In the midst of the uncertainty following the Kampala bombings, our work continues. Yesterday, SM began its follow-ups with some of the pregnant women who had visited the intervention and been diagnosed with complicated pregnancies. Meanwhile, I’ve spent the past three days at Kashongi primary schools, working with the CVCs to give education talks on water, sanitation, and hygiene.
The school structures themselves are typically pretty crude--buildings made of mud, brick, and/or concrete. The doors and windows tend to be gaps in the wall, and when a school doesn’t have a room large enough to accommodate its collected pupils, we often give the talks outside, under the shade of a large tree as the students gather on the grass. The students themselves have been wonderful listeners and participants, and they are always so intensely curious about the muzungo who show up at their schools.
One of my favorite parts of the presentation is when we relate drinking water, nutritious foods, exercise, and sanitation to famous footballers. The students love talking about football, and when we ask them about their favorite teams and players, we get a lot of Manchester United and Wayne Rooney. Slightly less Arsenal and Chelsea; other players that get named are Lampard, van Persie, Fabragas, and Didier Drogba, the Ivory Coast star who plays for Chelsea, of course. We almost always hear teams in the English Premier League--very rarely do we hear of any African teams.
My second favorite part is quickly becoming our introductions; I was able to introduce myself entirely in Runyankole for the first time today! Thus far, I can say: "Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for coming. My name is Tina and I'm from Duke University, America. I'm happy to be here." And at the very end, I say, "Thank you for having us." The language is pretty complicated, but I’m hoping to pick up more as the days pass!
[Images from a P/S talk.]
[A plastic tank at a school.]
No comments:
Post a Comment