Our blog moved!

Hello Friends of Uganda Village Project,

Did you know our blog moved to our website? For community stories, updates and more visit www.ugandavillageproject.org!

In health,
UVP

 

 

Narrow Escape

By UVP Staff

Ivan’s story is shared with his consent.

The collective HIV/AIDS global target, known as 95-95-95, sets the benchmark and agenda for HIV/AIDS eradication: 95% of people living with HIV know their HIV status, 95% of people who know their status are receiving treatment, and 95% of people on HIV treatment have a suppressed viral load so their immune system remains strong and the likelihood of their infection being passed on is greatly reduced. To reach this target, we must ensure that everyone knows their status – and therefore reach them with HIV testing. For many individuals that UVP meets, participation at one of our outreach events marks the first time they have ever been tested for HIV.    

 Recently, UVP partnered with Busembatya Health Centre to host an integrated HIV, Malaria, and STI outreach event at a local mosque. It was here that community member Ivan graciously offered to tell us his story. 

Ivan recalled hearing many radio messages explaining the HIV epidemic and offering guidance on how to get tested, yet he never found himself taking action. Fear, pride, anxiety — these are common feelings for those that have never been tested. To Ivan, finding out he may be HIV positive was like issuing a death sentence.   

It wasn’t until Ivan met UVP interns that he started to take a keen interest in our programs and HIV testing. He started regularly attending sensitization sessions led by the intern teams, asking for clarification when he didn’t fully understand the information being presented.  

During our integrated program at the local mosque, Ivan nervously took his first HIV test. Fortunately, the result was negative. From that moment, Ivan pledged to live a “responsible life” – determined to avoid another “narrow escape,” as he called it.  

On a path to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, UNAIDS urges continued community engagement with high-impact HIV prevention and treatment services. It is also crucial that we specifically reach men with these services, directly combating low male engagement across Uganda. Testing was a major milestone for Ivan, and a major shift in his view on how he can personally play a role in ending the epidemic. We hope Ivan continues to be an exemplary steward of public health and a champion of HIV prevention by supporting other men to learn their status.

This Is My Turning Point

By Tumusiime Loy

 

Joel is from Namunkanaga 1. He’s got that youthful energy – full of ideas and dreams – and he’s always sharing his wisdom with his friends. I met Joel at an adolescent reproductive health activity last August. The weather was perfect; primed for a fun day of football with a bit of health education afterwards. This is our go to outreach event to reach youths, especially young men. 

 

During this session, we taught Joel and his friends about contraception and how to plan out their future families. As one of nine members of his own family, Joel was really engaged in learning as much as her could. Before this session, he wasn’t really sure where to go for advice, support, or consultation. Lucky for Joel, UVP was there to answer his questions in an open, honest dialogue. 

 

It can be tough for young men to talk about sex – a sensitive subject in any culture. At UVP, we try to make this conversation loose, normal, and remove the stigma and shame around a topic that is so universal to all humans. 

 

“This is my turning point; I will help other youths to overcome the ignorance about sexual and reproductive health!”

 

You can learn more about our reproductive health program on our website, and follow along on social media for ongoing updates about our youth engagement activities! 

 

 -

Joel's story is being shared with his permission.  

The Fourth Endangered My Life

By Shafic Mutegule

Mutesi Joyce (42) lives in Kavule Village in Namutumba District. A mother of six, 3 boys and 3 girls, she has been living with fistula for two years. Her fistula occurred from miscarriage complications right as the COVID-19 pandemic was just beginning. At the time, transportation and health facility access were severely limited.  

“I first got a miscarriage in 2017, and two miscarriages in 2018. These three miscarriages were fully managed by doctors through proper evacuation -- [the fourth] endangered my life.”

In early 2019, Joyce and her husband decided to try for another child, but unfortunately she experienced another miscarriage. This time she required immediate medical attention.

Shafic and Joyce at Namungalwe Health Centre 3 

“I was rushed to a nearby clinic in Namutumba Town [and] later on referred to Namutumba Health Facility. An evacuation was done by the doctor, and little did I know that my uterus was damaged during the evacuation process. I started feeling sick and [having] a lot of abdominal pains.”

After her dilation and evacuation (D&E), Joyce decided to return to the health facility for care and she was advised by the health worker that her uterus needed to be removed. While the operation was successful to fix her urgent health crisis, once home, she noticed that she was leaking urine.

 

This year, Joyce attended an event in Kavule organized by Uganda Village Project’s Fistula Ambassadors. Hearing her story, the ambassadors came to check on her at home. Upon seeing her condition they immediately referred her to Loy, UVP’s Reproductive Health Program Coordinator.

“I talked to Loy on [the] phone, [she] provided counseling and explained to me all the services that are provided by Uganda Village Project through the fistula program. This gave me some hope that I could get back to normal as I used to be.”

I first learned about Joyce during our regular Monday staff meeting when Loy shared her story. Inspired by her strength and resilience, I arranged a time to meet with Joyce before her surgery at Kamuli Mission Hospital.

We met at Namungalwe Health Centre 3 during the patient confirmation pre-screening. Despite her condition, she was so happy -- smiling and excited to be selected and confirmed among the fistula patients that were to receive treatment during the October surgery camp. I am grateful for the opportunity to have met her and learn about her life.

After pre-screening, UVP escorted Joyce and her caretaker to Kamuli Mission Hospital where she underwent her repair surgery. She is currently recovering safely, grateful that her suffering is finally over.

--

Learn more about UVP on our website and please consider supporting UVP with a monthly gift. We provide year-round programming and education for HIV/AIDS, clean water and sanitation, malaria prevention and treatment, reproductive health services, and fistula repair surgeries. 

Serving Something Bigger Than Me

By Abby Kim

 

Mwasuze mutya oba mussibye mutya banyabo ni bassebo! My name is Abby Kim, and I am privileged to have been part of UVP’s 2021 intern cohort. 

Now back in the U.S, the small things—being able to charge my phone consistently, open the fridge, eat Pop-Tarts, and wear something besides long skirts or pants every day—have been mind blowing. But more than anything, adjusting to life without the daily presence of people I now call friends and family has been difficult. It amazes me to see how far we have come, and I want to share a few reflections about the journey. 

Through UVP, I met interns, staff, village members, and different people from all walks of life. I was inspired to learn how each was making a positive difference in communities across the world. One had a nonprofit in workplace safety, another was empowering youth with vocational training, and another started a secondary school. Even in the midst of  an evolving and challenging pandemic, the shared belief of giving back equipped us with the resilience and flexibility to push through.

During my time there, I was repeatedly struck by the impact a handful of community members can have on the health of a whole village when equipped with resources and a vision. While a big part of the internship was helping to organize testing and treatment days and providing manpower for projects like building Tippy Taps, I learned that our investment in influential community members, empowering them as ambassadors for health, was most important. After all, they know their communities best, and they remain in the village after interns leave. In class, we talk so much about the importance of sustainability in global health, and it was pretty neat to see it being lived out through UVP’s model.

Finally, I learned how Okuseka (laughter) truly surpasses all cultural and language barriers to bring people together. Whether it was at every snore and fart completely audible in our small house, when men in the village offered land and marriage proposals, when we demonstrated how to use female condoms, or when we attempted to dance with the kids… we could not go a day without laughing. It is these moments of laughing together, sitting around supper and chatting about our childhoods, cheering for our village soccer team, and watching beautiful sunsets which I will cherish forever.

This summer was a powerful confirmation of how I want to spend my life—serving something bigger than me alongside people who share the same vision and can teach me along the way. I am deeply grateful to the UVP staff, to all my fellow interns, to our Village Health Team members, and most especially to my Buyubu Family for all the laughter, lessons, and accomplishments of this past summer.

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words...so here’s a short video summarizing our time in Buyubu Village. Enjoy!

--

Learn more about UVP on our website and please consider supporting UVP with a monthly gift. We provide year-round programming and education for HIV/AIDS, clean water and sanitation, malaria prevention and treatment, reproductive health services, and fistula repair surgeries. 

The Bold Decision

 

By Harriet Nakayiza, HIV and Malaria Program Coordinator

 

Rachel is a jolly, ambitious, open-minded young lady from Idinda and a single mom of one. Here at Idinda Health Center II, we are sitting together under the cool shade of a tall tree discussing her journey, her challenges, and how she first got involved with UVP. 

As a young pregnant person, Rachel had to balance pending motherhood, schooling, and family responsibilities, while also navigating social stigma around her pregnancy. In fear of being seen pregnant, Rachel avoided antenatal care, and didn’t consider going for an HIV test to confirm her status before giving birth.

Rachel first met UVP during one of our adolescent reproductive health sessions for youths in 2019. She heard about our programs on the radio and was excited to learn of an upcoming event that she could attend. Despite all of her other responsibilities at home and in the garden, she always made time to attend these sessions and even took a keen interest in leading a few activities!

Through her involvement with UVP, she learned about an upcoming HIV-malaria community outreach event, where we offer testing, treatment, and health referral services. Feeling ready to know her status, Rachel signed up for testing and learned her test results were negative.

“I knew I had to gain [the] confidence to make a bold decision to take the [HIV] test, but the fear in me couldn’t let me do so. But this time ‘round, I had to overcome the fear…”

Rachel feels empowered now that she knows her status. She was scared to find out, but now she’s prepared to take good care of own health, and is eager to support other young people in finding out their own status. There is often a great deal of stigma and fear around HIV in the village, but with Rachel as an ally, we can help reduce these concerns and ensure more youths receive proactive HIV testing. Twekembe! -- working together for a healthier Uganda.

 

--

Learn more about UVP on our website and please consider supporting UVP with a monthly gift. We provide year-round programming and education for HIV/AIDS, clean water and sanitation, malaria prevention and treatment, reproductive health services, and fistula repair surgeries.

Meet the Twins!

By Morgan Feldt (International Internship Coordinator) and Shafic Mutegule (VHT-Intern Coordinator)

 

Hello! Morgan and Shafic here, or better known as “the Twins.” Together, we support and lead the intern cohort, providing oversight, direction, and guidance while the interns live and work in their respective villages.  

 

We believe that working with a cross-cultural team is a great opportunity to learn from one another. It can be humbling, as well as humorous, to explore our different cultures and find common ground. In fact, learning new things together is one of our favorite activities. Morgan, who is a sweets connoisseur, introduced Shafic to the American art of roasting s’mores and enjoying milkshakes. Meanwhile, Shafic has taught Morgan how to do all matters "Ugandan style,” which includes eating large meals, dancing to Ugandan music, and bargaining at the market.  

 

Throughout the internship, our responsibility is to work closely to manage five teams of 24 interns in five villages. Our day-to-day work is to ensure all teams have the tools and resources to reach their community members and thrive in village life. Since our interns are required to work in cross-cultural teams, we feel it is important to model how to do this effectively ourselves.   

 

We love being “the Twins” and have fully leaned into this joint persona. Most days you’ll find us working together, laughing with and at each other, listening to music, and -- of course -- drinking milkshakes.

 

--

Learn more about UVP on our website and please consider supporting UVP with a monthly gift. We provide year-round programming and education for HIV/AIDS, clean water and sanitation, malaria prevention and treatment, reproductive health services, and fistula repair surgeries.

Under the Moonlight

 By Josephine Asio, Former HIV and Malaria Program Coordinator at UVP

Wilson’s story is being shared with his consent. 

 

Moonlight events bring HIV testing and counseling to community members who cannot attend typical HIV outreach due to work demands. The events get their name because they are conducted in the evening under the light of the moon and held at trading centers to target a population at higher risk of contracting HIV.  

 

Moonlight events, as well as regular HIV/STI counseling events, help to decrease stigma associated with HIV infection. UVP staff educate communities on the options that are available for HIV treatment, and make connections to local facilities where HIV positive individuals can obtain antiretroviral treatments. 

 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the President of Uganda implemented a curfew to encourage citizens to remain indoors and prevent further spread of the virus. The curfew has put a pause on moonlight events. Some people, particularly men, feel more comfortable testing for HIV at moonlight events as they believe the setting is more private. With stigma around HIV infection, a testing event may cause extra anxiety for men and women who want to know their HIV status. 

 

Wilson, a young family man with a wife and four children, admits to UVP staff that he would prefer receiving an HIV test at a moonlight event. With assurance, Wilson realizes that UVP is capable of providing privacy and upholding confidentiality even with day-time HIV testing. Wilson received a test and was happy with the level of privacy upheld by UVP. He looks forward to moonlight events returning so that more of his friends and neighbors can access HIV services that don’t interfere with their work schedules.

 

-- 

Learn about all the ways UVP fights HIV on our website. If you’d like to help men like Wilson, please consider supporting UVP with a monthly gift. In addition to supporting HIV/STI education and testing, UVP provides programs and education for clean water and sanitation, malaria prevention and treatment, reproductive health services, and fistula repair surgeries.

A Powerful Influence

 By Tumusiime Loy, Program Coordinator 

 Hajara’s story is being shared with her consent.  

For years, Hajara has been a powerful influence in her community as a Fistula Ambassador. Two days each week, Hajara gives a health talk about obstetric fistula at the main hospital and two other health centers in Mayuge district. She actively seeks out women in her community who may be suffering from untreated fistula and encourages them to contact UVP for support.

In 2012, Hajara suffered from an obstetric fistula following the complicated and painful birth of her baby boy (her 5th child, after two sets of twins). After delivering by C-section, Hajara began to leak urine uncontrollably. She knew that her pain and other symptoms would not go away without surgery, but she remained skeptical that she would recover and be able to return to her daily activities. With the support of her husband, Hajara sought help from UVP. She attended a repair camp in Kamuli and had a successful repair and recovery in 2013. 

Following this humbling experience, Hajara felt as if she regained her dignity, empowered to help other women learn about the causes, prevention, and treatment of fistula. Hajara’s work as a Fistula Ambassador is guided by her passion and resilient commitment to her community and women in need. Any time a baby is born, you’re likely to find Hajara close by, checking in on the new mother.
--
A special thanks to The Fistula Foundation for their support of UVP since 2013.
Learn about all the ways UVP fights fistula on our website.

If you’d like to help women like Hajara, please consider supporting UVP with a monthly gift. In addition to supporting fistula repair surgeries, UVP provides programs and education for HIV/STIs, clean water and sanitation, malaria prevention and treatment, and reproductive health services.

I Never Lost Hope

By Tumusiime Loy, Program Coordinator

Stella’s story is being shared with her consent. 

At Kamuli Mission Hospital, other patients crowd around Stella. Just 22 years old, she’s a survivor of sexual assault and rape, and a recovering obstetric fistula repair surgery patient. 

At the age of 16, while home alone, Stella was raped by multiple intruders. This traumatic event left her unable to control her bladder for months. At 19, Stella became pregnant and after a complicated birth that lasted for days, sadly, Stella’s baby passed away. To make matters worse, Stella developed an obstetric fistula. Her husband was not supportive and left her for another woman after realizing the complexity of Stella’s health concerns. An initial attempt at repair surgery failed, but Stella persisted.

She eventually received a phone call from a friend that would lead her to the UVP-supported Kamuli Mission Hospital. It was here that Stella received her second and successful repair surgery, and now she sits surrounded by friends and fellow survivors. 

“Sometimes when life becomes especially difficult, we wonder if everyone in the world has forgotten us . . . I never lost hope because I had always dreamed of living a positive life”.  

Stella is a beloved member of the UVP family and we look forward to her becoming a Fistula Ambassador when she is ready.
--
A special thanks to The Fistula Foundation for their support of UVP since 2013.
Learn about all the ways UVP fights fistula on our website.

If you’d like to help women like Stella, please consider supporting UVP with a monthly gift. In addition to supporting fistula repair surgeries, UVP provides programs and education for HIV/STIs, clean water and sanitation, malaria prevention and treatment, and reproductive health services.