Hey friends! So it's clear that I'm already behind on this "every wedneday" update plan. Oh well, at least this is a start!
So yesterday I had the priviledge of meeting Centurio Ballikowa! He lives in Kampala and is a teacher at the Kibuye School where I will be working. He is our in-Kampala chaperone and it was good to ask him questions. I was astonished both by how well he spoke english and how hard it was so understand him with his very thick accent. He taught us some cultural differences, such as the prevalence of extremely long hand shakes every time you meet someone new or if they agree with what you're saying. He also taught us some Lugandan which is the slang dialetic in Uganda. The official languages are English and Swahili, but it was fun to learn some basic phrases such as "hello," "how are you?" and the always important, "Can you help me?". The problem is that I already forget how to say them! It's become apparent to me why other nations think American's have "lazy tongues"...I just can't pronounce certain combinations of letters at the speed at which is customary. I guess I still have time to work on this!
We also had a speaker named Henry who moved to Nashville from Kampala 9 years ago, and two speakers, Rusty and Josh, who spent a year traveling to 3rd world countries (India, Khazkstan, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Brazil), and each of these men had great advice to give. I am very certain that I will come back from this experience a changed person!
Here are some quick facts about the AIDs epidemic. While I will not be working predominately with the HIV/AIDs population, the majority of my friends will.
-While Sub-Sarahan Africa accounts for only 10% of the global population, it houses over 70% of the global HIV-positive population.
-Unfortunately, it is estimated that 9 out of 10 HIV-positive women in developing countries DO NOT know that they are infected
-An average of at least 1 american under the age of 22 becomes infected with HIV every hour of every day.
-The median age in Uganda is only 14.9 years old, and the life expectance is 51 years.
-According to the Ugandan Ministry of Health, it needs approximately FOUR U.S. dollars a year to adequately deliver drugs to those in need (for TB, malaria, Antiretrovirals for HIV treatment, diarrea, etc), and currently can only spend about $1.67. In comparison, Canada spends about $3037 per person, per year on health.
-The average yearly income in Uganda is $240 U.S. dollars.
-Uganda and Thailand are the only two developing countries that have been able to halt the prevelance of new HIV diagnoses since 1986.
-In Uganda, this halt has been attributed to the ABC campaign: Abstinence, Be faithful, use Condoms.
-This last one is for grandma! There are currently 16 million children orphaned in Sub-Saharan African, and due to the cultural value of family, most Africans are more likely to take care of their own than support an orphanage. Because of this, most of the burden has fallen onto grandmothers, who are becoming responsible for their grandkids, many of whom are HIV-positive, after their children succomb to AIDs. This is why grandmothers are known as the unsung heros of the fight against AIDS.
Hope you found this information helpful and shocking, and that you take a moment to realize how blessed we all are to simply have been born in this country. More updates to come later!
