After 11 days of training, I can say that I am not the same.

Beyond the knowledge of quantitative methods that I got from school, I have learnt qualitative methods.

I have learnt that numbers do not necessarily show what a person is going through.

I got the opportunity to actually go out and understand situations an actual person is facing.

I have had a real encounter with a blind man. A visually impaired person (VIP).

I have learnt that I do not need to work in an organization to be able to tell about what people are going through. I can just use social media to do so.

I have learnt that I can help bring out the situations people are going through by just observing. And even through pictures, songs, among others.

I appreciate reading better now. It was through reading that I got to appreciate the need for and to wish for talking signposts that direct the blind and other VIPs.

When I was applying for the CPAR Participatory Action Research Writing Masterclass, I wanted to have something, a skill beyond what I had learnt from class.

I needed to be actually good at something.

I wanted to really understand the challenges faced by people and help to solve them. I need to know and have tools to do that.

I can say that I have learnt more than I expected.

After this training, I will continue to use my social media platforms to bring out what truly is faced by my community.

I will be more involved with my community and truly understand what they are facing.

And, above all, I will continue to be myself.

Amujal Martha is a beneficiary of the Dr. Paul Hargrave Memorial Centre Human Development Project, jointly implemented by CPAR Uganda and Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR). She is among the successful applicants who participated in the CPAR Participatory Action Research Writing Masterclass. Amujal recently completed a Bachelor of Statistics Program at Makerere University Kampala. And is waiting for her graduation ceremony, likely to take place in January 2027. She is of Iteso, the fourth largest First Nation of Uganda. And currently resides in Soroti, in Teso, one of sub-regions within CPAR Uganda’s strategic geographic area of operation.