Here we come Mamire!
As orientation came to an end, the groups were formed and dispersed to the 6 main villages, and 3 sub-villages of Mamire Ward. As we loaded up each village into the SIC landrover, the volunteers and teaching partners were mixed with excitement and anxiousness, but nerves were settled as soon as we arrived at the village. The site of Mamire was jaw dropping; many commented on the picturesque sky and the ‘lion king’ trees. Everyone marveled at the beauty of Mamire; going back to simplicity and away from technology can reveal a beauty of its own.
As we drove through each village, we were greeted by the smoke from the kitchens of mamas preparing lunch, and many saw women washing clothes in the stream. This life was so unfamiliar to what everyone has known, yet it didn’t take long for people to adjust. Yes, it has been a challenge not having electricity and using water resourcefully (the nearest water pump is a good walk from our house), but the community has been extremely welcoming and helpful in everyway possible. We have been in Mamire for a little over a week and a half, and the volunteers and teaching partners are already off to a great start. Our first testing day is this Friday, and all groups have already begun teaching in the schools!
After dropping off the volunteers to the various villages and returning to our homestay in Mamire town, as coordinators, we discussed the roles we would have in the village and what we wanted the program to look like. Our first priority to take care of the volunteers and teaching partners and to make sure we can provide any care and need while encouraging them through every task they complete. By doing so, our goal is to visit each village at least once a week, meaning that we may walk up to 2 hours each way to visit a village, or in our case, will take a cattle cart part way when we need a break (true story). We have also been caring for volunteers who have gotten sick, have held weekly meetings at the office, and finishing any loose end work that needs to be completed. Recently, we have also taken up a new project with the Mamire HIV positive support group. Seeing that we had a little extra time on our hands, we have met with one of the homestay mamas and other leaders of the support group to see how we could best help them in the upcoming months. They all agreed that stigma was a huge barrier in the community, but knew that the education the volunteers provided would help combat the misconceptions of the community. They also talked about starting a kuku (chicken) project that would provide an extra income to the patients so that they could buy vegetables and fruit, pay for transportation fees, and other necessities they are unable to afford. As of now, we are in the works or launching this project so that we can give as much as we can in the little time we have in Mamire. I will keep you updated on the progress of the project and will provide more details when they are available. Thank you again for all of your support!
