Hello from Uganda!

Mulembe! (Hello!)

Our group has made it safely to Uganda! Thanks to our generous donors, we were able to collect about 300 pounds of supplies to take with us. It turned out to be quite a challenge to get all of our donations to our village in Bududa, but we made it! The FIMRC staff was thrilled by everything we brought from coloring books to ultrasound gel to a microscope for their lab.

We spent the first week getting acquainted with our community and the clinic. Everyone at the clinic has been extremely welcoming and eager to have us jump in on a variety of projects. In our first few days, we have participated in various community outreach activities including treating mosquito nets, conducting household health assessments, and delivering deworming medications to local children. Yesterday, we had the opportunity to assist in a Girls' Empowerment Camp where we taught proper hand washing technique and practiced sewing skills with girls ages 6-17. Afterwards, we conducted a class for the Women's Community Group. During this class, we discussed common misconceptions about menstrual cycles, answered a variety of questions, and taught the women how to make washable/reusable menstrual pads.

We are currently at a guesthouse in Mbale, the largest city near our village. We will be in Mbale for a few hours to check e-mail, update the blog, and contact our families. From here, we are headed to Jinja where we will be whitewater rafting on the Nile! Our regular guesthouse in Bududa does not have Internet access so it may be a while before we can write another post. We look forward to updating you on our adventures in Uganda.

Thank you again to all of our donors and everyone who has supported us in this journey!