I left my comfort zone to try to help others who weren’t blessed with the same opportunities my family and culture afforded me. I often lament the fact that I waited so long, and I am grateful that my children have jumped in early. Perhaps I am subconsciously […]
