Introduction

Overview: Hi! I am Maggie and am a rising junior in high school. This summer, I will be traveling to Mbarara, Uganda for five weeks to implement a therapy program in the pediatric oncology ward in the Mbarara Hospital (June and July). The therapy program will include two sections: 1. Raising awareness for cancer in the community by providing a safe place for parents and families to learn and educate themselves about their child's illness. 2. Music and art sessions for patients and families of patients to express, relieve, and heal emotions.
Thanks to the generous support that I have received from donors, I have far exceeded my goal of $7,000, and ended the fundraising campaign with $15,200. The money raised has purchased a computer, which will hold the patient data base, bought beds for the hospital, paid for music and art equipment, and allowed for a professional therapist from Massachusetts General Hospital to come work with me for two weeks, and lastly, will pay for children's cancer treatment and research.

---

Sustainability: When creating lesson plans and coming up with material lists for the therapy program, sustainability was something that kept entering my thoughts...how will the program manage after I leave? After brainstorming and talking, I decided to bring over a certified therapist/music therapist to Mbarara to work with me for two weeks. Julio works at Massachusetts General Hospital, and I am thrilled to have him journey to Uganda and help make the program long-lasting. There have been a couple residents of Mbarara who have a little background in therapy and have shown interest in learning more about music and art therapy. Julio and I will provide sessions in which these people will learn how to run therapy classes and will be educated on how to address children depending on their circumstances.
     In addition to training people in the "therapy" field, there will also be "activity boxes" with art, music, and physical activities. I have created detailed instructions, complete with health benefits, materials, and directions. These boxes allow families and volunteers to lead activities.

---

Looking into the Future: During my stay in Uganda, I, along with a couple of doctors, will travel to Kampala to visit an outpatient house. Currently, patients of Mbarara Hospital have no transitioning time between the hospital and "home life." While in Kampala, we are going to tour the outpatient home and see if it is possibly something that the Mbarara Hospital would like to set up.

---

Purpose of Blog: I will write on this blog to share experiences of my trip and to update the progress of the programs. Pictures and quick write-ups will be posted. Additionally, at the end of the trip, I will post a link to a summarizing video that I will make during my stay in Uganda.

---

Many Thanks: I cannot thank those who supported me in this cause enough! Because of you, this program and others will be implemented and will positively affect Mbarara Hospital.