Fulani camp update

Submittted by Michaela Sholes

Audrey and I had our second session in the Fulani camp, this time to speak with the women. We had a great turn-out to the meeting with 11 women, many of whom had been attending the educational facility and so had personal experiences upon which to provide feedback! We discussed a variety of topics with them and received some interesting thoughts. When Audrey asked the women what their understanding of Medicine on the Move does as an organization, none of them had much of a clear idea, which enabled us the opportunity to emphasize our vision of support through encouragement and training, rather than through physical resources. They seemed very open to this concept and agreed that it should be that way. In addition, it was encouraging to hear the women express that they have seen visible improvements in their families’ health after applying information they’ve learned from our sessions regarding washing hands, basic wound management, etc… One of the interesting things that we learned from the ladies group is that Mondays (which have typically been our “Fulani Camp Day”) are actually the least convenient for them to attend meetings. Based on the same information coming from the men’s side as well, Audrey and I have decided that our meeting day will have to change to either Tuesdays or Thursdays. We will assess which will work best for MoM and do our best to meet their needs. Finally, our discussion led to the issue of the school-aged children attending school and the logistics involved. The ladies have suggested a school that is closer in distance to the camp and wouldn’t require the children to walk along the busy Akuse road. Audrey and I, as follow up with the ladies, have arranged to meet them at this school on Tuesday to meet with the administrators and assess whether or not it is a viable option.