The Bishop Asili HIV Community Outreach Team goes out every Tuesday and Thursday to support vulnerable people in communities that are deep in the bush. Without their help these people would have no support and might go for months suffering from disease without seeing a doctor. Unfortunately, this team will lose their funding in September. Nicholyn Chang and I went with the Community Outreach Team to a tiny fishing village several kilometers away from Bishop Asili called Kikoiiro to see what kinds of things the team spends their time doing and what kinds of funding are being used and for what. Upon reaching Kikoiiro we found a large group of HIV positive women waiting to be seen by Dr. Charles, who cares for patients at Bishop Asili and whose salary is being covered by Just Like My Child. In this photo Dr. Charles is checking out an HIV positive woman from deep in the village of kikoiiro, who is suffering from an opportunistic infection. He will diagnose her infection and write a prescription on site so that the ill patient doesn't have to travel the many kilometers to the Bishop Asili Health Clinic in Luwero.
A nurse from Bishop Asili, who is a member of the HIV Community Outreach Team prepares the prescriptions that Dr. Charles has prescribed so that he is free to continue helping the dozens of patients who are waiting to be seen by him. The prescriptions are filled on site so that patients can begin recovery as soon as possible.
One of the most obvious issues that Nicholyn and I observed in Kikoiiro was poor sanitation. Most people in this tiny fishing village do not have pit latrines and so therefore defecate in the lake. This baby has chosen the very spot he was playing just a moment ago. It's no wonder that disease is spread so quickly and that those whose immune systems are vulnerable suffer so often.
Nicholyn and I witnessed the people of Kikoiiro bathing in the very same water that they defecate, drink and get their livelihood from.
Drinking the local brew made from fermented bananas out of long wooden straws is one of the main activities that takes place daily in Kikoiiro. It's particulary popular now that the district has restricted anyone from fishing, which is the majorities trade. Apparently, the fisherman were catching small fish in large numbers, which is against the law for population control. The police have burned most peoples nets and anyone caught fishing will be arrested until the restriction is lifted.
These children of Kikoiiro are school aged, but are clearly not attending. Parents force them to stay home and dig so that there is enough food to sustain the family, especially now that they cannot rely on fish to feed them.
As Nicholyn and I moved around the village of Kikoiiro we were introduced to the aunt of Nalubombwe Josephine, who is one of the Just Like My Child scholarship recipients. I was able to spend some time counseling her on the importance of Josephine's education. We talked about the need for her family to support her by ensuring that she has time to study during the upcoming holiday. I also met Josephine's sister, who asked me to send greetings to her little sister studying in Kampala. I feel lucky to be the one to pass them along. This was a positive interaction and it made me realize the importance of guiding the guardians of the scholarship recipients to value the opportunity that their child has been given. I think it would be very wise to go with the children to kikoiiro when they have their next holiday with the purpose of conducting a guidance and counseling session with all of the individuals who hold a stake in the Scholarship program.
Nicholyn was able to have an in depth discussion with chatte, who is a member of the Kikoiiro volunteer group that works towards sensatizing the community about AIDS through dance and drama. They also attempt to supplement the work of the Bishop Asili Outreach Team that can only afford to visit Kikoiiro about once a month. We were especially impressed with the fact that all of the communities that Bishop Asili provides services for already have a strong commitment to working together between the once a month visits from the Dr. and staff from Bishop Asili. There are many volunteers working to make an impact in their communities with very limited resources.
Nicholyn and I were able to gather a basic assessment of Kikoiiros needs as well as make some observations about what services the Bishop Asili HIV Community Outreach Team provides. It was an extremely valuable experience for both of us.
(Left to right: John, of the Bishop Asili Community Outreach Team, Nicholyn Chang, Dr. Charles of Bishop Asili Health Clinic as well as a member of the HIV Community Outreach Team & Tessa Davis)
http://www.justlikemychild.com/
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