A Face in the Numbers

Numbers surround us and overwhelm us on a daily basis. From trying to calculate the exchange rate for finances to reviewing attendance numbers of outreaches and interventions, I often forget that each number has a person or commodity attached to it. Every participation sheet for an outreach represents real people and their stories. In my […]

Understanding Uganda’s MDG Progress

2015 may be just another calendar year, or maybe not, as it marks the final year for the implementation of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2015. The implementation years for the MDGs were 1990 to 2015. It is also a year away from 2016 – when Uganda holds its next general elections. I would like to […]

Throw Back to Uganda 1991

The HIV incidence in Uganda is on the rise. According to the Ugandan Ministry of Health, the prevalence of HIV has increased from 6.4% in 2005 to 7.3% as of September of last year. As seen in many other countries around the world, the young and single cohort is not the only segment driving the […]

The confusing maze of influences and influencers in advocacy

During the Article 25 Global Day of Action, a group of Ugandan-based Global Health Corps (GHC) fellows joined Uganda Development and Health Associates (UDHA) on the islands of Kaaza and Serinyabi in Mayuge District. These islands are located in Lake Victoria, and have no health facilities. The series of events started the night of October […]

Happiness Toolkit

Living and working in Uganda isn’t easy. Picture this: you’re working in a country that has totally different customs, languages and cultures (yes, multiple) from your own. So you’re trying to wrap your head around the incredible diversity around you while picking up words in the various languages you hear. You’re trying to learn when […]

What’s Love (and Health) Got To Do With It?

In a report releases in August this year, UNICEF shook up much of the global health community by estimating that by 2050, 40% of the children under five in the world will be African. The total population of the African continent, currently around 1.1 billion, is projected to increase to 4.2 billion by 2100. Those […]

An Awkward Moment for a Year of Dignity

“Does someone want to tell me how they feel when they have their period? Or how long their period lasts?” says Rebeka Kabugho, ACODEV Project Officer, to a classroom full of adolescent girls in an effort to break the ice about menstruation. At first the girls look around the room giggling, shy to share their personal […]

Young People Living with HIV/AIDS and Sexuality: What’s the deal?

Few things are more rejuvenating than working with young people and I am privileged to be doing just that. I work for Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation in Uganda as an Advocacy and Communications Specialist. I have been at Baylor-Uganda for over six months and while much remains the same in terms of how […]

Why Growing Old Is Admirable No More

The word ‘old’ used to be synonymous with the words: respect, wisdom, intelligence, experience, seniority, blessings, leadership. Old persons (“the elderly”) were seen as a source of inspiration and were responsible for nurturing future generations based on their long life experiences with the notion “Experience is the best teacher” being widely accepted. My father once […]

Challenging the barriers to health care by challenging our values

When settling into a new country, one must go through a process, if you may, in order to adapt to his or her new surroundings. Moves aren’t easy, but as humans we’re wired to acclimate to our surroundings for survival. It’s been two months since I started my fellowship here in Uganda, and it’s been […]