Uganda, I will miss you

Last Sunday a group of volunteers attended Calvary Church which is about a 30minute walk away from the guest house we stay in. It is a small church with a translated service for the mzungu (white) population that attend. They have a praise band and sang in both Luganda and English. I knew the English songs and the Lugandan songs had words on the screen but I could just not fit all the words into the time allocated! The pastor was speaking on the commandments of Christ and how we should obey them irrespective of the sacrifices we may need to make. A challenging message. Afterwards they had a baptism service in a swimming pool outside. They thought it was freezing but worthwhile!

I have just finished my second and final week at Amani Baby Cottage, Jinja. I spent the week in the boys cottage and had a lot of fun! One of my favourite moments was when I was changing the little ones (all 9 of them) just before their nap. I was changing one and then putting them in their bed to reduce chaos in the room. After I'd finished there was one empty bed and an extra set of clothes...so I began searching around the room and then in the living space and bathroom area. Could not find anyone which was pretty concerning. And then I heard someone giggling and pulled back the cloth curtain of the front of the wardrobe and found the last one sitting in a box of shoes!! He was so pleased with himself...I was less pleased and more relieved!

Twice a week we have the opportunity to take a child on an outing in the afternoon. This involves taking them with us to get groceries or going to a cafe to have a soda. (Sorry...I have spent the last two weeks with 10 Americans so I have been strongly influenced by their words!) I also got upgraded to the next level of boda riding (Motorbikes used as public transport) and can now manage with a child too! And at night! And with a huge rucksack! At the beginning of my trip I could just about hold on but now it has become part of my daily routine and I'm almost a professional!

I also had the opportunity to attend a ministry day with Sole Hope today. One of the volunteers at Amani Baby Cottage had a link with them to asked if she could go along and they offered for her to bring someone else too. So we set off for a village just outside of Jinja with two van loads of people and a lot of boxes. Sole Hope run a ministry which travels into remote villages to remove 'jiggers' (insects which lay eggs in your feet) from their feet and provide them with shoes along with health education. My first role was crowd control which I did relatively successfully. That's if you call 60 children crowded around the clinic area controlled. Then I was sent with one of the Ugandans on a quick walk around to collect some more children that actually had 'jiggers' and were not just there to watch. An hour later we returned having walked through the slum areas of the area with a lot more children walking along beside us with at least 4 holding each of my hands calling "Mzungu, Mzungu." I got to see proper African village life and really enjoyed my time with the children just playing simple games with them along the way. And then I finished off the day by helping to wash their feet. What a privilege to be accepted into a community to wash their feet.

An incredible time in Jinja. I also visited the Source of the Nile today! I was able to locate quite well in comparison to the Top Gear folks who clearly didn't do any research prior to setting out across Africa! Anyhow...leaving tomorrow morning at 7am to spend the day in Kampala with Eilidh. Hoping to attending an English service at the Baptist Church but we may or may not find it! Then on Monday Im travelling to Kenya! (Where there are lions and tigers...apparently.)

Please pray for safety and smooth transitions when travelling. God has been so gracious this far and everything has gone well so far. I plan to spend Sunday night in a hotel near the airport. Then I fly into Nairobi and an arranged driver will collect me and drive me to meet the Reid's. So it will hopefully all go to plan and I will be able to spend a week in Kenya with a family supported by my church in Northern Ireland. I hope to be an encouragement to them and to be able to help out where possible! Then taking a bus to Tanzania where I will be in another orphanage for 3 weeks. Not sure when Ill next have internet but will try to find an internet cafe in Arusha, Tanzania when I arrive on 6th August. Thank you for your support in prayer, it is much appreciated.

Farewell Uganda!

Sarah

PS. I'm over half way in my trip now!!

Red and Yellow, Black and White All are Precious in his Sight

I've been at Amani Baby Cottage for a week now! I've copied a small section of their website which sums up what it's all about.

"Amani Baby Cottage was established in 2003 and has been the home to 316 children. It is a baby’s home that provides care for orphaned, abandoned and needy children, from newborn to 5 years. Our goal and mission is to find a permanent home for all of our children through reuniting with their families or adoption. ABC is located in Jinja, Uganda on Lake Victoria near the source of the River Nile." http://amanibabycottage.org/

The children are divided into cottages A, B and C where children aged 1-5 are housed with "mama's". A and C are the boys cottages and B is the girls cottage. So I began my time there in the girls cottage. There are 17 of them and they are all adorable! Their day is very structured and although little instructions were given it was easy enough to get into the swing of things. If a mama does something for one child...you know that there's another 16 waiting in line! So you can soon pick it up.

For those of you with young children, imagine 17 of them and there's only you and one other person...exhaustion soon sets in! If you hold one, withing about 20 seconds you are guaranteed another 7 pulling and tugging and just belly-flopping on to your lap. It's so hard not to pick them all up and chat to them but as volunteers we must remember that we can't create habits for the children so that when we leave and a mama is left with all of them she can still survive the day!

Playground built in memorial for Sandyhook school

Lunch time for the older girls

Nap time

So every day after lunch the girls are meant to go for a nap for a couple of hours. If the mama puts them down they are all in bed quietly withing seconds. If it's left to the volunteers...chaos erupts. It's quite fun for the first 10minutes...and then it becomes a challenge of pinning down as many children as you can reach before they jump around the room. Well, not quite...about the pinning down, the jumping around the room definitely happens!! But it's all a good test of patience.

And then there is the nursery which is a separate room for the newborn- 1 year olds. And there are 11 of them and they too could win awards for being cute. They too have a strict routine and all eat at certain times and bounce outside at certain times. They are all happy babies so it's obviously doing them no harm...makes me wonder if we dote on the little British babies a little too much for their own good!

Take Sarah for an example. of cuteness..

Snack time in girls cottage

So practically what does my day look like. We arrive at 9am and are warmly greeted by the kids. Then we help with snack, washing and dressing. Then outside for play time. Lunch time and then nap time followed by snack again and playtime until we leave. This all sounds relatively simple...but remember there's just two of us volunteers as the mama in my cottage often as chores to do on weekdays. And in between all the actual things that have to happen there's books to be reading, songs to be singing, toys to be collecting in from where they throw them, cuddling the little ones, preventing fights, intervening in toddler dramas, toileting the older ones, changing the younger ones, pushing swings, chasing children round the garden, blowing bubbles and having fun!

So it's busy but I'm enjoying it. I also got switched to Boys Cottage on Friday as one of the volunteers who arrived on Thursday had been in girls last year and wanted to return. No photos of them yet as they've kept me running in circles! But a wonderful week.

Please pray for health as many volunteers are unwell. And energy too as it can be tiring! My main request though is that we can show love love to these kids that reflects something of the love that Christ has for us, even the kids that spend the entire day trying to find something that annoys you! As Jesus loves them just the same :)

Sarah

A picture speaks a thousand words

Hello! Despite having free, accessible internet for the last week I'm only now finding time to blog again! I thought I would just share some photos of my time at the hospital with a brief description where needed. It'll hopefully give you more insight into what I actually was up to and just allow you to picture it so much better. Apologies for the order though...I seemed unable to change the way they uploaded so its not chronological in any way.

Sterilising a wound dressing tray

Male Ward- Surgical side

Road into the village

Most popular toy

NICU community section

Feeding one of the triplets

28 week Preterm

Family I spoke to most days-He originally had me believe he doesn't speak English...He does!

Clinic under the mango tree

Weighing the babies

Local farmer

Familiar village scene

Little shacks all along the road

Kampala Medical Mission Team

New Hope Church

The bathroom where you had to collect your own water to flush...

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Everybody needs a Water Buffalo (Veggietales song for those of you wondering if I'm planning to get one...I'm not)

Only in Africa do they have sausage trees

Murchison Falls

Sunrise on the Nile

On safari!!

Karuma Falls

Assistant Surgeon Sarah...

Some of the theatre staff

Emmanuel and I working hard

The two hospital interns

Eilidh and I in front of the guest house

Sun setting on the Nile

I'm not sure there's much to add as hopefully the photos speak for themselves. Such an incredible opportunity and hard to say goodbye to Kiwoko Hospital. Update on my time at Amani coming soon!

Sarah

The most random day

I woke up feeling relatively stiff after 6 hours of white water rafting yesterday! It was also pretty cold this morning. Anyhow, we had signed up for a bungee jump so we continued with our plans. Ended up hurtling through the air at great speed and plunging my head and shoulders into the Nile! What a great way to start the day. I recommend it. Under supervision obviously.

Then I said goodbye to the other who headed back to Kiwoko for some more hard work. I dropped my bag off at my hotel and wandered into Jinja hoping to get some lunch. I strolled up and down with nothing of any great appeal jumping out.  Then I bumped into a couple who I thought were also just strolling up and down. Turns out they were buying some food for one of the street children. So we got chatting and they invited me for lunch. I agreed to go so we hopped on two bodas and set off. Turns out on the way they just had to swing past some chicken farm in the middle of nowhere!! So after negotiating semi jungle they found it again! It had been a year since they last went…

Then we continued walking the rest of the way for lunch. I thought I was going to theirs. But no…we ended up at a house for 34 girls who used to be street children. They are a couple from Bristol who set it up in 2008 and visit twice a year. The house has 2 live-in ‘aunties’ who take care of the girls aged 7-21. It was such a wonderful afternoon chatting and laughing with them. They sang for us and just wanted to sit near us and on us. Many of them have ad difficult backgrounds and so it was hard hearing many of their stories. After a few hours it was time to head back into town. So we said our goodbyes and they dropped me back on the high street where they had found me. It was so surreal but an incredible opportunity to get a little insight into how these two people are serving the street children of Jinja.

So tomorrow I begin in Amani Baby Cottage. Very excited after today!

Sarah

Mweraba (Goodbyes)

A busy week has just passed with writing my essay, a second week in theatre, trying to learn more Luganda and trying to find time to take pictures and say goodbye to those I have met over the past six weeks. Its unbelievable how fast time has flown and that my time here at Kiwoko Hospital has come to an end. Although some of the theatre staff have ‘banned me’ from using that phrase and have asked to say my time has come to a temporary end. I have been challenged by their kindness to me over the last few weeks and how they have created the role of ‘Mzungu celebrity’ for me in theatre. The fact that I am the only Mzungu (white person) seems to be of little significance.

So we’ve had fun this week and it has been great having so much time in the operating theatres to really have good chat about what Ugandan life is really like. Also received another few proposals (which I refused) from various people in theatre. It seems to be completely acceptable to meet someone, ask their name and marital status and should they be single it’s apparently alright to propose. I think this is mainly just the white staff that have to participate in these conversations as some of the guys who are married would often comment on the long, drawn out process of getting married in their culture. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it ensures the decision is being well thought through whilst the guy saves up money to give the girls’ parents cows, maize, sugar etc. Anyhow, I’ve survived their interrogations on life in the UK and my views on almost every aspect imaginable of Ugandan life.

I also had the opportunity to return to the student Bible study on Wednesday night with Eilidh. It was an evening spent discussing the benefits of spending time in God’s Word. It was refreshing to think that we could spend 45minutes chatting through the many advantages to reading the Bible and definitely encouraging. Afterwards we bumped into a few members of a team over from Northern Ireland and after a few minutes of conversation figured out that one of the guys knows both of our brothers from his time at university in Edinburgh. So that was a surreal moment and a reminder of the small world we live in!

It has been such an amazing time here and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I have been so encouraged and incredibly blessed by those I have met. Many have challenged me in my faith and their openness to discuss has enabled many great conversations to take place. Please pray for friendships to continue through email/skype/letters. It would be such a shame to pass up on the opportunity to invest in the lives of a couple of these exceptionally loving people. They have such wisdom on certain aspects of life and I really do hope we can continue to grow in faith together. Claire and Roggers being two particular names of students I would like to stay in touch with.

So closing the chapter at Kiwoko Hospital and saying official goodbyes in morning prayers tomorrow. Then I have a weekend of relaxing in Jinja with everyone from the guest house. Hoping to go white water rafting and just spending time doing some relaxing activities after a hectic, emotion-filled week. Then I will be wide awake, alert and enthusiastic for arriving at the orphanage on Monday morning. Or so I hope.
Sarah

The Ultimate Creator

So after a week of no internet/very little we are officially back online again. Going to try and fit in the last week and a few of the antics!
I had my first week in theatre which I have really enjoyed. The staff are all lovely and despite me declining marriage offers I have been able to build up some good friendships. A lot of the guys would like a white girl to marry for two reasons. Firstly, to have money and secondly to get a UK citizenship. They will openly discuss this with many of the UK staff who work here and despite many refusing they have not lost hope. I attempted to explain the basics of a Christian marriage which struck up a few interesting conversations. So please pray for the men of Uganda to really consider how they can live out their Christian faith in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. And not to have a superficial Sunday ‘faith’ that doesn’t stand for anything or have any influence on other decisions they make.
So in theatres we wear scrubs, hats and masks at all times. I thought it was warm enough without additional PPE (personal protective equipment- for those of you non-medics) but I have sufficiently tested my body’s ability to cope in extreme heat and my sweat glands are working just fine! Maybe a little too well. Anyhow, in the morning we begin by cleaning the theatres. This is really good fun. We basiclly fill up 10L buckets with soap and water and pour them around the room. And then brush it all about. Basically an indoor water fight! And then we have to try and get all the bubbles down the drain which is much more difficult than it looks. Especially if you’ve used approximately 10times more soap than necessary due to misunderstanding the instructions. So I was there for a while much to their amusement! Then the morning is taken up by tea-drinking and circumcisions. There is a Uganda-wide programme that all males be circumcised for hygiene reasons and to reduce the spread of HIV. So this was introduced relatively recently and so there is a massive back log of males so they are very busy theatre lists. Although by the number of tea cups being used you would wonder if any work is being done! Afternoons are usually procedures that have been organised that morning. And at any point there could be a caesarean. So I have been able to scrub every day and been floor nurse too. So really enjoying my time in theatre and looking forward to another week this week. Although it is very sad because it will be my last week here at Kiwoko. But it will be filled with fun I’m sure as the nursing students return from their two weeks holiday today!
There has been a bit of a craze with badminton here in the last week too. Some of the interns (Junior and Douglas) discovered we had rackets and have been round a few times to play. And then only last week they discovered we also had a net which led to a full blown badminton tournament being spontaneously thrown upon us. It was brilliant fun though. And for having not held rackets until about 3 weeks ago they are considerably better than all the UK students who have! So two hours later the tournament came to and end… primarily because we could no longer see anything, not due to their lack of enthusiasm! So they came into the guest house and continued the evening with guitar playing and singing! Junior hadn’t heard In Christ Alone until that night and by the time we were on the final verse he had learned the chords and was playing along!!! So that was great to have a time of singing together. And then it was my turn to play…so I have established 3 chords. And it takes about 2 minutes to change between them. So maybe in a few years I’ll be playing!
We also had an incredible weekend just past. We managed to find a budget safari trip for 3 days at Murchison Falls Park. We got to see so many animals on land-elephants, lions, giraffe, antelope, warthogs, water bucks, buffalo, lizards, tortoise, monkeys. And more on a boat cruise on The Nile-hippos, crocodiles, elephants! And Eilidh and I were speaking about how Moses had once been in a basket on the very same river (a lot further downstream) and how later in his life it had become blood during the plagues. It was such an awesome opportunity and we were just constantly reminded of God’s faithfulness and how is the Ultimate Creator. A really encouraging weekend filled with lots of fun along the way. A highlight…I was standing by the counter ordering lunch for the following day when I feel something rather sizable drop on to my head. I turn to Eilidh and ask her to remove whatever is on my head. She just looks at me in awe and asks what type of bug it is. At that point in time I was really not that bothered by naming the species. The guy taking my order just laughed and removed it while Eilidh was still just watching it crawl about my head. Turns out it was a Preying Green Mantus.
So after surviving the weekend I am looking forward to another week in theatre. It will be busy as I would like to spend time with the students who are back. And I have an essay for university to write. And there’s been talk of Eilidh and I organising a ceilidh. And a badminton tournament too! So prayers for time management and wise decision making would be appreciated as I work through the week.
Sarah

Kansanga Medical Mission and Eilidh's arrival!

On 26^th July a team of 7 from Kiwoko Hospital met at the hospital gates at 5am to get a matatu to Kampala. Personally I had anticipated being able to sleep the 2-3hour journey down to the capital. I should have known better. A month of travelling in matatus should have taught me that sleep was inevitable. However, I had figured the lack of sleep would over-rule allowing me to sleep most of the way down. So we set off, jiggling and ‘shoogiling’ (This may not be a word.) about in a very small space with the window stuck open. Within about 10mins the whole team had fallen asleep. Apart from me. Classic Muzungu. Did I mention the radio was on full blast? So I couldn’t even hear the person beside me speaking never mind trying to sleep through it. He soon fell asleep anyway so there wasn’t much chat. A lot of “cold” air and 2 hours later we arrived in Kampala where it was just about light and everyone was already well into their morning’s work. The matatu dropped off non team members and then the driver took us directly to the centre we were based at for 3 days. Kansanga Miracle Centre run a month long conference in June and during the last week they hold a 3 day medical mission for people from the local slums to attend. I will now quote from Kansanga’s website as they have succinctly summed up what their purpose is and feel free to google them should you wish to know more.
“Kansanga Miracle Centre Church embraces all calibers of people seeking; love, salvation, deliverance, encouragement, healing, acceptance, comfort, refuge and answers to their questions and concerns. As a Ministry we believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of Heaven and Earth and His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, our LORD. He was crucified died and was buried; and rose again from the dead; and ascended into Heaven and He is seated on the right hand of God the Father; He will come again to judge the living and the dead; His Kingdom will have no end.
Our Spiritual Core Values

§         We are committed to discipleship and spiritual growth in the Word through the Gospel of Jesus Christ

§         We value all believers and ministers, serving God according to their giftedness.

§         We value the building and supporting of healthy family relationships.

§         We are committed to the truthfulness, trustworthiness and authority of the Bible.

§         We are committed to strong pastoral leadership and biblical Stewardship

§         A mature committed Christian generation built on faith principles

§         We are committed to prayer and Fasting

§         We are committed to reaching to others with the message of hope.

§         We are committed to dynamic praise and worship.

§         We are dedicated to the payment of Tithes.”

So basically, a large Pentecostal church that seats 8000 on a Sunday morning and has 5000 regularly attending members. And I thought Carrubbers was relatively big. Anyhow, the church has a member who used to work at Kiwoko who recommended having staff to assist for the medical mission. So this is how we ended up here at 7am on Wednesday morning. We got given scrubs and a pair of sunglasses as uniform. Why the glasses I have no idea! But I just accepted them and said thank you very much. Breakfast at 8am. More appropriately phrased as…a slice of bread and ginger tea. A brief orientation and introduction to some of those running the medical mission. A photograph of everyone and then allocation of roles amongst the nurses. They called me doctor. I tried to explain I wasn’t a doctor but they just said not to worry but that I was a doctor. (I think this is because the majority of Muzungu’s they’d had previously were all doctors.)
So I was in paediatric clinic assisting another doctor. He was really helpful and lovely to work with. The patients had been queuing since 6am as for many of them it is the only opportunity to be treated. Health care is not free in Uganda so a free health clinic attracts many people who may or may not be ill. Some just come to see what the fuss is all about! Majority of the children we seen has cough, fever, flu and itchy skin. We seen 65 children the first day from 9:30-3pm. A lot of them hadn’t seen a white person before. So being allowed to sit on my knee was a great excitement for some…and almost verging on torture for others! It was funny how differently they reacted. The only problem I had was the heat inside the tent, which was phenomenal. So I asked for some water about 12pm to see if that would help the situation. At 1:30pm someone arrived with a cardboard box of 24 litres. Not quite what I’d anticipated but I was very touched by the effort involved in trying to locate safe drinking water for the white person. I did share the water just in case you were wondering!
So we finished up about 3pm and then had some free time. Richard (team leader from Kiwoko) and I headed into the city to do some messages which I thought would take maybe an hour. And 3 hours later we returned!
There was an evening service every night of the conference (Working Faith International Gathering.) And for week 4 Jerome Barber was speaking. (Some apparently famous guy from the US who I’ve never heard of, but maybe some of you will know him as the team were very excited about meeting him.) I don’t really know where to begin. The service almost deserves a blog on its own. Loudest service I have ever been in. Loudest music I think I have ever heard. A lot of clapping, waving and dancing. Very difficult to make out the words due to the echo and the loudness. But they were familiar songs. So maybe one hour of singing. And then a one hour talk, throughout which the guy sang a song because it reminded him of his point. So we all stood to sing it with him and then continued to the next point. Wayne…I think you should try this some Sunday, just for a change. So that was a bit surreal. And I think by this time exhaustion was becoming more apparent which just increased the bizarreness of it all. Anyhow, after the service we had dinner. And then a team meeting followed by my record time for getting into bed. The second day was very similar although I left at 3pm to head back up to the hospital.
I then worked my last shift in maternity on Friday. Ended up having massive discussions with one of the staff who concluded I was disadvantaged in life because I was half-caste having one parent from NI and one from Scotland. I reassured her I wasn’t. She didn’t seem massively convinced. Here there are certain tribes that believe strongly in only marrying from their tribe and not to be adding “bad blood” into their tribe. Some tribes do not mind at all. There seems to be a lot of variation between tribes and the ‘strictness’ of what they can and cannot do.
In other news, Eilidh has arrived!!!! So that was an exciting moment. So it’s been great to show her round a bit and get caught up! Her bags have also come with her. For those of you who don’t know, I met Eilidh in first year at university. She is a physio student from Shetland who is studying at Queen Margaret Uni. We attend the same church in Edinburgh and have served together on Core Team (student ministry) for two years. We are also hoping to live together in September, if we pass the test of surviving two weeks in Uganda together! So it’s been brilliant to see her again and looking forward to the fun we’ll have over the next two weeks before I finish at Kiwoko Hospital.
That’s all for now. Well done if you’ve made it to the end of this marathon blog!
Sarah  

Under a Mango Tree

On Friday I had the opportunity to head into the nearby district for a community health care clinic. It was an obstetric clinic that started at 10am. So we naturally set off in the Landrover at 10:30! I went with two nurses Shambira and Scholastica to Wakayamba. We unloaded the various bits and pieces on to the side of the road and the vehicle drove away. They surveyed the scene and decided that under the mango tree was the most appropriate spot. Approximately 7 mothers attended in the next few hours to have their babies immunised and routine check ups. I had the role of tying the scales to large branch and then weighing the children from appropriately sized slings. More difficult than it looks. They must be balanced in the sling or they precariously fall forwards/backwards which is quite nerve wrecking. Then it began to rain and although the tree provided a little protection we moved to someone’s porch. Anyhow, the clinic finished up and we called to get picked up. The woman who lived next door provided us with groundnuts to snack on while we waited, for two hours!! I enjoyed the experience although quite different to working in the community in Edinburgh.

I’ve also got a busy week coming up. Starting on maternity tomorrow at 7am. I’ve also been asked to go on a medical mission trip to a deprived area of Kampala where the team will administer free healthcare to those who cannot afford the treatment. I’ll be heading down on Wednesday morning and coming back late Thursday evening. (The team lasts until Saturday but I would like to be around for Eilidh’s arrival in Africa! And also don’t want to miss all of my maternity week.) The team is being run by a church in Kampala. This is all the information I have right now so prayers for the details to fall into place would be appreciated. It seems to be organised in true Ugandan fashion. Hoping to learn a lot from the experience but also expecting to be challenged by the lack of resources. Please pray for safety and protection for the team throughout the few days we will be there. Pray also that we would have a deeper impact than just treating them physically and for opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to overcome any language barriers when doing so.

Sarah

7 Days of Fun

Hello,

So my social life has taken off in Africa leaving me behind in updating you all with what is happening. I’ll try to include most of the key events but there have also been many conversations on the wards which have enabled me to build up relationships with the people I’ve been working with. So that has been really encouraging. Along the way there has been much hilarity with translation problems and my inability to understand the strong accent. But it has been fun and I’m starting to understand a little more of the culture, so much more to go though!!

At Kiwoko there is a nursing and midwifery school which is 2 and ½ years to complete for a certificate. The students complete all their placements on the wards here and are frequently found to be doing more work than the actual nurses. Anyhow last week I had the opportunity to attend the nursing student’s Bible study. This is compulsory for first year students but second and third year students can opt out if they want to. I went with a second year girl who I’d gotten to know on the wards. It began at 7:30 so I met Claire at the nursing school gates at 7pm and she gave me a tour. We finished up in their dorms and there are 4 students sharing a small room which fits two bunkbeds and has a shelf. So for those of you who complained about Pollock (student halls in Edinburgh)…add another 3 people into your room and see if you have more or less issues! Anyhow, I got to meet her ‘roomies’ and see her family photo album which was really nice. And then at about 8:15 we decided it was maybe time to go to Bible study. It was really interesting and the discussion was on baptism. There were many different views and it was good to see how they reasoned over the passage and all came to the same conclusion. I was exhausted when it was over but was really glad I’d gone!

Female ward last week was really good. And the young mother was counselled along with her father and he agreed it was best for her to go home and be looked after with her parents. She will receive follow up appointments at her local clinic but is hoping to return to Kiwoko for the birth. So that was really encouraging to hear after all the staff had presumed the usual path would be taken.

The students in the morning shift with me were concerned I would be bored in the afternoon so all took their turn at asking me to come for snacks, table tennis or walks. So it was great to get to know a little better. We also hosted a leaving dinner for two of the girls leaving the guest house. All was going well until the electricity cut out. We continued the evening by the light of two candles. We had to boil water on the gas hob and then use one of the candles to see when pouring water. It was a lot more effort than planned but we still had good fun. Ugandans are brilliant story tellers and very good at acting out other members of staff when recalling them. And the atmospheric light just encouraged them all the more! There was also a very energetic, enthusiastic worship evening on Friday night.

We took a spontaneous trip at the weekend to Kampala and Entebbe. We did some touristy sight seeing in Kampala and visited the local markets and shopping centres. Then went down to Entebbe and found our Guest House for the evening. We managed to find a Thai restaurant for dinner! The following day we went to a swimming pool and it was very relaxing. There were some terrified American girls trying to persuade each other to jump off the top diving board which provided great entertainment! And then we thought we’d show them how to do it. After reaching the top of the ladder we did empathise significantly more with them. We decided not to debate it any further and quickly proceeded to leap off before we too had considered every possible option where something could go wrong. So we had a day of sunshine and swimming. We then had to travel back and finally reached Kiwoko late evening, many bodas and matatus later. Since we’ve returned I’ve had a student nurse round for the afternoon and we played some board games together. We’ve had a birthday dinner for one of the girls staying in the guest house. And we have a leaving dinner tonight. And we are hoping to go away for the day on Saturday. So it’s been busy and will continue to be busy!

This week I am in NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). There are 20 premature babies and are all very cute. I have been working mainly with a set of triplets who were born at 26 weeks. They are growing slowly and are being well looked after. NICU is definitely the best equipped ward I have been on so far but there is still so much missing. The electricity goes off throughout the day and today there was a five minute gap before the generator kicked in. So that was stressful. I am enjoying the ward and syringe feeding the 1.5kg little triplet. They are all girls and called Deborah, Dorothy and Dorcas. The mother speaks a little English which helps and she is very grateful for the help she gets as feeding seems to be a constant chore. She also has a 2 year old girl. So I will be in NICU tomorrow again and then hoping to have a community day on Friday. Next week I am in maternity and have been told (not asked) but instructed that I would deliver a baby. No pressure.

So doing well and enjoying life here at Kiwoko. Eilidh arrives next week so she too will get to join the chaos!

Sarah

Life on the Equator

Wasuze otyano,

Just thought I’d share some practical aspects of living at Kiwoko. I’m feeling really settled this week now that I’ve had time to adjust to the wonderful weather and getting up at 6am every morning! I’m staying in a guest house with six rooms and there are currently five other girls staying here who are all medical students from England. We have lunch prepared for us and we make our own breakfast and dinner. But they cook so much for lunch there’s usually enough left over. The food is all Ugandan and really nice. Interesting and questionable meats in some dishes but they taste good! I’ve also thought of a few things that all you people in the UK should be grateful for… J

1. You don’t have to walk umpteen kilometres to your nearest well to pump your daily water.
2. You do not have to carry it back in jerry cans and filter it all before using it
3. You don’t have bats and rats crawling round your roofspaces
4. You do not have lizards permanently living on the walls
5. You do not have to leave a saucepan outside for milk to be delivered which you then have to pasteurise yourself!
6. You do not have half of Uganda’s insects on the floor of your living room.
7. Time is a well known concept that most people understand
8. You have transport that

a)      Works majority of the time

b)      Takes you where you actually want to go

c)      Is not an imminent death trap

d)      Leaves roughly when it says it will, not give or take an hour or two

And a few clinical aspects of life at Kiwoko. I have finished my first week on male ward which just seemed so different to any ward I’ve been on in Scotland. Towards the end of the week I began to see the method amongst the madness, to an extent. There seemed to be no logical approach to the order of the day which was different most days I was there. But I enjoyed it and the patients were friendly. I tried to pick up a little Luganda which amused them no end…I wasn’t great. This week I have started on female ward and thoroughly enjoyed my first day. I don’t know whether I’ve just settled more into the way of the ward here or whether this ward seems more organised. It’s hard to tell. But I had a really good morning and was hands on from the beginning. So I’m learning quickly that the phrases they tell me to repeat aren’t always what they let on….I found this out after saying something to a patient who just laughed. The staff and students still won’t tell me what it means! The sister of the ward has been here since the hospital was first set up which I think is 25 years this year (maybe next)!!

And just an example of a patient I met this morning. A teenage girl presented to the ward last night with vomiting and abdominal cramps. The staff were unable to get her story but she was adamant her father could not be allowed to see her. The on call doctor overnight managed to conclude that she was pregnant and had gone to someone to get an abortion. She was given the juice of a grass to drink and paid for this. This is what made her ill and had brought her in. So they kept her overnight. This morning on the doctors round it was decided that she’s definitely not as old as she’s saying she is. It transpired that the father of the baby is a shopkeeper and significantly older so she may be trying to appear older thinking it would make it less of an issue. It doesn’t as she’s still under 18 and considered to be a child. The question of consent has been raised and she got very upset so it’s unsure if that is because she was raped or because she is ashamed and embarrassed of her actions. She was taken for an ultrasound and the baby is healthy with a strong heartbeat at approximately 8 weeks. She didn’t seem in any way pleased that her attempt to abort the baby had failed. The plan is for a counsellor to meet with her and explain that it is in her best interests that her parents know sooner rather than later as the more time they have to adjust the better her chances of staying with her family are. So the girl, her father and the counsellor will meet this afternoon to discuss the situation. The father may be angry but accept the consequences, or he may take her for a second attempt at abortion or he could send his daughter away from the family clan. This will shame the whole family and has been known to happen but can cause disruption within the family clan and she could be taken in by an aunt. Unfortunately the staff on the ward think that the most likely option is that he will take her for an abortion. So just to keep her in your prayers that the outcome will be the best for her and her unborn child, and that the parents can show grace and love in this tough situation.

I also had the opportunity to go to a different church on Sunday. I travelled by boda which was quite exciting, might make that a regular when I return to the UK! The church itself has been established through an American run orphanage called New Hope, Uganda. It’s not very far away and there were maybe 300 people attending. The music was very similar to Carrubbers and we even sang some of the same songs! And then they increased the tempo and sang a few more in Luganda. Which was very difficult despite the words on the screen I was still half way through the second line and the slide would change. But as long as you had your arms waving they didn’t mind the mzungus not singing! The sermon was solid and really good! So that was encouraging to know that the truth is being proclaimed to all these orphans and surrounding villagers. The people were warm and welcoming. I’m hoping to return next week again.

That’s all for now!

Small Gestures

I’ve had a very busy and yet relaxing couple of days. Being on the wards is hectic and chaotic with a lot of confusion reigning. And then finishing mid-afternoon and having a few hours before dinner to just read, journal and chat with the girls.

I’ve also been noticing the difference a small gesture can make to hour or even to someone’s day. Usually the initiator doesn’t think much of it and continues with their day but for the receiver, it can spark a glimmer of hope that wasn’t previously there.

Mondays on the male ward are the day for cleaning. Not really in the British fashion. All the patients are asked to leave with their attendants and then buckets and jugs of bleached water seem to appear from everywhere. They get methodically poured on to the floor whilst two people brush and mop(A plastic, rubbery type thing that ‘skooshes’ the water along) the water from one end of the ward to the nearest door. They continue until every crack and crevice has been sufficiently exposed to the concoction. At the same time the staff have buckets/cloths and scrub the walls, beds and shelves. After 3 hours of very warm, relatively intensive cleaning the patients are summoned back in to deliver their washed sheets on to their literally squeaky-clean bed. Then they disappear back outside to sit in the shade along the wall or under a tree. The nurses then make up the beds in an efficient, meticulous fashion. Then a signal is given and the patients return to their beds waiting patiently for the doctors ward round to begin which can be immediately or up to an hour.

Anyhow, now that I’ve set the scene, back to small gestures. So the doctors round begins and I was ‘assisting’ which I think is better described as ‘awkwardly hovering trying to interpret their English and then searching the ward at rapid pace for whatever piece of equipment they would like brought to them sooner than anyone could ever bring it.’ Anywa, I found the torch, not the classic medical torch we would use… but a bright orange torch most people over the age of 40 feel the need to carry in their car boot in case of a break down. But I found it at the back of the cupboard and brought it to the doctor. After examination we were moving towards the next bed the patient says, “Thanks nurse, for the cleaning.”

I was so touched. I never thought the patients cared much for what we’d done in the morning. In my eyes the ward looked no cleaner despite the brown muddy water I’d seen flow out the doors previously that morning. And I personally would probably have seen it as an inconvenience being shifted from my bed when feeling unwell and banished outside at 7am. It was just really nice to know that it had been noticed and that to him, it had mattered.

So just an encouragement to me personally that someone may need a smile, or a hand to hold or some other small, seemingly insignificant gesture just to help them through the day. And when you don’t speak the language it’s worth remembering.

Sarah