Let's Educate and Celebrate!

It was an incredibly successful day at the Rwentutu Medical Clinic after holding our first “Community Health Day.” We invited members from the surrounding community to receive free services which included HIV testing and education, family planning, taking blood pressure, distributing water guard (water purification tablets) and education, and distribution  of mosquito nets to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. 

After administering the community health survey  and visiting 60 homes, we discovered the most predominant sickness was malaria. Many families were not using mosquito nets leaving them incredibly vulnerable to getting malaria. The purpose of our community survey was to not only find out the current condition of homes in the Rwentutu area, but to also educate families about necessary improvements that needed to be made for the health and safety of all household members. 

Throughout our work in the community we continued to inform and create awareness about our first Community Health Day happening at the Rwentutu Medical Clinic. It was an incredible turn out, we served over 150 people with all services throughout the day and handed out 50 mosquito nets. As we continue to work towards a more developed and sustainable clinic our hope is that the people of Rwentutu and surrounding communities will become increasingly educated and aware on prevention and response to sickness while also building and maintaining healthy families. There is much work in education and outreach to be done, however we have seen the response of people who are eager to be educated and receive the necessary medical support, and thus we must respond to the 

call. 

If you are interested in donating to the outreach program at Rwentutu Medical Centre please visit www.umojaoperation.ca and click “support us”

All checks can be made payable to Umoja Operation Compassion Society, with the memo reading “Rwentutu Medical Clinic”

Umoja Operation Compassion Society

10025 Whalley Boulevard

Surrey, British Columbia

Canada

V3T 4G1

Community, It's a Way of Life.

Well, another year has come and gone and here in the village of Rwentutu we are continuing forward and seeking change. Change can be effected by the simplest thing one action, one word, even a smile can bring about a positive change. It is through the uniting and co-operation of individuals that can bring about a strong, resilient, and changed community.
This is exactly what Umoja has been working towards and will continue to work towards, a changed community that has been empowered to work together and for one another in seeking solutions to poverty and injustice. So with the support and guidance of some very important local community volunteers, nurses, and educators it has been an absolute honor to be a part of a team reaching homes within the community to provide education about health and safety within the home.

If you've never had the privilege of visiting Africa, you may be asking yourself what's this education all about? Well, let me paint you a picture. When reaching a home we first start by doing a survey of what the home stead is equipped with. There is no power or running water within the village and as such all bathing rooms and latrines (toilets) are kept outside. The kitchens are built as small structures usually placed right next to the main house.  Many homes are created using mud and strong branches, while others are having brick or cement walls. Roofs can consist of long grass that is thatched together, or tin. Necessities at the home that we are looking for are things like a structurally sound latrine and bathing room with a hand washing facility, proper food storage, a raised fire place for cooking, a drying rack for dishes (outside.. there are no dishwashers), proper area for compost and waste, an animal shelter as most community members are farmers, the use of mosquito nets, proper preparation of water, and an adequate amount of space for the family to live in based on the number of occupants. When these basic needs within a home are lacking than several health and safety factors can become increasingly apparent.  Not sleeping with mosquito nets or allowing water to stagnate around the home brings an increased risk of malaria.  Improper cooking methods or lack of ventilation can be dangerous and bring long term health issues. Food stored improperly can bring severe stomach pain and sickness. Yet the response we received as we walked throughout the community was a positive one. Families welcomed us into their homes and shared their experiences as our team listened and brought ideas for change.  As I was able to be a part of the process and ask questions I could see how people were grateful for the opportunity of gaining knowledge and receiving the water purification tablets we gave out. While I continued to walk through the village and gaze out to the surrounding mountains  I became increasingly unsettled with the thought of how many more homes and families beyond our reach still remain. Yet there is hope, and it is that unsettled feeling that continues to spur on the desire and passion to work alongside the community and for the community to bring awareness, understanding, knowledge, and empowerment. Because a persons life is always worth fighting for.

Simple Commodities or Life Giving Necessities

Imagine this... You've been at home all day feeling ill. Your hope was that with lots of rest you'd start to get better, yet instead you begin feeling worse. It's getting to the point where a visit to the hospital may be in order. A few hours pass by and the illness has really set in at this point so you decide to go to the hospital to receive the medical attention that with each passing moment is now becoming more and more necessary. You grab your car keys, your necessary personal belongings and head out the door knowing that you'll be attended to and looked after until you are healthy once again.

For many of us this is simply how life is. When we are sick, we seek medical attention knowing that our needs will be met when we require it. I hope I've got you thinking now.....through all this i am sure there's one item that wouldn't have even been CLOSE to crossing your mind when the situation of visiting the hospital was going on, that item is bed sheets.

Bed sheets. A simple item that we find in our homes, we use daily and generally have many sets of. Now you may be asking, what do bed sheets have to do with being sick and going to the hospital, well let me try and communicate to you just what bed sheets mean to many people here living without these what we call "simple commodities." For a person who is sick here in Uganda and is unable to afford their own bedsheets, it is a matter of life or death. I am not being dramatic, i am not exaggerating the situation, i am telling you how it is. It is important to understand that here, just because there is a hospital available for medical care, doesn't necessarily mean it is well equipped to handle all the patients in need. Therefore an item like bed sheets may not be provided by the hospitals to all patients who are staying there leaving it up to the patients to provide their own.

What often happens is that a member of a house hold has become sick and is in great need of medical attention, it is imperative that this individual go to the hospital where doctors and nurses can care for them, yet they won't. The family is unable to afford bed sheets to take with them to the hospital for use during their stay which brings great embarrassment and shame.  This very real truth deters people from going to the hospital in the first place to receive the help that is needed. People would rather stay within their homes dealing with the sickness and risking a worsened condition, than endure the embarrassment of lying there with nothing to cover them.

It is a painful truth how bed sheets can hold such weight on a persons life in one part of the world, yet not even be given a second thought in other parts of the world. So my challenge to you is this, next time you take a trip to the hospital and receive the care and attention you need, be increasingly thankful. The next time you climb into bed covered by the warmth of your sheets and blankets, remember that it's not a right you are entitled to have in owning bed sheets and the like, it's a blessing. In learning and understanding the lives of others around the world we always have a choice to at least be genuinely thankful for what we have and hopefully learn to give a little more of ourselves and our "simple commodities" to those in need.


For inquiries or ways to become involved with Umoja's International Programs please email: jamie4others@gmail.com

Umoja International: Past, Present and Future.

Hi, let me introduce myself. My name is Jamie Kopp and currently i am living in Western Uganda to support Umoja's International projects. Umoja Operation Compassion Society is a non-profit organization founded in 2002 to help integrate newcomer immigrants and refugees into Canadian society, ensuring they are given the necessary life skills in order to thrive in their new social environment. In addition to the programs that take place in Surrey, British Columbia, Umoja has developed and completed international projects in Uganda, Africa. 

In 2007 Umoja’s Executive Director travelled to Kasese, Uganda to start Rwentutu Christian primary School on the land owned by her family.  20 acres of land was donated to accommodate this project. As the school continued to grow and develop out of donated funds, a women’s group (comprised mainly of school attendees’ mothers) was started.  Umoja set aside funds to lend to the women so they could start their own small business, allowing them to make the necessary amount of money to increase their standard of living and pay for their children’s school fees.  The women’s group began with 10 women, and in following the microfinance principle (although we did not charge interest) the group quickly grew from 10 members in 2007 to 37 members in 2010. As this project evolved, the women were asked to repay the small loans given to them over three years.  The money they brought back was used to complete part of the medical clinic which is located beside the primary school and when this was announced to the community, they were over joyed to see that they too made a contribution to the clinic which is now serving their children and their community. We have now seen and realized the incredible need for these women to receive training in basic math, accounting, budgeting, saving, health care, and skills development.

Currently at the primary school we have about 56 children who board. They are provided with 3 meals a day and are housed in a dormitory with girls living on one side, and boys on the other side. The rooms are lit by solar panels and piped water is on the school grounds. We do provide the children with meals, yet at this point they have no decent eating area in which to go.  Overall the elementary school has evolved from Kindergarten to Grade 7, starting with 90 kids in 2007 and now reaching 250 children to date.  

Now that you understand where the projects have come from i'll let you know where the projects are going! The women's group has been continuing to grow and part of the work I am doing here is to help expand the women's businesses by way of crafts. These women are EXTREMELY talented and their ability to create has been so inspiring to me. The women have already begun working on weaving baskets, making jewelry, sewing bags, carving, etc. in hopes to sell their handmade items locally but also in Canada! Just a heads up, some amazing items will soon be made available for purchase, so leave some room in your budget :)

At this point the Primary School is finishing off the year, children are preparing for exams and getting reading for the grade 7 graduation ceremony! Our hope is that that one day the children will continue on in their education at Rwentutu Secondary School, which at this point is still a dream, until funding becomes available. Even still, things are on the move and at the end of this month the school medical clinic will host it's first (of many) community health education day, inviting the surrounding community for HIV testing and awareness.

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THANK YOU

If you are interested in learning more about Umoja Operation Compassion Society please visit our website at: www.umojaoperation.ca or email: info@umojaoperation.ca

For inquiries related to international projects please email: jamie4others@gmail.com