RDP received a report on the first review meeting from David Sefe a few days ago and would like to share it with you. In the report he outlines the progress being made by the Kekeli Women in the Akatsi District. The work is quite impressive!
Women have contributed to the health of their villages through a variety of means which are summarized here:
✤Teachings at churches, houses, and other venues in the community covering HIV/AIDS, hygiene and sanitation, diarrhea, malaria, and several other topics. At some of these teachings, entire villages have been present (well more than 100 people!) while other meetings had several dozen in attendance.
✤Treating basic wounds and providing other first aid
✤Helping triage the sick by taking temperatures and offering advice about when and where to send sick village members
✤Understanding community needs and beginning to think of solutions to these needs
There have been some early issues as well. Some village members are not supportive of the work of the Kekeli women and so the women are working to educate these people on the role of the Kekeli woman in the village and to enlist their support. Other women have been disappointed by poor turnouts at their teaching events. These disappointments are to be expected in any community project such as this one. It takes time and commitment to see change in both perspectives and in health and we are proud of the women for continuing to work hard in the face of adversity.
There still remain many needs in the communities. Almost all of the communities have requested public toilets which they currently do not have. We are working with the Bethel Clinic Compassion Foundation to investigate this need and work with communities moving forward to achieve these goals. At least one village has requested HIV/AIDS screening and we are looking into this possibility as well.
It is exciting to see the communities brainstorming about what their needs are and what they want to see improved in their villages. We are trying to encourage this as much as possible. One role of the Kekeli women is to keep a pulse on their community and the health needs that exist. We are seeing some signs of this in the early going.
There are still ongoing needs for the Kekeli program as well. Travel expenses must be paid to the women monthly as they attend their meetings. Supplies that are being used effectively such as wound ointment, should be replaced. David is also working extremely hard to visit villages and his efforts must be reimbursed as well.
If you would like to help with the ongoing projects of the Rural Development Project, please visit our Get Involved page for more information. Gifts are tax deductible. As a reminder, 100% of your donations go to support the projects themselves.
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FROM 2/23/11
The women had their first follow-up training yesterday! Olivia received a call at about 5am (luckily she was awake!). On the other end was David with all the women. They wanted to say hi and let us know they were doing well and working hard. All the women made it except one who missed due to illness. Phyllis, one of the teachers from the original training, also was present.
We have heard that at least half the women have done teachings in their villages and David has been very active in visiting them while they teach, as well as connecting with chiefs and opinion leaders. We are also excited to hear of some proposals in the coming days and weeks for improvements to their villages, for which we have offered our support.
Once again we are impressed by the organization and will of the people of Akatsi to take their futures and health into their own hands. It is exciting to be a part of this unfolding community-led group of women who’s reach expands much farther than ours alone ever could.
If you would like to continue to support with on-going project costs and new programs/proposals that are upcoming, we are still in need of both one-time and recurring donations. 100% of your donation goes to the project.
