The Floodgates

09/02/05

Well, I actually opened up a bit of a floodgate yesterday. The walk home, last night, this morning, and a couple times today people have been appearing out of nowhere with question after questions. Good questions that they were embarrassed to ask in front of all their peers. Important questions. 'My best friend has just tested positive and is suicidal, what should I tell her?' kind of questions. (Answer, 'You need to tell her that there's help, that many people live happy and healthy lives for decades after being diagnosed, as long as they seek out the counseling and treatment that is available for free from any VCT.')

So I'm glad that the dialogue is open. People know they can ask. I hope I can dispel some of the mythologies and misinformation floating around. This community really needs a health center. They built this little structure on the church compound, its just sticks and a tin roof right now, but soon the orphans are going to bring up the bricks they made (yes, brick making has been the past activity for orphans) to finish the walls. Then it's ours to use as we see fit. But what to use it for? VCT? CHC? Info video kiosk? Library? I don't know yet.

Another idea today was to try and help organize a Sunday football league. I've got the ball, now we get maybe six of the older youths, have Robert train them, and then have them be the coaches. The idea is that kids that wont show up for 'HIV/AIDS lectures' will show up to play football, and then the older kids that they look up to can use the opportunity to pass on some health info. I facilitated a 'round table' discussion (minus the actual table) this morning for seven youths. After a while of answering the questions I started throwing them back, and they started answering most themselves. And then they started to argue interesting cultural points and I just sat back and filmed. It was neat.

It's raining, and the power is out, so I'm writing by the light of a kerosene lamp. It's a romantic feeling. I'm snacking on groundnuts (peanuts.) I was afraid to eat them when I first got here, but after fried ants in Jinja, they didn't look scary at all. Lots of emails today. I guess Friendster said it was my birthday yesterday, so I had lots of early emails. And I heard back from Reach Out, KKL, GROOTS, and the Ashoka fellow from Eldorat, all of whom want to be involved with the doc, so that's great. I read about hurricane Katrina today, it sounds pretty devastating. I hope it helps to serve as a wake up call about our changing environment, now that disaster has come home. I was surprised that Bush got 10.5 billion for relief. The President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is 15 billion, over 5 years, for the entire world. Here in year 3 only a fraction of the money has been distributed. And 8000 people are still dying everyday. How many lives did Katrina claim? But we protect our own, I understand that. Oh, and AIDS doesn't threaten oil reserves, which means that our wallets aren't effected at the pump. That said, I am impressed by people's response to our project here. People have been generous in their donations, their word-of-mouth publicity of the project, and their kind words and encouragements, all of which is appreciated here. Although, I have to say that the number of one and two dollar donations is a little strange.

A blind man being led by a little boy in rags came into the Internet hole today. At first I thought he was there to check email. He was asking for change. My initial reaction was to say no, I really don't like to reinforce begging, but the disabled in the third world are the exception. I don't feel bad about giving to the polio victims or very old women in Kampala or the blind man in Kisii, because what can they do? There's no welfare or disability checks… It's the very young kids that I'm on the fence about. I just fear that giving money reinforces the idea that its okay to beg instead of work, but if they're too young to work, and they may or may not have any parents or siblings around to help out. I guess I can't feel bad about those handouts either.

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