A DAY IN THE LIFE
The Health Center –Mission is teaming with life. It is my community, my village, my family, the center of my work. It is a multi-generational world, from birth to death. Besides the community that lives here – the nuns, the staff and their families, the boarding school children – there is the influx of patients that come to the clinic and the hundreds of elementary school children The catchment area for this clinic alone is 15,000 people and 22 villages. Every day has a different focus for the clinic – ARV testing, HIV counseling and meds, mothers and infants, generic outpatient issues. This week the UN World Food Program made their once/mo food delivery to HIV+ and/or TB+ individuals and their families. Hundreds of villagers from the area came with their wheel barrows, their donkeys, their oxen carts and taxi transport to receive their rations of palm oil, peas, corn-soy blend, and maize meal. At the same time the villagers were scurrying around measuring and loading their supplies, the elementary school was practicing their “traditional dance” performance for the competition this coming week-end. It was a wild and wonderful cornucopia of sound, movement, and life.
I am beginning to be introduced to the chiefs in the various villages and also the principals of the schools. I am excited that I can start taking some action with the African Library Project (http://www.africanlibrary/ Project.org). This will involve book drives and fund-raising ($500) from the States, and the books will be shipped to me where I will be working at getting the school libraries established. Most schools don’t have anything resembling libraries, so the need is tremendous. If you have an interest in participating (before Feb) please let me know.
The Health Center –Mission is teaming with life. It is my community, my village, my family, the center of my work. It is a multi-generational world, from birth to death. Besides the community that lives here – the nuns, the staff and their families, the boarding school children – there is the influx of patients that come to the clinic and the hundreds of elementary school children The catchment area for this clinic alone is 15,000 people and 22 villages. Every day has a different focus for the clinic – ARV testing, HIV counseling and meds, mothers and infants, generic outpatient issues. This week the UN World Food Program made their once/mo food delivery to HIV+ and/or TB+ individuals and their families. Hundreds of villagers from the area came with their wheel barrows, their donkeys, their oxen carts and taxi transport to receive their rations of palm oil, peas, corn-soy blend, and maize meal. At the same time the villagers were scurrying around measuring and loading their supplies, the elementary school was practicing their “traditional dance” performance for the competition this coming week-end. It was a wild and wonderful cornucopia of sound, movement, and life.
I am beginning to be introduced to the chiefs in the various villages and also the principals of the schools. I am excited that I can start taking some action with the African Library Project (http://www.africanlibrary/ Project.org). This will involve book drives and fund-raising ($500) from the States, and the books will be shipped to me where I will be working at getting the school libraries established. Most schools don’t have anything resembling libraries, so the need is tremendous. If you have an interest in participating (before Feb) please let me know.
