Sili #7

Sili, which means the “best” in Samoan, will be the village of our final seminar. In that case let’s say that we saved the best for last. We performed twice today. The students from the primary school were right on time and we didn’t want to keep them out of school for too long. The rest of the village wouldn’t show up until 10:45 so it was good that we didn’t wait.

After the kids went back to school we were fed breakfast which included almost any kind of fruit you could imagine. Shortly thereafter the nurses arrived and it was showtime. Today was an oscar winning performance and the crowd really enjoyed it.

The rest of the program went accordingly and we even raised a few more laughs when explaining the weight loss competition. One of the women was very interested in what the prize is for losing the weight. Instead of being direct with her, I thought I’d have some fun with her. I told her that Leni would be her slave for a month if she lost the weight. Leni, the best wingman a guy could ask for.

It has been an absolute pleasure implementing this project with my fellow volunteers. We’ve had our share of ups and downs over the past three weeks but due to perseverance and lots of kava we have completed the seminars.

Iva #6

Today we make the trip to Iva, the village where this project first evolved. It was in this Savai’i metropolis where Niko made obesity, diabetes, and hypertension awareness his primary mission in his Peace Corps service. The village mayor, who learned he had diabetes during Niko’s stay, would help organize the seminar. He did a great job in getting the men/chiefs to come, but due to some miscommunication the women thought that we were coming tomorrow. As a result only a few females were in attendance.

Pictured above is A.J., who teaches at a local secondary school. Thanks to him we were able to get the skit recorded.

The chiefs had a lot of questions.

For example one man asked, “Let’s say I put 4 spoonfuls of sugar in my tea, and then put 4 spoonfuls of salt in my soup. Would that be considered a balanced diet?”

Luckily I didn’t need any assistance to answer that question. I told him that 1 spoon of each is still balanced and is better for you.

In addition to screening for diabetes and hypertension, the nurses are also providing swine flu shots. Pictured below is local nurse Leaso, who has just injected a local girl with the vaccine.

Enjoy the rest of the pictures.

Fatuvalu #5

The week ended with a great showing from the small village of Fatuvalu. Per capita, this had to of been our best showing thus far. Enjoy these pics from today’s show.

The nurses from the Samoa National Health Service (NHS) are to be commended on their work. As volunteers we are doing these seminars a mere seven times. The nurses are out in the communities at least 5 days a week performing different types of medical services; home visits to pregnant mothers, health talks for the prevention of communicable and non-communicable diseases, and treatment of these same sicknesses.

It’s been a long week and we are ready for a break. We only have two more to go and want to finish strong. Next week we travel to Iva where this project all started and finish up in Sili.

Safotu #4

We had a great turnout in Safotu. Rain was once again a factor but that didn’t stop people from coming. Most of the crowd showed up early so to entertain them Leni busted out his best dance moves.

When the nurses arrived we started the show. I made a crucial mistake at the beginning of the program. I forgot to have one of the men say a prayer to begin the activities. An opening prayer is essential in Samoa anytime there is a meeting or program of this nature. Unfortunately no one stopped me before I was finished speaking but during a break one of the nurses helped me realize my mistake in the nicest way possible.

We made one change to the program today. Instead of doing the skit first we decided to wait until everyone had been screened for diabetes and hypertension. The reason for this was so the participants wouldn’t have to wait as long to eat. This is again due to the fact that you shouldn’t eat before checking blood sugar levels.

This turned out to be a senseless change and I think I speak for the whole cast when I say we were dead tired when it was time to start the skit. Our reason for postponing it due to the participants desire to eat was a non-effective either. It is very important in Samoan culture to make sure the guests (in this case ourselves and the nurses) are fed before anyone else can eat.

The highlight of this particular seminar was the part where we ask the audience for tips on adjusting lifestyle habits. Leni and I finally devised a way of getting the audience to participate as well as us being able to provide our suggestions.

The list below shows our five main points and the audience/nurses/volunteers’ suggestions for how they can change their habits.

5 Main Points	Suggestions
Reduce fats and oils in your diet	Eat more fish and chicken and less mutton and salted beef.	Boil foods instead of frying them.	Remove fatty parts of beef, pork, and chicken skin. Drain oils from fried foods.
Reduce sugars in your diet as well as replace “bad” or “processed” sugars with “good” or “natural” sugars.	Drink a coconut instead of a soda.	When you need that sugar fix, eat local fruits such as papaya, mangoes, and bananas instead of candy and cookies.	Offer sugar on the side as opposed to adding it to the tea pot. This will give people a choice.
Eat balanced meals	Start a garden	Add vegetables to soups	On some days drink cocoa, and on other days drink orange flavored tea
Eat Samoan Food	Add coconut cream to cocoa instead of sugar	Eat local fruits instead of imported fruits	Stop buying imported meats that are canned and frozen. If there is no demand, there is no supply.
Increase physical activity	Go for walks in the mornings and evenings	Stop using buses and cars for short transport and use your legs.	Start a garden

The team worked well today as the participants just seemed to flow in and out without waiting or being rushed. Here are some more pictures that show everybody hard at work.

Samauga #3

Our second week of seminars began in Samauga. It was a cool and rainy morning, or in other words, a perfect time to stay home and sleep. This raised concerns due to other experiences when trying to gather groups of people on rainy days. The first people to show up were the high chief of the village and the pastor. This brought comfort to my concerns, because if these guys come, the flock will soon follow.

Fa’avaoa, Valelia, Mariane, Peleupu, and Tapu, the nurses from the Safotu District Hospital, will be working with us this week. Fa’avaoa, the nurse manager, has played an essential role in helping us plan these seminars. With that in mind it is a special pleasure to work with her this week.

The seminar started with our best performance yet. Everybody was spot on with their lines and the crowd roared with laughter.

The picture below is from the funeral in scene one. Elisa, the angel, has made an appearance from heaven and brought the family a weight scale, or a sign from god to change the families eating habits. Semisi, who is lying down, has just died from diabetes as Sieni, his widow, looks on.

We also had some help from the audience during the rice suit demonstration. Fulisia, pictured below, has since told me that she will keep the weight off if this is what it feels like.

The informational session was very similar to that of Falealupo. The audience was very engaged, most notably the chief pictured below, who had many concerns and questions regarding his diet. Fa’avaoa, pictured below with Leni and myself, did great job in facilitating and addressing those concerns.

During the final segment where we explain the weight loss contest I asked the audience if there were any questions or concerns. The high chief raised his hand and let his concern be known. He spoke on behalf of the village and expressed that he was hungry. It had been a long morning so I quickly wrapped it up and let the nurses begin the screenings.

Strong winds and heavy rains continued throughout the screenings but we were still able to see almost 70 people. Papaya and coconut was provided by the nurses to people after they had their blood sugar checked for diabetes. It is very important for obtaining accurate results that one does not eat prior to testing their blood sugar. As you can see in the picture below the audience really does enjoy fresh fruit.

Falealupo-Tai #2

Falealupo-Tai, the most western point if land on earth, is our second stop.

The morning began with uncertainty due to the funeral going on up the road. We were able to hunt down about 15 people and that is enough to satisfy me. The program went as planned until we got to the section where we ask the audience for their ideas on how to eat and live healthier. This group was ready to talk. They had a wonderful discussion about how diets have changed in Samoa and how it has been for the worse. I tried to facilitate the discussion but Mose the nurse did most of the work. The participants came up with a great list of lifestyle changes that they can relate to. This was the section of the seminar were I had originally planned on only myself and volunteers providing suggestions. This is way more effective. They want their ideas heard too. It is just a matter of getting them to talk about it.

For example, an older gentleman suggested they go back to drinking cocoa with coconut cream to sweeten it up as opposed to using sugar. According to him there has never been a time where so many people were sick.

Today we even gave the opportunity to the audience members to make sure we were healthy as well.

After the seminars we got some fresh coconuts to drink. I thought to myself that the immediate effects of drinking this compared to a cold coke are not to far off. The thing is, I know the health consequences of drinking both. So I chose the coconut. Many people here do not understand the differences, so they make a choice based on convenience. It is more convenient to drink a coke than get a coconut. So they choose the coke.

Luckily, it's not too late as you can see from the following picture.