Work Coup! (no, not that kind)

Sometimes, things do go right! This week, I had two fantastic achievements (keep in mind that anything that goes right feels like an achievement…).

1) Over the last few weeks, I’ve been working with the training staff on new ways of doing their educational activities. Their previous training on Prevention with Positives (keeping HIV+ people healthy) was entirely lecture -- what a bore. And, considering the low literacy rate, a possible waste of time. I suggested that we should move to doing skit- or song-based interventions, and they bought it! We worked on the training for 2 weeks, and I hope you can hear/see the results of the “Lighthouse Choir” practicing their song for clinic patients before taking their act into the community. The song is about preventing mother to child transmission (as you can see from the choreography), and I just clipped out one verse. I must admit that I was grinning from ear to ear and had the chills just listening to it. Hope you like it too!

2) Also, I helped Lighthouse win a grant of $450,000 dollars from NIH/PEPFAR! This funding will go to helping us develop an electronic data system for TB management much like the existing electronic system we have for HIV treatment management. We have 1 year to do an incredibly ambitious program, but I have faith. I don’t know what type of faith I have, but it is my name on the line, and Lighthouse’s reputation, so it will get done. This place might try my patience, but I am continually impressed by how things happen despite almost insurmountable odds. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, right? Just have to create that will!