June: Month Three

This month provided an interesting variety of work activities. Among other tasks, I was able to attend multiple meetings. These included meeting with Sunrise’s Supervisor and Community Programs Coordinator to discuss the ongoing patient registration project; meeting with Sunrise teachers to discuss the Circle Time and Choice Time project; and a meeting for which members of the community were invited to Sunrise School to receive updates on Sunrise's programs, projects and progress over the past few months. I have also been engaged with the following activities:

Filling in where needed:

Sunrise Director Nicole Van Seters has accumulated an extensive list of grants, but the organization will not be eligible to apply for all of them. Thus, this month I have spent time researching grants which Sunrise may be able to apply for, making note of which grants the organization is currently eligible for, which ones it may be eligible for in the future, and which it is not and will not eligible for.

Every six months, Nicole compiles a general update on progress at Sunrise to be posted on the organization’s website. During this month I transferred a handwritten report by Grace Family Health Centre’s Head Nurse containing complete information on all births since January 1 to Microsoft Word. The information contained in the document will be used in the six-month update.

During spare time this month, as per the teachers’ request, I also drew and coloured many pictures and painted a set of ‘sliders’, to be used in the classroom.

Job Shadowing:

Sunrise is intending to purchase textbooks for some of its students from a publishing company called Macmillan. Thus, this month I travelled with Nicholas Agesa, Sunrise’s Adult Education Instructor, to the office of Macmillan in Uganda’s capital city, Kampala. There we spoke to a MacMillan representative who checked on the availability of each of the books Sunrise is interested in. If a title was no longer available, the rep suggested alternatives selections to be reviewed by the director. Nicholas and I then visited MacMillan’s accountant to get quotes for all of the books under consideration.

This month I was also able to travel to Kampala with Sunrise Supervisor, Ruth Apili, to observe two of her meetings with the organization’s accountant, Jacqueline Nassali.

Jacqueline Nassali, Sunrise Accountant, and Ruth Apili, Sunrise Supervisor.

Supervising Projects:

Circle Time:

Since the end of May, in the Director’s stead I have been managing the Circle Time project mentioned in my previous blog entry. From May 30^th until June 10^th I planned for and lead Circle Time in two classrooms for a total of half an hour each day. At the end of each work week, I then sent the Director reports on how the activity had been received by both Sunrise students and teachers.

Once I had introduced the concept of Circle Time to the teachers, I transferred responsibility for leading the activity to them. Between June 13^th and June 17^th I then observed the teachers in the classroom as they led Circle Time. At the end of that work week I sent another report to the director, who evaluated the progress and sent additional instructions and suggestions for leading Circle Time. I then discussed these instructions and suggestions with the teachers. It was soon agreed by the teachers and the Director that I would continue my observation in the classroom until Circle Time has developed into a routine that blends the Director’s expectations and the teachers’ local knowledge and experience.
Moreover, when I had been leading Circle Time, I had used my laptop in some of the activities I planned. The teachers were impressed by how a computer had drawn the attention of the students, and expressed a strong interest in also using a laptop for their own activities. Thus, I began instructing two of Sunrise’s teachers on computer and internet use so they will be able to incorporate computers into their Circle Time activities.

Me leading Circle Time in the 'Baby' Preschool Class.

Choice Time:

From the last days of May until June 10^th, I also spent time managing the Choice Time project mentioned in my last blog entry. For this I arranged a wide variety of workbaskets containing curriculum-related activities for three of Sunrise’s classrooms, observed how the activities were received in the classroom, and reported my observations to the Director. During this time I kept my own record of the supplies I was borrowing from the storage bins in the school office, but after two weeks I handed over the responsibility of arranging workbaskets to the teachers. To then ensure supplies used are returned and maintained, I designed and printed a set of ‘supplies sign-out sheets’ for the teachers to use in conjunction with the school’s librarian.

Primary 1 Class enjoying Choice Time activities.

Patient Registration:

My participation in the patient registration process for Buiga Sunrise’s Grace Family Health Centre is also still ongoing. For this project I have remained in charge of taking photos of registrants, supervising volunteers as they gather additional information from registrants, and recording all of the incoming data in the consolidated Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet I designed. This month I was also able to design templates for the identification cards we will be producing for use by low-income patients, to ensure they receive subsidized care. Although we have yet to get pictures of everyone who will be receiving a card, we intend to start producing the cards as early as next week using my templates.

May: Month Two

Early this month, new batteries were installed in the inverter at Sunrise School. This meant that power was more readily available than it had been during the previous month, and it made completing tasks quicker and easier. However, this month the staff and I remained challenged by a slow and sometimes intermittent internet connection. Occasionally this made connecting with fellow staff and the Director challenging, but I was still able to complete a variety of tasks:

Managing/Maintaining Projects Initiated During Director’s April Visit:

This month I finished the inventory process that I started with Director Nicole Van Seters when she was visiting Sunrise in April. After she left, I completed transferring my handwritten inventory record into categorized tables in Microsoft Word, then proceeded to double check this computerized inventory against what was sitting in plastic storage containers at the school office. After accounting for every item that was on the inventory list, I then accounted for any items that had been omitted by allocating them to appropriate containers and adding them to the inventory list. From there, again using Tables in Microsoft Word, I formatted inventory labels for each container according to its size and the items contained therein. I then printed, cut out, and affixed each label to its respective container. Finally, I made suggestions which were accepted by the Director on how the new inventory system we have developed can be maintained by Sunrise staff.

The newly organized supplies in Sunrise School's office.

After her visit in April, the Director also listed a variety of aspects of Sunrise operations that she determined could be improved. With this in mind, she compiled a list of observations and comments to be used as a baseline against which progress in the identified areas can be judged. The form the Director composed for this purpose contains tables she has asked the Supervisor and me to fill with monthly commentary on this progress. At the end of May, I reviewed the baseline data which the Director had recorded, and made comments on the progress that has been achieved based on my observations around Sunrise.

General Administration:

This month I have been kept in the loop regarding progress and developments at Sunrise by being included in emails sent between and among the Community Programs Coordinator, the Supervisor and the Director. Through such emails I reviewed prioritization of tasks lists, funding requests, budget sheets, program updates for the Director and Director’s comments. This was beneficial because it provided me with information about Sunrise operations and upcoming activities additional to that which I have gathered through observation and conversation with staff members.  It also gave me a broader and deeper understanding of the respective responsibilities of the Head Nurse, the Community Programs Coordinator, the Supervisor and the Director. I anticipate that I will be kept up to date through inclusion in such emails throughout my Co-op.  

Further, this month I was able to assist in the composition of one of the documents listed above: the Medication and Patient Tracking Form. This form compiles data summarizing operations at Sunrise’s clinic, Grace Family Health Centre. For me, this process involved transferring handwritten data to Microsoft Excel. It allowed me to augment my knowledge of Microsoft Excel and enhance my experience with the program. Through this, I was able to learn about the variety of conditions that are treated at Sunrise’s Grace Family Health Centre (they range from dehydration to hypertension, from typhoid fever to clinical malaria). I also learned the types of medications that can be used to treat such conditions.

Through email consultation with the Director, I was also able to work in Microsoft Excel designing new and improved forms for keeping track of currently used and additional data for Grace Family Health Centre. This data encompasses medications purchased and sold, patients’ medical histories, and ongoing general clinic use statistics. This activity allowed me to explore my knowledge of Excel and enhance my experience with the program. It also utilized my problem-solving skills as I considered different ways of recording all of the required information as clearly and effectively as possible. I wanted the new forms to be more comprehensive than the forms previously in use, and also to be easier to reference. This process took several days as it required detailed email consultation with the Director, as well as conferring with local Sunrise staff to ensure appropriate usability of the new forms.

Once the Director approved the final versions of the forms I designed, I forwarded them to Sunrise’s Adult Education Instructor. It will be his job to use the forms for recording all the pertinent information both now and after I have completed my official time with Sunrise. Once he began using the new forms I was able to consult with him about the purpose of their design and how to use them for entering data. He has since been using the forms.

This month I was also able to utilize my knowledge of Microsoft Word when I made revisions to a form initially compiled by the Community Programs Coordinator. The form was designed to present data regarding which parents of Sunrise students are paying, have paid, or are working for Sunrise in exchange for their child’s tuition fees. Upon instruction from the Director, I made changes to the document in order to have its information presented in a clear, consistent and tidy fashion. To do this I utilized my knowledge of the Tables function in Microsoft Word.

Workshop Attendance and Presentation

Buiga Sunrise facilitates several community social groups. These include a children’s troupe that focuses on drumming, singing, storytelling and drama; a music, dance and drama troupe for young adults; an artisan group; as well as football, volleyball and netball teams. Each group is led by a young adult volunteer from the local community, and this month Sunrise hosted a one-day workshop for these youth to enhance their leadership skills. I was able to attend this workshop, and was also asked by the Community Programs Coordinator to provide a presentation during it!

The workshop’s main speaker was Norman Ssenfuma, a social worker who does social and community development work for a nearby non-governmental organization called Ease Foundation. During his presentation, he put the functions of Sunrise’s social groups into their larger context, noting that training these young adults to become better leaders was empowering them to emancipate their fellow community members from various types of poverty. He then described and gave examples of the many qualities a good leader should possess.
Following this session, I provided a presentation about how leaders can effectively manage their resources by utilizing the management concept of setting “SMART” goals (goals that are Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-Bound). During my presentation I was able to practice the presentation skills I gained in my Managerial Skill Development class last year. Afterward, I reflected on my presentation and considered ways in which I can further augment these skills. For example, I know that I can still speak more slowly, incorporate more pauses between sentences, and repeat important words for emphasis.
Following my session Norman presented again, this time on the management concept of a SWOT analysis (evaluating the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats present in a group or project). When Norman was presenting that day, I absorbed and was able to take notes on the leadership concepts he described.

Norman presenting on the qualities of good leader.

Me presenting the management concept SMART goals.

Me presenting the management concept SMART goals.

Supervising Projects 

As part of its mission, Buiga Sunrise aims to empower low income individuals and families (those living below the international poverty line of $1.00 per day). Accordingly, one of the mandates of Grace Family Health Centre is to provide subsidized consultation services and medication to individuals meeting this criterion. However, historically there has not been official documentation regarding which people in the clinic’s service area do meet this criterion. Thus, this month the Director assigned Sunrise staff, volunteers and me the task of venturing into the clinic’s service area (comprising the five villages of Nakayaga, Kyandaaza, Bugenderadala, Kirondo and Kitebe) to gather information from all of its residents. Eventually the information gathered will be used to produce identity cards for low-income clinic-users, which will help to ensure these users receive subsidized care. Additionally, information gathered about all clinic users will be used by Sunrise staff for logistics when planning community programs, and for building a patient database to be referenced and added to as time passes.

My involvement with this project has been multi-faceted thus far. First, I prepared a form in Microsoft Word to be used for gathering information from people in the service area. Once the form was ready for use, the Community Programs Coordinator who is overseeing the project assigned me the role of project supervisor. Thus, I began venturing into surrounding villages with five of Sunrise’s youth volunteers, answering their questions and ensuring they had the supplies necessary for recording data. This process took five days, during which I also started and finished transferring all of the handwritten data gathered into a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet I designed to compile the data village by village.

Steve, a Sunrise volunteer gathering information from Grace Family Health Centre users.

Duncan and Justine, Sunrise volunteers gathering information from Grace Family Health Centre users.

Next I designed forms to gather additional information from clinic-users as, during the following week, they were all asked to visit Sunrise School to have their pictures taken for their files and/or identity cards. During that week, I supervised two youth volunteers as they gathered additional information from clinic-users. I also took pictures of each clinic-user and transferred the pictures to computer, naming each picture according to the clinic-user it showed. All the while I was also transferring the additional data being gathered by the volunteers to a final, consolidated Excel Spreadsheet.

Me transferring data!

The next phase of the project is determining which individuals or households with members utilizing the clinic are low-income. This will be determined by the Community Programs Coordinator as he travels through the five villages with their Local Council Leaders. My role in this phase of the project will be to distinguish low-income families from other families on the consolidated spreadsheet I have been working with. From there we will begin designing the identification cards.

Filling in Where Needed

This month I assisted some of Sunrise’s youth volunteers in repainting chairs from the classrooms at Sunrise School.

Me and Nicholas repainting chairs at Sunrise School.

Early in the month I also began planning for my participation in the classrooms. The Director requested that I temporarily lead a daily program called Circle Time in two of Sunrise’s three classrooms. The purpose of Circle Time is to get students involved in a fun group activity to help reinforce what they are learning in class. With the help of two books specifically designed for providing teachers with ideas for Circle Time, I started brainstorming ways I could engage Buiga Sunrise students. As time passed and I liaised between the Sunrise Director and its teachers, this project developed and my role in the classroom was clarified. I would in fact be leading Circle Time once per day in both the “Baby” and “Top” preschool classes, in accordance with their respective ongoing curricula.

In addition, I would be temporarily facilitating a program called Choice Time in the “Baby” and “Top” preschool classes, as well as the Primary-1 (Grade 1) class. The purpose of this latter program is to allow students to explore learning through various activities. These include visiting the existing Reading and Science Corners or Art Table, or grabbing a workbasket to explore independently or with teacher assistance. My role in facilitating Choice Time was to consist of putting together the workbaskets.
Once the teachers had planned their daily schedules for the new semester which started on May 23, we decided that my involvement in the classrooms would begin once the regular class schedule commence on May 30. We made a preliminary plan for my first day, and from there I designed Circle the Time and Choice Time activities we would be introducing. The first two days of Circle Time and Choice Time went as well as I could have expected, and I am looking forward to participating in these activities and then passing them wholly over to the teachers within the coming weeks.