Day to Day

During my fellowship orientation some months ago, I was told that it might be wiser not to write about my work – for obvious reasons – in a public forum. Consequently, I have purposely limited the references here to work and am trying to focus on those things I am learning outside of work. However, I will say that it is a complex, political environment and I am learning a lot at work and outside too.

The government of Rwanda (GOR) seems committed to scaling up HIV/AIDs programs and to the three ones - one national strategic framework, a coordinated approach to partners, and one monitoring and evaluation system. So far, Rwanda has done well in exceeding targets set for it in the treatment and care of people with HIV/AIDs. But, like many other countries, it faces challenges including the need for more trained health care professionals (particularly post genocide). The goal of the coordinated approach is to prevent a duplication of efforts and to ensure that coverage and treatment of individuals with HIV/AIDS is maximized. In adopting this approach, there is a commitment to spending funds efficiently and, more importantly, helping as many people as possible.

My fellowship – while giving me exposure to the topics above – is currently focused on working with local staff in my office. The office here is attempting to set up management systems. It has been interesting to learn about how US agencies function aboard and how they have set up a common, collaborative system for basic services in order to reduce overhead costs. Like the GOR, the USG seems to be striving for efficiency. It’s not easy here and, in many aspects of this experience, I found that people make assumptions – which are sometimes counterproductive at the least and, well, just inappropriate at its worst. In coming months, I hope to get more exposure to technical issues and pick up a technical portfolio. But, more later.