The Reach of Rotary

Up until this trip, I was vaguely familiar with Rotary.  I knew that Rotary has worked for decades in the fight against Polio (as of 2014 they are “This Close!” to eradicating polio!).  I also knew that they help many poor communities with water tanks and also give out scholarships to their local high schools.  Here I was in Uganda seeing what Rotary actually does.

One of the big projects we visited was a cancer center being built by Rotary District 9211 at  Nsambya Hospital.  The structure was complete, but it still needed doors and windows, electrical wiring, paint, etc…  

Our District Governor (at the time), Carolyn J., has been working with another NGO that helps outfit hospitals with used medical equipment.  A container filled with oncology equipment  is scheduled to be shipped there this fall. This is a major accomplishment considering the resources it will take to get the equipment in the same place at the same time, and then shipping the container itself. My hat is off to Carolyn for the countless hours she has poured into this project and her diligence.  She is an amazing woman!

After our tour of the building, we had a brief meeting with the District Governor of District 9211. We took this opportunity to present them with the medical supplies we had brought with us.  They, in turn, presented us with a Rotary District 9211 magazine and jerseys from their annual Run Against Cancer. 

When we left the hospital, our hosts for the afternoon were Charles, and Dr. Roger.  Our next stop was at the Kajjansi Health Center.  It was late in the morning and the center was quite busy.  There were many mothers waiting to be seen with their babies for immunizations. The clinic offered a myriad of services.  We were accompanied by Rotarian John-Mary, and also a young doctor who worked at the clinic.

Stopping by the maternity clinic, we went in to see the labor beds.  The nurse in this part of the clinic described the challenges of delivering babies for women who were HIV positive. I asked how women typically delivered and if they were encouraged to labor in different positions or delivered squatting. She told me that mothers are discouraged from delivering that way because to do so would put the baby at risk of contracting HIV.  I had never heard of any such thing before. During the rest of our tour I peppered the doctor with questions about this, but he could not give me a medical reason for this practice. After coming home I did a brief search to see what the risk of transmission is during delivery, and so far I haven’t seen anything to suggest that standing or squatting puts the baby at any greater risk of infection.  

Our next stop, was Kijjansi Line.  This area is a slum where Brunswick Coastal RC has had two latrines built.  Each family in the community pays a small fee per month ( I think it was 50 cents) to use them. There is a great need for better sanitation throughout the area.  

We wound our way through the narrow, rutted walkways we had a small group of children following us.  At one point we sat down with some of the community leaders to hear about their needs and what Kijjansi RC is doing to help them. The area we sat in was gated and the little children (all pre-school age) came and stood at the edge of the gate, peeking at us.  After a few moments, one of them would cry, “Munzungu!!”  Then the rest would shout, “Munzungu!”  And they would all scamper off giggling.  It was hilarious!  They did this over and over again until we left.  

On our way out of the slum, our little entourage  followed us to our vehicles by the side of the road.  I was stunned by this.  No parents came to stop them. There were probably one or two adults nearby that were watching.   I could not help myself, but I picked up one little girl, about my Saoirse’s age (2 ½ at the time), and held her.  I said hello and asked her what her name was.  She did not speak english but she repeated my words as clear as a bell, no accent or anything!  It amazes me how young children pick up language so easily.  Simply amazing. 

Our next destination was Kigo Prison.  Enid met us there.  This is a project that she is invested in.  She deals with the women's half of the prison and oversees adult education, mentoring, and teaching craft making skills as well as hairdressing.  

When we arrived, a couple of tables had been set out with crafts the prisoners had made and were selling.  There were beautifully made kalo baskets, hand baskets, mats, and a few other items i can't recall.

We made our purchases and went over to where the prisoners had been assembled in the shade of a huge tree.  There were chairs for us to sit at and a table with a center piece and an album of the work being done at the prison.

The prison system was something to behold.  They are all about rehabilitation.  The prisoners and the guards are friendly with one another.  The guards treat the prisoners with respect and yet maintain their authority. One surprising thing was the number of young children that are there living in the prison with their mothers. Compare this with the US system. Sadly, it is all about punishment. Prisoners in the US are treated with indifference and most times disrespect. Programs for rehabilitation are few and far between.  There is a concerted effort to break the prisoner down by constantly reassigning bunkmates. Close friendships between prisoners are discouraged. I say these things because of stories I have heard from a family member that has served time, as well as friends who have a loved one that is incarcerated.  But i digress...

 
The women prisoners danced for us.  They were wonderful! At the end of one song, one of the prison guards joined in dancing with them. The men were also given an opportunity to perform, they had a guitar and a keyboard.  Afterward, we were given a chance to perform for everyone.  I really enjoyed being able to share music in return.  Music is a powerful language, and during moments like these I felt like it was our way of showing appreciation.

Our last project to visit that day was a school at Bweya.  It was also tied in with that night’s Rotary fellowship.  This particular school has been receiving help from the Kijjansi  RC  with rebuilding and restoration.  The school had been in existence for quite some time.  One of the alumni from the school came and spoke about how he was enriched by his time there, he was in his late 30s.  Since the time of his school days, the buildings had fallen to disrepair, and the building that housed the secondary school had collapsed altogether.  We were able to see the new building that had been erected by the Kijjansi RC.  The foundation and walls were complete, and it was waiting for windows, doors, and a roof.

One of the teachers and all of the students danced and sang for us.  I loved this part wherever we went.  When songs were sung to us they were always very personal.  They would literally sing out, “visitors, you are welcome here’, or “we are so glad to see you”, and sometimes “thank you Rotary for what you have done”.  Each place we went was a variation of this theme, “welcome”.  And I always felt most welcome and so happy to be there receiving such an outpouring of love.

We had brought another bag of books with us to donate to this school.  The principle pounced on the duffle bag, she was so overjoyed! I even had one teacher, after she heard I was a home educator, come up to me wanting to talk about education and the challenges she faced. I sympathized with her struggle to keep her students engaged. Sadly, our visit was too brief and I wasn’t able to talk at length with her.  Her face comes to my mind still...