Great Things are Happening for SCOPE

So many big things have happened for SCOPE during the last two weeks—some of them planned but many of them coincidental (or providential, depending on your world view J )

On Monday, SCOPE began it’s first six-day HIV/AIDS Priest Training program with 21 Gondar-area priests, on the compound of the North Gondar Diocese. This is a huge deal. Kefyalew, SCOPE’s most recent Master’s of Public Health fellow from the University of Gondar, has been working on this program for months. Along with Dr. Getahun, SCOPE’s go-to man at U of Gondar Medical School, Kefyalew created a curriculum and procured teachers from the University to teach and lead discussions among the priests re: HIV/AIDS and to challenge these priests—such influential leaders in their communities—to be the face of change by being well-educated about all aspects of HIV, encouraging and modeling HIV testing and working in the community to decrease stigma. SCOPE hopes the next steps will be to expand this priest training and to use these trained priests in SCOPE’s Prevention of Maternal to Child Transmission project.

Priests taking notes during training

Both the Archbishop of the North Gondar Diocese (Abuna Elissa) and the Dean of U of Gondar Medical School (Dr. Sisay) spoke at the opening of the training, a remarkable fact. Abune Elissa said, “We’ve been hearing about HIV/AIDS for 30 years and we are still not sure what it is. Now, it is our responsibility to take this information into our communities.”

During the first day of priest training, Nancy and I were able to meet with four HIV+ women who work for the diocese. They essentially act as home health aids—they each work in their own neighborhoods, visiting the homes of HIV+ women known to the diocese. They help with medication compliance, making sure infants of HIV+ women are receiving meds and repeat testing, identification of HIV+ women who need transport to hospital, and sometimes help with light housework. These women will be invaluable as SCOPE moves forward with the PMTCT project.

The four women discussing the finer points of their HIV home help

Nearly three weeks ago, when Nancy was transported by the U of Gondar van from the airport into the city, she met two individuals: Tinsae, who is head of Gender Studies and HIV Services and Dr. Afewerk, Dean of Research and Community Services, both from the U of Gondar. We have since met with Tinsae and with her colleague Mulunesh, head of the Midwifery program at the medical school. These women are both very interested in collaborating with SCOPE; Mulunesh herself had written a proposal for a project very similar to SCOPE’s PMTCT project and has offered to mentor SCOPE’s next fellow.

Dr. Afewerk was so taken by the concept of SCOPE (the partnership between faith and medicine) that he invited Nancy and I to a meeting in the University President’s conference room (the Ethiopian version of the Oval Office. Seriously.) Dr. Afewerk had assembled 13 different department heads to hear about how SCOPE was conceived, the program’s accomplishments to date, our current projects and to ask how these different University departments might collaborate with SCOPE as the partnership between faith and medicine continues forward in its goal of positively impacting the lives of Ethiopians living with HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Afewerk was astounded that 1) SCOPE was currently educating priests—who never, ever talk about sex—about a sexually transmitted disease and 2) that SCOPE worked with the North Gondar Diocese to test 850 local people for HIV (Dr. Afewerk stated that no university program could ever be that successful and attributed the success to the unique partnership.)

The two faranj's and the University of Gondar Dept. heads

Dr. Afewerk concluded this extraordinary meeting with this: “Ideas matter. And SCOPE is a huge idea. We are at a point [with HIV/AIDS in our communities] where we need clever ideas to find the leaders and address the issues. SCOPE does this.”

Anyway, the last two weeks have been really amazing, in so many ways. We have achieved far more than we expected, and made connections with interested, committed  people we never knew existed until a few days ago.

Girls on the street making money by manning a scale to weigh HIV+ citizens

Nancy leaves tomorrow and I’m still here in Gondar until Sunday morning (then on to Lalibela.) I’ve had a great time with Nancy—believe me when I say we have had more hysterical laughing moments than I can count. A sure sign of happy travelers.

With Abba Mulu and the wicker sun umbrellas