Nicole's Volunteering and Adventures Abroad

Just when I thought that I would not get anything more out of the experience, a child was born.   I went into this trip hoping that I would see something amazing, which is hard to do considering all of the amazing things that I had seen over the past 3 months.   Only 3 days before leaving Uganda, a friend and I took yet another trip to the maternal clinic.   I had made the nearly 1 mile trek through the streets of Kabale to the clinic five different times, through terrifying traffic and across sidewalks littered with people trying to get to where they are going.   Each time, I learned something new at the clinic.   I learned more about the cases that the midwives and doctors had to deal with.   Each time at clinic, I was shocked by the conditions that they worked in, the situations these mothers had to live in and carry their babies to term through.   As we sat that day waiting for patients to come in for evaluations, a pregnant woman rode ...

At first glance, you wouldn’t even notice the presence of the KIHEFO HIV/AIDs clinic when you walk down the street.   If you looked closely, you may see a sign in the window that offers different precautions to prevent the contraction of HIV.   Other than that, there is no sign that behind the doors to the clinic there is a bustling staff dedicated to bettering the lives of men, women, and children living with HIV.   When Dr. Anguyo Geoffrey (known by the students as Dr. G) began training in general medicine in Uganda, he was immersed in cases involving HIV and AIDs which had spread over much of eastern Africa in the eighties.   He often talked about how the world that he worked in when he was training to become a doctor is something that younger physicians may never get the chance to experience.   A large portion of the hospital admissions cases during that time was for HIV patients and this no doubt scared many African people into getting tested.   He w...

The KIHEFO clinics were started in the early 2000’s by Ugandan born Dr. Anguyo Geoffrey in Kabale, Uganda.   Kabale, as the center town of the Kigezi region of Uganda, is home to the KIHEFO general medical clinic, nutrition clinic, HIV/AIDs clinic and maternal health care clinic.   These clinics have existed in Kabale for 16 years and the staff work to provide all ranges of medical care to Ugandans.   The general medical clinic is home to physician’s assistants, nurses, a dentist, and loads of local patients with varying medical needs.   The cases that clinicians at the general medical clinic can treat range from infectious disease testing to wound care.   I had an interesting discussion with the other students about the differences in healthcare between a third world country like this and our western world.   Common challenges faced in African medicine is the availability of clinicians in the hospitals and the cost of treatment.   The ...

Traditional African medicine is not just an old pastime that people used to use before they had access to western medicine.   People still travel throughout the Kabale region to visit the local traditional healer and today, our group was granted the opportunity to visit him, learn about his practice, and ask questions.   The traditional healing that he practices stretches back through generations.   The healer that we met today introduced us to many of the herbs and remedies that he uses in his small hut to heal the patients that seek his help. The healer has lived in his current hut for the past 72 years.   To get there, we drove to Uganda’s deepest lake and traveled by boat for 30 minutes until we finally arrived at the island that he, his three wives, and 18 children resided on.   Situated on bright green terrain, this island’s hills were covered with rows of organically grown vegetables and endless vines of what I can only imagine are delici...