Tororo

On Monday, we went to Tororo, where there is another TASO center. We traveled in a truck with two rows of seats and a flat bed over a bumpy road. It was bumpy, a bit like a wooden roller coaster. On the way we got to see the hills between Mbale and Tororo, which are dotted with banana trees and cassava plants. People live in small, round, thatched-roof huts or boxier versions, both made out of a wood frame and clay, usually. Some houses are made from cement or red bricks, which are made, piled high, and fired in interesting towers (I’ll try to upload a photo). [break]
When we got to Tororo, we went to the Monday morning all-staff meeting, where the Manager greeted everyone and welcomed us. The meeting began with prayer, of course, which was going on in a haphazard way while staff were arriving. Then two representatives of Barclay’s Bank gave a spiel about how awesome their bank is, including offering loans with interest rates ranging from 24 to 26 percent!! At the end there was a time for Q&A, and I asked why the interest rates were so high (haha!). They said these were the best interest rates in the country and are what they are because they don’t take collateral on these loans. The loan amounts were from 1 million to 30 million Ugandan shillings (30million = ca.$19,000). The GDP per capita in Uganda is $1,100 (2007), so that is quite a bit of money here. But these interest rates are like credit card rates in the US. (ps. Friends, stay out of credit card debt!) [break]
After the bank presentation, Patrick, who has been helping us plan our work, talked about the new strategy for expanding the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) program within TASO. The Tororo site has piloted the PMTCT program, which gives HIV positive pregnant women antiretrovirals from 28 weeks, during labor, and then to both mother and baby after delivery. It also strives to have women deliver in health facilities, so that C-sections can be available if needed (although I’m not sure if these are routinely done, because they minimize transmission, or if they are only done in prolonged labor / emergency situations). Now TASO is aiming to enroll 100% of their pregnant clients in the program. It is so important! [break]
We met a lovely woman here in the office just a few days ago, who brought us our lunch and said she’d been out of work for a while to deliver her baby, and she is HIV positive, and she had had “her operation” (C-section?) and the baby was negative! It brought tears to my eyes. [break]
Tororo is smaller than Mbale, but has a more impressive mountain behind it, which everyone called “the Rock.” We had lunch in town, and Patrick said, “I ordered water when I should have ordered passion fruit juice. Ah, I misfired!” People are so funny sometimes. [break]
On the way back we stopped at a butcher’s shop, pictures of which I will try really hard to upload. (The Internet is really slow.) The butcheries are incredible.
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