Bunabuyoka Needs Help

As I posted in my last blog, I had the wonderful opportunity of visiting the AMAZING village of Bunabuyoka and meeting the people there. These people are extremely humble, loving and so grateful for our willingness to help them. I love them so much already! Due to the isolation of this community, very few resources are available--most importantly, health care. As a prospective health care professional, I was appalled at the lack of medical attention found in the village based on insufficient space, supplies, and medical expertise. There is one midwife, Sarah, who is responsible to administer to the health needs of all ages in the community, and has little training and no location to assist mothers with child-births. There is one dark room with a dirt floor that they currently use for delivering children, but that is the extent of a health care facility for hundreds of people. They have a few medical supplies shoved into a small cabinet but it ranges from a few cotton balls to basic ibuprofen and some ulcer medication, and that is the extent of their health care. I was startled to hear just how people respond to death and how nonchalant people react to death because "it's just a part of normal life." We are so privileged to have doctors who will fight for our lives in the U.S., and a life is soon forgotten here in Uganda.

I met with the village elders and they expressed deep desire for a clean place with adequate care and medicines for their families and community-members, and I knew that this would be MY goal for the summer. I would do everything in my power over the next 2 months to deliver health care to these wonderful people. We posed the idea of using the school, that we are also helping to complete, to double as a health facility. But after further review, we knew that it needed to be kept at a distance from the children especially with varying levels of ailments that would be entering the clinic we would need to ensure that the children were safe. After discussions in greater depth with the village elders, it was apparent to me that this community was in great need of a health clinic. I took this proposal to the rest of my team and we all agreed--building this clinic would be our top priority this summer.

Not only would we build the clinic, but we'd also help formulate a way to recruit doctors, nurses and other community health workers to ensure that the villagers were receiving the health care once the clinic is complete. Our wonderful partners, CFAI (Christian Faith in Action International) has gone to great lengths to establish connections with doctors in the area that are willing to travel the 2 hours to Bunabuyoka each week to treat the villagers. We will be meeting with some of these doctors and nurses to further discuss long-term health care for this community. Additionally, we will be meeting with a pharmaceutical partner who may be willing to donate or at least sell us discounted supplies for the clinic. We will also be looking for supplies like beds, curtains, stethoscopes, etc, but it will require cooperation from these partners. My biggest worry is sustainability. I need to know that once I leave this summer, that this clinic will continued to be staffed and supplied and that the community will not be reliant on HELP volunteers to maintain their personal health. We are merely the spark to the fire that must be maintained by the people themselves. But, building this clinic is first and that IS the necessity!

Josh and I will be the project leads over this clinic and have spent man hours dividing up the exact materials, labor and additional costs to complete its construction. However, we have come to a roadblock and a significant one at that. In total to create this clinic, we are looking at a $3000 cost, which we as a team just cannot afford with all the other projects that our team is hoping to accomplish over the next few months. Our team has banded together and we've decided to fundraise this cost. While this cost may seem exorbitant, we know that this is an achievable goal! We have seen the need and the humble circumstances in which these people live. I am confident that we can construct this facility and that we can improve the lives of these wonderful people.

At this time, I ask you for a favor. My favor to ask of you is to allocate any monetary or supply donation to this impoverished community in any amount that you can, especially for a community that is in great need and has no options as far as health care goes. I know that for many of us, our funds are limited; however, I have seen the lives of these poor fathers, mothers and children that live in circumstances that we cannot fathom. When we are sick, we can head to the nearest health clinic down the road. These people have no funds or resources to be able to travel and many suffer the pains, which go untreated. The people of Bunabuyoka are so loving and grateful for our willingness to help them and my deepest desire is to give hope to these wonderful individuals. If you know anyone in health care in the states that may be able to provide actual supplies to stock in the clinic itself, those would also be greatly beneficial!

If you feel that you are able to donate to this cause, we are willing to provide incentives:

$10.00- A personal thank you with your name on our Website and Facebook Page.
$25.00- A personal village boy or girl thank you picture ecard.
$50.00- A personal video clip emailed or linked to you of the villagers saying 'Thank You.'
$100.00+ - Your name goes on the wall of the clinic or school (your choice),

Our group will be accepting donations through our private accounts via HELP International. You may mail in donations to:

HELP International for Ashley Alexander

455 N. University Ave.

Suite #212

Provo, UT 84601

or online at online donations can be made at:
http://help-international.org/donate-now 

I will be visiting the village tomorrow and will be staying there for the next few days while I teach health classes. I'll keep you updated on our progress towards building this health clinic. Thank you so much for your wonderful support!

Speaking with Sarah, the midwife and Tesila translating for us. This is the small room where they currently deliver babies and treat all villagers. It's extremely small and dirty.

The view from the village

The half-completed school house that we will also be roofing before we start building the clinic

Surveying the progress made on the school and what still needs to be done.

The villagers describing to us what we'll need to complete and how we will all do it.

Some adorable children that were following us around during our visit. They also performed for us when we first arrived!

Josh and I listening to Sarah. We were appalled at some of the current medical conditions in the village. I know that constructing this clinic is what I need to accomplish this summer. I ask for your contribution to this wonderful cause if you are able. Thank you!