Posted in:
August 21, 2008 4:05 AM by Fatima Hassan | COMMENTS
We arrived at the Gorilla Nest lodge last night and I had no idea what to expect. I'm not much of a nature girl, so I was imagining all sorts of scary situations- especially involving bugs and huge, furry animals jumping on me while I slept. Fortunately, the lodge was extremely beautiful and prevented animals and insects from coming into where we slept.
The Volcanoes National Park is a two hour drive from Kigali, in the northwest region of Rwanda. I have always been skeptical of safari or nature trips in Africa, just because I felt that the continent was being reduced to seeing animals. However on the trip up to see the gorillas, I realized that eco-tourism is a serious industry in some countries. During our hiking orientation, the guide encouraged us to hire a porter to carry backpacks up the mountain so that we could be providing jobs. Interestingly, he discouraged us from giving money or anything to the kids who would be assembled at the starting point. He explained that this would only promote begging behavior in the children and if they were successful in getting gifts from tourists, they would stop going to school.
The hike up the mountain was really steep at the start, but the guide broke up the difficultly by pointing out flowers and other vegetation. It's a one hour trek up to the forest and it took us another 30 minutes to find the gorilla family we were assigned. I was surprised at how close we could get to the gorillas! Each group is only allowed one hour to view the gorillas and in this time we saw a silverback, a baby gorilla, and a possibly pregnant gorilla. The guides and trekkers in the forest encouraged us to take "snaps" ( pictures) and video, but towards the end I realized just watching the gorillas was a true gift. Even though the hike was physically difficult, I left the forest with a renewed respect for nature.
For many of us, gorillas represent wisdom and knowledge and I kept thinking this was rooted in their eyes. Despite the fact that gorillas only live 35-45 years, I felt like they were witnesses to humanity. During the genocide, many Rwandans spoke of fleeing into the bushes and the entire hike I kept envisioning the forest as a refuge and I wondered how much the gorillas has witnessed. The painful legacy of the genocide is deeply embedded in every part of Rwanda, even in the homes of the gorillas.
Posted in:
August 20, 2008 11:02 AM by Fatima Hassan | COMMENTS
This afternoon we visited the Rwandan Genocide Museum in Kigali. I have struggled to understand the point of constructing museums in honor of massive extermination campaigns. However, the most important aspect of my two hours in the Genocide Museum was witnessing the busloads of Rwandan high-school and university students visiting the museum. Often in low income countries, museums and other historic parks are tourist and foreign visitor hotspots but today I was surprised to witness Rwandans of all generations solemnly walking through the memorial.
Walking through the carefully arranged memorial with the machetes and victim's skulls and clothes from mass graves was incredibly difficult to process. On one hand, it's crucial for today's Rwandans to confront the events of 1994 and previous with honesty and respect. But on the other hand, it was extremely uncomfortable to see the products of violence that was completely and conveniently ignored by the rest of the world. Furthermore, some nations were actively training and financing the architects of the genocide and the militia that killed up to one million people. One million people- what does that even mean? On the way out of the museum, one quote let me register what I had just seen. " The interhamwe ( militia responsible for the slaughter of the Tutsi minority) did not kill a million Tutsis, they killed one another, then another, then another"...
I believe I've mentioned in previous blogs that I come from a big family- 8 immediate siblings and a huge extended family. Virtually no Tutsi family was left without many family members dead or tortured, living as rape victims or the guilt of surviving. About 25,000 Rwandans are buried at the genocide museum and when I read the names of those buried, I was horrified to realize that every victim was part of a group of 10-12 family. As I walked away, I was disoriented and remembered the hundreds of wedding pictures, vacation snapshots and birthday celebration pictures of the victims featured inside the memorial. Most Americans can look in their family albums and relate because these are universal moments of joy. In each face, I could see my family's faces.
Around the corner from the memorial is the hotel that is featured in Hotel Rwanda, Hotel Des Mille Collines French for "Hotel of the 1000 Hills." For many of us, this blockbuster film was our first engagement with the genocide. As we drove past it, I kept transplanting myself to this scene 14 years earlier and could imagine the roadblocks and the killer mobs. When violent crimes or deaths occur in our homes, we tend to move out because we are not able to live in the same house. Nearly every home in Rwanda was affected by violence- 99% of Rwandans witnessed violence or murder. They don't have the choice to leave because there is nowhere to run to...
Many of us on the delegation felt guilt and anger about how America did not intervene to stop the killing. Even though it is far too late to take anything 'back', we can help Rwanda recover by supporting UNFPA's efforts to provides counseling, support and women's health, or in general just by supporting UN and grassroots programs aimed at unity, peace and reconciliation. I am hopeful that the U.S. will increase such support.
Posted in:
August 19, 2008 9:01 AM by Fatima Hassan | COMMENTS
We arrived in Kigali, Rwanda last night. When I hear the word "survivor" I usually think of that TV show that pitted contestants against each other on some remote island, playing games to outlast other players and not be sent home. In Rwanda, when people talk about the genocide those who survived the conflict are called "survivors". Yesterday, we were privileged to visit a survivor's village an hour outside of Kigali and hear from women who survived extreme sexual violence and now live together.
Sevota is an organization that was founded by widowed women and orphans who, at first, came together to cry together. Tears can be therapy. As I sat listening to the testimonies of the women, I realized that in the beginning after being held captive and raped each day, after witnessing your entire family of 100 murdered, and after giving birth to a child that your rapist seeded, healing must first begin by reaching out to other women who have also been subjected to the horrors you have witnessed.
I listened to the testimony of 10 women, 6 who have been sexually defiled and 4 who were left with child by their rapists. All of these women's families were destroyed. Some were raped alongside their daughters and watched as the militias stuffed her body in the village toilet. Two women were snatched from their university and raped by the militias day after day. If they had refused like some of their friends, then they would have suffered the same fate of being raped in public and then killed. At this one school, those who resisted so enraged the militia, that they began to systematically shoot every other girl in retaliation. By the time the machetes stopped hacking, 50% of the girls were dead. We listened to women who fled to the bush after witnessing crazed children and women slaughter their families but then return back to the village after hearing announcements from the local minister that the killings would stop. When they returned to the community, the women and girls were snatched up and brutalized so much that some girls died on the spot while being raped and others were so traumatized they couldn't move.
Nearly 25% of Rwandan women have been sexually assaulted. We saw women 14 years after being raped suffering forever with machete wounds and broken rib bones. Some contracted HIV from their rapists and nearly half of the women spoke of getting fistulas after being assaulted daily for 3 months. Today these women leak bloody urine and refer to themselves as being handicapped. Sexually based violence not only leaves physical and mental scars, but it completely demoralizes the victims and terrorizes the female sex, sending warnings to those who are not raped yet.
One woman who was sexually assaulted later found out she was pregnant by her rapists and until she came to Sevota, she couldn't speak. There are still women who haven't spoken, 14 years after the events that started in April 1994. For these women, they might be terrified of speaking out because some survivors who testify are killed in the middle of the night. Some women can't speak because they are enveloped in a constant state of trauma. They say they have nothing to live for, their families gone, homes demolished and futures destroyed. I kept envisioning each woman, surrounded by her 7 or 8 children leading busy, vibrant lives and contrasting it to the woman in front of me today, completely hopeless.
For these women who were impregnated by their rapists, it was excruciating to bear a child for these men who hacked their children in front of their own eyes. One lady told us she was revolted with her fetus and when she returned to her family home when the conflict ended, she only found an uncle and brother who kicked her out as they could not accept a child of the enemy in the family home. When she had her baby, no one from her living family came to the hospital. For many weeks she stayed in the hospital, having nowhere to go until a doctor sent a group of women and children to Sevota. She said her child, now 13, was a very difficult boy and blames herself for his attitude issues because she would beat him a lot when he was young. For many of these women, their sons and daughters are now adolescents asking for honest answers about who their fathers are and they are encouraged to speak honestly about what they experienced to their children.
In April 1994, the people of Rwanda suffered a magnitude of pain that humanity cannot understand. Many of us on the delegation felt conflicted just sitting and listening to these women talk. I was thankful for my notebook and pen because I could focus on writing down every word. Every time I looked up, I was unable to look away from their faces. When each bravely testified for us, the others would have an empty look in their eyes and gaze off into corners, others would have their arms folded on top of their heads, looking down. When some women gave testimony, their frail bodies would shake.
At some points, I felt that their souls were removed when they recounted and in front of us were just bodies of women with broken spirits. I am grappling with the ethics of asking women to share these brutal moments of their lives, but I understand from the UNFPA staff that these can be part of group therapies. Personally, I was relieved to hear one woman say that she was happy that we came all the way from America to listen to them speak, because some people who are a part of their community don't want to hear them speak out.
After only one testimony, I felt not only emotionally shattered and horrified to understand that these were only 10 women and millions of women across Rwanda, Darfur and the Congo were subjected to extreme sexual violence. UNFPA has been an early partner of the women and orphans of Sevota, initially funding the center with 1 million dollars. Today they need medical support for women with fistula, various STIs and those with children asked us to be advocates for them so that their children can attain education. Even though women who were raped are considered survivors, their children born after the conflict are not eligible for educational scholarships that the government offers to surviving children.
The Rwandan government has the responsibility to heal and help the entire country recover from the genocide. It is crucial for Americans to support UNFPA because they are a significant partner with the government, filling in the gaps where the government simply doesn't have the means to support small, district level projects. Interventions on the village levels are crucial because there is still distrust and fear, especially when some of the rapists are released back into the very same villages as their victims. For these women, Sevota is a haven.
The American government is blocking the funds that would support projects like Sevota in Rwanda. Perhaps it is easy for the American politicians to make these decisions when they are not shown how UNFPA support is crucial. I can only invite our President and Congress to come to Rwanda see what these groups work towards achieving.
Posted in:
August 18, 2008 8:17 AM by Fatima Hassan | COMMENTS
This morning we visited the Naguru teen center, a health education and treatment center just outside Kampala specifically catering to the youth populations. It was astonishing to listen to health service providers on the ground describe the impact of PEPFAR's (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief ) strict abstinence versus condom use policy. Recently, Uganda has adopted the U.S. government approach of addressing prevention by emphasizing abstinence only discussions. This shift is not only because U.S. directed funds have many strings attached (including the no-condom promotion) but is partly attributed to the influence of the Ugandan first lady, who is a born again Christian.
Since embracing the Bush policy in 2003, posters encouraging people to practice safe sex and use protection went down. Like I mentioned in an earlier blog, these cartoon messages are cheap, easy and powerful ways for the Ministry of Health to advocate for behavior change. They can target the entire population and because they rely less words even the illiterate can grasp the meaning. Around Kampala I saw no condom or protection posters, very strange in a country which has constantly engaged in honest, frank conversations about sex, etc.
The more I listened, the more I felt that this plan is actually cruel to women in Uganda because we know what to do but we aren't doing it. I'm my public health classes I've learned that medical research has proven condoms as very effective but instead we are advocating a policy with serious holes. Though I have read about the PEPFAR policy being shortsighted or just plain stupid in terms of being a public health strategy to cope with HIV prevention and treatment, today I felt enraged about the implications of this policy. Currently, America is not supporting the UNFPA and it seemed like sheer arrogance for us to further dictate moral values to Ugandans. In fact, instead of accomplishing its missions, I perceive that abstinence only policy is hurting the country by mandating PEPFAR and not supporting UNFPA work. UNFPA funding is different to PEPFAR because UNFPA funds come with no such strings so UNFPA programs can provide condoms and promote usage, based on the wants and needs of each country.
While PEPFAR can be attributed to lengthening many people's lives by providing access to lifesaving ARV drugs, it is completely missing the point of providing preventative services that work. Out of 1000 youth tested monthly at the Naguru center, 35-40 people are HIV positive. This is just one of several district health centers and furthermore, there are thousands who haven't been tested. Yes, abstinence has a strong place in the prevention education and should definitely be part of early youth awareness programs, just like promotion of being faithful, BUT condom use should also be equally stressed. The reality is most of Uganda are young adults and guess what, youth will always be engaged in sexual activity.
Not only should we be concerned about reducing new HIV infection rates, we need to also be concerned about teen pregnancy. In many ways, condom use can promote safe motherhood by delaying pregnancy in teens with small pelvic bones.
Many of us in the delegation were completely blown away by how professional the teen health center is. We were also demoralized and angry about how a woman's access to a better life was being obstructed. Instead of supporting the Ugandan women to make choices about their futures and bodies, the American government (and by extension, the American people) are forcing them to lead lives which we ourselves find unacceptable. The U.S. and Uganda are both nations which currently support plans that don't work but the vast economic difference is the American advantage. In the US, women can get access to many services whether it is birth control, or the ability to put unwanted children up for adoptions. Perhaps our own luxuries make us blind to what global women are suffering from. What struck me the most is how the situation for women in American or in Uganda are truly not that different in the way the government chooses to address sex.
Posted in:
August 15, 2008 10:59 AM by Fatima Hassan | COMMENTS
Today we visited
the headquarters of the Ugandan NGO called Reproductive Education and
Community Health (REACH). UNFPA funded REACH's efforts in it's early
stages to support efforts promote the end of female genital cutting
(FGC)and empower girls through education. The mission of REACH, which was established in 1996, clearly states
that it exists to stop genital cutting, by using a culturally sensitive
approach. I was so inspired by the story of REACH and an excited to tell
everyone about the achievements of REACH and Ms. Beatrice.
In
1996, before the "cutting season" was slated to begin, REACH began
campaigning to the community to abandon the practice of FGC.
Amazingly, there was a 66% drop in the number of girls that were
circumcised. After hearing about the success of the program,
international media like the BBC flocked to Kapchorwa to profile the
group that was behind such incredible statistics. At the time the roads
to the villages in Western Uganda were impassible and but following the
success story that drew many foreigners to this region, the government
invested in tarmac roads and now, the roads are amongst the best
outside of the capital city.
At one point, the current
president came to visit the program. When the president of Uganda
comes to the rural areas, there is often an expectation that food and
transportation costs will be provided for locals who witness his
visit. Unfortunately, there weren't enough resources to properly
accommodate the many villagers who came to the REACH program site
during that time. As a resulted many of the villagers felt disgruntled
and banded together as a feeling of resentment emerged with the
community. Justifiably, they felt used and the anger was directed to
REACH and the Western journalists who in their opinion were "making a
business on us but they did not feed us or transport us."
This
bitterness fuelled community members to target REACH, declaring that
this program was taking away their traditional practices. The impact on
young women was widespread. Teenage girls were offered incentives to
revert back to the practice...cash and goats were distributed to girls
who were circumcised. By the cutting season of 1998, nearly 1100 girls
were circumcised This was a huge setback and sent the developers of
REACH back to the drawing boards.
The backlash against the
anti-FGC/M initiatives of REACH was caused not only by economic
tensions but also a lack of emphasizing how REACH would be culturally
sensitive. Eventually REACH integrated cultural sensitivity as a means
to accomplishing their ultimate goal and in 2006, the Kapchowra village
reported zero circumcisions.
One way REACH has achieved
success today is the integration of the Sabiny elders in condemning the
practice and telling young girls it is no longer important to be
circumcised to prove strength. For a society which prioritizes cultural
ceremonies like FGC as an important link in preserving tribal identity,
it is extremely powerful to have the blessings of the elders who are
referred to as the "guardians of the culture." They have created
alternative rites of passage incorporating other ceremonies to replace
the massive festival-like atmosphere of the cutting seasons.
Hearing
Ms. Beatrice explain this part of REACH's history illustrated to me why
culturally sensitive models are crucial in ending FGC/M. For me, it's
important to remember that amongst the Sabiny tribe female cutting is a
test of physical strength. Alternative rites of passage can help women still pass "this test."
Female genital
circumcision/cutting/mutilation is practice endemic in my Somali
culture. Over the years, I have come to use the word "cutting" to refer to the
practice since I find it both sensitive and accurate. Recently, as more
people become more aware about the practice, they unfortunately refer
to these women as being "mutilated" and this is problematic. Having
grown up with many women who were circumcised, I believe it is
imperative for Americans to understand that using words like
"mutilation" alienates women who have been circumcised.
Early
circumcision can be as traumatic as child rape. Besides the medical
complications, there is a severe lost of trust and security when
children are sent to be circumcised by their own parents. I make this
comparison to plead that when we talk about this subject, its careful
to be as sensitive as possible and realize that heavy handed approaches
(even if they are well intentioned) will always do more harm. After
centuries of colonization fresh in memory, many African societies which
continue to practice genital cutting will continue to point to
patronizing interventions as examples of Western arrogance and this
will be enough stimulus for its continuation.
UNFPA once heavily funded this organization, but today REACH is an
independent NGO making it an example of a sustainable program. UNFPA's
initial belief in the REACH program grew to become a strong partnership
and leaves a powerful example of success.
What I appreciate in
REACH's mission statement is that they are taking a popular
counter-argument away from those who promote FGC. In my opinion, REACH
is the best strategy for ending FGC
because its greatest asset is its grassroots foundation. Right before
we left Ms. Beatrice she explained that there is inadequate funding to
fully carry out the anti FGM-campaign with the community. I can't
help but feel disappointed at the United States is not supporting
UNFPA's work to help implement programs like those of REACH in other
areas of Uganda or around the world.
The United States has
defunded UNFPA for the past 7 years, depriving financial support for groups like REACH
and giving women of the world the impression that Americans don't
believe in the mission of REACH and the rights of young girls and
women. As you may know, the U.S. is the only country in the world to
withhold funds from UNFPA- the largest international source of
assistance for women- for reasons that are political, not financial.
It
makes me thankful for organizations like Americans for UNFPA, that are helping to show
the world that Americans do believe in women's health and rights
globally. There are lots of ways to get involved with Americans for
UNFPA work, check them out at www.americansforunfpa.org/takeaction.
Americans for UNFPA is involved in the Amex Project and this is the
last week for them to get votes for their End Fistula- Global
Woman's Health Project. I've had
the fortune of visiting fistula hospitals funded by UNFPA in Eritrea and I can say that their support is invaluable. If you can take a
minute to vote for the project please do so at: End Fistula- Global Woman's
Health Project.
Posted in:
August 15, 2008 8:54 AM by Store Adore | COMMENTS
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Posted in:
August 14, 2008 10:45 AM by Fatima Hassan | COMMENTS
Throughout this trip, I
have sensed the surprise of the locals when they see me traveling with a white,
American delegation. I am of African descent and I wear a headscarf and in many
ways seem odd in this group.
But I can connect to many Ugandan people on 2 levels - being African and Muslim.
Some of the locals even
speak to me in the local language and I have been welcomed with countless
"salaams," a
traditional Muslim greeting. Today provided me a rare opportunity to reflect on my presence in
the delegation and what message I was communicating to Ugandan girls in
particular.
REACH is a Ugandan NGO
that works to stop harmful traditional practices like female genital cutting
(FGM/C). Because FGC in Uganda is a
right of passage, REACH has created alternative initiation rituals. This group primarily
works in Kapchowra, Western Uganda where the Sabiny are amongst the few Ugandan
tribes who continue to practice FGC. Ms. Beatrice serves as the director
general and is among the few female activists who don't shy away from honest
discussion of
reproductive health. This is ironic, because here in Uganda women can have the
public space to discuss their sexual and reproductive rights openly. But in the United States
reproductive health has become too
polarized. I feel as if Americans don't really engage with women's
health and human rights issues and neglect to understand the magnitude of problems that can arise from
childbirth (ranging from fistula to maternal mortality)
.
After we arrived at the
Nanyata primary school in Kapchowra, a REACH program site that incorporates the
anti-FGC mission into its curriculum, I was delighted to learn that
the majority of the children were Muslim because I felt that our bond was greater than nationality. We
sat outside under a giant tree with rain clouds low in the distances and were
treated to schoolchildren performing skits and singing. Throughout the
performances, I could feel the curious stares of the children and wondered what
they were thinking. Right then Ms. Beatrice caught me off guard by asking me to
share words of encouragement with the children, especially important since I was
a Muslim woman and not the typical foreign visitor.
Initially I was
completely flustered but as I looked into the crowd of young faces, I could only
stress education as the single biggest tool for creating a future. It's not a coincidence that I
am a university student and find myself in Africa. Being in college has expanded
my understanding of history, leaving me hungry to learn more. But today I felt that I was
also a role model. I don't like talking about myself in such lofty ways, but I
pictured how seeing another black, Muslim woman was a powerful message to the
children. I tried to stress that the biggest difference between FGC in Somalia
and Uganda centers around choice. In Somalia, young girls have no choice about
what is being done to their bodies but here in Uganda teenagers can choose.
Amongst the Sabiny, female teens between the ages of 15-19 chose to be
circumcised because it has been an integral part of their culture. The cutting
ceremony is a test of strength since the courageous girls do not cry. Over lunch
Ms. Beatrice stated cutting is "not relevant today" and I couldn't agree more.
If FGC is a test of strength in this community, I couldn't help but wish that
females achieving a high school diploma could one day be regarded strong women.
The way I see it, with more education in schools, young women will be able to
make more informed decisions about their bodies.
The importance of
positive role models cannot be understated, especially when the public roles of
women are limited. As a
young child, I had strong women role models to look up to including my Somali
grandmother, a single
mother of ten children. Many girls today voiced their ambitions to be doctors,
nurses, headmistress or engineers and I was delighted to hear this, especially
after the other female delegates explained they, too, were nurses and engineers.
We also visited a
secondary boarding school and met Agnes, a charismatic, confident, and outspoken
student leader of the REACH program in her high school. Agnes completely blew me
away and was such an inspiring product of youth empowerment clubs. Often when
visiting schools or clinics, women can be shy and reticent but Agnes was an
excellent public speaker. As one of the delegates stated, women should not only
have the right to speak, but need to speak up in order for their societies to
fully understand their lives. This remarkable young woman reminded me strongly
of Ms. Beatrice. Both
have the immense courage to speak loudly and clearly about genital cutting, simply stating that they
are beautiful, just the way God made them. It is time we all listen.
Posted in:
August 13, 2008 9:25 AM by Fatima Hassan | COMMENTS
Today marked the start of our first complete day of site visits and meetings. We met many young, professional advocates who all share this desire to determine the future of their country. Some were highly educated with university degrees and others were former sex workers with no formal education. All of these women shared the desire to give back to their community and prevent other youth from risks they faced and from ever feeling hopeless or uninformed.
Despite seeing extremely impoverished areas and being confronted with stories of abuse of young teenage girls, I never left a site feeling depressed. Instead, talking with the people on the ground and recognizing the fierce pride in their initiatives left me with the impression that young Ugandans are embracing their accountability to fellow countrymen and women eagerly. This feeling of responsibility in the face of inadequate resources leaves me with great respect of their devotion and just as hopeful for the future.
We started the morning meeting with the outgoing Ms. Uganda, Monica. Like any other beauty queen, she was beautiful, statuesque and well-poised. Additionally, Monica is a positive local role model, often visiting village schools promoting the importance of school attendance and establishing rural based orphanages. Recently she channeled her energy into starting the Nurture the Future orphan foundation.
Monica lost her father at young age and her mother in her late teens. She confided that the death of her mother occurred the week of her important end of year exams and it was nearly impossible to study because she was very close with her mother. If it wasn't for her older brother encouraging her to study, Monica could have easily been another of the common orphan/drop-put statistic. Instead, having experienced and struggled with the loss of her parents, Monica has become both an advocate and activist to help fostering education opportunities for all children, especially orphans. Her courage is a great hope to the children she meets.
From there we met former sex workers who with the help of the Ugandan Youth Development Link (UYDEL) have been able to find other sources of income to support themselves. Based in the outskirts of the city, UYDEL works with former commercial sex workers, providing vocational education like hairdressing. Often, children from the rural areas flood to find jobs in Kampala but they are deceived and forced into unpaid labor jobs. I was shocked to find out that sex workers are paid just 30 cents, just enough for a snack and juice from the street vendors. In the Chimumbaza district where these woman live, I met a young woman who was a former sex worker but now teaches other sex workers how to braid hair and offering basic business skills so that they can re-enter society with some skills to generate independent incomes. For the UYDEL staff, her story is an example of a success story and gives hope that many other young women can become empowered.
Many of the young women and children who I saw today have seen many traumatic events and are thankfully able to get various psychosocial and health counseling. Seeing them in the clinics and centers gave me hope that they might be out of harm's way, hopefully having already seen the most difficult years of life.
The investments the social workers and activists have in their causes are integral to ensuring that more children attain access to education and get off the streets. When I asked what UYDEL could accomplish with more money, the answer was simply "education".
Posted in:
August 12, 2008 9:37 AM by Fatima Hassan | COMMENTS
I am finally here in Kampala, Uganda! I say "finally" because it took nearly 2 and half days of travel to arrive at the Entebbe International Airport and around an hour to drive into the capital city. While the flight was sometimes painful (14 hours, non-stop), the drive was an amazing introduction to the Ugandan lifestyle for four of us on the delegation. We passed Lake Victoria, the source of the Nile River and drove past groves of banana trees. Ugandan music blared from cars and from tiny stores on the sides of the road, where teenagers and children seemed to run from shop to shop. Dusty brick red roads dipped into valleys and hills all around the main highway, leading to rectangular concrete homes with laundry hanging in the breeze. The sides of the highways were very busy with children selling tomatoes, pineapples, and vegetables.
Most of the shops we passed were painted bright pink, yellow or green and their slogans boasted "we can keep you in touch", or " we are everywhere you go". After a while, I began to realize that these ubiquitous buildings were cell phone companies. Sometimes, the same brand would be across the street from each other! Cell phones are extremely popular here, since they are much cheaper than landlines and just like in the US, major brands offer promotions package to sign on new customers.
Kampala is bustling city with nearly 3 million people and Uganda's overall population is about 30 million. Originally Kampala was comprised of 7 hills but today there are 21 hills, partly because development has boomed in the last 10 years. Additionally the fertility rate in Uganda is amongst the highest in the world, with the average woman giving birth to 6 or more children. A population surge like this can be destabilizing because the younger the country's population, the more able-bodied fighters are available to fuel conflicts in the region. In Uganda, 60% of households are headed by someone 18 years old or younger. Clearly, teen pregnancies contribute to these sobering statistics and indicate the need for reproductive health education.
Hearing these numbers and facts was overwhelming but it's important to understand that many groups have worked successfully in providing prevention and treatment in Uganda. Tomorrow afternoon, the delegation will visit a NGO that specifically works with the youth to educate about HIV/STI/ and teen pregnancy prevention. This particular group reaches out to teen commercial sex workers (usually female) and helps empower them with jobs in addition to leading health intervention.
Many buildings and billboards in Kampala are advertisements to buy Coca-Cola or Nestlé's milk, but others are public health posters. One member of the delegation pointed out her favorite of an old man and a quote hovering near him- "Do you want this man to stop sleeping with your daughter? Then why do you sleep with his?" This poster is part of a campaign to stop older men from seeking out younger women and another poster clearly stated "no cross generational sex". Most of these posters are blunt, but I guess honesty about health is necessary to promote safe behaviors and reaches out to everyone. I'll keep an eye out for these public health fliers and hope to include a picture in an upcoming blog...
Posted in:
August 11, 2008 10:00 AM by Fatima Hassan | COMMENTS
My name is Fatima and I'm incredibly excited to be a part of the American for UNFPA's delegation trip to Uganda and Rwanda. I am studying international health and development at Stanford University and hope to graduate this spring. When I first heard that I was chosen as the student award winner, I was totally humbled. Out of all the people that applied, I couldn't believe I was given the chance to witness and learn from the work of women abroad. I treasure this opportunity to see the struggle and survival of women and learn from their resourcefulness and experiences.
My parents are from Somalia but I grew up in the quiet suburbs of Texas. When I first told my family (parents, aunts and uncles) about my trip, they were supportive but cautious. As witnesses to the civil war in Somali, they are justified in being nervous. But I want to show them and the readers of this blog a different type of Africa, beyond the usual depictions of today's Africans as starving, sick and warring people. In just 2 days, I will be traveling to 2 gorgeous countries, Uganda and Rwanda. Although this region has a long history of civil strife, they are also known as the "green pearls of Africa" with bright green hills and deep blue lakes. Many have heard of Uganda in the context of politicial instability and Rwanda will forever be associated with genocide of April 1994, however on this trip I would like to take the incredible opportunity to talk and listen to the many local women I hope to meet.
I grew up around many educated and independent Somali women in my family and they served as powerful role models, sparking my passion for women's health and gender equality. On this trip, I will be reporting back about the important work of UNFPA such as outreach programs to teenage commercial sex workers in the slums of Kampala, visiting fistula hospitals and speaking with genocide survivors in Rwanda. One aspect of the work of UNFPA I deeply respect is the commitment to empowering women globally and the way it accomplishes these goals in culturally respectful ways.
As long as I remember, I have wanted to be a doctor and writer. Growing up, I remember watching the war in Somalia with my parents on CNN in our living room, eagerly listing to international reporters and aid workers who covered the famine and civil war. I gained both knowledge and a sense of responsibility and I have always hoped to address this in a dual approach, medicine and journalism. I want to report the problem and share people's lives and provide context but I also want to use my hands in places of great need.
Lately I have been questioning the point of my trip. Why is American for UNFPA providing this opportunity? I am still a student and I can't provide the technical interventions, nor donate millions but I can solely focus on conveying the essence of what I see, smell, feel to all those who can't travel half away across the world. Together, we can expand our understanding of the issues and advocate for the work of UNFPA and the lives of the millions of women affected.
I hope you check the blog each day and I look forward to hearing what y'all think!
Ciao,
Fatima
Posted in:
August 8, 2008 8:54 AM by Store Adore | COMMENTS
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July 30, 2008 2:00 PM by Sarah Wexler | COMMENTS
As someone who recently moved after spending the last seven years
living in Pittsburgh, I couldn't have been happier that the New York
Times Travel section recently ran a story on what to see, do, and eat
in the town I used to call home. I give them credit for nailing the best
cultural attractions (The Andy Warhol Museum, the Mattress Factory, PNC
Park, and the Carnegie Museums for Art and History) and the best places
to grab a beer, Dee's Café and Brillobox (Iron City or Yuengling when
you're there, obviously). But for where to eat, the NYT picked
very...New York City places. But if you're in Pittsburgh, shouldn't you
experience what it's like to eat like a local? So I'll give you the
insider's scoop on my picks for the top five restaurants in town.
Word to the wise: Most restaurants in the city are closed on Sundays.
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July 16, 2008 10:30 AM by Jihan Thompson | COMMENTS
Staycations are the talk of the town this summer. With skyrocketing gas
prices and more fees at the airport, it's not hard to understand why.
Fewer Americans are taking to the skies this summer compared to last,
according to the Air Transport Association. But sometimes the best part
of a little R&R is the getaway-literally getting away from it all.
Who can truly relax with real-world worries constantly intruding on
your time off?
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