Juba Training Week One

Intra-Africa Hotel

 This week Pamela and I completed a five-day Training of Trainers (TOT).  We worked with 11 ARC health officers mostly with nursing backgrounds from 6 different ARC sites in South Sudan (Juba, Wau, Kapoeta, Nimule, Kajokeji and Malakal).  The goal is for them to roll-out their own training of Home Health Promotors (Community Health Educators) in the next month to improve family planning in the community.
Intra-Africa was a very nice hotel where the trainees stayed during the week.  It is right on the Nile River which was nice to see but meant LOTS of mosquito bites for me. 

 The ARC staff was really wonderful.  Young, energetic, smart and really motivated to do hard work in RH implementation.  Most had a lot of experience already with patients and counseling so we focused on how to teach, give presentations and be organized for their training sessions.

Our conference room

IntraAfrica restaurant on the Nile

Pamela

Areas surrounding the hotel

 It was wonderful to co-train with Pamela.  She has so much experience training midwives, nurses, and health officers in Emergency OB care, postabortion care and family planning.  Here are some pictures of her in action . . .

 The group was very diverse coming from all over South Sudan.  Every day we had tea breaks in the morning and afternoon as well as a lunch break.  I tried to sit with different people everyday to hear what life is like back home and what it was like growing up here.  Many did nursing school in Uganda during the war, but a few from the Malakal area stayed behind. 

Our tallest student, around 6'8"!! He says his brother is a bit taller too

 The trainees practiced giving us presentations during the week and really did a nice job.  Pamela and I were very happy with their progress

 On the last day, Gina the country director for ARC and Derebe, the senior health program coordinator, came to hand out certificates to the trainees.  They came up with great Action Plans today in order to reach the ARC/UNFPA goal of training 270 HHPs by December.  I think they can do it!

Next week, Pamela and I will move on to training midwives and MDs in family planning theory and delivery.  We will be both in the same conference room giving presentations and then moving on to a nearby Marie Stopes clinic which provides family planning care.  We hope to expose them to enough patients to be competent in IUD and implant insertions so they can bring their new skills back to Juba teaching hospital to start delivering those services safely.  Its been quite a week. . . we're looking forward to recharging this weekend so we have enough energy for next week.  Plans for the weekend. . . going to the market so Pamela can teach me how to cook some Kenyan food, finding a football game, resting up and preparing slides for next week!  Hope you're all well.  Sorry to disappoint some but not posting sooner, but the days are LONG!! Rest assured I am very safe, comfortable and enjoying myself.  I can't believe I've been gone two weeks already!  Much love, Tara

The group with Pamela