Another quiet weekend at Omni Med. My fellow students went into Kampala for the weekend to explore, so I had the house to myself again. Over these last few weekends, I have really enjoyed the opportunity to relax, read, work and take in the sun. I will miss that when I get back to the faster pace of Chicago.
It has been a privilege over these last few weeks to get to know and learn from the Omni Med program staff. They are a small team of smart, thoughtful, hardworking people and the student volunteers have much to learn from their approach to the work.
Edward is Omni Med's CEO and has been working for the organization for ten years. He started as a VHT and worked his way up to a full-time paid position as the leader of the team. His depth of knowledge of the communities served is invaluable and he has a wonderful way with VHTs and families. During home visits and trainings, he puts people at ease with humor and stories. He is also an excellent driver which in Uganda is no small task! He handles the rain, pitted roads, boda-bodas, and random livestock with ease. He knows everyone and is always waving to passerby from the van.
Elizabeth has been with Omni Med for nine years. She also started as a VHT, moved on to become a translator for student volunteers, and is now Omni Med's CFO. She manages the day-to-day budget with finesse and is responsible for negotiating with contractors and vendors. She has been so welcoming to me and the other students and I have enjoyed talking with her over lunch about her life in Uganda.
Henry is the newest staff at Omni Med, having joined as VHT Coordinator a few months ago. Henry is responsible for communicating with VHTs-no easy task- about scheduling and logistics. He is kind, funny and patient with all our questions.
In addition to their full-time work at Omni Med, Edward, Elizabeth and Henry each have other jobs. This seems very common here as folks have to work extra hard to earn cash for essentials such as school fees, medicine, and travel. Edward is a farmer and sells his crops at local markets. Elizabeth owns a hair salon. Henry runs a small store. The side hustle is essential.
I sat in on their staff meeting last week. I am not exaggerating when I say this was the most engaging, lively, egalitarian and solution focused meeting I have ever attended. The meeting was opened with a prayer which had the effect of centering the group and bringing a sense of common purpose to the task. We then moved into a great discussion of the logistics of Jack and Jacob's plan to test the ORSTubes. Everyone had a voice in the conversation and sufficient time was taken to talk through the challenges and come to an agreed upon plan. There was a lot of debate and disagreement, but it was welcome- not something to be avoided or minimized. It was also enjoyable! Elizabeth had fun demonstrating the ORSTube process for us and we had a lot of laughs.
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| Elizabeth demonstrates ORSTube at the staff meeting. |
Last week, we also had a tour of several sites where Omni Med has built Protected Water Sources (PWS). In Uganda, 23 million people lack access to clean water. Those who do not have access must rely on unsafe sources such as rivers, lakes, and unprotected wells. One consequence of poor access and quality is that water-borne diseases are a major cause of infant mortality. PWS are a relatively cheap and effective intervention for improved sanitation and hygiene. When a VHT identifies a community that is lacking in a PWS, Omni Med assists in the construction of PWS in collaboration with the community. Omni Med has constructed 30 PWS, increasing access to over 8,000 people.
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| Protected Water Source |
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| Edward demonstrates how to retrieve water. |
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