Almost a month behind... Almost home.

Hi everyone,

Sorry it's been so long since I've blogged -- internet access is so flaky and then some weeks I just don't have the time! So let's see -- a quick run down of the work I've been up to:

After Sipi Falls we had some pretty HIV/AIDs focused weeks. We did a sensitization, a drama group from another village came, then St. Mary's came to do the actual testing. We had 219 people show up! (Incredible attendance for my village! Of which, 74 were men. 7 women tested positive for syphillis, and 2 women tested positive for HIV -- everyone else was negative! They will get their appropriate therapies and support now. Which is really awesome. We've also done a female reproductive health and hygiene sensitization for the girls 11 and older at the primary school, and then a general sanitation sensitization for the whole school (which I led! pictures to arrive after I come home). It was fun -- we learned about Germy, the evil bug who tries to make you sick if you don't stay clean and naba mungalo buli lunaku! (wash your hands every day!) After the school wide sensitization (and because we visited the local health center earlier in the week), we dewormed the kids -- I had my hands in like, over 170 kids mouths to ensure that they actually chewed the tablet. Should I have been wearing gloves? Yes. Did I think of that prior to know that I would be distributing the pills? No. Awesome. It was pretty damn cute though. Some kids liked them, and some didn't. I think the pills taste awful, but to each his own. (Yes, I dewormed myself.)

One of the days we accidentally stumbled upon a funeral, which was an incredibly different experience than one at home. It was a Muslim funeral, firstly, so women could not see the burial site. That means I sat on the ground with Grace, and Eva whilst Jeomar and Patrick were expected to be at the burial site 10 feet in front of us. It was the death of a two year old girl. Her mother and twin sister were sitting solemnly on the ground with us, while every single other woman there was laughing, gossiping and completely acting nonchalant about the loss of this individual. It's just exemplary of how normal Death is in Life here. Even a funeral is like a ritualistic obligation rather than a celebration of life and a time to mourn.

I spent that weekend in Kampala. Cat, Leslie, Modar, and I ran away from our teams (so hard to live with the people you work with... so so so sooo hard) and went to the Big City -- Kampala! It was terrifying. A claustrophobe's nightmare. We visited the Ba'hai Temple (one of the 7 in the world - one on every continent), however, and absolutely loved the peace in the building. We also visited the Entebbe botanical gardens... fairytale trees made up the whole park. It was beautiful.

I loved eating in Kampala. I had pancakes with crepes and chocolate, tuna and cheese melt sandwich, vegetables!!!, and a coffee float (omg, coffee). And Ice Cream! It was so delicious!

The next few weeks flew by. I went to the district hospital in Iganga -- which could be an entire blog post in itself. Especially because I was simultaneously reading Pathologies of Power, by Paul Farmer, one of the most incredible books I've ever read. And I was living... or directly observing might be a better use of words... exactly the kind of extreme poverty and resulting health inequalities that he discusses. If anyone's interested in poverty, social justice or health, this book is magnificent. If I like you, it'll prolly be your Christmas gift. Anyways... the hospital was intense.

About this time I went through a real emotional funk. I was struggling with my team (pretty radically clashing personality types, and as time goes on it gets harder to smile through it all), and I had just visited the hospital, which really affected me, we lost another child in the village, and I was reading both Pathologies of Power and The End of Poverty and everything combined was a lot of blah.

Anyways, to keep this relatively short, this week we've been doing a sanitation push. Door to door, building tippy taps (I realized I never explained these. They're little structures with jerry cans on a foot pedal that you build outside of the latrine and near the kitchen so people can wash their hands. I'll post a picture sometime.), digging pit latrines, digging trash pits, beginning to build plate stands, etc. Basically, we begin the process of creating a healthy house.It's hard work. Slow, hard, manual work. That's all there is to it. It's good -- yes. I fully believe in its goodness, especially because we spent to much time ensuring that the villagers understood what we were doing and how to repair things if they broke, and how to finish building the things we began (hence why it took so long). It enhances sustainability, for sure. But it won't have an impact on this generation. The follow ups that they do after these pushes are often depressing. It's not until you come in with a Health Inspector, a UGX50,000 fine and jail time that people start changing -- just like in the States. This whole experience has really pushed me back towards medicine. But then I feel really selfish for being someone who wants a quick fix solution... (saving a life rather than preventing the disease). But I don't think that I could give emotionally as much as you need to give for such little result, as this field requires. Definitely not for my whole life, at least. Ugh. We'll see.

Lots of thoughts.

Oh! By the way, last week, Eva fell extremely sick with two strains of malaria and has spent the entire last week on an IV line. She says she'll be back on Monday, but I can't imagine she'll be doing the hard sanitation push labor. Patrick the Ugandan intern, just overcame malaria as well, and worked for the first time all week on Friday (and he definitely was not allowed to do manual labor). So my team's been down a team leader and two Ugandan interns (Eva being both). It's been really rough on everyone, but I've struggled a lot without her. She's kind of like my saving grace, grounding friend and I miss her.

Anyways, today officially marks the 7 days left till we move out of the village. That will be sad. Two days later when my team leaves, I am pretty sure I'll be elated. (Haha... I'll miss them, but I definitely need a break.) And then Eva and I can finish up the report and I'll be home on the 9th! YES. I'm so ready to be home.

I miss you all. Keep the emails comin', they brighten each day. :-).

Best wishes,

Puma

July 4 -- Happy Independence Day!

Hey team! Happy belated Independence Day!

Sorry I’m late on my weekly blog! We had a three day weekend and I haven’t been able to get on to the internet since. Just so you are all aware, I am fully cured of malaria, and feel phenomenal, especially after this weekend!

Last week flew by, with our village health team elections. Five officials were elected, one from each zone, except Bulumbo, which elected two due to size. All of the officials are women, which is pretty incredible considering the culture, our town, and gender dynamics here. 

July: 100_1330 – VHT Elections, Day 1

Last week, I also learned how to make chapatti by hand … and am completely ready to do so at home for Father’s Day! (Shout out, Pa!)

Friday, the whole team came in for our mid-summer debrief. Can you believe half of summer is over already? Aside from feeling completely blown out of the water by the other teams’ progress (we seem to have landed in the least receptive village, which has posed problems for us when it comes to accomplishing things), I also feel incredibly inspired. I was very close to losing faith in this work and field because of how difficult things have been in our village, especially while I was sick. It was hard to keep a positive attitude while sick and tired. But this 3-day weekend and break were great for me. After seeing the kind of progress other teams have been able to make in their villages, I am ready to redouble efforts in my own such that maybe we will be able to have some impactful beginnings by the time we leave for the summer.

The rest of the weekend was incredible – like top 5 experiences in my life. After the mid-summer debrief, 32 of us interns all got on a coach (aka, a mini bus, so it was incredibly packed) and drove to Sipi Falls. This is very Eastern Uganda, and they speak a language different than both Lusoga and Luganda, so it was funny that not even our Ugandans could communicate in the local language. We stayed at a resort engraved into the side of a mountain across from three spectacular waterfalls called Crow’s Nest. It was green, lush, and you could hear the water rushing from all the way down the side of the mountain.

The next day (Sunday) we began a 10-15km, 5-6 hour hike down into the valley and up the mountain on the other side to see each of the three the falls. To avoid rambling about how beautiful the whole thing was, I’ll just tell you about my favorite part.

The second falls were above the first fall and the caves which we stopped at. They were much smaller than the first, and we came up to them from behind. We looked out from behind the falls and then almost all of us pulled off our clothes and ran into them. They’re called “showers” lightly, because the freezing cold water pounds down on your back from far up the mountain. It came down fast too, making it somewhat difficult to see. I stood underneath the falls, closed my eyes and was living a dream. It was absolutely incredible.

100_1402 – me in the second fall showers

The whole weekend has completely changed my perspective. I think Emily’s positivity has finally reached me (thanks, Em!) I am so excited for the next month. I have finally found beauty here… it took long enough.

I think the only way you’re going to get this is if I show you pictures. 

View of the first
fall from our resort

View of
 the 1st fall from our hike!

Bottom of the first fall. Wow.

View of 1st fall from the caves... later on in the hike.

Team Leaders at second fall showers.

Julius, Reagan and I at the 3rd falls...

So. I have malaria. And the sun is still shining.

Hey team, 

It’s been another doozy of a week, so I apologize for how long this is.  

Tuesday, I was on my way to the Nawansega Trading Center in the morning to visit Sam and Cody in Iganga. I was followed by what felt like the entire elementary school. It’s a good ten minute walk from my house to the end of the trading center where I can get a bike boda out to the main stage… and they stayed with me the whole time… a pack of sixty, seventy (or more) kids with me on all sides. At first I thought it was cute, and then when I saw the number growing I was a little annoyed, wanting them to get back to class… but by the time I got into the trading center and saw the faces of the parents, I couldn’t help but laugh. I swear, Bazungu in town means kids don’t do as well in school.  

In complete juxtaposition, the matatu ride to Iganga was one of the most uncomfortable yet (which is saying something… let me tell you 20 people in a matatu is uncomfortable). The one I hailed down was about half full and there were only men in it. Talk about awkward. They were making their usual jeering and jokes… and one even offered me his phone to but my number in. I responded with “Mbe, tienda.” (No, I don’t want.) The whole car laughed. Luckily, at about this time two older women piled into the taxi with us. I offered one a seat next to me, in between me and the men in the back, which she took. Figuring out what was going on pretty quickly, she gave the men a good talking to and was nice to me for the rest of the trip. Ah, what a blessing women are. Seriously, if I leave Uganda with any respect for men remaining, it will be a miracle.

After a bit of an adventure into town, I finally met up with Sam and Cody in Iganga, and walked them back to UVP headquarters.  Sam is working on his Masters’ Capstone, and wanted to meet with my NGO’s program manager. Seeing them was short, but priceless. I appreciated seeing familiar, friendly faces, sharing an inclusive vocabulary and listening to their experiences. I probably won’t see Sam again this summer, but I’m hoping to visit Cody in Kampala some weekend in July.

On Wednesday we continued with our house-to-house survey, watching the poverty increase and the facilities decrease with distance away from the trading center. I have a hard time seeing the malnourished children. Two or younger, they have swollen feet, large heads and skinny extremities, covered in flies, often sitting on the ground, neglected. But how can we blame the mothers when they’re only 18 or 19, already with three or four other mouths to feed? And who’s absent in all of these cases? The men. Most likely drinking at the trading center, or at their younger wife’s house… There are many polygamous families in the village, all three main religions being blamed for them. “Oh it must be x,y,z-religion that’s got all of those kids and two or three wives,” says each group about the other. I also find it interesting that the same families that are Catholic, Protestant or Muslim have these expensive shrines that they keep for local Gods. Many families will have a shrine instead of a latrine or a kitchen, or even more common, well fed children. Eva describes it the same way we were told about the Catholic Church in the middle ages. The people pay large amounts to some person or people to maintain these shrines with the promise that the Gods will bring them fortune or luck. And here they are, without luck or fortune, without a latrine or kitchen, without healthy kids, out of money. Yet they continue.

Wednesday night, I woke up feeling very sick, with sharp stomach pains, feeling very nauseous. I tossed and turned, sweating and with chills for hours before finally at about 4 or 5am when I was able to fall back asleep. 

Thursday morning, my stomach pains remained, but had subsided a little, and I continued morning activities with my team. At 1pm, when we normally leave to do ground work, I was ready to go, feeling nauseous, but needing to motivate my team to get moving. Within 10 minutes of walking, I had a full blown headache, was weak, lightheaded and dizzy, and couldn’t focus on our surveys. Two hours later, I felt as if I was going to pass out, and the team took me home to lie down for the rest of the afternoon. I felt awful. I called UVP, alerting them of my symptoms, and they called back saying they’d like to take me to the doctor for malaria testing on Friday morning. Awesome. I stayed in bed for the rest of the day.

Friday morning UVP picked me up in a daze and took me to a health clinic that would NEVER EVER pass environmental health standards in the States. It had exposed circuits, the roof was missing in some places, boards nailed up in others, it was pretty terrible, but TIA. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with this term, it means “This is Africa!”… still making up my mind on how I feel about it, but it’s starting to become a regular part of my vocabulary.) I refused to let them test me until I physically saw them open up the sterile needle from a closed package. They tested me and two other UVP interns who were also sick.

Guess who was the only one who tested positive. That’s right. Me. In the car ride on the way back, I could not help but laugh. My team and I have had one of the roughest beginnings we possibly could have had, everything all at the same time, and now here I am, sick with malaria. It was beginning to be funny. And also RIDICULOUS because I have been OCD about taking my malaria prophylaxis at the exact same time every day, putting on bug spray and wearing long sleeves/long pants at night, and tucking in my mosquito net! Somehow, I’m still covered in bites, and currently living with an additional parasite in my bloodstream. I HATE parasites!!! UGH!

Fortunately, on the scale of 1-10 that they use to measure concentration of parasite in your blood, 8 being “okay time for an IV of quinine directly into your bloodstream”, I came up as “scanty”. Meaning, the parasites are present, but not in high enough concentration to be a “1” yet. This is probably because my prophylaxis prevented me from getting a serious case. Thank goodness.

Actually, the culture around malaria here is really interesting. I’d compare it to that of the flu at home. The Ugandan interns all say they get it up to an average of 4 times per year, taking medicine and being done with it. A few of them have gotten serious cases, and are hospitalized with an IV. In general, it’s the immune-compromised, children under 5 and pregnant women, who are at serious risk and can die from it. But seriously, even a mild case sucks. I can’t imagine throwing in fever and vomiting. This headache alone is pretty awful. Ugh.

So yeah. Now I’m on this drug called Duo-cotecxin… and hopefully will be cured in a few days. I really want to go to Sipi Falls for some waterfall hikes next weekend, but if I’m still sick, I don’t know if I can go. Lame.

 I did want to quickly mention the best thing that happened this week. I intentionally left it for last. Of the kids that creep (I don’t mean ‘creep’ lightly, sometimes they hide in the trees or in the midst of the maize, just watching… we have made way too many horror movie jokes about it, “Jambo BITCH”  being my personal favorite) at our house all the time, one is little boy by the name of Jomari. He’s one of my favorites, quiet, calm, and patient. He actually comes up and says hi when he sees us too. (What a concept!) He was over when Obo Titus was teaching us how to make a tippy tap. Titus moved fast, throwing ours together in a few minutes.  I barely caught on, taking notes and everything. But this week when we surveyed Jomari’s house, he had built a miniature tippy tap! It was next to their latrine, and had started working on a second for near their kitchen. He used a 1L jerri can instead of the standard 3L, and had a smaller piece of soap as well, but other than the size, it was an exact replica of what a Tippy Tap should look like. His mother then explained that he told her all about how important they are, and wants to build a plate stand after the second tippy tap.

*Pause*

I need you to let that sink in for a second… the gravity of a 6 or 7 year old boy learning what a tippy tap is, and not only building one for his family, but explaining to his mother why it’s important and working on a second for near the kitchen, and excited to build a plate stand afterwards.

Get it?

That’s exactly why I’m here. This little boy is why I embarked on this adventure. It’s so easy to forget… to get caught up in all of the problems, be affected by the culture shock and homesickness…  oh and the malaria… but that one story could keep me going all summer. I’ll try to get a picture up here soon for you all, of Jomari and his tippy tap.

I’ll end on that note. Miss you all. Hope everyone is doing well!

** Picture of Mango tree for my sister: 

Happy Father's Day and Happy Birthday Mom! 6/19

Hey team!

I know it's been two weeks since I've updated my blog, but seriously, the last few weeks have been crazy. We had all intern training the second week, and then that Friday we moved into our village, Nawansega B.

Within an absolutely crazy 48 hours, we were back at UVP Headquarters because there were a massive amount of bed bugs in our beds, wasps nests in our rooms, we lost one of our two Ugandan interns to final exams for two weeks (debilitating our team from being able to work at full capacity), and an overbearing contact person, Kisige, who stayed at our house literally from 6:30am, hours before we woke up, until probably 6 or 7 pm. Fumigation, washing of all of the clothes, sheets, mattress pads, a full cleaning that really should have happened before we got in the village and a stern talk with Kisige later, and we found ourselves back in the village by Tuesday.

To say there's been resistance to our presence in the village is a bit of an understatement... or maybe that's the culture shock kicking in. Shocked stares, dirty jokes and kissing noises from the men, "Mzungu Mzungu Mzugu being yelled in every direction from the kids and beggars... it's been hard transitioning. After the frustrating move-in, move-out, the village resistance my team perceives has begun affecting team dynamics. It's hard. If I walk away from this experience not hating men, a miracle will have occurred. It feels like the only ones who are interested and willing to work with us are the women, with their full burdens of 8+ kids, constant pregnancy, being expected to work in the house and maintain the gardens while their alcoholic husbands are in the town center drinking. They don't have time and the men don't care. As long as they get a couple 12 -13 year old wives, & extra kids here and there, they don't care.

That may have been harsh. But like my wonderful parents have been reminding me -- in the evolutionary scope of things, the two months that I'm here, and even the three years that UVP will be in Nawansega B do not come near the thousands of years of behavior. We're not fighting poor health here. It's behavior change. Let's talk about the most difficult thing in the world to try and alter-- human behavior. How long have the States been campaigning against smoking? What is still among the most deadly preventable inflictions American's have? Smoking & lung cancer. How can I hold these Ugandans to anything different?

And if behavior isn't itself enough of a problem, the institutions... or let me rephrase, complete lack of institutions regarding organized health care, water quality and the most visible to me, trash disposal, cause other, layered problems. How do we fix problems when the whole system is broken? In the US and otherwise. I wish you all could see the pictures I've been taking. People dump their trash into the streets and burn it in piles. I could barely breathe the first few times I visited Iganga. And yet, how do you encourage people to throw things away or recycle if there is no system by which that is possible?

Fortunately, our village has not yet had to attend any funerals. In two of the other villages, there have already been deaths.

Time here is interesting. The days go by so slowly, but the weeks seem to fly by without any progress. We only have 6 weeks left, and so so sooo much to do! A house-to-house baseline survey, a sanitation push, Village Health Team elections, let alone the HIV testing day, and the several sensitization we had hoped to be able to accomplish in our time here. No wonder the Peace Corps is a two year commitment.

And on a completely inappropriate and personal side note that I'm sharing because I can't talk to anyone here about it, there is an individual on my team that I do not like, and am desperately trying not to butt heads with. And I'm not necessarily in love with the rest either. I find solace with the other Team Leaders. It would have been nice if we could have all been a team together. Hahah, but seriously. Working and living with people you don't necessarily mesh with is harder than I thought.

I'm sorry I haven't been able to share pictures with you all. The sunsets are beautiful, and the full moon is just as bright here as it is in the mountains at home. I also apologize for the negative tone this blog post may convey. Please remember I don't have privacy ANYWHERE here, and so taking the time to blow off steam, even if on the internet, is a bit of a blessing. I hope that next week's tone is much lighter. I expect it will be. We actually get to hit the ground hard with our house-to-house survey. Preparing the town for VHT elections and helping with that process will also hopefully have a sustainable impact post our departure.

I miss you all. Thanks to those of you who've emailed me! I'll be replying shortly :-). amehrotra08@gmail.com


A letter to my sister:

"How is life in Africa?" That's a great question. Life is rough. Bed bugs, wasps nests, creepy contact people, resistance in village to our presence.

Life is beautiful. It rains so hard that we have to yell to each other to hear what we're saying. We are surrounded by corn, banana and mango trees. The sunsets are littered with a thick pink pollution haze that's ironically stunning. There are baby goats that look like puppies, and anorexic cows everywhere. The language is rhythmic and quiet, a lull that replicates the pace of the culture.

Life is poor. Poverty is endemic, and people become corrupt with overwhelming need to provide for their unsustainable large families.

Life is unfair. The women are treated terribly, are barely allowed to have a period before they may get married off to a much older man, and are expected to have 10 or more children Or they are raped while trying to get water for their families. The kids are dirty, they can't afford lunch and rarely get dinner. The malnutrition is extensive.

Life is fun. The same starving children stare at us, play games and sing songs with us while they jump around dancing, waiting for the next ridiculous thing we say or do.

It's a work in progress.

June 6th -- 1st Week Complete

Hi friends and family!

I wish I could share with you all everything I've experienced over the last week alone. It's been incredible! The first week here was Team Leader training, so only with the 13 other Team Leaders, 7 of which are Ugandan. They are so friendly, having worked with Mzungus in the past few years through UVP... they tend to understand our 'strange ways'.

"Mzungu" - depending on where you are, this phrase could mean "white", (which apparently I qualify for... not white enough at home, not black enough here... hahaha), also "foreigner" "European", and "rich"... I've already started identifying as such, though I'm not sure I will ever be okay with how much people stare at me. The kids are one thing, but when adults, both men and women (though men stare more openly) stare, it's kinda hard to resist yelling "BOO!" to get them to stop. I imagine making a greater spectacle of myself is not the point.

We visited our village a few days ago. It's called "Nawansega B". It's referred to as "B" because the original "Nawansega" is SO HUGE that the needed to split it in half. Unfortunately this means right down the middle of the town center road. The right is "A" and the left is "B". Our house is probably the best in all that I saw in the village when we toured around (which only took us 4-5 hours by foot... granted we stopped several times to speak with the villagers at their homesteads). It's "big", made of concrete, has floors. Three small "rooms" with doors, which I guess is rare. We also have a living room and a *small* table and chairs. By "small" I mean about a foot off the ground, like what we might find in a kindergarten classroom... The walls only go up about 10 feet before they stop, so you can hear everything in any room you are in. The latrine and the bathroom *washhouse* are outside in the back. We live in a gardening village, and I look forward to fresh mango as frequently as possible.  The kids follow me around when they think I'm not looking, staring and giggling at me. I try to be nice to them, and went and sat with a few and introduced myself. Learning Lusoga is difficult, but hopefullly I'll be well-adapted by the end of the summer.

Yesterday, Julius and Reagan (two Ugandan Team Leaders) took the rest of us Int'ls to Jinja, where we visited the Main Street (aka "Mzungu Street", with Mzungu prices and souveniours that are probably not even from here), and then we went down to the Nile. I wish I could share some of the pictures I took with you. It's HUGE. The source, Lake Victoria, flows right into it. We took a boat ride, and then returned back to town. We then ate at the most Western restaurant we could find, wanting to avoid Matoke, Rice and Beans at all costs... and hopefully have access to some vegetables, or salad. We did! It was expensive, but worth while, especially if we only get to do it once a month or so.

The rest of the interns arrive today. I have no idea how all of us will fit in our current guesthouse. But Ugandans have the ability to fit people EVERYWHERE. There are so so so SO many people. Trash litters the street. They burn it to get rid of it, and we only get clean air once every hour or so. In the cities, I can barely breathe, the exhaust, burning trash and smell of everything is so strong.

I am excited to meet the rest of my team, and get to know our village more. We officially move in on Friday. I'll keep you updated on progress as we actually begin working. Our goals for the summer are overwhelming. The village is so huge, and we have so many people who need help. I hope I don't lose faith and become overwhelmed. The need here is astounding. Everyone everyone everyone needs something. And not something small or negligible, but seriously impairing. It makes me very sad.

Anyways, I got internet way after the rest of the Int'ls, who are waiting for me. We decided to come to town today without any Ugandans, to try out our bartering skills and see how it is without them. Woo, big scary world out there! Seriously, Iganga is very intimidating because of how crowded and busy. The drivers drive like they do in India, if not worse. It's terrifying.

Anyways, I am well. I will try to blog every week or so. Sorry this was so long.. had a lot to say! Love you all!

I will have email access on my phone, if I get EDGE in the village, so please feel free to email me: amehrotra08@gmail.com.

Take off in 11 days...

I am so thankful for all of the support I have received in over the last few months in an effort to fundraise for this summer. With everyone's help, I have finally met my goal!

 With the internship program fee taken care of, and the semester finally over, it's been full focus on preparing to leave.

Just kidding. Moving out, saying goodbye and good luck to the recent graduates, and then making lists. Lists and lists and lists of this and that... things I need to do, pack, and get ready for this adventure I'm about to embark upon.

It's been an interesting feeling to describe -- it'll be the first summer I have not spent in Fort Collins. The last summer my brother will be home before college, the last summer before my sister heads into high school... The first experience I have ever had where I am actually doing something I foresee myself doing professionally (hopefully). The first time in a completely new place without any knowledge of culture, language, people, directions, and time, among other things...

Oh and there's also the fact that there's been a recent election in Uganda, causing riots and uproar... and probably even more scary than that is the fact that a recent case of Ebola has been confirmed an hour north of Kampala. Hopefully it's not the strain where the CFR is 90%... the US embassy didn't really say in their press release. As a friend pointed out, seeing as they've only announced one confirmed case, it's hopefully not, because otherwise many more of their direct contacts would have been down with the illness as well.

On another note, my team is already asking me questions (that I don't know the answers too), and I've been organizing a few things here and there, so I feel like I'm actively stepping into a leader role, but the title scares me.

I think that once everything's packed, ready, and I'm sitting on the plane out of New York... that's when it'll all hit me. Until then, I'll probably be really tense about everything. Bah. Just gotta get there. 

How was that, Dad? ;-)

Fundraising Info!

I am writing to you on behalf of the Uganda Village Project, a non-profit volunteer organization which aims to improve the lives of impoverished villagers in the Iganga District of Uganda, East Africa. The success of our organization depends upon our ability to raise adequate funding. Currently in our seventh year of operation, we send international volunteer teams of students and professionals to the Iganga District. We are a completely non-profit, volunteer-run organization. One hundred percent of donated funds are directed toward the operation of public health and education programs in Uganda. We are conducting a campaign to look for interested sponsors for our projects. Our main projects in need of sponsorship are as follows:

• Uganda Village Project Scholarship Fund for HIV orphans, which sends nearly 100 Ugandan children to high school and pays for tuition and supplies. $300 could sponsor an orphan for a year.

• Our 'Safe Water Systems' project which is working to improve sanitation in rural villages and, hopefully, to save the lives of small children who are the victims of preventable diarrheal diseases. We build shallow water sources that are protected from contamination, and promote chlorination products that can sanitize dirty water. $1,200 can fund the construction of an entire well.

• Healthy Village Initiative, our newest project which works with individual villages and their health centers on improving their access to health care, clean drinking water, and latrines. Additionally, we work with the village leaders to educate the villages about common diseases, disease prevention, and we organize screening, testing, and treatment for diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, obstetric fistulas, and diseases of the eye. 

• Obstetric fistula: We have established a referral system in the Iganga district for women suffering from obstetric fistula, a devastating condition that is rampant in developing countries after prolonged labor. We are also raising awareness of how to prevent and treat fistula, to protect women from it as well as to inspire them to seek the surgical treatment that can cure it.

FUND RAISING BREAKDOWN: Where is my money going? 

The following is the breakdown to what your money will go to when you donate. 

• $ 15 Prevent Malaria - Provide a family with reliable mosquito nets 
• $ 25 Give Family Planning Education, Safe Pregnancy and birth control to a village for an entire year 
• $ 50 Fight for the malnourished - provide a mother and severely malnourished child transportation to a hospital and rehabilitation 
• $ 60 Heal Women - Repair one woman's obstetric fistulas, conduct community outreach and follow up with patient 
• $ 75 Combat HIV/AIDS - Help sponsor village wide community outreach and education programs, sensitization, STI/HIV testing, and follow up 
• $ 300 UVP Scholarship Fund for HIV orphans - Sponsor an Orphan for a Year  
• $ 600 Safe Water Systems - Sponsor 1/2 of a community safe water well  
• $ 1,200 Safe Water Systems - Sponsor a community safe water well

** Donations may be used for other costs associated with internship. Please view fund raising requirement breakdown here**: http://www.ugandavillageproject.org/get-involved/summer-internships/program-fee/

TO MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION OF ANY AMOUNT to UVP's programming:

• Make out a check to Uganda Village Project* and give to Anupama so she can mail to UVP in bulk 
• If easier, mail to: 
• Uganda Village Project,
  c/o Andrew Lowe,
  2632 42nd Ave West,
  Seattle, WA 98199

• Visit http://www.razoo.com/story/Anupamainuganda , a group donation site, to donate online and see Anupama's progress and the progress of all interns!

* Please write "Intern Anupama Mehrotra" on the check's memo line.

TO MAKE A DONATION FOR ANUPAMA'S PERSONAL TRIP:
This includes immunizations, visa, airplane tickets and other travel fees. (Until goal of $1,500 for Uganda Village Project is met, all personal trip donations will be put towards program costs)

• Hit the donate button below or on the bottom of the side bar to pay with credit card through paypal

Thank you for your time. Please feel free to contact me or call Uganda Village Project at 860-748-5358 if you have any questions.

Provided byFundraising Ideas Center