Chad RPCV Celina Schocken, a health-policy expert, is part of the global effort to treat the millions of people who have AIDS on the continent of Africa and is the Chief Advisor to the Minister of State for management of HIV/AIDS and other epidemics for the Republic of Rwanda
A guide for Africa's future - Former Island resident is key advisor to Rwandan minister on AIDS and diseases
2004-04-29
by Mary L. Grady
Mercer Island Reporter
Celina Schocken only recently found out that a friend of hers, a single man in Rwanda who works as a bellman, is raising eight children -- none of which are his own. But she wonders why she was surprised.
``Everyone is raising an orphan, sometimes five or six that are not their own: Our drivers, the gardeners, everyone,'' she said of the effects of the AIDS epidemic in her adopted country in Africa. ``These are people who are so poor themselves.''
Schocken, a health-policy expert, is part of the global effort to treat the millions of people who have AIDS on the continent of Africa. She is the Chief Advisor to the Minister of State for management of HIV/AIDS and other epidemics for the Republic of Rwanda.
Schocken, who grew up on Mercer Island, was recently back in the United States with the president of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame. The presidential party, after visiting Harvard University, Chicago, Denver and Minneapolis, came to Seattle to receive a $1.5 million grant from RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser.
The trip was timed to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda when nearly 800,000 people were slaughtered by fellow countrymen in a matter of 100 days.
Schocken works for the Rwandan government to help manage the $200 million worth of funds that have come to the country for the fight against AIDS. The effort is not only focussed on AIDS but the re-emergence of tuberculosis and malaria in the country.
It is a complex, painstaking process.
Wednesday, April 7 marked the 10th anniversary of the beginning of what is called ``the genocide'' in Rwanda when the Hutus, the majority ethnic group, killed Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Men known to have AIDS were forced to rape women during the brutality. According to victims groups, it is estimated that 40,000 women, the majority of whom had children, survived these attacks and are now very ill with AIDS.
The country faces an insurmountable list of issues. Only half of the country is literate. Most are very poor. A generation of adults was wiped out by the atrocities. But Rwanda now is better off than most of its neighbors.
The country is led by a group of dedicated individuals who are committed to their citizens and rebuilding their homeland, according to Schocken.
She works directly with the president and his ministers to design ways to get treatment to those with HIV and AIDS. The money and technology must be put to work in a country where most patients have to walk several miles to get to a clinic. Selection and monitoring of patients for antiretroviral therapy must be set up and assessed. Supplies of drugs must be carefully controlled to ensure that patients adhere to strict medication schedules. Drug supplies are monitored to prevent them from being shuttled off to the black market.
There is approximately one doctor for every 60,000 people in the tiny country, Schocken said.
But there is success. At the end of the first several months of the program, antiretroviral drugs are reaching more than had been anticipated, Schocken explained. As of this month, 2,700 people are being treated.
But 85,000 people need them.
Schocken lives in a house up in the hills above the capital city of Kigali, just two minutes away from the president. It is lovely and has a view, she said sheepishly.
She is glad the house is on the same water and electricity lines as the presidential residence. The utilities stay on. She has a cook, a gardener, a driver and around-the-clock security.
``It is really just a way to help keep everyone employed,'' she explained.
It would be an insult if she refused such luxury.
Schocken, who graduated from the Lakeside School in 1991, first visited Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer. She worked in the country of Chad as a maternal and child health worker.
After completing degrees in public policy and law, Schocken worked for former-president Bill Clinton's foundation to craft policies directed toward peacekeeping and health.
``I am a cause-driven person,'' she said simply.
She speaks French, Portuguese and a smattering of African languages. She says she likes living in Africa, but finds it exhausting.
``The people I work with are very patriotic. They all work all of the time,'' she laughed. She told a story of a fellow minister who called about an idea at 11 p.m. She had just gone to bed. The phone rang again at 7 a.m. with the minister asking her about her progress on the proposal.
The petite, 31-year-old woman smiles at the contrast she creates, ``I am the only `muzungu,' or ex-patriot, to work for a minister.''
``They are very appreciative of my work and being here,'' she adds.
Schocken said she feels very safe and in her rare moments of spare time, has tried to travel about a bit. She doesn't know how long she will stay in the tiny country of more than 8 million, but added, ``I know I can make more of a difference if I am here.''
Just this past month, the president had a special dinner for his ministers and their staff. Only Schocken was honored with the gift of a cow from the president's own herd.
``He is keeping it for me for now,'' Schocken smiled.
Copyright © 2004 Horvitz Newspapers, Inc.
