November 12, 2009

It’s been awhile since I updated you on life in Nabob- so let me get you up to speed.

Last week I was supposed to finish conducting interviews in Dandora, but my mobilization team from DEK surprised me by recruiting two more HIV positive women, since I had mentioned that it the sample group under-represented Deaf persons who are living positive. Obviously there is a lot of stigma surrounding being positive, especially if you are disabled. DEK worked hard to get these women to agree to the interview, and they both were honest and candid about their experience. One woman was far more confident and comfortable, and I had seen her in a HIV workshop before, volunteering dramatically and enthusiastically to demonstrate the correct way to put a condom on a Coke bottle. She said being open about her status enables her to help others learn how to protect themselves. She even invited me to an HIV positive support group at Liverpool VCT in two weeks. It should be very informative and insightful.

Once those interviews wrapped up, I rushed back to the office to fill in the last columns in my beautiful excel spreadsheet. Little did I know what a mistake that was… I asked some colleagues in the office to help me manipulate the data, in order to cross-reference multiple questions, for example, how many women (gender q) from Dandora (residential q) who haven’t attended an HIV seminar (HIV means of education q) know that married people can get HIV? Okay, maybe I am being a little too complicated for my own good, but it turns out you can’t do any of that with excel (please don’t write to me and say you can, I’ve literally spent 3 days transferring my data manually to access- who knew they’re not “copy paste” compatible?).

In the mean time, I was asked to sit in on a screening of Handicap International’s new Diabetes in Africa video. It was a thought-provoking film, and it generated a lot of questions among the staff, as diabetes is on the rise in most of the developing world, and countries such as Mali, Kenya and Tanzania are ill-equipped to treat this disease. Diabetes used to be considered a disease of the rich, because it is associated with eating high-fat, high-sugar content foods and a sedentary lifestyle. This stereotype no longer holds water, as cheap processed and packaged foods have become just as readily available in Africa as in Europe and North America. The worrisome trends in increased usage of motorized transport and “desk-jobs” are also contributing to the rise in diabetes, along with increased stress levels. The film graphically depicted the grim outcomes of several people who had minor foot and hand injuries, which left untreated, had to be amputated due to gangrene. A few issues were raised in the film, about the chronic nature of the disease, and how it is more expensive to treat over a lifetime with insulin and medication, than through preventative measures early on. In addition to contracting a chronic disease, many people will become blind or physically disabled because of complications in managing diabetes. Also, the regular usage of needles for injecting insulin, if not disposed of properly, could pose another serious health risk; spreading HIV through used needles. It might not be such a significant vector for HIV, but on top of all the forces working against the health care systems in the African countries profiled in the film, they don’t have a lot of resources to spare on the odd case of HIV contracted from diabetic needles.

Last week while driving to work, my colleague noticed a pregnant woman attempting to cross the street with the assistance of two men, over to Kenyatta Hospital, a very busy street during rush-hour. No one was stopping to let them cross, and judging from the woman’s expression, the baby was about ready to make its debut on the street if she didn’t get there fast. So we offered them a ride to the hospital, which was on the way to work anyway. We pulled up to the main entrance, and just as the woman was getting out of the car, the security guard slammed the door shut on her, to let his boss, presumably the hospital director, pass by in his shiny blue Benz to get into his parking spot. There were some heated words exchanged in Swahili, but my colleague said he didn’t blame the security guard, since he was likely uneducated and told his job was to keep the driveway clear for his boss, and nothing else. It was just another unfortunate microcosm in the world of Kenya.

Later in a staff meeting, we were instructed not to help anyone experiencing car trouble or if they slip in the road, because there have been reported incidences of car-jacking and robbery when people try to be good Samaritans. I know we did the right thing, and there was no way that lady was faking, but it’s sad to think that other people like that woman, in serious need, will be ignored because of fear of theft or worse.

This week, while waiting to get some technical advice on my data manipulations, from an IT whiz friend of a colleague, I was asked to edit the HI Kenya monthly newsletter. I was really impressed with the variety and scope of the projects HI is working on. They avoid the charity-based approach to disability, and instead focus on human rights issues, disability mainstreaming, and peer education. Many of the articles were written by disabled persons or persons living with HIV.

This week has been a bit lonely at work, since nearly half the HI team is in Gariassa on a training mission. My friend Karen, who I went to Lake Naviasha with back in September, is in Nairobi for the week, so we went out to lunch together on Tuesday, with her colleague Hassan, a doctor from Somalia. It was really fun catching up and hearing about their proposallitis, since they had written 6 proposals in 6 weeks, totaling over 2 million dollars. Let’s pray they get the dough!

After work, we decided to meet up for beers at Sipper’s, a nice pub not too far from work, where Agata and I have become regulars. We were about half-way through our beers, when a colleague from HI’s disability inclusion team, James, sent Karen an sms, wanting to meet her for beers, so we invited him to join us. James lived in Sudan for over a year, and Karen had also lived there briefly, so they lots of stories to share, and Karen suggested James come to visit her team in Somaliland to give them some more background on disability inclusion. Neither of them had ever been to Sipper’s, but we all agreed we should make it a regular thing, since we enjoyed the conversation, food, drinks and live entertainment. The singer/guitarist had an amazing voice like a Kenyan version of Angelique Kidjo. I think I will go back next Tuesday with Agata and her neighbor, David, who we’ve recently befriended, since he’s wanted to go there for a long time, and I’ll try to get their album.

Today Agata and I are leaving for Mombassa! So excited to sit on the beach, get a tan, ride a camel and go dolphin-petting! We’re staying in these huts on giant poles- the hostel is called Stilts- go figure! I’m sure it will be just as amazing as all of our other adventures so far!

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