Did you wash your hands?!?!?

Ok so imagine a swarm of Ugandan men and women lining up to wash their hands, crazy huh? But true, this past week we had a major hand washing event in the local market. We are putting in 5 new hand washing stations and to help get the people excited about and using it we had a free mini hand washing course. Hillary and I taught a short 10 minute lesson about why, when, and how to washing your hands, if they completed the "course" then they received a little certificate saying they are now Hand Washing certified and got a free gift of a hygiene kit. It was really amazing to see all the market vendor excited to use the new hand washing station and to receive their certificates, especially since they love that kind of stuff here. We were able to give out over a 100 hygiene kits!! Hand washing is great
Also this week we are having our big eye clinic. Sight Savers, a NGO (non-governmental organizations) that helps people get diagnosis and treatment for different eye aliments that donated nearly $4000, and the local hospital ophthalmologists are working with us to help people get the eye treatment they need. Yesterday (day 1) we saw over 250 people! I got to help give the eye exam, the one where people have to read the letters, it was so much fun and we were able to help a lot of people. There were some really cute old men and women that were getting their eyes checked. You don't see many really old people around town so it was a treat to help the cute grandmas and grandpas.

I didn't know Polio stained

Working with Youth Outreach we've started having weekly soccer games for all the street kids in the area, they play for about an hour and then we teach them a short lesson afterwards. The kids have actually been really responsive, with help for TYOM with translation the kids not only get to have fun playing soccer but get a little health/life lesson. It feels really great teaching the kids because it actually feels like were making a difference in the community.
Measles is still the number one cause of death for children in Uganda, so in an effort of combat this highly infections disease the Ministry of Health for all of Uganda had mass immunizations this weekend. I was able to go help out with it, I gave the polio vaccine and after the children were done getting their vaccinations I marked their left pinkie finger with a permanent marker specially designed for the polio campaigns, no one told me though that it would stain your hands, so I have black marks all over my hands that make me look permanently dirty. We helped eradicate measles and polio one child at a time.
It was a little sad to watch the children waiting to get their shots, first they saw all the other kids ahead of them freaking out and crying plus the nurses prepare the needle right in front of the children. I got to hold some of the kids down so they wouldn't make it worse. The adults here don't have much sympathy for the kids, the nurses ans parents would just laugh. It was actually funny at times to see the kids get so worked up.
On our last day helping, Hillary and I went to pick up all the other volunteers to go to lunch but when we went to where Dani was she was no where to be found. The people working at the hospital didn't even now where she went off to, the stand where is was volunteering was gone and so was our Dani. So we went on this wild goose chance all around Jinja, we were starting to get worried when we went to the children's hospital and she wasn't there either, but luckily we found her like half an hour later.
It was a really great experience to join together with the church, government and local community to help eliminate this easily fixable problem. I told one of the nurses that there are people in America that choose not to immunize their children and she was flabbergasted that people did that. It made me think that there are so many children that are dying all around the world from diseases that we don't even think about because vaccines are so accessible. I am so grateful that we have the technology to stop diseases before they even have a chance, immunizations are what makes it possible to live a happy and healthy life. So don't be stupid, immunize your children.

Picture!!!

OK, I finally got it worked out to where I can put pictures on. As you can see I got my hair braided, it took 10 1/2 hours but I really like it and its much easier to manage. Plus it helps me to blend in more and look less like a mzungu, or white person. Mary, our wonderful cook, did it for me, we spent the whole day together watching movies. She really liked watching all the american movies and was suprised that they film at night. Probably because most african films are only filmed during the day.
I'll put more pictures on as soon as I can. Hope all is well with you.

Happy Martyrs Day!!

Yesterday was National Martyrs day in Uganda, the history is that about 200 some odd years ago the Catholic missionaries stationed in Kampala were brutally murdered by the King, who considered them a threat. In remembrance of the martyred missionaries, Ugandans from all over world pilgrimage to the shrine that was erected in their honor. People say that there are some that have been walking for a month from Kenya or that people from Europe fly into Entebbe and walk to Kampala.

We decided to join in this celebration and walked from Lugazi to Mukono, or about an hour. We then boda-ed the rest of the way. Some in our group walked the whole way or about three hours. It was a really neat experience. It was kind of like a state fair, there were vendors lined up and down the street selling food, clothing, drinks, and even Martyrs Day hats. There were millions of people there and it got kind of scary trying to maneuver through the crowds. Since it was a Catholic Holiday all the prominate Priest and Cardinals of Uganda, I got blessed by one. What was funny is that when all the white priest say us they got excited. It was really and interesting day as well as a rainy one, we got totally soaked. It was excited to experience something that is totally unique to Uganda and not feel like a tourist. Plus I ate GRASSHOPPERS!!! They aren't that bad, a little chewy but they tasted like salted bland potato chips. I'd eat them again, maybe with something to dip them in. Yummy!!


P.S. One month down, 3 to go!