We finally received our site announcements today, what we've been working towards for 7 weeks. Here is my assignment for the next two years:
Organization Name: Kachumbala Mission Dispensary
Location: Kachumbala in the Bukedea district (eastern Uganda), about 20 minutes from Mbale
Vision: For a healthy and prosperous community
Mission: To provide clinical and other health services to the people of Kachumbala
Goals: To reduce poverty by preventing sickness, mitigating the spread of disease, and helping to treat the sick
Job Description:
1. To make weekly work plans with my counterpart
2. To reach out to 3 sub-counties of Kachumbala, Kolir, and Kidongole in the Bukedea district
3. To attend staff meetings
4. To visit organized communities and schools in the community to conduct health meetings/trainings
5. To conduct training for community health workers
6. To conduct capacity building activities for the staff
I could not be more excited about this placement. We visit our site placements next week! Since I am so close to Mbale, it appears that I will have electricity, internet, and various means of transport. I will know more after next week.
In other news, we presented our self-exploration projects to our trainers on Friday. Becca and I presented on mental health awareness and advocacy. Our project is to plan, develop, and introduce a mental health awareness week in primary and secondary schools. Mental illness is an incredibly stigmatized issue here in Uganda, so there is great need for education and awareness. The week would include sessions on stigma, labeling/diversity, bullying, resource mobilization, income generating activities, and practical knowledge about the mental health field/mental illnesses. We received praise for the project proposal; I think it's a feasible project to implement once we're at site.
Also huge thanks to my family! It took a long time, but I finally received your packages. It is great to have some semblance of home which I can share with my home-stay family and fellow PCV's.
That sounds wonderful, Bryan! Congrats on your placement -- it must be so gratifying to know at last where you will be living and how you can contribute to the lives around you. And what good news that you might have regular access to internet! I can't wait to learn more about Kachumbala.
ReplyDeleteFiery
Dear Bryan,
ReplyDeleteI just learned about your blog this afternoon from Fiery. What an exciting read! I am so impressed that you are learning two languages at once. Are they similar? Is there slang to learn? Are there new sounds that don't exist in English? I, too, an looking forward to learning about Kachumbala. Do you think you might get to see Kenya?
Cheers,
Lynnwood