Getting ready to peace outta here...

Its hard to believe that I leave for Uganda in about a week and a half. There are, of course, a million things to do between now and then but things are beginning to come together. I have my plane ticket at least, which I'm thinking is a fabulous start.

First off, I wanted to post the link to the video Uganda Village Project (UVP) sent us interns to give us more information about what to expect this summer. You may find it interesting and hopefully it will give you a better idea of the setting. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7CLccVQivo

Also, and I may have posted this before but the website for the organization I'll be working with is: www.ugandavillageproject.org


Here are some photos of the UVP office, which is where my team will be staying:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ugandavillageproject/UVPNewHomeInIganga#


The specific project I'm working on is the eCare project, which I'll explain more about in a second, but here is our twitter page: http://twitter.com/ecareproject

The link to the twitter page for UVP in general is: http://twitter.com/uvp

So, in terms of what I'll be doing this summer, here is a fairly brief summary (and feel free to post questions):

I will be in Uganda from May 27^th to July 30th. This internship is through the Uganda Village Project (UVP) and will satisfy a requirement of the Masters in Public Health degree I am currently working to obtain at UNC Chapel Hill. UVP is a non-profit organization that was started in 2003 and is this year launching its “Healthy Villages” initiative, an innovative approach to promoting the health of people in the Iganga district in Uganda by networking with local community-based organizations, NGOs, international donors, and the district government. At its core, through community organization and mobilization, UVP targets primary health risks of the region by providing education, training and appropriate interventions to rural Health Centre workers, local community leaders and the community on a whole. There are several small volunteer teams that will be there this summer, each working to implement a different basic health care package. These programs include: HIV/AIDS education and treatment, malaria education, insecticide-treated net distribution, screening for eye problems, obstetric fistula awareness and prevention, emergency medicine training, safe water interventions, family planning education and sanitation and hygiene.

I will be leading the Emergency Care team and we will be working to assess the current knowledge and needs regarding obstetrical emergencies as well as educating trained birth attendants, other health care workers and the community to better recognize these emergencies and ultimately prevent maternal and neonatal death. Eventually, we will build upon the information gathered this summer and garner community support to develop a comprehensive EMS System during a later phase of the project.

Another huge component of this project is building a partnership with the local district hospital, which is where a lot of the assessment will take place. This project is part of a larger initiative and we are working as part of a coalition, attempting to partner with other NGOs, the Ugandan government, the community and the district hospital. We are hoping to help build capacity in the hospital and relationships to ensure sustainability. The initial assessment phase will be key so that we can develop quality initiatives to improve maternal and child care, particularly at this hospital, where women typically go simply to die. Uganda has an incredibly high maternal mortality rate, which is why this project is so important.

That's all for now but I'll be back soon...

P.S.-

Here are a few more sites that you may want to check out if you're bored.

UVP photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ugandavillageproject/

UVP blogspot: http://ugandavillageproject.blogspot.com/

More UVP photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/ugandavillageproject

UVP cause on facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/16315?m=64b58838

Oh and thank you to all of you who have made contributions to my trip! If you haven't received a support letter from me and would like to, let me know! I'd be happy to take some money off your hands. On a serious note, I really am thankful for all of your prayers and support. Thank you thank you thank you!

With love,
Jen