The Challenges of HIV/AIDS Research in Uganda

Research as a systematic way of observing and collecting data, analyzing it and deducting conclusions serves to solve human problems. It is not just academic; naturally all animals are researchers.

Through experience they will compare life risks and minimize them as much as possible in the near and far future. But because problems can be specific, researchers too choose one narrow line of emphasis. However, human problems are so many and diverse. They demand that research must be on-going as long as mankind exist -to support life and ensure eco-system balance.

Even as we live, the kind of life matters so much that it must aim at building confidence, creating comfort and making the world a better place to live in -through continuous reductions of uncertainties and life risks. HIV/AIDS being one of the most biting human problems has over years attracted researchers, but the level of it (research) varied greatly, as of now, depending on priorities nations consider.

To some nations, like those in Africa, emphasis is put on maintaining regimes in power. This, as a result, consumes a lot resources to facilitate massive recruitment and training of security personnel, cramp downs suspected traitors and sustaining of defensive wars. On top of that, corruption takes its toll because of prevailing uncertainties about the future of life and jobs.

Countries, mainly developed ones, have tended to emphasize future generations in all their national planning and decision making levels, not only mere current satisfactions. And not until their future is guaranteed by certain minimum standard, they will not settle for the current “satisfactions.”

However, in spite of the positive benefits research serves, there exists rebellions towards it. These rebels may be government manifested -through misallocation of resources and corruption; individuals targeted as participants -who put high stakes to participate like demanding money before hand and for different reasons, refusing to cooperate; and research institutions that find fellow researchers competitors rather than partners. Whereas, decision to cooperate is democratic, it is ridiculous not to yet, at the end of it all, one will want to benefit from research.

Frustrating researchers may not stop here; organizations charged with ensuring right research ethics tend to have long processes of approving research proposals against the time set by a given researcher and his or her sponsors.

Still when required to give expert opinions, concerned organizations will hesitate with fear that their weaknesses might be exposed and leak into the ears of donors. Organizations working in the health sector have been the most frustrating. No wonder, corruption in the sector takes the highest toll with recent reports indicating absenteeism at work and drug theft.

Urban areas are more uncooperative than rural areas. In urban areas, hardly will someone give information regarding himself. People there are very sensitive and insecure. They will prefer preserving their privacy to revealing themselves up. They will always think that the researcher is some kind of spy who is gathering and selling their information, or planning some unfriendly moves against them.

And because research generally focuses on a specific problems -even with the fact that human problems are diverse and intertwined, researchers will as much as possible avoid linkages and circular reasoning. While attempting to solve a specific problem, their solutions will always be tagged by worse challenges. Researchers will assume the title, “god” in their expertise or work -regardless of how narrow and number of gaps that may exist -worthy filling. Luckily, in some of their conclusions they will emphasize such weaknesses anyone else would take on in future research.

There is much evidence that easing research efforts involves utilizing one's immediate resources -including the organization -where the prospective researcher works. In an organization framework, all efforts will be streamlined by the fact that one may not even need permission to carry out research. He or she could enjoy research efforts, publishing and sharing it with parent organization or choose to partner with it for collective research efforts.

Research is an import part of living and nature developments or evolution. It is a universal need that everyone should embrace and support. Given its vitality, why wouldn't it be a human right?

Jacob Waiswa
Situation Health Analyst
www.situationhealthanalysis.blogspot.com

WORKING AND LIVING IN RURAL AREAS: IS IT CHALLENGING OR JUST NORMAL?

A CASE OF RURAL BUSOGA, EASTERN UGANDA

Different reasons explain why people go to rural areas –which might be unemployment characteristic of urban areas then compelling them to try out prospects of agriculture in rural areas, job transfers or deployments, and just to adventure –relax away from pressure-some town life.

As soon as one arrived there, all eyes would be on him or her. They rural people are best at telling -who is or not part of them. One could soon see defensive faces –which are usually natural ways organisms protect their territories from invaders. Rumors would then fast spread -regarding the arrival of an alien.

The seemingly “worse” scenario could be the case of a team -with almost equal ratio of men to women. This would easily trigger a mental flash that so was a wife or husband to the other.

For them women and men –working together are in a way working about, very close to or actually in a romantic relationship –especially if no team member crossed over to find a lover from the local community. There is a common believe that traveling without a wife or husband, shows evidence of “unmarried” person, and thus, too “single to be scooped by whoever picks confidence.

And when you live singly in a room or lodge, they would think and work around the clock so that a paired with an opposite sex is formed. Some of the tactics would, for example, be trying to propose or lobbying for you, ridiculing, flocking of mainly young women (including the married) parading onto your veranda or constantly use peeping gesture, everyday -for a chance of being met and perhaps action taken. In fact, it could be as though living in big brother house.

Like the saying goes, “Basoga are sex-maniacs,” rural areas, would prove it right. Surely, sex play is a strong mind-set there and as easily done anytime as taking tea. So if you do not join the “tea-taking” family, then labels like “you are impotent,” would ensue.

You would perhaps retain pity due to the facts that many young people stand a high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and STIs every month, and teenagers getting married as early as 13 years. But to them, anyway, tea-taking would be important.

If no formal introductions were made to local authorities by a visiting team -within a day or few days later, they (authorities) would track them along until found and interrogated -to reduce on community suspicion and anxieties. Sometimes they would add “flavor” by teasing or bullying visitors -as if trying to identify themselves before them (visitors).

After getting direct information from the visitors, the local authorities or security personnel would then call a local meeting, with visitors in attendance -to counsel their suspicious subjects, and thereafter, urge them to support the visitors.

When they finally let the visitors into their territory, for different reasons, all would want to stick onto you. The elderly would, for example, want financial help, and the opposite sex –including the married ones, would compete for their share, while others might choose friendship. Any association with them would be seen as prestigious, and praises showered to whoever sought company.

What is shocking there too would be the fact that marriage concept either does not exist or simply not felt and practiced. Whether married or in presence of a spouse, fellows would not hesitate to make love advances to any of the visitors.

Besides, would want to deplete you of the limited belongings –including the current outfit at the time of meeting them. Imagine serving them out everyday, throughout your stay there -and one by one until the entire community is covered.

Declining to do “charity” because it is just one pair or an item for you could bring serious negative judgments, everyday defaming comments and insulting statements. They would choose to nourish their intentions by launching an opposition against your team’s organization’s programmes.

Their biggest victory would be “defection” of a team member to them. Thereon, it would be much easier to break into further -to the extent of stalling office business or team work.

They would use the departed person to win other team members to their side or “vote” to fight –using insulting labels, possibly until productivity was reduced to zero. As a consequence, the defected member could be the first to fall out or slow down team progress –since most of his or her time would be spend to please a bigger community set.

During the team’s stay, temptation could be that in order for their mission to succeed, community members must be given “energizers” or else petition organization bosses to provide “thank yous” –before or at the end of every community event.

One now wonders as to why communities would ask charity for charity. If for instance an organization provided them with free formal and informal education, why would they (communities), on the other hand, ask for money in return for the same services that benefit them? Come 2011, politicians will suffer.

To note is that from the day the team arrives to the end of the mission, communities evaluate team members –on the basis of culture and statuses verses local cases. And whoever took a chat with any member of the team, he or she would have important news for the rest (members of the community) –be it jokes or serious organization policy communiqué. It would be a talk to one person, as the same or amplified to the entire local community

They could confuse statements made by visitors for the purposes of entertaining their colleagues back home. Anything spoken out would potentially make important headlines for them.

If any member of the visiting team was found speaking to a community member, the rest would wonder about what might be the possible details of the chat. Indeed they would soon find out. Whilst there, It would be like living a celebrity life –surrounded with several paparazzi members.

They become so critical that any action and word spoken would be subjected to local norms scale for diagnosis. Very much so, they would want you to be like them. Their evaluating team or scouts could go as far as your bedroom area, lodge or house to monitor visitors’ behavioral pattern –whether they are consistent to their own or not.

In fact, there is never privacy, as people make it their job to check you out all the time, know your thinking process and hear something that could be reported, as they watch or observe.

Anything different from their norms and way of life is like being “criminal” -which could unfortunately or unfortunately raise more controversy than not about the visiting team.

Excesses of their actions, might force you, member of the team or entire group to become defensive -yet again, another disaster. They could begin referring to you as anti-people, as despising them or arrogant.

Very surprising, also, is that even when you get busy writing reports, they would still find it criminal and fail to recognize the fact that time, then, is organization’s or office’s.

They could be funny, expecting you to join them in idle talks -instead of following your office programme. If you were stuck in there doing work, they would make disturbing noise outside to seem like it were a communication demanding or asking you come to an end of it all and grant them your time, as well.

After sensing the danger of being social and free to them, and now in favor reserved life, one would think that alone has been a good decision. Yet too much, too less or no interaction could hardly resolve the matter. Instead, “criminal” branding would worse.

The ringing question would perhaps be: what do these people want or should the contract be terminated? If you are not strong enough to handle such pressure, probably self-destructive choices and decisions could be made.

Upon arrival, it would be important that the visiting team carry out survey of the area to orient themselves with the nature of people there. Such would provide them with ideas of who they are about to deal with. In case of a bothersome encounter with any member of the community, a team member would neither find it surprising nor difficulty dealing with them.

Much of what might be sent out to you must be given a deaf ear or blind eye most of the time -to avoid mental intoxication or getting burnout at the duty station, and at the expense of “minor” local community members.

Attention could be served to them only when done with work, though as a matter of good public relations, sometimes you may need to negotiate much of the time about your position.

Also, care must be taken to filter out information that is best for them. Only what is diagnosed as suitable could be relayed to them, rather than having to communicate each and everything.

Content must, therefore, be categorized into what could be considered as personal or office secrets, and that free for public consumption or take. Truly, with persistence, these people could know and understand who you are as well as your much cherished values.

Really, managing life there, would call for self-discipline from one or a few members –who then could motivate the “play little boys and girls” back to productivity. They could, for example, call for or organize regular meetings to solve team problems -as they arise.

As part of the way forward perhaps the remaining group could re-define themselves and re-think organization values, while at the same time accepting to work without the defected colleague.

Jacob Waiswa
Situation Health Analysis
waiswajacobo@yahoo.co.uk