All of the Uganda study abroad alumni told us that time would fly by here, and they were right. These past nine weeks have been so much fun, and we've all learned so much. As our program comes to a close, it only seems appropriate that I recount some of my favorite moments from our study abroad experience.
I think it was the second week that we were here in Uganda and our group was still getting to know each other when we decided to order four large pizzas and a red velvet cake from a restaurant called I Love New York Kitchen. It took a very long time to track down the phone number on-line, and even then we didn't have a menu. In the end, the wait was worth it, though. I remember all of us sitting in the flat eating, laughing, talking, really just getting to know each other. This past weekend we ordered pizza from I Love New York Kitchen again, and it made me smile to see all of us back together, eating, laughing, talking - just like that first time.
I remember when we visited Mulago Bright Standard Primary School, and after the children had performed for us, Centurio chose three people to give speeches. The last student to speak simply said "Mwebale" (thank you in Luganda), and the entire place burst into applause.
And the sad tale of the rooster at Busabi. This rooster at the hotel where we were staying woke all of us up very early in the morning and then wouldn't let us get back to sleep with its incessant crowing. The next day Centurio joked with the hotel staff that we would like them to cook that rooster for dinner. But it wasn't a joke when the rooster wasn't there when we got back and we had chicken for dinner. Sure enough we had eaten the rooster. The hotel staff claimed that that was always the rooster's fate, but we still felt guilty. We did sleep better that night, though.
When I was trying to accompany the Butabika staff on an outreach event, Centurio accompanied me on the mutatu rides across Kampala. When we finally got to Ntinda, where I was to be picked up, I remember being so relieved that I gave Centurio a hug. It was in that moment that I truly realized how dedicated and kind Centurio is that he would take hours out of his day to take public transportation with me.
Ah, the frustration that came with trying to learn a Buganda dance. My hips do not move that way, but I tried.
In the first week, Dan told us at breakfast about the tiny antelope called oribe that we would see at Murchison Falls. This was my first experience with Dan's great story-telling skills.
In Zanzibar, I learned that I am not very good at bargaining. Me: "I will give you ten thousand shillings for these sandals." Salesperson: "Oh no. Fourteen." Me: "Okay." I still have not really improved upon this.
Seeing the Rakai Community Cohort Study was just really amazing. It's difficult to describe how fantastic it was to see such a large research project operating in conjunction with health service provision in rural Uganda.
This last week one of the students in our group organized a cookout with a refugee population that he had been working with. It was a powerful gathering, and I was so impressed that one of the students in our group had organized it and even more impressed that this refugee population remained so strong in the face of adversity.
There are so many more stories and experiences, but these were a few that first popped into my mind. I've truly had a wonderful time here in Uganda. I have made so many friends and experienced so much. I will never forget the time that I have spent here.
Location: Kampala, Busabi, Zanzibar, Rakai, all over Uganda
Showing posts with label Rakai Community Cohort Studies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rakai Community Cohort Studies. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Week 5- Rakai
Our recent visit to Rakai was my favorite and most memorable trip so far. I love getting out of Kampala on these trips because the country is beautiful and green with rolling hills as you move away from the urban center. The air is cleaner and easier to breath, free of the constant dust and diesel fumes found in Kampala. This may sound a bit dramatic, but there is a marked difference between city and country pollution and I feel healthier outside the city. On our drive to Rakai we stopped along the equator and took the obligatory group picture on the equator line. Later in the day we toured Masaka Nursing School where students from both Uganda and other countries train. One of the program coordinators is currently studying there and the school is very impressive.
Leading up to our trip to Rakai, I was extremely excited to attend the lectures and learn about the HIV/AIDS cohort study that is being conducted. The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Uganda is exactly what I want to focus on while I'm here so I was thrilled to be focusing on that topic for 4 days. Before we left for our trip we had a lecture by Professor Serwada on much of the background to the epidemic that they are facing today. The picture was grim, but the progress that has been made and the pioneering advances in research and treatment that have come of the AIDS epidemic are inspiring. The time spent in Rakai made me realize that, while sky-high morbidity and mortality figures are extremely sobering, they also inspire you to have a positive impact and enact change.
Rakai Health Sciences Project is a perfect example of a project that started off small and uncertain, just like the AIDS epidemic, but developed into something phenomenal, adapting to the changing situation and pioneering new methods for research and treatment as more knowledge was acquired. While fancy, high-tech labs and research centers are common in the United States and throughout the developed world, Uganda is a different story. At least one third of the population lives on less that $1 per day and approximately 6% of the population is HIV positive. Thousands of people are dying each day from the disease, but the country has very few resources to do anything about it. Despite the overwhelming problems, Rakai seemed like a beacon of hope to me, something I wasn't sure I would find during my time in Uganda. They may not be able to treat more than a subset of the population, and they may not have found the cure for AIDS, but they are having a major impact on the epidemic. They have grown and expanded over the years, developing new protocols and new research questions to further expand knowledge on HIV. It was at Rakai that researchers conducted a study and discovered the positive, protective factor that circumcision has on contracting HIV. They have subsequently carried out thousands of circumcisions on study participants and other community members who want the procedure. Using the resources and knowledge that they have, RHSP is making a huge impact on the lives of HIV positive and negative patients in Uganda, as well as on the knowledge base regarding the disease worldwide.
If I could spend more time in Uganda I would definitely go back to Rakai to learn more about their projects. But, after our 4 days there I feel better knowing that positive advances are being made to fight this deadly disease. I believe it is projects like Rakai, community-based studies and treatment, that will ultimately combat the epidemic most effectively. Only when you understand HIV in the context of Uganda and adapt the prevention and treatment to the environment can you really see change. I am honored to have met and listened to lectures from Professor Serwada, Professor Wabwire, Professor Sewankambo, and Doctor Kiwanuka. This program has provided me with some great opportunities to learn from the best in the field and I hope to come back and study more in the future.
Week 5 - Rakai Community Cohort Studies
Our trip to Rakai has been one of my favorite experiences here in Uganda. I found the Rakai Community Cohort Studies (RCCS) truly inspirational. The project at Rakai not only studies the prevalence and incidence of HIV/AIDS (and other health issues), but it also provides services to all of the community members in the study district.
Let me first state that RCCS involves around 12,000 participants. Now, these 12,000 participants aren't members of a single community; they are people living in several rural communities throughout the Rakai district. Keeping track of all of these people becomes a bit of trouble in any research study but especially so in a large, rural region. The researchers have to deal with people moving in and out of the communities, not showing up to the community hubs for their follow-up appointments, and impersonating study participants. To deal with these issues, the RCCS has come up with a means of tracking participants that involves catalogued photographs and home visits.
We were lucky enough to visit two of the community hubs where the research interviews are conducted and services are provided to community members. The hubs move between communities in the district, staying in each for a couple weeks before moving on to the next site. Several tents are set up at the site including one for waiting, one for testing, and several small ones for individual interviews. I was astonished by the level of organization and efficiency with which the researchers operated. I have never really seen a large research project in action in the United States and certainly have never seen research that operates at the level of the RCCS.
I think one of the most striking aspects of the research in Rakai was the dedication to the provision of services to people in the study communities. This was a topic that was emphasized heavily in our lectures. The researchers in Rakai understood the need to maintain the trust of the study community. This trust was sustained through involving the community in the design and implementation of the study, keeping cultural issues in mind, and giving back to the community in ways that exceed the parameters of the original studies. Although the researchers in Rakai cannot afford to treat everyone in the district, they have set up a great referral system and are able to provide basic treatment to some members in the community.
Ultimately, the Rakai Community Cohort Studies are research, but this project has managed to be more than just that. The researchers have gone above and beyond the call of their studies to give back to the communities. Giving back to participants and the community is not always easy, and I feel like the studies in Rakai can be used as a great model for how research should really be done.
Location: Rakai, Uganda
Let me first state that RCCS involves around 12,000 participants. Now, these 12,000 participants aren't members of a single community; they are people living in several rural communities throughout the Rakai district. Keeping track of all of these people becomes a bit of trouble in any research study but especially so in a large, rural region. The researchers have to deal with people moving in and out of the communities, not showing up to the community hubs for their follow-up appointments, and impersonating study participants. To deal with these issues, the RCCS has come up with a means of tracking participants that involves catalogued photographs and home visits.
We were lucky enough to visit two of the community hubs where the research interviews are conducted and services are provided to community members. The hubs move between communities in the district, staying in each for a couple weeks before moving on to the next site. Several tents are set up at the site including one for waiting, one for testing, and several small ones for individual interviews. I was astonished by the level of organization and efficiency with which the researchers operated. I have never really seen a large research project in action in the United States and certainly have never seen research that operates at the level of the RCCS.
I think one of the most striking aspects of the research in Rakai was the dedication to the provision of services to people in the study communities. This was a topic that was emphasized heavily in our lectures. The researchers in Rakai understood the need to maintain the trust of the study community. This trust was sustained through involving the community in the design and implementation of the study, keeping cultural issues in mind, and giving back to the community in ways that exceed the parameters of the original studies. Although the researchers in Rakai cannot afford to treat everyone in the district, they have set up a great referral system and are able to provide basic treatment to some members in the community.
Ultimately, the Rakai Community Cohort Studies are research, but this project has managed to be more than just that. The researchers have gone above and beyond the call of their studies to give back to the communities. Giving back to participants and the community is not always easy, and I feel like the studies in Rakai can be used as a great model for how research should really be done.
Location: Rakai, Uganda
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