Wednesday 27 May 2015

A grubby start

We arrived back on Tuesday to a lovely warm welcome...and no water. Never mind, we would shower in the morning when surely the water would be back. It was...but there was no electricity! Welcome back to Africa!

The first impression was how smart, green and well trimmed the compound was.

 

 

This Bougainvillea was very small when we left but now has pink and white flowers entwined upwards. The photo was taken on Saturday. In the 4 days since we arrived the grass had gone from a green mat to a sparse dry area. What a difference from wet season to dry season.

 

 

 

 

 

The Medical Centre is a lot quieter. Apparently it is because it is the start of term at school. Fees need to be found and the harvest is not in. Money and time has to spent on other things. However tonight the Alpha ward is full - they are the acutely sick children. There are 7 on the malnourished ward. This little girl is 2 1/2 years old but is the same size as her 9 month old sister. The healthy looking lady with her is not her mother.

Margaret, a volunteer nurse, works with a nutritionist and one of our Carers. Along with Jane, the wife of a GP that was covering for Mike whilst we were in the Uk, they have established a programme for the malnourished. This includes bathing, play, nutritional advice and cookery. Some mothers have been resistant to the play side. One did not see the point but later said that while her son was playing it was the first time she had seen him smile. Another agreed that after a play session it was true that her child would eat more.

Slowly, slowly!

 

Winniefred has been dealing with a sad case of an abandoned child. As part of her detective work she went to the local radio station. She wanted them to put out a plea for the mother. It transpired the mother had been to them already. The mother told them that she had been walking with the child on her back when she was grabbed by some men. They wanted to rape her but first untied the child and put her to one side. During the attack she managed to get free and ran away, leaving the child. When she eventually returned, the child was gone. For some strange reason the radio men mocked her so she left and has disappeared. They did not bother to write down her name or any details, nor did they make any announcement. Winniefred asked them to put on their news that the child was found and to come for her. For the next two days there was no announcement. Why not? Two days more and the mother and child have been reunited as the mother went to the Police.

 

You can never predict what will happen.

In the early hours of the morning the mother of one of the malnourished children gave birth to this lovely little baby girl. The first anyone knew was someone came to the Medical Centre saying there was an emergency on the rehabilitation ward. Emergency? How could that be? A nurse went and found the mum with the baby's head crowning. She went to fetch a more senior nurse then phoned Mike. By the time he arrived the baby had been born.

Our first Potter's delivery!