Dilligence

Jacklyn one of the kids at the school next to the clinic

Went to the health clinic last week because we were having a meeting with the administrators and some people who may be helping to supply medications... don't know if they will follow through, but its worth talking about i have learned. So i was at the meeting and there was a woman there that works in setting up health clinics in Liberia and she was asking so many different question. As we were answering the question i had a "step back and see what is really happening here" moment and let me tell you, it was great!

Peter, one of the nurses at the clinic!

Tessla, one of the dedicated Administrators

I have been in Uganda for almost 10 months of the last year. When i first arrived in the Bunabuyoka village the people there said they needed a health clinic. So we said we would build them one. I have been in a lot of different Entrepreneurship classes and learned about how you should really care and help people and that you shouldn't give them a hand out because if you do then they wont see the value in it, they will only see what it is that you are giving them and they will eventually loose interest or ability to continue what it is that you started. And after the summer last year, it felt like that is exactly what the health clinic was going to be. Just another empty building. But as i sat in that meeting, looking at the faces that i had grown to call my friends. I realized that the people living in this village were never going to give up. We helped to build the building, but they were going to ensure that it stayed open. When buildings are left abandoned its because the community it was build for didn't see or understand the value of what was being created.

Checking in with the VHT

Mingling Porriage

The people in the Bunabuyoka village know EXACTLY how amazing it is to have health care in their county. To be able to only walk a half hour to a health care facility, instead of hours. The clinic sees over 100 patients a week, and it is only open 2 days a week. And the staff are working for the health clinic because their HEARTS want to give to the village. They want to see their children live long and happy lives.

The hearts of the people that are able to recieve the quality healthcare because of Zion Medical Community Clinic are what is going to keep this clinic alive. And i feel so incredibly blessed to be a part of it. I have learned so much as i have worked in helping the clinic continue to serve its people. I have seen so many selfless acts from each of the staff members.

On the Indiegogo site we have already raised almost $6000 dollars! Just being able to know that so many people are catching a glimpse at how incredible this is, melts my heart. I love these people. They have taught me many important lessons. Lessons i will NEVER be able to forget.

If you haven't yet, check out the Indiegogo site here. Its got a great video, and we only have 33 hours left. This is the last push to get the money needed to keep the clinic running. So many people have helped and I am incredibly thankful for that! please help us through the rest of this journey and reach out goal!

Sincere hearts

So the thing that is taking up my time/thoughts is the health clinic. We have launched our health clinic fundraiser. Its on Indiegogo and it is really important to me. Its only going to be up for 2 weeks so it’s a little crunch time to make sure that we get the money needed to get the health clinic through its crisis time. In case you didn’t hear, the funding we had for the health clinic fell through and so the health clinic is going into more and more debt each week that it operates. Sam and I have a long term sustainability plan, but it will not bring in money until January so we have to find a quick solution for the rest of the year. Which is all explained in the Indiegogo site so if you want to learn more about it click here.

Doesn't she have a contagious smile!

Today I was also at the clinic getting videos to post on the Indiegogo site asking the staff why they chose the medical profession and why they chose to work at Zion Medical Community Clinic. It was so awesome to hear their responses. I don’t think I ever really thought about asking them that question before. Their answers were so sweet! I remember Bilah one of the nurses in station 4 told me that she got into medicine because she wanted to be able to help people. She would see so much poverty and low quality healthcare that she wanted to be able to do something about it and that is why she decided she wanted to be a nurse. Being able to give the care needed was something that was so important to her. The crazy thing is it was like she was echoing my thoughts. I mean I have always known that I wanted to help people but it wasn’t until I was here in Uganda last year that the inability to provide actual treatment began to drive me nuts. So to fix this frustration I recently decided to go back to school and get my nursing degree. And the more I think about it I realized that it is for the exact same reasons! Which makes me so happy. I love these people. They have such genuine hearts! They have been working so hard since February and they have only been paid 2 times. That’s what I call dedication.

I am going to put together a video of the interviews with the staff on the Indiegogo site so check it out here.

If you could share the link with your friends that would be very much appreciated too. We have worked so hard to make this health clinic serve the people of Bunabuyoka, any little bit helps!!!!

oh that grin...

This is Hilda, she is growing to be one of my most favorite children. Her dad is John Peter and we work with him through HASNN. So I work with him A LOT! I frequent their house as well because their family is simply the best. They are always happy and they have such a good spirit in their home. I feel comfortable when I am there, even if they try to feed me and make sure I have a soda and try to pamper me I feel like it is a home away from home. And Hilda is one of the cutest people I have ever met! She has the best scowl and smile, which she only gives up on special occasions, or If I blow on her belly. That always seems to get a smile out of her.

But the reason for her mention is that she was one of the staple members during the HIV testing day that happened on Friday. Yep, it actually happened! Wahoo!!!! So excited about that. It was so great. We tested 270 people. 28 of them tested positive. Which is a little over 10% which is a really high number. But we are so grateful that we were able to test them because HASNN can now follow up with them and help them to live a happy positive life. I remember the first testing day that I did and how it literally sent me into my “deep thoughts and reflection cami time” it really made me think so differently. But now, I think I have come to be able to understand more fully what being HIV means, and really, if you catch it early and take your medication it is SO much better to know. It truly and honestly isn’t a death sentence. Only if you don’t take care of it does it progress to AIDS. But there are so many other diseases that can kill you and HIV shouldn’t be one of them. So I just wanted to let you all know that HIV testing happened and it went really well thanks for the project lead Alyssa. She worked so hard and it turned out amazing! 

This is most of the group that made it happen!!!!!

And some videos of me dancing with some of the kids in namatala... It was fun