On my way to being a Doctor

My name is Akena Reagan Peter. Ugandan. A butterfly C2 cohort who has been part of the Butterfly Project for close to 10 years now, a project dedicated to training young gifted and talented Uganda youths in disadvantaged part of the country, Northern Uganda a region where I thrived from which has gone through numerous atrocities in  the hands of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) about 25 years ago.

Being with the Butterfly Project has moulded and trained me to be a different version of myself which I don’t think would be possible on my own. To mention but a few are; it has boosted my public speaking ability and confidence, education which has added value to myself, taught me selflessness, sympathy and empathy, exposed me a lot of new things ranging from foods, cultures especially the western, enhance my English speaking ability, network, tours and outreach, mentorship, and so many others

Through the years, I’ve been able to engage in some activities which has impacted on both myself and the people which  I targeted .

My previous achievements was that I was able to start a project of my own, a news letter which was based in a Kampala suburb (slum) where the project was based, here, I was working with a group of young people about my age to report local issues in that community and find possible solutions to them of which were getting some positive feedbacks and there times when concerned individuals would call to appreciate what we were doing. This project did not only enhance our reporting abilities but also our reading and writing skills, boosted our confidence and made us interact with people of various backgrounds (socializing).

A year later, I decided to extend the knowledge of ICT (Information, communication and technology) to the youth out in that community; I realized after some time that the world was changing and so should every one with it. And ICT knowledge is becoming a basic requirement in almost all fields of expertise. We were doing basics. Applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access. This helped in enhancing the typing, presentation abilities of the individuals and it also eased their education since they had ideas about most things about computer by the time when they reached secondary where computer studies was a subject of its own and there was a huge difference between other students who were just getting exposed to that idea at that level and these kids who were already used to the idea.

Just as any other endeavor, I had challenges, in the former some local people did not buy the idea and there were cases whether people would be mad about us reporting on them and also some people would think we were using them.

In the later times, a shortage of equipment was the main issue, and the kids were not committed because their parents would not like the idea at times (lack of commitment) plus some others which I can’t mention now.

I’ve also been able to move on with my academics which is something I’m proud of because given the background where I came from, wouldn’t think I was going to come this far

I’m now in my third year, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in clinical medicine and community health (BCM & CH) which is for four and half years (4.5 years) at Kampala International University western campus and I’m getting done with it next year.

I chose this path because I’ve always wanted to serve my people because I come from a country where people lose their lives to diseases that can be prevented.

According to a report by world health organization (WHO), Uganda’s Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) has consistently been one of the highest in the world with 440 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to Unicef’s latest data. In Uganda, one woman out of every 49 will die of a maternal complication related to pregnancy or delivery.

As of 2016, the five leading causes of death in Uganda included communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, respiratory tract infections, and diarrheal diseases.

Although HIV/AIDS is among the most common diseases in Uganda, malaria is the most fatal — the disease is the leading cause of mortality in Uganda.

Death rates were highest among children under age 1, followed by children ages 15 to 19, 1 to 4, and 5 to 14. In all age groups, males had higher mortality rates than females. In 2017, males ages 15 to 19 were more than twice as likely as females to die (72.7 versus 29.4 deaths per 100,000).

If you are to look at the above data critically, it is clear that the top killer diseases are infectious diseases which can be prevented if people had knowledge about these diseases

A report by the Guardian newspaper also says Uganda has one of the worst healthcare records in the world, but the development of local facilities and training of volunteers will bring life-saving services to thousands of people. Despite record investment over the past five years, Uganda’s healthcare performance is still ranked as one of the worst in the world by the World Health Organisation. The country is ranked 186th out of 191 nations.

This is to greater extent due to shortage of qualified staffs and ignorance by the community,

Looking at this data has inspired to do something about it or at least join the struggle in combating these diseases,

However small the impact will be, it will have created some slight difference that’s why finishing this course would mean a lot to me in enhancing my ability in this fight.

Aside from these, I have passion about many things one of which is climate change, given the current global warming rate, there is need to raise awareness and tell people that climate change is real which is absurd that some people still do not believe in it , the more people know, the more we get concerned and the more we get concerned, the more start acting and reversing these things. I believe it’s all about awareness to a greater extend.

I also want to be seen as a beacon of hope especially for those kids where I come from and will live to see a world any one can become anything they want despite the limitations. I’m left with four semesters to finish my undergraduate degree and will still need your support to make this dream come true.