After hearing from Dr. Peter Waiswa in Iganga Hospital, we know that our EMS Program has great potential to work. The WHO and the Ministry of Health are all on Board, so our next obstacle to tackle is funding.
As a part of that goal, we are hoping to work with Rotary International to get a grant for start up funding, and ambulance costs. Yesterday, we had the privilege of meeting with Iganga Rotary Club, who agreed to form a partnership with the Rotary clubs with which we have worked in the United States. HOORAY! We're moving forward...
This morning, we're meeting the Rotary's Baby Home, a place where orphaned babies are cared for. We will be gifting a goat to them, and asking them to gift the 2nd and 4th offpsring to other orphanages in the community. Similarly, we will be providing goats to widows and orphans in Kalalu Parish. We meet with these women today and will learn about their stories.
We had originally planned on giving 20 widows goats. However, once we were here, we learned about the different types of goats. The goats that cost $35 produce very little milk. Because our goal is to improve nutrition, we will be buying the milk-producing goats called sanninis. These goats produce between 2-3 Liters of milk per day. They are also very expensive - around $90 per goat. We also want to ensure that gifting a goat to a widow or orphanage doesn't increase expenses. Thus, we also fund for the building of a goat shed, medicine, veterinary visits, and the planting of special food (which keeps the goat healthy) for 1 year. This is an additionaly $60 for each goat. However, by keeping the goats health, we should see baby goats within 9 months of when they are given. Each widow agrees, as part of the program, to give the 1st and 3rd kids to other widows in the community, who agree to do the same. Thus, while we will be able to provide on 5 or 6 goats this year, it will multiply quickly! We are excited to be helping so many people, in a long-lasting, sustainable way.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Updates!!
We've been staying in Busembe, a village deep in Kalalu Parish, without electricity, running water, and thus without Internet access. But the work has been going forward, and we are happy to report on the updates!
Last Thursday, we got to meet with Soula at Ibulanku Health Care Center, where we organized First Aid and CPR training for the Ibulanku staff this coming Tuesday. We were also privileged to spend the day working at Ibulanku. I have the great honor of delivering a beautiful baby boy, the third child for a couple from Busola, another village near where we are staying.
Friday, we trained 50 primary school students (leaders in their classes) and teachers from Kalalu Primary School, and 50 secondary schools students and teachers from a secondary school in Busesa. Our students were very attentive and learned the skills well - evidenced by the high percentage that passed the exam.
Saturday, we worked with 50 adult leaders from all the villages in Kalalu Parish - members from Bugye Bukye (pronounced Boo-ga-boo-chay), Local Councelors (kind of like mayors or town council), and pharmacy shop owners on First Aid and CPR. More than 90% of the participants passed the exam with an 80% or above, and all demonstrated proficiency in demonstrating CPR for both adult/child and infants. They also decided to form Emergency Clubs to respond to emergencies within each community. We will assist these clubs by providing basic first aid kits, which will reside with each community's lead Club Responder.
We also received word that the World Health Organization and the Ugandan Ministry of Health are on board for our ambulance project, thus we fully expect to be moving forward with training, fundraising, and supply raising as soon as we return to the US. HOORAY for teamwork!
Thank you to all who are following our blog. More to follow soon...
Last Thursday, we got to meet with Soula at Ibulanku Health Care Center, where we organized First Aid and CPR training for the Ibulanku staff this coming Tuesday. We were also privileged to spend the day working at Ibulanku. I have the great honor of delivering a beautiful baby boy, the third child for a couple from Busola, another village near where we are staying.
Friday, we trained 50 primary school students (leaders in their classes) and teachers from Kalalu Primary School, and 50 secondary schools students and teachers from a secondary school in Busesa. Our students were very attentive and learned the skills well - evidenced by the high percentage that passed the exam.
Saturday, we worked with 50 adult leaders from all the villages in Kalalu Parish - members from Bugye Bukye (pronounced Boo-ga-boo-chay), Local Councelors (kind of like mayors or town council), and pharmacy shop owners on First Aid and CPR. More than 90% of the participants passed the exam with an 80% or above, and all demonstrated proficiency in demonstrating CPR for both adult/child and infants. They also decided to form Emergency Clubs to respond to emergencies within each community. We will assist these clubs by providing basic first aid kits, which will reside with each community's lead Club Responder.
We also received word that the World Health Organization and the Ugandan Ministry of Health are on board for our ambulance project, thus we fully expect to be moving forward with training, fundraising, and supply raising as soon as we return to the US. HOORAY for teamwork!
Thank you to all who are following our blog. More to follow soon...
Monday, August 4, 2008
Jambo - Greetings from Iganga!
The Vassar Uganda Project is again working in Uganda, this time in the district of Iganga, located on the road between Kampala and the Kenya border. The country is beautiful - lush and green, full of mango groves, jack fruit trees, and all kinds of birds and other vegetation. As white people, we are known as "mzungu", "mutesi", "naigga", and "nangobi." For the most part, people have been very friendly. We arrived last Friday, and have been hard at work laying the ground work to help the people of Iganga in their efforts to gain greater health and vitality.
Saturday and Sunday we joined a Uganda Village Project Volunteer, David, with the Goats for Widows Program. Traveling first by motor cycle and then by bike deep into the rural villages, we were able to see the nutrition-promoting and income-producing results of 12 goats that were given to widowed women and their families in September 2007. Having seen how effective the program was, and recalling our past trip's success in funding a goat farm for the Children's Village Orphanage in Kaberamaido, we will be partnering with GFW to fund the veterinary upkeep and more goats for more widows.
We were particularly touched by one family we met in particular. Approximately 2 months after the family received the goat, the mother died, leaving four children orphaned. While they were supposed to be looked after by an uncle, he has been away working and not seen since May. They are currently living on their own, trying to raise each other. We are planning not only on providing health, first aid, and Malaria education, but also animal care training, mosquito nets, and chickens to help them improve their ability to sustain themselves.
Yesterday, we were introduced to WACA (Women and Children Alliance), an orphanage and school in Namangulwe. Hannah, a PEACE Corp volunteer at WACA, has 55 community health workers who we will be training in CPR and first aid. A former WACA orphan, Tito is now a grown man who has returned to WACA in order to help with the work. Also a scout master in Iganga, Tito thought that the First Aid and CPR education courses would be very helpful for scout leaders. He is hoping to help us arrange a training session for the leaders, and maybe the boy scouts, at the National Scouting Camp held in Kampala on the 13th of August.
This morning, we had the privilege of meeting Rogers Mandu with the Igana Red Cross Society. In conjunction with their PHIRST program, teaching personal hygeine and sanitation to community leaders in rural villages, we will be teaching First AID and CPR classes to both PHIRST trainers and participants.
This afternoon, we will be meeting with Dr. Wyswa from the District Health Office, who will help us find the most sustainable way to set up the Emergency Medical Services Program that we will begin training for the beginning of next week with community health workers, village pharmacy technicians, and other people within the villages who frequently act as health correspondents.
Updates to follow!
Saturday and Sunday we joined a Uganda Village Project Volunteer, David, with the Goats for Widows Program. Traveling first by motor cycle and then by bike deep into the rural villages, we were able to see the nutrition-promoting and income-producing results of 12 goats that were given to widowed women and their families in September 2007. Having seen how effective the program was, and recalling our past trip's success in funding a goat farm for the Children's Village Orphanage in Kaberamaido, we will be partnering with GFW to fund the veterinary upkeep and more goats for more widows.
We were particularly touched by one family we met in particular. Approximately 2 months after the family received the goat, the mother died, leaving four children orphaned. While they were supposed to be looked after by an uncle, he has been away working and not seen since May. They are currently living on their own, trying to raise each other. We are planning not only on providing health, first aid, and Malaria education, but also animal care training, mosquito nets, and chickens to help them improve their ability to sustain themselves.
Yesterday, we were introduced to WACA (Women and Children Alliance), an orphanage and school in Namangulwe. Hannah, a PEACE Corp volunteer at WACA, has 55 community health workers who we will be training in CPR and first aid. A former WACA orphan, Tito is now a grown man who has returned to WACA in order to help with the work. Also a scout master in Iganga, Tito thought that the First Aid and CPR education courses would be very helpful for scout leaders. He is hoping to help us arrange a training session for the leaders, and maybe the boy scouts, at the National Scouting Camp held in Kampala on the 13th of August.
This morning, we had the privilege of meeting Rogers Mandu with the Igana Red Cross Society. In conjunction with their PHIRST program, teaching personal hygeine and sanitation to community leaders in rural villages, we will be teaching First AID and CPR classes to both PHIRST trainers and participants.
This afternoon, we will be meeting with Dr. Wyswa from the District Health Office, who will help us find the most sustainable way to set up the Emergency Medical Services Program that we will begin training for the beginning of next week with community health workers, village pharmacy technicians, and other people within the villages who frequently act as health correspondents.
Updates to follow!
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