My New Job with PIH

This week I moved to my new home in Butaro where I'll be working with Partners in Health or PIH. PIH was started in Haiti by Dr Paul Farmer. PIH came to Rwanda in 2005 by invitation from the Rwandan government and supported by the Clinton Foundation. In Rwanda, PIH runs two hospitals and is building a third state of the art new hospital. Butaor, where I'll be, is more isolated that my last location. They still don’t have electricity and is far from any major paved roads. But these are the exact conditions PIH prefers to work and serve the underprivileged of all populations. However, PIH facilities run on massive generators and are well equipped with wireless fast internet, full kitchen, and an amazing and professional staff.

I’ll be working with the Procurement and Logistics team focusing on ‘clinical capacitation’ within the new hospital. I’m really excited to be part of this amazing organization and will keep you posted as to my work plans. Here are some images of the new hospital under construction. The scheduled opening of the hospital is Oct 2010 when the president and other dignitaries will be here for the inauguration.

Butaro despite its remote location is a beautiful place like. The town is up hill from Lake Burera, a crater lake and the second largest in Rwanda after lake Kivu. I plan on going hiking and exploring the area around here. Plus, the country director has an inflatable kayak that I’ll see if he’ll let me borrow :o)
Other attractions include an amazing water fall and a hydroelectric dam that they’re currently constructing. I’m also a 15 minute walk from the Ugandan border and near the southern end of Lake Bunyonyi, which I visited in Uganda. Lake Bunyonyi if you remember is the deepest and cleanest lake in Africa. The southern end which I couldn’t explore last time has grand hot springs that perhaps, with other PIHers, I’ll be able to cross the border safely to go see.