Limited blogging

Is the word "blogging" a real verb? If not, lets make it one. There are many people working here at the UVP office, trying to get things done, and only one person can use the internet at a time so my ability to blog is limited. I'm sorry about that. I'll try to do this on the weekends, even if it means finding an internet cafe.

In terms of the project that I'm supposed to working on here, I've begun by trying to discover who is already doing work in the areas of maternal and neonatal health here in the Iganga district. A number of assessments have already been performed and we certainly don't want to do things that have already been done. Therefore, we're trying to identify gaps in the assessments as well as areas of intervention in terms prevention and treatment of obstetric emergencies in order to reduce neonatal and maternal mortality. There are several key players in this district and we've been scheduling meetings to determine how we can best work with the involved parties, whether it be a formal coalition or just defining who is doing what where. This, of course, is proving to be challenging as even the people who have been here for an extended period of time do not have a clear picture of this. We'll keep trying though. I think one of the biggest problems in the field of public health, along with lack of funding and resources, is the lack of coordination and communication. It is my vision, and UVP's as well, to try to address this issue in the area of maternal/neonatal emergency care.

I've definitely been a bit overwhelmed since arriving here in Iganga and am just praying for grace and the ability to do this. I have electricity and (warm!) running water. Yay! It does make it easier to get things done since a lot of this project, at least in the beginning, requires the use of a computer and gathering resources and reading through a lot of documents. Only one of my other team members is here so far, which is actually good because there aren't very many tasks for me to delegate out right now. Two more girls will arrive next week so Karly and I will travel to Kampala to pick them up. The living quarters are pretty cramped but I have a bed and mosquito net, so that is all I need. :)

To get around town, the form of transportation, other than walking, which you don't want to do after dark, is a boda boda, or bicycle or motorcyle taxi. That is an experience for sure. Your prayers may want to be focused on safety every time I get on a boda boda. I'll try to take some photos but it will be difficult to upload them.

I'll try to write more this weekend and be a bit more descriptive. Of course, understanding fully what its like here is impossible without being here so maybe you should buy a plane ticket. :)

Love,
Jen