Today I was emailed by one of my friends at Duke asking me what I thought about my DukeEngage program and whether or not I would recommend it. I was surprised by just how quickly I responded saying yes.
I have been back from Kenya for almost two months now. I have been reluctant to write my final blog post due to laziness, tiredness, and the fact that I was home for summer. But also, I felt as though I needed time to process—to see how much I would learn from the experience and evaluate how it affected me.
While I was in Kenya, I told my dad that I am a changed woman. He laughed. Now that I am back, I realize that I am still the same old Alexis. Before I stayed in Kenya, I also went with the very idyllic hope that I would be changing the world, making a huge difference. But Kenya is still Kenya.
I realize now that no one can simply “change the world.” I did not make a huge difference in the hospital I was working at. Volunteers like me come and go every year. What is important is the small changes you make, the people you meet, and the little things you take from it. Although I did not cure AIDS, I did help to create a VCT center at my hospital for more people to be tested for HIV. Although I am not a changed woman, I do know more about another side of the world.
I will always remember certain things about my stay in Kenya:
-drinking tea at all times of the day
-little kids screaming “how are you? how are you?”
-being a mzungu
-the sticky mud roads
-the squished matatus
-all the fried foods (at least I know how to cook Kenyan food now!)
-the lack of running water
-the pit latrines
-my strategy to wash myself in a bucket shower
-ugali (the staple food)
-being on “african time”
-my lovely princess mosquito net
-doing laundry while showering
-all the skirts I had to wear
-the incompetent electricity
-the VCT opening (over 100 patients tested!)
-my going away party at the hospital with lots of dancing and singing
-being given a live chicken to take on the plane
-my welcoming homestay family
-the friends I made at the hospital
-the friends I made at the FSD office
-the friends I made with other interns
-and all the experiences I had at the hospital, at home, with friends, and while traveling
Although the world is not changed and I am not changed, there will always be things that stick with me. I have learned that development takes time and that there is no easy solution to the problems that face the world. And that even though America and Kenya are two completely different countries, we are all one and the same.
Tuesday 20 September 2011
Wednesday 20 July 2011
VCT Grand Opening
Tomorrow will be the grand opening of the VCT as well as my goodbye party at Shibwe! We have advertised the official opening throughout the village and expect many to come. The hospital has even invited church members to pray for the VCT and sing for my farewell. Plus, they want me to give a speech and cut the opening ribbon. I have been planning this day all week, moving boxes to clear out the Nurses’ Office, painting the walls, putting up flyers, etc. We even have a Plan B in case too many people show up to be tested. (We will be opening other rooms in the hospital for counseling.) Wish us luck tomorrow!
Tomorrow will also be my last day with my host family. In the evening, I will be staying at Sheywe Guest House, and waking up early for my flight from Kisumu to Nairobi where I will have a convenient 12-hour layover to explore Nairobi. And then off to Amsterdam and finally Los Angeles. I CANNOT believe how quickly the time has gone by! I will write my final post at home. But for now, I have a lot left to do – a grand opening and a million goodbyes.
PS. I have a total of 15 mosquito bites…on my left foot. Thank god I am taking antimalarials!
Tomorrow will also be my last day with my host family. In the evening, I will be staying at Sheywe Guest House, and waking up early for my flight from Kisumu to Nairobi where I will have a convenient 12-hour layover to explore Nairobi. And then off to Amsterdam and finally Los Angeles. I CANNOT believe how quickly the time has gone by! I will write my final post at home. But for now, I have a lot left to do – a grand opening and a million goodbyes.
PS. I have a total of 15 mosquito bites…on my left foot. Thank god I am taking antimalarials!
Wednesday 13 July 2011
Masai Mara
This past weekend eight interns decided to visit Masai Mara – the national park most famous in Kenya. The trip consisted of:
-My bus getting stuck in the mud and slipping off the road because of the rain. I then trekked in the mud all the way to the closest market where I would find a motorcycle to take me into Kakamega Town.
- 2 14-hour bus rides to Masai Mara and back
- 3 –day safari
- Stepping foot into Tanzania
- The viewing of many lions, giraffes, zebra, cheetah, and the migration of the wildebeests
Masai Mara is also known for being home to the Masai tribe. The tribe is famous throughout Kenya for being the more stereotypical and traditional “African tribe.” They live in a very remote and rural village in south Kenya, dress in robes, pierce HUGE holes into their ears, and have dancing ceremonies and traditions, such as killing a lion once a year.
For a small fee, one of the Masai villages near our campsite let us visit them. They performed one of their dances, showed us how to make fire without matches, and took us into their mud huts. Here is the Masai during their jumping competition:
and them teaching me how to make fire using sticks:
The culture of the tribe seems to be dying, though, because many of the children are now being sent to government-run schools in which they are forced to wear uniforms and are not allowed any piercings.
On my way home, I was again stopped by the rain and mud and was unable to use the road back to my village. I therefore stayed at Matthew’s house (a Duke student) for the night. For the first time, I went to the bathroom in a bucket in my room because it was apparently too cold to go outside. Always experiencing something new in Kenya!
I have officially started my project as of Monday. The fundi (carpenter) has already built the partition and doors, and today we began to paint the rooms!
On a sidenote: Last week, Kenya's Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation (with help from USAID) began a national campaign to distribute 11 million mosquito nets to combat malaria. Shibwe was the location to distribute the nets throughout my village, so last week I helped the hospital accomplish this.
One of the workers at Shibwe took pictures of the mass distribution. So here are pictures of me distributing the nets, sitting with the matron (head nurse), and posing with the district officer:
-My bus getting stuck in the mud and slipping off the road because of the rain. I then trekked in the mud all the way to the closest market where I would find a motorcycle to take me into Kakamega Town.
- 2 14-hour bus rides to Masai Mara and back
- 3 –day safari
- Stepping foot into Tanzania
- The viewing of many lions, giraffes, zebra, cheetah, and the migration of the wildebeests
Masai Mara is also known for being home to the Masai tribe. The tribe is famous throughout Kenya for being the more stereotypical and traditional “African tribe.” They live in a very remote and rural village in south Kenya, dress in robes, pierce HUGE holes into their ears, and have dancing ceremonies and traditions, such as killing a lion once a year.
For a small fee, one of the Masai villages near our campsite let us visit them. They performed one of their dances, showed us how to make fire without matches, and took us into their mud huts. Here is the Masai during their jumping competition:
and them teaching me how to make fire using sticks:
The culture of the tribe seems to be dying, though, because many of the children are now being sent to government-run schools in which they are forced to wear uniforms and are not allowed any piercings.
On my way home, I was again stopped by the rain and mud and was unable to use the road back to my village. I therefore stayed at Matthew’s house (a Duke student) for the night. For the first time, I went to the bathroom in a bucket in my room because it was apparently too cold to go outside. Always experiencing something new in Kenya!
I have officially started my project as of Monday. The fundi (carpenter) has already built the partition and doors, and today we began to paint the rooms!
On a sidenote: Last week, Kenya's Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation (with help from USAID) began a national campaign to distribute 11 million mosquito nets to combat malaria. Shibwe was the location to distribute the nets throughout my village, so last week I helped the hospital accomplish this.
One of the workers at Shibwe took pictures of the mass distribution. So here are pictures of me distributing the nets, sitting with the matron (head nurse), and posing with the district officer:
Wednesday 6 July 2011
Thank You! Thank You!
I apologize for the delay on the fundraising update – the internet has been down for the last couple days.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED!!!! The fundraising came to a total of $1100!! I am so grateful for all the contributions that have been made and for all the generosity! The funds will be making (what I hope to be) a huge difference at Shibwe Sub-District Hospital and for the people of Kakamega. Thank you, thank you!
In other news:
- Went on FSD’s ‘midterm retreat’ this past weekend with all 16 interns. We hiked to Crater Lake on Friday, and on Saturday biked 30 km in Hell’s Gate Park to a beautiful gourge. The weekend ended Saturday night with MILLIONS of Siafu ants invading our campsite (we were camping outdoors in two-person tents). The ants completely covered the tents that you could not even see the zipper! These ants are only found in East Africa and look almost like scorpions. They bite people by sticking their entire head into your skin and must be pulled out. (I did not get bit because I was perfectly happy to leave my stuff in the tent overnight.) It was GROSS. Needless to say, we slept elsewhere for the night.
- South Sudan is soon to be the newest country in Africa on Saturday, July 9!! Exciting news here (one of the interns is even courageously taking a matatu all the way to Sudan to be there on Saturday!).
Here is a picture of the group in front of Crater Lake and a picture of the gourge:
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED!!!! The fundraising came to a total of $1100!! I am so grateful for all the contributions that have been made and for all the generosity! The funds will be making (what I hope to be) a huge difference at Shibwe Sub-District Hospital and for the people of Kakamega. Thank you, thank you!
In other news:
- Went on FSD’s ‘midterm retreat’ this past weekend with all 16 interns. We hiked to Crater Lake on Friday, and on Saturday biked 30 km in Hell’s Gate Park to a beautiful gourge. The weekend ended Saturday night with MILLIONS of Siafu ants invading our campsite (we were camping outdoors in two-person tents). The ants completely covered the tents that you could not even see the zipper! These ants are only found in East Africa and look almost like scorpions. They bite people by sticking their entire head into your skin and must be pulled out. (I did not get bit because I was perfectly happy to leave my stuff in the tent overnight.) It was GROSS. Needless to say, we slept elsewhere for the night.
- South Sudan is soon to be the newest country in Africa on Saturday, July 9!! Exciting news here (one of the interns is even courageously taking a matatu all the way to Sudan to be there on Saturday!).
Here is a picture of the group in front of Crater Lake and a picture of the gourge:
Thursday 30 June 2011
Fundraising Website
The Foundation for Sustainable Development has just added my project to its website! Check it out: http://www.fsdinternational.org/donate/projects/LeVee
Tuesday 28 June 2011
Fundraising Approval
My project to make a VCT center and a second Consultation Room at Shibwe Sub-District Hospital has finally been approved and is ready for fundraising! You can donate by copying and pasting this link into your browser: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=M9SBCNKUSC3ZL or by clicking on this button below:
Donations can also be made by check payable to Foundation for Sustainable Development and addressed to me at my home in California: 1231 3rd Street, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266. Please write “Alexis LeVee, Kenya” on the memo line.
Donations will be received until July 4, 2011 and are tax-deductable.
Thank you so much for your support!!
Donations can also be made by check payable to Foundation for Sustainable Development and addressed to me at my home in California: 1231 3rd Street, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266. Please write “Alexis LeVee, Kenya” on the memo line.
Donations will be received until July 4, 2011 and are tax-deductable.
Thank you so much for your support!!
Monday 27 June 2011
Lake Nakuru
This past weekend I went to Lake Nakuru and it was one of the most exciting, frustrating, and scary experiences yet. Lake Nakuru is the fourth largest city in Kenya and famous for its national park. I found out about it from my aunt Jody (shoutout!) who emailed me an article about what is said to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.
Many of the decisions we made this past weekend were not the smartest. For example, the nine of us interns decided to take a 4 ½ hour matatu ride at 6 PM on a Friday night. This was against the wishes of our supervisor who warned us that nine mzungus travelling at night to Nakuru was highly dangerous. Instead of taking his advice, we signed a contract giving away any responsibility of FSD.
We arrived at our hotel safe and sound despite the comments throughout the drive to remind us that “this is how NGO workers die.” However, when we got there, the hotel kindly gave away our rooms (Good luck: 0; Bad luck: 1). Fortunately, another Kenyan was also searching for a hotel at midnight, and as it turned out works at Lake Nakuru National Park and knew much about the city (Good luck: 1; Bad luck: 1). He led us to a hotel that was much cheaper and safer than the first – only in Kenya can you find a hotel room for $6 a night! It is even cheaper when splitting it between four people. Even though the pit latrine was at the end of the hall, we were at peace knowing there was a security guard stationed at the front entrance.
The next day our new Kenyan friend, Willis, bargained a deal for our group to go on a one-day safari (Good luck: 2; Bad luck: 1). The safari through Lake Nakuru was absolutely beautiful! The lake is famous for being home to a third of the world’s flamingo population. But more importantly, we saw lions, giraffes, zebra, hyena, buffalo, baboons, rhinos, and so much more! It was such an incredible sight to see these animals in their natural habitats. The animals were only feet away from us (including the lion that was sleeping)!
Here are pictures of the baboons, the buffalo, and the giraffes:
Willis then took us to a hotel within the National Park where he works as a bartender. This hotel could not have been less than 5 stars, and looked like it was taken right out of a beach in Hawaii. It seemed most out of place since just down the road were huts where the Kenyans lived, but we took full advantage, ordering cocktails and coffee. After saying goodbye to Willis and our safari driver, we went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner and to a discotheque for dancing. At the discotheque is where we really stood out. Instead of the long skirts and covered shoulders that women in Kakamega are dressed in and what we have adapted to, these urban women were wearing tight dresses and heels. It was a club straight out of Hollywood! We were shocked but had an amazing time (Good luck: 3; Bad luck: 1).
The next day is when our luck began to run out. We decided to visit the Menengai crater about a 30-minute drive from the city. We hired a matatu to take us, but about ¾ of the way, the car started steaming and we were told that “the matatu was out of fuel” (Good luck: 3; Bad luck: 2). We then proceeded to walk to the rest of the way up. The crater was so astoundingly huge that it did not even resemble a crater! It was too vast to see its entire area.
Here I am standing in front of the crater:
After the matatu had been fixed, it picked us up from the top and drove us back down. We ate a quick lunch, and went back to the matatu station for a ride home. Within minutes of being at the matatu station, one of the street kids stole the wallet out of the backpack of another Duke student, Lauren (Good luck: 3; Bad luck: 3). He was about 15-years-old and proceeded to taunt us with his stolen goods, jumping in front of me and waving the stolen credit cards. Fortunately, when he jumped in front of me, I was able to snatch the credit cards out of his hands, but he had taken the money and wallet for good. I am starting to appreciate the rural life in Kakamega compared to living in an urban city like Nakuru, because although there are a few street kids in Kakamega, they are everywhere in Nakuru and were openly sniffing their glue bottles.
The bad luck had not run out just yet. Within the first half hour of our drive, the matatu was pulled over by a cop for not having our seatbelts on (people never wear seatbelts in a matatu) (Good luck: 3; Bad luck: 4). The police officer attempted to bribe us, asking for 2000 shillings each in exchange for him not sending us to jail. I FROZE. Luckily, another officer walked up and excused our wrongdoing (Good luck: 4; Bad luck: 4). I cannot believe I witnessed Kenya’s corrupt government firsthand! Kenya never fails to surprise me. After that, it was smooth sailing and I arrived at home just in time for supper. What a weekend.
Many of the decisions we made this past weekend were not the smartest. For example, the nine of us interns decided to take a 4 ½ hour matatu ride at 6 PM on a Friday night. This was against the wishes of our supervisor who warned us that nine mzungus travelling at night to Nakuru was highly dangerous. Instead of taking his advice, we signed a contract giving away any responsibility of FSD.
We arrived at our hotel safe and sound despite the comments throughout the drive to remind us that “this is how NGO workers die.” However, when we got there, the hotel kindly gave away our rooms (Good luck: 0; Bad luck: 1). Fortunately, another Kenyan was also searching for a hotel at midnight, and as it turned out works at Lake Nakuru National Park and knew much about the city (Good luck: 1; Bad luck: 1). He led us to a hotel that was much cheaper and safer than the first – only in Kenya can you find a hotel room for $6 a night! It is even cheaper when splitting it between four people. Even though the pit latrine was at the end of the hall, we were at peace knowing there was a security guard stationed at the front entrance.
The next day our new Kenyan friend, Willis, bargained a deal for our group to go on a one-day safari (Good luck: 2; Bad luck: 1). The safari through Lake Nakuru was absolutely beautiful! The lake is famous for being home to a third of the world’s flamingo population. But more importantly, we saw lions, giraffes, zebra, hyena, buffalo, baboons, rhinos, and so much more! It was such an incredible sight to see these animals in their natural habitats. The animals were only feet away from us (including the lion that was sleeping)!
Here are pictures of the baboons, the buffalo, and the giraffes:
Willis then took us to a hotel within the National Park where he works as a bartender. This hotel could not have been less than 5 stars, and looked like it was taken right out of a beach in Hawaii. It seemed most out of place since just down the road were huts where the Kenyans lived, but we took full advantage, ordering cocktails and coffee. After saying goodbye to Willis and our safari driver, we went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner and to a discotheque for dancing. At the discotheque is where we really stood out. Instead of the long skirts and covered shoulders that women in Kakamega are dressed in and what we have adapted to, these urban women were wearing tight dresses and heels. It was a club straight out of Hollywood! We were shocked but had an amazing time (Good luck: 3; Bad luck: 1).
The next day is when our luck began to run out. We decided to visit the Menengai crater about a 30-minute drive from the city. We hired a matatu to take us, but about ¾ of the way, the car started steaming and we were told that “the matatu was out of fuel” (Good luck: 3; Bad luck: 2). We then proceeded to walk to the rest of the way up. The crater was so astoundingly huge that it did not even resemble a crater! It was too vast to see its entire area.
Here I am standing in front of the crater:
After the matatu had been fixed, it picked us up from the top and drove us back down. We ate a quick lunch, and went back to the matatu station for a ride home. Within minutes of being at the matatu station, one of the street kids stole the wallet out of the backpack of another Duke student, Lauren (Good luck: 3; Bad luck: 3). He was about 15-years-old and proceeded to taunt us with his stolen goods, jumping in front of me and waving the stolen credit cards. Fortunately, when he jumped in front of me, I was able to snatch the credit cards out of his hands, but he had taken the money and wallet for good. I am starting to appreciate the rural life in Kakamega compared to living in an urban city like Nakuru, because although there are a few street kids in Kakamega, they are everywhere in Nakuru and were openly sniffing their glue bottles.
The bad luck had not run out just yet. Within the first half hour of our drive, the matatu was pulled over by a cop for not having our seatbelts on (people never wear seatbelts in a matatu) (Good luck: 3; Bad luck: 4). The police officer attempted to bribe us, asking for 2000 shillings each in exchange for him not sending us to jail. I FROZE. Luckily, another officer walked up and excused our wrongdoing (Good luck: 4; Bad luck: 4). I cannot believe I witnessed Kenya’s corrupt government firsthand! Kenya never fails to surprise me. After that, it was smooth sailing and I arrived at home just in time for supper. What a weekend.
Monday 20 June 2011
HIV Testing and Awareness Day
Had a great weekend! On Saturday, I went into Kakamega for a workshop about the Kenyan perspectives of aid – very interesting workshop. Many Kenyans believe that the country should not receive aid because it hinders their development. It causes Kenyans to become dependent on aid, and work less hard knowing they will receive donations regardless of their work effort. Plus, much of the aid is conditional and opportunistic (such as the U.S. expecting a reduced price for exports from Kenya). However, the Site Team and the rest of the interns agreed that aid is completely beneficial in emergency situations. For example, a government cannot sufficiently support its citizens during a famine and needs overseas food sources.
After the workshop, I met my host mom in Kakamega to go to her niece’s wedding. After waiting about two hours to find out that her son’s car had broken down, we picked up a matatu and arrived at the wedding with one hour left. Kenyan weddings are amazingly similar to American ones! The church service is in the morning from 8-11 and the reception lasts from 3 to 6. When asked why the reception is so early, my host mom replied that it gets dangerous to travel at night. The reception was in the backyard of the groom’s house, where about 5 tents were set up, balloons, and pictures of the bride and groom. The bride was wearing a white gown and all the groomsmen were wearing tuxes. Because we arrived with only one hour remaining, we were only able to witness speeches from the family and the cutting of the cake. The one main difference between a Kenyan wedding and an American one was the size. It is tradition for Kenyan weddings to be HUGE. Invitations are sent out to friends and family, but when the day comes, the entire village is welcome (apparently, many come just for the free food). So there were hundreds of people there! Some were dressed up very nicely, and others not so much.
On Sunday, two of my friends and I went to the HIV Testing and Awareness Day organized by my hospital! The volunteers organized it and schedule one every three months with music, games, and of course, HIV testing. After a short discussion amongst ourselves, we agreed to be tested, seeing that we can only truly be advocates of HIV testing once we ourselves are tested. (Don’t worry – it was completely sterile!) Afterwards, we watched tug-of-war, and then joined in for the bottle race. We were supposed to walk from one end of the soccer field to the other with a glass soda bottle on our head. Believe it or not, we lost MISERABLY. I could not even walk one foot with the bottle not falling off! Apparently, my hair is too “slippery.” Not too many people showed up (a total of 18 were tested), but it was a fun day nonetheless.
Here is me getting tested:
And Dylan, Matthew, and I preparing for the bottle race:
After the workshop, I met my host mom in Kakamega to go to her niece’s wedding. After waiting about two hours to find out that her son’s car had broken down, we picked up a matatu and arrived at the wedding with one hour left. Kenyan weddings are amazingly similar to American ones! The church service is in the morning from 8-11 and the reception lasts from 3 to 6. When asked why the reception is so early, my host mom replied that it gets dangerous to travel at night. The reception was in the backyard of the groom’s house, where about 5 tents were set up, balloons, and pictures of the bride and groom. The bride was wearing a white gown and all the groomsmen were wearing tuxes. Because we arrived with only one hour remaining, we were only able to witness speeches from the family and the cutting of the cake. The one main difference between a Kenyan wedding and an American one was the size. It is tradition for Kenyan weddings to be HUGE. Invitations are sent out to friends and family, but when the day comes, the entire village is welcome (apparently, many come just for the free food). So there were hundreds of people there! Some were dressed up very nicely, and others not so much.
On Sunday, two of my friends and I went to the HIV Testing and Awareness Day organized by my hospital! The volunteers organized it and schedule one every three months with music, games, and of course, HIV testing. After a short discussion amongst ourselves, we agreed to be tested, seeing that we can only truly be advocates of HIV testing once we ourselves are tested. (Don’t worry – it was completely sterile!) Afterwards, we watched tug-of-war, and then joined in for the bottle race. We were supposed to walk from one end of the soccer field to the other with a glass soda bottle on our head. Believe it or not, we lost MISERABLY. I could not even walk one foot with the bottle not falling off! Apparently, my hair is too “slippery.” Not too many people showed up (a total of 18 were tested), but it was a fun day nonetheless.
Here is me getting tested:
And Dylan, Matthew, and I preparing for the bottle race:
Friday 17 June 2011
Gross Happenings
Forgot to mention that the other day visiting doctors came to the hospital to perform some procedures using our minor theatre (operating room). One of the nurses at Shibwe led me into the theatre and told the visiting doctors that I was an American doctor and would like to watch the procedure. I then watched a tubal ligation (aka. getting your "tubes tide") on a woman who was only given local anesthesia! Somehow, it seemed like I was in more pain watching the procedure than the woman was!
My FSD Workplan
My project idea has been approved!
It has been difficult to think of a project that would be both beneficial and long-lasting for the hospital. The Foundation for Sustainable Development emphasizes that our projects must be sustainable by building upon the resources that are available at the hospital and working to develop those resources. The organization stresses the difference between aid and development; aid is that which views the community as objects of development whereas development promotes the involvement of the community in order for local ownership to take hold and development solutions to be maintained. During the internship, FSD encourages its interns to take an asset-based approach—in which the first step is to identify the needs and opportunities available, build open those means, and work with the organization to ensure its maintenance for our projects to be qualified as sustainable development.
There are three components to my project: the first is to increase the number of patients who are tested and counseled for HIV and AIDS; the second is to improve the management, transparency, and appearance of the hospital; and the third is to enhance service provision by decreasing patient wait time and increasing privacy.
The first part of the project is to create a VCT center at the hospital. Kenya currently is home to one of the world’s largest HIV and AIDS epidemics. An estimated 1.5 million people are living with HIV; and in 2009 80,000 people died from AIDS related illnesses. The Kenyan government has gone a long way to provide HIV prevention and treatment services. In 2000, there were only three voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) sites nationwide, and by 2007 there were almost 1000. There are now VCT centers in 73% of health facilities in Kenya. In addition, the Kenyan government subsidizes all costs for VCT services and antiretroviral drugs and therapy. Despite the improvement that Kenya has made over the decade, only 48% of Kenyans in need of HIV treatment are receiving it (Avert).
Shibwe Sub-District Hospital is one of the few hospitals in Kenya to not have a VCT center. Currently at the facility, patients who are tested for HIV are sent to the general laboratory where they are counseled in front of many others. This causes the rest of the patients to be aware of each person who is being tested for HIV at the facility. Because privacy is critical during HIV testing and counseling due to the stigma and discrimination people still face from the disease, and since Shibwe lacks the ability to offer privacy, HIV testing is rarely done at the facility. Shibwe has been unable to provide both the funds and the space for a VCT center.
For my project, I would like to provide the space and the funds to advertise for a VCT center. In the past week, space has already been made available after some of the staff helped me to organize and clean out one of the storage rooms in the back of the Female Ward. I am hoping to move the Nurses’ Office that currently is in the Comprehensive Care Center (which treats HIV/AIDS patients and is where the VCT is originally supposed to be) to the back of the Female Ward, allotting the space in the CCC for the VCT. However, donations will be needed in order to provide a door, a desk, and chairs for the VCT. In addition, I would like to advertise that Shibwe now has a VCT center so residents in the village can come get tested. I hope to make signs around the village and make a promotion for the first 20 people to come for its opening to receive T-Shirts.
Shibwe has generously offered to provide the funds necessary to pay for a VCT counselor – this was by far the most crucial aspect of the project. Last Monday, I wrote up the advertisement for the need of a VCT counselor at Shibwe to post around the city, and on Friday interviewed for the VCT counselor. She has begun to work already as of two days ago, but has yet to be given office space. (She is currently working out of the Nurses’ Office.) I can’t wait for the VCT center to be implemented!
The second component to the project deals with the management and appearance of the hospital. Currently, the clinician sees patients based upon whoever sits closest to his door. Because there is no way to tell who has come first, patients are cutting each other in line and constantly fighting. Therefore, I have already begun the implementation of a numbering system at the hospital as of yesterday. I have printed out numbers and laminated them, and have taught the staff how to use them. Once the patient signs in at the registration desk, they are given a number and then called upon by the doctor by the next number in line. The new numbering system has been so successful in one day that the staff has asked for a numbering system for each ward in the hospital! In addition, I am hoping to improve the record system at the hospital because much time is wasted and a great deal of data is not reported with the current system. However, I will need to research better record-keeping systems, so no promises if this will work! The last part is to improve the appearance of the hospital by creating notice boards in each room and designing posters to provide both education of illnesses and an awareness of numbers seen at the hospital.
Last but not least, the third part of the project is to enhance service provision by decreasing patient wait time and increasing privacy. I have already conducted 100 surveys of patients to acquire information about patient needs and satisfaction, written a report of the analysis, and presented my report to the rest of the hospital staff (about 15 people). There were very pleased with the report (and the new numbering system) that by the end of my presentation they did a standing ovation. I was very happy :) Of the 100 patients surveyed, 46 had only attended primary school and the majority were either self-employed or farmers. Overall, the central findings of the survey was that patients indicated that they were not given enough privacy and that they were not receiving enough information about their illness or about their prescription (and that we need to increase the staff but there is nothing I can do about that….). Therefore, I would like to increase the amount of privacy offered at the hospital by constructing a partition within the consultation room. Patients are currently examined, diagnosed, and treated in front of others, because there are no doors between rooms or partitions within rooms. I wish to provide a partition for the Consultation Room, thereby creating two rooms for the two clinical officers to see patients in separately. This would not only provide privacy within the Consultation Room, but also allow more patients to be examined by the two clinical officers who will be able to work more easily with the separated room. In order to provide for two Consultation Rooms, donations will be needed to construct the partition and buy an extra desk and chairs. Furthermore, Shibwe has offered to contribute to this privacy initiative by adding in funds to create a door at the Labour Ward. Currently, the Labour Ward and the Female Ward are separated without a door, making it very simple for patients to watch a delivery. It is not only an invasion of privacy, but painful for some of the patients to watch! Lastly, if I have time, I would like to create pamphlets for the patients to read while they wait to see the clinician about some of the major illnesses affecting the area, means of prevention, and treatment. A pamphlet would also be beneficial for expecting mothers (who wait an especially long time to be seen by a nurse) about the danger signs related to pregnancy and childbirth since Kenyan women face a 1 in 20 lifetime risk of maternal death.
That is my work plan as of today! Hopefully, this project will meet FSD’s, Shibwe’s, and my hopes for sustainable development. The staff is just as excited for each of these project outcomes (especially the VCT center) so I am not at all worried about them being able to execute and maintain these development solutions after I leave Kenya. The work plan, however, may continually change the longer I work at Shibwe and the more I discover opportunities and bounce back ideas off the other interns.
I have sent in my Online Campaign Form to the head office of FSD in San Francisco so hopefully it will be approved in the next couple days and I can begin fundraising for the VCT center and the partition for the Consultation Room! Donations will be very, very much appreciated :)
If you have any comments or ideas about other projects, do not hesitate to tell me!
Sidenote: Yesterday afternoon, I visited my homestay aunt at the girls secondary school she teaches at. It is a public boarding school (very common here), and apparently the girls must wake up at 4:30 AM to be in class by 5! I would have dropped out immediately...
It has been difficult to think of a project that would be both beneficial and long-lasting for the hospital. The Foundation for Sustainable Development emphasizes that our projects must be sustainable by building upon the resources that are available at the hospital and working to develop those resources. The organization stresses the difference between aid and development; aid is that which views the community as objects of development whereas development promotes the involvement of the community in order for local ownership to take hold and development solutions to be maintained. During the internship, FSD encourages its interns to take an asset-based approach—in which the first step is to identify the needs and opportunities available, build open those means, and work with the organization to ensure its maintenance for our projects to be qualified as sustainable development.
There are three components to my project: the first is to increase the number of patients who are tested and counseled for HIV and AIDS; the second is to improve the management, transparency, and appearance of the hospital; and the third is to enhance service provision by decreasing patient wait time and increasing privacy.
The first part of the project is to create a VCT center at the hospital. Kenya currently is home to one of the world’s largest HIV and AIDS epidemics. An estimated 1.5 million people are living with HIV; and in 2009 80,000 people died from AIDS related illnesses. The Kenyan government has gone a long way to provide HIV prevention and treatment services. In 2000, there were only three voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) sites nationwide, and by 2007 there were almost 1000. There are now VCT centers in 73% of health facilities in Kenya. In addition, the Kenyan government subsidizes all costs for VCT services and antiretroviral drugs and therapy. Despite the improvement that Kenya has made over the decade, only 48% of Kenyans in need of HIV treatment are receiving it (Avert).
Shibwe Sub-District Hospital is one of the few hospitals in Kenya to not have a VCT center. Currently at the facility, patients who are tested for HIV are sent to the general laboratory where they are counseled in front of many others. This causes the rest of the patients to be aware of each person who is being tested for HIV at the facility. Because privacy is critical during HIV testing and counseling due to the stigma and discrimination people still face from the disease, and since Shibwe lacks the ability to offer privacy, HIV testing is rarely done at the facility. Shibwe has been unable to provide both the funds and the space for a VCT center.
For my project, I would like to provide the space and the funds to advertise for a VCT center. In the past week, space has already been made available after some of the staff helped me to organize and clean out one of the storage rooms in the back of the Female Ward. I am hoping to move the Nurses’ Office that currently is in the Comprehensive Care Center (which treats HIV/AIDS patients and is where the VCT is originally supposed to be) to the back of the Female Ward, allotting the space in the CCC for the VCT. However, donations will be needed in order to provide a door, a desk, and chairs for the VCT. In addition, I would like to advertise that Shibwe now has a VCT center so residents in the village can come get tested. I hope to make signs around the village and make a promotion for the first 20 people to come for its opening to receive T-Shirts.
Shibwe has generously offered to provide the funds necessary to pay for a VCT counselor – this was by far the most crucial aspect of the project. Last Monday, I wrote up the advertisement for the need of a VCT counselor at Shibwe to post around the city, and on Friday interviewed for the VCT counselor. She has begun to work already as of two days ago, but has yet to be given office space. (She is currently working out of the Nurses’ Office.) I can’t wait for the VCT center to be implemented!
The second component to the project deals with the management and appearance of the hospital. Currently, the clinician sees patients based upon whoever sits closest to his door. Because there is no way to tell who has come first, patients are cutting each other in line and constantly fighting. Therefore, I have already begun the implementation of a numbering system at the hospital as of yesterday. I have printed out numbers and laminated them, and have taught the staff how to use them. Once the patient signs in at the registration desk, they are given a number and then called upon by the doctor by the next number in line. The new numbering system has been so successful in one day that the staff has asked for a numbering system for each ward in the hospital! In addition, I am hoping to improve the record system at the hospital because much time is wasted and a great deal of data is not reported with the current system. However, I will need to research better record-keeping systems, so no promises if this will work! The last part is to improve the appearance of the hospital by creating notice boards in each room and designing posters to provide both education of illnesses and an awareness of numbers seen at the hospital.
Last but not least, the third part of the project is to enhance service provision by decreasing patient wait time and increasing privacy. I have already conducted 100 surveys of patients to acquire information about patient needs and satisfaction, written a report of the analysis, and presented my report to the rest of the hospital staff (about 15 people). There were very pleased with the report (and the new numbering system) that by the end of my presentation they did a standing ovation. I was very happy :) Of the 100 patients surveyed, 46 had only attended primary school and the majority were either self-employed or farmers. Overall, the central findings of the survey was that patients indicated that they were not given enough privacy and that they were not receiving enough information about their illness or about their prescription (and that we need to increase the staff but there is nothing I can do about that….). Therefore, I would like to increase the amount of privacy offered at the hospital by constructing a partition within the consultation room. Patients are currently examined, diagnosed, and treated in front of others, because there are no doors between rooms or partitions within rooms. I wish to provide a partition for the Consultation Room, thereby creating two rooms for the two clinical officers to see patients in separately. This would not only provide privacy within the Consultation Room, but also allow more patients to be examined by the two clinical officers who will be able to work more easily with the separated room. In order to provide for two Consultation Rooms, donations will be needed to construct the partition and buy an extra desk and chairs. Furthermore, Shibwe has offered to contribute to this privacy initiative by adding in funds to create a door at the Labour Ward. Currently, the Labour Ward and the Female Ward are separated without a door, making it very simple for patients to watch a delivery. It is not only an invasion of privacy, but painful for some of the patients to watch! Lastly, if I have time, I would like to create pamphlets for the patients to read while they wait to see the clinician about some of the major illnesses affecting the area, means of prevention, and treatment. A pamphlet would also be beneficial for expecting mothers (who wait an especially long time to be seen by a nurse) about the danger signs related to pregnancy and childbirth since Kenyan women face a 1 in 20 lifetime risk of maternal death.
That is my work plan as of today! Hopefully, this project will meet FSD’s, Shibwe’s, and my hopes for sustainable development. The staff is just as excited for each of these project outcomes (especially the VCT center) so I am not at all worried about them being able to execute and maintain these development solutions after I leave Kenya. The work plan, however, may continually change the longer I work at Shibwe and the more I discover opportunities and bounce back ideas off the other interns.
I have sent in my Online Campaign Form to the head office of FSD in San Francisco so hopefully it will be approved in the next couple days and I can begin fundraising for the VCT center and the partition for the Consultation Room! Donations will be very, very much appreciated :)
If you have any comments or ideas about other projects, do not hesitate to tell me!
Sidenote: Yesterday afternoon, I visited my homestay aunt at the girls secondary school she teaches at. It is a public boarding school (very common here), and apparently the girls must wake up at 4:30 AM to be in class by 5! I would have dropped out immediately...
Monday 13 June 2011
Where are all the farmers?
A few days ago, while I was eating lunch at the hospital, I was talking with a few other staff members about my life in America. We began the conversation talking about my favorite food in Kenya compared to what I like to eat back home. I was then asked how I get my food in America. I briefly explained that I buy all my food at a market that is close to my house. This idea was met, however, by shocked faces, and only begged the question: “Well, what do you farm?” I responded that I did not own a farm, and therefore must buy all my food from the market. This only further prompted the question: “But, what do each of your parents farm?” After explaining that my parents did not own farms either and that I live in a very congested city in America where there is no room for farms, one of the women quickly replied: “Oh. You are rich.”
I have not been able to stop thinking about this conversation since. I knew that coming to Africa would be an incredible, eye-opening experience for me and allow me to appreciate many of the things I take advantage of back home. Despite all that I have experienced so far – optimizing my technique while I bathe in order to not waste any water, electricity going out at least once each night, walking the couple miles to church because the bus driver tried to rip my family off by ten cents – this conversation is the one that I can’t seem to get out of my head. All of the other experiences I have gotten used to with time (and thank god I brought a flashlight!). Never would I have thought that living a life that does not entail being a farmer would be qualified as rich. (If so, America needs to seriously reassess its poverty line…) This made me realize how the majority of the food that I have been eating has been locally-grown: the milk I drink at each meal is from our cows that moo all day and night; the avocados I have been eating are from the avocado tree that has finally ripened; the chicken I eat for dinner is the one and only chicken walking around the backyard; and the ugali I eat almost every day is made from the corn in my homestay mom’s garden. I wish I could say that I have been eating healthy because of this “organic” diet, but Kenyans do not strive as we do in America for a balanced diet. Instead, my diet has been carb-overload (if only Atkins could see me eat). I have been on a steady meal plan of bread for breakfast, rice for lunch, and ugali or fried potatoes for dinner. However, dinner is usually served with meat, but I’d almost prefer if it wasn’t since they eat it chopped into small pieces with the bones and fat all in one delicious bite. They also love to give me more food past the point that I say I am too full to even walk (both at my homestay and at the hospital). I must say – Kenyans do love to eat! And, also, to “take tea.” We take tea about three times a day, served with either bread or donuts. In addition, later in the conversation, when asked what the “staple” food is in America, I had trouble explaining that we do not have one, but after awhile, resorted to saying “chicken” (since that is essentially my staple food).
I truly enjoyed this conversation we had over lunch. It is these conversations that will stay with me when I return back to America. Many of the experiences I have had in Kenya so far I have gotten used to with time, and can laugh at how inexperienced I once was (I will almost need to get used to using a toilet when I get back to America!). These conversations are the ones that are the most eye-opening and heartfelt. These are the ones that will truly make me appreciate the life I live back home.
In other news:
- I have finally finished conducting the 100 Client Satisfaction Surveys. This was after realizing that I was unable to conduct even one because the majority of the patients cannot speak English so my supervisor found four volunteers to help me. (When asked how he found these random people, he proudly said, “I can mobilize.”) The next few days I will be analyzing the results, and on Thursday, presenting them to the rest of the staff.
- I have finally figured out my work plan for the next 6 weeks at the hospital! I have submitted the official document to the FSD supervisor and am waiting for his feedback/approval. I am very excited for my project and can’t wait to share once approved. Also, I am going to start a fundraising campaign! Would love if you could donate :). More to come about that later, though.
- I skipped out on church yesterday and went to Kisumu with the rest of the interns instead. Was asked at the hospital today where I was yesterday. Whoops…
I have not been able to stop thinking about this conversation since. I knew that coming to Africa would be an incredible, eye-opening experience for me and allow me to appreciate many of the things I take advantage of back home. Despite all that I have experienced so far – optimizing my technique while I bathe in order to not waste any water, electricity going out at least once each night, walking the couple miles to church because the bus driver tried to rip my family off by ten cents – this conversation is the one that I can’t seem to get out of my head. All of the other experiences I have gotten used to with time (and thank god I brought a flashlight!). Never would I have thought that living a life that does not entail being a farmer would be qualified as rich. (If so, America needs to seriously reassess its poverty line…) This made me realize how the majority of the food that I have been eating has been locally-grown: the milk I drink at each meal is from our cows that moo all day and night; the avocados I have been eating are from the avocado tree that has finally ripened; the chicken I eat for dinner is the one and only chicken walking around the backyard; and the ugali I eat almost every day is made from the corn in my homestay mom’s garden. I wish I could say that I have been eating healthy because of this “organic” diet, but Kenyans do not strive as we do in America for a balanced diet. Instead, my diet has been carb-overload (if only Atkins could see me eat). I have been on a steady meal plan of bread for breakfast, rice for lunch, and ugali or fried potatoes for dinner. However, dinner is usually served with meat, but I’d almost prefer if it wasn’t since they eat it chopped into small pieces with the bones and fat all in one delicious bite. They also love to give me more food past the point that I say I am too full to even walk (both at my homestay and at the hospital). I must say – Kenyans do love to eat! And, also, to “take tea.” We take tea about three times a day, served with either bread or donuts. In addition, later in the conversation, when asked what the “staple” food is in America, I had trouble explaining that we do not have one, but after awhile, resorted to saying “chicken” (since that is essentially my staple food).
I truly enjoyed this conversation we had over lunch. It is these conversations that will stay with me when I return back to America. Many of the experiences I have had in Kenya so far I have gotten used to with time, and can laugh at how inexperienced I once was (I will almost need to get used to using a toilet when I get back to America!). These conversations are the ones that are the most eye-opening and heartfelt. These are the ones that will truly make me appreciate the life I live back home.
In other news:
- I have finally finished conducting the 100 Client Satisfaction Surveys. This was after realizing that I was unable to conduct even one because the majority of the patients cannot speak English so my supervisor found four volunteers to help me. (When asked how he found these random people, he proudly said, “I can mobilize.”) The next few days I will be analyzing the results, and on Thursday, presenting them to the rest of the staff.
- I have finally figured out my work plan for the next 6 weeks at the hospital! I have submitted the official document to the FSD supervisor and am waiting for his feedback/approval. I am very excited for my project and can’t wait to share once approved. Also, I am going to start a fundraising campaign! Would love if you could donate :). More to come about that later, though.
- I skipped out on church yesterday and went to Kisumu with the rest of the interns instead. Was asked at the hospital today where I was yesterday. Whoops…
Wednesday 8 June 2011
A Quick Recovery
I am feeling much better now! Possibly because I went to two church services on Sunday and then slept for the rest of the day....
On Monday, I visited Iguhu District Hospital where Matthew, one of the other interns, works. The Records Officer at Shibwe took me because she needed to drop some documents off, so I met up with Matthew and toured around his hospital. It is much bigger and nicer than Shibwe (because it is a district hospital rather than sub-district), and gave me a few ideas on how to improve Shibwe. Afterward, I took the Records Officer, Beatrice, out for lunch. She has become one of my best friends at the hospital and extremely helpful whenever I have questions. She told me that Kenya has a total of 42 tribes, meaning that there are 42 different languages in Kenya alone! She then asked me what my "mother tongue" was and was shocked that I said it was English.
Yesterday, I wrote up a 'Client Satisfaction Survey' to give out to 100 patients. My supervisor at the hospital advised me to write it, and gave me copies of surveys they have used in the past. He wants me to follow each patient that I give a survey to around with them throughout their entire time at the hospital, so the project may take a few days to finish. I am very interested to see the feedback I get!
Interesting Fact: The Kenyan government is still very corrupt. Each time I take a bus (matatu) into Kakamega, the police are stationed at various spots along the road, and force the drivers to pay them 100 shillings (about $1.30) each time they pass. My homestay uncle owns a matatu business, and was explaining to me how the cartels are very well-known and established all throughout Kenya.
I have been trying to post pictures of my homestay house/compound and of the hospital onto the blog for awhile now, but the internet connection has been too poor lately. For some reason, Facebook has been 1000x faster so I have just posted some pictures onto my Facebook if you would like to see! (Kenyans use Facebook, too!)
On Monday, I visited Iguhu District Hospital where Matthew, one of the other interns, works. The Records Officer at Shibwe took me because she needed to drop some documents off, so I met up with Matthew and toured around his hospital. It is much bigger and nicer than Shibwe (because it is a district hospital rather than sub-district), and gave me a few ideas on how to improve Shibwe. Afterward, I took the Records Officer, Beatrice, out for lunch. She has become one of my best friends at the hospital and extremely helpful whenever I have questions. She told me that Kenya has a total of 42 tribes, meaning that there are 42 different languages in Kenya alone! She then asked me what my "mother tongue" was and was shocked that I said it was English.
Yesterday, I wrote up a 'Client Satisfaction Survey' to give out to 100 patients. My supervisor at the hospital advised me to write it, and gave me copies of surveys they have used in the past. He wants me to follow each patient that I give a survey to around with them throughout their entire time at the hospital, so the project may take a few days to finish. I am very interested to see the feedback I get!
Interesting Fact: The Kenyan government is still very corrupt. Each time I take a bus (matatu) into Kakamega, the police are stationed at various spots along the road, and force the drivers to pay them 100 shillings (about $1.30) each time they pass. My homestay uncle owns a matatu business, and was explaining to me how the cartels are very well-known and established all throughout Kenya.
I have been trying to post pictures of my homestay house/compound and of the hospital onto the blog for awhile now, but the internet connection has been too poor lately. For some reason, Facebook has been 1000x faster so I have just posted some pictures onto my Facebook if you would like to see! (Kenyans use Facebook, too!)
Saturday 4 June 2011
Shibwe Sub-District Hospital
I have finally become a doctor! Well, not actually… But I have just finished my first week working at Shibwe Sub-District Hospital. The hospital is set up like a compound – there are about five different buildings that are arranged in a half-circle. The main building has the Consultation Room, the Laboratory, the Pharmacy, the Records/Public Health Office, the Injection Room, the Mother/Child Health Room, the Family Planning Room, and the Male Ward. The next building is the Female Ward, which also contains the Labor Ward. The third building is called the Comprehensive Care Center (CCC) and is where the HIV/AIDS patients go. The CCC acts separately from the rest of the hospital, though. Most of the workers are volunteers who have HIV and are the ones to counsel the rest of the patients. Interestingly enough, USAID donated the CCC to the hospital. The last two buildings are the Administrative Office and the kitchen.
The hospital does AMAZING work with the amount of resources it has. It sees more than 100+ patients a day, but only staffs about 2 nurses and 1 clinical officer at a time. There is no actual M.D. working at the hospital – only clinical officers who examine and diagnose the patients. The hospital is in great need of employing more nurses and clinical officers but does not have enough funds to do so. Therefore, the nurses who are working run back and forth between all of the rooms and wards in order to see all of the patients. They do not have one second to breathe. There is no running water in the hospital so everything is sterilized in buckets and the patients need to go outside to the pit latrines to use the bathroom. (This turns into a huge problem (as I have seen already) when patients are in the Labor Ward…) Moreover, there are not enough beds in any of the wards, so many of the patients must share with one or two others to a bed. They also do not use files to maintain patients’ medical records. Instead, patients keep their own notebook to function as their medical file and bring it each time they visit the hospital.
This past week I have mainly been observing each department in the hospital in order to learn how it is being run, and so that I can do a proper needs assessment for my project later on during the internship. I have spent most of my time, though, in the Consultation Room and the Female Ward because that is where they have let me do the most hands-on work. While I was observing the Consultation Room, the clinical officer working would let me examine the patients with him. He taught me how to measure blood pressure and how to do a full-body inspection. He would translate what the patients were saying to me and explain to me his diagnosis. The next day while I was in the Female Ward, the nurses took me on their rounds and allowed me to give out the medicines. They also taught me how to set up an IV and how to examine a pregnant mother. It’s been fun playing doctor!
It is actually UNBELIEVABLE how many patients come with malaria. My supervisor was right when he told me last week that it is easy to diagnose a patient with malaria. It is “malaria season” right now because of the heavy rains (it is winter in Kenya) so about 90% of the patients come with malaria. Some are simply treated with medicine and can go home, but others who have severe malaria are admitted to the hospital. There was one child who had severe malaria who started convulsing and stop breathing. I was so afraid that he was going to die but luckily the nurse was able to resuscitate him. The malaria medicine is free of charge (thankfully!), as well as prescriptions to children under five and to pregnant women. But the rest of the prescribed medicine must be paid for, and on average, costs only about $3. There are MANY patients, though, who cannot afford this and are unable to buy the medicine that is prescribed. I felt so tempted to give money several times to some of these patients, but FSD strictly forbids us to do this.
A few sidenotes:
1. I rode on the back of my first motorcycle (pikipiki)! It is another type of taxi here and a bit more expensive than the busses (matatus), but much more fun!
2. I may have come down with the flu today. The four-year-old, Daryl, is sick and I think may have gotten me sick too. The FSD team took me to the doctor today who tested me for malaria. Fortunately, my time for that has not come yet. I just have a high fever and a bad headache, so he gave me some painkillers and an antibiotic. (I am not sure why he gave me an antibiotic if it is the flu, though. I can’t decide if I should take the medicine.) But hopefully I should be feeling better by tomorrow.
The hospital does AMAZING work with the amount of resources it has. It sees more than 100+ patients a day, but only staffs about 2 nurses and 1 clinical officer at a time. There is no actual M.D. working at the hospital – only clinical officers who examine and diagnose the patients. The hospital is in great need of employing more nurses and clinical officers but does not have enough funds to do so. Therefore, the nurses who are working run back and forth between all of the rooms and wards in order to see all of the patients. They do not have one second to breathe. There is no running water in the hospital so everything is sterilized in buckets and the patients need to go outside to the pit latrines to use the bathroom. (This turns into a huge problem (as I have seen already) when patients are in the Labor Ward…) Moreover, there are not enough beds in any of the wards, so many of the patients must share with one or two others to a bed. They also do not use files to maintain patients’ medical records. Instead, patients keep their own notebook to function as their medical file and bring it each time they visit the hospital.
This past week I have mainly been observing each department in the hospital in order to learn how it is being run, and so that I can do a proper needs assessment for my project later on during the internship. I have spent most of my time, though, in the Consultation Room and the Female Ward because that is where they have let me do the most hands-on work. While I was observing the Consultation Room, the clinical officer working would let me examine the patients with him. He taught me how to measure blood pressure and how to do a full-body inspection. He would translate what the patients were saying to me and explain to me his diagnosis. The next day while I was in the Female Ward, the nurses took me on their rounds and allowed me to give out the medicines. They also taught me how to set up an IV and how to examine a pregnant mother. It’s been fun playing doctor!
It is actually UNBELIEVABLE how many patients come with malaria. My supervisor was right when he told me last week that it is easy to diagnose a patient with malaria. It is “malaria season” right now because of the heavy rains (it is winter in Kenya) so about 90% of the patients come with malaria. Some are simply treated with medicine and can go home, but others who have severe malaria are admitted to the hospital. There was one child who had severe malaria who started convulsing and stop breathing. I was so afraid that he was going to die but luckily the nurse was able to resuscitate him. The malaria medicine is free of charge (thankfully!), as well as prescriptions to children under five and to pregnant women. But the rest of the prescribed medicine must be paid for, and on average, costs only about $3. There are MANY patients, though, who cannot afford this and are unable to buy the medicine that is prescribed. I felt so tempted to give money several times to some of these patients, but FSD strictly forbids us to do this.
A few sidenotes:
1. I rode on the back of my first motorcycle (pikipiki)! It is another type of taxi here and a bit more expensive than the busses (matatus), but much more fun!
2. I may have come down with the flu today. The four-year-old, Daryl, is sick and I think may have gotten me sick too. The FSD team took me to the doctor today who tested me for malaria. Fortunately, my time for that has not come yet. I just have a high fever and a bad headache, so he gave me some painkillers and an antibiotic. (I am not sure why he gave me an antibiotic if it is the flu, though. I can’t decide if I should take the medicine.) But hopefully I should be feeling better by tomorrow.
Sunday 29 May 2011
Living with the Ambia Family
After one week of living in a hotel in Kakamega, I have finally moved into my homestay house! I am living with the Ambia family, in the city of Shivagala in South Kakamega district, which is about a 30-minute matutu ride to downtown Kakamega. The houses are arranged in “compounds” – areas of land where the extended family lives together. In my compound, there are about four houses and about 50 meters of crops. The houses are set up very close to each other, so the family always spends time with each other. The village is definitely much smaller than downtown Kakamega. There is one main dirt road that intersects the highway to Kakamega. On the road, there are a few shops that sell the basic necessities, such as vegetables and water. Every 50 km or so, there is a church. It is incredible how many churches there are! My homestay mom kept pointing them out to me today, and I eventually started laughing each time she would point one out because there are so many. They are much smaller than the ones in America, some were the size of a small shop and others were the size of a house. There are also TONS of schools. About every 100 km, there is either a primary school (grades 1-8) or a secondary school. Here, it is just as common to go to a private, boarding school as it is to go to a public, mixed school. If the family can afford a private school, most of the children will go there. My house has a main living room, with chairs all facing a television (I was not expecting that!), a kitchen, a washroom for the bucket shower, and three bedrooms.
My homestay family is very friendly and welcoming to me. My homestay mom, Hellen, is a small farmer and has asked me to call her mom. She grows corn, beans, and other vegetables that I’m not sure of. There are also three cows in the front of the house, one pig, two dogs, and one cat. She has eight children (amazing!): one of them lives in our house with her four-year-old son; one other lives in another house in the compound; one lives further away in Kakamega; and one lives in Texas. The rest are either in school or living somewhere else in Kenya. The family is in the Luyha tribe, so they either speak Kiswahili to each other or Kiluhya. Tribes are much different than how they are stereotyped to be (no bonfires and African dancing…). It mainly signifies where a person comes from. In Kakamega, the main tribe is Luyha, but there are some people in the family that come from other places in Kenya that are from different tribes. You are not supposed to inter-marry within two different tribes, but it is becoming more accepted now.
Yesterday when I first got to my homestay I was overwhelmed, to say the least. I was introduced to the family, and then played with the children (the 4-year-old, Daryl, and an 8-year-old, Alvin) for the next few hours. They were very fun to play with, but after awhile it got to be very exhausting. Daryl is a trouble-maker and likes to come into my room and steal my things. He also scratches and kicks. But apparently he really likes me, and started to cry when I told him I wanted to rest and stop playing. I may turn into the family babysitter by the end of the two months!
Afterwards, I watched the family make dinner. It was very interesting because they do not have running water or stoves. There is a well in the front of the house that they take water from, and then they treat the water, and store it in huge pots for the day. They also use charcoal, gas, or firewood to cook the food. Firewood is the cheapest, but when they are in a hurry they will use the other two. They also have a bucket for us to wash our hands in before and after dinner. And I have finally used the pit latrines and bucket shower that I have been anticipating. The pit latrine is about 30 meters away, so I need to take a flashlight at night. Hellen prepared my bucket shower for me this morning; she used one bucket of cold water and one of boiling water and then mixed the two to make a nice warm bucket for me. It will take a little while getting used to showering this way.
Today, I have gone to church for the first time! (Sidenote: Daryl has just come into my room and started spraying bug spray all over his clothes. Oh jeez.) It was only a two-minute walk to get there. My homestay mom had me walk in the front of the church during the service and introduce myself. Afterward, they said a prayer for me. I wish I knew what they had said. Hellen knows everyone in the village – it is truly amazing. After church, she introduced me to all the people and walked me around the village. We spent two hours this morning walking in one direction and two hours this afternoon walking in another. It seemed like she knew everyone in the city. For dinner tonight, I helped make chipati and ndengu (my favorite meal). It is not as difficult as I had expected so I am excited to make it when I get back to America.
It is getting late and I need to wake up early tomorrow morning for work. To be continued!
My homestay family is very friendly and welcoming to me. My homestay mom, Hellen, is a small farmer and has asked me to call her mom. She grows corn, beans, and other vegetables that I’m not sure of. There are also three cows in the front of the house, one pig, two dogs, and one cat. She has eight children (amazing!): one of them lives in our house with her four-year-old son; one other lives in another house in the compound; one lives further away in Kakamega; and one lives in Texas. The rest are either in school or living somewhere else in Kenya. The family is in the Luyha tribe, so they either speak Kiswahili to each other or Kiluhya. Tribes are much different than how they are stereotyped to be (no bonfires and African dancing…). It mainly signifies where a person comes from. In Kakamega, the main tribe is Luyha, but there are some people in the family that come from other places in Kenya that are from different tribes. You are not supposed to inter-marry within two different tribes, but it is becoming more accepted now.
Yesterday when I first got to my homestay I was overwhelmed, to say the least. I was introduced to the family, and then played with the children (the 4-year-old, Daryl, and an 8-year-old, Alvin) for the next few hours. They were very fun to play with, but after awhile it got to be very exhausting. Daryl is a trouble-maker and likes to come into my room and steal my things. He also scratches and kicks. But apparently he really likes me, and started to cry when I told him I wanted to rest and stop playing. I may turn into the family babysitter by the end of the two months!
Afterwards, I watched the family make dinner. It was very interesting because they do not have running water or stoves. There is a well in the front of the house that they take water from, and then they treat the water, and store it in huge pots for the day. They also use charcoal, gas, or firewood to cook the food. Firewood is the cheapest, but when they are in a hurry they will use the other two. They also have a bucket for us to wash our hands in before and after dinner. And I have finally used the pit latrines and bucket shower that I have been anticipating. The pit latrine is about 30 meters away, so I need to take a flashlight at night. Hellen prepared my bucket shower for me this morning; she used one bucket of cold water and one of boiling water and then mixed the two to make a nice warm bucket for me. It will take a little while getting used to showering this way.
Today, I have gone to church for the first time! (Sidenote: Daryl has just come into my room and started spraying bug spray all over his clothes. Oh jeez.) It was only a two-minute walk to get there. My homestay mom had me walk in the front of the church during the service and introduce myself. Afterward, they said a prayer for me. I wish I knew what they had said. Hellen knows everyone in the village – it is truly amazing. After church, she introduced me to all the people and walked me around the village. We spent two hours this morning walking in one direction and two hours this afternoon walking in another. It seemed like she knew everyone in the city. For dinner tonight, I helped make chipati and ndengu (my favorite meal). It is not as difficult as I had expected so I am excited to make it when I get back to America.
It is getting late and I need to wake up early tomorrow morning for work. To be continued!
Saturday 28 May 2011
Hippo Watching and Disco Dancing
Yesterday, the group of interns and the FSD team went on a day trip to Kisumu – the largest city near Kakamega and the third largest in Kenya – that was about an hour matatu drive (the public bus system). The matutu comfortably fits 12 people, but somehow the driver crammed in 17 of us. It was not the most comfortable ride I have taken. Kisumu looked like a much larger version of Kakamega – there were small vendors everywhere selling mainly second-hand clothing, shoes, and books. We walked around for a couple hours and then took a tukuk (essentially a covered, motored tricycle) to Kiboko Bay Resort, which was right on the waterfront of Lake Victoria, where we ate lunch and took a motorboat tour. Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake and the world’s second largest freshwater lake. I wish we could have swum in the water, but we were forewarned that the lake is notorious for schistosomiasis so during the motorboat tour we were very careful not to touch the water. But we did see hippos! What I did not realize is that hippos live mainly in the water because their skin is sensitive to the sun. So we actually only saw their heads during the tour whenever they would lift them up from underwater to breathe.
After coming back from Kisumu, we ate a quick dinner, and then the FSD team took us for our last night together to the disco! We went to Club Westlife where a band was playing at the front, but only about three people were dancing. Most were sitting around tables, talking and drinking. We sat down and ordered drinks, but within a half an hour, Peter (the Kakamega director) convinced us to start dancing. At first, we mainly just got looks from people, but slowly people started joining in and soon the entire dancefloor was packed (with about 30-40 people)! They were dancing with us, showing us some moves, and singing to the African music. It was the most fun I have had in Kenya so far.
I am now off to meet my homestay family! Wish me luck with the pit latrines!
**note : I did not explain the whole malaria situation very well in my last post (sorry!). I will most likely contract malaria during my time here, but it is VERY treatable. As soon as I start noticing the symptoms, I will be able to go to the doctor and receive medicine to cure it. It goes away within the first hour of taking the medicine. The reason it kills so many people each year is because many are unable to afford the treatment and do not have access to health care. It is also infamous in the US because the symptoms are similar to the flu so many doctors mistreat it. So do not worry about my getting it – I am in very good hands!
After coming back from Kisumu, we ate a quick dinner, and then the FSD team took us for our last night together to the disco! We went to Club Westlife where a band was playing at the front, but only about three people were dancing. Most were sitting around tables, talking and drinking. We sat down and ordered drinks, but within a half an hour, Peter (the Kakamega director) convinced us to start dancing. At first, we mainly just got looks from people, but slowly people started joining in and soon the entire dancefloor was packed (with about 30-40 people)! They were dancing with us, showing us some moves, and singing to the African music. It was the most fun I have had in Kenya so far.
I am now off to meet my homestay family! Wish me luck with the pit latrines!
**note : I did not explain the whole malaria situation very well in my last post (sorry!). I will most likely contract malaria during my time here, but it is VERY treatable. As soon as I start noticing the symptoms, I will be able to go to the doctor and receive medicine to cure it. It goes away within the first hour of taking the medicine. The reason it kills so many people each year is because many are unable to afford the treatment and do not have access to health care. It is also infamous in the US because the symptoms are similar to the flu so many doctors mistreat it. So do not worry about my getting it – I am in very good hands!
Wednesday 25 May 2011
Habari Yako!
Habari!
I have just finished day five of the orientation. It has picked up quite a lot since I last posted!
On Monday, a bunch of interns and I went running in the morning. As soon as we got to the main road, a group of school children (ranging from 10-15 years old) asked us where we were going and started to follow us running. It was such a funny sight to see – 6 mazungus with 5 Kenyan children running behind us. One of them ran in front and started to guide us. He took us to their school and had us run three laps around their soccer field. One of the other interns started to do yoga on the field, so we all gathered around him (with about 10 school children) and did yoga together. I wish I could have taken a picture! After that, we had our first Kiswahili lesson (Swahili in English). Within just two hours, we had already learned how to conjugate in the present tense. It is crazy that they are hoping for us to learn an entire language in just one week! I think they are overestimating my language abilities…. I do think I will become much more comfortable speaking Kiswahili by the end of the two months, though.
Afterward, we had a bunch of meetings about the expectations and objectives of FSD in a conference room in the hotel, including a needs assessment, an asset mapping, and a work plan workshop. During the majority of the internship, FSD wants us to engage ourselves in day-to-day activities at our organizations (so in my case, working in the clinic with whatever job they want me to do). However, they also want us to come up with a project by the end of the two months that will have a long-term impact on our organizations. Therefore, after working at my clinic for several weeks, hopefully I will be able to do a proper needs assessment, or what they prefer to call “capacity enhancement,” and be able to come up with an idea that can benefit the clinic in the long run. During the meetings, they focused a lot on how we need to make our projects sustainable and create a partnership with our organization rather than have them see us as a “donor.” In this way, the community can gain ownership of the project to ensure its durability.
Yesterday, we had two Kiswahili languange trainings and a personal health talk with Dr. Bakunda. He is a local doctor in town and warned us about the most common diseases here: malaria, typhoid, and other food-born illnesses. I am currently taking doxycycline everyday to combat malaria, but apparently almost every single intern FSD has had has gotten malaria at least once during their time here. Malaria is VERY common here – so common that to them it is similar to having the flu. He told us that we would almost definitely get it during our time here, and advised us not to be scared when we do because it is treatable. He is a very friendly doctor, and his office is right in the center of town, so I feel very reassured with him here.
After that, I met with my host organization supervisor. He came to the hotel to meet me for an hour and discuss what I will be doing for the next few weeks. He informed me that the hospital has about five rooms and five medical technicians with no actual doctor. After I told him that I was in college and hope to become a doctor, he became very excited and told me that I can examine patients and treat them on my own. I told him I felt uncomfortable examining patients on my own, but he informed me that it would not be difficult because almost everyone comes with malaria anyways. It seems as though he has very high expectations for me. I am also afraid that he thinks of me too much as a “donor” because he was listing many of the things the hospital needs, so I tried to convey to him that I am just there to work and help wherever I can because I have no money myself. It was also interesting to hear him talk about America as a “developed” nation – I have never heard anyone say it from the other point of view. It really threw me off for some reason. I truly hope I do not let them down.
Today, we have had two more Kiswahili language training sessions and went to lunch at Caro’s house (the FSD local program coordinator from Kakamega who is amazingly nice and only 25 years old). She made us an entire buffet of the traditional food served in the homestays, and I am very pleased to say that I like most of it! The most common food here is ugali, which is made from corn and flour and tastes very much like dry grits. They LOVE ugali. It is both filling and cheap to make so they told us to expect it at every one of our meals at our homestay. Rice is very common, as well as chipati (which is like naan or tortilla). My favorite food is ndengu, which is made of lentil beans. When you put it on rice, it is amazing. That is all I have been eating. Chicken and meat is more expensive here so it is considered more of a luxury to eat, as well as with fruit. The fruit here is so delicious though! They eat bananas (ndazi) all the time (apparently there are five different types here), but pineapple, mango, and watermelon have also been served occasionally. At lunch today, they served kumbikumbi. I am very reluctant to say what it is: fried termites! Sadly, I could not even try it – I was afraid I would throw up if I did because I am a very picky eater. But the rest of the interns did and thought it tasted like burnt sunflower seeds. They also serve sukuma wiki – the most common vegetable that looks similar to spinach but tastes a lot worse to me. It translates to “push the week,” meaning that it is served a lot towards the end of the month until people get their paychecks. Apparently I will be served a lot of it at my homestay. At each meal, we have been served almost the exact same thing - it’s so different from America because there you can choose Chinese food, Italian food, Mexican food, etc. for lunch or dinner each day. I’m not used to being served the same thing for each meal. Kenyans also don’t like to use utensils much, so they eat all of these foods with their hands. I have not yet fully become accustomed to it yet, but luckily they do wash their hands before every meal.
Beyond the orientation, the interns have spent a lot of time hanging out together. We’ve gone out for drinks at a nearby restaurant at the end of each day, have been hanging out at night after dinner, and doing our homework together (yes we have been getting homework!). It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve also started reading a book about HIV/AIDS on my free time to be a little prepared before I start work.
It’s time for dinner now - I hope they are serving more ndengu tonight!
Also, here are a few pictures from Kakamega! The first is a picture of the downtown business district in Kakamega. The second is a picture from behind the hotel. The third is a picture of Chris, John, Dylan, and me in front of my favorite tree (and view) in Kakamega. And the last is a picture of the typical Kenyan plate!
I have just finished day five of the orientation. It has picked up quite a lot since I last posted!
On Monday, a bunch of interns and I went running in the morning. As soon as we got to the main road, a group of school children (ranging from 10-15 years old) asked us where we were going and started to follow us running. It was such a funny sight to see – 6 mazungus with 5 Kenyan children running behind us. One of them ran in front and started to guide us. He took us to their school and had us run three laps around their soccer field. One of the other interns started to do yoga on the field, so we all gathered around him (with about 10 school children) and did yoga together. I wish I could have taken a picture! After that, we had our first Kiswahili lesson (Swahili in English). Within just two hours, we had already learned how to conjugate in the present tense. It is crazy that they are hoping for us to learn an entire language in just one week! I think they are overestimating my language abilities…. I do think I will become much more comfortable speaking Kiswahili by the end of the two months, though.
Afterward, we had a bunch of meetings about the expectations and objectives of FSD in a conference room in the hotel, including a needs assessment, an asset mapping, and a work plan workshop. During the majority of the internship, FSD wants us to engage ourselves in day-to-day activities at our organizations (so in my case, working in the clinic with whatever job they want me to do). However, they also want us to come up with a project by the end of the two months that will have a long-term impact on our organizations. Therefore, after working at my clinic for several weeks, hopefully I will be able to do a proper needs assessment, or what they prefer to call “capacity enhancement,” and be able to come up with an idea that can benefit the clinic in the long run. During the meetings, they focused a lot on how we need to make our projects sustainable and create a partnership with our organization rather than have them see us as a “donor.” In this way, the community can gain ownership of the project to ensure its durability.
Yesterday, we had two Kiswahili languange trainings and a personal health talk with Dr. Bakunda. He is a local doctor in town and warned us about the most common diseases here: malaria, typhoid, and other food-born illnesses. I am currently taking doxycycline everyday to combat malaria, but apparently almost every single intern FSD has had has gotten malaria at least once during their time here. Malaria is VERY common here – so common that to them it is similar to having the flu. He told us that we would almost definitely get it during our time here, and advised us not to be scared when we do because it is treatable. He is a very friendly doctor, and his office is right in the center of town, so I feel very reassured with him here.
After that, I met with my host organization supervisor. He came to the hotel to meet me for an hour and discuss what I will be doing for the next few weeks. He informed me that the hospital has about five rooms and five medical technicians with no actual doctor. After I told him that I was in college and hope to become a doctor, he became very excited and told me that I can examine patients and treat them on my own. I told him I felt uncomfortable examining patients on my own, but he informed me that it would not be difficult because almost everyone comes with malaria anyways. It seems as though he has very high expectations for me. I am also afraid that he thinks of me too much as a “donor” because he was listing many of the things the hospital needs, so I tried to convey to him that I am just there to work and help wherever I can because I have no money myself. It was also interesting to hear him talk about America as a “developed” nation – I have never heard anyone say it from the other point of view. It really threw me off for some reason. I truly hope I do not let them down.
Today, we have had two more Kiswahili language training sessions and went to lunch at Caro’s house (the FSD local program coordinator from Kakamega who is amazingly nice and only 25 years old). She made us an entire buffet of the traditional food served in the homestays, and I am very pleased to say that I like most of it! The most common food here is ugali, which is made from corn and flour and tastes very much like dry grits. They LOVE ugali. It is both filling and cheap to make so they told us to expect it at every one of our meals at our homestay. Rice is very common, as well as chipati (which is like naan or tortilla). My favorite food is ndengu, which is made of lentil beans. When you put it on rice, it is amazing. That is all I have been eating. Chicken and meat is more expensive here so it is considered more of a luxury to eat, as well as with fruit. The fruit here is so delicious though! They eat bananas (ndazi) all the time (apparently there are five different types here), but pineapple, mango, and watermelon have also been served occasionally. At lunch today, they served kumbikumbi. I am very reluctant to say what it is: fried termites! Sadly, I could not even try it – I was afraid I would throw up if I did because I am a very picky eater. But the rest of the interns did and thought it tasted like burnt sunflower seeds. They also serve sukuma wiki – the most common vegetable that looks similar to spinach but tastes a lot worse to me. It translates to “push the week,” meaning that it is served a lot towards the end of the month until people get their paychecks. Apparently I will be served a lot of it at my homestay. At each meal, we have been served almost the exact same thing - it’s so different from America because there you can choose Chinese food, Italian food, Mexican food, etc. for lunch or dinner each day. I’m not used to being served the same thing for each meal. Kenyans also don’t like to use utensils much, so they eat all of these foods with their hands. I have not yet fully become accustomed to it yet, but luckily they do wash their hands before every meal.
Beyond the orientation, the interns have spent a lot of time hanging out together. We’ve gone out for drinks at a nearby restaurant at the end of each day, have been hanging out at night after dinner, and doing our homework together (yes we have been getting homework!). It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve also started reading a book about HIV/AIDS on my free time to be a little prepared before I start work.
It’s time for dinner now - I hope they are serving more ndengu tonight!
Also, here are a few pictures from Kakamega! The first is a picture of the downtown business district in Kakamega. The second is a picture from behind the hotel. The third is a picture of Chris, John, Dylan, and me in front of my favorite tree (and view) in Kakamega. And the last is a picture of the typical Kenyan plate!
Sunday 22 May 2011
Orientation Day 2
Greetings from Kakamega!
I have just finished Day 2 of the Orientation. And by orientation, I mean one hour of a meeting and five hours of free time. The orientation has been on “African time” – people here are VERY relaxed with time. They apparently say that “they have watches, but they don’t have time” and that we should always “pole pole” (slow down). So people often come to meetings three hours late or don’t show up at all. The FSD Site Team keeps advising us that we need to be extremely patient with people. I find it very interesting that Kenyans have such a relaxed view of time since it is so different from the US in which it would be unheard of to arrive to a meeting three hours late and not be looked down upon. It shows how the US is too focused on work being the capitalist society it is. Work, work, work, work.
Anyways… On day 1 of the orientation, we had a “Professional Standards” session for an hour then were given a tour of the town. We walked around for about two hours and grabbed lunch in the city. While walking around the city, all the locals call us “mazungu,” meaning white person. I would think that it would be a derogatory term, but surprisingly it is not. They literally are using that term only as a means to address us. All of the locals are so nice and love to say “hi mazungu” and want to shake our hands. I’m so glad that they have this attitude and are not upset that we are here. Some have never seen a white person before so several times people have taken pictures of us by secretly holding up their camera phones when we walk by. During lunch it started pouring – apparently it rains almost every day in the afternoon despite the fact that it is about 80 degrees out. And then after lunch, we had a couple hours free (African time) then had another hour session about Culture Shock. That was about it of day 1 orientation.
Today, I woke up early this morning to go on a run with two other interns. Of course, we somehow got lost during our run and kept trying to ask people how to get back to our hotel but apparently the street name that we were using for our hotel was not the correct name of the street. So it took a bit of time to realize where we finally were... It was so fun. It turns out our run went only about five blocks away from the hotel, but that we kept going in a loop. We then had a “Safety and Security” session for an hour then went back out on the town. We learned how to ride on the “boda bodas” (bicycle taxis) today. They are exciting! There is a seat on the back of the bicycle that I had to sit on. I kept feeling like we were going to fall, but they are supposed to be very safe. They are extremely common for getting around the city and very cheap. We then had another session on “Kenyan Culture.” The things I found most interesting were that Kenyans don’t look people in the eye very often during conversation, so don’t think it is rude when they are looking away while you are talking to them. Also, there are a ton of gender norms. There is the most obvious one: the women cook and the men do the handiwork. But the Site Team warned us that we must only get close to the people of the same sex in our host families and that we must not hug the opposite sex. Gender inequality is very much set within their culture. I find it hard to believe that it will be changed any time soon, despite the fact that there are tons of NGOs here that are trying to empower women. Especially in the rural areas, the gender norms are concrete. After the culture session, we were given a few hours on our own, so for the first time, the interns went out on the town by themselves. I bought my first pair of Kenyan shoes today, and was told to cut the price by 1/3 when bargaining with the vendors. I got them for 400 shillings (Kenya has HUGE inflation), so they were about $4. We then went to the American hotel, which not-surprisingly, is the only place that has free wifi. I’m going to enjoy the American hotel. On the way walking back from the American hotel, a 14-year-old boy walked up to me and asked me for food. I talked to him for a few minutes but have been told not to give anyone food or money. It was very sad. The boy was actually starved and living on the street. I asked if he goes to school and he replied that he is a “street boy.” Many of the children on the street apparently run away from their homes voluntarily and then live by eating trash, although some of the others on the street are orphans. It is very common for people to ask us for money because being white means to them that we are rich, so I have been asked a few times for money today. But this boy looked especially sad and had no shoes. I am going to have to get used to seeing that.
On a lighter note, hakuna matata! It means no worries (for the rest of your days….) But actually. It means “no worries” in Swahili. Learn something new everyday.
I just got my address here in case you want to send me something . It is:
Peter Ingosi (Alexis LeVee)
PO Box 1124
50100 Kakamega, Kenya
The electricity just went out on us right now, so I no longer have any lights to read. I guess this is bedtime. Kwaheri (Goodbye)!
I have just finished Day 2 of the Orientation. And by orientation, I mean one hour of a meeting and five hours of free time. The orientation has been on “African time” – people here are VERY relaxed with time. They apparently say that “they have watches, but they don’t have time” and that we should always “pole pole” (slow down). So people often come to meetings three hours late or don’t show up at all. The FSD Site Team keeps advising us that we need to be extremely patient with people. I find it very interesting that Kenyans have such a relaxed view of time since it is so different from the US in which it would be unheard of to arrive to a meeting three hours late and not be looked down upon. It shows how the US is too focused on work being the capitalist society it is. Work, work, work, work.
Anyways… On day 1 of the orientation, we had a “Professional Standards” session for an hour then were given a tour of the town. We walked around for about two hours and grabbed lunch in the city. While walking around the city, all the locals call us “mazungu,” meaning white person. I would think that it would be a derogatory term, but surprisingly it is not. They literally are using that term only as a means to address us. All of the locals are so nice and love to say “hi mazungu” and want to shake our hands. I’m so glad that they have this attitude and are not upset that we are here. Some have never seen a white person before so several times people have taken pictures of us by secretly holding up their camera phones when we walk by. During lunch it started pouring – apparently it rains almost every day in the afternoon despite the fact that it is about 80 degrees out. And then after lunch, we had a couple hours free (African time) then had another hour session about Culture Shock. That was about it of day 1 orientation.
Today, I woke up early this morning to go on a run with two other interns. Of course, we somehow got lost during our run and kept trying to ask people how to get back to our hotel but apparently the street name that we were using for our hotel was not the correct name of the street. So it took a bit of time to realize where we finally were... It was so fun. It turns out our run went only about five blocks away from the hotel, but that we kept going in a loop. We then had a “Safety and Security” session for an hour then went back out on the town. We learned how to ride on the “boda bodas” (bicycle taxis) today. They are exciting! There is a seat on the back of the bicycle that I had to sit on. I kept feeling like we were going to fall, but they are supposed to be very safe. They are extremely common for getting around the city and very cheap. We then had another session on “Kenyan Culture.” The things I found most interesting were that Kenyans don’t look people in the eye very often during conversation, so don’t think it is rude when they are looking away while you are talking to them. Also, there are a ton of gender norms. There is the most obvious one: the women cook and the men do the handiwork. But the Site Team warned us that we must only get close to the people of the same sex in our host families and that we must not hug the opposite sex. Gender inequality is very much set within their culture. I find it hard to believe that it will be changed any time soon, despite the fact that there are tons of NGOs here that are trying to empower women. Especially in the rural areas, the gender norms are concrete. After the culture session, we were given a few hours on our own, so for the first time, the interns went out on the town by themselves. I bought my first pair of Kenyan shoes today, and was told to cut the price by 1/3 when bargaining with the vendors. I got them for 400 shillings (Kenya has HUGE inflation), so they were about $4. We then went to the American hotel, which not-surprisingly, is the only place that has free wifi. I’m going to enjoy the American hotel. On the way walking back from the American hotel, a 14-year-old boy walked up to me and asked me for food. I talked to him for a few minutes but have been told not to give anyone food or money. It was very sad. The boy was actually starved and living on the street. I asked if he goes to school and he replied that he is a “street boy.” Many of the children on the street apparently run away from their homes voluntarily and then live by eating trash, although some of the others on the street are orphans. It is very common for people to ask us for money because being white means to them that we are rich, so I have been asked a few times for money today. But this boy looked especially sad and had no shoes. I am going to have to get used to seeing that.
On a lighter note, hakuna matata! It means no worries (for the rest of your days….) But actually. It means “no worries” in Swahili. Learn something new everyday.
I just got my address here in case you want to send me something . It is:
Peter Ingosi (Alexis LeVee)
PO Box 1124
50100 Kakamega, Kenya
The electricity just went out on us right now, so I no longer have any lights to read. I guess this is bedtime. Kwaheri (Goodbye)!
Friday 20 May 2011
The Beginning
Hello friends and family!
I have decided to write a blog about my trip to Africa this summer. I am not the best of writers so this is a loftier goal for me than it would seem. I am going to try to update it as best as possible, so please feel free to follow the blog because hopefully I will have some fun and interesting stories over the course of the next two months!
I applied to DukeEngage back in November and found out that I had been accepted a month later. DukeEngage is a program of Duke’s that funds its students to do service work in a developing country over the summer. It is a fantastic program because it supports me by paying for my room and board while abroad and encourages students to do community service and to become more worldly. The program, however, is a bit odd to me because it puts a new light onto service work. Because the program is competitive among Duke students, those who are accepted are honored, causing service work to gain somewhat of a prestigious connotation. But service work is supposed to be selfless so the fact that students are competing for it seems counterintuitive to me. Duke should not be rejecting students to do service work and glorifying others who do. But luckily I came out on the winning side and am very grateful that I can take advantage of Duke’s resources.
The DukeEngage program that I am doing is partnered with the Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD), an umbrella organization with its roots in about 10 different developing countries around the world that connects people with different NGOs with whom to work and homestays with whom to live with. The program I applied to of FSD’s is in Kakamega, Kenya. It is in the western region of Kenya and one of the more rural areas of the country. When applying to the program, I indicated that I wanted to work in a hospital that dealt with malaria and HIV/AIDS so I have been assigned to work in Shibwe Sub-District Hospital. I am uncertain what I will actually be doing on a day-to-day basis just yet, but FSD stipulated that interns involve themselves with the daily activities of patient reception, administering of vaccines, the recording of vital signs, and develop community outreach and educational health campaigns.
I also indicated (after having been accepted, however) that I would prefer to live within the downtown area of Kakamega (because I had heard it was more of a town than would be expected and had even google-mapped it), but was opportunely assigned to the exact opposite of that – I will be living in the outskirts of Kakamega, in a much more rural area than the other Duke students, about forty minutes away from the Kakamega town but only a fifteen minute walk to the hospital. I just asked today why they assigned me there having seen my housing request form, and apparently it is because the “hospitals” most in need are the ones in the rural outskirts of the city so they wanted me to live closer to there. Not surprising. I will be living without running water for the next two months with a family of five (including a herdsman). We shall see how that goes. Personally, I think they are punishing me because I forgot to turn in one of my forms.
The week leading up to my departure was extremely hectic. DukeEngage Academy lasted two days from 8 AM to 7 PM. Then I went home for a week and tried my best to unpack everything, then pack everything again as fast as possible. My flight was on Wednesday at 2 PM and I finally made it to Kakamega today (Friday) at 11 AM – a total of a 45-hour travel time. We did have a bit of fun on the way… Duke conveniently set up our transfer in Amsterdam with a fifteen-hour layover. I landed in Amsterdam at 9 AM, met up with four other Duke students who had the same layover as I did, and went out on the town. We took a train to the city, and once there, took a boat tour around the canals and then walked around for the remainder of the time. The red-light district was not at all what I had expected. It was much smaller than I had imagined – being only a few blocks total. And I had expected the prostitutes to be standing around outside, clothed, but fully evident that they were prostitutes. This was not the case. They were almost naked and standing behind windows. It was window-shopping at its finest. We then took another ten-hour flight to Nairobi, then a third flight to Kasumu (somehow traveled business class on this one because of a last-minute error on Duke’s part with our flight), and finally an hour drive to Kakamega.
To be honest, I was EXTREMELY nervous to go on this trip. I was very tempted to back out last minute. I was nervous to be so far from home, to be in a completely different culture, and to be working in a hospital dealing with such dangerous and infectious diseases. But just being here for twelve hours today, I know I made the right decision. I am in Africa! It is absolutely gorgeous here. When flying above the city all you see is trees. The trees are even more beautiful than they are in the States. They are the typical African trees - the ones that are in the Lion King that are thin and have leaves branching only from the top. I couldn’t believe I was actually seeing them. I am not in the forest, though, so picture more like a savannah with a bunch of trees (if that makes sense…). Compared to here, the United States is like a steel, cement nightmare.
Driving up to Kakamega, it is very rural with huts everywhere. The “downtown business district” of Kakamega, though, is amazingly city-like. There are flea markets everywhere (I’m going to like this a lot), stores, and we even went to a grocery store that was about the size of a Ralphs back home. The fact that such a grocery store exists only about five minutes away from such a rural surrounding is so strange!
The first week we are here we are in an orientation and actually living in a hotel. The hotel is much nicer than I would have imagined also (for an African hotel – although I do feel now as though my perception of Africa was all wrong), so we are not living with our homestays until the 28th. There are three FSD workers here that are training us, two from Kakamega and one from San Francisco who just graduated college. What a small world (although FSD is San Francisco-based so it does make sense). They are extremely nice people so I think this week is going to go very well.
I’ve had two meals here so far and the food, too, surprised me. It is much better than I had imagined! Things are starting on a good foot. The hotel is preparing the food for us, though, so I think it’ll be higher quality than I’ll be having in the future, but I am glad that I like what I am eating now. They served us chicken (kuku), fish, rice, samosa, carrots, and a few other things I’m not even sure what it is called in English. The food is very similar to Indian food so I think that I’m going to like it more than I had expected which is such a relief. I also wasn’t sure if I’ll be eating a lot of food depending on how poor the family is (so I brought extra food with me), but apparently Kenyans pride themselves on their food and our homestay families will be upset if we have not gained weight by the end of this trip. I need to keep reminding myself to be careful with the water, though. I have already brushed my teeth with the water by accident. I think I’ll be okay just as long as I didn’t swallow much. I also need to be careful with mosquito bites and putting on bug spray. We are sleeping with malaria nets already in the hotel. They kind of look like princess canopies so I just need to keep imagining that so I’m not grossed out and scared of getting malaria.
It’s getting late and I am the only one still up so I think it is time for me to wrap this up. I will try to keep this updated as best as possible. Be on the lookout!
I have decided to write a blog about my trip to Africa this summer. I am not the best of writers so this is a loftier goal for me than it would seem. I am going to try to update it as best as possible, so please feel free to follow the blog because hopefully I will have some fun and interesting stories over the course of the next two months!
I applied to DukeEngage back in November and found out that I had been accepted a month later. DukeEngage is a program of Duke’s that funds its students to do service work in a developing country over the summer. It is a fantastic program because it supports me by paying for my room and board while abroad and encourages students to do community service and to become more worldly. The program, however, is a bit odd to me because it puts a new light onto service work. Because the program is competitive among Duke students, those who are accepted are honored, causing service work to gain somewhat of a prestigious connotation. But service work is supposed to be selfless so the fact that students are competing for it seems counterintuitive to me. Duke should not be rejecting students to do service work and glorifying others who do. But luckily I came out on the winning side and am very grateful that I can take advantage of Duke’s resources.
The DukeEngage program that I am doing is partnered with the Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD), an umbrella organization with its roots in about 10 different developing countries around the world that connects people with different NGOs with whom to work and homestays with whom to live with. The program I applied to of FSD’s is in Kakamega, Kenya. It is in the western region of Kenya and one of the more rural areas of the country. When applying to the program, I indicated that I wanted to work in a hospital that dealt with malaria and HIV/AIDS so I have been assigned to work in Shibwe Sub-District Hospital. I am uncertain what I will actually be doing on a day-to-day basis just yet, but FSD stipulated that interns involve themselves with the daily activities of patient reception, administering of vaccines, the recording of vital signs, and develop community outreach and educational health campaigns.
I also indicated (after having been accepted, however) that I would prefer to live within the downtown area of Kakamega (because I had heard it was more of a town than would be expected and had even google-mapped it), but was opportunely assigned to the exact opposite of that – I will be living in the outskirts of Kakamega, in a much more rural area than the other Duke students, about forty minutes away from the Kakamega town but only a fifteen minute walk to the hospital. I just asked today why they assigned me there having seen my housing request form, and apparently it is because the “hospitals” most in need are the ones in the rural outskirts of the city so they wanted me to live closer to there. Not surprising. I will be living without running water for the next two months with a family of five (including a herdsman). We shall see how that goes. Personally, I think they are punishing me because I forgot to turn in one of my forms.
The week leading up to my departure was extremely hectic. DukeEngage Academy lasted two days from 8 AM to 7 PM. Then I went home for a week and tried my best to unpack everything, then pack everything again as fast as possible. My flight was on Wednesday at 2 PM and I finally made it to Kakamega today (Friday) at 11 AM – a total of a 45-hour travel time. We did have a bit of fun on the way… Duke conveniently set up our transfer in Amsterdam with a fifteen-hour layover. I landed in Amsterdam at 9 AM, met up with four other Duke students who had the same layover as I did, and went out on the town. We took a train to the city, and once there, took a boat tour around the canals and then walked around for the remainder of the time. The red-light district was not at all what I had expected. It was much smaller than I had imagined – being only a few blocks total. And I had expected the prostitutes to be standing around outside, clothed, but fully evident that they were prostitutes. This was not the case. They were almost naked and standing behind windows. It was window-shopping at its finest. We then took another ten-hour flight to Nairobi, then a third flight to Kasumu (somehow traveled business class on this one because of a last-minute error on Duke’s part with our flight), and finally an hour drive to Kakamega.
To be honest, I was EXTREMELY nervous to go on this trip. I was very tempted to back out last minute. I was nervous to be so far from home, to be in a completely different culture, and to be working in a hospital dealing with such dangerous and infectious diseases. But just being here for twelve hours today, I know I made the right decision. I am in Africa! It is absolutely gorgeous here. When flying above the city all you see is trees. The trees are even more beautiful than they are in the States. They are the typical African trees - the ones that are in the Lion King that are thin and have leaves branching only from the top. I couldn’t believe I was actually seeing them. I am not in the forest, though, so picture more like a savannah with a bunch of trees (if that makes sense…). Compared to here, the United States is like a steel, cement nightmare.
Driving up to Kakamega, it is very rural with huts everywhere. The “downtown business district” of Kakamega, though, is amazingly city-like. There are flea markets everywhere (I’m going to like this a lot), stores, and we even went to a grocery store that was about the size of a Ralphs back home. The fact that such a grocery store exists only about five minutes away from such a rural surrounding is so strange!
The first week we are here we are in an orientation and actually living in a hotel. The hotel is much nicer than I would have imagined also (for an African hotel – although I do feel now as though my perception of Africa was all wrong), so we are not living with our homestays until the 28th. There are three FSD workers here that are training us, two from Kakamega and one from San Francisco who just graduated college. What a small world (although FSD is San Francisco-based so it does make sense). They are extremely nice people so I think this week is going to go very well.
I’ve had two meals here so far and the food, too, surprised me. It is much better than I had imagined! Things are starting on a good foot. The hotel is preparing the food for us, though, so I think it’ll be higher quality than I’ll be having in the future, but I am glad that I like what I am eating now. They served us chicken (kuku), fish, rice, samosa, carrots, and a few other things I’m not even sure what it is called in English. The food is very similar to Indian food so I think that I’m going to like it more than I had expected which is such a relief. I also wasn’t sure if I’ll be eating a lot of food depending on how poor the family is (so I brought extra food with me), but apparently Kenyans pride themselves on their food and our homestay families will be upset if we have not gained weight by the end of this trip. I need to keep reminding myself to be careful with the water, though. I have already brushed my teeth with the water by accident. I think I’ll be okay just as long as I didn’t swallow much. I also need to be careful with mosquito bites and putting on bug spray. We are sleeping with malaria nets already in the hotel. They kind of look like princess canopies so I just need to keep imagining that so I’m not grossed out and scared of getting malaria.
It’s getting late and I am the only one still up so I think it is time for me to wrap this up. I will try to keep this updated as best as possible. Be on the lookout!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)