The Engeye Team (Well, a small part of it)

Very quickly. I switched away from horrible Snapfish. Horrible Horrible. Webshots is slow, but at least I got a couple up, will try to add a couple per week, so keep checking back (I will keep re-posting the address. PICTURES. Another blog tomorrow. In fact, the blogs should post every Saturday around this time automatically so that it is a little more predictable (rather than four blogs one week, and then dry for the next couple weeks).

It is too easy for me to write using "I" and I think I mention names without any real introduction. I thought I'd introduce some of the people that make Engeye possible.

John Kalule

John is the guy on the ground that makes everything work at Engeye. His tact is key in making everything run seamlessly at Engeye in a country that is not always user friendly. There are no friendly customer service representatives, contracts are suggestions and fair prices depend on who you are. Without John's help, Becky and I would be struggling on many levels. John gives us vital cultural clues, counsels us on the various projects we work on and, above all, he is a good friend. He looks out for us.

John is also slow to unravel some of the details of his life. Besides co-founding a health clinic in his home village, John was also a professional footballer. It is obvious how much respect Ddegeya has for John. The kids will joke around and call Becky and I "muyaye's" (stubborn people), but they won't even joke that John is a "muyaye." Never is a bad word said about John.

John garners a great deal of respect from people still deeply rooted in tradition, but John can be somewhat of a non-conformist. John hangs out in Nike shorts with his laptop making everything at the clinic work and hates when he is called sir or when girls kneel down to greet him. John is an important figure and role model but part of his appeal is that he works hard and always wants to be seen as a regular guy in the village. John is constantly modest ("I have been pretending to work all day") and constantly two steps ahead of you. I'm also pretty convinced he knows more about US politics than most Americans.

Lawrence

Lawrence was the nurse at Engeye for the first three and a half months of Becky and my stay and has since moved on from the clinic. Lawrence also tried to look out for Becky and I and would come and talk to us if he sensed we were bored. Lawrence also taught us a lot about village health. He loved to learn and was an endless audience for any physics I wanted to explain (especially astronomy). Lawrence was compassionate and I think he felt reassured when I talked about my American buddies that are becoming doctors, not because they are interested in medicine, but because he liked the way I fondly recalled stories about them. Lawrence is also full of wisdom and as he complained about the cold and I told him that it reminded me of autumn (early autumn, cold here is in the 50s) and that I loved the cold. He brought up the point that "the cold is part of you. You miss it because it is a part of your place - but for me, I don't like the cold. It is not a part of me."

Hudson

Hudson is a counseling student studying in Kampala. He kindly took a month of his summer vacation to escort Becky and I down to Ddegeya and live with us for a month, helping us with work around the clinic and acclimatizing us to Uganda. Hudson was an employee of John a few years back and has acted as a translator for visiting doctors. Hudson had a great sense of humor and, like nearly all Ugandans, was incredibly kind to us all the time. Hudson also keyed us into local culture and helped acquaint us to the local primary school that has kindly allowed us to work with some of the area kids. Hopefully we will be seeing Hudson again when he makes it down to Ddegeya in December or January.

Richard

Richard is another important figure around the clinic. Richard helps manage the books and does much of the maintenance around the compound. Richard also kindly helps us with the various day-to-day tasks that we need to do - gardening, buying food staples, helping with the kids we work with, and always gives good advice.

Susan

Susan lives very close to the clinic and is officially the cook for Engeye. Unofficially Susan is always helping Becky and I out. Susan cleans up around the clinic and if I leave my laundry unattended in the wash basin, I am likely to see Susan hanging a pile of perfectly white clothes a few minutes later (a few minutes for her is a few hours for me). Susan also picks up on subtle things that transcend language barriers. In the first few days, if someone shoveled too much food onto our plates, Susan would just sense our uneasiness and fix it. Susan also has a way with the kids - she can tell them to be good and to stop causing trouble without saying a single word. Susan, Richard, and Hudson always hung out together and, despite the language barriers, it was nice to have some people around that were close to our age to play games with and hang out with.

Stephanie and Misty

Last, but most definitely not least. Stephanie founded Engeye with John after selflessly using an inheritance on constructing the clinic (rather than paying for mounting school fees). The incredible story of the founding of Engeye is on the Engeye website (www.engeye.com), which is an incredible story. Stephanie works with Misty to raise the $1,000 per month to keep the clinic running, along with a wide range of other responsibilities in keeping an NGO running.

I first met Stephanie and Misty at a Starbuck's outside Albany. Becky and I were immediately impressed - both had so much energy, passion, and were so supportive of any ideas we had. They were enthusiastic about any ideas to help Ddegeyans, no matter how big or small. To put this in perspective, these are two full time med school students, raising money for an NGO, while paying school fees, and trying to keep up with demanding coursework. I uncovered a news article about Stephanie hear in Uganda, stuffed in a copy of Where There is No Doctor that discusses the unfolding of Engeye. Stephanie's passion for health is so obvious and at one point she states that she is doing the same thing any Oregonian would do if in the same position. I don't know if that is true, but the results for this village are very, very important.

Hal and Tom

On the Union side of Engeye there are Hal and Tom back in the US (although Tom will be visiting us in December to make sure we are not slacking off). Professor Hal Fried was the dreamer of this program and worked hard to make all the pieces clink together. He taught our Social Entrepreneurship Course and is constantly challenging our preconceptions to help us work better for others. Dean Tom McEvoy has also been furiously working with us to make sure our flights are in line, we are safe, happy, healthy, etc. (I think he at one point he said he felt like a mother and he really does keep tabs on us pretty closely). Without either of their tireless work we would not be here.