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BLOGGERS (name not disclosed)

Saturday, 16 Jun 2007

Location: Kiyunga, Uganda

Last night I experienced my first earthquake! I'm totally serious! We had an earthquake. I was in my room by myself and we were already in the middle of a massive rain and thunder storm, then the ground started shaking and there was a deep rumbling noise. At first I thought it might be a big truck going past but it got worse and kept going and I realised it was way too powerful to be a truck. My bed was moving, the wooden beams and walls were shaking, the floor was shaking!! I was pretty scared because I didn't really know what was happening and there was so much noise because of the rain on the tin roof and the rumbling. It stopped after a couple of minutes but the storm lasted a long time. This morning I asked Josephus and he laughed and said yes it was an earthquake. They had one in November also. I don't know how it rated yet but it might be in the papers here tomorrow. Maybe if you google it you might see.

OK - Habari? Ki kati?

So I will start with last sunday and work my through the week. I'll summarise the week don't worry!

Firstly for James and anyone else who would like to donate clothes etc to the orphans or school, here is the address:

Jim Education Centre
Josephus Gavah
PO Box 287
Mukono, Uganda, East Africa

Last sunday morning I woke at 5am thinking someone was being murdered outside my window, then I realised it was just the rooster in the room next door experimenting with his voice. I really hoped his new house would be finished soon! However through the week he was suspiciously quiet and I soon discovered why when he was served as dinner one night. I couldn't bare to eat him. We'd developed a kind of love/hate relationship. Actually I'm eating less and less meat recently. Mainly because every goat or chicken I see is destined to be eaten and I'm still not used to seeing my dinner walking around looking cute one day, then skinless and cooked on a plate the next.

Last sunday was also a celebration at Gavah Gardens and Community Centre. I still don't understand the occassion but there were about 20 of us there in the unfinished building and they served massive sticks of goat meat (see pics) to everyone. It was fresh goat because later as I had a look around I walked over 4 goat legs and a skin with blood still on it.

I'm travelling in the 'taxis' (minibuses) a lot here, squashed in with many people and always a chicken or 2. The other day at one stop the conductor said 'move to that seat mzungu'. I'm very used to being called a mzungu but sometimes it's still amusing. When we go running it's the little kids who love yelling out 'bye mzungu' and they want you to say bye and wave to them. While I'm running I try to greet the adults in Luganda if I'm not too out of breathe. They love it and always smile or laugh and reply to me, even if they looked serious before.

The oldest teacher at the school is 26, Apollo the deputy head master. Simon 25, Peter 23, Abdu 19, Rose 19, Farida 23. I don't know the rest. They get paid about UGX100,000/month ($70AUD). They're always asking advice on how to make money and get out of the rutt. For example Apollo's been at Jim School 3 years, started as a teacher, now deputy headmaster. His Dad died years ago and his Mum about 4 years ago. He has 2 younger brothers who he has to support now. They're in boarding school because their home is not near here so he can't look after them. Apollo can't afford to pay the school fees and the schools are always calling him to pay. He earns less per month than the fees for one semester.

Abdu wants to further his studies to get a better job but a semester at University is 800,000 UGX. Teachers in government schools can earn about 200,000/month. Jim is a private school. 

The children in school are so polite. They call teachers Madam or Master and when you come into class they say 'good morning Madam Emma, this is P3, we are very happy to see you Madam Emma' and when the class finishes 'thank you teacher for teaching us, your work is highly appreciated'. They're so keen to learn and if you give them an exercise to do they keep trying until they get it correct. They really appreciate praise and are eager to impress. It's nice to see that some of the kids who are not so good in kiswahili are really good artists.

They're learning kiswahili so well, I'm really impressed. We practice in art class as well and even in the playground they speak to me in swahili. The teachers are also learning more! I came from Australia with a whole bagful of pens and pencils which I give as prizes to students who answer questions correctly about what they learnt in the previous lesson. The P3 students are nearly doing better than the P4's. Some boys have already memorised 1 to 10 in kiswahili after the 1st lesson, and noone in P4 has got it all correct yet. I've taught them greetings, days of the week, numbers, please, thank you, you're welcome etc. I gave them an exercise - lini ni leo? What day is today? And they had to answer Leo ni Jumanne, Today is Tuesday. One girl brought her book and it said 'Today is yesterday'! But they are still learning english as well as Luganda and now Kiswahili so it would be confusing!

This week in Art I've taught them about patterns and got them to try making their own. Next week I'll give them nice paper so they can do pictures to hang in the class. I think they'll enjoy that. So far they're just using exercise books. The only art resources here are loads of crayons, some pencils and textas. There's no blank paper, glue or scissors. Apparently we're going to use porridge to stick the pictures on the walls! I bought some blank paper but it's not cheap when you buy for over 100 students. There's no paint either so I have to think of lessons that consist of drawing with crayons or pencil in their books.

At the end of each lesson I give 1 to 3 questions to be answered and they bring their books for marking at the end. In my P3 class there's a boy who's started making up and answering extra questions in his book! He comes back again and again with more answers. EG I asked 'how do you say monday in swahili?' So he did 'how do you say Tuesday, Wednesday etc etc'.. Now 3 more boys have started doing it too. I think they're trying to impress me! On friday they also helped take down all the pictures without being asked. They're very cute.

On the weekends sometimes I sit outside with Brenda and her friends. Brenda is 3 and speaks a little Luganda and no english. I've taught her my name and chicken. I can speak some Luganda now which she thinks is really funny. I've taught her and her friends 'nipotano' which is 'give me five' in swahili and then you give each other 5 knuckle to knuckle with your fists. Whenever I see them now they say 'nipotano'. Brenda loves singing so I'm trying to teach her a swahili song. She's a real character and has some crazy facial expressions where she rolls her eyes around and looks possessed. Soon there will be a whole folder of Brenda photos!

Master Abdu was telling me about his tribe from Eastern Uganda. He only got circumcised last year. His tribe does it when you turn 18. He said it was extremely painful!

There are 80 orphans boarding here at the school, and of those, 25 have sponsors. School fees cost UGX155,000 ($110AUD)/term. There are 3 terms per year. The other 55 orphans have to be supported by the school.

Yesterday Master Peter asked me 'why does your body look like a red indian? Your skin is darker than Andrew's. Is that what Australians look like?'

Thursday morning I heard strange noises in my room and it turned out to be a bat that couldn't get out. He was crawling around on the floor over all my things. I didn't want him to bite me so I stayed behind the safety of my mozzie net. Eventually he crawled under the crack of the door. Meanwhile I was dying to go to the toilet!

Most people I've met in Tanzania have an email address or at least know what it is. Here in Uganda I've met some teachers at the school who don't know what email is. I had to explain it, and it was a totally new concept.

Madam Rose has 20 brothers and sisters! Her Dad is protestant and has married 3 wives. Farida's Dad is Muslim and has 2 wives. She is one of 15 children.

My photos of OZ are still popular. Sometimes it's the first time people have seen a kangaroo even if they had heard of them. They always ask if we eat cockatoos. Adulta are amazed we have tribal people (aboriginals) and kids think they look scary. Aerial shots of sydney are popular and people who've never been to the coast are fascinated by beaches and ocean.

Yesterday I took photos of P3 in art class and they were so happy. I got them to hold up their best drawings and they went crazy. It was so much fun. You can see the photos. The other classes were wondering what was going on!

OK I will come tomorrow and write some more.. this is getting too long and I've been here at the internet too long!

 



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HEALTH-UGANDA

HIV-Positive Movers and Shakers

By Mercedes Sayagues

 

KAMPALA, Oct 4 2004 (IPS) - The fragrance of ginger and paw paws from market stalls floats into the tiny room where Musisi Josephus Gavah shows visitors a thick ledger – the register of members of the Mukono District Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS.

The 650 members of the network (which is also referred to as ‘Mudinet’) are organised into support groups in 16 of the 28 sub-counties of the district – which is located in south-eastern Uganda, close to the capital, Kampala. Gavah is the coordinator of Mudinet.

Much has been said about Uganda’s success in the fight against AIDS – and the extent to which this can be ascribed to the open and unembarrassed stance on HIV adopted by its government.

However, the involvement of people who have already contracted the HI-virus has also been crucial to the anti-AIDS effort. HIV prevalence among Uganda’s population of almost 25 million has dropped from over 20 percent in 1992, to about 6 percent – this according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

In the case of the ten-year-old Mudinet, for example, members attend workshops on AIDS prevention, human rights – and ways in which they can continue to lead fulfilling lives. Thanks to the network, thirty groups have obtained funds for income-generating projects.

Mudinet activists hand out condoms – and distribute school uniforms, other clothes and bedding to orphans. In addition, they assist with malaria control in villages, handing out mosquito nets.

Uganda is also home to the first non-governmental organisation (NGO) formed by Africans to address the needs of those infected and affected by AIDS.

The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO), set up in 1987, has now established branches in various parts of Uganda to provide a variety of services. These include the dispensing of anti-retroviral treatment (ART).

The importance of the contribution made by HIV-positive persons has been acknowledged by the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC), established by government in 1992 to coordinate the national response to the HIV pandemic.

Between 2001 and 2002, the commission reviewed Uganda’s AIDS strategy, placing HIV-positive people in positions where they could influence AIDS policies. Inge Tack, UNAIDS technical adviser in Kampala, calls this approach "revolutionary".

UNAIDS country programme adviser Ruben del Prado agrees: "It’s very exciting to see people with AIDS maximizing their presence at the top."

Last year, Mudinet joined forces with about 800 similar networks and associations to form the National Forum of People Living with HIV/AIDS Networks.

Previous attempts to set up an umbrella organisation had failed due to rivalries between AIDS associations and their leaders – particularly the National Guidance and Empowerment Network (NGEN+) and the National Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda (NACWOLA).

"The scramble for resources led to fragmentation and competition," says Rubamira Ruranga, head of NGEN+.

Ruranga, who tested positive in 1989, was one of the first Ugandans to declare publicly that he had contracted the virus – along with a popular musician and an Anglican priest.

Adds Richard Serunkuuma, of the Positive Men’s Union: "We were disorganised and contradicted ourselves. Our messages were not getting across clearly. But if we act together, we carry more weight."

The process of reconciling differences was given a helping hand by the UAC during its 2001/2002 review, which resulted in a strategy dubbed the ‘AIDS Partnership’.

Under this plan, each of a dozen sectors that play a key role in fighting AIDS – ministries, donors, NGOs, churches and the like – had to find common positions on their approach to the pandemic. The sectors were also required to elect representatives to interact with the AIDS Partnership.

As a result, Uganda’s many associations of HIV-positive people were obliged to develop a joint plan on combating HIV and dealing with its consequences – a process that took a year of meetings, retreats and discussions. UNAIDS provided 17,000 dollars to finance the discussions, and in May 2003 the National Forum of People Living with HIV/AIDS Networks was born.

"The forum will help us avoid duplication and coordinate services and lobbying," says NACWOLA’s Annete Biyetega.

Forum representatives advise the UAC on policy, implementation and funding proposals submitted to international donors. They are also trained in leadership skills and resource management.

"We want a strategic move into policy. No more staying in the background," says Flavia Kyomukama, from the AIDS telephone hotline – SALT.

The next step is for the forum to become a formal partner of the Ministry of Health in the provision of ART.

At present, about 25,000 Ugandans are receiving this medication. Officials plan to have 60,000 people – or about half of those in need – on ART by the end of 2005.

People living with AIDS, some of whom have years of ART experience, can help patients and their families understand what treatment entails – and the importance of sticking to it. This is especially valuable in districts where health facilities and personnel are scarce.

"When we deal with people with AIDS, we handle with care," says Gavah. "Others handle with fear."

His eyes fill with tears as he recalls the treatment his late wife received at a local hospital. She had acute herpes zoster, a condition more commonly known as shingles. This causes someone to development a painful rash, followed by blisters.

"The staff ignored her, talking about her in English without realising she was a teacher, giving her jabs without explaining why," says Gavah, adding "No patient should be treated like this."

A burly man with an easy smile and a chronic dry cough, Gavah discovered he was HIV-positive in 1992 when he applied for teacher training in Libya. "AIDS is like a pregnancy; you can’t hide it for long," he notes. "I went public because I wanted to do something for my district. So did my wife."

The couple had one child and fostered 10 orphans. When AIDS-related illnesses set in, Gavah left his job and opened a private nursery school. Among the 160 pupils, 40 are orphans who attend for free.

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Making a difference in Uganda

Harry Brooks/Special to the Daily

KIYUNGA, Uganda

– The JIM Education Centre here is a humble collection of buildings scattered around a dusty, uneven courtyard. The earliest of these buildings, originally a boys’ dormitory, is a mud hut with a roof too low to stand beneath and soccer ball-sized holes in the walls. The more recent structures are built from bricks made with clay dug from the sports field, with galvanized tin roofs that make teaching impossible when it rains. But more than any other place I’ve ever been, this school has come to symbolize for me the remarkable possibility for endurance and optimism that exists in the human spirit. Despite its modest appearance, this school gives hope to some of Uganda’s poorest children. Josephus Gavah is the headmaster of the school, and for the duration of my stay there was also my host. The story behind the school begins back in 1994, a year that would change virtually every aspect of Josephus’ life. While applying for teacher training in Libya, Josephus tested positive for HIV. A subsequent test revealed that his wife, Mary, also had the virus. Braving prejudice and alienation, Josephus and Mary decided to go public with the news of their illness, becoming the first people in the Mukono district of Uganda to do so.

Along with secrecy, the illness carried with it a burden of despair; many of the fellow sufferers Josephus and his wife met had accepted that they were simply waiting to die. Recognizing that this retreat from life was the one symptom of the disease that he could do something about, Josephus decided to found a support group called Mudinet (Mukono District Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS) and began learning what he could do to help others. The support group started with just 14 members, all of whom were HIV positive. By putting a face to the disease, Josephus hoped to begin the process of de-stigmatizing the illness, and also hoped to show sufferers that they were not alone. The counseling focused on ‘positive living’ strategies, which aimed to help sufferers make the most of post-HIV life. In addition to counseling, the group also provided members with mosquito nets, home-based care and help in will-writing while distributing condoms in the wider community. Positive living counseling and awareness raising events did much to address the needs of local people, but before long it became apparent that one important group was being left by the wayside. A generation of children was emerging whose parents’ lives had been claimed by HIV; without the possibility of continuing their education and often with no one to care for them, the future of these children looked very bleak.Again, where most would see only an inevitable humanitarian crisis, Josephus saw a chance to make a difference. He and Mary sold their home in Mukono and used the money to buy a plot of land in a small outlying village called Kiyunga.

The plan was simple: build a school where AIDS orphans could receive primary education without suffering prejudice from their peers or teachers. With little money left after buying the land, Josephus cleared the dense vegetation by himself and built the first classrooms using whatever materials were at hand. As soon as the school was habitable, the school opened its gates and the first students were enrolled. Over the years, much has changed at the JIM Education Centre. The school now has over 300 students, around 50 of whom are AIDS orphans boarding at the school free of charge. In 2001, Mary succumbed to AIDS-related illness. She is buried at the school, close to the original dormitory. Josephus has since remarried to Rosemary, who also lost her first spouse to AIDS. Mudinet has expanded to over 1,400 members, and has been recognized as a model of how support groups in Africa and elsewhere should be run. Josephus is one of five surviving members of the original 14. Twelve years after being diagnosed, Josephus is still healthy and has not yet needed ARVs (AntiRetroVirals, the drugs that are used to control the effects of the virus). He continues to be a forceful and inspiring leader within the community, as well as a living example of the ‘positive living’ strategies he teaches.

Asked how he’s survived HIV so long without treatment, Josephus smiles and says “I eat well and take care of myself. But really, you have to ask God. He’s the one who has kept me healthy all this time. Perhaps he keeps me alive so that I can continue my work here.”To learn more about AIDS in Uganda, visit  http://www.aidsuganda.org  Harry Brooks is an intern with the Vail Daily, and is originally from the U.K. He spent February and March of 2006 as an English teacher in Kiyunga, in central Uganda.

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