Fabric, Change, and Rwanda!

Hope you got a chance to see some pictures on facebook, I will work on getting more up. mom requested to see my flat and more of gulu- just hate feeling like a tourist snapping pictures in town, but I will suck it up and take a few. There sure are enough other muzungu here, not really tourists but a lot of short term (like 2-3 week people) it seems. That will be my weekend project.

The week has gone quickly, despite being sick sunday and monday. Thank you cipro, you are a wonder drug! Been working more on my report this week and some other letters and reports. Got some fabric and set my seamstress up for a few weeks worth of sewing! had to pay more than I wanted for one fabric since the mego wouldnt come down at all on the price, so I just changed the dress design and bought less. suppose thats what I get for being oh so picky with my fabric.

This past weekend kickball went well. Eric was sick and my one trusty coach who always shows up was late. BUT I made due and got them started. I think I even successfully lectured them about the ball that went missing from the storage place last week. Although I got Rashid (the coach) to tell them again at the end. I bought them a really nice, expensive soccer ball, but was hesitant to give it to them since the other ball disappeared. I took it with me when I left, telling them that if the kickball was still there next week, I'd consider leaving the football for them to play with during the week. Also, was very clear I need to buy a netball (kinda like a volleyball, but the game is like basketball) for the girls and a few really cheap balls for the little kids. Gotta get Eric to go with me for those to get the good price.

Just calling Eric knocked 20,000 shillings off the soccer ball price. And while we were in the sports shop he looked at a jump rope he really wants, so now I know something to get him to say thank you for his help! perfect! The english lesson didnt go so well as the boys were cutting up and eric nor rashid were there to help focus them. Rashid did help me talk to them about manners, mainly please and thank you, and so we will test their skills next week with sweets. (I got busy and didnt get to get them in time for last week! opps!) But I think they said please and thank you to me 30 times practicing last week, so hopefully they've got it. Just can't be shy and the little ones probably wont know. We will review. I also asked Rashid if he was still interested in teaching the kids traditional dancing and drumming, so he will do a bit of that this coming week, which will be exciting to see. I think I will also bring the splash balls and teach them to play splish, splish, splash (think duck, duck, goose but with a drip or a full squeeze of the splash balls) since they have mastered duck duck goose!
Then will be health week. Gotta wash those hands good!

I had a big discussion with Hellen today about starting a new partnership with world vision that is essentially the same as the heifer partnership. she argues its nutrition, I argue its agriculture and focused on livelihoods not health and thus outside of the mission of the NGO. We went round and round and it doesnt matter who is right, what it comes down to is the core business (the clinic) is struggling and has the potential to do so well if there were time and effort put in to it (well and money but thats another story) instead of time going to all the other partnerships. The reports for each partnership, the meetings, the overseeing, the budgeting, etc etc just drains away from the very clear health program, the clinic. Do one thing, and do it well.

Clinics in Gulu dont have patient charts. Meaning each time you go in they have no idea what your history is, how often theyve seen you, what you might have had recently, nada. the NGO has the ability and desire to offer this, thus offering the best service possible and just quality care. These people have had camp life, they have been hearded here and there, run through clinic and world food program lines for years. now how about they get the care they need, rather than just a quick fix for whatever is wrong this week or month. also, family planning, deworming, immunizations function on a schedule. a monthly, annual, decade basis of need. How can you give these without keeping record of when a patient was last seen? kids get deworming every month because they like the orange flavored tablets, yet the supply runs out so the kids who actually need it cant get it and the total number of kids served is greatly reduced because the take it when they dont need it yet.

evaluation is hard, change is harder. you see a need and you want to fix it, but why half fix or make a tiny dent in one problem when you can really answer a full need if you stick to one area. The clinic is moving locations on 1 July. Waaaaaaaay out to one of the village trading centres. there is no health clinic here and thus the need is great. this is the perfect time to streamline services and make changes, I just hope it works out that way, for the sake of the new community that will be served.

Will go check on my bead order friday, see how its coming along and just check in with the ladies. might add a few to the order as it seems people are excited about them! yay! the more support the better, but I will get the extra from the women who meet out in the village. Give them a little business too since they were angry the last time even though they were late.

I think Martha, her best friend, and I will be traveling to Kigali Rwanda in a few weeks for a long weekend! I am excited to see what its like and to go to the genocide memorial. Ive seen the movie, read about it, seen the trials of the officers in the international criminal court in tanzania, and now will go where it happened. well, the city at least. is about a 10 hour bus ride from kampala and Martha has friends we can stay with, what other way would anyone want to go to Rwanda (okay, to gorilla trek but I dont have an extra $1,200 lying around). maybe they have fanta passion?? fingers crossed!

All in all, things are going well. Need to crank out the last bit of this report and discuss it with Hope before the end of the month. Wissit is home today, I believe, so will be fun reconnecting with her and I ran into the other social work student from er boston maybe? and am anxious to meet with her and hear about her work. Hope all is well where you are!
Take Luck!