Uganda

Update 2010

From RMF Team Uganda:

Aketch Tereza, a 16year old girl in senior four at Mama Kevina Comprehensive  School in Agururu Tororo, is one of the students traumatized by war and HIV/AIDS.

She is an orphan losing her father in war and losing her mother to HIV/AIDS.  She was raised by her grandparents enduring the hardship of the rural poor. School fees and daily meals were very difficult to attain.

Afflicted with nightmares of falling in a ditch and being chased by someone with ill intent Tereza took advantage of acupuncture treatments being offered at Mama Kevina.  Treatments reduced the stress of being an orphan and her nightmares disappeared

She also uses the treatment to help her concentrate during reading, previously when  she went for her private reading/revision, only bad memories would arise and her stress would increase.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Friends of Real Medicine,

Jane and her precious two daughters have been caught in the crossfire.

Sweet Insanity movie download

Due to post election ethnic violence in Uganda, Jane, infected with AIDS and Tuberculosis, and her daughters Naomi and Lucy, were forced to seek refuge in Uganda. They had to leave life as they knew it behind and lost contact with their husband and father while fleeing Kenya. Support was made available for them at a temporary refugee camp in Uganda, but it was just that – temporary.

The Kenyan refugees were moved to a permanent camp in Northern Uganda this past spring. When Naomi was burning up with a raging Malaria fever no medication was available at the refugee clinic. The following morning 13 year old Naomi died before she could be transported to the hospital in town.

Why your support is so critical: At least 65 children are suffering from severe malnutrition and medications are desperately needed. Our urgent call for action is for food for these children and medical supplies for the clinic.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Imagine Me & You ipod

download The Dancer Upstairs movie

Upon reaching Tororo, Uganda, the RMF team was greeted by Srs. Clare and Margaret, Franciscan sisters working at the Mama Kevina Comprehensive Secondary School in Tororo, Uganda. The student population at Mama Kevina is mostly from Northern Uganda where the children have been affected by the ongoing wars, floods and HIV/AIDS. Many of the students’ parents were slaughtered by rebels or killed by AIDS and left as orphans. Two of the boys were forced to be children soldiers.

Srs. Clare and Margaret and other Franciscans provided aid relief at the temporary Kenyan refugee camp, Mulanda Transit Center on the outskirts of Tororo. Refugees started coming to the transit center in January, and continued to arrive almost daily through the beginning of May.  The RMF team arrived in Tororo in April 2008 to provide training in acupuncture protocols for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  Upon arrival Sr. Clare introduced Charles Naku, a Young Franciscan and HIV/AIDS counselor.  Charles was instrumental in navigating the RMF team around the refugee camp, making the necessary introductions and dispelling misconceptions regarding the training program.

During the training 21 Kenyan refugees with a health care background were trained in protocols for PTSD and over 500 patients ranging in age from 2 to 77 were treated by trainees during clinically supervised treatment sessions. The day after the trainees graduated from the training, the entire camp began packing their tents.  The following day trucks and buses arrived to transport the refugees to their permanent home, Kiryadongo, in the Masindi district of Uganda. Prior to the relocation, Charles was selected as the local Ugandan Project Coordinator.  Having spent months counseling at the refugee camp and participating in the acupuncture training provided at Mama Kevina, Charles was well qualified to assume the responsibilities of coordinating and supervising the ongoing acupuncture treatments at the new location in Kiryadongo.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Poet (aka Hearts Of War)

Corky Romano divx Deep Blue Sea rip I am Judah, and I travel to Uganda and Kenya in Africa. I raise money for doing this by selling plants, selling postcards, and doing service for people. I usually work on Fridays because I go to Connections Public Charter School and so I have Fridays off. On my next trip I’m going to bring the children I know near Mama Kevina School toothpaste, toothbrushes, toys and pencils. I ordered these with my aunt. I am also collecting used clothes at school for my friends in Africa.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dear all, Today’s our official “wrap-up” day here on the coast: tomorrow we return to Nairobi, flying out the following day.

Of course it all seems a bit bittersweet at this point, having finished all the people part of the work; just some reports to finish, documents to collate & the follow-up. Beth will be going out to the rehab center this afternoon to do some more yoga with the group since most of our time here has been focused on the acupuncture.

Blackout dvd Otto; or Up with Dead People film This week training the drug detox staff probably went the smoothest of the 3 trainings – in part because Beth and I have found our stride, are fairly well-practiced and know how to piece all the bits together. Also though, The Omari Project has been great about facilitating us and the training – they even supplied us with a laptop for several days to do our reporting and make up contracts, etc.! Quite the treat after weeks of internet cafe-ing it, which always entails walking through muddy puddles for some distance, limited hours of availability, faulty and sloooow connections.

As most of you know, the NADA acupuncture protocol training that we have been providing was originally developed to address heroin addiction, and only later was found to be useful for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (like for victims and responders at 9/11, Hurricane Katrine, etc.). So I have been excited to see how this training would go over with this population of heroin addicts. Read the rest of this entry »

In cooperation with The Pan African Acupuncture Project, Beth Cole, Director of RMF’s Whole Health Team, initiated a training for local health care providers, including nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, medical doctors, traditional healers and HIV/AIDS counselors, in acupuncture protocols in Uganda,  a country devastated by HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The training teaches simple and effective acupuncture techniques that enable the health care providers to treat the devastating and debilitating symptoms associated with HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB.

Read the rest of this entry »