My Ugandans have found so many ways to make 1000 Ugandan shillings that they're ready to publish that book "101 ways to earn 1000 shillings"(note that 1000/= is now worth slightly less than two fifths of a US dollar . . . since like just two weeks ago).
Many of those 'ways' have something to do with food; like selling fruits of all kinds; most recent of which is Oranges, the big yellow ones. It was impossible to find these fruits in the country (before what, 5 maybe 7 years ago…), which is strange because there is a word for orange in the vernacular that is not a derivative of either the English words for orange or lemon, it is not even similar to the word for lemon in vernacular, instead it is a descriptive word which begs the question as to why they aren't grown around here? And why are they so expensive in My Uganda?
Previously it was green apples; suddenly they were being sold at every streets corner, highly over-priced and yet you couldn't (and still can't) find an apple-tree growing in any corner of My Uganda. Now, at least with the oranges you can find tree seedlings at the numerous seed-beds that line the roads as your entering into many towns; ...apples, …not yet. But if I may continue with my digression, I'll should add that there are no peaches, plums, apricots, pears, cherries and the other jam making delights, when I think of more I'll be sure to update this list.
But back to the 1000 Ugandan shillings. We can take the Avocado example, and see that the seed-beds sell the tree seedlings at 1000 or there about; the fruit sells at 300 shillings so that is about 3 for 1000 (and maybe get one free). The tree, which, might I say grows very well, can fill those fifty kilogram sacs three times maybe every six months or every year, which really means that you have too many trees if you have more than one growing in your back yard. But you have to have more than one, because there are in fact three varieties of which I am aware, that grow very well in My Uganda, one of which make fruits that are very smooth and creamy/buttery (those who have eaten it will understand what I mean, they will also understand when I say it has no strings in it), but yet again a digression, hurray for guacamole!!! May be another hurray for the biotechnologist...
But again, you would think that that is all there is to the 1000 shilling and the avocado, but no. At the restaurants they have their contributions to the story with their 1000 shillings meals, sometimes just avocado with beans and nothing else, but mostly with the boiled meals i.e.: g-nuts katogo; beans katogo; matoke and the likes, and it doesn't end there, for the story of the Avocado and the ‘one-kay’ stretches beyond food; the world of research has its contributions to the tale too. The avocado medicinal properties have earned it a place in the list of ingredients for cosmetics, the biotech industry has found some value or another in it, the entertainment industry has even found use for it as filler in time slots on television stations; a fifteen or thirty minute documentary about all the benefits packed into the avocado plant and its fruit. I'm sure a lot of 1000 shillings were spread around when putting that together.
My Uganda has the boda-boda and taxi transportation, whether you’re going to work or coming from school, or maybe traveling between jobs (you see, many of the working people at My Uganda are doing more than one job at any single time).
1000 Ugandan shillings can get you drunk, quench your thirst, with a soda or some water, milk, that too you can get... and juice as well, I'm pretty sure if you looked hard enough you could find warm porridge of about three varieties, or a cup of tea, coffee even... There is even second hand clothing, in fact you could find almost anything except maybe a place to sleep which is most disappointing(but I say that and yet, at some level I believe myself to be wrong, or I should say that, maybe if you found a place to sleep for 1000 you wouldn't want to sleep there...), but I can add that for 1000 shilling there list is endless as to what you can get and do; DVDs haircut a shave, a manicure treatment, beads, sandals, 5-10 bricks for you house, strong long elastic-strips cut from the inner tubing of a car tire; all these things essential for the their intended purpose, except the soda of course... (no one needs soda-drinks, not even for parties although it seems to be an 'indispensable' in My Uganda.)
There is: airtime, sugar, mobile money transfer services, watch repairs, cooking-oil (they used to sell this by the 
spoonful), A4 print out, scanning a document (although I still think that 1000 shillings is tooo expensive for this), A4 envelopes, you can even have your over-sized shirt resized, you can get your shoe repaired, and as the list continues I imagine that many will see that these are all job openings. Many of these are not businesses they are not profitable but simply freelance jobs that are sustainable for as long as the economic environment allows. One can see that, at the heart of it all basic needs are can be met with 1000 Ugandan shillings a pop. The only aspect lacking in all this is healthcare, My Ugandans are very healthy people, the smallest earner on average is a very healthy man well-built and very able... the women even more fascinating, for with lots of her own children, others at home, she will still give birth in the fields on the hill side while on a break from digging and then continue to do live to be 90 years old, still working and able.
The world of healthcare in My Uganda rather than enhance this life, "seems" to be working to hinder the progress of this 1000 shillings life. At some level we are even talking about "frustration" but I'll revert to the word "seems" and place my hopes in that. Now healthcare at 1000 shillings for herbal remedies finds a woman in my back yard fishing through an unkempt patch of bush and shrubbery grass looking for medicine for her new born baby, or for herself. At some level I am reluctant to prevent her from doing this but I send her away empty-handed in the end. And these herbal remedies also show-up on the shelves in the market stalls, so they can get on the 1000 shillings list as well. And there you have it 1000 shillings in My Uganda . . , .