Scouts

NOTE: I have uploaded a few pictures. If you click on the picture in the left corner above the caption "my life lately" it will take you to an album I have created.

Last weekend I gave an educational lecture on STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) and HIV/AIDS to about 60 boy and girl scouts! They range between the ages of 13 and 17. I was so nervous about speaking in front of a large number of teenagers, not to mention about such an EMBARRASSING and sensitive topic! When I was told I had to give this talk and who the audience would be, the scene from Varsity Blues immediately came to mind. When the Health Teacher stands up in front of the class and before talking about reproduction and STDs asks the class to repeat after her then says in her thick Texas accent, "Penis, Penis, Penis, Vagina, Vagina, Vagina."

Anthony, one of Edem's friends, accompanied me to Ho Hoe, which is about a 30 minute taxi ride from Kpando, and also where they were having their camp-out. It was in the cab that Anthony informed me I was the "key note" speaker, talk about some news that did not help with managing my nerves. We arrived at around 7:30pm and it was VERY dark. As we drove up to the compound I could faintly hear singing voices. There were about 10 tents set up that in the darkness looked like gigantic caterpillars. As we got closer, the voices got louder, it was the scouts singing and dancing around in a circle. These scouts are very similar to what we have in the states. They learn survival skills, leadership skills, how to tie a knot, etc.

Greetings are a big deal in Ghana. If someone comes to great you, you stop whatever you are doing, face the person fully and greet them. The formalities of it all can take up to 15 or 20 seconds and if you think about it, that's a long time just to greet some one in passing. I greet Harrison, the scout master, and Evelyn, one of the other women in charge and we chatted for about 20 minutes. I tell them where I am from, what I am doing in Kpando and about the work UNiTED is trying to do. I feel like now is a good place to mention that every Thursday I have been observing VCT (voluntary counseling treatment) for HIV patients at the hospital. I have enjoyed doing this SO much and told Harrison and Evelyn so. They must have heard me wrong or something, because Harrison introduced me as, "Doctor Rosie, a very good white doctor working at Margret Marquart Catholic Hospital in Kpando. She is very knowledgeable about STDs and HIV so ask as many questions as you would like." It took everything in me to keep from bursting with laughter.

All in all the talk went extremely well. I truly believe that they learned something and after saying the words penis and vagina out loud two or three times the awkwardness fell away. I guess the teacher from Varsity Blues had a point with that silly exercise! I was actually floored by some of the questions/answers I got from them. Just to see where they were in terms of knowledge on the topic of HIV, I asked a few questions before I started the lecture. The first question I asked, "How does a person become infected with HIV?" Three hands shot up with confidence. The first boy, about 16 years old and an obvious leader of the group, said, "Doctor, yes you can get HIV by sharing bread with someone who has HIV." My mouth momentarily dropped open before I could tell him that he was incorrect. The second boy, around 13 said "You can get HIV by sharing the same toilet or spoon with somebody who is infected." Again, WAY off! Finally, a girl raised her hand and said, "You can get HIV from having sex without condom with someone who is HIV positive." A grin spread across my face upon hearing her answer. I told her yes she was correct and explained that the HIV virus only lives in the blood and sexual fluids of a person who is HIV positive and that the virus does not live on their skin or in their breath.

With the HIV/AIDS epidemic being SO bad in Africa, i was shocked that these children did not know more about the virus and that it wasn't covered in schools. They are of an age where this topic should be covered in school. These kids are scouts, they are leaders among their age groups so their lack of knowledge, or mis-information is not only disheartening to me, but also a problem for their generation. This is a prime example of the stigma HIV/AIDS holds around here. With that being said, after I gave the lecture I was so proud of myself. I think they listened to me, probably because I am a doctor...hehehe. They answered the questions correctly the second time around. I feel like I educated them about something useful that will hopefully keep therm healthy, STI free and HIV negative.

I want to take this opportunity to mention how impressed I was with this scout camp out. The scout master, Harrison, has poured so much of his time, energy and love into teaching scouts to be responsible, educated citizens. He is trying to raise funds for the camp grounds where retreat weekends like the one I spoke at are held. They have already built a building, toilets and a kitchen all by hand and are now trying to build showers. By showers I mean a concrete structure with a couple of openings where they can take their bucket bath. Normally children around here bathe without a structure, but the scouts are adolescents and can no longer bathe without something covering them. I asked Harrison approximately how much it would cost to build them. He told me the supplies would cost around 360 Ghana Cedis and the labor would be free because it would be done by the scout troops. 360 Ghana Cedis translates to about 240 US Dollars. I am not sure if anyone reading this blog is involved in Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts of America, or has children who are in a troop, but this could be a great opportunity to help fellow scouts a little less fortunate than them. If you know of any troops back home looking to raise money for a cause or form a relationship with an international troop, this would be a great opportunity! Please shoot me an e-mail if you are interested! rosemarianbryan@gmail.com

Also, several people have been asking me what they can send me. I don't need anything, but the orphanage needs things like: boys belts, small boys underwear, MEDICAL TAPE especially, GOOD Band-aids, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol wipes, HAND SANITIZER, gauze, any other first-aid supplies, balloons and DVDs are always fun too.

Send any packages to:

Rosie Bryan
HardtHaven Children's Home
P.O. Box 216
Kpando, Volta Region
Ghana

Thank you again to everyone who has given me prayers and support!

Peace and Love from Africa!!