Health hut inauguration

After more than two years of work, the Dassilame health hut was finally inaugurated on March 4th. It's the result of a Peace Corps service and a half, collaboration between three parties, representing five countries. This "jewel" of the senegalese health system has a sister health hut on the island Djinak Bara, which I visited in October 2014 to get inspired. Both were financed by Pharmaciens Sans Frontières, which is represented locally by my work partner, Ben N'Diaye.

The waiting room at Djinack Bara

Patients' room at Djinack Bara 

Two members of the NGO, Angele and Thierry, came to Senegal for over a month to wrap several local projects up. They met with local and authorities, brought furniture over from the island where it was being stored, and made last minute purchases. According to them, our health hut is one of the most functional of the region. Given the challenges we've faced, I'm gratified to hear that our hard work has paid off. In recognition of a job well done, Pharmaciens Sans Frontières has agreed to fund other peripheral projects at the health hut, like a fence and a maternity ward. They have also gifted us with a monthly stipend to buy additional medications, and a monthly bonus for our ASC. They will also support our ongoing efforts to turn the hut into a post. 

To celebrate this achievement, we decided to officially inaugurate the health hut. Two health relays and I were responsible for buying vegetables and drinks in Karang first thing in the morning. Volunteers from the village then proceeded to prepare enough food to feed all our guests, an incredible feat. 

Joni Senghor's first time using a camera! 

We invited local community members, village chiefs, mayors, prefects, ICPs, and community health agents. The ceremony started around noon on March 4th, and ended around 3pm for lunch. It was truly an honor to have these important guests attend. And for me, it was a great opportunity to thank my extraordinary work partners. 

Diene, one of my best work partners 

Nasunkaro, the village matrone, with more than 20 years' experience 

And without further ado, here's what the health hut looks like now:

Visitors admire the patients' room

Consultation room 

The waiting room

Onwards and upwards.... 

Government Health Campaigns

The job description of a Peace Corps volunteer isn't as straight forward as you might think. For example, I'm technically a preventative health educator intervening primarily in maternal and child nutrition, malaria, and water and sanitation. Many health volunteers also work on improving existing infrastructure, or facilitating infrastructure development at our respective sites. Most of our work is intentional--carefully planned, organized, and executed. But sometimes, we spontaneously participate in those events that just seem to come out of the blue, like government health campaigns.

I should start by noting that these health campaigns probably shouldn't so spontaneous. I think that part of the problem is inadequate or untimely communication between the different levels of the health system. By the time the information is trickled down to the lowest level of the health system (ie: health hut), it's pretty much time to get down to work. There's very little time to come up with an action plan. As a results, we often run out of medications, forms, or equipment. Last time, my supervisor forgot to give the chalk we needed to label the compounds we had visited. The work itself is often rushed: we're working on a dead-line, there are too few volunteers, and the target is too high. We have to visit each compound, which entails walking for hours in the heat and sand. It's also hard to be meticulous when kids are swarming around you, all clamoring or crying. So I'm sure the work isn't very high quality.

http://www.memoireonline.com/08/11/4636/m_Contribution--lamelioration-de-la-gestion-des-stocks-de-medicaments-cas-du-dept-de-la-pha13.html

The last campaign took place February 20th through February 21st. Our mission was to give deparasitizing medication and vitamin A droplets to children under the age of 5. Different age ranges got different doses of medication. Simultaneously, we also had to use a MUAC band to asses the child's nutritional status. 

Alassane wields le MUAC band 

Mama gives a child drops of Vitamin A

And then it gets a little crazy.... 

Not sure how legible this is--but here is the form for Boutilimite 

This campaign was particularly difficult: 

-There three things to do: give anti-parasite medication, administer the Vitamin A drops, and measure arm circumference. 

-Many kids cry when they see Alassane, because he sometimes gives them shots. It's not easy to swallow and cry at the same time. 

-Sometimes, the kids weren't home or were crying too hard, so we have to give the medication to the parents. Did they actually give the meds to their kids? No way to know for sure. 

-We would sometimes come across swarms of children so overwhelming that we couldn't possibly take MUAC measurements. 

Hopefully, we'll do better next time....