Saturday, July 21, 2012

I have been in Togo for a week and a half now and in Davie – my homestay village – for just under a week.  Each day has been completely filled with activities.  Since last week, we’ve had 16 hours of French lessons, 11.5 hours of cross-cultural training, and 9 hours of health technical training.  I can tell that my French is improving as the conversations with my host family are becoming more complex and we are able to talk about topics such as the Togolese government, the health care system, and topics that I have learned in “school” each day. 

For those of you who do not know this already, I am here in Togo as a health volunteer.  My title is “Community Health Educator/ Public Health Advisor” and our health program is called the “CHAP” (Community Health and AIDS Prevention) program.  The work of each volunteer will depend on the needs of the community and the region of Togo in which the community is placed.  From what I have learned so far, it sounds like all of our program work will be related to a) maternal and child health and b) malaria and HIV prevention.  Just like in America, there are many different levels of health care here in Togo.  Most likely, our work here will be with smaller community clinics that are located in villages or smaller towns. 

I have been living with a host family since Monday and everything has been great.  This is the first time that Davie has hosted PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) and the families have been extremely accommodating.  There are twelve other families that are hosting volunteers – there are 10 other health volunteers and 2 small enterprise development volunteers.  I have found that one of the best methods of bonding with all of my host family members – from my mother to my 2 year old brother – is through the universal language of dance.  The highlight of my week family-wise was an impromptu dance party a few nights ago with my host family and our neighbors. 

Work-wise, the highlight of the past week was definitely the visits that we have had to two health clinics in the area.  It was great to visit the health clinics and gain insight into the sector of the healthcare system in which we will be working the next two years.  These visits have allowed us to begin to envision our time working with the workers of the clinics and the communities. 

From what I have gathered, I do not have much access to internet between now and the end of September.  The best way to contact me is through letters or phone.