After a long journey totaling approximately 24 hours including about 20 hours of flight time, we finally arrived at the airport in Entebbe, Uganda, on the night of June 3rd, where one of our On-Site Coordinators, Peter, was waiting for us. The city of Entebbe is about 30 minutes from the capital, Kampala, and we are currently about to spend our second night in the Golf View Inn in Entebbe (sleeping under a mosquito net, of course), where the students, Peter, and another O.S. Coordinator, Jacques, as well as our Faculty Coordinator, Dr. Alex, are staying for the first couple of nights in the country.
Kampala
The agenda for today led us into Kampala for a day filled with visits to many places of interest. Although the surrounding area was not very visible last night, we were able to observe the landscape on the way to the capital. I was not sure what to expect the city to look like, but a few minutes on the road revealed a landscape of lush, rolling land filled with a diversity of trees and foliage, thousands of homes scattered on the hillsides, and a main road lined with thousands of small shed-like stores and houses pressed against one another. Another highlight was the presence of many birds, ranging from small sparrow-sized species to huge stork-like creatures, all of whom were surprisingly more than comfortable hanging out on buildings in even the most crowded and urbanized areas of the city.
The Uganda Museum
After exchanging US dollars for Ugandan shillings at the Forex Bureau at the Grand Imperial Hotel, we proceeded to our first stop, the Uganda Museum. The museum itself was an eclectic mix of exhibits that pertained specifically to Uganda and its history as well as additional exhibits explaining the science or research of topics somehow related to the nature, resources, culture, and life of Uganda. Although not a large museum in contrast to what you may find in large cities of the US, the various halls showcased more than we had the time to see. Out of all the exhibits, I think I enjoyed those showcasing the various tribes and anthropological history of the Ugandan tribes the best, as these exhibits had some of the most fascinating artifacts. Another nice area was that showcasing traditional music, where we even had a chance to try out some traditional instruments.
Above you can see some traditional recreation tools from a variety of Ugandan tribes.
Mulago Hospital
Our next stop was Mulago hospital, one of the best and largest government-funded hospitals in the country, where over 800 patients were being treated in a facility designed to care for 600. After getting lunch in a small restaurant in the hospital, one of our community partners, Dr. Ben, led us through a tour of the facilities. The various healthcare workers we met through the tour showed us around various departments of the hospital and told us about the most common health problems of their patients, including malaria and diabetes. We also had the opportunity to look into a couple of wards where many patients lay in beds close to one another, without much privacy, while family members provided individual care which the hospital does not have the manpower or resources to give its patients, such as meal preparation, cleaning, and such assistance. The wards, however, do not have enough beds for all patients, and many of them were in beds in the halls or on mats on the floors, accompanied by family members who were either with them during visiting hours or camping out on the floor of small lobbies while doctors and nurses made their rounds. At the end of the tour, we stopped by the sixth and highest floor of the hospital, where patients who are able to pay for their healthcare can stay and be treated in private, cleaner, more attentive areas during their hospital stay.
Makerere University and the Bull with a Leg Growing Out of Its Back
Following the hospital visit, while 4 members of our group spoke to leaders in the Ministry of Health about our project proposals, the rest of us went to Makerere University, where we visited the computer and information technology department as well as the veterinary faculty, which housed departments of veterinary medicine, microbiology, molecular biology, wildlife management, and others. There we spoke to some students researching Trypanosome, the protozoan responsible for sleeping sickness, which is spread by the Tsetse fly. We were even able to visit some of their labs, where despite the limited resources they have for conducting biomedical research, the staff is making important contributions to the understanding of the protozoan’s biology in order to better identify particular strains of the pathogen and to isolate proteins that are necessary for its survival. This will ultimately increase the surveillance, prevention, and treatment of the disease. Additionally, we visited a lab researching and contributing to the surveillance of H5N1 influenza, the avian flu, which has not actually ever been observed in Uganda, but serves as part of a task force created in response to the outbreak in Southeast Asia a few years ago. This lab was significantly more modern and better equipped, which may be explained by its funding from the Walter Reed Foundation. While at the university we were also able to see the surgery theaters for small animals and pets, as well as look at the area where experimental animals were kept outside from a distance. This was the home of the most fascinatingly bizarre animal I have ever seen, an Ankole bull with AN EXTRA LIMB GROWING OUT OF ITS BACK.
There are two schools of thought as how this came about – either another fetus in its mother’s womb merged with him and became incorporated into its body, or it might be due to a genetic or developmental defect. Either way, it is awesome.
Finally, we also visited the largest Anglican cathedral in the country. It was interesting to hear during the short tour of the cathedral was the influence of history and colonialism in the spirituality and religiosity of the protestant sector of Ugandan society and to observe the impact it must have today.
Well, tomorrow we leave for Mbarara, the city where we will actually be working in for the summer. Until next time, I hope to find some internet source so that I can actually post this entry. But please feel free to comment and ask any questions or let me know what kind of things you want to be hearing about. I realize this was a long entry but there was so much I didn’t want to skip. I hope you are all well!
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