On December 8th and 9th I held a PEPFAR event in Bame, a village near Kpando in the Volta region. The event was a football tournament including the villages of Fesi, Bame, and Dzewoe (all near Kpando). Despite the standard hiccups; testing nurses showing up four hours late, one football team briefly refusing to play because they didn’t get paid, and a team not showing up we were able to hold a successful event.
Peace Corps volunteers Tricia Rasmussen, TK Mangan, and Michael Shoup lent a helping hand. Tricia added valuable health expertise, TK was an invaluable score keeper, and Shoup kept the sex education interesting. I partnered with a local organization named UNiTED that specializes in health education outreach in Kpando. American and German volunteers working at UNiTED helped as well.
The football tournament consisted of three games over two days. We held two different sessions in which we talked about HIV/AIDS, STI’s, sex education, and also held hand washing sessions for the children. We tested over 240 people for HIV and all people found positive are currently receiving counseling and treatment. Additionally we took blood pressure of around 250 people and discussed hypertension and ways to combat it. Around one hundred people had their blood sugar tested.
I encourage every PCV to do a PEPFAR event. The hassles are well worth rewards. People found positive can then receive the treatment and support they need. Additionally you have the opportunity to teach people how to make good decisions with their health and ask questions about what they do not understand.
- Chris Massie, PCV
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