I’ve been back from America now for just over a month and am
really enjoying my third year in Ethiopia. While back home I truly enjoyed
seeing family, hanging out with friends and eating good wholesome home cooked
meals. Cooking in a proper kitchen again was wonderful and the use of a regular
washer and dryer. We are very grateful to have all of those little luxuries
that make America what it is today.
Since returning to Ethiopia I have pretty much settled into
my Mekele house and love being in a big city with regular internet, electrical
and anything I need. Lately, work has been going well with the Non-Governmental
Organization (NGO). Back in Adigudom (my
2 year placement site) I’ve been documenting the daily life of a Health
Extension Worker (HEW). These young ladies are trained mostly in prevention and
education as it relates to contraception, immunizations, and overall sanitation
in the Ethiopian health system.
HEWs have the hardest job in the world, are paid very little
for the services they provide, and still some of the most caring individuals I’ve
met. Most HEWs walk several hours a day out in the weather elements going house
to house educating some of the most rural individuals. Just yesterday, I went
on a two hour hike with the translator and a local HEW to an outreach
immunization session. It was a pretty amazing walk, up and down and around
mountain sides. Then for the HEW it was six hours of providing vaccines to the
local newborns in the community.
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| 2 HEW at a Vaccination Session |
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| HEW collecting documentation for the new Family Folder System |
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| Another Vaccination Session |
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| Hiking to a vaccination session |
In addition, to observing several immunization sessions I
was able to experience my first Polio Campaign. The neighboring country of Somalia
is under civil unarrest and experiencing an awful famine. This has led to several
thousands of Somali refugees coming into Ethiopia, which has brought several
cases of polio outbreaks in Ethiopia. The World Health Organization decided to
put on a polio campaign in Ethiopia to stop the spread of polio. That
particular day I was also out with a rural HEW and I can officially say that
was one of the hardest working days I’ve ever had, climbing down a mountain
side and then going house to house to distribute polio vaccines to children
under five. It sounds like there will be at least 2 more rounds of this polio
campaign to make sure all children in Ethiopia are vaccinated against this
disease.
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| Polio Campaign (don't worry this is just the older sister to the infant) |
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| Hike down into the valley for the Polio campaign |
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| Checking for Malnutrition |
In the weeks to come, with some anlaysis of the data I’m
collecting I hope to help establish a solid defaulter tracing strategy and
present that to the NGO. The county I’m working has done a great job at finding
children who do not return to receive the rest of their vaccinations… More to
come as it relates to this topic.
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| Harvesting Grain |
