Saturday, February 9, 2013

Last Days In Uganda

After our fourth outreach the team spent Saturday, February 9, on Safari. We saw Uganda's natural beauty in both the majestic scenery and fascinating wildlife. We also had an extremely rare sighting of a leopard and cub.

Now the team is splitting up and headed our different ways. Pam, Nick, and Kat are staying in Uganda an extra week to continue medical work, follow up with some patients from the outreaches, and continue to learn about Uganda. Others are headed to a variety of locations and most are headed straight back to California.

The team developed strong personal bonds and collaborative working partnerships. We all look forward to reuniting back in California and sharing our lessons and experiences with our families back home.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Outreach 4: Butiti

Our fourth outreach, February 8, was in a prison and church on the town of Butiti. The morning was spent treating and giving HIV tests to 60 prisoners. After that we opened the clinic in the town center in the afternoon. We saw 114 patients in town.

Outreach 3: Nyamba

Our third outreach, February 7, was in a town called Nyamba which is one hour away from Kaihura. It is far away from any main transportation arteries or clinics along a road in poor condition. A significant portion of the patient population are refugees from Rwanda who have settled in this isolated valley. We treated 175 patients in Nyamba.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Kaihura, Day Two

Our second outreach, February 6, was also in Kaihura. Some systems were changed in multiple areas including registration, triage, and lab. These changes, along with ongoing team bonding and cohesion allowed for better operational flow and patient comfort. This also enabled the team to see and treat over 240 patients.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Our First Clinic Outreach

Our first clinic outreach, February 5, was in Kaihura, the town where Bringing Hope is centered. The team saw 207 patients and performed 82 HIV tests. It was a learning experience in inter-cultural medicine as providers learned to adjust their questions to cultural concepts and local health literacy.



Please Also Follow the Sasser's Blog

The Sasser's, the wonderful missionary couple with our partner organization Know.Think.Act also have a blog and post great information and pictures. I would recommend that you also check it out. The address are TheSasserFamilyAdventures.blogspot.com and GlobalSupportMission.com/blog.

Our First Day In the Field

Our third day, February 3rd, was spent out in the field. Our team of pharmacists spent the day at the clinic for a distribution of HIV medication and consulting with patients in HIV treatment.

The rest of the team went on home visits to a cluster of remote homes. On these visits the team set ip malaria nets, provided consultations and identified two malaria cases.

The evening was spent completing the sorting and preparation of the medicines for the outreach.


Monday, February 4, 2013

Quick glance at team life in Uganda


One of the best parts about visiting Uganda is the children.  Chris Pineda is enjoying her time with one of the infants from the orphanage.



John Paul Farsight is using his machete skills to cut down a bundle of bananas (matooke). Matooke is one of the stable foods in Uganda.


Dr. Deb Adey connecting with a local during home visits.



The team sorting supplies for the medical outreaches this week.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Building Community Bonds and Preparing for the Outreaches

Our second day, February 3nd, was spent building community bonds and preparing for the medical outreaches. We began the day by attending the Kaihura Full Gospel Internation Church and experiencing the love and hospitality of the Kaihura community.

In the afternoon we visited the Dorcas Vocational School and Farm, which provides agricultural training for older children and a significant portion of the food for the Home Again Children's Home. On the tour our team learned about the local food supply and diet.

In late afternoon and evening the team sorted and prepared the medicines and medical supplies for the outreacees. The team also planned treatments and packaged medications based on the diseases we are likely to encounter and their treatments.


Children's Choir at Kaihura Full Gospel International Church
 
 
 

Team outing~ Fort Portal hike


Saturday, February 2, 2013

Developing An Initial Understanding of Kaihura

The team arrived in Kaihura on the evening of Friday, February 1. Our first day, Saturday February 2nd, was spent developing an initial understanding of Kaihura, its surrounding region, and the various projects run by Bringing Hope and Know.Think.Act..

We began with a tour of Kaihura led by Katie Sasser, a missionary on the ground in Kaihura with Know.Think.Act.. On our tour we first visited the site of the new clinic and learned about its mission to serve the exteneded community and set a higher standard for patient service. We then visted Home Again children's home and spent some time getting to know the children there. After that we visted the rennovated classes for High Hope Primary School wich will be opened soon. We continued to central Kaihura, were we visited Village Arts, a collection of local businesses which support and are supported by Bringing Hope. This tour was invaluable in developing an understanding of the community in Kaihura, its needs, and the ongoing work of our partners that we will be coming alongside.

In the afternoon we made a trip to Fort Portal, which is 30 minutes west. There we picked up the last of our medical supplies and went on a guided hike of a local waterfall and caves. On this hike we heard stories of local folklore and experienced the natural beauty of Uganda.



Katie Sasser explaining the mission of the new clinic to the team.


Our first visit to Home Again Children's Home

Friday, February 1, 2013

Team Arrives in Uganda

The team has arrived in Uganda this morning and is currently en route to Kaihura. We have stopped for additional medical supplies and lunch in beautiful Kampala.