Week of: August 12-17, 2019
Hello Readers!
So, we’re going to try a new format for the blog. Instead of going day-by-day – since there’s not going to be much in the way of new beyond the happenings of the job – we’ll go in a week-by-week style. If it’s not ideal, or we want to change it back, I will. Just something to keep in mind as we go forward on this adventure.
And to start off: this week was amazing! I wanted a job where I could just dive right in, start working right away, and just be cooped up inside my house for the first three months of service, and I got it! I got what I wanted! And, I Love It!
First off, I know Monday will be a bit of a recap, but here we go! Monday, I started off by reading more about the work done here at Spotlight on Africa – Uganda Foundation, and then we journeyed to a different Health Center III to take a look at their new maternity ward, open to the public less than two years ago. The combine an ingenious design to maximize airflow and cooling the interior with traditional Ugandan architecture. We’re planning to use elements of that in our new maternity ward in Bukasakya sub-county. Which, by the way, we’re breaking ground on next month, and will be completed and open to the public before I am finished with my service here in Uganda! I am so excited!
Tuesday, was a rather slow day at the office. We went over budget reports, and planning for the future of the organization and the institutions we support. Afterwards, we had a meeting on adding the cooling architecture to the maternity ward once construction begins and it was very well received.
Wednesday, we had an impromptu meeting at the Mbale District Health Office concerning the planning and implementation of a currently District wide Community Health Promoter (or Volunteer Health Teacher/Trainer) database, that could potentially be adopted by the whole of Uganda in the future. This will help with tracking, continued training, and sending the best to where they are needed most, to name a few. I also had the chance to meet many of my peers, also working for NGOs in the Mbale District. After the meeting, I also started researching Public-Private Partnerships, at the request of my supervisor, for a presentation to the District Health Officer on Friday.
Thursday, was a day at the office. I worked on the handout, the presentation, and the follow-up participant questionnaire all day, getting that ready for the meeting tomorrow.
Friday, we had the meeting at the Bukasakya Health Center that we sponsor. Naturally, with Ugandan time, we started significantly later than planned, and we didn’t have as many participants as we invited, and we ended well into the start of the night, but it was still a very successful event. The representatives from the district were very receptive to our discussions and goals for the future of our partnership. Far from using empty words, talks of immediate action were taken, and I am excited to see where the future takes us for the citizens of Bukasakya sub-county.
Saturday, I spent much the morning shopping for more supplies for my house, and planning for what else I’ll need to buy over the coming months. At the moment, my kitchen and bathroom are more or less completed and stocked, and for the rest of my house, there’s really only the larger sized purchases – furniture, appliances, etc. – to worry about. Afterwards, my fellow Lumasaaba volunteers and I met for an afternoon at (where else?) Mt. Elgon Hotel. It was nice to see everyone and learn more about what we’ve been doing the past week. And, at my friend’s insistence, I was able to find a very scenic, nature-filled alternative path back to Mbale for my walk home.
Week of: August 18-24, 2019
This week was spent working, almost exclusive, at the Bukasakya Health Center. All day, every day this week, I was there, working with the Senior Clinical Officer (she’s in charge of the whole facility) on designing an annual work plan for the Health Center III. We focused on designing annual and quarterly goals, compiling population data relating to health trends and concerns, rules and roles of key stakeholders and funding sources, staffing needs, referral behaviors for the past year, budgeting, achievements and challenges, and finally, we planned how to address the District’s health objectives for the year.
There was a lot to do, obviously. But we managed to get that done in a week, so I’m pretty proud of myself. And my co-workers are rather impressed as well.
The weekend was a rather lazy weekend. Got my chores and errands done, cleaned my house, washed my clothes, got some writing done, and just relaxed. It was a good way to prepare for my next – very big – project with Spotlight that could take several months to complete. And I’m going to need those several months, to say the least, because I’ve never designed a district-wide standardized health education curriculum before…
Week of: August 25-31, 2019
This week was a rather slow one, spent almost exclusively in the office. I was given my first two large-scale assignments, and I’ll be officially starting both next week. For the first half of each week, for the rest of the calendar year, I’ll be working at the Bukasakya Health Center in an administrative role. As an active team member, I’ll be able to use my skills as an applied anthropologist as well as a healthcare professional in order to observe and participate. The goal will be to improve and build upon the capacity of the staff as well as the operations of the facility as a whole. We will work to improve technological ability, patient care and safety, and expanding our resources to account for the growing status of the community as well as the center itself.
The later half of the week will be spent in the office. I’ve been assigned the task of designing a Community Health Promoters curriculum meant to improve upon the knowledge and skills of the volunteers we have in the surrounding villages. I have a whole list of topics. I have a whole list of expectations. I have the rest of the year to produce a product worth ushering into the new year. It’s daunting, exciting, and carries a suitable amount of pressure. I’ve already started the research and gathering some materials, so I’ve made an appropriate start.
We did have one big event this week. On Wednesday, Spotlight met with a majority of their Community Health Promotion Leaders. This happens once a week, and we will be working on building their leadership and mentoring skills to bring to their teams in the villages. The meeting went well; they were all very engaged and a wonderful group of people. I’m excited to meet them all in a more personal capacity as we all work to better ourselves and the work that we do.
And while I am posting this on a Friday, I’ll share the plan for tomorrow as well. My supervisor will be helping me with the first round of larger item shopping. I’ll be paying for my mini-fridge, a large fan, and my bicycle this weekend. It’s a wonderful thing: having a supervisor with transportation to help lug these bigger pieces back to the house. So, until next time my lovely readers: be well, be wise, and be good to one another. I hope you’ve all had a great close to your month of August. Have a wonderful start to September!
Peace, Love, and Uganda 