We are pleased to welcome three new members to assist Engeye in improving medical care and business operations. Dr. Carlos Elguero, a dynamic family physician and assistant professor at Albany Medical Center in New York, is fine-tuning the protocols and algorithms guiding daily medical decisions, to raise the clinic’s standard of care. Dr. Elguero recently published a case report on a child with bullous impetigo seen at the Engeye Clinic during his trip in February of 2009. Jay Shah, currently a first year medical student at Albany Medical College with an MBA in health care management, has hit the ground running, reaching out to various institutions and organizations to help streamline Engeye’s business operations including grant opportunities and finances. John Leisure, marketing specialist for Charles Schwab during the day and Engeye’s creative director by night, advises Engeye with all marketing activities including presenta-tions, information management databases, networking opportunities, and overall organizational development. Welcome Dr. Elguero, Jay and John!

ENGEYENEWS SPRING 2009

While for the people of Ddegeya Village,

basic medical needs can be life saving, for

the visiting team of students, residents and

physicians, it is life changing.--Carlos Elguero, M.D.

wELComE mESSaGE to aDvISoRY boaRD

GoaLS foR 2009>> Staff the clinic in Uganda with a western physician year-round

to work with local healthcare personnel and fulfill Engeye’s global mission and partnership

> fILL all internship positions – see www.engeye.org for a list of available internship positions

> RaISE funds for daily clinic functions for the years of 2009 and 2010 – ($34/day)

> PaRtNER with five hospitals to send health care teams to assist the clinic staff at EHC in Ddegeya Village on a continual basis – five partnerships already confirmed.

> ENhaNCE partnerships with Uganda Cares and the Ugandan Ministry of Health, local Ugandan HIV/AIDS and malaria organizations to bring much needed care to the village

> SECuRE an all purpose vehicle for the clinic to enable patient transfers, volunteer pick-up from the airport and easier transport of medication and shipments – $10,000

> woRk with local laboratory technicians and skilled people in the U.S. to improve microscopy, rapid diagnostic tests and other basic lab skills to aid in more sophisticated medical diagnosis and care

> CoLLECt pessary, shoe, and medical supply donations to be transported to Uganda

boaRD of DIRECtoRS John Kalule, General Operations in UgandaStephanie Van Dyke, MD, General Operations in U.S.Misty Richards, General Operations & ResearchAnny Su, General Operations, Architecture and DesignaDvISoRY boaRDJohn Leisure, Creative DirectorCarlos Elguero, MD, Medical Director Jay Shah, Business StrategistvoLuNtEERS Dawna Heising, Public RelationsAmanda Wilson, Newsletter Design & ProductionElaine Pers Hickey, Engeye ScholarsTheresa Weinman, Engeye ScholarsRebecca Thiebes, NGO Legal AdviceHeidi Van Dyke, TreasurerJeff Van Dyke, Editor

Stephanie Van Dyke is a graduate of Albany Medical College, Misty Richards and Jay Shah are current students at AMC, Theresa Weinman is the coordinator for the Albany Medical Center Family Medicine Department and Dr. Carlos Elguero is an AMC attending physician and instructor. We are grateful for the support shown by Albany Medical College and Albany Medical Center.This newsletter was made possible thanks to discount printing donated by Final Print www.finalprint.com

For news updates and snapshots of clinic operations on the ground,

check out our monthly Engeye podcast on iTunes! Simply search “Engeye” in the Podcast Directory.

Also, please check out our Facebook page “Engeye Clinic – Living in Good Health Together”.

Let us not look back and realize we did not live up to our potential – that we could have done more to help those in need. May we advocate for the dying children of Ddegeya Village – and countless others just like it – as if they were our own. And realize that the health inequality that allows thousands of Ugandans to die every day of diseases that we consider minor inconveniences, is one of the greatest tragedies of our time. Our aspirations to better healthcare standards are not dreams, but realities -- of which we are the chief part. Join us in pushing the boundaries of our visions. Let’s journey outside our own small microcosm and use the tools we possess to minimize unnecessary deaths. Change the lives of the inhabitants of one small village. Give them hope and the tools that they need to pay it forward, and they will.

Your tax-exempt donation will work immediately towards providing basic health care in an area that has the Engeye Health Clinic as its only medical resource and advocate. Donations can be mailed to the above address or made online at www.engeye.org. Engeye Health Clinic is a 501 (c) 3 organization. As conscientious global citizens, the time to act is now.

DoNatIoNS:Engeye, Inc.1500 SW 11th Avenue, #2304Portland, OR 97201

TO:

Engeye Inc.1500 SW 11th Avenue, #2304Portland, OR 97201

DuRING thE CLINIC’S fIRSt thREE YEaRS, wE>> bRouGht healthcare to a village that had no medical resources

> EmPowERED a local Ugandan team of one doctor, two nurses, a pharmacist and a clinic manager

> hoStED five medical teams of doctors, nurses, residents and medical students

> tREatED over 13,500 patients

> Put shoes on the feet of over 900 children

> bRouGht electricity to Ddegeya Village for the first time, allowing for improved healthcare and communication

> PaRtNERED with New York’s Union College to host two select recent college graduates for nine month rotations

> CoNStRuCtED and equipped a laboratory to perform a variety of tests including malaria strain detection

> PERfoRmED male circumcisions in Ddegeya Village for the first time ever – a procedure shown to reduce the spread of heterosexually acquired HIV by 60%

ENGEYE CELEbRatES ItS thIRD YEaR!

uNIoN CoLLEGE & mINERva fELLow uPDatE

“I’ve sat in the company of strangers speaking a different language for hours, felt the clock tick-ing away, and they just feed off one another’s warmth. There is always time for your neighbor and it doesn’t have to be scheduled in advance. A different pace is not the right way to put it. Things aren’t slow because people are less ef-ficient, less pressed, or ambivalent about getting things done - these are things that may be true - time is different because everything is savored.”

– STEVE PO-CHEDLEY

Engeye’s partnership with Union College completed a successful first year. The college supports two volunteers in Uganda through Union’s Minerva Fellowship. This past year’s Minerva Fellows, Stephen Po-Chedley and Becky Broadwin, lived at the Engeye Health Clinic in Ddegeya for nearly nine months.

Becky and Steve took part in a range of activities to help the community: teaching at sever-al local schools; working with 30 kids to give them pre-primary edu-cation; distribut-ing chickens to kids for protein;

assisting in clinic maintenance; assisting other volunteers’ work at Engeye; working on gardening projects with kids; and helping to support women through crafts projects.

Overall, the Union-Engeye partnership al-lows for a unique experience for volunteers. The two were able to experience various

cultural events such as Ugan-dan weddings, Eid (Muslim holiday) and Ugandan-style parties. They also acted to increase aware-ness of Ugandan culture and lifestyle, health disparities, and

educational system shortfalls in their blogs and through the Union College newspaper.

Beginning this summer, two new fellows, Tom Perry and Monica Rowett, will travel to Ddegeya to continue Becky and Steve’s work, extending what has been an incredible partnership.

INSIDE thE SPRING NEwSLEttER> fEbRuaRY mEDICaL mISSIoN:

CARING FOR OTHERS, CHANGING LIVES> amwa aNNuaL CoNfERENCE> bRYAN MELTz: PhotoGRaPhIC INSPIRatIoN> a mothER’S StRuGGLE,

a DauGhtERS DEath> uNIoN CoLLEGE &

mINERva fELLow uPDatE

Dr. Carlos Elguero and Nurse Joseph Tinka collaborate on the clinic veranda

Stephen Po-Chedley and a student in

the village morning class, Aksom

becky broadwin and morning class student, Sumayiya

pelled to contribute what little they had because of the care they received at the clinic.

In an effort to substantially improve the clinic’s services and ability to diagnose and treat patients, the team also opened the doors to a diagnostic laboratory. The laboratory served as a central meeting ground for all clinicians to further discuss cases and troubleshoot potential diagnoses. The purpose of the laboratory is three-fold: to support more quantitative measures in order to refine diagnostic capabilities; to provide workspace for Engeye volunteers and employees; and to house all the equipment necessary towards achieving these aims.

Once only a dream, the laboratory was built with the blood, sweat, and vision of generous Engeye supporters, volunteers, employees and enthusiasts. Through the incredible donations and support of the community, the inaugural day of the laboratory was a major success. Stocked with close to $15,000 USD worth of diagnostic equipment, this new structure of-ficially had a heartbeat of its own. Everything from microscopes to glucometers was donated and utilized. Clinicians were able to analyze blood and urine samples, pregnancy tests, and blood smears to provide a more quantitative analysis to complement the more subjective evaluations based on clinical diagnosis alone. The demand for the laboratory was high and the clinic is now one step closer to providing truly robust care.

Although the clinic operates locally, it must think globally. Providing care for diseases such as HIV/AIDS, expanding services and treatments, educating the staff, and providing medication requires knowledge and resources from people and places across the globe. For

this reason, establishing connections with Ugandan organizations and others is extremely important. The partnership between Eng-eye and Uganda Cares, for instance, seeks to subsidize the cost of antiretroviral HIV/AIDS treatment for patients and provides access to counseling resources in the community to help patients cope with their diagnosis. RHSP, started more than 20 years ago by scientists at Makerere University in Kampala, strives to improve Ugandan public health by supporting health care delivery with relevant research.

At the end of the day, it is important for us all to remember that we educate ourselves as we care for others. By learning Ugandan cus-toms, caring for patients with limited resourc-es, and operating in challenging environments, the team returned with ideas and insight on how to improve health care at home, as well as develop the clinic in the future. And, by recognizing that healthcare is more than just medicine, our renaissance team continues to spread the word through photography, web media, and other forms of advocacy to improve the lives of those in Ddegeya as well as others across the globe.

a mothER’S StRuGGLE,a DauGhtER’S DEath

DELIVERINg HEALTHCARE, bUILDINg RELATIONSHIPS, AND INSTILLINg HOPE WERE AT THE CORE OF ENgEYE’S MOST RECENT MEDICAL MISSION.

In February 2009, a renaissance team of six doctors, five medical students, a photographer, an architect, an emergency nurse, and a family practice enthusiast embarked on a life-changing journey to Ddegeya Village in rural Uganda. In just a few short weeks, the team and permanent clinic staff saw over 500 patients, opened a diagnostic laboratory, and established partnerships with the Ugandan Ministry of Health, Uganda CARES and the Rakai Health Services Program (RHSP). In accomplishing this, the team came to realize that providing healthcare is not just a service, but also a way of life.

In Uganda, medical treatment doesn’t start after the diagnosis, but begins from the moment a patient walks in the door. You greet the patient, you smile, you ask how her family is doing while embracing her warmly. It is a Ugandan custom to treat a patient not as a stranger, but as a friend and community member. This is the type of medicine – com-passionate medicine – that Engeye strives to practice.

During the mission, the team treated about 62 patients per day. Ailments ranged from malaria and HIV to the common cold and chronic hypertension. Without advanced medical equipment and access to extensive medications, the staff could not always deliver care even after a diagnosis was rendered. However, hundreds were successfully treated and their lives improved. So grateful were the villagers that passed through the clinic, many contributed 3,000 Ugandan shillings each, or US $1.60 – more than a day’s income. Although the clinic has adopted a sliding fee scale based on personal income, the villagers felt com-

Engeye’s co-founder, John Kalule, just shared a very touching story with us, and we thought it important to pass along.

Eight-year-old Josephine lived with her mother in a small village several miles from Ddegeya Village, rarely seeing her father who was in Kampala looking for employment. She hadn’t been feeling well, but being the vibrant and determined young lady that she was, and acknowledging the complete absence of medical care or supplies in the vicinity, continued to attend classes to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher.

One day, however, she found herself too weak to make the long walk home and slept on the school’s concrete compound.

Upon finally arriving at her home some hours later, she lost consciousness and collapsed into her mother’s arms.

There was dinner to cook and a subsistence farm to maintain, but this single mother knew that these chores meant nothing without young Josephine, her pride and joy.

Ambulances are non-existent here, bicycles are only for the local elite, and taxis are far too expensive, so she did what she knew she had to do. The only thing she could do. She promptly hoisted her little girl up and over her shoulder and set out for a small clinic in a neighboring village that she’d

heard about but never visited. The only source of medical help anywhere in the region – Engeye Health Clinic.

Several hours and many hot, dusty miles later, the exhausted but hopeful mother appeared at the entrance to the clinic. She said that she had no money, but that she would do anything in return for her beloved Josephine’s health. “She’s not well, and hasn’t been well for days. Please help her!”

The nurse laid a hand on Josephine’s dust-covered forehead and smoothed her wet hair down. Josephine’s wide, innocent eyes looked back at the nurse, but did not see him. They were lifeless. Vacant. She had no pulse. She hadn’t survived the long journey.

Engeye provided taxi fare so that the young mother could return to her village and provide a proper burial for her only daughter.

Little Josephine likely succumbed to a highly treatable infection – one that could have been diagnosed and treated by the Engeye clinic, allowing Josephine to return to school after a day or two of rest and medication.

Through educational outreach, expanded medical services and your help, we can prevent tragedy and secure a bright future for the many Josephines and Josephs of Uganda. Team Engeye thanks you for your continued support.

started in Uganda,” Meltz said, after the affecting experience. This was what inspired Meltz to travel on the first of what she hopes to be many trips to the Engeye Clinic in Ddegeya Village. In the end, Meltz hopes “that these images can provide a voice to those who do not have one, and to raise awareness about the important work the Engeye team is doing in Uganda.” Her wish has already been brought to life, as all the images provided in this newsletter were graciously taken by Bryan.

Bryan is a contributing photog-rapher to the international photo-

journalism collective WIR Pictures and has collaborated with a vari-ety of projects, from non-profits to Time and Rolling Stone and work for the Dalai Lama. She gradu-ated with a Visual Journalism degree from The Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California, and in 2005 was the recipient of the Yarka Vendrinska Memorial Scholarship Award for emerging female documentary photographer. Bryan’s talented work introduces viewers to her inner kindness, humility and gen-erosity. To meet Bryan for yourself, visit: www.bryanmeltz.com

fEbRuaRY mEDICaL mISSIoN CARINg FOR OTHERS, CHANgINg LIVES

bRYaN mELtz PHOTOgRAPHIC INSPIRATION

Bryan Meltz, a documentary and editorial photographer based in Atlanta, Georgia, traveled to Uganda with the February 2009 Engeye team to document work in the clinic and visit boarding schools of children being sponsored by Engeye Scholars. In 2008, Meltz learned about Engeye’s efforts to bring Susan Nabukenya, a young Ugandan girl, to Boston Shriners Hospital to receive a series of reconstructive surgeries on burns she suf-fered several years before. Meltz traveled to Boston to document Susan’s round of surger-ies and got to know several of the Engeye team members. “I immediately sensed how genuine the Engeye group was and knew I wanted to collaborate with them more and document the incredible work they have

Participate in the

ENGEYEScholarSPRoGRamhelp educate

a child in uganda tdoay!

learn more at:www.engeyescholars.comamwa aNNuaL CoNfERENCE

“We must globalize the notion of human rights.”– DR. JOIA MUkHERJEE

Speaking to a crowd full of female physicians and physicians-in-training, Dr. Joia Mukherjee (Medical Director of Partners In Health) delivered these words with conviction as the keynote speaker of the 2009 Ameri-can Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) conference. Little did she know that in the crowd three Engeye enthusiasts – Stephanie Van Dyke, Anny Su, and Misty Richards – were hanging onto her every word. It is through people like Dr. Mukherjee and organizations like AMWA that the wisdom and support necessary to care for people a world away is made possible.

At this meeting, Misty Richards (current AMWA National Student President), Stephanie Van Dyke, and Anny Su took Mukherjee’s words to heart as they spread the word about Engeye. Aiming to build partner-ships and encourage involvement, this passionate and devoted team voiced Engeye’s message to a full house of physicians and students. They presented a poster focusing on the Millennium Development Goals and how Engeye is addressing them, and a powerpoint slideshow discussing the history of Engeye. At the AMWA Annual Banquet, participants saw a photographic journey through Ddegeya Village developed by our own Bryan Meltz, learned about the clinic’s humble beginnings from Stepha-nie, while Misty received the Anne C. Carter Leadership Award. These events acted as emphatic crescendos to the team’s efforts and accentuated what was a truly educational and uplifting conference.

ENGEYE IS PRouD to aNNouNCE SuPPoRt PRovIDED bY thE amERICaN womEN’S hoSPItaLS SERvICE (awhS) – a program within the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA). AWHS agreed to cover the salary of the clinic’s nurse on an ongoing basis, which translates into $180 USD per month! With AWHS’ generous contribution, Engeye is now one step closer to the goal of achieving sustainable operations in Uganda. AWHS – Thank you! For more information on AWHS, Overseas Assistance Grants, and general information on AMWA, please follow this link: www.amwa-doc.org Ddegeyan patient

waits to be seen

Dr. Joe Murley comforts a sick baby

Misty Richards treating Florence

bryan Meltz cradling 3 year old, Mercy