Leaving a legacy to build on     

Improving sexual health in North East Brazil                          

Approximately 10 million cases of sexually-transmitted infections occur in Brazil every year. Infections like HIV and syphilis can be deadly if untreated, and are easily transmitted from mother to baby.

International Service has 5 volunteers and a project manager working with the Amazonas State HIV & AIDS Programme. They are strengthening the State’s mission to control the AIDS epidemic through preventative healthcare – a relatively new idea amongst Brazilian healthcare professionals.

Lincoln Opio is a volunteer working on this programme in the municipality of Eirunepé. He is supporting health professionals to plan and develop activities on preventative health education for children, adolescents and young people. This is Lincoln’s personal account of why he became an international volunteer …

Leave a legacy to build on

"The experience of volunteering abroad truly emphasizes our shared humanity. The appreciation you gain for other people and cultures is profound. It’s definitely a socially responsible way to travel and learn about life overseas. But it’s also an opportunity for self-reflection, to learn how we can individually take action on global issues and make a positive impact on the world.

I was born and raised in Uganda. Out of my love for vulnerable children, I choose to work in my native Uganda with the Christian Children’s Fund. Later I joined The AIDS Support Organization.

Working with internally-displaced persons in Uganda meant I witnessed at first hand the suffering people went through as the result of a brutal 20-year insurgency by the rebels Lord’s Resistance Army. Thousands upon thousands of Ugandan citizens were displaced from their homes, living in the harsh conditions of overcrowded camps. I have vivid memories of the HIV-affected homes that I visited.

This experience made me decide that taking time to volunteer overseas would empower me with knowledge and skills, strengthen my ability to advocate for poor and marginalized people, and make a contribution to development efforts around the world.

My decision to volunteer in Brazil came just days after learning about International Service. I found them on the internet one morning whilst browsing for news and articles. On their website was an advert for a volunteer in exactly my area of work: HIV & AIDS Prevention among children and adolescents. I sent my application form in, and less than a day later I received an invitation to attend a volunteer selection meeting. I knew in my heart that I was, indeed, going to Brazil.

8th of March 2008: with teary hugs from my wife, I departed for Brazil. Thankfully, from the get-go of my preparations, I had the unconditional love and genuine support of my family and great friends.

Going Beyond Hope and Fear

"Hope is what propels us into action. We've been taught to dream of a better world as the necessary first step in creating one. We create a clear vision for the future we want, and then we set a strategy, make a plan, and we get to work. As long as we 'keep hope alive' and work hard, we can create the world we want. How could we do our work if we had no hope that we'd succeed?

After nearly two months in the municipality of Eirunepé, it was time to find out the reality of the living conditions of the river communities.
 
Saturday, June 27 2008: out on to the boat with five health professionals and a cook. We went packed with vaccines, medicines, clean water, gas, ice blocks, and food supplies to last the seven days when we would be providing medical services to rural communities on the River Eirú. The drive out to the river community was exceptionally beautiful; so very tropical, so very lush and green.  

In Eirunepé there are 166 river communities based along seven different rivers. The health professionals normally travel to each community two or three times a year to offer medical treatment and vaccinations. It’s common to see canoes rushing sick people to health centres or hospitals in the freezing morning temperatures - some are malaria cases. It reminded me of the situation in Africa; a lack of adequate health care and neglect by the government!


Lincoln visiting riverside communities

It took us 6 hours to get the first community of Saint Antonio. Oh my goodness, beautiful! Families live in very basic wooden huts, with the kitchen area under a straw-covered frame where the fire pit is located. When I arrived at one of the families they welcome me warmly, offering me a cup of acai. Not wanting to pass up the opportunity to engage in cultural experiences, I simply agreed. A cultural experience I received!

It is incredible to see the commitment and love that these health professionals have for every community and household they visit. They never skip a family, and in some homes they had to give long talks on the value of vaccines before the parents allowed us to vaccinate their children.
 

Adrift in the night!

"We finished each day in a community and found a place to tie our hammocks. We spent our first night at Saint Antonio in a classroom, the second night in a church.

The third night was in the boat. It proved quite unsuccessful between the crashing of the deeply angry thunder, the lightening bolts flashing, the rain splashing me from the side of the boat, and the hole in my mosquito net (which I accidentally caused by over-stretching my leg)…  Tonight, I am like honeysuckle for the honeybees, the mosquitoes have attacked me so intensely that I feel traumatized.

Deep in the night, we were woken by one of the team yelling at the top of her voice. Due to the heavy rain and wind, the boat had gone into the middle of the river! Yes, these and a few other odd events kept me alert and without sleep throughout my first evening in this boat home of mine.

Living out in the river was a dream come true, having the chance to see the complexities of the conditions under which the health professionals deliver services to the river communities, and how difficult is it for the people to travel to the town centres to get medical services - travelling in a canoe under the scorching sun, afraid of cobras and crocodiles, being bitten by teams of insects in spite of applying layers and layers of repellant.

Raimundo

"Raimundo has not moved out of his community for the last 30 years. He says his community is enriched with all the necessities - fish, wild animals, varieties of fruits including the delicious acai - but is devoid of education and health services. His reason for not visiting the city is that he does not have a house or a relative in town. If he travels to town either for medical services or for other reasons, then he must sleep in the boat for the duration of his trip. There are hundreds of people in the same situation as Raimundo, and so people from river communities rarely finish their treatments - including treatment for sexually-transmitted infections.

Vital lessons

"Volunteering has opened my eyes to what I can offer, how I can be my own man. I found something in me that I didn't realize was there. The experience exceeded my expectations. I feel I understand more of how the other half of the world lives.

Flexibility has put me on the path to success.

I arrived with specific expectations of the role I was to play, but when it came time to start doing things I discovered that the job description was largely irrelevant. There was no plan and no objectives. I realized that I was here to collaborate to set up the team and the structure they needed. No volunteer ever knows exactly what will be required of him or her in the workplace, but, being a good volunteer is about doing what is necessary. Being flexible involves adapting to what is going on around you, even if it is radically different from what you are used to. I had the opportunity to do things I would never do at home: making a fool of myself dancing in public, attending a traditional festival. I took the chance.


Lincoln is welcomed by members of an indigenous Amazon community

Patience pays. International volunteers must learn to be patient and go slowly. I realized that the pace of life is slower than back home where I was used to project work with an agreed timeframe. But it’s the opposite here. Volunteers must realize that meaningful partnership is a long and slow process. Avoid forcing your agenda and let things develop at their own pace. Here in Eirunepé, electricity is thermal generated with power rationing. When the power is off, everything stops - including the only telephone connection. All of these things can slow down a project, and patience is necessary.

International volunteering has taught me humility and given me a unique opportunity to find out how little I know. I realized that, whilst I am an accomplished professional and community leader at home, in this new environment I am a novice.

I looked at the people with whom I am working and asked myself some questions: what knowledge and skills do they possess that I do not; what life experiences do they have which are different from mine; what obstacles have they have to overcome in their lives; what can I learn from them? Volunteering is a two-way empowerment, learning from and being changed by the people you intended to help.

Do not be afraid of originality, of new thinking

"Taking time to volunteer overseas has changed the way I perceive the world. I would encourage everyone to spend as long as they can as a volunteer. The rewards multiply with every week, and you make lasting relationships. Mother Teresa said: ‘We can not all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.’

I am alive and well, learning a lot, growing heaps and I continue to be humbled daily. I am very happy to be able to report to you that things are well. Every minute in the day, I think I am happy. This was a great opportunity for me to see the heart of Amazonas, the deep jungle life, the rich spirits of the countryside people, life in another realm."

September 2009