How I got involved, What I will be doing

As part of my master degree in public health - health promotion, education, and behavior, a practicum is required. With not really wanting a "desk job" quite yet and with a burning desire to work in Africa after my Peace Corps service in Niger was cut short, connections were made which led me to Shepherd's Heart International Ministry (SHIM).

Although, I had previously fulfilled my elective course requirements, during the Fall 2009 semester I went outside of my department, Health Promotion, Education and Behavior, to learn about infectious diseases, registering for classes in the Epidemiology department and Environmental Health department- Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases and Ecology of Infectious Diseases. Both courses, equally challenging not only in their own course work but also altering my perspective on how to handle health challenges in my field.

After sharing my interests with Dr. Sean Norman, professor of the Ecology class, he connected me to Dr. Buz Kloot. Dr. Kloot is a professor in Earth Sciences who is involved with SHIM and their water management projects. Through their support and also encouragement from my department, especially Dr. Sara Corwin, Dr. Lisa Lindley, Dr. Kara Montgomery, and Dr. Deborah Billings, this practicum was made possible. A special thank you to all the faculty, family, and friends who have continued to inspire me to reach my fullest potential.

Below is my practicum contract:


Project Title:
Buvuma Islands of Lake Victoria: The Process of Understanding Sexual Violence on Lingira Island.

Goal One:
Document what sexual violence means and how it is understood among residents of Lingira Island.

Goal Two:
Document the process of understanding the socio-economic consequences of sexual violence on Lingira Island.

Goal Three:
Identify strategies that use participatory community-based processes to begin to address sexual violence on the Lingira Island.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of the project, student will have learned to:
• Culturally adapt participatory models to the needs of the community.
• Plan, coordinate, and conduct interactive discussions on a culturally sensitive subject.
• Collect and record accurate and relevant qualitative data.
• Adapt personal behaviors, attitude, communication etc. to be an effective learner, teacher, and resource to the community.

Work tasks to be performed by the student:
• Conduct a literature review of health issues and target population.
• Tailor three to four participatory exercises used in previous work on gender and gender-based violence to be relevant to exploring the issues related to sexual violence on Lingira Island.
• Conduct a review of local laws and policies related to sexual violence that are relevant to Lingira Island residents.
• Plan, coordinate, and conduct interactive discussions with anti-defilement committee.
(a local committee aimed at addressing sexual violence)
• Collect qualitative data via observations, informal interviews, inter-active discussions etc.
• Record data in a personal journal.
• Integrate into community.
• Begin learning the language of Luganda and/or Swahili.
• Write a report of the findings and discuss implications of the findings for future research and/or interventions.
• Bring awareness of the Buvuma Islands’ culture to the States.
Projected Timeline of Experiences to be Undertaken:

December 18, 2009 to date January 18, 2010:
• Finalize travel details.
• Literature Review of health problems.
• Meetings with faculty advisor, project mentor, and practicum advisor.
• Culture training and language lessons.
• Tailor three to four participatory exercises
• Begin daily journal.
• Depart for Uganda, January 18, 2010 from Columbia, SC.

While in Uganda (January 19, 2010 to March 23, 2010):
• Write in personal journal daily.
• Integrate into community.
• Continue learning the native language(s).
• Plan and conduct interactive discussions with anti-defilement committee.
• If time permits, process evaluation and data collection for the community-led total sanitation program.

March 24, 2010 to May 2010:
• Return from Uganda, arrive in Columbia March 24, 2010.
• Debrief with Dr. Billings and Dr. Kloot.
• Write up report.
• Share findings specifically with but not limited to Dr. Kloot, SHIM, and Dr. Billings.
• Practicum report preparation and presentation.