Two days before wheels hit Istanbul tarmac. One Ebola outbreak in the rearview mirror. One cooperative in Kamuli launched. One very impatient bike in the garage.
Some trips go to plan. This one didn’t — and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
When the Ebola alert came through while I was in Kamuli, Uganda, the safest thing would have been to leave. Pack the bag, catch the first flight, deal with it from a safe distance. My colleague Uwe and I stayed. Not out of recklessness — but because we felt the risk to be moderate and we were a couple of days away from something that had taken months to build.
That something was the official launch of Nyota Lifeline, a cooperative built to give women and youth in Kamuli District the tools — the mindset, the skills, the market access — to run businesses that actually last. Not businesses that collapse under the weight of a family of eleven, like the one that inspired founder Alex Adiaka to start all of this in the first place. Businesses that hold.
The day before the launch, the team drove out to Bulondo Village, our pilot community. We sat outdoors with nearly a hundred villagers — elders, women, youth, local leaders — and we talked. We shared the plan for an agricultural cooperative, a farmers market, hands-on training, and coaching. But more than presenting, we listened. That’s the part that doesn’t make the press release but makes everything else possible.
The North Star (Nyota) we have developed for the cooperative is “Eisanu n’obulamu obulungi mu kyalo kya Bulondo” — Happiness and good life in the village of Bulondo.
You could feel it in the air that afternoon. After the meeting, they took us on a tour of the farmland and the fish ponds. All that potential, right there under the equatorial sun.
One day later, the launch happened. About a hundred guests. A lot of energy. A lot of hope. But just a start.
Will the cooperative pull through? We will see and we shall continue working together with the great team in Kamuli to convince our investor about the viability and sustainability of our business model.
So. That was Uganda. Now I’m back home, there’s still red soil on my shoes, and standing in the corner of my garage — looking far too calm for what it’s about to go through — is Rosinante IV.
Tomorrow I fly to Istanbul with Rosinante IV checked into the hold. The plan from there is simple: Since ten years I am cycling around the world going East. This time through Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaidschan, across the Caspian Sea all the way to Aqtau, Kazakhstan.
Around three thousand kilometres to cover in six weeks.
Why: To raise awareness and donations for the important work of our Cosmikk-Foundation. The Cosmikk Foundation funds professional coaching for leaders of humanitarian NGOs in crisis areas. One coaching mandate costs €500 and can change the trajectory of an entire organisation. If this story moved you even slightly, consider becoming part of it.
Donate here — or share this post with someone who might.
Better Leadership. Better Organizations. Better World.