Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas Everyone! I wanted to get this out before Christmas, but I have not had electricity at the Health Center so I was not able to charge my computer frequently. Plus the Internet access has been on and off!

Anyway, I want to wish everyone a blessed Christmas season and a Year filled with Peace, Prosperity, and Gratitude in your hearts for how fortunate we are for Life itself!

December was a busy month for me, I went to Gulu and got my bike. The trip took me all day to get there on Saturday, Linda met me in Lira and then we proceeded to Gulu. We stay the night and the next morning I got my bike then we left back to Lira. Since it took us most of the day to get there, I missed the taxi back to Iceme. So I got a ride to Aboke corner and rode my new bike filled with groceries, packages and flooring to Iceme. That might not sound so bad...but it is 34 kms on all dirt roads up and down hills. It only took me 2 1/2 hours non stop to ride back home! But, boy I now have my bike! I will post a picture on facebook. Now, I can really go into the villages!

The bike has really come in handy, I have rode it to the subcounty 30 mins. from Iceme for a workshop. There they told us that they wanted the Village Health Teams (VHT) to meet with every family in the villages and teach them family planning. That was fine and it was great to be able to go out into the villages and teach...however, no methods of contraceptives were available to give them after teaching. Some of the families really wanted moonbeads...however, not even the district has them. But, there are alot of families that did only want 3 or 4 children, but did not know how to stop from getting pregnant. You see in Uganda they are taught to nurse their babies for 2 years after they are born and that nursing them they will not get pregnant. So that is what they did and after 1 1/2 years they were coming up pregnant again! So they did not understand why that was happening. Hence, anywhere from 7 to 11 children.

Also, I rode my bike to Anyeke (Oyam District) for a meeting. I believe that is about 15 km and it took me 2 hours non stop. So again, good thing I had my bike!

I am working on a couple of different projects and will let you know when they pan out. Sister wants me to set up a Healing Touch Class for the Health Care workers, so I will start looking into that when I get back.

The Ebola outbreak was actually Yellow Fever, according to the CDC. So the PCV that had been evacuated from Kitgum and Padre were able to go back home. There was a bombing of a bus from Nairobi that was headed for Kampala. Also, the US Ambassador had some threats, so the Country Director sent out a policy banding all PCV's from going to Kampala and/or anywhere near the taxi park unless they were granted special permission. So for Christmas, Shelley, Linda and I were going to meet in Kampala and spend Christmas at the Sheraton. So that was out! Also, I was going to go to my Homestay family and see them, however that was out as well.

We went to Jan's house and spent Christmas and now we are in Jinja. Wow! That was a blessing because we have had a great time. At Jan's house, we had a warm shower, washer and dryer, cheese, lettuce and other American food...so it was great! Also, I got to talk with most of my family, what a bonus!

We are now in Jinja at 2 Friends. It only has 11 rooms, and the place is so beautiful. It reminds me of the Caribbean. We have gone shopping, swam in the pool, had massages, good food and a warm shower. I even had a smoothie, something that you can not find many places in Uganda. (I will post pictures on facebook). I think that I am going to get spoiled and it is going to be hard to go back to reality. But isn't that how all vacations are? Anyway, I had a great Christmas, so I hope that you and your family did as well!

In January, I will be going to Seeta for In-Service training with the rest of our group. Word is out that they will be doing an evacuation drill with one of the regional groups the first of January, so everyone needs to be prepared. I will let you know what happens.

Take care and stay safe!

Love & LIght,

Mari

Some of Uganda Culture

Remember me telling you about weddings and how they have the receptions outside and serve everyone food! Well, I have posted some pictures of the wedding party on my facebook, because I could not get them on the blog. But I've posted, how they walk the wedding party to the hut to change there cloths, wait for them and then walk them back. Also, some of the gifts that are given during the reception are goats, lanterns, pots, money, chickens etc. and you can see how the gifts are given. The band is from the church and as you can see they make their own instruments! I believe that they make then from the bones and skin of cows! There were over 750 people at the reception and everyone is feed, which is just amazing to me.

Also, on facebook I put a video of the band that plays at church, hopefully you can listen to it and here how the instruments sound. They play every Sunday and of course all the weddings and receptions.

There are two other pictures I would like to share with you...in Uganda, babies are carried on the backs of mothers and children. A picture of a child with an infant on her back at the wedding reception. This is not unusual, children take care of children and everyone carries babies on there backs instead of in front. I have another picture on facebook of Sarah, always smiling and happy, she is in the middle of the picture. Sarah's arms and legs are not functional and she has to have everything done for her. Even though she is 5 years old...she is so happy and her family manages with her at home. It is admirable to see her so happy when she depends on everyone for everything.

I know that you heard about he ebola outbreak in Northern Uganda. As far as I have heard, the CDC has stated that it is not ebola, specimens have been sent to South Africa to find out what the disease is. It has taken 39 people's lives.

As for me I will be going to Gulu this weekend, hopefully to get my bike. Plans are underway for Christmas in Kampala. We will be going out into the villages next week to teach family planning. The goal is to teach families to reduce the number of children in one family from approximately 11 to 4!

Stay safe!

Love & Light,

Mari

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope that you and your families had a Wonderful Thanksgiving Day! We really have so much to be Thankful for and I feel so Blessed.

It has been 5 weeks at my site and I am finally settling in, at least my bags are unpacked and the furniture that I had them make is in my room! Boy, that was an accomplishment! Furniture is made when you order it, there is no furniture store to go and buy furniture, everything is made when you pay for it. Once it is made in Lira, it needs to be transported back to Iceme (64 kms). Well, my kitchen cabinet was the first to be transported, it was put on the back of a pick up truck on top of jerry cans, rice and other things along with about 20 people and all there belongings from shopping in Lira and traveling. Going to Iceme over the bad roads, with mud and rain.....well you can imagine what shape it was in when I got it to my place. But, it is still functional and that is all that matters. I also had a dresser made and Father transported that in his pick up on another day. It was well kept, but it was rained on. Ugandans say that when it rains on you, an event or things it is a blessing. So now all my furniture has been blessed.

On another note, I have now been to 4 weddings, 1 funeral and have been out into the village a number of times. I will try to post some of the pictures. If not when I go to Kampala over Christmas, I will be able to post pictures on facebook. I have also been working in the health center (HC). You would not believe the condition of the HC and patient population. The medical practice is so different, which I had expected. However, some of the cases we see I just cannot believe that people are still living. We have lightening alot here before a thunderstorm and a women and her 3 month old child was brought into the HC after being struck by lightening. Actually, they were sitting under a tree, the mother was making brooms and the 10 year old girl was playing around the tree. It is typical to find a young girl (7 and above) with an infant strapped to her back (they carry babies on there backs here). Anyway, she was playing and the 10 year old girl got struck by lightening and was killed immediately. The blot went right though her body, the infant was thrown off her back and burned across the face. The mother got the current, since she was so close to the incident. They brought the mother and the infant into the HC, but only after they did what they believe to be the treatment of choice. They believe that when you are struck by lightening, you must be carried to the well and submerged, because if not a frog will grow inside you. Also, the baby was rubbed down with all these herbs, weeds and grass before bring them to the HC.

Another incident worth mentioning that occurred was a patient that had come in with active TB. He had been to the hospital where they opened his chest to drain-what they believed to be the pocket of TB. Well, now it was infected and after urging them to go back to the hospital for aggressive treated, they elected not to go. Why, because no transportation and they said that if God wants to take him, then he will die; otherwise he will get better. Either way they were fine with the outcome. He died the next morning. But it was hard, when you know he could be alive today.

Talk about different methods of medical practice for treatment; we had a 20 year old boy come to the HC intoxicated. He was started on IV’s and given antibiotics, much different than we would have treated him in the States. He died that night. However, the week before a 35 year old came in after the wedding in the same condition and he got better and went home.

I was fortunate to go with the Health Inspector the other day to complete a HC survey for the World Health Organization (WHO) to find out the needs, medical practice, data, supplies, medical equipment and drugs. It was a 20 page survey and took us 3 hours to complete. This was a HC II and I was surprised at what they are doing with nothing. I really had to question the answers that were put down, sometimes the answers were different than what was said. Women in the North are still intimated by men and when a question was asked and the answer was given (even though it was not the wanted answer), it was asked again in a different way until the answer was what was expected i.e. Do you have written policies and guidelines? Clearly the answer was no, until a few posters on the wall met the criteria. Drugs were not readily available, but that is not what you want to put on paper. No wonder the staff have challenges to meet the medical needs of the people. It also was heartbreaking to find out that needles, syringes and soiled dressings were just thrown in a pit in the ground, the assistances were instructed to burn it daily during the survey. There was suppose to be 9 staff members at the HC II, however only 5 were on staff, so they were functioning without 4 staff members. They were lacking a midwife and many women were pregnant. They told me that the Government has to recruit, they do not recruit and hire.

On a lighter note, we will be going out to the villages and doing HIV testing. My PCT presentation was on recruiting Village Health Team males, train them to do HIV testing and then go to the villages and talk with the men in hopes to increase the number of males tested for HIV. Presently it is very low, so it was good to be able to start mobilizing this idea.

Also, Sr. Gertrude is very interested in learning Healing Touch and wants the staff to learn! So I will set up a weekend to teach them.

Other projects that I am working on is to get more livestock to the North and to see if some of the Bore hole (water supply) can be fixed. Alot of Bore holes were put in throughout Uganda by NGO’s for water supply. At Iceme HC III we had sparks coming out of one of the outlets in the children’s ward so all the electricity had to be turned off until Gulu Electricians come to fix the problem. So since a week before Thanksgiving the HC has not had electricity or water and we still don’t. The rain water tanks are pump driven so when the electricity is out then there is no water pumped. A bore hole sits right next to the HC, however it is not functional. So hopefully, that project will move fast and the HC can have a contingency water supply.

Since I am now doing my own, cleaning, washing and cooking I have realized how long everything takes. Just to do laundry, you have to have 3 buckets of water, so you have to go get water and then wash each piece of cloths, towels, sheets etc. So washing can take up to 2 hours. You have to cook from scratch so that takes time. If you have not soaked beans/peas for 12 hours, then it takes a good hour or more for them to cook! No fast food microwaves here! However, I made brownies from scratch the other day (no brownie box mix either) and it was really good! You really appreciate everything you have in the States, things we take for granted take so long to do here and so much more effort to do them! You have to clean and sweep everyday because of the dust in the air.

One funny note....one day just nothing was going right. We all have those days, but after a rough morning. By rough morning I mean that 4 cows camped in front of my door all night...so you can imagine what was left for me in the morning! Actually, I had to step around them to get out of my door. Also, at 5 am the roaster crowed right next to my window and you know that they crow for a good hour and pretty much stay in one place! Anyway, later in the morning I went to the latrine, as my pants came down so did all my keys and ALL my keys dropped smack dab down the latrine! You can imagine I just stood there.....thinking, “Oh my Gosh! Now what am I going to do....I can not get into my home...etc. etc.” Anyway, I had to try and get the spare keys from my window...you should have seen me! I learned very fast that you do not leave anything out in your room if your windows are opened that you don’t want to get taken even though the windows have bars on them! It reminded me of WLA when I always heard of staff dropping their beepers into the toilet, only my keys are not retrievable.

Hopefully, I will meet up with another PCV and go to Gulu to get my bike next weekend. I have also been given permission to go visit another nurse that is doing outreach in Southwest Uganda. She already has sacks of educational material made up. So I hope that I can use some of her ideas in the villages! I hope to do that maybe a week before Christmas, because they say that travel during the middle of December to January 4th, all transportation is double the price. So it may be hard to travel during that time. So December sounds like it is getting busy!

Well, I think that I have filled you in on what has occurred within the last 3 weeks so that is all for now, stay healthy and stay safe!

Love & Light,

Mari

Swearing In Ceremony

Well, Finally after 2 years and 2 months, I have been sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer!

Anyway, the week before swearing in was very busy and we were moving from place to place. Our Site supervisors and counterparts met us in Seeta where we had a 2 day workshop. Thursday we were sworn in at the Ambassador’s home (which by the way is hugh!) That Friday we traveled up North. Our Supervisors rode public transportation and did not come with a vehicle so the 3 of us going to the North rented a private hire because we had so much stuff! It took us 6 hours non stop. My 2 suitcases turned into 4, we all had buckets, books and other stuff as well as the backpacks that were full! You would not believe it. Most of this stuff I will leave here when I come home. The private hire was expensive, however it was worth the piece of mind. Things get stolen in the taxi park and the bus park at Kampala (it is mass hysteria) and there was no way we could have carried all our luggage. In fact, one of the PVC’s that was going to his site with his counterpart got carjacked and lost everything! He is safe and alive, however since his life was threatened he was very upset. PC Office and the US Embassy is helping him emotionally and helping him financially to get his life back in order. That was 2 weeks ago and I have heard he is back at his site and adjusting well. Keep him in your prayers.
It has rained in the North alot, great thunderstorms! But the rain has made the roads are really bad! Many trucks get stuck in the mud. We had to use a 4 wheel drive to get to my new home in Iceme. The drivers here are very good! Actually, unbelievable! Even in snow, I have never seen anyone drive as good as these guys.
I arrived on Friday the 22nd and on the 23rd the 3 of us were taken to Lira to buy some of the things we will need. I brought a mattress, plates, groceries etc. but was unable to buy a bike and some other important things. So we will maybe go to Gulu to get a bike, hopefully soon. I have a 1 room place, so I brought some paint in Lira, cleaned the walls and floor with bleach and used bug spray. I would like to get the carpenter in town to make me a cabinet to put things in like dishes and food etc. I just have 4 walls now. Most people here put nails in the walls and hang there cloths. So I am not sure yet, what will happen with my cloths. I am hoping that they will let me get settled in first before I start working. However, when I arrived Friday, they said, “Well tomorrow (meaning Saturday) we will work on an action plan.” But as you know now, I went to Lira to shop. So I think things can be flexible.
I went to mass on the 24th and was introduced to the community by Sr. Gertrude. She told the community in Lango that they were to protect me and if they saw anything that may cause me harm that they were to report it immediately. She is a voice of authority to them. So I really feel safe were I am.
The churches in Uganda are also used for all communication to the public community. So a mass can last 3 hours. They don’t have much radio, because there is no electricity. The church which is very large was packed and people were outside on all three sides. It is tradition here in Uganda to go though all the local councils in order to do anything here, so being announced and accepted today was a hugh step. If you are not accepted by the people here in Uganda...you can not accomplish anything because they will not listen to you or come to any training even in the villages. The following two weeks I was introduced to some of the Local Council and District leaders and the Chief Health Inspector and the Health Inspector. I will be traveling some with the Health Inspector, so it was good to finally meet him. I have been to Lira a couple of times to pick up items. when I brought my mattress back it was put on the back of a truck and it poured down rain...but a mattress in Uganda is not the same as a mattress in the States. It dried and all is well. I wish I had a picture, but when I was bringing my kitchen table back, I was in a pick up truck that was filled with cement, and people in the back and my table was hanging of the back of the truck on jerry cans! It was a site. My table will never be the same, but it is usable and that is all that counts!
I paid 150,000 shillings for my mattress, which is only foam with a cover. In american dollars that is around 75-80 dollars. Bikes here cost around 300,000 shillings to 350,000, which is about 160 to 190 dollars depending on the exchange rate. So bikes in Uganda are expensive! My counterpart was upset that I did not get a bike because he said that I can not go to the villages unless I have a bike. I think that I will be doing alot of traveling on the bike, so I have borrowed Sister’s bike until I get mine. I have lost 12 lbs already since I left the US; so after all that bike riding....maybe another 12? Who knows, but I am fine and happy....so don’t worry.
PC gave us settling in money, that will not last me to get everything I need, but it is a start. Everything I have is still packed and I don’t know what is in what bag, so when I finally get settled I will send some pictures.

Well, I guess you have noticed that the internet access is not good up here in the North. Also, I have no electricity, so I can only charge my battery every so often. So I will try to update my blog every chance I get.
I was so touched by the women in the community because I was busy working on an action plan inside and found out that the women in the community were waiting outside in the sun to see me. They waited for over an hour, which I did not know. Then when I came out they welcomed me with smiles, greetings, song, beans, eggs, lentil, potatoes, and cassava. I was so touched at the generosity of people that had no money giving me food to eat. They knew that I was going to start to cook and wanted me to have a welcome gift. My heart was so touched with these people that were sick, malnourished and tired taking their time and food to welcome me...it brought tears to my eyes. That experience will live with me forever.
Another, powerful moment that I experienced was when Father drove me into Lira and told me about his life path. He also told me about the experience he witnessed during the LRA invasion, and what he has noticed with the people since to war. The emotional trauma and how they see life today. What a remarkable man, he is a Doctor and a Priest. He talked about the time he spent in the slams in Kampala as a missionary. Throughout his career he has alternated between Doctor and Priest, he stated that it is too hard to do both. When he came back to Uganda he wanted to work as a Doctor, however the only opening in the Diocese was as a Priest. So we are blessed to have him at the Mission of the Shine of Mary.
The other day, we were visited by a group of American’s that were here for 10 days in Uganda. They were from a Unitarian Church that were visiting the North to explore many things as well as some of the war experiences. It was good to see them and talk English without repeating myself and talking very slowly!

Last Sunday, I got to go to a Wedding. My counterpart was a best man in the wedding. It was good! There was actually 2 weddings and they were held during Mass...which was 3 hours long with the weddings. After the weddings we drove to the village for the reception. Wow! So different than a reception in the states. These are poor people, yet really make the most out of what they have. Everyone sat on the ground under a tent. They had an narrator announce the family and the wedding party, where people got up and said words to the bride and groom, as well as to the family and friends. I would say that there were about 170 people there are a little more. People were given water. They had food brought out: chicken, rice, beans, cassava, and other Uganda food I don’t know names of. Anyway, it was the first time I had to eat with my fingers, just like everyone else!
The food was good. Then they gave gifts. Gifts consisted of a basin for washing, goats, lantern, jerry cans, dishes and some money. I was told that people usually give about 500 (about $ .25), 1000 (about $ .50) or 5000 schillings (about $2.50). When we left that wedding, we had to make another appearance and the next wedding. People have been so welcoming, understanding and accepting of me.

Yesterday, we had a women who was young with 4 children at home. She had just given birth to her 5th child one week ago. She was admitted to the hospital with typhoid, she went to the latrine and collapse and was unable to be recovered. She did not die of typhoid but maybe of postnatal complications or electrolyte imbalance. Please, also keep her in your prayers and her children. The family is not sure what will happen to them.

Well, I think that I have filled you in on all that I can remember since last time I had an entry!

If you want to write or send anything, my new address for the next two years will be:
Iceme Health Center III
Mari Kelley, PCV Uganda
Community Health Division
Box 43
Lira, Uganda

If you are sending any packages that you do not want stolen, then send them DHL or Fed Ex. However, they can be expensive so only send things you really want me to get that way, otherwise send things regular mail.
Well, that is all for now, stay healthy and stay safe!

Love & Light,
Mari

My Site Visit

October 6th I traveled to my site! It took 7 hours by bus to go to Loro Corner (about 30 miles from Lira) from Kampala. Then I was picked up by one of the Health Center IV staff that Stephen (PCV) the other volunteer will work with at his site. It took us about 35 minutes to get to his site. Eliza (PCV), Stephen and I are up in the North and our sites are about 15-20 km from each other. We make a triangle with our distance from each other. Eliza is west, Stephen is south and I am east.

Wow, I am really out in the bush! But I have internet and phone access! The main road is 45 minutes via car to my site in Iceme. Iceme is about 65 miles west of Lira, the main town. The main town is not real big, but okay. It will be a challenge getting food and supplies and even a bed for me, but they do it somehow and I guess I will learn. I will try to buy a bike in Lira...so maybe that will be my mode of transportation. They use motorcycles to get around, however Peace Corps strictly forbids us to use a motorcycles and/or even ride on a motorcycles on the back. However, the Country Director has put a request into Washington to try to get approval for us way out in the rural areas to use motorcycles. But it is a international mandate not to be on a motorcycle...so we will see. You would be surprise at what they can put on a motorcycle and carry!

I am so happy with my site! It is a Health Center III and I will be working with Outreach into the villages. It is a Catholic diocese run mission that is funded by NGO’s, Uganda Government and the Catholic diocese. So they have this gorgeous church (for Uganda) on the land. There are nuns and priest on the land as well. The nuns keep the land clean, there are flowers and the land is so peaceful. It is going to be a nice place to live. I got to meet my counterpart, who works in the field. He is a much older man and has a frail structure. He will show me what I will be doing in the field and will translate to the villagers for me until I learn the language completely. My home is on the compound, it is one room building with no electricity and no running water. The HC has electricity, so I can charge my phone and computer in the HC. We will use rain water. The Health Center III is set up with 3 tanks to collect rain water. Here in Uganda, a Health Center is very much NOT the same as in the US!

However, I think that I will be happy here. The North is highest in Malaria, PTSD, HIV/AIDS and to my surprise the highest in TB in Uganda. So definitely the need for help is there.

Going back to Wakiso I went up to Lira and took the bus back to Kampala, then taxi to Wakiso. Also, taxi’s are not the same here in Uganda as in the US. Everyone travels around with either taxi or motorcycle. So they have these huge taxi parks and there can be 18 people stuffed into one taxi.

We had homestay thank you’s at RACO yesterday and it was really nice. My host family had a partial Gomez (traditional African dress) made for me as a gift to wear for the ceremony. That was really so nice of them. Each language group (7 of them) did a presentation for the homestay families and then we ate. There are 71 different languages in Uganda, so everyone (45 of us trainees) that are going to a different region were taught that language.

Today, I am leaving my homestay family and will be in Kampala. Tomorrow we will be at the Peace Corps office. The 3 of us in the North will stay at the PC headquarters and will have a special training of what to expect in the North and how to handle things. Since the war only ended 5 years ago, there is sensitive information that they would like us to know. We have been invited to have dinner at the Country Director’s home on Monday evening. Then on Tuesday will will visit the American Embassy and Wednesday we have our Counterpart workshop, on Thursday (October 21st) we will be sworn in as PC Volunteers at the Ambassador’s home. Our site supervisors and counterparts have also been invited to the swearing in ceremony. I am hoping that we will be able to travel back with them to the Oyam district in the North.

I believe that is all for now! Stay safe.

Hope everyone has a Great Day! Take care.

Love & Light,
Mari

YEA! I GOT MY SITE ASSIGNMENT!

YEA! I finally got my site yesterday!!! We have been waiting for this for 7 weeks now. I will be going to Iceme Health Center in Oyam, Northern Uganda. According to the job description (which may change when I get there), I will be advising/assisting the Health Center and the district health team in planning, implementing, health education programs; take part in designing health training programs especially village heath teams and health care providers as well as participant; take part in Health promotion and advising; take part in community outreach in public health programs. From what I understand this is a Catholic run Health Center.

We go on a site visit next Tuesday so I will know more about the center and my living arrangements next week. I understand that they are still building my home away from home. I have been given a grid of what my living arrangements will be and I have not running water; only rain water and no electricity. I will have a chair and table but no bed. So it looks like I will need to purchase some things when I get there. I will be going to an area that no other volunteer has been to...the first! They said that they wanted someone up there that was resilient and independent to start up the PC programs work there. Hope they made the right choice. Another volunteer will be doing the same, however she will be in another Health Center, but she is only about 5-10 kms from me. According to the Country Director, the people in Oyam not only were affected by the LRA but the Ugandan police as well. They were tormented by the Police because they did not want the people to be influenced by the LRA. There are 5 of us going to the North, and because of all the trauma and war torn people, PC will be giving us a separate training before we go. PC and all the African and Washington head people had a conference 2 weeks ago to discuss the problems and issues in the North and they received training...so they are going to pass that training onto us. So I am excited about the site assignment, I know it will be challenging but I Love a challenge.

We have been so busy since we got back from emersion week. We have gone to a couple of community field trips to visit NGO’s and HIV Orphans organizations. One was funded by the Ireland government and there was an Irish student we met that was here for 3 weeks working with the construction project. It was great to be able to talk with him. It rained really hard that day and we were outside...so our lecture was cut short.

We also had a lecture on Corruption and dealing with conflict resolution in the mist of corruption. In week 6 we had what they call the mock LPI, which evaluated us not only on Language but everything that we had covered from week 1. That was a whole day. We also had to prepare a presentation on a Exploration study and present a 20-30 minute presentation. Mine was on Capacity Building for Health Care Providers. I am glad all that is over...okay so I still need to work on Language.

The training now is going to fly by...we travel to our sites on October 6th, and return October 9th to Kampala. Then we will be back for week 9 and in week 10 we leave from Wakiso to Kampala for swearing in, which will be October 21st.

Well, that is all I have for now. I am not sure if I will have internet access when I get to Oyam. I will let you know.

Hope everyone has a Great Day! Take care.

Love & Light,
Mari

Emersion Week

Hospital Incinerator

Health Center 3

It is hard to believe that we have been in county for 5 weeks! It was great to have an emersion week. We traveled from Wakiso to Kampala to Gulu on 9/14. It was great being with other PCV's and see how they are handling everything. I have discovered alot from the volunteers. Just 3 of us trainees came to the North. The North is a less developed region in Uganda because of the War and the need for medical is so much more. They have alot of PTSD up here from war abducted children. Children in Uganda can be anywhere up to 28 years of age. I knew that it was bad, but I have heard some horrible war stories. Please keep the people affected by the war in your prayers.

While in Gulu I stayed in a hotel...with running water and was able to take a shower and wash my hair. This was my first shower! It was great! It took us 6 hours to get to Gulu from Kampala, not the 13 hours I thought. We met up with other PVC’s, Ugandan’s and went to an Ethiopian Restaurant that was pretty good.

NGO's are Non profit organizations that help Ugandan's rebuild and there are alot in the North. One of the volunteers that we were with works with an NGO and the other works with a former return and reintegration center called Christian Counseling Fellowship, which focuses on education, health and child protection for those impacted by the war with the LRA. Also, while in Gulu we visited Invisible Children. Invisible Children Uganda is a NGO that focuses on helping war-affected Ugandans by improving their access to education and innovative economic opportunities. The organization gives secondary and university scholarships to orphans and vulnerable children, builds and strengthens secondary schools, and helps adults start and maintain small businesses. They have 5 active programs: Legacy Scholarship gives scholarships and mentoring to roughly 800 secondary and university students from Northern Uganda. Students are chosen based on academic potential and need, giving special consideration to children who are orphans, head of household, formerly abducted returnees, students infected with HIV/AIDS and child mothers); Schools for Schools (Links more than 1600 schools worldwide with 11 secondary schools in Northern Uganda); Teacher exchange program (30-40 secondary school teachers from abroad to teach and interact with Ugandan teachers for 6 weeks each summer and in December 6 Ugandan teachers to to the US for similar reciprocal exchange); Village Savings and Loan Associations (20 groups of 20 members each participate in VSLA microfinance initiatives); and MEND (a tailoring program currently 13 former abductees and child mothers).

The next day we traveled to Pader in a matatu, it took us 4 hours to get there. The dirt road was really bad with many pot holes. Pader is less developed than Gulu. I am surprised that in Pader I could get internet with Orange, but no phone access with Warid. There are very few trees and hardly any cattle up in the North because the war. They mostly have goats and pigs. It is pretty flat land in Gulu and Pader.

In Pader, I visited the Health Center (HC)which was a HC 3. We were able to talk with some of the workers. They have no physician at the center, but they have a Clinical Health Nurse. Nursing here is rated a little different. The way they organize the functions of healthcare providers are: an MD, then NP, then Clinical Health Nurse, then Nurse, then health tech and then a midwife. The Clinical Health Nurse is the one who administers all the HIV/AIDS medication based on the lab work, sees patients and counsels them. There was one women in the hospital, then they have clinics. They incinerate all the used supplies in an old brick container outside, that they said may crumble at anytime. They have no ambulance to transport really sick people to a hospital in Kitgum.

At dinner we met up with a medical team that was here from Toronto, Canada. It was really good to talk with them. They were here for 3 weeks and they actually brought alot of medical supplies and medications. They went far into the bush to one of the villages, they said that they encountered things they had not seen before...even 2 cases of leprosy!

We went back to Kampala the next day. It took us 10 hours to go from Padre to Kampala. It is nothing to see people getting on the bus with 1 to 3 live chickens tied at the feet with wings flapping. It was like we were on a chicken farm with people mixed in on the bus! Then when we got a taxi from Kampala to Wakiso, the cab driver did something wrong???and we ended up at the Uganda police department. The street police actually got into the cab and made him drive to the Police station while all 13 of us was in the cab. I was surprised about that! Well I got back into Wakiso to my home stay about 7:30 PM on Saturday the 19th.

We are in Wakiso training for our 6 and 7th weeks. We are then given our sites and the 8th week we will travel to our actual sites. Then back to Wakiso the 9th and 10th week. At least that is the schedule so far. Lango is spoken around the Lira area, so it is looking like that is were I may be.

Hope everyone has a Great Day! Take care.

Love & Light,
Mari

Emersion trip

Yesterday, I received my emersion trip to Padra. The emersion trip is to get us familiar the region that we will be working in with a Peace Corp Volunteer already working in the region. I will leave Wakiso on Tuesday next week and traveling to Gulu to visit some of the NGO’s (Non Profit Government Organization). One of the NGO’s I will visit will be with Invisible Children. Then I will travel on to Pader, to see a less developed area of the North. The PVC I will be visiting works with an organization for girls’s secondary school, which I will see and participate in a life-skills class. She works at a former return and reintegration center called Christian Counseling Fellowship, which has now begun to focus on education, health and child protection for those impacted by the war with the LRA. I will also be able to visit the heath center in the area and observe procedures and classes. I heard that Pader is off the beaten path!

We will be coming back to Wakiso that Saturday, so it should be a fast trip. The pictures you see above are of Wakiso where I have been staying. As you can see, it is totally like I expected. I am still in training from 8 AM to 5:30 PM everyday, still working on Lango! We learned yesterday about the Emergency Action Plan. They really do have and extensive plan and I feel that it is very good! Last year they used the plan 3 times, so they do have experience with it. I am not sure if you have heard about the PCV that was murdered, but from what I understand he was out after dark. That put him at high risk for violence. Please pray for his family.

We have been told that we will be sworn in on October 21st at the Ambassadors home. That should be exciting! Hope all is well with everyone.

Love & Light,

Mari

Uganda Culture

Let me tell you a few cross cultural things about Uganda that I have learned.

President of Uganda is Yoweri Kaguta Musaveni. Elections for the Presidency will be March 6, 2011. It is best not to visit between February to April 2011. The population of Uganda is 33 million. Activities are coffee, lumber, minerals, tourism, agriculture is 80% Milet, Rice, Potatoes, Beans, Peanuts, vegetables and fruits. Exports are coffee, cotton, fish, hides and skins, tobacco and flowers. The average life expectancy is 53; males 52 years of age and females is 54 years of age.

Climate is 70-80 all year with 2 raining seasons; mid August to December and April to July. Political Organizations is the Local Council (LC) System. They have LC 1 (Village), LC 2 (Parish), LC 3 (Sub county which is 10 Parishes), LC 4 (County) and LC 5 (District level). There are 111 Districts in Uganda.

The official language is English, Luganda is next and Sweheii is the next language. However, there are 56 different languages in Uganda. I will be stationed in a region in the North that speaks Leb Lango. I don’t know yet where I will go, but I am thinking it is either in Lira, Guru, Padra or Kitgum. I have been informed that there are no Peace Corps Health Care workers in the North. Myself and another nurse are going up there, so I guess it will be part of our job to develop and implement the Healthcare program in the north.

The Health Care System in Uganda is ranked by Level of Care provided, i.e. HC 1, HC 2 (at parish level), HC 3 (Sub county level), and HC 4 (Sub-district Health Service), HC 5 (District Health Service, Regional referral Hospitals). We went to visit the Wakiso Health Care and we were told it was a HC 4. We were also told that they had 1, yes 1 doctor on duty with other healthcare workers. They see approximately 100 patients per day, they have 4 to 5 births per day. Now that is a working doctor! Major illnesses that they see daily: Malaria is number 1, then pneumonia, then HIV/AIDS and opportunistic diseases. They have a Lab, Clinical section (Diabetes, Maternal Health), Dental, OB, a small Mental Health clinic. Medications are only brought in every 3 months. They see approximately 330,000 patients/year.

I think that I have had every vaccine imaginable. We have had training in the most common illnesses that plague the people of Uganda, which is not just HIV/AIDs, but Malaria (everywhere), TB (High percentage in the North), Schistosomiasis, food borne illnesses, Skin problems i.e. fungal infections, ringworm, bacterial infections, nairobi eye, Mango-Worm Tumbu Fly, Scabies, and Rabies.

We heard that 50% of PCV’s get Schisto, a worm that lays eggs in the liver, spine, abdomen or somewhere in the body and causes many problems...no fear you can get treatment that will get rid of them and PC follows you when you finish service to make sure you are A Okay!) Schisto is in all water in Uganda, so we have been advised not to get in any lakes, rivers, streams, etc.

We not only studied about a Permagarden, we created one! Wow, we planted so many things.

The culture here is more verbal than the US, everyone talks to everyone. It is a relationship culture. If your neighbor has something you need, you give it to him and you are expected to give it to him, but mostly they Love sharing. Families, friends and neighbors share everything. When you come over to visit and/or for advise, the family fixes you a plate of food. They have breakfast; tea with food; lunch; tea with food again then dinner. I have eaten alot here. Depending on your Religious beliefs, men can have 1, 2 , 3, 4, or 6 wives. Men are expected to produce as many and more children than their fathers. I met one man the other day that had 31 siblings! It seems that women do all the chores (which is alot!) and care for the children; while men go to work. However, the unemployment rate is high in Uganda. Also, it is not unusual for women to greet their men by kneeing in front of them and/or the children kneeing to give their father something to eat. There is so much Respect for parents here and children really appreciate their parent and what they have been given. I also learned that when someone dies that the body is left in the house and everyone comes over and stays the night, even if they need to sleep outside on the grass if there are so many people. They do not leave the family or the body.

Anyway, we went to a PCV conference luncheon today and hear from the Director that we will have our swearing in at the US Ambassador’s home on October 21st. So keep praying that I learn the language!

Take care of yourselves.

Love & Light,
Mari

August 29, 2010

Yesterday we had language an then we went to the Uganda Museum and to the Peace Corp office in Kampala. It was pretty good! Best part of the day was when I was able to go into Garden City and buy a modem and airtime. Yea, so now I am able to get internet! Still need to get on and off, not like home where you can stay on forever. Every minute counts, I purchased 1 month and that gives me about 1 hour everyday if I don’t send pictures. So Yea!

Today, after Mass, I washed cloths outside! Wow, it took me 1 1/2 hours!

Love & Light,

Mari

August 25, 2010

My homestay family is very poor, but my host sister (who is my age and the mother) wants to have her children educated at the university here. Her daughter will be going to the university next September and then she has another that will follow her. So she is thinking about going to the US to earn money for their school. She works amazingly hard. Boiling water, cooking outside, cleaning, washing dishes outside, taking care of the hen farm and the children, washing cloths outside and ironing everything. You have to iron everything here that is put on the line to dry. Because there is a fly that when they land on your wet cloths they lay eggs. You put the cloths on and the eggs go into your skin and then cause a boil. Then worms come out of your skin. Not fun!

My host sister, Margaret has been so nice to me and I really have been welcomed into this home. The father is a Rev and he started a school, he made a DVD to send out as a fund raiser and I saw it the other night and it is really good. He wanted to help the young people and educate them so that they would not be out doing nothing.

I would like to send you all a copy of the DVD if he gets me a copy.

Amaro wun,

Means I Love You All in Lango!

Get this: Amari is I Love You! Can you believe, A Mari....my name!

I think that is neat!

Love & Light,

Mari

August 24, 2010

We got some more vaccines today Rabies #2 and Meningitis. Last week one of the young guys had to have stitches in his head because he fell and they have asked me to take them out tomorrow for them. There are only 3 nurses in our group of 45. We learned today about many of the skin diseases in Africa. We are going into the community this afternoon to teach some of the community people....our first encounter! One good thing is that we have a translator!

All the internets were down again. Many times, like last night there were was no electricity or running water. Many times that happens.

Still looking forward to going to my site.

Love & Light,

Mari

August 21, 2010

Today is Saturday and we still had to go to the classes. We had Language today and then the bank came and introduced us to the VISA cards that the Peace Corp will issue us. We are to use those during our stay here, it is with Stanbic Bank. PC will deposit money once a month into that account for us to live on while we are here. We just filled out paper work and should get them next Wednesday. Then I came home and my host sister brought a modem from work home for the weekend, I brought 4000 UGS for airtime and We Got On the Internet from Home! It was great and we were happy until it went out in less than two minutes. The air time goes fast. Just like the air time on the phone calling the states.

This afternoon, my host sister helped me wash my laundry. Also, another first here in Uganda was washing my hair in the bucket when I washed up. I feel like I am back in school full time, 8 to 5pm we are in classes, and we have so much homework!

When I was at the market, I met a Peace Corps Volunteer that is stationed up North and speaks the Lango language. He said that I will not be far North, I may be in Kitgum, but in South Kitgum if I am there at all. He said it will probably be in close to Guru or Lira. Either way, he said that it is flat, hot and green...that it is beautiful. So I am looking forward to going.

Take care of yourselves and I will be in touch.

Love & Light,

Mari

August 19, 2010

It is beautiful today! Classes were good, we had 2 volunteers talk with us today on some of there experiences and a network they started, Peer Support & Diversity Development. It is a great network to ask questions and get real time knowledge and help. I rode my bike home and stopped at 3 internet cafes and many air-card places for a modem access....no luck. One place losted electricity. My language instructor was sick today, so we only got instruction in the morning. But we had homework last night and we had to introduce ourselves, where we were from, where we are now and what out profession was without looking at our notes. Wow! I did it and did it well. So maybe all will be well.

I rode my bike home today and boy was that rough. Many holes in the rode...some of the volunteers turn their bikes back in today because it was too hard for them to ride up and down the hills and to dodge cars, taxis and motorcycles. I like riding the bike, verse walking.

Take care of yourselves and I will be in touch!

Love & Light,
Mari

August 18, 2010

The Internet Cafes are challenging. I went yesterday, but they said that they did not have an antivirus yet on the computer, so I did not use it. I am still learning the phone system, they use airtime instead of monthly charges, and boy does it go fast!

We had class all day today and I got my bike, but I was not able to ride it to my homestay because my skirt was too long and was getting stuck in the bike. So I will get it tomorrow.

Anyway, things are going well and challenging.

Love & Light,

Mari

August 17, 2010

We had training all day today. I walked to RACO this morning and saw some on the young children that were out.....Wow what poverty everywhere here. Americans are so blessed. Not sure how much the government money trickles down. About 2 pm it started to rain and really rained hard until the end of the day. It was bad that I had to walk home in the pouring rain....good thing for my rain poncho from AAA!

We started learning our new Leb Lango language and it is going slow, but I think it may be easier than Luganda. I cannot wait to get my bike! Everyone is so nice here. So far I still have not been able to get Internet.

August 16, 2010

We left for Wakiso today and meet our host families for homestay. I have a wonderful loving family, Rev. Luyinda and his wife Margaret. They have 6 children, 5 live at home, the youngest is 13. The oldest is in the US and finished nursing school and lives in Washington DC. Her mother said that she will only visit Uganda now, she is applying for citizenship in the USA. I will be here for 10 weeks during my orientation period and am learning how to survive in Uganda when I am on my own. They have electricity, but it goes out alot and no running water. I take a bath outside and the pit lateran is outside. But it is good to learn what to do. I will walk about 3 miles to the class from their home and then back at the end of the day with a full backpack. We will get our bikes on the 18th.

Love & Light,

Mari