Today was it! The final full day of this amazing trip before the long flight home. Just for fun (or for torture, depending on how you look at it), I added up the amount of time it’ll take to get back. I leave tomorrow about noon, and get home mid-afternoon Sunday. With layovers and flights, I’ve got almost 36 hours of travel time. How exciting….
We had another great day today. Many office meetings, but also two short road trips. The first was to visit a hospice facility. Initially, the clinic functioned totally as hospice care for those dying of AIDS. Now, many of the folks they admit initially are actually able to leave the clinic after starting the ARV therapy! The medicines by a government group, but all other items for the hospital are provided through monetary and product gifts. The facility is well maintained, and has beautiful grounds. It also has a positive message, as many people are now seen provided medicines, and then able to go home and live full, productive lives while taking the drugs. However, there were still several people in the hospice center that were dying.
We were taken to each and every one of the rooms to see the patients. Today, there were about 20 people in care. Only one had family present with them. Family visits are encouraged, but there is still a stigma attached to AIDS, plus some of these people come from very far away, so family visits are impossible. The disease, plus the difficult lifestyle takes a serious toll on their bodies. We’ve visited with people who are living in poverty, where life is so hard, they may not know if they will eat today. With each of these people though, life still sparkled in their eyes. Sometimes, it was pained, but life was there. This is the first place we’ve visited where people had no life in their eyes.
We then went to a community center. The center had a variety of services from sewing classes for women, to farming, to a small school, to a recreation room. The center started through a grant from a local group, and after several years, has now become self-sufficient. Even this is a struggle though. A month ago, floods covered the center grounds, and killed all the chickens they were raising for sale (total of 450 chickens), and now the center is working to find other income to support themselves. The team is resourceful, and I think they make it, but their story shows just how tenuous the balance is here.
Well…. We’ve come to the end of the journey. I obviously still have the flight home, but I don’t intend for that to be interesting enough to write about. I
Thank you all for traveling with me through Amsterdam, Dubai, Nairobi, and Zambia. In the last 19 days, we’ve been to one of Europe’s oldest cities and one of the world’s newest cities. We’ve been to one of the world’s richest countries, and one of the world’s poorest. We’ve seen areas of incredible beauty, and areas devastated by floods, poverty, and sickness. We’ve been to very permissive countries, to very restrictive countries. We’ve been to places moved by recent violence, and incredibly peaceful places. It’s a bit hard to process all that has happened on this trip, but sharing it with you will certainly help me remember all that I’ve seen.
Let me know how the blog concept works for you, as this is very new to me. I’m always happy to go back to e-mails! I can’t imagine I’d have anything to share unless (until) I travel again, so this site will probably be inactive for a bit, unless one of you can come up with something to write about. So send me an e-mail and let me know if you want to be on the list for future updates if I have the opportunity to travel again.
Can’t wait to see where we go next!
Friday, March 7, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Changing the Community
One more full day in Zambia, and I begin the trip home. On one hand, it’s hard to believe the trip is nearing its end. I still feel as if I have a lot to learn here. On the other hand, it’s been a long trip, and I’m definitely ready to come home and see my family!
Since I’ve brought you some sobering messages the last few days, I thought I’d change the tone a bit today. Most of our day was spent in the offices in meetings with national and regional staff, but we did have an opportunity to go visit a small community near town. In this community, a woman has started an amazing project to help widows, orphans, and vulnerable children. The group purchased some property in the local area that had functioned as a bar and brothel for some time. They’ve cleaned it up, and created a school for 1st through 5th graders, a kitchen where they make soy milk and other items for the children, and also sell to the local community, and a small business for many of the local women.
Let me take a quick detour to help you understand what we saw today. We’ve had a chance to visit two other schools here. In both cases, the children had no books and few supplies. I don’t think a single one of them had shoes on, maybe a few with flip flop type sandals. The library consisted of a small cabinet with a few books. The science lab was an old scale and a partial skeleton sitting on a cart. The buildings were in poor repair. All that said, the teachers were extremely dedicated. They would make their own lesson, or copy sections of textbooks to the chalkboard for the children to memorize. The children had made small examination booklets that they used for all their lessons. All of them had to show us what they were learning. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many children in one place with such neat handwriting! It was obvious that despite the conditions, the teacher and the students were committed to education. (Don’t you wish you could bottle a bit of the dedication and take it back to the US???)
Now let’s fast forward to today. Like the other school, most of the children in this school have lost at least one parent. Many have lost both, and are currently living in child headed households. Just like the other school, the children have no shoes. These kids have been through more at a very young age than some of us will go through in a lifetime. The difference is this school has received some money from a variety of donors. That money has been used to clean up the buildings, acquire a few books and a few tools. With a fairly small amount of assistance, and some dedicated focus, this school looks and feels completely different. Walls are painted bright colors. Children are playing games in the courtyard. Smiles abound everywhere. The difference is amazing. While you could see learning happening in the other schools, the learning is alive at this school.
Then it gets better! Many of the women in the area are widows with little ability to provide income for their families. Here, these women have come together and started their own business. They take plastic bags of all different colors (like the kind you get in the grocery store), cut them into strips, tie the strips together, and then crochet purses, hats, and handbags with the material. The group sells the bags in the markets, and then profits are shared within the group. I didn’t catch the exact breakdown, but some of the money goes to the group to help pay for the area, some of the money goes into a community account, and the rest (and it’s most of the total) is retained by the person who made the bag. While I don’t think this is self-supporting yet, I think it has every opportunity to be, and the women are able to care for their families, as well as contribute to the local community.
Just like the Caregivers you met yesterday, these women are community supporters. They are making change in their own communities by emphasizing education, good nutrition, health, and business. With a little focused support, these women are now doing it themselves. Isn’t it amazing what a little community can do?
Since I’ve brought you some sobering messages the last few days, I thought I’d change the tone a bit today. Most of our day was spent in the offices in meetings with national and regional staff, but we did have an opportunity to go visit a small community near town. In this community, a woman has started an amazing project to help widows, orphans, and vulnerable children. The group purchased some property in the local area that had functioned as a bar and brothel for some time. They’ve cleaned it up, and created a school for 1st through 5th graders, a kitchen where they make soy milk and other items for the children, and also sell to the local community, and a small business for many of the local women.
Let me take a quick detour to help you understand what we saw today. We’ve had a chance to visit two other schools here. In both cases, the children had no books and few supplies. I don’t think a single one of them had shoes on, maybe a few with flip flop type sandals. The library consisted of a small cabinet with a few books. The science lab was an old scale and a partial skeleton sitting on a cart. The buildings were in poor repair. All that said, the teachers were extremely dedicated. They would make their own lesson, or copy sections of textbooks to the chalkboard for the children to memorize. The children had made small examination booklets that they used for all their lessons. All of them had to show us what they were learning. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many children in one place with such neat handwriting! It was obvious that despite the conditions, the teacher and the students were committed to education. (Don’t you wish you could bottle a bit of the dedication and take it back to the US???)
Now let’s fast forward to today. Like the other school, most of the children in this school have lost at least one parent. Many have lost both, and are currently living in child headed households. Just like the other school, the children have no shoes. These kids have been through more at a very young age than some of us will go through in a lifetime. The difference is this school has received some money from a variety of donors. That money has been used to clean up the buildings, acquire a few books and a few tools. With a fairly small amount of assistance, and some dedicated focus, this school looks and feels completely different. Walls are painted bright colors. Children are playing games in the courtyard. Smiles abound everywhere. The difference is amazing. While you could see learning happening in the other schools, the learning is alive at this school.
Then it gets better! Many of the women in the area are widows with little ability to provide income for their families. Here, these women have come together and started their own business. They take plastic bags of all different colors (like the kind you get in the grocery store), cut them into strips, tie the strips together, and then crochet purses, hats, and handbags with the material. The group sells the bags in the markets, and then profits are shared within the group. I didn’t catch the exact breakdown, but some of the money goes to the group to help pay for the area, some of the money goes into a community account, and the rest (and it’s most of the total) is retained by the person who made the bag. While I don’t think this is self-supporting yet, I think it has every opportunity to be, and the women are able to care for their families, as well as contribute to the local community.
Just like the Caregivers you met yesterday, these women are community supporters. They are making change in their own communities by emphasizing education, good nutrition, health, and business. With a little focused support, these women are now doing it themselves. Isn’t it amazing what a little community can do?
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The Caregivers
Today we were able to spend another day in the field visiting Caregivers. These people are truly amazing. As we arrived in the village today, about 150 Caregivers had gathered under a huge tree at the edge of the main village area. This is a large part of the Caregivers that serve a community of about 15,000 people. Again, we were met with many smiles and handshakes, as well as singing and dancing. It’s a bit overwhelming to be welcomed in such a way. After all the introductions, the group wanted to hear a speech from us, their guests, and unfortunately, I was sitting in the wrong seat. As you all know, I am not the most eloquent person in the world, and words of wisdom were apparently required. I did my best, and while they weren’t words of wisdom, and can at least hope that they did nothing to negatively reflect on the amazing work they do. At least I remembered not to use “you all” in a sentence. Can’t imagine that translates well to the local language.
The Caregivers did skits showing what they do, and how they care for people. They were both funny, and very sad. They then shared about their needs, their challenges, and answered many questions from us about their roles. I could probably go on for pages about this meeting, and none of my words could adequately describe the overwhelming sense of compassion, dedication, and enthusiasm these people have for their work and their community.
Rather than use my words, let me use theirs. When answering the question, “What do you enjoy most about being a Caregiver?” one gentleman responded with the following: “I like my work. I often think of all the suffering and problems we have. I think about my children, and think that one day they will become orphans. I wonder who will care for them. I have ideas in my head about how to have community transformation, so that everyone knows we can all potentially be orphans. One day, I will need someone to care for me, and for my children. I am a Caregiver, because one day, I will need someone to care for me.” In both today’s meetings, and yesterday’s, we asked the groups how long they planned to be Caregivers. Without exception, the groups looked at us like we had asked the world’s dumbest question. One woman today responded, “Why would we stop being Caregivers? Our communities need us. I will never stop.”
Imagine sitting under a large tree on a wooden bench, hearing these words from people. The same people who just greeted you as if you were a dignitary, and from whom they wanted to hear great words of greeting and wisdom. Imagine them occasionally breaking into songs, made up on the spot, about how excited they are to have you come, and their excitement for the tools that you send them to carry on their work.
For those of you who have attended Caregiver Kit builds at your churches or schools, these are the people you are supporting. You know what goes in the kits – a few cotton balls, some notebooks, washcloths, medicines, flashlight, a prayer or encouragement card, etc. These are the tools these courageous people use to transform their communities. The prayer / encouragement card is carried around and read over and over again, until it falls apart. It is their link to you, and they value it immensely. You probably didn’t think about it when you filled out your card, but your words are treasured and made powerful through the work done here.
I don’t really remember what I said to them (speaking with no preparation in front of a rather large group can do that to you), other than at some point, I said I hoped to be able to capture everything they would share in a way that would allow me to effectively share their compassion, dedication, and enthusiasm to everyone from my home. I hope in the last two postings, I’ve been able to do just that. The next time you attend a Caregiver Kit build and enclose a prayer card in the kit, think about 150 smiling faces, under a large shade tree, singing and dancing in the face of adversity, with only a small kit and possibly a bicycle as weapons in the fight. These are the people who are educating the world about HIV / AIDS, caring for the disease’s victims, and caring for their children.
After our meeting, we had a quick tour of the local clinic (small clinic serving 15,000 people with the nearest district hospital 43km away), and were then served lunch. The clinic was in poor repair and had nearly nothing. I can’t imagine being treated there.
Lunch was prepared by the local community. We ate in one of their buildings made of mud / clay with a thatched roof. The food was very good. I’ve never had pumpkin leaves, nshima (a grain based food eaten with everything here), and goat, among other things. All washed down with Coca Cola. Even in the middle of Africa, Coke Is It (is that their tag line?)
The Caregivers did skits showing what they do, and how they care for people. They were both funny, and very sad. They then shared about their needs, their challenges, and answered many questions from us about their roles. I could probably go on for pages about this meeting, and none of my words could adequately describe the overwhelming sense of compassion, dedication, and enthusiasm these people have for their work and their community.
Rather than use my words, let me use theirs. When answering the question, “What do you enjoy most about being a Caregiver?” one gentleman responded with the following: “I like my work. I often think of all the suffering and problems we have. I think about my children, and think that one day they will become orphans. I wonder who will care for them. I have ideas in my head about how to have community transformation, so that everyone knows we can all potentially be orphans. One day, I will need someone to care for me, and for my children. I am a Caregiver, because one day, I will need someone to care for me.” In both today’s meetings, and yesterday’s, we asked the groups how long they planned to be Caregivers. Without exception, the groups looked at us like we had asked the world’s dumbest question. One woman today responded, “Why would we stop being Caregivers? Our communities need us. I will never stop.”
Imagine sitting under a large tree on a wooden bench, hearing these words from people. The same people who just greeted you as if you were a dignitary, and from whom they wanted to hear great words of greeting and wisdom. Imagine them occasionally breaking into songs, made up on the spot, about how excited they are to have you come, and their excitement for the tools that you send them to carry on their work.
For those of you who have attended Caregiver Kit builds at your churches or schools, these are the people you are supporting. You know what goes in the kits – a few cotton balls, some notebooks, washcloths, medicines, flashlight, a prayer or encouragement card, etc. These are the tools these courageous people use to transform their communities. The prayer / encouragement card is carried around and read over and over again, until it falls apart. It is their link to you, and they value it immensely. You probably didn’t think about it when you filled out your card, but your words are treasured and made powerful through the work done here.
I don’t really remember what I said to them (speaking with no preparation in front of a rather large group can do that to you), other than at some point, I said I hoped to be able to capture everything they would share in a way that would allow me to effectively share their compassion, dedication, and enthusiasm to everyone from my home. I hope in the last two postings, I’ve been able to do just that. The next time you attend a Caregiver Kit build and enclose a prayer card in the kit, think about 150 smiling faces, under a large shade tree, singing and dancing in the face of adversity, with only a small kit and possibly a bicycle as weapons in the fight. These are the people who are educating the world about HIV / AIDS, caring for the disease’s victims, and caring for their children.
After our meeting, we had a quick tour of the local clinic (small clinic serving 15,000 people with the nearest district hospital 43km away), and were then served lunch. The clinic was in poor repair and had nearly nothing. I can’t imagine being treated there.
Lunch was prepared by the local community. We ate in one of their buildings made of mud / clay with a thatched roof. The food was very good. I’ve never had pumpkin leaves, nshima (a grain based food eaten with everything here), and goat, among other things. All washed down with Coca Cola. Even in the middle of Africa, Coke Is It (is that their tag line?)
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Some pictures of Amsterdam
A few pictures of Amsterdam. The internet connection is a little slow, so this is all for today.
Canal in Amsterdam. The buildings on either side were built in the 1600's.
Dutch Reform Church we went to in Amsterdam.
Courtyard around the Church
Canal in Amsterdam. The buildings on either side were built in the 1600's.
Dutch Reform Church we went to in Amsterdam.
Courtyard around the Church
Entrance to the courtyard and church from the street.
Visit to an African Village
Today we had an opportunity to visit a village and meet with a group of people that have been specially trained as Caregivers for those in their community. These people are volunteers, and provide education, care, and assistance primarily to people in their community suffering from HIV / AIDS. The people they assist may have the disease, or may be working with community members who have taken in children orphaned by the disease.
The Caregivers are amazing people. They are members of the community who give up their time to travel around by foot or bicycle to care for others. They all have families of their own, with the normal chores and responsibilities that come with caring for your family, your home, and your farm. One woman we spoke with has 10 children of her own, but still takes time each day / week to care for the rest of her community.
When they meet with their patients, they do anything from chop firewood, to wash blankets, find / provide food, help them bathe, and give them medicines. If the patient is severely ill, the Caregiver may transport them to the local clinic on their bicycle, or may go to the clinic after noting all symptoms in a notebook, to receive some medications to help treat the sickness. In the community we were in, all the Caregivers have bicycles donated to them through an organization we partner with. In many communities in Zambia and elsewhere in the world, the Caregiver is on foot as they cannot afford a bicycle, and none have been donated to that area.
Yesterday I commented that none of us can change the world, but we need to focus on the role we can play, changing the world one neighbor at a time. In Zambia, the Caregiver network is doing just that. After meeting with the Caregiver team, we were taken to visit a local family and their Caregiver. The family has three children, and the father is sick. The Caregiver visits them weekly, but will do so more frequently if his health deteriorates. This family receives a variety of help from the Caregiver, but it was clear that the Caregiver was making a serious difference in the family’s quality of life. We sat on small stools in front of their mud house, surrounded by chickens and pigs and listened as they shared their story. It is amazing what something so simple can do for a person.
Our role in this is to get the resources to people like the Caregivers we met with today. We can’t change the world from our homes in the United States (and a few of you are elsewhere around the world), but we can certainly work with others to find resources to send to people like our Caregivers. They are the ones that will ultimately make the difference, but can’t do it without their neighbors around the world.
On the funny side today, shortly after meeting with this family, we were provided lunch. It was from Subway. One moment sitting on a stool by a small house, the next, fast food just like home. We also had an opportunity to visit a school today and visit with some of the children. The funniest moment though was when we provided the head teacher with some Frisbees. Turns out, they don’t play much Frisbee in Africa, so we had to show them what to do with those strange plastic disks. I had a great time playing Frisbee with the head teacher and the other teacher on staff. Unfortunately, we were a bit disruptive to the kids who were supposed to be studying. I don’t think they get to see the teachers play much. And for those of you who have seen my incredible Frisbee throwing and catching ability, you’ll be happy to know that every pass was straight, and I caught every one thrown to me, even those that were a bit off the mark. OK, it’s not on film, but it’s true!
Tomorrow we visit another community. I’ll also be posting pictures in a few minutes. Hopefully you all can see them OK.
The Caregivers are amazing people. They are members of the community who give up their time to travel around by foot or bicycle to care for others. They all have families of their own, with the normal chores and responsibilities that come with caring for your family, your home, and your farm. One woman we spoke with has 10 children of her own, but still takes time each day / week to care for the rest of her community.
When they meet with their patients, they do anything from chop firewood, to wash blankets, find / provide food, help them bathe, and give them medicines. If the patient is severely ill, the Caregiver may transport them to the local clinic on their bicycle, or may go to the clinic after noting all symptoms in a notebook, to receive some medications to help treat the sickness. In the community we were in, all the Caregivers have bicycles donated to them through an organization we partner with. In many communities in Zambia and elsewhere in the world, the Caregiver is on foot as they cannot afford a bicycle, and none have been donated to that area.
Yesterday I commented that none of us can change the world, but we need to focus on the role we can play, changing the world one neighbor at a time. In Zambia, the Caregiver network is doing just that. After meeting with the Caregiver team, we were taken to visit a local family and their Caregiver. The family has three children, and the father is sick. The Caregiver visits them weekly, but will do so more frequently if his health deteriorates. This family receives a variety of help from the Caregiver, but it was clear that the Caregiver was making a serious difference in the family’s quality of life. We sat on small stools in front of their mud house, surrounded by chickens and pigs and listened as they shared their story. It is amazing what something so simple can do for a person.
Our role in this is to get the resources to people like the Caregivers we met with today. We can’t change the world from our homes in the United States (and a few of you are elsewhere around the world), but we can certainly work with others to find resources to send to people like our Caregivers. They are the ones that will ultimately make the difference, but can’t do it without their neighbors around the world.
On the funny side today, shortly after meeting with this family, we were provided lunch. It was from Subway. One moment sitting on a stool by a small house, the next, fast food just like home. We also had an opportunity to visit a school today and visit with some of the children. The funniest moment though was when we provided the head teacher with some Frisbees. Turns out, they don’t play much Frisbee in Africa, so we had to show them what to do with those strange plastic disks. I had a great time playing Frisbee with the head teacher and the other teacher on staff. Unfortunately, we were a bit disruptive to the kids who were supposed to be studying. I don’t think they get to see the teachers play much. And for those of you who have seen my incredible Frisbee throwing and catching ability, you’ll be happy to know that every pass was straight, and I caught every one thrown to me, even those that were a bit off the mark. OK, it’s not on film, but it’s true!
Tomorrow we visit another community. I’ll also be posting pictures in a few minutes. Hopefully you all can see them OK.
Monday, March 3, 2008
A Clinic in Zambia
OK everyone. The vacation is over, and it’s back to some real work. But before we talk about today, go back to yesterday's posts. I figured out how to post pictures, so there's a couple from Victoria Falls and the safari at the beginning of the post now. I'll try to do more later, but the internet is a bit slow for pictures here.
On to today's activities.....
We started with a 2-hour drive to an area of Zambia where our office has programs. Several months ago, we were able to provide many medical supplies and pharmaceuticals to a hospital that was about to be closed due to lack of adequate items to care for the community. This is the only hospital for about 200 kilometers, so it is very important to the community. That donation helped get them through, and the clinic has been able to stay open.
First, we met the District Commissioner. He is something like the Governor of the district, and reports directly to the President of Zambia. We talked about the partnership of his district with our organization. It is a very exciting opportunity for both, and he is very concerned with ensuring we start by working with communities in the poorest areas of his region. He gave his formal permission to visit the local hospital.
A hospital in Zambia is nothing like a hospital in the US. This one is made up of several buildings that were once a farmhouse and grounds buildings owned by a British farmer. The buildings were made to a clinic in the 1950’s. There are very few medical supplies, or pharmaceuticals. Here, a simple pair of latex gloves can mean the difference between further spreading disease, or helping someone recover. It is hard to describe the scene. The first thing that hits you when you enter is the smell. In a US hospital, that smell is frequently antiseptic. Here, the smell is old. Then you begin to walk through the wards. The dental ward consists of a chair, and some old instruments. They do both basic work, and dental “surgery” which is mainly pulling teeth. This room is actually fairly bright. The next area is the maternity ward. There are two wards, the basic ward, and the “high cost” ward. The basic ward consists of a small room with 3 beds that have what looks something like an old gym mat on them. There are no instruments, just a few buckets on the floor. The beds are separated by shower curtains. The “high cost” ward looks much the same, except there is a small mattress on the bed covered in a sheet, and fabric curtains separate the beds. Next to this room is a small neo-natal unit with two non-functional incubators, and an old metal crib. Then you have the recovery room. This consists of about 10 beds in a small room with several women who have just given birth. They will all be discharged within 6 hours and sent home with their newborns. From this room, you can see the morgue, and hear the wailing. Someone died today at this hospital.
From there go out and see what’s probably best described as the out-patient clinic. There are about 20 people waiting to see the doctor or nurse inside. We were not able to go into this area. We also saw the surgical wards for children, men, and women (separate wards). Each was packed with beds, and was very dark. Luckily today, many beds were empty. However, it’s rained a lot, so the malaria cases will fill them soon.
It’s not really possible to describe this hospital. As someone in my group put it today, you can see all the pictures, and hear all the stories, but you don’t really get the full impact until you get the sights, sounds, and smells all in one. And then you begin to wonder how the work we do can actually make an impact on something that seems so big. Remember, this is just one hospital, in one district, in one country, on one continent. In my job, my role is to serve similar communities in countries world-wide. It’s almost unfathomable. How do you allocate finite resources across so many countries, when the decision on that allocation can literally mean life or death? Then you meet the people on the ground, and realize that the only way to do this is to work with one person at a time. I think we all need to remember that when we think about change. We want to change the world single-handedly, but that’s not what we’ve been called to do. Our roles are to change the world, one neighbor at a time through whatever gifts, talents, abilities, and resources we’ve been given. I guess this doesn’t diminish the enormity of the problem, but it certainly puts it into a perspective that we humans can get our minds around.
So now that I’ve thoroughly depressed all of you, it’s time for me to go to bed. Tomorrow is another day of community visits, this time to visit Caregivers, schools, orphanages, and local clinics. I’m sure I’ll have more to give you to think about tomorrow. Guess the vacation is over for you readers as well!
On to today's activities.....
We started with a 2-hour drive to an area of Zambia where our office has programs. Several months ago, we were able to provide many medical supplies and pharmaceuticals to a hospital that was about to be closed due to lack of adequate items to care for the community. This is the only hospital for about 200 kilometers, so it is very important to the community. That donation helped get them through, and the clinic has been able to stay open.
First, we met the District Commissioner. He is something like the Governor of the district, and reports directly to the President of Zambia. We talked about the partnership of his district with our organization. It is a very exciting opportunity for both, and he is very concerned with ensuring we start by working with communities in the poorest areas of his region. He gave his formal permission to visit the local hospital.
A hospital in Zambia is nothing like a hospital in the US. This one is made up of several buildings that were once a farmhouse and grounds buildings owned by a British farmer. The buildings were made to a clinic in the 1950’s. There are very few medical supplies, or pharmaceuticals. Here, a simple pair of latex gloves can mean the difference between further spreading disease, or helping someone recover. It is hard to describe the scene. The first thing that hits you when you enter is the smell. In a US hospital, that smell is frequently antiseptic. Here, the smell is old. Then you begin to walk through the wards. The dental ward consists of a chair, and some old instruments. They do both basic work, and dental “surgery” which is mainly pulling teeth. This room is actually fairly bright. The next area is the maternity ward. There are two wards, the basic ward, and the “high cost” ward. The basic ward consists of a small room with 3 beds that have what looks something like an old gym mat on them. There are no instruments, just a few buckets on the floor. The beds are separated by shower curtains. The “high cost” ward looks much the same, except there is a small mattress on the bed covered in a sheet, and fabric curtains separate the beds. Next to this room is a small neo-natal unit with two non-functional incubators, and an old metal crib. Then you have the recovery room. This consists of about 10 beds in a small room with several women who have just given birth. They will all be discharged within 6 hours and sent home with their newborns. From this room, you can see the morgue, and hear the wailing. Someone died today at this hospital.
From there go out and see what’s probably best described as the out-patient clinic. There are about 20 people waiting to see the doctor or nurse inside. We were not able to go into this area. We also saw the surgical wards for children, men, and women (separate wards). Each was packed with beds, and was very dark. Luckily today, many beds were empty. However, it’s rained a lot, so the malaria cases will fill them soon.
It’s not really possible to describe this hospital. As someone in my group put it today, you can see all the pictures, and hear all the stories, but you don’t really get the full impact until you get the sights, sounds, and smells all in one. And then you begin to wonder how the work we do can actually make an impact on something that seems so big. Remember, this is just one hospital, in one district, in one country, on one continent. In my job, my role is to serve similar communities in countries world-wide. It’s almost unfathomable. How do you allocate finite resources across so many countries, when the decision on that allocation can literally mean life or death? Then you meet the people on the ground, and realize that the only way to do this is to work with one person at a time. I think we all need to remember that when we think about change. We want to change the world single-handedly, but that’s not what we’ve been called to do. Our roles are to change the world, one neighbor at a time through whatever gifts, talents, abilities, and resources we’ve been given. I guess this doesn’t diminish the enormity of the problem, but it certainly puts it into a perspective that we humans can get our minds around.
So now that I’ve thoroughly depressed all of you, it’s time for me to go to bed. Tomorrow is another day of community visits, this time to visit Caregivers, schools, orphanages, and local clinics. I’m sure I’ll have more to give you to think about tomorrow. Guess the vacation is over for you readers as well!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Victoria Falls and Safari
Today was our tourist day. We started with a trip to Victoria Falls. This is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Dr. Livingstone gave the falls the current name, but the locals call it the Mist That Thunders.
The Falls are on the Zambezi River, which separates Zambia from Zimbabwe at this point. It’s the rainy season right now, so the falls were very full. As you enter the park and get to the first observation point, it’s amazing how you can see the falls, the river, the spray, rainbows, and the blue sky that seems to go on forever. There are several points to view the falls and many walking trails. I took pictures where I could, but in some of the areas, you couldn’t even see the falls due to the amount of spray from the water hitting the bottom of the falls. As you get closer, you get wet from just a mist, but as you continue walking, you get absolutely drenched! At one point, you come to a bridge where you can cross the river to get a look at the Falls from the other side. The spray was so heavy at this point, you couldn’t see the falls at all, and it was like standing in a shower with incredibly hard water pressure. In fact, I think I’d have been drier if I had simply climbed in the shower with my clothes on!
After viewing from the falls side, we were able to cross around, and view the river before it goes over the Falls. This was beautiful as well. This time of year the river is incredibly wide. We asked some questions about how it looks in the dry season. We were told that there is basically only a few trickles that go over the falls in that time of year. In fact, people can walk most of the way across the top of the falls on the rocks. One gentleman told us that a hotel right on the river’s edge on the Zimbabwe side actually puts tables and chairs out on the rocks and serves dinner! If you look at the pictures, you’ll find this hard to believe that the water level could be that different.
After the visit to the falls, we went on a safari to a national park. Turns out the park entrance is about 500 meters from our hotel, and part of the boundary runs directly behind the hotel. We saw several baboons right at the entrance, so figure the distance from where I’m typing this to where they, and many of the other animals could be roaming is probably between 250 and 500 meters. Kind of amazing!
I don’t think I’ll ever look at the zoo the same way again. We had a wonderful driver who took time to tell us a lot about all the animals, their habits, and a bit of Zambia history. During our 2 ½ hours, we saw giraffes, zebras, impalas, monkeys, baboons, wildebeasts, and several different types of birds and butterflies. Unfortunately, no hippos, rhinos or elephants today. There is only one rhino in the park, and he was in an area where the truck couldn’t go. The river was also moving too fast to see the hippos. We probably drove right by several, but the water was too turbulent to see them from the road. We were told the elephants don’t like the mud (??) and tended to not be in areas where we could see them this time of the year.
Overall, it was an amazing, and relaxing day. Spent the rest of the day just sitting outside listening to music and reading. Kind of nice after 11 days of traveling.
The Falls are on the Zambezi River, which separates Zambia from Zimbabwe at this point. It’s the rainy season right now, so the falls were very full. As you enter the park and get to the first observation point, it’s amazing how you can see the falls, the river, the spray, rainbows, and the blue sky that seems to go on forever. There are several points to view the falls and many walking trails. I took pictures where I could, but in some of the areas, you couldn’t even see the falls due to the amount of spray from the water hitting the bottom of the falls. As you get closer, you get wet from just a mist, but as you continue walking, you get absolutely drenched! At one point, you come to a bridge where you can cross the river to get a look at the Falls from the other side. The spray was so heavy at this point, you couldn’t see the falls at all, and it was like standing in a shower with incredibly hard water pressure. In fact, I think I’d have been drier if I had simply climbed in the shower with my clothes on!
After viewing from the falls side, we were able to cross around, and view the river before it goes over the Falls. This was beautiful as well. This time of year the river is incredibly wide. We asked some questions about how it looks in the dry season. We were told that there is basically only a few trickles that go over the falls in that time of year. In fact, people can walk most of the way across the top of the falls on the rocks. One gentleman told us that a hotel right on the river’s edge on the Zimbabwe side actually puts tables and chairs out on the rocks and serves dinner! If you look at the pictures, you’ll find this hard to believe that the water level could be that different.
After the visit to the falls, we went on a safari to a national park. Turns out the park entrance is about 500 meters from our hotel, and part of the boundary runs directly behind the hotel. We saw several baboons right at the entrance, so figure the distance from where I’m typing this to where they, and many of the other animals could be roaming is probably between 250 and 500 meters. Kind of amazing!
I don’t think I’ll ever look at the zoo the same way again. We had a wonderful driver who took time to tell us a lot about all the animals, their habits, and a bit of Zambia history. During our 2 ½ hours, we saw giraffes, zebras, impalas, monkeys, baboons, wildebeasts, and several different types of birds and butterflies. Unfortunately, no hippos, rhinos or elephants today. There is only one rhino in the park, and he was in an area where the truck couldn’t go. The river was also moving too fast to see the hippos. We probably drove right by several, but the water was too turbulent to see them from the road. We were told the elephants don’t like the mud (??) and tended to not be in areas where we could see them this time of the year.
Overall, it was an amazing, and relaxing day. Spent the rest of the day just sitting outside listening to music and reading. Kind of nice after 11 days of traveling.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Travel to Livingstone, Zambia
Today was a mix of work and fun. We went to a market this morning where they sold many things made locally. It was quite interesting to see all the different types of baskets, bowls, jewelry, and cloth for sale. This particular market was held in an open field near town, and only occurs one weekend per month. The quality of the products sold was great!
We then started the 6-hour drive to Livingstone. It’s about 500 km from Lusaka, on the Zambia / Zimbabwe / Botswana border. Along the way, we stopped in a small village near one of our area offices to meet with some of the office representatives, and a family from the local village. One of the members of this family had been disabled for many years, and had to either drag himself along the ground, or have someone carry him. We brought him a wheelchair that had been received in a recent shipment of product from the US. We pulled the chair out of the truck, put it together, and then helped him get situated. One of the area managers who could speak the local dialect talked him through how to use it, and even in the soft sand, he was able to quickly move around. It’s hard to know what to do when you watch a person receive so much happiness from something so simple.
After our stop, we continued on to Livingstone. We arrived too late in the day to see the falls, but will do so tomorrow. Livingstone is a tourist destination. The hotel in which we are staying is more like a serious of bungalows, with open-air patios, pools, and fountains. As the hotel is still partially under constructions, it is currently one of the least expensive places in town. When it is completed, my guess is this will become a very expensive resort type area. As I sit here and type this, it’s hard to believe that I am currently sitting in one of the poorest countries in the world, and that we spent part of the afternoon changing a family’s life, just by delivering a simple wheelchair. It’s hard to get your mind around. As I type this, I can hear the constant waterfall at the pool right outside my door.
Tomorrow is a fun day. We’ll go see Victoria Falls, and then do something else in the afternoon. And I promise to figure out how to do the picture thing soon!
We then started the 6-hour drive to Livingstone. It’s about 500 km from Lusaka, on the Zambia / Zimbabwe / Botswana border. Along the way, we stopped in a small village near one of our area offices to meet with some of the office representatives, and a family from the local village. One of the members of this family had been disabled for many years, and had to either drag himself along the ground, or have someone carry him. We brought him a wheelchair that had been received in a recent shipment of product from the US. We pulled the chair out of the truck, put it together, and then helped him get situated. One of the area managers who could speak the local dialect talked him through how to use it, and even in the soft sand, he was able to quickly move around. It’s hard to know what to do when you watch a person receive so much happiness from something so simple.
After our stop, we continued on to Livingstone. We arrived too late in the day to see the falls, but will do so tomorrow. Livingstone is a tourist destination. The hotel in which we are staying is more like a serious of bungalows, with open-air patios, pools, and fountains. As the hotel is still partially under constructions, it is currently one of the least expensive places in town. When it is completed, my guess is this will become a very expensive resort type area. As I sit here and type this, it’s hard to believe that I am currently sitting in one of the poorest countries in the world, and that we spent part of the afternoon changing a family’s life, just by delivering a simple wheelchair. It’s hard to get your mind around. As I type this, I can hear the constant waterfall at the pool right outside my door.
Tomorrow is a fun day. We’ll go see Victoria Falls, and then do something else in the afternoon. And I promise to figure out how to do the picture thing soon!
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