Cows, bikes, malnutrition

This past week has been busy, I think, but it went by too quickly to really be sure. We're still planning to train our Animal Health Assistants (the primary response teams) and our Animal Health Reporters (community members who will pass on reports of sick animals from the farmer using an SMS form) Wednesday through Friday next week. There is a ton of work I have to do before then, like prepare to give presentations on a whole lot of stuff that I have very little or no experience with, like how to take a fine needle aspirate sample from a cow's lymph node. Luckily, actually-qualified-Alice will be doing most of the practical training, and I just have to pass on all the knowledge on procedures etc that I have been learning from books, and explain how the whole system works and what people's roles are. For the practical part, we have apparently been able to acquire a fetus and a dead animal's head (from the slaughterhouse), and we have a live cow or two to assess for symptoms and take blood smears from. Um, in other words, I expect to learn A LOT by "giving" this training.

MEANWHILE, I had to buy and register 40 sim cards for our Animal Health Reporters, the request for which led to some really surprised salespeople. Also meanwhile, I borrowed a bicycle that no one is using (owned by Marisa's project) and got it tuned up and new innertubes put in for about $9. I found a street stall selling helmets yesterday, which supposedly go for $8 pre-bargaining, but I'm not sure about their quality. Today I got a chance to take the bike out on its inaugural ride and I went to meet Beth and a few people she works with at Milimani Resort to swim in the pool and have lunch. It is actually a super amazing pool with underwater stools next to a bar place where you can get sodas and chips and real meals, but we got out of the pool to eat. You can also swim right along a little corridor to get to the changing rooms. It costs $2 to swim, and on a Saturday afternoon the place was pretty packed. Lots of kids splashing and yelling. I had a nice chat with a young woman (Millicent) and her 18 month old baby (Vanessa), Millicent is studing nutrition at a university in town and has just finished her first year. She asked about what it's like in the US in terms of malnutrition/overnutrition etc., which got me started explaining about food deserts and environmental justice and obesity related to poverty in the US, all problems which are obviously different to the slums and malnourished children with TB that you find here. Linda has been volunteering at a malnutrition clinic a bit, and they have to give every malnourished child antibiotics and dewormers in addition to food. Millicent asked if I thought she might be able to get a job in the US after she finishes her degree, but I said I think most US NGOs do work on nutrition out here…

Speaking of jobs, it has come to my attention that I might have to start thinking about what to do next year ALREADY even though I've only been here a month. Ugh.