Two cultures - one purpose - common goal and we're coming together!

I was woken with a start, again, this time not from a rooster, crowing 

outside our window but from the snoring of one of my roommates. 
However, I was told that my snoring was “quite something” during the 
night and that we “were not alone”. Even though rain is needed here the 
grass is green and the large, luscious trees are generous with bird life. 
The late afternoon and early evenings are filled with laughter and 
shouts of children playing endlessly on the green grass around our sleeping 
quarters. Also watching our every move and gravitating towards anyone 
of us venturing outside for any reason. Goats graze undisturbed by the 
children on grass and a rooster watches his hens carefully from close 
distance. And later on as night falls, one may hear sounds of barking 
dogs, chickens, a donkey, horse, cattle and as mentioned earlier, 
the dune beetles.

Our clothes get washed every morning

Cooking coffee beans - puts smiles on the faces of all the coffee drinkers

Morning chores done - yup - outhouse in the background. Elma uses washing station.

Oxygen concentrator making its way to the clinic.... safely.

Every trip to the clinic, we take more items.

 Today was market day, and on the road we walk from our quarters to the 
clinic we met, apart from the usual school children dressed in pretty pink 
and grey uniforms, also many patrons, carrying their purchase from a box 
of peanuts, carefully balanced on the head, to an unwrapped half of back 
leg of a cow, bananas and sugar cane.

Lady returning from market with a pot of peanuts

Supper coming home

Days at the clinic start with devotions and prayer by all staff and then a 
short teaching session. This morning Teresa confessed her faith in the 
Lord, by telling the staff about her long and pendulous journey with 
cancer. Their reaction and group prayer was awesome, and emotional for 
all of us. 

Teresa telling her "story"

My colleague is an intern, Dr. Dieulèn Touissint, who is a splitting image 

of a beloved South African parliamentarian, Julius Malema, president of 
the Economic Freedom Front. We work very well together, he is eager to 
learn and very pleasant.

 We had a few interesting patients so far, from a primigravida with POP, 
ultimately delivering a healthy male infant, sustaining a second degree 
anal tear, to a very poor 78 yr old lady with suspected metastatic breast 
cancer, no family, who requested palliative care only, and was sent home 
with Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Quite a few patients were diagnosed with 
typhoid, and yes, I was able to request a widal test with a result within 
15 min. from our “lab guy”. I saw also poorly controlled diabetic patients 
with target organ injury, and was able to fine tune their medications 
somewhat with the limited options available locally. Lynnise was her
bubbling self and was delighted with her job of managing a small boy 
with open infected head wound. 

Our nursing team, consisting of Elva, Betty and Elma, concerned themselves mainly with cleaning and refurbishing, working closely with overall supervision and guidance by Marilyn and Sharon, and the result of their work in the maternity ward, and Teresa`s administrative work in the depot, was astounding. Nurse Marilyn McIlroy, our leader, is clearly a beloved, well known and respected person in this area. Her wisdom and 
humility is touching, and command of Creole custom and language is impressive.

Cleaning the delivery room - improving care of newborns

Our technical team, consisting of magnificent Martin and Mike, surprised everyone with their expertise fixing and repairing everything thrown at them, from microscopes, toilets to curtain rails, picnic tables, installing diagnostic sets, and even tonight a stubborn Honda generator. Their contribution is so much appreciated.

              

After the usual, very appetizing supper prepared by our hospitable cooks and our evening debriefing we usually settle down quickly with some members of our group for unknown reasons trying to evade sleep by entertaining each other with fits of laughter, while others slowly settle into sleep, accompanied by different hums of snoring. We had our first “real” cold, running water shower tonight, very nice! No complaints from anyone despite the usual breath taking groan experienced by everyone when the water hits one`s back. Up to this point showering was done with cups of water scooped out of a larger drum of cold water, conveniently located in or next to the shower area, and gingerly poured over the individually washed body parts. We all completed this routine and humbly remember the millions of people in Haiti and all over the world using this routine on a daily basis.

The bathroom routine is equally simple. Outhouse with its welcoming odour and urge not to sit too long, or inside house with a definite no for paper into basin, flushing to be done with separate container of water poured into toilet. We quickly adapted to the routine.

Elma and I are fascinated by the seemingly simplicity of life in Gens de Nantes. Open space, clean air, sunshine and family support. We also painfully appreciate the signs of extreme poverty in this region, and our hearts ache when seeing neglected domestic animals, children and elderly persons, usually dressed in tatters and clearly malnourished, in pain from arthritis or short of breath from asthma or emphysema, without finances to 
buy medicine. We have visions of personal sacrifice but also experience humility and gratitude for all the blessing we receive from our Heavenly Father.

Dr Braam 

Community nutrition nurse teaches women

Path to maternity building

Nurse Kerlande studying for her "Dr Braam" exam!

Main clinic building in an L shape