CDC In Entebbe

08/23/05

A couple of observations: No one says 'bless you' when someone sneezes, and they look at me funny when I do. Pay phones are everywhere, and they are manned. 95% of advertisements and 100% of mannequins are white (I dont think that's healthy.) Coke is winning, Pepsi is rare. The incentive to recycle is huge: 200ush on a 500ush soda. Floors are washed with a wet rag, I haven't seen any mops. People talked on their cell phones in the theater.

I just returned from Entebbe, where I went to interview Dr. Becky Brunnell, who works for the CDC here. I had seen her in Abner's Stepping Up documentary, and really wanted to meet her. On the way to Entebbe I caught my first glimpse of Lake Victoria. It was like looking out over the ocean, its huge. Becky was in the middle of a budget meeting when I got there, so she introduced me to two project coordinators, both of whom I interview. They were working on really interesting projects. Margaret was working on 100% Access, which is door-to-door to VCT (Voluntary Counciling and Testing.) Basically, a crew is going to door-to-door in an entire district, trying to test everyone. So far they have had a 95% acceptance rate, which is great. Alice was working with Reach Out, which is a holistic approach a reinvigorating a slum, started by an Ashoka fellow Dr. Juncker (who is now working with another Ashoka fellow, Christina Jordan, or Life in Africa. Funny how it all comes around full circle.) We talked about the projects and their personal experiences working in the health service field. Becky finished her meeting, but needed to rush off to another in Kampala, so offered me a ride. I ended up in the back of a Land Rover with the head of the CDC in the front, talking to Becky in the back. She had a lot of great ideas about the documentary and offered to connect me with a lot of different people. She also had a lot of interesting things to say about the politics involved with the US Gov, PEPFAR, the CDC etc, which was off the record (but you can imagine the opinion of someone who has been on the ground for ten years being told by Washington legislators how to spend the funding they give her.) She was very enthusiastic about my idea of helping people in the states who want to donate/support get the money directly to the groups on the ground here, bypassing the NGOs and GOs with the deep pockets. They were swinging off the main road, so I jumped out. We promised to keep in contact. It was all very informative and encouraging. I was feeling a little 'out of focus' because I've been spending so much time thinking about the problem of street kids here in Kampala and not solely focused on HIV/AIDS work. But the truth is, its all connected.

They are playing the strangest easy listening flute version of 'Don't cry for me Argentina.' I need to get out of here.

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