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The rabies virus is well established as being as close to 100% fatal as any disease in humans or mammals with very few documented survivors. You could count the number of survivors on one hand, until now.However, according to a study published Wednesday in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Ministerio de Salud in Lima, Peru demonstrates that some Peruvian Amazons have survived the usually fatal virus without vaccination.In the study, CDC researchers found that approximately 10% of those tested from a couple of remote villages in Peru had built up an immune response and survived the usually lethal infection.
The study consisted of 92 people, 50 of whom reported previous bat bites. Blood samples were taken from 63 people, and 7 (11 percent) were found to have “rabies virus neutralizing antibodies,” evidence that they had been previously exposed to the rabies virus.Although one person with antibodies reported receiving vaccine previously, the other people with antibodies are unlikely to have received medical care following prior bat bites. It could not be determined when the virus exposures occurred or which animals were responsible, but the history of repeated bat bites reported among persons in this area strongly suggest vampire bats as the source of rabies virus exposure.According to a CDC press release Wednesday, Amy Gilbert, PhD, of CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases and lead author of the study said, “Nearly all rabies virus exposures that proceed to clinical infections are fatal. Our results support the idea that under very unique circumstances there may be some type of enhanced immune response in certain populations regularly exposed to the virus, which could prevent onset of clinical illness. However, a series of injections following an exposure remains the best way to protect people against rabies.”Outbreaks of rabies in these remote villages are seen on a regular basis due to exposure to vampire bats.According to the CDC, More than 55,000 people die of rabies each year. The rabies virus infects the central nervous system, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death. The early symptoms of rabies include fever, headache, and general weakness or discomfort. As the disease progresses, more specific symptoms appear and may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation (increase in saliva), difficulty swallowing, and hydrophobia (fear of water). Death usually occurs within days of the onset of these symptoms.For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
4 Kasım 2012 Pazar
Philippines DOH warning: Don't wade in flooded waters
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This is the warning to the public coming from the Philippines Department of Health after the latest numbers on leptospirosis in the country showed that the number of cases this year has passed 2,000.
According to a report in the Visayan Daily Star:
Dr. Eric Tayag, assistant secretary and spokesman of the Dept. of Health, cautioned in particular those people who have fever and waded in flooded areas for the past three to seven days to seek medical attention for possible leptospirosis infection.
Leptospirosis isa bacterial zoonotic disease caused by the corkscrew shaped organism,Leptospira. It goes by several other names depending on the locale; mud fever,swamp fever, sugar cane and Fort Bragg fever, among others. It is a disease ofboth humans and animals.
The rat isthe main host to Leptospira. However other animals such as cattle, pigs,horses, dogs, rodents, and wild animals.
People becomeinfected by direct or indirect contact with the urine of these animals. Contactwith urine-contaminated water is extremely important. Contaminated food andsoil containing animal urine are other potential sources of infection.
The bacteriumenters through contact with skin. Especially through cuts or breaks in the skinand through mucous membranes like the eyes.
Foundworldwide, it was long considered an occupational disease (miners,farming, vets, and sugarcane harvesting and sewer workers), it is increasinglyassociated with recreational water sports and camping.
Symptoms ofleptospirosis, if present, appear in up to 4 weeks after exposure.Sometimes the person will show no symptoms or mildflu-likesymptoms.
According to theCDC, Leptospirosis may occur in two phases; after the first phase, withfever, chills, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, or diarrhea, thepatient may recover for a time but become ill again. If a second phase occurs,it is more severe; the person may have kidney or liver failure(jaundice) or meningitis. This phase is also called Weil’s disease.
Leptospirosisis confirmed by laboratory testing of a blood or urine sample.
The infection canbe treated with antibiotics (penicillin and doxycycline), especiallyif started early in the disease. For very ill patients, intensive care supportand IV antibiotic may be necessary.
The DoH warnsthe public to avoid flooded areas and to refrain from coming in contactwith flood water, to wear protective clothing like pants, rubberboots, gloves or rubber jumpsuits, maintain the cleanliness of their homes and gettingrid of rats.
For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
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| Image/CIA |
According to a report in the Visayan Daily Star:
Dr. Eric Tayag, assistant secretary and spokesman of the Dept. of Health, cautioned in particular those people who have fever and waded in flooded areas for the past three to seven days to seek medical attention for possible leptospirosis infection.
"Those people need to take prescribed antibiotic to prevent the progression of the infection, Tayag said.
He was referring to those who recently waded in flood waters; have had high fever for two to three days; fever was accompanied by body pains, chills, headaches, and red eyes (like sore eyes); jaundice (yellowing of the skin); decreased levels of urination; and urine was tea-colored (a dark amber color).
Leptospirosis isa bacterial zoonotic disease caused by the corkscrew shaped organism,Leptospira. It goes by several other names depending on the locale; mud fever,swamp fever, sugar cane and Fort Bragg fever, among others. It is a disease ofboth humans and animals.
The rat isthe main host to Leptospira. However other animals such as cattle, pigs,horses, dogs, rodents, and wild animals.
People becomeinfected by direct or indirect contact with the urine of these animals. Contactwith urine-contaminated water is extremely important. Contaminated food andsoil containing animal urine are other potential sources of infection.
The bacteriumenters through contact with skin. Especially through cuts or breaks in the skinand through mucous membranes like the eyes.
Foundworldwide, it was long considered an occupational disease (miners,farming, vets, and sugarcane harvesting and sewer workers), it is increasinglyassociated with recreational water sports and camping.
Symptoms ofleptospirosis, if present, appear in up to 4 weeks after exposure.Sometimes the person will show no symptoms or mildflu-likesymptoms.
According to theCDC, Leptospirosis may occur in two phases; after the first phase, withfever, chills, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, or diarrhea, thepatient may recover for a time but become ill again. If a second phase occurs,it is more severe; the person may have kidney or liver failure(jaundice) or meningitis. This phase is also called Weil’s disease.
Leptospirosisis confirmed by laboratory testing of a blood or urine sample.
The infection canbe treated with antibiotics (penicillin and doxycycline), especiallyif started early in the disease. For very ill patients, intensive care supportand IV antibiotic may be necessary.
The DoH warnsthe public to avoid flooded areas and to refrain from coming in contactwith flood water, to wear protective clothing like pants, rubberboots, gloves or rubber jumpsuits, maintain the cleanliness of their homes and gettingrid of rats.
For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
Nigeria reports 77 polio cases in first 8 months of 2012
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The Global Polio Eradication Initiative describes Nigeria:
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| poliovirus Image/CDC |
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative describes Nigeria:
Nigeria is one of the most entrenched reservoirs of wild poliovirus in the world. It is the only country with ongoing transmission of all three serotypes: wild poliovirus type 1, wild poliovirus type 3, and circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2.According to a report in the Guardian Nigeria Monday, with five new cases of the Wild Polio Virus (WPV) reported last week, the number of confirmed outbreak in the country between January and August 2012 has hit 77.The Global Polio Eradication Initiative said in their Weekly Polio Update, of the five newest cases reported this week; four of the cases were WPV1s from Katsina and one WPV3 from Yobe.This has prompted the Nigerian government to announce an immunization campaign in 11 states commencing on September 23.In addition, the next Expert Review Committee on Polio Eradication and Routine Immunization (ERC) is expected to meet on September10 to 11, to review impact of the national emergency action plan and recommend strategies going forward.There are three countries left on the planet that have not succeeded in interrupting polio transmission and are considered endemic: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan.Polio is caused by the poliovirus types 1, 2 and 3. All three types cause paralysis, with wild poliovirus type 1 being isolated from paralysis cases most often.This viral infection is primarily spread from person to person through the fecal-oral route. However, in places where sanitation is very good,transmission though throat secretions may be considered more important.Polio is recognized in about 1 percent of infections by flaccid paralysis, while over 90 percent of infections are unapparent.Paralysis of poliomyelitis is usually asymmetric and the site of paralysis depends on the location of nerve cell destruction on the spinal cord or brain stem. Legs are affected more often than the arms.Paralysis of the respiration can be life threatening.Most cases of polio are in children under the age of three.Prevention of polio is through immunization, either through the live oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) or the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV).For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
Massachusetts health officials report fourth human case of EEE
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Several towns on Massachusetts’s South Shore have been placed on a “High” Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) threat level after a Plymouth County resident was confirmed positive for the mosquito borne viral infection.According to a Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) news release Thursday, the patient, in his 60s, is the fourth human case of EEE in the state this year.This prompted health officials to raise the EEE threat level in the towns of Duxbury, Marshfield, Norwell, and Plymouth.The DPH says communities, which have been designated at “High” risk of EEE, are urged to cancel all planned evening outdoor events for the remainder of the season until the first hard frost. Mosquito control projects will be increasing ground spraying activities in these communities.The current EEE patient is hospitalized and being treating for the infection. Massachusetts has reported one fatality as a result of EEE this year.In addition to the EEE cases, DPH also reported the confirmation of the 14th human case of West Nile Virus(WNV) in a Massachusetts resident this year.DPH State Epidemiologist Dr. Al DeMaria said, "Today’s announcement is yet another serious reminder that the threat of mosquito-borne illness is still with us, and will remain so until we see the first hard overnight frost”.Eastern Equine Encephalitis is a mosquito-borne virus that is quite rare in the United States, with only 5-10 cases reported annually according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). EEE virus is one of several mosquito-transmitted viruses that can cause inflammation of the brain (encephalitis).It is not transmitted from person to person.People at highest risk of getting this infection are those who live in or visit woodland habitats, and people who work outside or participate in outdoor recreational activities, because of greater exposure to potentially infected mosquitoes.Symptoms usually start from a few days to more than a week after getting bit by an infected mosquito. These include a sudden onset of headache, high fever, chills, and vomiting. The disease can progress to disorientation, seizures, and coma. It is fatal in approximately 30 percent of the cases.There is no specific treatment for this infection and a vaccine is not available for prevention.The CDC advises the public to take the following preventive measures to prevent mosquito-borne diseases:• Use insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus on exposed skin and/or clothing. The repellent/insecticide permethrin can be used on clothing to protect through several washes. Always follow the directions on the package.
• Wear long sleeves and pants when weather permits.
• Have secure, intact screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.
• Eliminate mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets, barrels, and other containers. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out. Keep children’s wading pools empty and on their sides when they aren’t being used.For more infectious disease news and information, follow the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
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| Photo/CDC |
Several towns on Massachusetts’s South Shore have been placed on a “High” Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) threat level after a Plymouth County resident was confirmed positive for the mosquito borne viral infection.According to a Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) news release Thursday, the patient, in his 60s, is the fourth human case of EEE in the state this year.This prompted health officials to raise the EEE threat level in the towns of Duxbury, Marshfield, Norwell, and Plymouth.The DPH says communities, which have been designated at “High” risk of EEE, are urged to cancel all planned evening outdoor events for the remainder of the season until the first hard frost. Mosquito control projects will be increasing ground spraying activities in these communities.The current EEE patient is hospitalized and being treating for the infection. Massachusetts has reported one fatality as a result of EEE this year.In addition to the EEE cases, DPH also reported the confirmation of the 14th human case of West Nile Virus(WNV) in a Massachusetts resident this year.DPH State Epidemiologist Dr. Al DeMaria said, "Today’s announcement is yet another serious reminder that the threat of mosquito-borne illness is still with us, and will remain so until we see the first hard overnight frost”.Eastern Equine Encephalitis is a mosquito-borne virus that is quite rare in the United States, with only 5-10 cases reported annually according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). EEE virus is one of several mosquito-transmitted viruses that can cause inflammation of the brain (encephalitis).It is not transmitted from person to person.People at highest risk of getting this infection are those who live in or visit woodland habitats, and people who work outside or participate in outdoor recreational activities, because of greater exposure to potentially infected mosquitoes.Symptoms usually start from a few days to more than a week after getting bit by an infected mosquito. These include a sudden onset of headache, high fever, chills, and vomiting. The disease can progress to disorientation, seizures, and coma. It is fatal in approximately 30 percent of the cases.There is no specific treatment for this infection and a vaccine is not available for prevention.The CDC advises the public to take the following preventive measures to prevent mosquito-borne diseases:• Use insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus on exposed skin and/or clothing. The repellent/insecticide permethrin can be used on clothing to protect through several washes. Always follow the directions on the package.
• Wear long sleeves and pants when weather permits.
• Have secure, intact screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.
• Eliminate mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets, barrels, and other containers. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out. Keep children’s wading pools empty and on their sides when they aren’t being used.For more infectious disease news and information, follow the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
Indian Man Dies From Rabies 25 Years After Dog Bite
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While that vast majority of human rabies cases have an incubation period of less than 90 days, researchers from Goa Medical College (GMC), in Goa, India suspect they have a case of the deadly viral disease in a man who was possibly exposed to a rabid dog a quarter of a century ago.
The highly unusual case is documented in the recent issue of the Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology.The 48-year-old man from Karnataka working in Goa was diagnosed with rabies in 2009, 25 years after receiving a dog bite on the leg at the age of 23.This was the only known contact he had according to the man’s own medical history. He was never treated or vaccinated against the virus when the biting incident occurred.According to the case report:
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| Rabid dog Photo/CDC |
The highly unusual case is documented in the recent issue of the Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology.The 48-year-old man from Karnataka working in Goa was diagnosed with rabies in 2009, 25 years after receiving a dog bite on the leg at the age of 23.This was the only known contact he had according to the man’s own medical history. He was never treated or vaccinated against the virus when the biting incident occurred.According to the case report:
During the clinical examination, he was anxious and scared at the sight of water, flow of air under a fan and had photophobia, as noted by the medical residents and consultants. Two days after admission, suddenly, he went to the bathroom, washed his face and drank a glass of water. The photophobia and aerophobia had reduced. He was conscious, alert and well oriented to time and space and did not have laryngeal stridor or pharyngeal spasm. He had no previous history of any neurological illness or seizure disorder prior to admission to this hospital. Although the features of hydrophobia and photophobia suggested rabies encephalitis, he had a well-maintained consciousness level with no neurological deficits and the act of drinking water cast doubt on the diagnosis and he was referred to the general hospital for further management. However, he went to a private hospital in the zone. Within a few hours, he had hematemesis and he aspirated and succumbed.Upon autopsy, histologic examination suggested an encephalitic pathology.In addition, the presence of intraneuronal Negri bodies were noted in the neurons. Researchers say the inclusions could be specifically immunolabeled with antibody to nuclear capsid protein of rabies virus thus establishing the definitive diagnosis of rabies encephalitis.Virology studies could not be performed as the brain was received in 10% formalin.Related article: India: man has tapeworm larvae removed from 'voice box'
Majority of the cases have an incubation period between 31 and 90 days. In the literature, the overall reported incubation period varies from 30 days in 30% of the cases, 31-90 days in 54%, greater than 90 days in 15% and in 1% of the cases beyond 1 year is recorded. In a cohort of 47 cases studied following autopsy at a single center in South India, the median incubation period recorded was 60 days (range 7 days to 4 years).They point out documented cases of extended length incubation such as a case in a Vietnamese girl who immigrated to Australia who had an incubation period exceeding 6.5 years. They also note that other cases seen have shown incubation times of up to 19 years.Researchers have not ruled out the theoretical possibility of another recent insignificant exposure to the virus-carrying animal vector could not be ruled out completely, such as a dog lick on a minor scratch for example.The study closes with the following statement:
We wish to suggest that giving credence to the actively forthcoming clinical history from a cognitively sound and conscious patient before death correlating with pathological diagnosis and acknowledging the rare cases of rabies with long incubation period is essential to further the knowledge about the phenomenon of very long incubation in cases of rabies encephalitis, although the evidence in the present case is, to an extent, tentative. The anatomical site of viral latency and the mechanism of reactivation of rabies, a neurotropic virus, remains an enigma to be unraveled.According to the website http://www.worldrabiesday.org, rabies in humans is 100% preventable through prompt appropriate medical care. Yet, more than 55,000 people (20,000 in India according to the paper), mostly in Africa and Asia, die from rabies every year – a rate of one person every ten minutes. The most important global source of rabies in humans is from uncontrolled rabies in dogs. Children are often at greatest risk from rabies. They are more likely to be bitten by dogs, and are also more likely to be severely exposed through multiple bites in high-risk sites on the body. Severe exposures make it more difficult to prevent rabies unless access to good medical care is immediately available. This major source of rabies in humans can be eliminated through ensuring adequate animal vaccination and control, educating those at risk, and enhancing access of those bitten to appropriate medical care.Source:Shankar SK, Mahadevan A, Sapico SD, Ghodkirekar M, Pinto R, Madhusudana SN. Rabies viral encephalitis with proable 25 year incubation period!. Ann Indian Acad Neurol [serial online] 2012 [cited 2012 Sep 16];15:221-3. Available from: http://www.annalsofian.org/text.asp?2012/15/3/221/99728For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook pageAlso see the Outbreak News section of the Global Dispatch
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| Image/CIA |
13 Ekim 2012 Cumartesi
Women are great, by Caitlyn G.
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Caitlyn GriffithEducation 2 -- Kayonza District, Eastern Province
Women are great.
I mean come on, its just true.
When I look into the shockingly beautiful faces of the womenhere I just know in my core that it’s true. When I see a thin woman carrying a50 L Jerrycan of water on her head with a baby on her back and a sack ofpotatoes at her side I know that strength comes from a different place thanmuscles. When I listen to my friend talk about how, after being impregnated byher teacher in her first year of high school, she never wants to marry butrather to continue raise her child herself and get a job in business, all thewhile smiling and laughing, I know that joy can come from a place other thanyour circumstances. Women are the embodiment of paradoxes, of strength and joyand sadness and passion and exhaustion all mingling together in an encasementof beauty.
Rwandan women are amazing. In the village, they literally doeverything. They cook, clean, farm, bear, birth and raise children, they runinformal businesses, and see their children through school. They are amazing.
Rwanda, like many developing countries (and developed onestoo) has a long history of unequal gender roles. Girls education, women’sinvolvement in politics, in formal business and as leaders with a voice are allstill fairly new ideas. These ideas take time to reach out to the village whereold habits, customs and cultures die hard and men are reluctant to relinquishtheir power.
This can be hard to watch at times. Especially becauseoftentimes Rwandans don’t see it. The government talks about gender equality alot and so many people just assume that now they have it. They see girls inschool (though fewer than boys with lower scores on average) and women on TV orthe radio and assume there is equality. But even though there is great progressbeing made there are still some frustratingly entrenched ideas persisting here.For example a girl is not a woman until she is married while there is a specialword for young man and also a boy can become a man by virtue of age while agirl’s womanhood is directly connected to her husband. People here call myfiancé Joe my boss, which is completely normal. Many of my friends call theirhusbands “Boss.” Also, women are often called upon to be the servants at people’sparties so that the men never have to get up but can have a woman continuallyrefill their beer. And in the home women are distinctly below their husbands’rule.
Needless to say, things need to change. And things arechanging, just very very slowly. The tricky thing about change is that youcan’t just run out in front of a man sitting and drinking beer while his wifecleans, cooks, cares for kids and refills his cup and wave your arms to say “STOPSTOP! ARE YOU CRAZY!? Things have to CHANGE!” No. You have to be patient, askpointed questions, plant seeds, draw people’s attention to the inconsistenciesand injustices, and ENCOURAGE people to greatness. You can’t tell people theyare wrong with aggression. You have to help them see that and come to their ownconclusions. You have to encourage them to be better, to think larger, to actconsciously. If you make people angryand defensive the change will not be positive.
I love to do this exercise with my students. I ask them todraw a table with two parts: one for gender equality and one for inequality.Then I ask them to consider some places in their communities that they canidentify equality and where they can identify inequality. Often, even with allthe rhetoric regarding gender balance that you hear here, no one has everthought about their communities critically. That is a perfect place to start.And not just in Rwanda. Change will not happen naturally. All of us need to beconstantly looking at our lives and our communities identifying areas of injustice.I never, however, leave the exercise at that. I ask the students to make a listof practical things THEY CAN DO to address the inequalities on their table.Then we make and action plan. Because change can’t happen without actions-thousandsmall actions slowly chipping away at a structure of oppression until equality,freedom and unity is birthed forth in its place. This may sound overlyoptimistic but I live it out every day. And so to dozens of women and men in mycommunity.
So optimistic yes, but overly….never.
In the name of change,
In the name of women everywhere,
cg
Caitlyn GriffithEducation 2 -- Kayonza District, Eastern Province
Women are great.
I mean come on, its just true.
When I look into the shockingly beautiful faces of the womenhere I just know in my core that it’s true. When I see a thin woman carrying a50 L Jerrycan of water on her head with a baby on her back and a sack ofpotatoes at her side I know that strength comes from a different place thanmuscles. When I listen to my friend talk about how, after being impregnated byher teacher in her first year of high school, she never wants to marry butrather to continue raise her child herself and get a job in business, all thewhile smiling and laughing, I know that joy can come from a place other thanyour circumstances. Women are the embodiment of paradoxes, of strength and joyand sadness and passion and exhaustion all mingling together in an encasementof beauty.
Rwandan women are amazing. In the village, they literally doeverything. They cook, clean, farm, bear, birth and raise children, they runinformal businesses, and see their children through school. They are amazing.
Rwanda, like many developing countries (and developed onestoo) has a long history of unequal gender roles. Girls education, women’sinvolvement in politics, in formal business and as leaders with a voice are allstill fairly new ideas. These ideas take time to reach out to the village whereold habits, customs and cultures die hard and men are reluctant to relinquishtheir power.
This can be hard to watch at times. Especially becauseoftentimes Rwandans don’t see it. The government talks about gender equality alot and so many people just assume that now they have it. They see girls inschool (though fewer than boys with lower scores on average) and women on TV orthe radio and assume there is equality. But even though there is great progressbeing made there are still some frustratingly entrenched ideas persisting here.For example a girl is not a woman until she is married while there is a specialword for young man and also a boy can become a man by virtue of age while agirl’s womanhood is directly connected to her husband. People here call myfiancé Joe my boss, which is completely normal. Many of my friends call theirhusbands “Boss.” Also, women are often called upon to be the servants at people’sparties so that the men never have to get up but can have a woman continuallyrefill their beer. And in the home women are distinctly below their husbands’rule.
Needless to say, things need to change. And things arechanging, just very very slowly. The tricky thing about change is that youcan’t just run out in front of a man sitting and drinking beer while his wifecleans, cooks, cares for kids and refills his cup and wave your arms to say “STOPSTOP! ARE YOU CRAZY!? Things have to CHANGE!” No. You have to be patient, askpointed questions, plant seeds, draw people’s attention to the inconsistenciesand injustices, and ENCOURAGE people to greatness. You can’t tell people theyare wrong with aggression. You have to help them see that and come to their ownconclusions. You have to encourage them to be better, to think larger, to actconsciously. If you make people angryand defensive the change will not be positive.
I love to do this exercise with my students. I ask them todraw a table with two parts: one for gender equality and one for inequality.Then I ask them to consider some places in their communities that they canidentify equality and where they can identify inequality. Often, even with allthe rhetoric regarding gender balance that you hear here, no one has everthought about their communities critically. That is a perfect place to start.And not just in Rwanda. Change will not happen naturally. All of us need to beconstantly looking at our lives and our communities identifying areas of injustice.I never, however, leave the exercise at that. I ask the students to make a listof practical things THEY CAN DO to address the inequalities on their table.Then we make and action plan. Because change can’t happen without actions-thousandsmall actions slowly chipping away at a structure of oppression until equality,freedom and unity is birthed forth in its place. This may sound overlyoptimistic but I live it out every day. And so to dozens of women and men in mycommunity.
So optimistic yes, but overly….never.
In the name of change,
In the name of women everywhere,
cg
Three hopes, by Sarah E.
To contact us Click HERE
Sarah Epplin
Three hopes.
Every Peace Corps Volunteerencounters social differences that rock to their core. Many of my fellow femalevolunteers comment on difficult conversations and situations they are involvedin due to their sex. All of us try to put a positive spin on them, out of thehope that a few words or an action will put a new idea into the minds of ourneighbors, friends, and coworkers at site. Planting a seed, you could say. Iwill tell the stories of three difficult conversations I’ve had and the hopesthat follow them.
During the first three monthsin Rwanda, I lived with a host family. I lived with a mom, dad, two sisters (11and 17), and a brother (12). I won’t go into details, but toward the end of mystay, my host brother did something to me that was disrespectful and wrong. Iwas told that for his punishment, he would be beaten and taken to the church togive his confession. I told the family that I didn’t want him to be beaten. Iwanted to talk with him. I sat in the sitting room with my Kinyarwandadictionary in my lap. When he came into the room, he knelt on the floor (thisis typical punishment as someone in Rwanda is giving you a “talking to”). Itold him that I wanted to know his reason for disrespecting me. He said, “Satanis evil.” I told him that wasn’t his reason – that he must understand he hashis own mind and brain. Over and over again, his only response was “Satan isevil.” That, to me, was not acceptable. So I told him how I felt. I had livedwith them for nearly three months. I tried my best to me a good Rwandan – todress like a Rwandan because I wanted to respect the culture, to speak inKinyarwanda, and so on. And then he decides to make his own decision thataffects me, that disrespects me. I told him that it wasn’t okay and that “Satanis evil” is not his reason, that his own mind made the decision. I ended thescolding when he started to cry. I noticed, then, the look on Deanne’s face.She was my 11 year old host sister. She was polite and did everything she wastold. She was the most loyal and sweet girl I’d ever met. But the look on herface after I’d just scolded her brother was priceless. She looked as though awhole new world had been opened up. That she learned she could speak her mindand say how she felt. I’ve never regreted scolding her brother out of the hopethat she’ll always stand up for herself and ask for the reasons.
During my first few weeks atsite, I spent a lot of time in cafes, talking with people and eating keke. Mostof the conversations centered around my marital status – people just couldn’tget how a 23-year-old girl was single…and wanted to be single. During one ofthese conversations, a man in his 40s walked into the café, sat down, andlistened. He interrupted the conversation and asked me, “When do you want toget married?” I told him I didn’t know. Everyone laughed, as I’d expected. Hethen asked how old I was. I told him. Then he said in a super matter-of-facttone, “When a Rwandan girl is 21, she wants a husband.” So then I said, “I’mAmerican. In America, we think you should get married when you have love. Godlikes love, so it is good. If you are 18, 20, 30, 50, not a problem. You canget married when you have love.” And to that, he shut up. When I glancedaround, hoping I hadn’t offended anyone terribly, I made eye contact with anold lady (who holds the epitome of Rwandan culture and respect), who had beenquiet the entire time. She smiled at me and nodded her head. If the old ladyagrees with me, I thought, then I guess I’m not so crazy in this cultureafterall! My hope was that little seeds had been planted in all their minds,especially the man’s, to slowly begin to think that marriage isn’t the onlyoption for a girl who is 21.
A fellow teacher at my school asked me questions aboutAmerican culture that interested him. He asked me about the relationshipbetween husbands and wives in America. (Generally, I try to paint the pictureas accurate as possible – like saying, “Some Americans think…but otherAmericans think…and so on.”) I said that Americans believe that women and menare equal, so in a home, for example, the wife may cook dinner one night butthe husband may cook dinner the next night. Then he said, “Americans think thatwomen and men are the same. What about with strength? Women are not stronger thanmen. Women cannot build. Women cannot farm.” I laughed at this and told himthat I think some Rwandan women are stronger than men, as I see many womenevery day working on their fields for maybe 12 hours and then I see theirhusbands drinking all day. He seemed startled by my response, but then he askedme how to become a western man. I said that all he needs to do is say to hiswife, “Wife, I love you. I want to help you. Teach me how to cook boiledbananas.” And then once he learns, he can cook them for her. I was frustratedby this conversation for a few days, but now I’m glad it happened out of thehope that maybe he asked his wife how to cook boiled bananas.
Sarah Epplin
Three hopes.
Every Peace Corps Volunteerencounters social differences that rock to their core. Many of my fellow femalevolunteers comment on difficult conversations and situations they are involvedin due to their sex. All of us try to put a positive spin on them, out of thehope that a few words or an action will put a new idea into the minds of ourneighbors, friends, and coworkers at site. Planting a seed, you could say. Iwill tell the stories of three difficult conversations I’ve had and the hopesthat follow them.
During the first three monthsin Rwanda, I lived with a host family. I lived with a mom, dad, two sisters (11and 17), and a brother (12). I won’t go into details, but toward the end of mystay, my host brother did something to me that was disrespectful and wrong. Iwas told that for his punishment, he would be beaten and taken to the church togive his confession. I told the family that I didn’t want him to be beaten. Iwanted to talk with him. I sat in the sitting room with my Kinyarwandadictionary in my lap. When he came into the room, he knelt on the floor (thisis typical punishment as someone in Rwanda is giving you a “talking to”). Itold him that I wanted to know his reason for disrespecting me. He said, “Satanis evil.” I told him that wasn’t his reason – that he must understand he hashis own mind and brain. Over and over again, his only response was “Satan isevil.” That, to me, was not acceptable. So I told him how I felt. I had livedwith them for nearly three months. I tried my best to me a good Rwandan – todress like a Rwandan because I wanted to respect the culture, to speak inKinyarwanda, and so on. And then he decides to make his own decision thataffects me, that disrespects me. I told him that it wasn’t okay and that “Satanis evil” is not his reason, that his own mind made the decision. I ended thescolding when he started to cry. I noticed, then, the look on Deanne’s face.She was my 11 year old host sister. She was polite and did everything she wastold. She was the most loyal and sweet girl I’d ever met. But the look on herface after I’d just scolded her brother was priceless. She looked as though awhole new world had been opened up. That she learned she could speak her mindand say how she felt. I’ve never regreted scolding her brother out of the hopethat she’ll always stand up for herself and ask for the reasons.
During my first few weeks atsite, I spent a lot of time in cafes, talking with people and eating keke. Mostof the conversations centered around my marital status – people just couldn’tget how a 23-year-old girl was single…and wanted to be single. During one ofthese conversations, a man in his 40s walked into the café, sat down, andlistened. He interrupted the conversation and asked me, “When do you want toget married?” I told him I didn’t know. Everyone laughed, as I’d expected. Hethen asked how old I was. I told him. Then he said in a super matter-of-facttone, “When a Rwandan girl is 21, she wants a husband.” So then I said, “I’mAmerican. In America, we think you should get married when you have love. Godlikes love, so it is good. If you are 18, 20, 30, 50, not a problem. You canget married when you have love.” And to that, he shut up. When I glancedaround, hoping I hadn’t offended anyone terribly, I made eye contact with anold lady (who holds the epitome of Rwandan culture and respect), who had beenquiet the entire time. She smiled at me and nodded her head. If the old ladyagrees with me, I thought, then I guess I’m not so crazy in this cultureafterall! My hope was that little seeds had been planted in all their minds,especially the man’s, to slowly begin to think that marriage isn’t the onlyoption for a girl who is 21.
A fellow teacher at my school asked me questions aboutAmerican culture that interested him. He asked me about the relationshipbetween husbands and wives in America. (Generally, I try to paint the pictureas accurate as possible – like saying, “Some Americans think…but otherAmericans think…and so on.”) I said that Americans believe that women and menare equal, so in a home, for example, the wife may cook dinner one night butthe husband may cook dinner the next night. Then he said, “Americans think thatwomen and men are the same. What about with strength? Women are not stronger thanmen. Women cannot build. Women cannot farm.” I laughed at this and told himthat I think some Rwandan women are stronger than men, as I see many womenevery day working on their fields for maybe 12 hours and then I see theirhusbands drinking all day. He seemed startled by my response, but then he askedme how to become a western man. I said that all he needs to do is say to hiswife, “Wife, I love you. I want to help you. Teach me how to cook boiledbananas.” And then once he learns, he can cook them for her. I was frustratedby this conversation for a few days, but now I’m glad it happened out of thehope that maybe he asked his wife how to cook boiled bananas.
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