TWO TAMPLINS IN AFRICA

February, 2008 Issue 3 PO Box 705, Mbale, UGANDA www.tamplins.blogspot.com

Email: Natasha– nltamplin@gmail.com Ian– istamplin@gmail.com
Support us at: www.tear.org.au/projects/field-workers/ian-and-natasha-tamplin

You know you are back in Africa when your arranged transport isn‟t there to meet you at the
airport, when you wait hour by hour for someone who is „almost coming‟ and when you return
to a house full of dead cockroaches! Well its time to take off the sunglasses and swimming suits
– our holiday is over. We just spent 6 amazing weeks back at home in Australia after 20 months
of living in Uganda. We enjoyed every minute of it, but didn‟t seem to rest us much because we
were either spending time with our loved ones or talking to crowds of people about our work in
Uganda. So, another nine months have passed since our last newsletter – apologies to those
who only receive these newsletters and don‟t have access to our Internet blog, which we update
regularly (www.tamplins.blogspot.com).

AT THE OFFICE
Tash Workshop‟ with the top District Health officials to get them
„on board‟ with the LAMPS Project. We have now officially
The past 9 months have been busy ones at work. As expected in signed a Memorandum of Agreement for collaboration with
Africa, many activities have been delayed and have caused us to the Mbale District Government.
extend the project an extra 6 months (to end in December  Conducted a Training of Trainers (TOT) of elected members
2009). Since the last training of the fourth pilot Fight Malaria from pilot FMCs to assist us in the remaining 52 trainings of
Committee (FMC) in April last year, we have completed the fol- new FMCs! We have now expanded to 13 new villages using
lowing: our selected „trainers‟.
 Monitored each FMC in im-  Provided LAMPS T-Shirts for FMC members to help them
plementing their village create awareness and gain respect from the community.
LAMP (Malaria Programme)  Conducted a Mid-Term Evaluation comparing before/after
as they design their own ma- intervention and comparing pilot vs control villages.
laria songs and dramas, form  Received 7 free bicycles for our FMCs from the National Bar-
sub committees, drain stag- clays Bank in response to our concept paper . These bicycles
nant waters and swamps, col- will support the work of FMCs at the grassroots to ease com-
lect community contributions munity mobilization in the communities.
from each household and purchase items (like slashers, gum- IMMEDIATE WAY FORWARD:
boots, etc) to assist their malaria activities.  Incorporate some testing of some
 Extended the „Pilot Phase‟ by an 3 extra months (called natural remedies (repellants oils
„Consolidation Phase‟) in which the local District govern- and soaps)
ment agreed to supply the trained Community Medicine Dis-  Officially „launch‟ LAMPS at the
tributors (CMDs) in the 4 LAMPS pilot villages with free Sub-county level
“Coartem” malaria treatment, despite very limited supplies of  Expand to remaining villages, train-
it in the country. This meant that these four villages were the ing 3 villages (3 FMCs) at a time
only villages in the Sub-county in which CMDs had the nec-
essary drugs. Ian
 Purchased Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets
(LLINs) which each FMC distributed to the households in Ian has been engrossed with constant IT challenges at two or-
ganisations, UWCM and Jenga. When, he first started work at
their village. UWCM in June 2007, there were 3 barely-working computers,
 Assisted each FMCs to assess their own capacity by re-scoring one printer, a poorly-installed non-functioning network, and an
themselves using the LAMPS „Score Card‟. All demonstrated unreliable internet connection. UWCM now has seven PCs
a drastic change in the community in and four laptops, which are all networked together. The Inter-
terms of knowledge and behaviour in net connection is now as stable as it could ever be.
malaria management, prevention At Jenga, the computers had been maintained by an English-
and mosquito control, and care for man. However, soon after his leaving the country, a lot of
the vulnerable groups (ie. Children things malfunctioned. Ian was asked to step in to help. He really
under 5 years and pregnant women). had to hit the ground running and learn on the job, as there
had been no documentation prepared on the state of the sys-
 Conducted a „LAMPS Advocacy tems or the network. From installing virus protection, to net-

1
CMD – Community Medicine Distributor –Government-trained volunteer (2 per village) who are given free malaria drugs to treat any sick children under 5 be-
cause malaria can kill a child within 24 hrs.
Ian cont. CHALLENGES and Prayer
working computers, to fixing anything
electronic, he is there to maintain the  Ian‟s sickness/fatigue has really af-
systems. This year, he plans to train some fected our work and home life in the
staff in basic computer skills and em- last 20 months. Despite his health im-
power one staff member from each office proving, he still suffers from chronic
to be the IT Assistant. back pain and spurts of fatigue.
 Even though it is the dry season here,
HIGHLIGHTS rains have come early which directly
affects the production of food for sub-
 Ian‟s powerful experience as he saw sistence farmers, since most haven‟t
God‟s glory manifest itself during a planted their seeds yet.
Christian crusade in Central Uganda  The global recession has in increased
prices (particularly for food) and in-
 Ian‟s participation in a TEAR Austra- creased poverty. Thus, health no
lia Partner conference in Arua (NW longer seems to be the communities‟
Uganda) where he gained insight into priority, causing resistance to changing
TEAR‟s Partner projects in Uganda. their malaria behaviour practices
 Increased security after rebuilding the  Our current financial support is too
back fence (our three dogs no longer low. We thank those who currently
escape, nor are they attacked). and regularly support us. However,
we would welcome more support –
 Our home-leave for 6 weeks for Christ- even $30 a month can help. Those
mas and New Year 2008 was a great wishing to support us can do so via our
reminder that the things at home have- blog (see above) or directly contact
n‟t changed too much and that we still TEAR Australia. All donations are tax
feel called to be here - at least to De- deductible
cember this year, 2009.
 Reduced malaria in LAMPS villages.
CONTACT TEAR
 Good social networks and friends. Phone: 03 9264 7000 or 1800244986(Free call)
 Tash‟s parents visit in June last year as Web: www.tear.org.au
they spoilt us with a small safari at Email: info@tear.org.au
Murchison Falls, and time on the
beach in Zanzibar. TARGET MAGAZINE
 Creative and effective malaria songs
and poems that the FMCs have created For those who want to “receive in-depth,
to spread the „gospel‟ of how to fight eyewitness accounts” of the work of
malaria. TEAR‟s Australian and International
partners, you can read their free quarterly
magazine called TARGET at http://
www.tear.org.au/target (or you can con-
tact TEAR to be sent a free copy).

BETHEL CHURCH

We managed to help Bethel get support for the building from our home church in Australia (New Peninsula). While local trades-
men did the skilled work, everybody in the church congregation voluntarily contributed to the building process in some way (like
carrying stones, slashing the compound, etc). In only two weeks after the arrival of the funds, the walls and roof were up and the
compound was slashed. We are on the Advisory Committee for the church, and will mostly be responsible for communications and
reporting back to Australian supporters.
We continue to regularly have converts each month, and have now baptized 50 new members under the waterfall in the hills behind
the church. The congregation is growing weekly, with many Muslims coming to Christ. Ray Paddle, a church builder from Austra-
lia, visited last October and was inspired to design a plan for a much bigger church building. When that time comes, the current
smaller building will be used for children‟s Sunday School, weekly Bible Studies, Youth and Community meetings, etc. We feel
blessed to be involved in the development of such a Christ-centered Church. Its amazing how much praise and worship can be so
fulfilling with just an African drum, guitar (and at times an old piano accordion) without any rehearsal.