Its been a week in Sierra Lone and gosh I'm hot. But I arrived here safely.
Monday and Tuesday and a little bit of Wednesday I spent at the Amputee Clinic in Kono, which is a 5 hour-ish drive from Freetown. Wednesday-Saturday I spent at Masiaka (ma-sha-ka) which is at the center of the Portloko district where the Global Action Foundation and the National Organization for Wellbody (the GAF implementing partner in Sierra Leone).
I'll be spending at least the next three weeks in Masiaka working with Andrew and Sahr James, the NOW nurses, and Amadu visiting villiages and the Peripheral Health Units (PHUs) in three chiefdoms of the Portloko district and taking measurements of chidren who have been referred to the PHU. If they are severly acutely malnourished and have no appetite, they will be transferred to a hostpital in the neighboring town of Makiny (I know I'm spelling that wrong) which is equipped to handle that kind of malnutrition. If they don't qualify for that kind of treatment and are severely malnourished with appetite, the mothers of the children will be educated ("sensitized") and given plumpy nut.
I know a lot of this sounds foreign.. maybe I'll get a chance to explain everything in greater detail later. Anyways, its hard here on the ground... the heat is really hard to deal with and I'm still adjusting to everything.. but I know the experience I get in the coming weeks will be stuff that is priceless.. just think, I'm participating in the very procedures I've only read about in academic papers. This is really exciting stuff and not something everyone gets to see. I've been taking lots of pictures... but you'll have to wait till I get back to see them!
Keep on sending me good vibes, keep me in your thoughts and prayers.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
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6 comments:
Thanks for the blog link, Lois! Keep posting that URL on facebook--otherwise I might forget to check regularly.
Prayers,
Greg
lois! i had no idea you were going to be down there this summer. keep the posts coming and i'll definitely keep you in my prayers.
Alan
how exciting! not sure on how you got into this etc..but you are definately in my thoughts and prayers =)
-eunice
good vibe good vibe :D and here... Some more good vibes :) Taking care of all those people is great, but don't forget to take care of yourself too!
Hi Lois! I'm glad to hear you've arrived safe and sound! Looking forward to reading more of your posts. Btw, I just started a blog for my project at http://chyrp.wordpress.com/
All my best,
Hansi.
hi lois this is Young Jeong. Hey I never knew you were in Africa. Now that I've found out it's definitely something you would do. Keep up the good work. You are an inspiration to many of us, myself included.
I will pray for you. Good luck!
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