Janet Checkley, University of Pittsburgh
“Are You Ready for CHOGM? The Preparations for CHOGM and the Effect on the Urban Poor in Kampala”
Bio: Janet was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After graduating from high school, Janet moved to south Philadelphia for a year to do community development work for a non-profit organization. In this setting, she developed a huge appreciation for the urban neighborhood and a deep desire to understand and address the symptoms and causes of urban poverty. Janet returned to Pittsburgh to attend the University of Pittsburgh, where she is currently an Urban Studies major. During her time at Pitt, Janet has been the president of the student Amnesty International chapter and an organizer for groups like Invisible Children and the ONE Campaign in the greater Pittsburgh community. During the fall of 2007, Janet traveled to Uganda with the School for International Training to study development, where she researched urban poverty in Kampala. In the summer of 2008, Janet traveled to Little Rock, Arkansas, as an Amnesty International Reebok Fellow and worked on the anti-death penalty campaign in that state. Janet is currently living in Pittsburgh again, and is completing her final year of undergrad work at Pitt. She hopes to go to law school for human rights law some day, but plans on taking time off from academics after she graduates from Pitt to do service or volunteer work in an urban setting for a couple of years.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the effects of the preparations for CHOGM on the urban poor in Kampala. The paper seeks to describe in detail how the development undertaken around the city to prepare for CHOGM has impacted the small business owners, petty traders, common laborers and working poor within the city.
To collect information, the researcher used three main methods of research: interviews, focus group discussions and observation. Other sources of information include the local newspapers and media, and through informal discussions with locals in and around Kampala, including local chairpersons and community volunteers. In this paper the author concludes that over all, the effects of CHOGM preparations on the urban poor are more negative than positive. Other topics discussed in the paper include the main challenges faced by the urban poor, the various attitudes surrounding CHOGM, and general observations on how the development for CHOGM was approached.
