It all started with one village...

By Devin Faris
S.O.U.L. Foundation Global Health Corps Fellow

It all started with one village.

When we arrived in Bujagali as S.O.U.L.’s new Global Health Corps (GHC) Fellows, we were welcomed with open arms and open hearts for the important work we were about to embark upon. S.O.U.L.’s vision for a new partnership with GHC was to engage the village in in-depth discussions about the maternal health needs of the community in an effort to inform future programming through S.O.U.L.’s Maternal Health Network. We arrived with the humility to recognize that we lacked the knowledge required to properly inform such a program.

So, we started by doing what S.O.U.L. does best: we listened.

We listened to local women leaders like Maama Ali and Maama Muganda about the lives and needs of women in this corner of Uganda. We listened to trusted midwives like Lillian and Rose working in government health centers, as well as traditional midwives like Celementina delivering from their homes, about what it is really like to respond to these needs with the limited resources available to them. We listened to government officials in Jinja about how much power they have to enable these maternal health services to exist within an overburdened and under resourced health system.

The more we listened, the more we learned that listening to just one village was not enough. Nearly 2/3 of women in Bujagali deliver their newborns with Celementina, but what about elsewhere in the Jinja District where Celementina is not the nearest birthing option? What role does proximity to a health center play in maternal health decision-making? What role do health officials play in addressing challenges to access, and what barriers do male partners create for women in seeking appropriate care? In order for S.O.U.L. to truly make an impact, we realized we needed to think bigger.

With clearance from TASO Uganda’s Institutional Review Committee and the Office of the President for our research, we worked with local women, midwives, and health workers to design a comprehensive needs assessment that incorporated the viewpoints of women, husbands, health workers, traditional midwives, health officials, and Village Health Teams through a series of interview and focus group questionnaires. We trained three young and passionate enumerators to help us collect our data and expanded the scope of the research from one village to 11 villages across the Kiira Health Sub-District, comprised of Budondo and Butagaya Sub-Counties. With data from the whole health sub-district, S.O.U.L. will not only have representative information to inform our own programming, but we will have data that has never been collected before in rural Jinja. Since health statistics in Uganda come from health center reports, our data will account for the thousands of women who do not regularly visit health centers and are consequently not included in the formulation of district health priorities. With this data, we will be able to advocate for the needs of women whose voices have never been heard.

S.O.U.L. is firmly dedicated to making all of its programming sustainable, scalable, and replicable. This approach would not be possible without investing the time to truly listen and learn what the women of our community need. In our first six months here in Uganda, we have already learned from these women that while S.O.U.L. is “supporting opportunities for Ugandans to learn,” it is really these Ugandans who are allowing us to learn more than we thought we could. Each and every one of these women has a unique story to tell. Each has their unique struggles, their unique triumphs, and their unique voice. At S.O.U.L., it is our job to ensure the voices of these women are amplified. These are the women whose stories we wish to tell over the coming months as our Maternal Health Network takes flight, as they are the women whose resilience, compassion and wisdom inspire us to do the very work we do here in Uganda.

Home Away from Home

After a gruelling flight to Uganda through the night, I drowsily stepped out of the car at the end of the inbound journey with very little going on in my exhausted mind. Immediately, I was greeted by swarms of grinning children outside the S.O.U.L. Shack, who sang to welcome me – undoubtedly the most surprising wake-up I’ve ever received. Yet the incredible hospitality remained as enthusiastic and genuine until the moment I left Kyabirwa, not just from the children but from the entire community, which included the S.O.U.L. volunteers.

The village in which I stayed seemed infused with a positive dynamic; I had anticipated a place with little expectation for the future other than maintaining the status quo of feeding a family and grinding out as much additional output as possible. However, the village was vibrant: young children had the opportunity to learn through the pre-school set up by S.O.U.L. with the aid of incredible local teachers; older children were able to attend local schools through generous donations and S.O.U.L. scholarships and dream about the possibility of university; local women were actively involved in production of textiles, jewellery and crafts. Additionally, sustainable businesses have been developed – namely chicken breeding, goat breeding and fish farms – which not only offer economic incentives for villagers but also instruct them about long term economic planning. I believe that whereas, before, it seemed evident that the villagers lived just in the present, the input from the S.O.U.L. Foundation has instilled a plan for the future in the minds of these people, which allows for emancipatory and empowering work within Kyabirwa.

On a personal note, I devoted a lot of time initially to teaching in local schools, which are attended by many S.O.U.L. sponsored children. I was able to engage the primary school children in the study of Charlotte’s Web, using the book to attempt to improve their reading, writing and communication of English. I had great fun teaching these kids who had such a voracious appetite for learning; whether or not they understood what was going on in parts of the book is up for debate, yet they seemed to enjoy it. I also lectured A-level history students about World War Two in a local boarding school; I felt that was an instructive and rewarding topic to teach. On certain evenings I was able to teach IT skills to teenagers in the village such as word processing and drawing.

Later I was excited to involve myself with the digging of one of the sustainable fish ponds in Namizi. I liked the fact that I could see the palpable and immediate input I had in the project, and being able to do it while joking and chatting with the workers. I picked up the nickname ‘Kityanka’ which apparently means ‘Mud’, which I hope was an endearing name!

I stayed with one of the families in the village for the entire month, and became extremely close to them all within that space of time. They accepted me as one of their own; in return I tried to learn the language and assist with chores. I was able to eat incredible traditional Ugandan food (in huge amounts at that), and spent time not only with them but with other families who were equally as welcoming. One of the best parts of the experience was just to converse with them and learn about their culture and beliefs.

The inclusiveness of the community was such that it often made me forget the huge disparities of wealth and materials. Nevertheless, there is so much more to do. More kids need to be funded, more teaching materials need to be donated, and more work needs to be done on the burgeoning projects. I, for one, will treasure the place and endeavour to support S.O.U.L.’s work; hopefully it can expand to aid a greater area.  Although the red soil has now washed off me, the memories won’t.

By: Tom S., S.O.U.L. Volunteer

To learn more about volunteering with the S.O.U.L. Foundation, visit our website 

http://www.souluganda.org/get-involved/volunteer/

The Gift of Education

The following letter was written to S.O.U.L.’s CEO and Co-Founder, Brooke Stern, from one of the university students we sponsor.

Hi Brooke,

How are YOU and every thing you’re doing?  I know you’re spending so many sleepless nights working so much for S.O.U.L. so on that note please allow me to say that THANK YOU so much.
So, Mama Africa, every one is missing you here in Bujagali.  I got this modem from a friend and that's why I have decided to wake up this early morning to write to you before you go to bed.

Really I do not know how much I can thank you for the good things you have done for me and for my family so far. I together with my family are indeed so much happy ‘cause when I remember the situations I was passing through in order for me to get my school fees, indeed, I know I could not have made it to the university. Brooke, I only wish you the best for your life.

I don't have money but you deserve something so much better.  I will at least make sure that I do something small, not as a return for the tuition but for just appreciating.

I know that money given as school fees is so much more valuable than any other money simply because it is what makes up one's future.

I PROMISE I WILL NEVER FORGET S.O.U.L. AND I WILL NEVER LEAVE S.O.U.L.!
LONG LIVE S.O.U.L. LONG LIVE BROOKE AND LONG LIVE EVERY ONE WORKING HARD TO SEE THAT S.O.U.L. GOES AHEAD!

By: Richard, S.O.U.L.-sponsored university student