Simple Solutions

A poignant dichotomy occurred this weekend that really brought home the fact that there are such simple and inexpensive solutions available for some of the world’s top reasons for loss of life… and yet so many do not have access to them. The difference of a few US dollars can mean the difference between life and death.

This weekend, as we were staying at the Mayor of Lugazi’s house, his 17-year-old daughter, Rita, passed by and we asked how she was doing. She shruggingly said that she had just returned from a visit to the hospital, where she had I think received an IV, and then was sent home with some medicine that would clear her system in a few days. We said we were sorry, and she said she was feeling alright and just needed to rest up for a day. Next day she was back and moving.

Kristen and I were called in last-minute to teach the young women’s class in church this Sunday because all of the teachers were preparing for the funeral of a young boy in the congregation who had died of malaria. I do not know the situation of the family, but my bet is that they are not the most well-to-do. An IV and a few pills!

At the beginning of William Easterly’s book “The White Man’s Burden” he talks about two great tragedies: one being the unacceptable number of people living in extreme poverty. And two, being that with all of the trillions of dollars poured in to “foreign aid” by the rich countries, so little of it has actually reached those who really need it.

Since I’m new at blogging, I don’t know how to end a sad blog entry. Okay, let’s try this: with such simple and inexpensive solutions to some of the world’s greatest health challenges, we all can contribute a little that can make a much greater impact. Do a little research into the organizations that are really using homegrown solutions, rather than handing over money to inefficient or corrupt entities (such as governments) and contribute what you can. Here’s a few I’ve heard of:

Heifer International – an organization that works to end world hunger and allows you to contribute money towards buying a cow, a flock of chicks, a goat, or even a water buffalo for families who have experienced a natural disaster around the world. www.heifer.org

Kiva- a renowned online microfinance organization where you can donate for as small as $25 towards loans to be given to qualified entrepreneurs in the developing world. http://www.kiva.org/

New heroes- bios of incredible people who have created extremely innovative solutions to social problems. Read up and get inspired on how you can implement your own ideas! http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/meet/

Good luck! Let me know of any more fun ways to get involved, your ideas, or what you have done or are currently doing!

I am a mzungu

In Luganda (the predominant language spoken in Uganda… among the other 51 tribal languages) the word "mzungu" means “white person.” Every day walking from our house to the town, all along the way little heads appear around corners bursting “Mzungu! Mzungu! Bye Mzungu!” A few really zealous ones make it a point to shake each of our hands no matter the size of our group walking through the dirt road neighborhoods. A few will take your hand and then kneel, a cultural sign of respect. As of late we have instituted “Bonga!”- the American equivalent of “Give me some bones” (bumping fists) instead of shaking hands for sanitary purposes (can’t shake that public health influence). And it is quite incredible to see this same song/dance that kids all over the town spontaneously do- they’ll start chanting “A mzungu… a mzungu…” with accents in the hips and hands in the air to the beat of the chant. So fun. I wonder what it will be like to go back to the states and no longer be a rock star each time I walk down the road.

However, on the flip side… I have found that I have this gift for making kids cry. Seriously! My first real day here, the Mayor took us to this mostly lovely little isolated village atop a hill overlooking the sugar cane fields to discuss possibilities for income-generating activities with women there. Probably very few mzungus have visited there. I past by a mother holding a little 6-month old baby- the baby took one look at me and seriously shrieked at the top of its lungs and then started crying. It was as if she’d seen a ghost (which is probably what I looked like to her- probably the first mzungu she’d ever laid eyes on!). And this happens to me more than any of the other HELP volunteers. I think it is because I make the googly animated baby faces, which kids love in the states… not so much here. And actually, today was a double whammy, as this little baby boy in the marketplace took one look at me, started crying… and wet his pants. Yeah, that’s what I do.

Call me crazy, but seriously, it has started sounding like the roosters (which begin at about 6:30am- a perfect alarm clock) are saying “M---zuuu---nguuuu!” Check it out next time you hear one. Or maybe its just me…