God has told me to take your glasses!

Yesterday at midday, Rev Florence our Chaplain appeared at our door. As Saturday is supposed to be my day off I tend to wear trousers in recognition of that. Florence eyed me up and down and said..'you make a good man' Not knowing quite how to respond to that I thought...and moving on...

Florence sat on the sofa and said ' God has told me to take your glasses'.

She produced a piece of paper with very small writing which even with her existing glasses she could not see. It was a form to be filled. Thinking it was an error of translation I thought maybe she wanted me to read it to her. No, there was no error. 'It's 9 pages', she said. 'I want to take your glasses'.

Part of me quickly thought...how do I explain varifocals?...another part thought...and how am I supposed to see? Did I bring a spare pair of glasses with me?

I told her that I didn't think my glasses would be right for her but just before we'd left the UK someone had given me a spare pair of glasses in case they would be useful to someone. They were sitting on my office desk. I went to fetch them.

'Aiee', she shrieked. 'Praise be to God'. She got up and clapped and danced. ' I told you God had said I was to take your glasses and look, He provided a pair for me'. 'This is the first miracle I have seen this morning. How many more will I see before night?' With that she sashayed along the verandah waving her arms in the air.

Mike and I just laughed. She's a real tonic.

 

We've had several visitors this week. Nsaba came along for Community Support and showed off his walking skills. He is one chubby little boy but still with the same gorgeous smile and dimples.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peace, on the right, came along with her sister. Peace was a girl we had taken in with severe malnutrition, feet covered with jiggers, HIV and a Grandmother who couldn't look after her. She is now fostered locally and doing very well. Her sister Maria was also brought to us for care and the foster mother has taken them both. Peace is 6 1/2 years old, her sister is 4 yrs. You can see from that how very stunted Peace is.

 

 

 

 

Our other visitors were goats and sheep to be handed out to some of our Community Support children. Geoffrey had visited to check that suitable animal housing had been constructed, he had chosen the animals from market and they would be dewormed before handing over.

 

 

 

 

 

Young Ivan took charge of his goat but it rather looks like they are heading in opposite directions!

 

 

 

 

 

Beth is our latest Potter's baby. Her young mother bled to death after delivery. She is now 2 weeks old but has not been well. She is on lactose free formula milk. The vomiting has stopped and the diarrhoea has improved but she won't feed by mouth. Up until yesterday she was being fed by a syringe pump which meant she was being fed very slowly. Now she is being fed by nasogastric tube. Every day there is a little improvement.

 

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The future is not orange!

The network is ridiculous. The Internet is connected for a minute then off for two minutes. Sometimes it's only on for seconds. The phone is even worse. We had no phone network for 3 days which was very liberating as it meant I didn't have to carry it around wherever I went. Messages get lost, calls never arrive. They say that they have been taken over by Africell and after the weekend it will be good. They've said that for the last 3 weekends!

The Internet bundle in the office is finished. It is not possible to get it renewed. Aha, we'll switch to MTN we thought...so did a lot of others...there are no MTN dongles to be bought in KIsoro!

 

Leonard and his men are preparing for the thatching of the shelter where the dome collapsed. He used to help a man construct these for herdsmen in the mountains when he was young and is clearly enjoying the chance to do it again.

We now have 3 wards of patients. That means there are a lot of attendants which means a lot of washing. We've provided more lines but despite our requests they prefer to use the fences and the ground. The rainy season is not as wet as usual and our tanks are frequently empty. I never thought I would see the day when I would be so grateful for a downpour.

 

 

Benson, the twin on the left, was discharged from Hospital today. He had an exploratory operation to see if he had testes in his groin. They only did one side because the Surgeon said that post-op infections from theatre were so common he could not risk Benson being rendered infertile. He will operate on the other side in three months. It is sad that two anaesthetics will be needed and regarded as less of a risk than the possibility of infection.

 

 

 

A visiting American Doctor was so taken with the table from our workshop that she bought it to take back to the USA. So far we have 8 colours of home made paint from local rocks. These are pounded and sieved through tights into Blueband margarine containers. Our thanks to those who have sent us old tights....they have many uses. Nicholas our young helper in the workshop was trying to explain tights to some Ugandans. He turned and asked me, 'is it the English men who wear them?' Oh dear!

 

Mike might be a Reverend but I've overtaken him now. Someone in town called me Reverend twice whilst talking to me. I said I was not a Reverend at which he said sorry...and proceeded to call me Bishop. I paused for a few seconds to savour the moment as well as to imagine the reaction of our local Ugandan Bishop Cranmer. Who would have thought I would ever attain such eminence!!

 

 

We have taken in 4 babies in the last three days.

Generous was first. She spent the night with us on Saturday as there was nowhere to put her in the rooms. She is one week old and very cute. Her mother died the day after delivering.

 

 

 

 

 

This morning Joshua arrived whose mother also died after a Caesarian. She was only 24 years old. Here is Joshua with his incredibly young looking father.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This afternoon twins arrived and we panicked a little. Where were we going to put them? It transpired their mother died two days ago of TB. The twins had not been given any immunisations and are now 3 1/2 months old. This one is Timothy. It was decided to keep them to one side of delta ward until they had taken enough treatment to be safe to put with our other children.

 

We really hope we won't be brought any more just yet!

 

 

 

 

Last time we put out a radio advert for Foster Parents, there was confusion and some people thought we were offering jobs at Potters. This time I got Winniefred to write the advert. We have had several families turn up with groups of children. Somehow they interpreted the advert as us offering to take in their children. You can imagine their disappointment at having to return home with them! One family had even dressed their girls in lovely matching bridesmaids dresses. I cannot understand how they interpreted the advert that way. Wishful thinking maybe?

 

Off site

We were forced to have a week in Kampala to get paperwork done. We delayed two days in the hopes of getting the paperwork completed in Kisoro to register the Home but sadly it wasn't done despite endless promises by local government officials.

We did get the Medical Centre re-registered and Mike re-licensed as a Doctor plus the car licence and Mike's Ugandan driving permit. The last two were quite fortuitous as we were stopped by the Police twice on the way back for document checks.

The date on our re-entry permits was not correct. They had put 2015 instead of 2016 but said it could only be done within a month of expiry. When Mike said they had stamped and corrected his last year, the lady took his passport and cancelled it !!

Mike, in a moment of madness, decided we should try driving through the centre of Kampala to get to our destination. I navigated us off a large and chaotic roundabout and saw two cars coming straight towards us side by side. I thought for a moment...is this Kampala driving or a one way street? Looking at the cars behind it was clearly one way. We pulled over safely but the traffic police noticed and pulled us over as we attempted the roundabout again. There was a long conversation about paying a fine but it became apparent they wanted money not paperwork so in order to carry on we handed over the equivalent of £5. An official fine is £50. We also discovered it is the norm to ignore red traffic lights unless on a major road. We were happily joining the tangle of cars crossing a junction with red lights to our side with a traffic policemen standing in the centre...texting!

Whilst in Kampala I got an email from the British High Commisioner offering us a brand new cooker if we could transport it away. It did not fit British safety standards so she was not allowed to use it. Our first item for the upstairs of the Hostel when finished! It's quite magnificent and not something we would have paid out for. The cupboard on the right houses the gas cylinder. I only hope we can find canisters the right size here. Still, how fortuitous we were in Kampala at the time and how fortuitous we could fit it in the car.

 

 

We also got to visit Jackson. He is much the same, only bigger. Sadly the school no longer has a physiotherapist but they say they still massage his limbs. He can feed himself after a fashion so long as someone guides his hand to his mouth. It is a very nice environment and well equipped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back on site our final dome collapsed. I have my suspicions that someone tried to climb it who was more adult sized than child! It provided good shelter for the children to play under. We have removed it and are going to erect a thatched shelter.

 

 

 

Several of our little ones are getting on their feet but not quite walking solo. These children are ones where the family need to have them walking in order to cope. Usually it is a Granny who can no longer carry a child on her back. I reckon that in the next two months we will have half a dozen ready to be resettled.

 

 

 

On our journey we stopped at a cultural museum where we learned some uses of cow's urine. Drunk warm and fresh in the morning it is good for coughs. Instead of toothpaste you can swill your mouth with it. Rubbed on your body it is good for rashes, particularly measles. I couldn't help but wonder who is going out in the morning to collect this fresh urine... and how!

 

 

Now this is what I call a souvenir.

I want one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.......the usual?

Babies come and babies go but we still have a total of 11 babies in the prem unit. The twins relegated to the bean bag were so comfy that they opted to stay there.

One new prem was doing well but during the first night Mike went twice across to the centre. Each time the heart of this baby stopped whilst Mike was seeing to another child. Mike would resuscitate and the baby would be fine again. What timing! Two days later and the baby continues well.

We are still maintaining two wards as we have so many inpatients. We have 6 severely malnourished children on what Mike has called Omega Ward...the last place to stay before leaving Potters! These children were on Alpha Ward whilst being tube fed and receiving antibiotics. Now they are eating but need to have put on a designated amount of weight before being released. We have been giving them some meals, the same as our children get but so far some are rejecting them - too many greens and protein! KIsoro District has the 2nd worst statistics for malnourishment in Uganda and it is all down to poor education. One person was telling me he had visited a house where the family had chickens. The children were very thin and ill. It transpired these children had never eaten an egg, the family sells them all. He tried to educate the mother to give each child one egg a week and sell the rest. Did she do it? Who knows. A lot of concerted effort needs to be put into this problem.

Young Nsaba came for a visit. He is not far off walking solo. Kaka says his appetite is now at a normal level so although chubby, he is no longer obese. His father came to Potters today. Nsaba's siblings are being sponsored in school by St Mary's School in Ely. The new term begins next week. His children have no shoes so we gave money for that. He cannot tell us how they have done last term as he cannot read the reports. Geoffrey will look at them on his next visit. Another kind family gave a specific donation to help him rent a plot of land to provide food for the family. A plot is being negotiated and he has money for a tin of seeds to start germinating cabbage seedlings. The other good news is that one of his pigs is pregnant and due to deliver at the end of the month. We almost had another visitor yesterday. The Presidant came to Kisoro and Potters was on the list for a potential visit - at the request of the First Lady who had hoped to visit us last year. We did not make the final list. Cynically I would say there was not enough vote catching possibility here.

 

It was noticed that young Isaac had a club foot when he arrived. A visiting Physio showed us how to plaster it as there is no facility for help locally. We attempted a DIY version which came off yesterday. It is a little frightening doing these things without expertise but it is a question of something is better than nothing. I managed to get some Plaster of Paris bandages from the pharmacy. They were of very poor quality and he admitted they had been sitting on his shelf...for forever. The plaster on soaking was lumpy and the bandage frail and inclined to break. A layer of duct tape on top helped rigidity and waterproofing.

 

The workshop is making a reclining chair for a small and very disabled boy. He is 1year 3 months but more the size of a 7 month old. It is good to be challenged in design again. Leonard and I are pleased with how it is coming together. It is our version of a baby bouncer chair - without the bounce!

 

Saturday treat at Gorilla Junction - plunger, not strong.

It is good to walk in and after the customary greetings, be asked...'the usual'? I feel almost an accepted local!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Day at Potters

Christmas Day started bright & early at PV.

The laundry staff began at 6am in order to get through the mounds and be away in good time to cook for their families. I went round the site and gave every adult a lollipop and a Rufumbira Christmas greeting. It was amusing to see people wandering everywhere with bulging cheeks and sticks coming out of their mouths. You would walk on the ward and a sea of mouths and sticks would turn to look. Some of the children on the ward were well enough to have one too which was nice.

At 9.30 we went to the Cathedral English service. The Sunday School enacted the nativity story with their appropriate cultural clothing and bursts of familiar carols. Joseph got a laugh when he went to the Inn and said Mary was REALLY pregnant ie) about to deliver now.

Back on site Rosie made us her delicious coffee to help us gear up for cooking. Meanwhile the staff had their communion service led by our Chaplain, Rev Florence.

The singing was glorious and the service ended with enthusiastic dancing.

 

 

 

Lunch for the staff was brought in by a local cafe. Due to a delay in timing of the service...surprise, surprise...it was necessary to feed the children before they could eat themselves.

Their meal was posho, careb (millet posho), rice, potato, beef with bones and sauce.

 

 

 

Ours was very close to the British traditional fare. A joint effort in 3 kitchens.

 

 

 

 

 

We ate out on the veranda even though there was a thunder storm and it was pouring with rain.

The premature baby unit had a record breaking 11 babies housed there. Fortunately our son Zemian managed to get the third incubator working again. The ward was also busy and the staff were kept occupied.

It was lovely to celebrate Christmas without all the commercialism. A time of religious celebration followed by a meal shared together is all that is needed to get the focus correct.

...I can't lie, a large packet of sage and onion stuffing and a jar of Cranberry sauce made all the difference!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noheri Nziza

At last we can connect to the Internet in our house and I no longer need to take my iPad to town in search of wi-fi.

We are in the final preparations for Christmas Day here.

 

 

 

Sam and Emily came out to do their nursing elective with us. As well as nursing they repaired and repainted the car to make it safe for the Community Support children to play on at their party.

 

At the party we decided to fit each child with shoes. Previously the sizes had been guessed. It was extremely chaotic but we only failed to find shoes for one child - Sarah, an older girl. Her Foster family had recently bought her shoes so she was contented with a football instead...way more street cred in that!

 

 

Sam and Emily left for the airport as the party was ending. The children had a great time playing with them. We were very grateful for their work while here and enjoyed their company.

 

The previous day Sarah arrived from the UK. She arrived but not her luggage. She took photos of the Community Support children for their sponsors then left with Sam & Emily to go back to Kigali Airport. They would not give out information without her being there with her passport. Fortunately her luggage had arrived and she returned with 2 German girls staying in KIsoro. Thank you to everyone who sent out things for PV with her.

 

Christmas day in the Medical Centre looks set to be busy. After a quiet spell in the neonatal ward, it is now overflowing with 2 babies in each of the two working incubators. Altogether there are 8 prem babies in the unit. Two are very sick.

 

 

Also joining us for Christmas are two of our children, Zemian and Naomi. Naomi carried out a scanner/ printer/ photocopier as her hand luggage. Zemian has set it up so we are a very efficient office. He has sorted several computer related problems for us and without them cooking for us, particularly Naomi, I'm not sure we would have eaten some nights.

 

 

 

 

Prossy is the latest arrival into the village. She came yesterday and is 2 weeks old. A beautiful and very alert girl. Her Grandmother was full of kisses for her as she left. Even the father gave her a kiss which is the first time I have seen such display of affection from a Ugandan father. Clearly there will be no problem resettling her with the family.

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas or NOHERI NZIZA as is said here.