Back on track !---- Soaring like eagles!

This morning our devotional reading was from Isaiah 40:29- 31
"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. they will walk and not be faint"
We prayed God would make this a reality in our lives today and we have seen Him strengthen us .

Some small projects came to fruition. Two tyre swings were erected on a big tree outside the hospice and OPD for the use of the children. A hop scotch painting was put on the concrete outside the Hospice for the children to enjoy.

Painting and electrical work is underway in the OPD.
AW spent some time seeing patients in the morning with Vincent, one of the sponsored medical students. Rowena headed up an inservice session with the medical team on Infection Control and this was well received. We have seen a significant improvement in staff morale and enthusiasm since we first arrived.  The patients too seem to be glowing!

Rowena and Terri (from melbourne) took a boda (motorcycle) ride up to the town to do some shopping for equipment.  Andrew W went to visit a local medical practitioner , Dr Oringa Vincent  in his private clinic to offer him free registration to a medical software program . He was very excited about this ! (we also ran out of petrol in the motorcycle on the way !)  We are still hoping to interview applicants for a clinical officer and lab technician for OPD this week.

AR was coaxed up onto the hair raising timber scaffolding leaning against the 3 storey vocational building. He also preached up a storm to a packed assembly of 1500 vocational students, encouraging them to continue their studies and be proud of their achievements and role in developing the country.
He is hoping to help the metal work students to get started on a steel scaffold construction tomorrow.

Homesick blues!

AR enjoys bush bashing to lunch at Pastors

Rowena sights local wildlife

Lots of exuberance and joy in Church today

Slow pace Saturday

AR and RR didnt sleep so well last night but forged on this morning like real troopers!
AW and AR walked through the OPD with the electrician identifying  sites for lights and plugs. AW saw some patients in the hospice with Vincent and Fransisco, then we ate on of our dehydrated lunches '--- Roast lamb and mashed potatos----just add water and kapow!  Not bad....

Irene let us borrow a vehicle and driver to go up town and do some exploring and shopping as well as drop into Fuglys and book dinner for tonight as our cook is away. 

Doing mission at Fuglys !

It was hot walking the streets!
Managed to buy a bunch of bananas for  $1. Wish they were that cheap back in Brissie!

This afternoon AW did some computer work while the Rowes went down and shared some joy with the Hospice patients, giving them shoes and clothes from the storeroom !!  What happy faces !

Hot, dusty and pressing in.

Doc you can do it!!!!

General feeling today has been flat and a bit of a struggle. Andrew W and Andrew R are soldiering on in this place but the boys are becoming weary. It is a full time job keeping the morale up here but I am doing my best. The boys get a little unruley at times and need a firm talking to but generally they are able to step up to the mark and do a good job.

Work commenced today on the new incinerator. Very exciting as this has been a project on the "back burrner" for sometime. The boys are very proud of there achievements. This will bring some much needed changes and address some important health risks. The young students here at CKS are doing an amazing job. They are so keen to help and I think they have really enjoyed the teaching and encouragement. It has been awesome to set them to different tasks to advance their skills.

Constructing new medical waste incinerator

Today we discovered some great furniture which had been donated and was in the store room. There are some desks and cabinets and chairs which will be suitable for the OPD rooms.

AW and AR spent some time with Irene and Alfred tossing around the plans for a possible future Hospital on site for maternal and child health.

AW  did some inservice education on management of childhood illnesses with the medical team.

Tomorrow night we hope to go out for tea to Fuglys as our cook will be away. Hopefully we dont get lost this time. 
The electrician on site is planning to connect the OPD to power which will be great and we will be selecting plug sites etc in the morning.

Time is ticking down till the Rowes leave on Wednesday for the long bus trip to Kampala.

Hospice kids do some colouring in

Its all still happening

Local shoppers in downtown Kitgum

Some  exciting things happened today.
The Outpatient department continues to be painted out, the carpenters are making up some benches (out of mahogeny!) for the laboratory and pharmacy. We also moved some beds and examination couches into the rooms which was exciting.  Tonight on the FM radio we advertised for a clinical officer and laboratory technician today so we are praying and hopeful to get some applications and perhaps interview. AW spent some time with Franscisco , a Comprehensive Nurse who is currently doing practice management and we talked about job descriptions and  work contracts and roles and responsibilities which was very helpful.
For quite some  time Franscisco has been encouraging the admin to build a proper incinerator for medical waste disposal and we have managed to get this project started with the potential inspection for government approval pending.  This upcoming inspection has also encouraged everyone in the AIDs hospice to have a huge tidy up and morale has been boosted which is good to see.

There is some news which has been very exciting.  AW approached a medical software company, Best Practice to provide a free licence to the clinic here at Childcare and also another nearby clinic, The Bregma Clinic which is headed up by a Ugandan Doctor, Dr Vincent.  AW has known him for 10 years and would like to help him improve his medical centre. The software program will make it possible to improve patient management and draw out results, demographics and possibly some research. It was awesome to get the email today 24hrs after my request  saying they would be happy to assist !  I have a copy here on my computer !

Today, Rowena walked into town with another guest and almost expired from the heat, looking like a beetroot when she staggered in at midday. They did some shopping in the market. 

unloading bricks for the waste incinerator

Andrew R feels he has been running all over the place being the "go to" man.  AW gives him lists of things to build and organise to aid the completion of the project  and he always comes through ! In contrast AW had one job designated today to put out the water container for refilling so we could all wash tonight but unfortunately he let the team down  !!  He was also discovered using the last jerry can of water to shower himself while Rowena remained cherry red , dehydrated and crusty !
 Meanwhile, AR wanted to have a test run in the wheel chair but Fransisco thought he would need two !

Vincent, a young man being sponsored through medical school in Algeria has arrrived tonight to stay here for 3 months on his university break and that has been great to see him again.
It will be good for Vincent and AW to work alongside each other for the next two weeks.

Andrew with Vincent, Med Student

Doctor A gets makeover

Dr A today made a comment about the nice new hair do one of the nurses had today. Soon after he was seen wearing her afro wig!  He is undergoing treatment for a bad case of head lice! ( and all that after speaking on basic hygiene over FM radio the night before)

Dr A also participated in a continuing medical education session in the AIDS hospice, along with Rowena and Rebecca (visiting midwife from Oz) .

We are keen to implement some protocols in the clinics to up the standard of care and next Monday plan to travel about 2 hours out into the country to a branch school of 1500 students where there is also a school clinic manned by a health worker.

The painting of the outpatient clinic continues and we are having some shelves built for the small laboratory and pharmacy.

Andrew  R has been getting metal for the metal  scaffolding which the vocational students will construct and hopefully this will be a pilot project for possible future constructions which could be hired out or sold to raise funds.

Andrew W has been asking around to see if any of the local NGOs want to sell a second hand ambulance  and we could possibly raise funds for this back in Australia as it would be a great asset for the health services here.

The three of us are also fighting over adoption rights to little Dennis, aged 6 months, whose mother died soon after birth of AIDs. He is receiving nutritional support, but his only carer is his grandmother who already has six children and is breast feeding the youngest. They are very poor.

Rowena wants to adopt dennis

Today, Irene also uncovered a small Ultrasound machine in one of her cupboards which had been donated  and this afternoon we did a practice run on a willing pregnant volunteer. Prisca in the pink has been sponsored from childcare and is keen to do antenatal checks in the clinic here. We need an ultrasonographer to come and train us !!!

This afternoon A and R met their sponsor child and Andrew met the child sponsored by his sister Dorothy and Bill.   A special time ! ... and another day is almost over....

Prisca and Rebecca do first ultrasound in CKS

thanks to everyone for your prayer and support !

Its been "busy"

Our apologies for not posting news for a while. We are still alive and well.
We enjoyed the weekend here at Kitgum but had trouble getting the blog to work:
We had made entries but they would not post so we will try again.

At the weekend we worked at a slower pace. We spent time catching up on the cleaning and washing, however this became an interesting time with many of the locals surrounding us and observing Andrew R helping with the laundry. This is not something the men do here and that is help the women with "Womans work" Many comments were passed and they were very surprised. Some of the men stated that Andrew R must be "bewitched" or "not right in the head"

We enjoyed a meal with the local Pator Alfred who welcomed us into his home. He was very excited to show us his "beach" that he had at his back door. Not sure if the surf is ever up here. We were very blessed with their hospitality. On Sunday we went to church. This was a very much a church of participation where Andrew W and Andrew R joined the conga line of worshipers for around 20minutes dancing throughout the church. Andrew W said he has never had so much fun in church before. They both were in their elements.
We continue to go daily up to the radio station and first record a health message that can be played over again once we leave and then do the talk back radio on health issues that are affecting the Ugandan people.
We spent much time over the weekend also going over the plans for the new hospital here and getting the  layout of labour wards, theatre and recovery organised on paper before the building begins!
Irene returned yesterday from her time in Australia so it was wonderful to see her  .
We can see the health work here has the potential to go to the next level with possible government accreditation and we are spending some time today waiting and listening to God about what our part in this could be. This morning AW did some motor bike riding through the dusty streets to the ministry of health and also enjoyed meeting again with the medical superintendent of st josephs catholic hospital who is very welcoming and keen to allow AW to be involved in the childrens ward and nutritional unit and to assist with teaching if the time here allows it. It has been very helpful to just sit and listen and learn about how everything works here and what the challenges are. People I think appreciate the opportunity to share . We were able to take Irene on a tour of the new  OPD today as the  painters start their work.  A 5 month old  baby was attended to with fever of 40C and convulsions and we transported the little one to st josephs.  Rowena and the visiting widwife Rebecca along with a pastor from australia, Cha Cha, have been helping the nurses clean the AIDs hospice ready for a possible inspection-- much improvement. We continue to value very much your  prayers. At times we feel a bit sleep deprived and tired but overall  we are very positive!!