ProGhana Journal Entry #7

            Then things are probably going to be getting shorter because I am getting tired of writing J.  Yesterday was probably the hardest outreach we have had.  We went to Kakumdo and Essuekyii, two old schools, and educated on dental hygiene, environmental hygiene, personal hygiene, and my normal alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana topics.  I think everyone had a hard time because we are about 11 days into our trip and people are starting to miss some of the things from home.  It also didn’t help that the students were very rowdy and didn’t really listen well.  However, all of that changed today.

            Today started really well, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood when we showed up at the first school.  The school we went to today was called Abara Ahmdiyah, and it is our first Muslim school that we have educated.  Nicholas and Sarah had been before and it was really awesome to see they were using the running water buckets that had been supplied.  They had even created great wooden holders for the buckets, so that people could wash their hands at the correct height.  Also, the students were very well behaved and attentive.  It is so nice to have a group of students that wants to listen and learn.  It really makes your day 100% better.

            After we were done in the schools, I went to town with the Mizzou girls and showed them where and how to exchange money, then spent some time in the internet café getting everything together for my Hepatitis B presentation for tonight.  Once I got home, I had a little bit of time to relax before we went on our first community outreach.  The outreach was a new challenge, but it seemed to go really well.  The reason it was challenging is because most of the people were adults who haven’t had as much English as the students.  Also, you never know if the translator is actually telling them exactly what you said, or if they are picking and choosing.  I heard the nurse translator snicker at one of my comments and give the impression that she didn’t believe what I was saying; however, all of my information came directly from the CDC and World Health Organization (WHO), so she can take it up with them. 

About 100 people came to the church to listen to Fiona educate on nutrition and me educate on Hep B.  They asked great questions after we were done and were very excited to have their blood pressure weight, and height taken as well.  I took about 50 blood pressures and it was definitely a great experience.  I always love doing hands on intervention for individuals.  After we gave them their numbers then they would have a quick 1-2 minute talk with the Mizzou students and Nicholas about what their numbers mean.  Nicholas keeps track of each outreach in his book and tries to return once a month to keep up a consistent record of their health.  I think that our public health outreach has been very effective so far, and everyone we talk can’t praise us enough as we leave.  So far the trip has been very rewarding and exciting.  I can’t wait to see what next week has to offer, but before then I am excited to have another relaxing weekend.

I’ll try to post again soon, but until then, I hope everything is going well!

Lucas