Tuesday, 03 April 2007
Hello again from Mbarara, Uganda!
Sorry for the delay in this blog. We had no power last night, from about 7 p.m. Monday until after 8 a.m. Tuesday. Fortunately Monfort House, the church property where we are staying, has a gadget that banks solar power for the outages that are almost-daily occurrences here. So we had basic power and the cooks cook with bottled gas, so we could do what we needed to do, but that did not include using the computer. What we call “rolling blackouts” in America are routine in Uganda, as electricity generating capacity has never caught up with demand. So time for some catch-up on our activities.
Our work began in earnest Monday morning with a visit to the Kakoma Health Center III, founded in 1986 by the Sisters of Good Counsel. Health facilities are classified by the Ugandan health ministry from levels I through VII, basic to most advanced. The work at Kakoma centers largely on prenatal care and midwifery, but most of all care for children with malaria. Several children were receiving IV fluids for dehydration in a small, stuffy room. Their mothers were at their bedsides, many with their other children nearby. Matt Simone, one of our pediatric nurses, described the children as very, very sick. Here they are treated in a very basic clinic by a loving and dedicated staff that has limited help to give. I think most of us knew what to expect in coming to Uganda, but the impact of witnessing it in person was very powerful.
We went on to Kyabirukwa Health Center III which, while still basic, seemed better equipped than the Kakoma site. Kyabirukwa was also larger but, by our standards, very poorly equipped or stocked. While the others toured the facility, Fr. Bonaventure and I stayed outside to interview families who were waiting to be seen (no appointments necessary at Kyabirukwa), or for medicine or the like. Fr. Bonaventure was a sensitive and attentive interpreter.
Almost all the families were there for malaria treatment for a child <5. The smallest families in the vicinity have 6 children, the largest up to 14. And of the seven families we talked with, only three owned a mosquito net. When I asked if their children slept under the nets, most said no. One mother asked, “All of my children won’t fit under the net. Which ones should I cover, and which ones leave out?” There is no right answer for that question.
Despite their poverty and disadvantage, these families – like many Ugandans – want the best for their children and understand the advantages of things like clean water and health care. They are not ignorant or superstitious; they are just very poor and must overcome barriers like money and distance to access medical attention. Their choices are stark and difficult.
Today is Tuesday. We ventured into downtown Mbarara to change some US dollars into Ugandan shillings. The exchange rate is roughly 18-20 shillings to $1. Fr. Bonaventure did our money-changing at the bank where he is a regular customer, and got us a slightly better rate. Then it was on for a very brief stop at the St. Fransiska Makonje Health Unit II, a tidy facility full of mothers and children being treated for all manner of conditions, mostly malaria. Sadly, we were running late, and had to decline the sisters’ hospitality. More on Tuesday tomorrow, the electricity gods willing.
Before ending, just a word about Ugandan hospitality. Everyone we meet greets us in the warmest way, with “You are welcome here. Every facility, no matter how humble, has a sitting room to receive guests, and all offer us sodas, water and often sweets. There are handshakes and hugs all around. Sr. Margaret, who met us at the airport, has seen many of her sisters from within the Sisters of Good Counsel, and from other orders as well. It’s like old home week for her.
We have also had lovely lunches, generally catered by a local lady who brings in the food in big pots, sets it all out, covers it with a lacy tablecloth to ward off insects. We have eaten lots of chicken (not cut into the pieces most Americans would recognize), cabbage, potatoes, sweet potatoes, sometimes green beans, cooked plantains and today the Ugandan delicacy, cooked millet. Dessert is always fruit, and if you ever get to try a Ugandan pineapple, you won’t forget it! They are great!
More tomorrow, I hope.
Joanne
No comments:
Post a Comment