New place to find photos

I found out (thanks Justin) that this is a much easier way to post photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jnomides22/

So this is where you'll find the photos I put up while I'm in Uganda. Enjoy!

Photo site

Random I know but I like coke. :)

This is the site I post photos on for all who are interested:

http://jnomides.dotPhoto.com

Obviously I haven't posted any Uganda photos as I have yet to arrive but I will and in the meantime, there are some old photos that some of you may enjoy.

Also, if someone knows of a way better free site on which to post photos that you would recommend, I'm open to suggestions.

That's all.

First try

So this isn't the first time that an attempt has been made to implement an emergency transport system in Iganga.

Here is a link to a description of a pretty cool, yet failed project, on the world bank website:

The RESCUER Project

Few more things about eCare

As I mentioned, the Emergency Care (eCare) Project is a collaboration with the Iganga District Hospital. Iganga's district hospital is currently preparing for a new neonatal care unit and Uganda Village Project is partnering with the hospital and Vassar Uganda Project to improve obstetric emergency care and transport, in order to maximize quality of care and accessibility.

I just wanted to add the link to Vassar's website, which is: http://vassarugandaproject.org/default.aspx

I am currently in contact with the woman who is in charge of this initiative, who will be going to live in this area of Uganda for a year starting in July. My team will be responsible for the beginning phases of the eCare initiative, assessment and education as well as capacity building and the development of quality initiatives and a partnership with the hospital, and she will be continuing this work with more of the intervention piece of the project. I'm still learning the details because I'm the new girl but I'll let you know more as I find out.

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

More from Ty

Ty is slightly difficult to wake up from his naps so, following the suggestion of his mother, I put on the radio and start talking to him well before I really need him to get out of bed. Usually it's K-Love or NPR, since those are generally safe stations for a child to be listening to. Yesterday, as I was attempted to wake him up, I left the room and told him I was going downstairs to find a tiger or shark or crocodile to bite his feet.

Fast forward...

Ty finally got out of bed and sat on my lap as we looked through the window in his room watching life happen outside. This usually keeps him occupied for about half an hour or so. As I said, the kid has a crazy fantastic imagination so we find all sorts of things to talk about, some of which are real but the majority of which are completely made up. We were engaged in a conversation about how all the animals were at a party and the squirrels that ran out of the yard to get more cake when all of the sudden, Ty looks up at me with a very serious expression.

Ty: When you went downstairs to get the shark, I heard on the radio that it is Friday. Is that true?
Me: Yes Ty, it is true. What is your favorite day of the week?
At first he didn't answer so I prompted him with, "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday? "
Ty: (with exasperation in his voice) You know.
Me: I do?
Ty: Yes. This day.
Me: Friday?
Ty: Yes.
Me: Why?
Ty: Because the garbage truck comes on Friday and I like to watch the garbage truck.
He points out the window at the garbage can at the end of the driveway. "Do you see that? See how the lid is flipped open? That is because the garbage truck came today and emptied it."

I freakin' love this kid. It's the small things. I have to remember that.

And also, take time to look out the window with a three year old if you can. I recommend half an hour a day three days a week. It is quite therapeutic.

"We Create What We Want"

"We get what we want, or what we don't refuse. We accept the fact that we will always have poor people around us, and that poverty is part of human destiny. This is precisely why we continue to have poor people around us. If we firmly believe that poverty is unacceptable to us, and that is should not belong to a civilized society, we would have built appropriate institutions and policies to create a poverty-free world. We wanted to go to the moon, so we went there. We achieve what we want to achieve. If we are not achieving something, it is because we have not put our minds to it. We create what we want. What we want and how we get to it depends on our mindsets. It is extremely difficult to change mindsets once they are formed. We create the world in accordance with our mindset. We need to invent ways to change our perspective continually and reconfigure our mindset quickly as new knowledge emerges. We can reconfigure our world if we can reconfigure our mindset."

-Muhammad Yunus
(excerpt from Nobel Lecture, 2006)