A Second Scoop

Its been a week of many ups and downs and its only Wednesday! Most of our travel plans (finishing up the monitoring of the clinics, going back to do one-on-one trainings on the ledgers and reports) have been put on hold. Two of our vehicles are broken down and the 3rd vehicle is being used for the school feeding program activities. I could get upset, but there's no point. I certainly can't fix a Lnad Cruiser and I certainly can't walk 60kms. Well, I could, but I'm not going to.
Yesterday, we were supposed to have a meeting at the hospital here in Zwedru to write a proposal for the referral pathways training. I walked over there in the peak heat of the day and found one other person, our WHO representative. Failure, you say? Nah. I'm over thinking that cancelled meetings are failures! It's a set back and we just try again (a.k.a. I have no other choice!). The county health district director is at a workshop for 2 weeks and our Merlin rep is busy in the field collecting September reports from all the clinics. It's out of my hands for now and as a Peace Corps Volunteer it is not by job to keep pushing and do all the dirty work. I see my role in this project as the guide, the networker, and the supporter, and as such I have been in close contact with UNICEF and the Ministry of Health regarding how these trainings can come to fruition (and it is possible!). One of the hardest things about being a volunteer is knowing when to step back and when to push forward. I see the trainings as the logical next step in health care activties here in Grand Gedeh, but if no one else does, then I am fighting a losing (unsustainable) battle. This is not a Peace Corps project. This is a County Health Team Project (with a little Peace Corps initiation). If it is something that they prioritize and accomplish on their own, it is something they will be able to carry on after I am gone (sustainable).