Bryn Bogan in Uganda

In June 2015, SIPS funded Bryn Bogan (COL ’16) to travel both outside of the U.S. and by himself for the first time to Uganda. In Uganda, Bryn worked in the small town of Kitgum for the Gulu Agricultural Development Company (GADC). From the late 1980s until 2009, many Ugandan farmers were held in internal displacement camps, away from their fields. Not only did their vital fields end up in disarray during this time, but most of the people who had been working in the fields over time had little to no experience in farming these crop. To help remedy these issues, the GADC serves as guaranteed buyers for certain crops from farms in Uganda and partners with various NGOs to develop long-term training tools for farmers. 

Bryn was first faced with the task of research. At the time of his arrival in Kitgum, the GADC’s training tools for these farmers were essentially a myriad of Word documents, a less than conducive medium for farmers to properly learn the skills necessary to achieve success. To help rectify this situation, Bryn spoke with various farmers and worked with other GADC employees to create PowerPoints, handouts, and pamphlets in easy-to-understand English terminology. Throughout the summer, Bryn continued to build upon those training tools. At various points, he traveled out into the field to witness firsthand how well the training tools were being implemented, evaluating his impact on a micro scale. To help even more, Bryn developed assessment tools to ensure that the proper and necessary information was being conveyed to the farmers who need it.

After returning back to the U.S. in August, Bryn continues to stay in touch with GADC and do work remotely, still helping the company use the research and work that he completed to best benefit those who need it the most in the Ugandan communities.