Rainy Day

It's been raining off and on since about 6am today. Josh headed into town to have a meeting with the youth organizers about this week. We're waiting for his phone call to find out what we're doing today. There is supposed to be a focus group discussion every Monday, but rain tends to cancel plans. So we'll see what happens...

Andrew and Meghann, the couple from Halifax, came in very early this morning. Josh went to meet them at the airport at 4am. There was a misunderstanding and we thought that they were coming in the day before, so unfortunately Josh had to go to the airport two nights in a row.

We're volunteering as part of a 2 year project for the RAY Consortium. They have an office in Mlolongo, just across the highway from the middle of town. The project is called Si Siri and the goal is to educate people of all ages about the effects of HIV/AIDS, how it can be contracted, and to test people in the community for HIV. Percentage of HIV varies depending on the area, but in our area, it is about 25%, which I was told is very high compared to other African countries.

A typical week here consists of:

Monday: Focus group discussion - discussion of exactly what, I'm not sure of yet

Tuesday: Support group - so those who have tested positive for HIV can come to the centre for discussion and support. After the group meets, then we can sit down and discuss with people individually on how things are going and what else we can do to help. This is also where I will be helping out with an income generating program for women in the community to support their families. More on that later.

Wednesday: Outreach - when youth and volunteers go out to the town and put on a play to educate about HIV and there are also songs that they sing. This is a way for them to get attention and be in the face of everyone so they start becoming aware of it.

Thursday: In-class education - We will be heading to schools to talk to kids of all ages about HIV.

Friday: Mobile HIV testing - they call this VCT - Vaccination, Care, and Testing (I think...) is what it stands for.

These may change depending on the week. The local youth are volunteers, some are paid, but minimally. We have weekends off to travel or relax. On Saturdays that we're in Mlolongo, we'll likely go visit the baby orphanage to play with the kids for an afternoon and bring them food and supplies that they run out of.