Maundo Village

For the past three days we have been in Maundo village which is about a 40 minute drive from Torroro and near the Kenyan border.  Maundo village is where our medical camps began some years ago and where we have the most connection to the community.  We were able to see close to 750 people over the course of two full days of camp.  The most striking thing I noticed was that the children of Maundo are healthier appearing than the children in Aburi.  This is surprising because their villages are only about an hour away from each other, but distances in Uganda are very different from what we are used to.  My guess is though it takes an hour to drive between them, they are only around 20-30 miles apart.  In Aburi, the children has much more fungal skin infections and more overt bacterial infections.  They also wore clothes that were in horrible shape and most children did not have shoes.  In Maundo, the children just had an appearance of being healthier (with the exception of Malaria) and their clothes were in better condition.  Of course, these differences are small in comparison to children in the US, but it was noticeable.
Because we were in Maundo last year, I was able to see a few of the same patients I saw last year.  It was a fun experience recognizing them and having them recognize me as well.  I definitely feel a connection to that village and a genuine love for their people.
Languages in Uganda are fascinating.  The official language is English and most people understand Swahili and Luganda, but each area has it's own tribal language as well.  The people in Aburi and Maundo speak Japadola which is completely different from the language spoke where we will go to next in Northern Uganda.  I was able to pick up and practice a few Japadola words which the people get a kick out of.  They giggle everytime I speak their language which is a great way to connect with them.  Some words I have picked up:

• One/Atchel
• Two/Arrio
• Three/Adek
• How are you/Entenne De
• I am fine/Entenne Ber
• You are fine/Iber
• He/she is fine/Gober
• Cough/Wallow
• Headache/Wishafuda
• Fever/Lietho
• Pain/Litho

Today I spent the morning visiting with Samson (the nurse for the clinic in Maundo) and his wife Martha and young son Jonathon.  It was enjoyable hearing about their families and struggles.  They are both in their late 20s and both grew up in families with 9 children.  They dated for 4 years before getting married and currently live about 6 hours from each other while Samson is assigned by the government to work in Maundo.  They see each other about once a month when they are able to afford the cost of travel.  In the meantime, Martha lives in their home village at Samson's family home and helps take care of his siblings and aging mother.  It fascinates me how much hardship these two face, yet their optimism and sense of commitment.  It also amazes me how committed they are to taking care of their families and serving their people in Uganda.  

After my visit, our group left Maundo and drove to Lira where we are now.  What a drive!  It took about 7 hours to drive about 200 kilometers.  The ride was filled with potholes and huge dust clouds that forced us to constantly close the windows.  This is miserable when you are riding in a van in 90 degree heat without air conditioning and the sun beating through the windows.  When we finally arrived in Lira it was 730pm and we had to sit through  a typical Ugandan welcome meeting.  Oh man, was I frustrated!  It is customary here for many speeches to be had that last for quite some time.  Their sense of urgency is no where near ours!  We will recover here tonight and then head to the villages of Apigakwee and Okwallogabo tomorrow to plan out our medical camps for the next few days.