The story of Teddy Achiro:
I would like to start a 600km bike campaign to high light the plights of most women in rural Uganda. I step out at as an advocate for the Millennium Development Goal focusing on Maternal Health, Child Immortality, Gender Inequality, Universal Primary Education and other concerns like Domestic Violence.

It is just a few years to 2015. A year when the MDG goals should be met. I got this conviction having done a seven month research on a sero behavioural survey in West Nile region of Uganda in the districts of Arua, Nebbi and Moyo and discovered that without getting the men to support all these women's initiatives we are challenged to meet with a bottle neck situation. There is a saying in Arua that "A bicycle is better than a woman" Please if you can find out more... Other researchers I have done in Western Uganda in the districts Ntungamo, Bushenyi,  Kabale also indicate that incorporating the men in all the women's campaign starting at house hold level is very vital.

A woman had eight births but seven of her children died at infancy, an eighth child wrapped up in a shoal at nine month amazed the doctors. We met this woman at her home during a household visit to establish how many homes have bed nets, children under five, access points of treatment in Ntungamo, etc. As a field data manager, I wanted to take down the details of this child but I could not because this polite mother was not at liberty to even name her baby,  the baby was under weight with septic sores in all it's joints and was very anemic.

She was given health education and counseling by one of the female doctors, and then offered transportation and support  for herself and child in an effort to quickly get blood transfusion for the already lifeless looking child, for reasons that a malaria attack would instantly kill the baby. The woman kindly turned down the offer for the reason that her husband's consent was vital. Which was okay. when the doctors asked to speak to her husband, she could not clearly tell, because he had not returned home in several days, with the help of other residents of the village the village councilor set out to get him.

After several hours of waiting her  husband was brought home from a drinking spree.

He  was already angered, he went into a fight. He was tied down, the doctor's explanation to this furious man was only interrupted with threats to his wife and vulgar utterance. The woman and her baby were rushed to hospital but I still wonder; did she return home after receiving treatment ?  Would she have the nerve to take her child to hospital again if she continued to live with her husband?

My Strategy is to involve the men to back up issues like
- Birth control,
- Participate in household / domestic chores to give women time to seek medical care for themselves and children etc.

Please if you can follow me on youtube with these search MDG TherezaCompressed, click the file Theresa Aciro Odongo a 56 second video for you to reflect on.

Good Luck.

Thank You and God Bless you All

Teddy Achiro
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