Have you been watching the World Cup? If not, get on board folks, this is the ultimate global even! I heard more countries are registered with FIFA than with the UN. I goggled this and in fact, FIFA as 208 member countries whereas the UN has 192. I am not a football buff but after a few days of hearing sporadic cheering on the Nairobi streets and passing by television screens literally buzzing with excitement, I had to get in on the action. While I don’t care for the constant buzzing of the horns, I appreciate the lively and often dramatic commentary here on Kenyan television. It is pretty neat to be on the continent for this event!
Tomorrow we go to the field for data collection. These last few days of training our data collectors has been filled with last minute logistics, organizing the teams and ensuring our ducks are in a row before departing for the event tomorrow. We have 7 teams dispersing all over Kenya from Mombasa to Eldoret to Kisumu. We’ve heard from our data collectors how excited they are to participate in this assessment and receive “international” training for the PNA. This enthusiasm and commitment are so important because I am certain each team will face many challenges for the next 2+ weeks of data collection. We’ve done our best to prepare them and I can’t wait to see how it all plays out. The big debrief will be July 3, when all the teams come together to discuss how it went. I hope to learn what pieces of this process worked well and what didn’t so that I can take these lessons learned with me as I am involved in future assessments – though I think I’ll never participate in one quite like this one!
I am learning new things before we set out on this adventure. This includes Epi Info so I can help with the data analysis phase. It is really interesting to see how so much data, both qualitative and quantitative, are entered into a system and analyzed. This will certainly help me with my fall classes that delve into M&E and Research Methods!
Apart from work, there is a lot going on in Kenya. As I understand it, the country is revising their Constitution and the process is very interesting. The big vote is in August and most everyone I have talked to have been interested in participating in the vote. I’ve even seen copies of the draft Constitution in the back of taxi cabs. Several pieces on the table for revision are very controversial and there was even a rally Sunday night, in which 2 explosions occurred, killing five and injuring many others. I’m still learning about the revisions, some that concern land and the court system, but the most interesting to me is the proposed change in the law regarding abortion. Currently, abortion in Kenya is illegal unless a doctor confirms a woman’s life is in danger. Here lies a problem in that there are not enough doctors, especially in rural health centers. Recognizing that the health workforce shortage is contributing to maternal mortality in this manner, the new draft Constitution states that other cadres of health workers such as nurses could also sign off approving an abortion if a woman’s life is in danger. This draft Constitution in Kenya certainly offers an alternative in how the delicate issue of abortion and the challenge of human resources for health can merge to reduce maternal mortality. Ideally, abortion would not be illegal but this is a step. No matter where you stand on abortion, this change in the draft Constitution is a hotly debated issue in Kenya, especially among many of the conservative religious groups in the country. There have been rumors swirling that abortion will be legalized due to misinterpretations of the draft document. It will be interesting to see what happens in August and I pray that the vote goes smoothly.
I’ll leave you with just a few other observations on what I miss from home and what I can live without:
- I do not miss television.
- I do miss sleep.
- I don’t miss any foods from home – Kenyan food is yummy!
- I do miss free time! I’ll never have time to read all the books I brought with me (although I did finish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).
- I do miss Global Health Council this week but I’m sending my colleagues who are presenting good vibes from Kenya.
- I don’t miss the hot weather NC right now. Nairobi is nice, even cool this time of year!
- I really miss my family and my dog!
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