Deadskins = how my mom refers to the Redskins when they are having a bad season. And historically the Redskins....well let's not go in to that, let's just pray over them and hop into this blog post.
Male circumcision, something we often make light of because in the U.S. newborn males rarely leave the hospital uncircumcised. It's just not a thing in the states, unless the parents request it. Here, in Rwanda, the health care levels are a tad different. Most babies are born in health centers, at the community level, equivalent to our health clinics. There is rarely adequate staff, and even more rare to have surgical staff to perform circumcision on infants. Surgical circumcision is expensive and a great gateway for infection. Some mothers think the infant is too fragile for surgical circumcision. Lack of education about circumcision and its importance is also a factor in boys not being circumcised. However, if educated and fortunate enough to give birth in a hospital, parents will sometimes ask when their child can be circumcised, but those are very progressive parents. As more studies become available about circumcision and its ability to decrease the transmission of STDs/STIs, specifically decreasing the chance of HIV transmission by 60%, more people have become knowledgeable, supportive, and are wanting to get circumcised. In addition, more are learning about the basic hygiene benefits of being circumcised, like the penis being easier to clean, leading to decrease body order and disease. Which means a healthier world for us all. So remember I said surgical circumcision is expensive and a gateway for infection? Luckily there is PREPEX! What is Prepex? Glad you asked! Prepex is the world's only non-surgical method of male circumcision. Great solution, right? Yup! Prepex involves placing a ring between the foreskin and penis, right at the sulcus then placing an elastic ring on top. The idea is to cut off blood supply to the unwanted foreskin. Once the device is placed, the patient goes home and returns after seven days to have the device removed. The presence of the device does not hinder urination or hurt during erection. However, he is to refrain from sexual intercourse. After seven days, the men return to the health center to have the device removed. The skin distal to the device has become necrotic, meaning it is dead. It is then cut off, and the inner ring is removed. No needles. No Sutures. No Blood Loss. BRILLIANT!! Now, I'm normally really excited about projects and this one taught me a MAJOR lesson. See my supervisor initially started this project without me, however, expected me to write a grant to fund it. I mean, he had started administering the tetanus shots (because you have to have two tetanus shots before getting the procedure), and I was like, "Whoa, slow ya roll, homie!! 1. I'm not here to provide money. 2. In Rwanda, the males have to be at least 15 years of age to get this procedure, so why you vaccinating 11 year-olds? 3. We gotta communicate because then you would know not to vaccinate these babies." Anyway, he's upset because I can't/Not really trying to get the money because I'm feeling all disrespected now, you know? However, I'm really in the background trying to get the money to do the project because IT'S NOT ABOUT ME, IT'S ABOUT THE COMMUNITY AND THEIR NEEDS (LESSON!)!! The whole circumcision thing falls to the back burner, because I'm still annoyed every time he ask me to pay for it. THEN!!!!! A fellow volunteer, Rich, contacts me and says, "Hey, I have some leftover grant money for circumcision if your health center is still interested." As happy as I am to hear this, "2012 Curtrelle," who some of you knew very well, is thinking, "NOPE! He's disrespectful, we're not doing it." But "Young Professional Curtrelle" overpowered saying, "Look this is a need of the community you are here to serve, get over yourself, there are foreskins to get rid of!!!" (LESSON!) SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... SO yeah, we circumcised nearly 50 boys and men (more showed up, but not all fit the sizing device) , using the Prepex method. The procedure was free, so those with and without health insurance had the opportunity to be circumcised. As previously mentioned, each male must receive two tetanus vaccines before undergoing the procedure. In addition the day before the campaign kicked off, Prepex trained three nurses from my health center. Because those nurses were trained, my health center now has the certification to host circumcision campaigns as often as needed. The training also built the capacity to of the nurses, adding a specialty to their resumes. The next day, the campaign launched! Doctors and nurses from the District Hospital came to assist, as well as the doctors from Prepex. For the first campaign, nearly 50 men is on the low side. We thought we mobilized the campaign enough in the community, buuuuuut yeah, we didn't. The Prepex doctor saw and knew that I was disappointed. However, he was encouraged. Encouraged that the word was out. Encouraged that three nurses at my health center were trained, and now held a new skill. Encouraged that the 50 men we circumcised would be able to continue to educate and motivate others to get the procedure. I felt disrespected and used by the way this project was initiated. My personal feelings of offense added to my disappointment in the turnout numbers. In my mind, we missed our mark; nonetheless, the citizens of Kiyombe were grateful for this service. Furthermore, in a field of service, "It's not about me, but the people I serve" moments help you recalibrate, add to personal growth, and allow you to accomplish more than you thought. Whether the project is big or small, Prepex is leaving its mark, and will continue to improve the health of communities! Until Next Time, Live in Love
0 Comments
Sex. As in gender. Gender roles were not present in my direct upbringing. 1. I was primarily raised in a household of just just my mother and I. There was no other gender present to begin to set those lines. 2. My father has always supported and believes in the strength of women, ESPECIALLY, black women. To this day, he praises my mom for how she raised me, for being the smartest woman he knows, and for how much of a boss she is. "AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!" pretty much sums up gender roles in my house. The absence of gender roles in my direct upbringing, did not mean I was oblivious to them. For, I saw them present in the households of family and friends. I was also aware that women in other countries did not have the same rights and freedoms I have. So, when I went to my local secondary school to propose, "Let Girls Work," I was not surprised by the push back I received. "Let Girls Work" is a program under Michelle Obama's "Let Girls Learn" initiative. In addition, Rwanda is a "He for She" country. "He for She" is a national solidarity campaign that engages men and boys to stand for gender equality and women's rights. It aims to give women more opportunities is education, leadership, and technology education. Learn more about "He for She" at http://www.heforshe.org/en/impact/paul-kagame. "Let Girls Work" is a three-phase program. In the first phase the young ladies attend eight classroom lessons. The lessons include: Career Paths, Networking and Leadership, CV/Resume x2, Interviewing, Public Speaking, Goal Setting, and Personal Savings. The young ladies that attend all eight lessons can then apply to phase two. Four ladies will be selected to participate in phase two. They will travel to the capital town of our district for a day shadowing women in their desired careers. The young ladies that participate in phase two will then apply for phase three. Two young ladies will be selected to for phase three. They will travel to the capital, Kigali, for theee days of workshops, mentoring, and shadowing! With the support of "He for She," one would think that the headmaster would be excited about such a program. Howeve, "There are all these new program for girls, what about the boys?" was the first response I received. So I said, "You're right, let's talk about the boys." I first asked him if it's true that if a family cannot afford to send both brother and sister to school, are they most likely to send the brother? He confirmed that was true. So without any extra programs, the boys already have an advantage. We then talked about the different responsibilities of male and female students. Before coming to school, many girls have fetched water, lit the stove or started a fire for cooking, some have cooked breakfast, and done other chores. Then, they get dressed and go to school. Whereas, many boys simply wake up, bathe, get dressed, and go to school. Upon returning home from school, girls often do the same chores they did in the morning, in addition to helping with whatever else needs to be done. Most times leavening no time to study and revise their notes. In contrast, the boys go home, play soccer, study, eat, and then go to bed. The headmaster also agrees that this is the case in most households, but, "because it is Mother Nature that makes women better to do these things, they are suppose to take care of the home, and the boys are suppose to study because they have better brains." He has no evidence or explanation that the boys have better brains. It's just a way of thinking that, he admits, is ingrained in the culture. However, he is still perplexed that the boys are being left out, that they are losing their confidence because the girls are getting so much attention. I try to use the view point that the programs are only trying to give the females the same opportunities, and the same confidence. I explain to him that my girls speak very good English, but when around their male classmates, they don't speak. They feel as if their English is subpar, the boys laugh, and they feel intimidated. I tell him that some girls want to be policewomen, doctors, journalists, and even soldiers, so why shouldn't they be built up in the same manner as the males, especially when they want to have these careers to serve their country? Really guys, the headmaster and I could talk about this all day, but I had a class to teach. I invited him to come for a visit. He took me up on that offer, and his mind was BLOWN! He saw them working in a safe space, even with their male peers peeking in the windows, the girls knew that classroom was THEIR space. They stood in front of the class and gave speeches and answers questions with their heads held high. After class, headmaster says, "Rawls, they are smart." No sir, that's where you're wrong! My girls are more than smart, they are INTELLIGENT!! When they heard about the opportunity, they seized it. They didn't think they were too good or not good enough, they just showed up, ready to learn. They study their notes from class. When? I don't know, but they always come back knowing what we learned the previous class. I love the lessons in the Let Girls Work curriculum, they are the foundation for any career plan. Similar, to when I graduated nursing school. I had a set of basic skills, but until I built up the confidence to use them, it was just knowledge sitting in my head. I want my girls to have the confidence to use the information learned. Therefore, we do confidence building activities as well. What does being black mean to you? What are some good and bad things you have heard about being black? What are some things you've been told they cannot do as a woman? These are just a few questions we tackled. In the end, trying to break down constructs and build new constructs. I've watched them grow, in such a short time. The headmaster is pleased with the new found confidence the girls have. He asked, "What did you do?" Honestly, just tell them that they can!! Tell them they can do it, tell them they are just as smart as boys!! Many fall in the shadows at home, so bring them out of the shadows at school. Most are Christians, and believe that they are made in His imagine and His likeness, reinforce that thought! Tell them, if they are made in the imagine if God, and He can do all things, then they can do all things! Their doubt comes from hearing they can't. It comes from seeing that boundaries to what they can do as women. Tell them that they can and give them the opportunity to do it! This is what Let Girls Work aims to do! They leave classes with the call-and-response, "Say it loud. I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD!" They are building self-confidence each day. Even better, they build each other up as women! You have the power to build up the next generation, and people you come across each day, no matter where you are in the world. Will you tell them they can't? Or will you tell them they can? BONUS: Don't worry this story is for free! AND you still get to ponder on sex, as in gender. You and I learned how to ride some form of a bike shortly after learning to walk. We progressed from a tricycle, to a bike with training wheels, then we were set free to ride on two wheels. In contrast, in the rural areas of Rwanda it is very rare to see girls and women riding bikes. It's just something women don't do. There are old-school myths associated with women riding bikes. For example, a girl is not a virgin or is promiscuous if she rides a bike. You know there are some things you learned from your grandmother that she learned from her grandmother, but we defend it as truth because grandma said it's true! Same kind of idea. Anyway, on March 11, myself, about 18 other volunteers, The Women's Bakery, and three women cyclists from the Rwandan National Cycling Team rode our bikes about 70km! The event, "Let Girls Ride," was in observance of International Women's Day. On our way, we stopped at different points teaching lessons on gender equality, we challenged myths concerning women and riding bikes, and talked about the benefits biking riding has physical health. Sex and gender is something most people don't even talk about in their homes, so to have a hundred people at each stop, male, female, young, and old, in the center of town discussing these issues on a microphone was MAJOR!! As we rode people lined up along the sides to cheer and wave. The little girls, little boys, and momma's were happy to see other females that looked like them riding bikes. Something so simple, something we don't see as a big deal, was transformative and used to educate... There I stood, some 155 feet about the Nile River. My toes over the edge of the platform. My hands raised above my head grasping the roof of the platform. The instructor in the background saying, "Don't look down, let go, spread your wings, and fly!"
But I didn't! I released the roof, then I grabbed on tight again. Up and down my arms went, each time thinking, "What the hell are you doing?!" I felt a tingling sensation from my finger tips to my toes. My knees felt like they would buckle and I would just fall off the platform (now that would have made for a great picture). The tingling made it harder to hold on. I put my arms down one more time and heard a "3,2,1" in the background. There I was falling through the air! I don't remember anything, expect getting into the boat and almost crying. I JUMPED!! It wasn't until later that night I thought about what bungee jumping taught me about faith. We often find ourselves at the top of a platform. We doubt we should jump, we doubt the outcomes. We know we are connected to a bungee cord, we know it's in our best interest to jump. However, we don't jump! Our brain tell us, "No, what on earth are you doing?! You don't know the outcome of this!" It made me think of the many times I triple or quadrupled guess if I should jump. Whether it was a new school, a new job, a new state, a new leadership position, a new opportunity, my brain always said, "Are you sure this is the right thing?" As a Christian, I know I have a life line, a bungee cord connected to a harness. I know that when I jump, I can't fall, I can only fly, I'm protected. The instructor kept saying, "Just let go, spread your wings and fly!" God tells us the same thing, "Let go, fly, trust me, I got you!" STILL, we don't jump! Why? Because we claim to have unwavering faith, but when it comes to situations that make us uncomfortable, truth is, our mustard seed vanishes. We are called to have faith that is powerful enough to believe that when we take our jump there is no way we can fail. However, in those moments we second-guess and lack the faith to overpower our brain. In the toughest decisions, we must believe that who we serve is loyal and greater than anything we could think of. My heart said, "JUST JUMP!!" At the same time, my mind was saying, "This is stupid, why are you up here?! There's a cord attached, but you can still die!" Overcoming your mind is the hardest part of faith, of life, actually. It's easier said than done. When you're at the top, when you're at the beginning of a new adventure, you have to trust and believe that you will fly! There I was falling, arms open wide. A part of me anticipating the recoil, the jerk that meant I was didn't smash into the Nile River. I don't remember the fall, I just remember making it to the end. When I got to land, the instructor said, "See, I told you!" I'm like, "You're right, you're right!" How many times have you hesitated, fought with your mind over whether to jump or not, and when you finally jumped, God said, "Bruh, how many times do I have to tell you, I GOT YOU!!!" So the next time you're at the top, the next time you need to take a jump, close your eyes, count to three, spread your wings, and fly! Until Next Time, Live In Love |