Anokwa.com » Web Log
July 7, 2007 at 6:18
tags: rwanda
Cell phone coverage in Rwanda is quite good. You can call, text or even use GPRS everywhere — even in the remote places. Unfortunately for us, Rwinkwavu is one of those places where coverage sucks. MTN (cell provider) did agree to install a cell extender to boost our coverage as a temporary solution, so they came out a few days ago to power and configure our new extender.
Getting things done in Rwanda (and I’m guessing Africa) tends to be slow and bureaucratic — everything requires explicit and multiple approvals have been given. Not necessarily a bad thing, but whether you are installing a cell tower or ordering food, expect long delays. I got a message from Giscard that the cell tower would have to tap into our UPS and MTN (provider) wanted verbal confirmation again. I was off site, so I headed towards the hospital.
When I got there, the grey skies had turned dark and swollen with rain. It was mostly sprinkles at first, but then the downpour started. By the hour mark, it was clear we were in for a long night. We couldn’t leave until we knew the cell tower was working and the MTN employees were working slowly due to the rain. We went inside the hospital to take shelter and wait.
We’d only been inside for a few minutes when we heard the crack of lighting and a loud explosion. Everything went dark. As the flashlights and cellphones came out, we saw smoke leaking from the walls. Whatever had happened in the last few seconds had destroyed the light switches in the room we were standing. The switches had exploded and the smoke was from the burning plastic. Nice.
We rushed to the power room to check things out. The UPS which was supposed to run the hospital for 3-4 hours was completely dead. Not damaged, but rather instantaneously drained. It seemed something in the power grid and shorted and sucked all the power out of the hospital. The generator had suffered a similar fate — all its electronic components were dead. Awesome.
The next stop was the server room. Everything was off (we run of the main UPS) but at luckily there was no burning smell. We were unplugging everything from the wall when we heard yelling. We stepped out of the server room into a deluge of reddish water. The hospital was being flooded. Great.
It was at this point that my flashlight was commandeered by the doctors. A patient was in surgery when the power went out, and the flashlights the staff had were not adequate. I snuck a peak into the operating room and the poor guy had some sort of mouth wound that they were sewing and it would take all night. Given the lack of power there was not much else to do. We had a quick chat, and called it a night.
The morning after was no easier. The lightning did very bad things to our equipment. The spike had come through the ethernet cabling and the power lines. We lost computers, monitors, printers, and routers. Even in the house close to the hospital strange things had happened. The satellite modem, despite being on a working UPS, blew both fuses and the motherboard was toast. I took it apart, but couldn’t figure out why it was dead.
At this point, we’ve reshuffled most of the network and things are sort of working. The EMR server survived and one of the two satellites is still running so we can still work. The UPS and generator are still down, and half the network is down because we’ve run out of routers and ethernet boosters. In a few weeks, we will be getting a shipment of gear that will get us back to full capacity. Everyone in Rwinkwavu is rebuilding after the storm. This ant path appeared the morning after…
July 7, 2007 at 6:12
tags: rwanda
ve been walking around Rwinkwavu to get a sense of my new home. There is a river a few miles from the house and I walked there a few days ago. It’s clear to those I meet on the road that I’m not like the other PIHers, but my clothing and demeanor mark me as a foreigner. I’m a minority in the majority. I don’t get chased by kids screaming ‘muzungu’ like the girls here do, but I’m still stared at. The Rwinkwavu populous speaks no French or English and my Kinyarwanda is non-existent so the whole thing tends to be awkward when someone bothers to talk to me.
I ran into three kids near the river. One kept saying ‘ça va’ but when I responded he just kept laughing and repeating ‘ça va’. The river water is not clean, but the kids do enjoy swimming and occasionally drinking the water (see below). Laundry and some bathing is done in the river as well. Kids who have bikes ferry water from the river to their homes at the top of the hill. Sometimes you can ride, but a lot of times, you have to push.
Near the river, there is a primary school campus with a few buildings. The old school is really rundown but there is new construction and the difference is pretty amazing. I have those pictures in the gallery, but check out the kid drinking out of the water
July 6, 2007 at 13:27
tags: openmrs, rwanda
I’ve been hyper busy with work, but don’t feel I’m getting a lot accomplished besides being tired a lot. Regardless, expect a few extensive (but hilarious) posts soon.
Until those posts arrive, check out Bill Clinton’s TED 2007 speech about the Rwandan health care system. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/85 has the video and audio.
July 1, 2007 at 0:38
tags: life
Google’s Health Advertising Blog posted a reaction to Michael Moore’s Sicko. I think the post speaks for itself…
“The healthcare industry is no stranger to negative press. A drug may be a blockbuster one day and tolled as a public health concern the next. News reporters may focus on Pharma’s annual sales and its executives’ salaries while failing to share R&D costs. Or, as is often common, the media may use an isolated, heartbreaking, or sensationalist story to paint a picture of healthcare as a whole. With all the coverage, it’s a shame no one focuses on the industry’s numerous prescription programs, charity services, and philanthropy efforts.
Many of our clients face these issues; companies come to us hoping we can help them better manage their reputations through “Get the Facts” or issue management campaigns. Your brand or corporate site may already have these informational assets, but can users easily find them?
We can place text ads, video ads, and rich media ads in paid search results or in relevant websites within our ever-expanding content network. Whatever the problem, Google can act as a platform for educating the public and promoting your message. We help you connect your company’s assets while helping users find the information they seek.”
What’s next? Helping the tobacco companies get their message out?
June 25, 2007 at 23:39
tags: rwanda
In an earlier post, I made a bold claim. I called bacon a terrorist.
Although my word should have been enough, I did not stop there. I presented evidence of the viciousness that only delicious strips of meat could muster up. I posted pictures of the damage that bacon inflicted on my face. I thought the case was a slam dunk but the hate mail I received accused me of making a twisted play on pork and Islam. If only it were that simple…
In rural Rwanda, not far from Niger where enriched uranium is so abundant it’s spread like peanut butter on toast, I suffered the ravages of a new terrorist threat — the cold shower. Unlike bacon, the cold shower has no ties to organized religion. It simply hates for the sake of hating. So bold is this chilling new threat that it mounts its attack on the most private of places during the most private of times.
The water fell on me like torture from the sky. My yelps were only interrupted with obscenities muttered through chattering teeth. ‘Manning up’ was no where to be found that morning. The shock was so severe that I forgot to scrub as I ducked in and out of the arctic stream. Once I had shivered most of dirt of, I called it quits.
I’ve heard the experience described as invigorating and I say you’d have to be daft to call it that. If I were to sum it up, I’d call it a terrorist.
Consider yourself warned.
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