The last few months have been sobering. We lost a few patients, a few staff members at NRE, and even one of our own staff members who used to work for us. Some deaths were expected, and others were not; it was a reminder of the fragility of life.
There is always one guarantee in life: death. Unfortunately, Judith was a healthy, 26 year-old clinical officer who was just about to finish her master’s degree in public health. She suffered a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. She started feeling sick late Friday night, and within a few hours, she was dead. There was no blood for her at Jinja Hospital and she died on the way to Nyenga Hospital to get a blood transfusion.
It is a sad story, and something none of us were expecting. It was a tough week, but as usual, after a day or two, everyone gets back into the swing of things as if nothing changed.
Anyway, things are still up and running, but it has been a bit busy and hectic lately. The kids were fun, but exhausting, and then Judith’s death. I think I am ready for a break.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Inner City Kids Come to Volunteer in Uganda
The Inner City Kids camp has been running since 2002 after Jessie found the funding to do a kayak school in New York with a group of kids from Upward Bound, a high school program for first generation potential college students from low-income families. The kids are from the Harlem area and have never been out of the big city. 
This year was the 3rd Uganda trip for the inner city kids. Most of the kids had done the kayak school and Rogue trip last summer, but it was everyone’s first trip to Uganda, let alone, out of the country. This year, we had 7 kids, from sophomore to senior year students, and 2 returning chaperones, Rosanna and Lee. I realized I have been working with Rosanna for the last 5 years after the first kayak school I helped teach back in summer 2004. 
The kids seemed to enjoy themselves. It definitely was not a typical spring break for these Harlem kids. The students had a great time volunteering; they helped teach malaria education sessions, completed follow-ups, learned a lot about malaria and even looked at blood slides infected with malaria, and most importantly, they kept the Ugandan kids entertained by teaching them some new dance moves. The kids also went for a rafting trip on the White Nile toward the end of their time here. Not a bad trip, eh?
This year was the 3rd Uganda trip for the inner city kids. Most of the kids had done the kayak school and Rogue trip last summer, but it was everyone’s first trip to Uganda, let alone, out of the country. This year, we had 7 kids, from sophomore to senior year students, and 2 returning chaperones, Rosanna and Lee. I realized I have been working with Rosanna for the last 5 years after the first kayak school I helped teach back in summer 2004. 
The kids seemed to enjoy themselves. It definitely was not a typical spring break for these Harlem kids. The students had a great time volunteering; they helped teach malaria education sessions, completed follow-ups, learned a lot about malaria and even looked at blood slides infected with malaria, and most importantly, they kept the Ugandan kids entertained by teaching them some new dance moves. The kids also went for a rafting trip on the White Nile toward the end of their time here. Not a bad trip, eh?
Monday, April 6, 2009
Fresh Air Malaria Conference
I just returned from a 3-day conference in Kampala called “Counting Malaria Out.” It was long, but interesting to see what other organizations are doing in Uganda. Although it can be pretty brutal to listen to 3 days worth of Power Point presentations, I survived.
The most interesting part was seeing how many people are giving out free nets without any education or follow-up. The other disturbing part is the money. Being at this conference held at the fancy hotel in Kampala, I realized how much of this money going toward “malaria” is wasted. Much of the money goes toward the administrative side or big, fancy conferences like this, and may never actually reach the ground. It made me feel a little better that we do not even have an office. The “office” is in my banda, or wherever I want it to be.
Most importantly, I became somewhat grateful that none of our funding comes from big organizations, like the World Health Organization, President’s Malaria Initiative, or USAID. Because of this, I do not have to deal with the bureaucracy of people sitting in a nice office in New York or Washington, many of whom have never left the country, telling me how I should run a program in Uganda.
Aside from my ranting about free distribution, it was somewhat comical to be at the conference. I have never been one known for networking and dressing up for fancy conferences, but I did feel somewhat official. I have never been a good city girl, but I even returned to Kampala a few days later to enjoy the city life with some friends: ice skating, sushi, a movie, bartering cops after running a red light, and a trip to the airport to pick up a friend. Yes, I did have to remind myself we were still in Uganda.
The most interesting part was seeing how many people are giving out free nets without any education or follow-up. The other disturbing part is the money. Being at this conference held at the fancy hotel in Kampala, I realized how much of this money going toward “malaria” is wasted. Much of the money goes toward the administrative side or big, fancy conferences like this, and may never actually reach the ground. It made me feel a little better that we do not even have an office. The “office” is in my banda, or wherever I want it to be.
Most importantly, I became somewhat grateful that none of our funding comes from big organizations, like the World Health Organization, President’s Malaria Initiative, or USAID. Because of this, I do not have to deal with the bureaucracy of people sitting in a nice office in New York or Washington, many of whom have never left the country, telling me how I should run a program in Uganda.
Aside from my ranting about free distribution, it was somewhat comical to be at the conference. I have never been one known for networking and dressing up for fancy conferences, but I did feel somewhat official. I have never been a good city girl, but I even returned to Kampala a few days later to enjoy the city life with some friends: ice skating, sushi, a movie, bartering cops after running a red light, and a trip to the airport to pick up a friend. Yes, I did have to remind myself we were still in Uganda.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
