I volunteered to write this article for the Peace Corps Uganda Email Newsletter about our swearing in ceremony and some thoughts on how it went and what life will be like... So here it is!
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After about nine weeks of moving from city to city,
listening to lecture after lecture, participating in demonstrations and
activities, living out of our bags, wearing the same clothes over and over, and
sleeping in many different beds and houses, WE MADE IT! We made it past what I
hope will be the hardest part of our two years here in Uganda – Pre-Service Training.
On Wednesday, August 6, 2014, 38 Health and Agriculture Trainees
and 13 Global Health Services Partnership Trainees swore in at United States Ambassador
DeLisi home in Kampala, the weather started out beautiful and bright but during
the ceremony it turned windy, with light rain and a chill in the air but as
Global Health Services Partnership Trainee David Baure (Mbarara) stated during
his speech “the weather must be good luck.”
Peace Corps director Loucine Hayes, Charge d’affaires, a.i.,
a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Patricia Mahoney, along with Dr. Jacinto
Amandua, a representative from the Ugandan Ministry of Health provided us with
words of wisdom, encouraged us to achieve big and plant the seeds of growth but
also thanked us for our selflessness in giving up the comforts of home to
serve.
Health Volunteer Josh Cruz (Salem Kolonyi – Mbale District)
along with Agribusiness Volunteer Tim Walis (Kamuli) provided us with speeches
about family and the excitement of the two years to come, with some funny
memories of the PST and many thanks to those who helped all of us through the
last two months. The only person in Peace Corps Uganda history to achieve an
Intermediate High Level on his LPI, Health Volunteer Wayne Wong (Gulu),
serenaded us in the Acholi language thanking those around him for their support
and training. Baure rounded out the speeches with lots of humor and joy.
I thought back to that moment when a group of 40 fresh,
bright eyed, exceptionally clean, and jet lagged Americans stepped off the
plane and into Uganda. There was much joy and excitement during that time and
also during our swearing in but also some nervousness at the realization that
we are Peace Corps Volunteers. After almost two years of the application
process and preparation since first applying back sometime in 2012 and
receiving my invitation in January of 2014 that it was finally happening.
Myself and 37 other trainees like so many before us throughout the world took
the volunteer oath to support and defend the constitution of the United States,
and to faithfully discharge my (our) duties and to serve to the best of our
ability. We are official Peace Corps Volunteers and Global Health Services
Partnership Volunteers.
Over the next two years we will spend our time providing our
skills and experiences as far North as in Kitgum, Pader, and Agago Districts where
Kate Miller will be working with Mercy Corps as an Agribusiness volunteer
providing basic capacity building in the districts with an overall goal of
helping the poorest famers through building the capacity of existing input and
output providers. Down to Gulu where Health Volunteer Nick Brer will be
improving the supply chain management and delivery system for prescription
medications and helping end waste and improve the availability of medications
to patients in the community. In the Southwest, Emily Brincka will be working
with Rural Gender and Development Association and continuing to provide
reusable menstrual pads throughout her community of Rukungiri and also
providing basic health education to community members. Agribusiness volunteer
Danny Mannka will be working with Chemonics International
Inc., in conjunction with USAID’s Feed the Future initiative in Bushenyi-town.
Mannka will be working both in the office to improve record-keeping,
and financial controls and in the field meeting with key members of
food-production, value chain, traders and village-agents. To the East in Mbale,
where Health Volunteers Holly Duffy will be working with health in her
community and Molly Burg will be focusing on hygiene, nutrition, and malaria at
St. Kizito Babies’ home in Gangama. To the West, in Masindi, Ray Cohen will be working
as an Agribusiness consultant who will be providing education on food security
and social media to his community and organization. Lynda Krisowaty who is also
in Masindi will be developing, revising, and implementing public health
education curriculum and training sessions as a Public Health Education
Coordinator.
The ceremony was rounded out with some great food which
included Ghirardelli chocolates which were well worth the sugar high and later
crash. All of the new Health and Agriculture volunteers provided the audience
with some entertainment which included dancing and singing to the large group
of Peace Corps Trainers, Supervisors and Counterparts, current Peace Corps
Volunteers, Peace Corps staff, visitors, expats, and many other supporters of
Peace Corps.
Congratulations to all the new Peace Corps Volunteers and
the Global Health Services Partnership Volunteers and again a big thank you to
all the Peace Corps staff, trainers, language trainers, and Supervisors and
Counterparts.
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