Another Visit!

“To turn, turn, will be our delight, ‘til by turning, turning we come ‘round right.”
–from “‘Tis the Gift”

Yesterday we (me and all of the other trainees) got up really early and took a day trip to visit Michelle, a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) working in a nearby district. It took a while to get there, but Amanda, Sarah, and I sang songs for a lot of the trip, which was super fun! Sarah was a music teacher before she joined the Peace Corps, and Amanda has a really great, unique voice- she brought a song book, so we were singing everything we all knew. Nora and Brett joined in too, and we even sang "'Tis the Gift" in rounds- so much fun! So, finally, we made it to Michelle's site! Michelle is another rockstar volunteer- it's so encouraging to see what great things everyone is doing! Michelle works with MUDINET, the MUkono DIstrict NETwork for People Living With HIV/AIDS. They do a lot of educational outreach to encourage people to get tested. They also go on home visits to people with AIDS, to make sure that they are getting proper care so that they can be as comfortable as possible. Michelle lives in a primary boarding school compound, so she also teaches health and life skills classes to 5th through 7th grades. This particular school was started by a man with HIV, who we got to meet and talk to. The school does a lot with AIDS orphans, which is awesome! When kids are orphaned due to AIDS and have no other relatives to go to, they can live permanently at the school. The school does a lot to make sure that the kids feel like they have a family- during breaks, visiting days, etc. there are always activities for them, and they try to give them lots of individual attention.

When we first got there, we learned about the organization, and then the students greeted us with a dancing and singing performance. Welcoming visitors and greeting people is a really big deal in Ugandan culture, and wow, were we ever greeted. The kids are SO great here. Once again, I was wiping my eyes because the harmony in their music is so beautiful. I still have one of the songs stuck in my head: "You are welcome, to Jim Education Center...."

After that, we had a panel of HIV-positive people involved