Ambassador Todd Lewis (Uganda / Winter 2011) is gaining momentum at Project Bumwalukani.  The self-guided primary health education development project he will be tackling

FIMRC Ambassador Todd Lewis

aims to equip Community Health Educators, teachers, and Global Health Volunteers with a curriculum to follow.  Project Bumwalukani's robust outreach program will be able to take this new tool and run with it.  Faculty and students at partner organization Arlington Academy of Hope will also benefit from Todd's project.  The target audience is primary grades 1-7.

We recently caught up with Todd and he shared some of his most memorable experiences from his first few weeks on site.  These excerpts were taken from that encounter.

Welcomings are of crucial importance to Ugandan culture.  I will enter a room, and everyone will approach to grasp my hand (and let it linger) while insisting repeatedly: "You are most welcome, you are most welcome!"  They are the first hosts to offer you a comfy chair, a cool drink, and a massive feast.  That said, not all welcomes are normal.  After flying from Newark, NJ, to London and finally to Entebbe/Kampala (Uganda's large and fairly modern capital), I had an eight hour drive to the small district of Bududa in the east along the border with  Kenya.  The congested asphalt roads and multi-story buildings of the city gave way to smaller towns and clearer roads, which gave way to sugar cane plantations and the occasional trading post, which finally slowed to rolling hills and roads of dirt more populated by boda-bodas (motorbikes), matatus (Swahili for small taxi buses, or "tro tros" for those who read my Togo blog entries), and pedestrians than by anything else.  The man driving me, Jowali, was very kind and pointed out interesting sights as we drove.  "Kikira sugar plantation on your left," he would say pleasantly, "Very fancy house on the right."  My head lolled occasionally, the warm African sun above, the (mostly) smooth road below, and the soft melodies of American country music wafting from Jowali's tape deck.  Kenney Chesney + Dolly Parton + Todd + Jetlag = well...I am sure you can guess.

Today is my one week anniversary in Bududa.  So far, so good. The landscape is unbeatable.  Mt. Nusu stands stoic and proud near our house, warm greens crawling up its steep sides.  Banana trees, coffee plants, sugar cane, and tea are grown everywhere.  The food is very basic-standard beans and rice, though the fruit is exceptional; it is juicy and sweet, and second only perhaps to the fruit of southern Vietnam.  Luckily, meat is expensive and not often served.  One obstacle overcome!

Here, in the pearl of Africa, I am absorbing an immense amount of knowledge and experience. Everyday living is a great challenge, as basic necessities are often hard to come by and require so much more labor to procure.  But the new and unimaginable experiences are already accumulating. Yesterday I helped a friend and neighbor prepare and roast 15 kilos of Ugandan coffee.  On another day my friend James gave me a thorough lesson in Lugisu, the local language.  On Thursday I visited a large market and watched livestock get slaughtered after auction.  The unexpected seems to be waiting around every corner in this beautiful, welcoming land and suddenly, a few months far from home just doesn't seem that long.  I see nothing but opportunity on the bright, mountainous horizon.

And thanks to a tip from FOM Lisa's husband, I have a theme for my trip: Capture the magic and enjoy it.

Interested in participating in FIMRC's Internship Program? Contact us at internshipprogram@fimrc.org.

All the Wabash men that have crossed paths with FIMRC have left a lasting impression.  Calculated, driven, and chivalrous are the first three words that come to mind when thinking of them.  They seize upon any opportunity that presents itself, whether it is taking the reins of a community health education session in Latin America with muy poquito español or administering vaccinations to fearful newborns.  That being said, it should come to no surprise that a number of students elected to spend their spring breaks this year taking part in immersion learning through FIMRC's Global Health Volunteer Program.  Click here to read stories from these ambitious undergrads.

Interested in participating in FIMRC's Global Health Volunteer Program? Contact us at missions@fimrc.org.

The FIMRC national office in Philadelphia welcomed 66 boxes of prenatal vitamins for future distribution to Project Bumwalukani in Uganda.  Pictures are worth a 1,000 words and in the image below, you can add 2,398 pounds of kindness to the equation!  Thanks again, Vitamin Angels, for your generosity.

Meredith, John & Evan Look Small Next to Donations

Field Operations Manager (FOM) for Project Limón in Nicaragua, Rob Orton, has successfully launched the long awaited Pediatric Health Program.  After an extensive recruitment process spearheaded by Rob, Dr. Carlos Abel Morales joined the cause to provide triage healthcare to the children of Las Salinas and surrounding communities last month.  The following quote from local a mother is a testament to the immediate impact of the project. "The FIMRC pediatric program is an excellent idea that has brought satisfaction to all of the mothers that have utilized the service.  The

Project Limón FOM Rob

health of our children is important but because of economic limitations, many mothers don't have the ability

to bring our children to be treated by a specialist.Today, thanks to God and FIMRC we have this ability and we feel very happy because the attention that Dr. Morales provides is very good and furthermore he is very caring with the children."

With a fully equipped clinic and work space to call their own, Global Health Volunteers, Ambassadors, and Fellows alike will be at the forefront of preventative and acute consultations at Project Limón.  FIMRC would like to recognize Rob's diligence in getting this program on its feet and running.