I am in Uganda with Safe Mothers, Safe Babies doing my Public Health Practicum. Our overall aim is to improve Maternal and Child Health, and decrease infant mortality. Some of the projects we are involved in try to create sustainable programs to reduce child malnutrition, ensure safe deliveries, and empower women to be prepared for childbirth.
A scene that cannot leave me is that of my friends and I riding on the boda bodas (motorcycles) while traveling to various community meetings and/or clinics. The Ugandan children often run into the streets to scream “Jambo! Jambo!” as they smile from ear to ear. (Jambo means Hello). SubhanAllah imagine experiencing this kind of exuberant greeting as you ride through a vast beautiful, rich, and green meadow with the breeze brushing against your face and body. This is a taste of Paradise. I now understand how the laughter and exuberance of children can cure depression. SubhanAllah these children are impoverished but have the richest of spirits. =)
