Latest news: August 2011

Hello! It has been a little while since the last update, hope all is well with you.

This update is about the hospital here in the town which is state run but has support from some overseas agencies. Sometimes we need to visit this hospital in the town here for a reasons; to collect medicines, check on the toilets and pump Medair has built or visit someone we know. This particular time I with the communications officer and she was interviewing some patients and keeping them informed about Medair`s work with the hospital. We had a look around the outside and then went into the maternity ward.

So this is in the main courtyard. The hospital was built during Belgian colonisation before independence in the 1960s, no doubt by the local people. Quite alot of public buildings were built during this period. It has given some infrastructure, although alot of it is crumbling.

Checking on the new well in the courtyard which, in theory, gives a water supply to the hospital. However for some reason it had no water in it; lots of hand on hip action whilst figuring out the problem!

Water for washing hands is collected from rainwater, the water runs down into this drum.

Some people waiting to see the doctor......

......and the doctor analysing a sample. He was holding up to the the sunlight to help establish the problem.

Sisters! Traditional Congolese hair style which has probably been around for a long, long time (I like to be vague!). Livingstone noted this particular `do` when he explored Congo in the late 1800s.

Toilets built by Medair with the hospital, the signs on the doors have been painted on by a local artist. We asked for a woman`s sign and a disabled sign....

I have seen quite a few disabled people here but they are all in home made wheel chairs, I have not seen anyone like this - but perhaps this is the reality in their own home.

Into the maternity ward...this is the midwife and she was very nice.

The ward for mothers and new-born babies.

New sister!!

This lady had received a c-section and was recovering - she was preparing to go back home.

The hospital kitchen which is actually patients cooking for other patients. They use the local method which is a low charcoal stove on which they cook rice and pondu - a sort of spinich. It is obviously difficult conditions in which to prepare food for patients but they manage to do it.

Thanks for reading.

In July we made a large purchase of equipment and fuel from the town and loaded onto a truck to be transported to health clinics which support people displaced by insecurity in the far north east. There are approx 300,000 internally displaced people in the north-east because of the war in the early 2000`s and localised conflicts relating to resources and the LRA group. In reality though, where Pete and I are we do not see any conflict as it quite far away from us and the jungle is so thick it is very hard to move around. Plus, we have UN peacekeepers (from Bangledesh and S America) at the airport and in the town. The town has always been quite stable, even during the war. Pete has made friends with the Bangeldesh soldiers and exchanged his home made mango & ginger chutney for their ice-cream and cake!

We had to made the purchase quickly in the market here as supplies such as fuel were running low (due to a bridge having broken on the main supply route) and this usually means that prices will go up very quickly. In addition, it is likely that the journey will be difficult for the truck with very bumpy roads and lots of mud and potholes to get stuck in.

Here are a few photos from this period:

First task; find suitable truck in town to hire for long voyage. Green or blue?! Yes, I agree, the blue!!! (plus consultation with our qualified mechanic!).