The YOTKOM UGANDA leadership team

We have just had a Directors meeting for the Yotkom project at my home base here in Kitgum and I am feeling very blessed to be working with such a great team. There is  a real sense of unity and shared vision among us. Listening to my colleagues share in the meeting is so heartening. I feel it is a real privilege to work with my Ugandan  friends here and it will be with some sense of loss that I leave to return to Australia on Sunday.

Our leadership team today consisted of Dr Vincent Oringa, Clinical Officers Peter Omara and Richard Yulam, Chaplain Concy Amigo, Engineer and Architect  Andrew Kilama and myself.
 Dr Charles Abonga was unable to join us due to his ongoing specialist training in Mbarara in Western Uganda.  These people have commitment, passion, integrity and enthusiasm .
They are formidable !

Its been four weeks of  busy activity as we strengthen our foundations and prepare for a building project in 2015. We are ready and have done our part. We now need to trust and pray that God will provide all that is needed in the way of resources through the generous giving of our partners in Australia.
We believe with the addition of a building constructed to house our medical team we can provide a high quality , compassionate and sustainable health care facility to the disadvantaged community of Kitgum.

our focus is on CARING FOR THE SICK

TEACHING AND TRAINING-  Surgeon Dr Moses works alongside Clinical Officer Richard performing procedures

PREVENTATIVE HEALTH and COMMUNITY EDUCATION - our Nurse and Chaplain share on FM Radio about Womens Health issues

 

Brainstorming ideas on income generation

we are using some green hat thinking here, exploring ways to improve our income generation.
We have a rented shop which is functioning as  a pharmacy and the Yotkom Office.
As a result of our work with DAYS for GIRLS, we have purchased a sewing machine and employed Rhoda to sew the materials necessary to produce Days for Girls sanitary products. We hope to sell a pack for 12000 shillings, which is about $5 Australian.

This pack provides protection for young women and school students and can be used and reused for a period of up to 3 years. The alternative is to buy disposable items . These cost the same amount but only last 3 months, so the DFG products make sound economic sense. We hope to make small profits but also use our facility to make the free packs which are given out as part of our school teaching program.
We are also talking to an African artist who might brighten up our shop and sell more of his artwork..We will take a small commission for sales. His name is Joshua and he is going to paint an African   DFG  logo for our shop wall.

The Nurse assistants who staff the pharmacy are also keen, when not busy,  to learn to make necklaces which we sell in Australia to help raise funds.
The team here are very enthusiastic.

Andrew is enjoying opportunities to network with other health professionals here.
Dr Aniel Cherian is the director of a training school for South Sudan Clinical Officers. The school is sponsored by the International Christian Medical and Dental Fellowship. He travelled the 10 hour bus trip from Kampala and stayed with Andrew for2  nights. He is planning to bring the trainee Doctors to Kitgum and will develop a partnership with Yotkom and St Josephs Hospital in order to give them a wide range of valuable supervised experience.

Before he left , Pat Holdsworth was able to give some valuable medical equipment to St Josephs Hospital and the Yotkom/Bregma Clinic. The equipment will facilitate training and the care of emergencies such as cardiac arrest , fractures and spinal injuries. Pat is planning to return in 2015 to follow up on is work.

A container is coming with more medical supplies in about one months time thanks to the generosity of the Mater Hospital Brisbane and the hard work of Graham Carter.

On Friday, Andrew is teaching at the medical grand rounds at St Josephs Hospital on the topic of Acute Asthma.

Finalising Building Plans

WE have been collaborating with local draughtsman and project manager, Andrew Kilama to finalise plans for the Yotkom Medical Centre and also the guesthouse which will be located on  separate land. We have asked three local builders who have a good reputation to provide us with quotations to build.
Currently we have a vision to commence building by February next year in order to beat the wet season. The Gateway church Christmas offerings will be a major boost to our fundraising efforts for the construction. Other gifts toward this task are warmly welcomed and are tax deductible.

Andrew is planning to return to Kitgum in early 2015 and stay on site for at least 2 months with his wife Anne . He will be  working alongside the Yotkom medical team and also monitoring the building process.  Other engineering and project management professionals from Australia are also considering assisting us.

working on building plans

 

marking out site of guesthouse

 

planting trees on guesthouse site

 

PAt and Maree plant Pawpaw

 

Andrew Kilama and family

 

outside church on Sunday

 

 

 

Training and Networking in Gulu

Our female team members are feeling very happy after eating some of Andrews chocolate stash and trying on their newly made African dresses.
They have been working today to set up a sewing corner in our Yotkom Drug Shop. We have purchased a treadle sewing machine and plan to find ways of sewing and distributing the Days for Girls kits to the Kitgum community.
Days for Girls
The reception from the schools we have visited has been great and our Clinic nurses, Winnie and Florence along with Concy our chaplain have been very animated and engaged in their presentations.
These presentations in schools are a wonderful opportunity to deliver highly effective sexual health and safety messages to the young women of Uganda. It is a very important way of preventing transmission of HIV AIDs and other sexually transmitted diseases as well as protecting vulnerable girls from sexual assault and exploitation. Our Yotkom health team  hope to do many more in the district with assistance of funds from Australia

We spent some time today brainstorming ideas to fine tune the plans for the Yotkom Medical Clinic. Our architect and project manager, Andrew Kilama has been applying himself to the task.
 Andrew Wright will be seeking out quotations from builders here  to construct the clinic in 2015.

Earlier in the week Pat and Andrew travelled to Gulu, where we partnered with Prime International to assist in the delivery of a Whole Person Medicine training course to 40 second year Clinical Officer trainees. It went very well and I was impressed by the calibre of the students and their interaction . Much of the teaching was on consulting skills and managing mental health disorders. Three doctors from the UK  worked with us and two of our clinical officers from Kitgum, Richard and Peter , also participated and received certificates.

While in Gulu we were able to make valuable connections with the Hope for Humans Organisation which is working with children with Nodding Syndrome in that district .
Hope for Humans
 Their director, Caesar is coming to Kitgum next week and we will talk about ways we can work together to address the significant problem of Nodding Syndrome amongst children in our  community.

We also took a 6km Boda ride to the Lacor Hospital, a 500 bed facility established by the Catholic Church in 1959. The Medical Superintendent was very welcoming and gave us a guided tour. It was helpful for our clinical officers from Kitgum, 100km away to meet specialists they may need to refer difficult patients to.  The Med Superintendent  shared with us the challenges of running such a major facility. Only  20 % of all running costs come from patient fees , 10% from Government assistance and the remaining 70% is sourced from donors. How difficult it is for these much needed health care facilities to survive in communities where there is so much poverty , unemployment and major disease burdens.

 

Emergency Medicine Training Day

It was encouraging to see the interest shown by the medical staff from Bregma  Medical Clinic , St Joseph's Hospital  and other local clinics at the training day. Most of the staff have never see a resuscitation manikin or tried to resuscitate a patient, this showed in their active involvement in practicing their new skills in CPR. The few who had been trained were pleased at learning the current practice for CPR. 

 After lunch Dr Moses helped in the training adding his valuable experience in shock management and fluid replacement. At the end of the day all were happy to receive a certificate of attendance with good feedback from the students interested in continuing training in the future.

 

 

 

PAT HOLDSWORTH
Paramedic with Yotkom Uganda Team

A few thoughts on my introduction to Kitgum

Visiting Kitgum has been a great experience. We have enjoyed a warm welcome from many people. I have been impressed by how fertile the land is and yet distressed to hear stories about how the impact of the civil war over many years has damaged infrastructure and ravaged social systems.

Yotkom is one organisation that is helping to rebuild this shattered community by building health infrastructure and caring for the needs of the whole person. We have been introduced to a wonderful team of people who are obviously passionate about the way in which they serve their community. There is a bright future ahead if this team retains its commitment to each other and servant attitude they readily display. There is a great expectation that the new facility would increase their capacity to serve their community.

Yesterday was a Ugandan public holiday and we were invited to visit the homes of some key staff in the medical clinic. There is nothing like being in someone's house and meeting family members to help build relationships and understanding. I reflected that back home in Australia there are some friends where I have never been invited to their house. These houses are nothing like ours but conversations, soft drink, photos and many smiling children helped to made us a feel right at home with our new friends.

In the evening we also enjoyed a meal with Lois from Tender Trust at her home. Living with 90+ children under the one roof is daunting, however we experienced great joy among the children as they played football, and later sang songs around the fire. We were also treated to a wonderful display in the African sky as the sun set as an electrical storm passed by. God took centre stage in both  the scenery and in the expressions in voices and prayers of the children.

This morning we heard the news that Dr Vincent's health had taken a turn for the worse. He is highly respected leader in the community and the organisation and so there has been considerable concern about his wellbeing. Please pray for him and his quick recovery.

It's also been interesting to observe Andrew in this environment. As we approached Kitgum he was bubbling like a child at returning to the community. He fits right in and obviously has a deep love for his friends in this place. He is equally respected and loved by them. His enthusiasm for the people and the potential opportunities is captivating. I just love the way that God reaches into individuals lives and call them to particular people and places. I reckon he is God's man for this time and place.

Rhys






 

Recording life in Kitgum

 

We are getting to know  Concy, our pastoral care chaplain.

On Wednesday, the women in our team will be travelling to a rural village called Mucwini where they will present the Days for Girls program to the local school.  Nurses working with Yotkom, Florence and Winne,  will also be with them.

 

Pat, our Paramedic has been assessing the triage facilities at Bregma clinic and St Josephs Hospital with a view to identifying ways we can help improve capacity. We have also received an enthusiastic response from the nursing and medical staff working in Kitgum to attend our all day workshop on resuscitation and emergency medicine this Saturday.

Nick, our cinematographer, has been working hard in the heat, recording daily life at bregma medical clinic and hearing stories from the local community and staff who work in the medical centre.

 

Kitgum Day 1

Sorry for delayed post We arrived safely in Kitgum after 12 hours  Long slow drive over potholed road A little scary after dark with on coming buses who don't yield to on coming traffic Accommodation is located behind St Joseph's church surrounded by greenery Quiet until the church bell calls worshippers to daily mass at 6:30am Team are all well just a little tired Today we visited in Bregma clinic to meet and engage with the staff Nick has been busy filming all aspects of their work
About to head to Hospital to meet Dr Pamela Thanks for all you prayer cover