TV for Kibilizi Health Center

WHO AM I?

My name's Melissa Denton and I'm currently serving in the United States Peace Corps, as a Community Health Volunteer. I graduated from the University of California-Davis in 2013 and have been in Rwanda since June of 2014.

I live and work in a village by the name of Kibilizi, located within Gisagara District (bordering Burundi). Most days, I spend my time working with mamas and malnourished babies or visiting patients out in the most rural parts of my Health Center's catchment area.

To fill the rest of my time, I have a long list of to-do's that I hope will better our little community. First up, is getting a new television for Kibilizi Health Center.

WHY A TELEVISION?

Buying a television for a Health Center, deep in a developing country, might seem trivial to you. It's not.

Allow yourself to picture the following:

It's 5:00AM and you've just spent the last six hours trying (and failing) to get a wink of sleep. You're hot to the touch, too weak to stand, and your bones feel achy all over.

By the time the sun comes up, you realize your fever's gotten much worse. Without access to medication or a convenience store, you know your only option is to travel to the nearest Health Center.

Of course, the nearest Health center is a (free) two-hour walk away or a (4000RWF) moto ride into town. Given that your monthly salary is just below 1000RWF, you opt to walk.

By 8:30AM, you've dragged yourself into the Health Center and find fifteen others waiting to see the doctor. You check-in with the reception desk and discover your temperature is 103.8, which explains why you didn't get any shut-eye.

Now begins the wait.

For the next five-and-a-half hours you wait, alongside fifteen to twenty other sick people, to be seen by the doctor. You're sitting in the "waiting room", which is nothing like a room. In fact, it's a concrete slab with a metal overhang and five stone benches. You're surrounded by brick walls and people who are coughing, sneezing, or crying.

You spend five-and-a-half hours sitting, without a book, without a phone, without a talking partner, without a magazine. You just sit. And wait.

Now imagine that, on the wall in front of you, is a television. On that television, videos are playing (in your native language, Kinyarwanda) and they're teaching you all about health living.

The first video, found here, shows you how to avoid risky behaviors that could lead to HIV/AIDS. It teaches you the signs and symptoms of HIV/AIDS and explains what to do when seeking treatment.

You're done imagining. (Thanks!)

My hope is that, with the help of the video above (and other videos currently in development by Rwanda Peace Corps Volunteers) that patients leave Kibilizi Health Center with a bit more knowledge than they came in with.

Not only will these videos help to occupy patients during a worrisome waiting period, but they will help to foster an environment of learning and healthy living.

WHERE WILL YOUR MONEY GO?

All of the money will go directly to paying for the television and the cost of transport.

In Rwanda, $450 equates to about 292,500RWF. Ideally, I would like to purchase a television while on vacation in the States next month (February). The cost of electronics are much cheaper than here, in Rwanda, and I can get more bang for our buck.

I'm looking at getting a larger television with a USB port and DVD drive; the bells and whistles don't matter so much. I want to maximize viewership in the large waiting hall. For that reason, I'm looking closely at the this television, for $350.

The remaining $100 will go to paying the television's 'checked-baggage' fees on the flight back to Rwanda. If there is any money left over, it will be spent building a shelf (and locking cabinet) for the television, so that it doesn't grow legs and walk away from the Health Center (despite our night guards).

Keeping in mind that many Rwandan families survive on less than $5 (3,250RWF) a month, literally any dollar amount helps!

SHORT ON FUNDS, BUT STILL WANT TO HELP?

After all, it is just after the holidays and many of us are strapped for cash.

After the television is installed, I hope to have monthly movie nights with the HIV+ children in my catchment area.

So, if you have any kid-friendly DVDs that you no longer want...contact me (see below) and we'll try to work out a drop-off location and/or shipping methods.

I thank you, kindly, for taking this journey with me and I appreciate you reading these words, regardless of contribution!

Contact:
E-mail - melissa-[email redacted]
Wordpress - aneducatorabroad.wordpress.com

Thanks, again!
Melissa