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| Grassroots Development Leader Speaks with Roosevelt FellowsSTANFORD, California - February 25, 2005 - Samuel Watulatsu, the founder and CEO of the Uganda-based Foundation for Development of Needy Communities (FDNC) and the coordinator for the Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD) Uganda, spoke today to Roosevelt Fellows about his experiences serving neglected communities in Uganda. The talk, organized by the Roosevelt Center on International Development, Democracy and Health, familiarized Stanford students with indigenous development and forged a link between Roosevelt fellows and Mr. Watulatsu’s programs. FDNC is grounded in the words of Julius Nyere, Tanzania’s former president: "People cannot be developed, they can only develop themselves." Pointing to a picture of 32 men with bicycles, Watulatsu described how in his district of over 1 million people, Mbale, there are only 18 doctors. In response to this problem, Sam has trained 32 community health workers who travel the region on their FDNC-provided bicycles and deliver healthcare to their underserved communities. This program and others empower communities to develop themselves. After the talk, Chrissie Coxon, the director of the Committee on International Development, Democracy and Health, said, "A Stanford discussion of international development should always be rooted in a real, present sense of the people it aims to help. Some fellows have the privilege of experiencing these communities first-hand through summer research and volunteerism—but many don't. Sam brought that clear picture of development to us." In addition to presenting a snapshot of successful indigenous development, Mr. Watulatsu called on Roosevelt fellows to be part of FDNC’s future: "I come here today most importantly to seek ideas. The ideas of students educated in the Western world, combined with the empowerment of the Ugandan people, will make a better world for all of us regardless of our race, culture or education." The Roosevelt Institution is a think tank devoted to bringing the policy research of college students to the attention of academia, media, and government.
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