Losing Sleep

I have been hesitant to post this blog for a multitude of reasons. Mainly, I like to focus on the positive. When discussing my stay in Uganda I see so many wonderful things; Friends graduating from universities, parents working to better the lives of their children, innovations that are improving the lives of thousands of people, etc. These accomplishments are often overshadowed in my home country by negative media and lack of knowledge on this area of the world. 

Of course, no matter where you go, there is poverty and corruption. My internship takes place at a children's home, so I am working with an incredibly vulnerable population. In order to showcase all of the good that Sanyu does for these kids, I've decided to share an experience that has especially touched my heart. Please note this is not a common occurrence or a generalization of a population.  

Wanted a picture other than my face with the link. 

There are many happy days at Sanyu filled with class activities, playtime, singing and hugs.  Then there are days like today.

A two-day-old baby was brought into Sanyu. She was born premature and weighs only 1.5kg (around 3lbs). When one of the Mama's handed me the bundle of blankets, I didn't realize there was a baby inside. I was horrified. She is so small and fragile, I was amazed doctors let her leave the hospital. 

Her life is the result of a rape. The sperm donor is forty; the mother is twelve years old. Her underdeveloped body couldn’t carry the baby to full term and an emergency C-section had to be done to save both mother and child. I don't know much about the whole situation (I'd prefer not to, actually), but family, officials at the hospital, social workers, and police must believe that Sanyu is the best place for this baby for the time being. 

I’ve had a hard time sleeping since this baby has arrived. I think of my twelve-year-old sister at home and am nauseated. I think of the mother and the extreme trauma she has and will continue to endure. I think of this child’s future and the how events prior to her birth will impact her life. I think of the other children at Sanyu and the tragedies that have brought them here. I think of children around the globe living in disadvantaged circumstances.

I think of the injustice; a key determinant of your quality of life is based on the circumstances you are born into.

Circumstances can be overcome, yes, but that takes opportunity. It takes access to health care, education, purchasing power, a support system, hard work, etc. These opportunities aren’t always readily available.

I didn’t have to travel halfway across the globe to realize this. I can walk around my town and see people struggling to feed their families. People are people, no matter where you are, and all face challenges. Some are more severe as the challenges I have faced in my 21 years of life are microscopic in comparison to the kids of Sanyu, all of who are under the age of 5.

I could dwell on the injustice of the world until the end of my days. In my hours of brooding, I think I’ve come to the conclusion that dwelling does no good for anyone. Action, on the other hand, has the potential to. That's what Sanyu does, they take action. This home steps in as an intermediate setting for children and provides them with food, water, health care, basic education (they are, of course, babies), and a support network that extends borders.

So in that time I'm not sleeping, I go and feed the babies at midnight, when 5 a.m. rolls around I do the same. My respect for these Mama’s has soared (even more so) in the past week as I learn about their lives and the sacrifices they make for not only the children of Sanyu but their own. The extra care they give to this young child is needed and amazing. They've taught her to feed from a bottle which is the only way the child would live past the first days here. They work daily to improve the livelihoods of society’s most vulnerable.  It’s humbling to play a very small part.

Update: Baby is currently gaining weight and eating well. She will remain in the isolation room (extra medical care, smaller potential for sickness) until she ages and health improves. 

Out and About

When I was in Uganda last year, I spent the majority of my time in the Kamuli District. This is where the schools I worked at and the CSRL compound are located. It’s a quiet, rural area.

Kampala is not.

As I commented in my first post, this city is huge and it never sleeps. Markets open around 6am. Bars close at 5am. Need a haircut? There are two 24-hour hair salons down the road. A huge perk for me, Sanyu is just a few kilometers from Makerere University. Therefore, my friends who have been on a separate continent from me for almost a year are right outside the gate.

(In the past three weeks I’ve spent over 125 hours at Sanyu, typically 8 hours a day, everyday, so I promise I’m not just bumming around in Kampala.)

In addition to just exploring the city to find groceries, pharmacies, post office, etc. I’ve been able to visit a variety of attractions in Kampala. Most of this is thanks to my wonderful friends at Makerere who took time out during their end of the semester craziness to meet up with me.

Remmy and Ivan took Lance and I to visit the Kasubi Tomb’s of the Buganda Kings. The Buganda kingdom is the largest traditional kingdom in Uganda. Descendants of the royal family continue to live in the touring area and it shed some great insight on a sector of Ugandan culture.

Later that weekend, Lance and I went to see the Ndere Troupe (My first viewing since I had food poisoning during the show last year). The Ndere Troupe is a music and dance group that has been around for over 30 years in Uganda. This world-renowned performance showcases the dances and styles of different cultures in Uganda. It was absolutely amazing.

I had the opportunity to visit the Peace Transitional Home, a new children’s home in Uganda similar to Sanyu that is run by a friend of a friend. It is an absolutely beautiful facility and I was able to expand some of my research to this home as well.

One of the Mamas I work with knew of my interest in the health field and took me to visit Butabika Hospital, a center for those with mental illness. It was an odd experience. The clinic gives tours of different wards and opportunities to interact with patients. I think the tours are given as a way to educate the public about mental illness, I learned a lot, but personally felt intrusive.

A combination of birthdays, finishing finals (i.e. graduating!), and reunions with good friends has made for great reasons to meet up for lunch and dinner. I especially have to thank Paul and Yosia for checking in on me regularly and of course helping me celebrate my birthday far from home.

These guys are great <3

Uganda is a beautiful, exciting place. People have been surprised when I show pictures of the city and talk of all the things to do. (Possibly stemming from a narrow view of the continent of Africa being entirely impoverished or what have you) As with all places, there is good and bad, rich and poor, and a variety of people who make it interesting. It’s a great country to visit and I’ll be here for a few months if you need a guide ;)

  

"You Are Lost!"

            I returned from Queen Elizabeth National Park a few days ago and just realized I haven’t updated this thing in a few weeks. Time flies when you’re having fun, I suppose.

            Uganda’s national languages are English and Swahili, although in the area I’m in, Luganda is more common.  For the most part, you can get around with English in Kampala, but there are certain phrases and customs that are necessary in order to not sound like a tourist. My Lusoga/Luganda is poor at best. These languages are very different sounding from English and 80% of the time I speak Spanish before finding the right word in the Luganda. It’s comical, but I find the different expressions in English much more entertaining.

            I left Sanyu for three days to meet the Service-Learning Team and travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The drive was long, the animals were big, and I had to use an Epi Pen on one of my supervisors who had an anaphylactic reaction to a sting.

Elephant

Rafiki

SO MANY LIONS

So….. On my return to the children’s home I was greeted with, “You are lost!” This phrase that means “I haven’t seen you in awhile”.  It’s a goofy experience when bunches of people are telling you, “You are lost” when you know exactly where you are.

One of my favorite things about Uganda is you can walk down the street, trip on a rock, and a stranger on the other side of the road will apologize. It’s a way of expressing sympathy rather than taking responsibility for a wrongdoing. It’s the most popular word when babies fall while learning to walk, but it’s not like they push them over.

Even amongst my friends we often get confused when speaking the same language. “Happening” is similar to “Going Out”, “You Look Smart” is “Well Dressed”, “Benching” is “Shacking”, and “Are We Together?” means “Are We On The Same Page” (Embarrassing when you think you’re being asked on a date, clearly, not on the same page).

Lost in translation, happily back home at Sanyu.

I'm No Superman

Iowa State University has a relatively new undergraduate program entitled “Global Resource Systems” (GLOBE). This is an interdisciplinary major that incorporates a core education, technical area, and geographic focus into a degree program through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. I stumbled upon this major halfway through my freshman year at Iowa State after being unfulfilled with my coursework in journalism and international relations. So, I moved into GLOBE with a focus in Sub-Saharan Africa and a technical area of biology (pre-occupational therapy/public health). This past semester I became a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician in addition to my coursework at ISU.

 In just a year and a half in the program I’ve been allowed the opportunity to travel to Uganda on a service-learning team promoting sustainable agriculture and school feeding, take classes on topics I’ve always been passionate about (including economics, rural sociology, development, world food issues, etc.), and meet a bunch of “globies” who a.) I’m convinced are superheroes and b.) Are some of my biggest role models at Iowa State.

A defining portion of the program is a required 6-10 week global internship in your area of focus. Typically, this internship is completed prior to your final year and is the basis of your senior research project. People travel to all areas of the world participating in internships regarding improving rural beef production, teaching English, restoring wildlife sanctuaries, establishing water filtration systems; the list goes on.

International travel is expensive; therefore generous donors to the GLOBE program help aid students to cover airfare and sometimes-basic essentials on these typically unpaid internships. I sold my soul to do some personal fundraising (apologies for the obnoxiousness and a HUGE thank you to all who contributed) and of course worked multiple jobs in order to pay tuition, rent, and go without a paycheck all summer.

I love what I’m studying, so I honestly would have gone without food for the opportunity to do field research, but it’s nice that I don’t have to.

I decided to complete my internship this summer when an opportunity rose to analyze different approaches to feeding/nutrition programs in Uganda. I participated in research regarding school feeding programs with a professor who helped to establish ISU’s involvement in Uganda (although I didn’t know it at the time) and I’m about 97% sure that’s the reason I ended up being chosen to participate in the Uganda Service-Learning Program last year. The school feeding and nutrition project two students from Makerere University and I worked on won awards at a World Food Prize undergraduate competition and was presented at various conferences. It just seemed natural to return to Uganda and contribute research to a program that has done so much for me.

This program that has done so much for me, and in retrospect, I do very little for the program.

I’m uncomfortable when people say that I am “doing big things” or “changing the world” (Truly, receiving any praise). In reality, Sanyu and CSRL’s Nutrition Education Center (& the GLOBE program) are providing hands-on experience in a field I would like to work in the future. These organizations and people allow me to interrupt their daily lives so I can learn. Of course the goal is that I can refine strategies of addressing malnutrition in children and improve people’s lives, but I play a very small part in the grand scheme of things.

I hope that my sharing of my time in Uganda doesn’t falsely glorify my role here.  This whole blogging-thing was originated for the purpose of letting my family and close friends know what was going on without making $4 a minute international phone calls rather than a “Hey, look at me, I’m Mother Teresa”. I also like to share my experiences and pictures because I think they have potential to provide a more personal connection to a place that is distant from home and often misunderstood.

There’s no way that I could do this all on my own and I am so grateful to Iowa State, GLOBE, Sanyu, CSRL, and every person I’ve ever encountered for helping me get to where I am. I’m just a product of the wonderful surroundings.