Big Happenings

Wednesday morning at the health center, and suddenly two shiny silver UN vehicles pull into the compound. I look on with some interest as people climb out, carrying cameras, video cameras, and notepads, people who clearly aren't from around here. Before I know it, the pediatric ward is abuzz with activity, people snapping pictures and taking video footage of some of the most pathetic malnutrition cases, and vying for Jennifer's attention, asking her questions and carefully recording her answers.

As it turns out, today was the launch of a major child malnutrition campaign in Bundibugyo, spearheaded by the World Food Program, and WFP staff and newspapers reporters were looking for information for their pieces on the project. The scene on the ward was unlike any I've seen, the mothers chattering back and forth, probably amused and confused by the commotion. Pitiful little Kabasa, a five year old with horrible malnutrition resulting in massive edema and his skin deteriorating, probably had 200 pictures taken of him, but he, and his father, seemed to like the attention. I was glad that the reporters also wanted to speak with the families of these kids, not only to the hospital staff. Perhaps people who never have a voice will be heard, or will at least feel that someone wants to hear. That, however, is probably overly optimistic.

When Jennifer mentioned one of the programs that I work on she indicated my involvement, and soon reporters turned to me with their questions. Mostly, I was afraid of saying the wrong thing, saying something that would somehow hinder efforts to address malnutrition in the district, or would cast the work being done in a poor light. But there I was, taking questions from reporters from the two biggest national newspapers in Uganda, and almost laughing that they felt that talking to me might be worthwhile. Finally, they asked me for my name and my title, so that they could site their sources. I froze - what is my tittle? I don't have one! But I can't tell them that. Some jocular titles that I've considered for myself here flashed through my mind - assistant bean counter, head of vermin control, nondescript duties officer - but in the end I stammered out something about being a nutrition worker with World Harvest.

It was interesting to hear these reporters talking to Jennifer and trying to get the one phrase that summed up the problem, the core of the issue, while she kept repeating that it is much more complex that any one thing. There's no one thing causing malnutrition here, rather it is a host of problems like child spacing, increased cash cropping, low education levels (especially among girls), and families splitting, leaving the kids with only one parent to provide. The outside agencies want the key point, the issue to address, the sound byte, the target, the money raiser, which isn't a bad thing to want, but the reality is not nearly so straight forward.

Today was the big event, a major gathering in Bundibugyo town, including members of parliament, the district governor, district health officials, and the WFP country director for Uganda. Of course, the program started about an hour and a half late, but here that's actually pretty good. A march through town, led by a marching band (this is crazy stuff for Bundibugyo) kicked off the event. Singing, dancing, and dramas about nutrition provided the entertainment, and in addition to the one or two hundred invited guests, there were hundreds of people who crowded into the open boma grounds to see the spectacle and listen to the speeches. There were some good messages, and while a lot of the program seemed to be just for show, and I'm still hazy on what the program being launched actually is, it was great to see the awareness of the need, and to hear of the commitment of the WFP to the district. This sort of activity and awareness could do good things for this place.

But one of the coolest aspect of the event was that the impetus behind it came largely from research done by World Harvest missionaries. The BBB program that I work on was started by Stephanie Jilcott, a PhD in nutrition who has published research done on malnutrition in Bundibugyo, and this program was furthered by the work of Scott Ickes, whose doctorate was based on his work with BBB. They have both recently presented and published research on malnutrition here, and this major WFP campaign seems to stem directly from that. One WFP worker who I met, an American, asked me, "So do you know Scott Ickes? I've talked with him about this program and we've look at his research a lot." It was thrilling to see the hard, and sometimes tedious, work of other World Harvest people paying off in such big ways - big enough that the UN and WFP are deciding to make Bundibugyo a major focus for their work in Uganda.