The Kuza Project Interviews: Mary

A few notes on Mary's interview:

Mary is one of the leaders of the Kuza Project- Stella is the other. An enthusiast of the Kuza Project from the start, she has been instrumental to the success of the project.

At the time of this interview- although the Kuza girls were highly engaged in, and enthusiastic about, the program, they were not be able to optimally benefit from the program because the Kuza Project was not capable of supporting some of their critical physical needs (some of which Mary mentions).

This year, we were happy to announce that Brown GlobeMed has incorporated basic funding into the Kuza budget to support some of these needs! Furthermore, a skill-building component has been included that will train the girls in marketable skills that will allow them to start generating an income!

Along the same lines, the mentors are also frequently forced to make difficult monetary decisions; They are often torn between the desire to help the girls in the program and their responsibility to their own families. Furthermore, as she mentions- it is sometimes difficult to agree to buy things for one girl without feeling a responsibility to buy something for all of them. And while we hope that the additions to the program will help the girls provide more for themselves, we do hope to eventually provide a stipend for the mentors as well.

-Sarah Sneed

The Kuza Project Interviews: Stella

A few notes on the interview with Stella:

Due to our general ineptitude at speaking Swahili, the mentors were kind enough to speak with us in English during the interviews- although it was more difficult for them. However, part of the miscommunications in this interview (and others) lies not necessarily in the language barrier, but rather in that Lili and I were speaking too quickly and not differentiating enough between our questions. Stella was the very first mentor we interviewed and so she also had to deal with both our bubbling excitement and nervousness as well as our inexperience (this was both mine and Lili's first time drafting interview questions and conducting a one-on-one interview). So both parties were kind of playing it by ear- very informal- but I like to think more genuine. We didn't tell any of the mentors the questions we were going to ask in advance. We just sat down and talked.

To clarify- the Kuza mentors and program coordinators meet once a week on Mondays (I believe Stella said that they have their 'monthly' meeting on Mondays), while every Saturday the mentors meet with the girls.

The places Stella mentions, Mukuru Kwa Reuben and Lunga Lunga are Youth Centers run by U-Tena that are open to all youth, not just the Kuza girls. However, these centers (among other places) are used by U-Tena to run Kuza meetings. Most Saturdays it is 10 girls working with 2 mentors. However, once a month all the mentors and all the girls gather at Lunga Lunga to give presentations, have group discussions, play games, and share a meal.

Lastly, at the end of the interview Stella mentions that "some mentors are not ready to work." This should not be read as some of the mentors aren't invested in the Kuza program, rather that extenuating circumstances can make it difficult for some of the mentors to participate to the optimal extent. Many of the mentors have their own children to take care of- and as Stella mentions, being a Kuza mentor is entirely volunteered time; The mentors are not earning a stipend for their work. In talking to the mentors I learned that often, although they do not have money to spare, they will give money to the girls in the program if the problem is critical ( allowing girls to purchase much needed food, feminine hygiene products, etc.). What she is talking about in terms of improvement that there needs to be better coordination between the mentors- a better system- to help overcome both individual and group problems so that mentors don't have to deal with complex and physically/emotionally exhausting situations on their own.

We also apologize for the poor video quality, we didn't anticipate the difficulties in video file format conversion. :(

-Sarah Sneed

The Upcoming Kenyan Presidential Election

On Monday, Kenyans will return to the polls to elect a new president for the first time in five years, when the last presidential election precipitated fierce clashes between the various ethnic groups and tribes of Kenya. I recently read in the New York Times (you can read the article here) that although precautions are being taken by Kenyan officials and international officials alike to prevent another episode of violence like that which followed the last election, there are still some simmering tensions between some of the tribes and even a rumor that machete sales have risen steeply. Still, with new digital voting machines replacing the outdated, nonfunctioning manual voting systems and constant calls for peace in the media, it seems that Kenya is far more prepared than last election to prevent any outburst of violence that may follow the vote.

At our meeting last week, GlobalHealthU gave us some background of the political situation in Kenya and shared a video of a presidential debate between this year's Kenyan candidates. In small groups, we all noted that the debate was conducted very much like a "first-world" presidential debate, with live reporters who spoke flawless English, broadcasts transmitted throughout the entire country (and world) on multiple radio and television channels (and online streaming), and a patriotic opening of the debate with the Kenyan National Anthem. This certainly forced us to realize that Kenya is not a simple, undeveloped country as the Lion King suggests, but rather one of Africa's most modern countries that meets the standards of Western countries. Unfortunately, this isn't always positive: Kenya has a "swing-tribe" in this election much the way the U.S. has "swing-states," and this may exacerbate tensions between ethnic groups. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what the election brings!

Marisa M.

Family Dinner

Woot! Last week, we went out to dinner at a Thai/Cambodian restaurant down the hill!

It was SO fun geting to know the staff better. Why didn't we talk more before!? 

I think, building a strong GlobeMed community at school will help us remind ourselves of our goals and be more passionate about acting on our beliefs. 

<3 globemedlurve

~Sera

World day of

Hi everyone!

Spring is a comin'! I can feel it, I can feel it!

Did you know that yesterday was a World Day of Social Justice? The United Nations has recognized January 20th as day to promote efforts to ameliorate poverty and lessen disparities in our world. I did not know that such a thing existed. While I am proud that we have designated a day to become more aware of social injustice, I am disappointed that it is not a widely celebrated day. 

Still, our chapter celebrated it and now all our members know of the day! woot! We filled out a slogan, "This year, I am fighting for _________." This exercise was simple and short, but it got me started to think about the various social injustice around me. The simple act of thinking, "what AM I fighting for!?" was inspring and motivating. 

This year, I am fighting to end domestic violence and sexual abuse in households. Domestic violence not only damages the victims' physical and mental health, but it may also teach witnesses (often children in the family)  that violence is acceptable. Studies show that boys who have witnessed violence in their homes grow up later to become perpetuators and girls become more likely to be victimized. I want to stop this perpetuation of domestic violence. I hope to become more sensitive to signs of domestic violence and be able to take action when I interact with children who may be in this situation.

One step at a time, 

Sera 

Some World News

Hello folks,

I hope you all are enjoying a relaxing Presidents' Day Weekend. With a bit of spare time on my hands (finally), I've had the chance to catch up on some world news that I thought I'd share here on the blog.


From the New York Times: Malawi's Leader Makes Safe Childbirth Her Mission

The drive to make childbirth safer in Malawi involves a delicate balance between respect for tradition and stressing the importance of medical science.
http://nyti.ms/XOANpe


And also from the NY Times: Anti-Apartheid Leader Forms New Party in South Africa

Mamphela Ramphele, a respected veteran of the anti-apartheid movement, announced the formation of Agang, meaning "build," in a challenge to the governing African National Congress.
http://nyti.ms/YBmBzc


Enjoy!

Marisa M.

Ted Talk: "The Danger of a Single Story"

Hi everyone!

I recently watched (and enjoyed) this Ted Talk featuring Chimamanda Adichie. She is a Nigerian woman who, in this video, discusses the dangers of having "a single story," specifically focusing on the problems associated with a "single story" of Africa. She discusses how Sub-Saharan African, although composed of many countries, cultures, languages, and ideologies, is often viewed as one collective place and "one thing." This single story of Africa often portrays the entire continent as being a place of poverty, AIDS, and "darkness" among other things. If you're interested... take a look! The link is below. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg

GlobeMed love,

Meygan