It’s been one week since we came to
Buwoira and we have been consistently walking and working in the village. Life
in the village is something that we have all had to adjust to—even with
electricity to charge our phones and laptops.
The Buwoira team is made up of all
women: Ainslee, Ali, Deanna, Fiona, Mia, and Ruth. We all come from different
backgrounds and are able to contribute something unique to the team. We have
found that spending time together and learning about each other’s lives outside
the internship has bonded us as a team and as friends. As a team, we are
looking forward to the experiences the next few weeks will bring us.
This week we’ve become well
acquainted with some of our neighbors (both humans and animals) and have been
welcomed into the Buwoira community. Our cook Medina and her daughter Aisha are
at our house every day helping with chores and laughing (encouragingly?) at our
attempts at Lusoga (Wasuze otya eyo!). Aisha is sweet and likes to run up from
behind and tickle us, help us fetch water, and occasionally scare other kids
away from our compound with a fuzzy caterpillar. A small horde of young
children often appears on our front porch, spying on us through our front door
and yelling “Mzungu Jambo! Mzungu Jambo!” For now the game is cute and
endearing, but we will see if that changes as time goes on. And, of course, there’s
our VHT (Village Health Team member) Ronald, who comes around to visit us every
day. Although quiet, Ronald has been so kind and helpful, showing us around the
village and buying as Mendaza from the market.
A trio of
adolescent goats that we named Herbert, Sebastian, and Godfrey constantly run
around our compound. Herbert loves to enter our house and explore, and at this
point we might make him sign our living contract! Other animal encounters
include an obscenely large rooster who likes to walk around and crow at all
hours, a confused mouse that wandered into our house one night, and the many
flies that hang around our latrine when it needs smoking (sorry Deanna!)
We are generally woken up at 7am by
Ugandan conversations held by people nearby. While bathing, there are people
working ten feet away and the occasional motorcycle rides behind the back of
our house. The land appears to be communal as animals are allowed to roam the
village and the only time a fence is seen is around a trash pit. We are living
in a shared place in Buwiora, where there are no visible boundaries for
animals, kids, people, and happiness.
On our second day in the village we
were returning from a walk when we saw a man running with a child in his arm
s.
At first we laughed at the odd sight, until we learned that the child had
malaria, and the man was running to the local health center, which was not
nearby. That was our first heartbreaking glimpse at what a serious problem
malaria is in Buwoira.
After talking to local leaders and
visiting the local health center, we were even more aware of the burden of
malaria in our village. The woman in charge of the local health center informed
us that they see 15-20 new cases of malaria per
day. Though the clinic has medicine to treat malaria, it runs out very
quickly, leaving individuals to their own devices to find treatment. As many
villagers are unable to travel great distances to seek health services
elsewhere, this makes preventing malaria a top priority in Buwoira. We are excited
to work with our Village Health Team, local leaders, and the local health
center to help villagers prevent malaria and keep themselves and their families
healthy.
Another part of our work includes
surveying the village which requires us to enter different homes to inspect
their required facilities, such as a toilet, plate stand, trash pit, tippy tap,
and bathroom (shower area). We have
realized that most people know why they should have the facilities, however the
facilities do not meet the required standard. We get the impression that they
try their best to use the materials available to them to meet sanitation and
hygiene requirements in their homes. Overall, we have been given a warm welcome
during the follow-up surveys and people get pretty excited when “mzungu”
educate them.
At this moment, I am just so proud
of all my teammates for the amazing people they are and for adjusting quickly
to this kind of life that our friends call “crazy”!
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