Frank In Uganda: Part 1
A friend of mine, Frank Ordway, has been working with the U of Washington and a few volunteers to help AIDS clinics in Africa migrate from paper-based systems to electronic ones. This series is made up of emails from Frank during his trip.
Parts: 1 2 3 4 5.
All is well is this remarkable country. My concerns about safety and whatnot seem pretty silly right now.
We are working very hard. Given the short amount of time here we are packing in as much we can each day. The clinic is so busy during the day that we feel a little underfoot. Hard to interrupt somebody who is helping a youth who may have spent the family’s $$ for the month just to get here.
The organization, Naguru Youth Health and Information Center, is quite remarkable. They have migrated, in the last three months, from a paper based service tracking system to an electronic one. While they suffer from all the classic ills, the strides they have made, driven by their ED Edith Mukasa, are nothing short of remarkable. Given that the staff had no computer training, the fact that they are now actually using the new system is something non profits anywhere could use for inspiration.
Not all is rosy however. Power interruptions, poor execution of their new database, network issues, lack of back-up and limited experience are impacting the group severely. They are dedicated to their services, and the stress of a MIS system that is not quite stable is stressing an already overworked staff.
We have a game plan for the next 4 days. We are going to develop functional requirements for their client tracking system and reporting needs. I hope to address the network, back-up and documentation issues. I am holding computer classes in the evening in hopes of increasing their comfort level. Given that their services literally mean life or death, my motivation is quite high. I wish to god I could stay longer and really button this place up.
We had one day to play here, so not all has been so serious. I took advantage by staying up for 36 hours to milk it for all it was worth. I rafted the Nile, went to a Kampala night club (nothing like being the only white guy in a giant dance club to reinforce that fact that I have no rhythm) and watched the Ugandan Rugby team beat Zimbabwe for the first time. The locals said I must be good luck.
Anyway, I hope all is well at home. I miss you all.
