More pictures of the Omni Med house and a day in the field

Hello everyone. So far, the internet has been strong, so I think it will be easier to post more frequently than I originally thought.

I have more pictures of the interior and exterior of the Omni Med house where I am staying which should give you a pretty good idea of my current living situation.

I'm slowly getting the hang of the very different living arrangements. It's not always comfortable- in fact it mostly isn't- but it is definitely changing my perspective and  helping me be much more appreciative of my life in Chicago.

This morning I worked on my literature review and corresponded with the doctors I am working with on the paper. After lunch, I joined the team in the field. Omni Med is undertaking a research study to examine the impact of their model on communities they serve. In addition to providing health education, basic treatment, and referral for cases of malaria, diarrhea, and pneumonia in children under 5 (the leading causes of death for children in many very poor countries), Omni Med also assists families in building cook stoves (pneumonia prevention), obtaining and installing bed nets (malaria prevention), and building latrines and protected water sources (diarrhea prevention). This is considered an enhanced model and one that Omni Med is eager to show works so that they can get more support from the Ugandan government and other funders.

This afternoon was spent collecting consent forms from the families that will be participating in the study. Not understanding a word of Lugandan except for muyembe (mango), ki kati (hello), weebale (thank you), kale (you're welcome) and sula bulungi (good night), I still found it fascinating to observe a process I have only read about from grantee reports. The VHTs (volunteer health workers) had great rapport with the families and had clearly built a lot of trust through their work. Even though there are no street signs or home addresses, the VHTs knew where every family on the list lived.

It was very humbling for me- clearly an outsider- to be welcomed into every home. Most families live in two to three room brick sheds with tin roofs. There is little furniture and most cook over an open fire in the yard. All the children I saw looked healthy and were excited to see a stranger. Most smiled and waved when I said hello except for one little boy, who burst into tears when I entered his house.

I also enjoyed the chance to see more of the landscape as we walked through the village. This part of Uganda is very lush and green. It has rained both a little and a lot each day I have been here. There were small farm plots at nearly every house growing a variety of vegetables including corn, green pepper, onions and potatoes. My mother grows potatoes too. I need to take a picture for her of how they do it here. It may improve her harvest.