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| Dr. Dorothy, Leah, Rita, me and Pamela |
I am also overwhelmed by the change I have seen this week. Shy, introverted people who could not communicate with me on the first day--and not from the language barrier. Some crossed their arms and frowned while I spoke about improving the health of South Sudan through family planning and females getting educated. Sensing their disapproval, I asked if they disagreed and to share, but they did not want to open up to talk or explain their experiences to us, or what felt like was just against me. By yesterday morning somehow, they were raising their hands, clapping and getting involved in role plays and small groups. Today, one of those women in the most endearing attempt at English asked me for my email and phone number back home.
Maybe it was all just my new dress. Pamela and I went shopping in Jeybel market in Juba last week and I picked out a dress that looked like a common style I saw women wear in Juba. I figured it would be a nice keepsake and something to wear for the training in Wau. Though women in Wau drape themselves more like those in the north, they really liked my dress. They said I looked "very smart", which means sharp I think (Pamela says it a lot). They were sad though that I didn't have a headwrap so one of the women gave me her scarf to borrow to take a picture. Rita put it on my head, like she wears hers and was about to give me a big hug when that picture was taken. I think that was a good warmup to the day today!
This morning we discussed emergency contraception and gender-based violence. Some shared stories of women from the area who have been raped or clients they have taken care of. Two of the participants are trained in CMR, clinical management of rape and have given out emergency contraception before.
The next session, Rita led on her own while Pamela, Leah and I went to meet with Dr. Archanglo at the MOH. We thanked him for his support for the family planning training and I introduced myself and described my experiences so far in South Sudan with ARC. He is a very nice, gentle man who is committed to improving the health of Western Bahr el Ghazal. We not only discussed family planning but also how the war has affected the country and how much development needs to be done. How can a hospital run when there is no city power or clean running water? A very humble man, he spoke about his own home not having electricity for the past two weeks because the generator has been down, so he is aware what challenges exist. He is originally from Wau, but during the war, UNHCR evacuated the area and his family was moved to Fargo, yes Fargo! They then moved to Rochester, MN where he lived for twelve years and where his family still lives today. He was very proud talking about his three children who have all graduated from US universities and are doing well. He says he knew he had to come back to help his country despite being away from his wife and children.
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| Pamela, Dr. Archanglo and me |
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| Practicing IUD placements |
I want to come back and plan on it as I told Dr. Archanglo today. I refuse to say goodbye to my new friends tomorrow. I had breakfast with Rita this morning and we were talking about me leaving and how we would miss each other. She said, "my daughter, you need to continue to serve these people. I will pray that you will come back and we will see you again." We've made small steps these last few weeks but I think its a pretty good foundation to build on. A piece of my heart will be here waiting
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| Training participants for the week |
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