It has been a relatively quiet first two days at KIDA. Arriving on a Friday meant that things were slightly slower particularly as we head into the weekend. The weather is pleasant, not unlike summers where I live. Warm in the days and a breeze to cool things off in the evening. So far we have not had rain but I am looking forward to a thunderstorm so J can experience this too.
We head to KIDA. I see faces I know and enjoy warm greetings and huge smiles as I wander around. I meet some new friends and miss some others. Some have moved on due to the ability to get higher salaries with the government. Olive from the store (supplies) and Dorothy from the Baylor program are both out on maternity leave. Some staff are at school. I look forward to Monday when most everyone will be back.
The first person I run into is Bridget who is one of the girls from boarding school. She has just had surgery for a ruptured ovarian cyst diagnosed by Dr. Brian. She is only 16 years old and had been missing school. I will share the whole story in a newsletter but this is a reminder of the holistic way that KIDA works and integrates their programs. The hospital meanwhile is bustling. Almost every bed is full. There are 18 people admitted. Eleven are children staying in the hospital, the majority for malaria. There are no private rooms here, rather 3 rooms that each have 8 beds. Ideally they are designated as children’s, men’s and women’s rooms but the staff make do as they need to in order to fit everyone in. The distinct thing I notice is that inside and outside is full of people. Families and patients are congregated outside. Some are walking, some are eating, others are just resting. There is constant chatter and no personal space to heal. The thing that most of them say is how caring the staff are.
It is also immunization day at KIDA. The Children’s Ward that is near completion is now the spot for this. Nearly 40 mothers are waiting in the Ward with their babies. Nurse Alex takes time to talk to the mothers about the importance of keeping their immunization cards with them. He talks about when the babies should be immunized, how important their weight is and how to monitor and graph proper growth. The mothers ask questions. The babies are weighed on a scale that is held to a log that separates a room. The nurses swing a rope over the log to secure the scale. One of the women helping to weigh the babies is Margaret, a community health care worker and volunteer. She has been volunteering for KIDA for 20 years and came to them as an HIV client. Through counseling she came to accept her diagnosis, learn to adhere to her medication and to live a joyful life. I am pleased to see Dorothy (a former OVC student) with her new baby Arthur. She is proud to show him off and let me know that she is now married in a church, with legitimizes a marriage here. Two hours later all the babies are weighed and immunized. This will happen again on Monday as immunizations and education happen two times a week.
I sit on the Children’s Ward stoop while waiting for Brian to finish up some videos. I have my laptop out and a small boy comes up to see what I am doing. Soon the small boy becomes 8 boys. I show them pictures of my boys and my home, photos of the dogs and snow and the ocean. Things I think that may please or surprise them. They speak little English and comment “ok” on every photo they see. They say “dog” in their Rutooro accent every time a dog photo would pop up. This could conceivably go on for hours. We head back up to the house enjoying the walk up the hill. The weather is warm but not unbearable and we have a moment to rest before dinner. The evenings are quiet here. By the time dinner is done it is time to go back to the hut where a tepid at best shower awaits me. We can then rest or read until I get tired. This is a luxury I do not have at home. I am struck by the fact that I do not have lists here. My life at home is filled with lists of things that need to get done. Here, although there are some things I need to ensure I get done, each day unravels on its own.
Saturday again is quiet. I have adjusted fairly quickly to the time change. We head down to KIDA to unpack a few more of the things we have brought. Marjorie and I put names to all the scarves that were packed in Debbie’s bag and I will pass them out on Monday. I will give the colored bobby pins to the nurses for their nurse caps and we have enough pencils to share with some of the staff and children who wander around the facility. I spend some time getting some statistics from Marjorie about the OVC program. How many, what ages, what are the costs exactly, what is the criteria for new children. Her handwritten notes are detailed and extensive rewriting each child’s name multiple times for school fees and the myriad of supplies they need. Everything is tracked. A computer has been written into this year’s budget. Although Marjorie is nervous about learning to use it she knows it will save her hours of work. She shares stories of a few of the kids whose pictures are on the wall. Some are tragic, all are heartbreaking but she has hope for each of them as we help them stay in school. Brian interviews Marjorie about the impact Friends of Ruwenzori has had on KIDA which brings me to tears.
I visit the hospital to find Bridget and share some things with her. Socks, pencils, stickers, a headband. Each gift is received with enthusiasm. She looks better today and seems to be in less pain. Hopefully she will be released tomorrow.
A walk back up the hill and a late lunch bring me to the present. We arrive to no electricity which is not unusual but lunch will be late as Joseph the cooks adjusts how to make the meal. I now sit outside my hut watching the butterflies and hummingbirds flit just outside of my reach. The giants ants continue to march along the railing in search of something to which I am not privy. A bee the size of a very small bird is darting around as well. A plumber who is a former vocational school boy comes to fix my toilet. J continues to devour books in our down time.
This afternoon we will head down to KIDA to watch the drama group practice and then join the family for a family dinner. The family is sure the electricity will be back soon and Murungi has offered to help figure out why WhatsApp is not working on our phones. For now I will wait until we have electricity and internet and service strong enough to get my website up. As the days pass I learn to live without being online and learn to live in the moment – a task for which I continually strive. Until then…..
Postscript. The electricity is back! Small joys.
