The Countdown is On!

We are all getting very excited & nervous to embark on this crazy adventure!

 Today we packed up all of the supplies to bring with us. Lots of organizing to make sure everything fit, but we did it. Only 5 more days until we all leave!

Top row (left to right): Robyn Cameron, Aileen Jack, Darien Miyata, Sarah Duddle, Ali Lake, Caitlin Robertson, Shawnel Macdonald, Leah Davidson, Aryn Driedger, Savannah Mae

Bottom Row (left to right): Lauren Cantarutti, Caitlan Stephens, Jackie Denison (instructor)

We will Carry On.

     No, I didn't post a blog last week, sorry Mom! So I am going to have to talk about my last two weeks here, and then since this will probably be my last entry, I should talk about some final thoughts on this experience.

Week 4: In the bush.
     Outreach week! Anna, Amanda and I spent 4 days out "in the bush" working in a small clinic and getting a glimpse into village life. The clinical side of the experience wasn't all that exciting, with people coming in with small aches and pains that we treated.
 The biggest part of the clinical aspect was the connections we made. Lihana is an amazing woman who runs a feeding center, medical clinic and orphanage within the district of Mongu. She is a huge advocate for the people of Western Province. She is one of the people we went on this outreach with, and because of this visit she was able to connect with yet another isolated clinic. The village life was definitely the highlight of this experience. We sang and danced and told stories around a big campfire in the middle of a sand field every night. The best story I think we heard was one told by a young 8 or 9ish year old girl. She told us a story of a little girl who went venturing into the deep bush one night. This little girl continued her journey down dark paths until she came upon a ghost blocking her path! The ghost demanded that she sing and dance for him, or he would eat her. The young girl telling the story then proceeded to get up and start singing and dancing by the fire. She sang something along the lines of "please Mr. Ghost I do not want to be eaten!". It was very cute, and the little girl in the story managed to get away from the ghost. I thought the story ended there, but it didn't. The grandmother to the little girl had gone looking for her grand-daughter and had run into the ghost as well. The grandmother could not sing and dance however, so she was eaten. Great ending to the story, don't you think?

Week 5: Bubbles make the world go round.
     My final clinical week was spent on childrens ward (also known as C Ward). I was able to really work with and teach many of the Zambian nursing students on this ward, as there were many first years who had little instruction from anyone but themselves (the nursing school in Mongu has almost no teachers right now). We also got to do a lot of "play therapy", AKA having fun playing with children's toys. It was a lovely way to end my clinical experience.

Some things I struggled with while here:

• The situation in life here (especially in terms of health care and life prospects) is crazy unfair. Why was I born into a first world country? It all comes down to chance, and this fact makes me feel guilt every time I think about everything I have.
• Getting lots of attention by being the stand out minority meant talking to a lot of people. I am not a particularly talkative person, so the constant conversations took a little getting use to. Being treated so differently also led me to think "will I ever be truly capable of knowing the culture here?". I think that because we are seen so differently and separated as such we could never completely be a part of the people of Mongu.
• There is so much poverty here that it seems to be considered normal living conditions to be living in a small hut with a large family without water or electricity. It really would take a lot to even just get the majority of the population above the poverty line.

Some things I learned:

• There aren't just 2 or 3 ways to do things, there are millions. 
• The struggle of nursing without supplies is accomplished here everyday, and you can do a lot with a little. This makes creativity and critical thinking a huge asset to have, and those are skills I further developed during my time here.
• Canada's culture sucks. People have the capacity to be so much more friendly and open (even under the poor circumstances many are in here).
• Singing and dancing does more than just make people happy. It unites, heals, and gets you some good old fashioned exercise.

To quote Carry On by Fun.: On our darkest day, when we're miles away, sun will come, we will find our way home.
---------------Stephanie Simpson

Save a Life

            I spent my last week in Mongu at the Save a Life Centre within the Village of Hope.  The time I spent there was the best time I’ve had my entire stay in Africa.  I have learned so much this week.  I worked with amazing people, had many different experiences, and had the opportunity to be much more immersed in the Zambian culture. 

            The mission of the Save a Life Centre is to provide rehabilitation and care for malnourished children and babies.  Children who are severely malnourished are admitted to the center until they are well enough to return home.  Children who are not admitted, or who are discharged once they are well, are part of a feeding program that typically lasts up to six months.  Admitted babies and children reside at the center with a caregiver, who may be the mother, the grandmother, an aunt etc.  In some cases, these parents of these malnourished children have died from HIV/AIDS and have caregivers who cannot afford to supply them with the nutrition they need.  In other cases, the parents of the children do not have the means themselves.        

            This past week there was one young girl admitted at the center.  She is just a year old and weighs about twelve pounds.  Her mother has been staying at the center with her also.  This young girl really touched my heart.  She was very quiet and reserved when we first met her, and she’d just gaze at us with her big, brown eyes.  We were finally able to get her to smile the other day, and when she did she gave us the biggest grin.  She smiles with all she’s got.  She scrunches her nose and bares her teeth for us while letting out the cutest giggle.  You can actually see the happiness radiate from her.  Her mother says she’s happiest when she has a full belly, which makes sense and is true for most of us too.  Her diet is very regimented in order for her to put on weight.  In addition to snacks and meals that she would typically eat at home, she drinks a milk-based solution high in fat and calories, and eats eggs and groundnuts as sources of protein.  She seems to really like this other food too.  She takes everything she’s given without a fuss.  On Thursday she was well enough to be discharged from the center.  I went along to drop she and her mom off at their home.  It is important that the director of the center knows exactly where they stay for home visits in the future.  It was bittersweet saying goodbye to the young girl.  I was happy she was well enough to leave the center, but I was sad that she wouldn’t be around to visit with anymore.  I really enjoyed all the time I spent with this little angel. 

            It amazes me how much we take for granted in Canada – things like health, nutritious food, running water, plumbing, electricity, and transportation.  The people of Zambia have so little, yet they are so resourceful and grateful for what they do have.  They find ways to survive as best they can.  This center is an absolute blessing for those children whose families struggle to provide for them.  Since working with the Save a Life Centre and learning about of all the great work they do I have decided to sponsor a child on the feeding program for six months.  Fortunately, I have the advantage of knowing exactly where the money is going and whom I’m helping with my effort.  I strongly encourage anyone reading this blog to visit the Save a Life Centre website (http://zam.co.za/Save_a_Life.html) and consider sponsoring a child yourself.  If you do choose to sponsor a child you can email info@zam.co.za.  There are many kids here who could use your help.  

Megan H.

The team on the Barotse floodplains!

Babies, babies, babies!!!

Congratulations to all the beautiful Zambian mothers who have given birth to little bundles of joy this week! What a wonderful experience it has been working on the maternity ward at Lewanika General and with the fantastic midwifery staff. It is such a joy to welcome the new babes into the world and a great learning opportunity working alongside the midwives. The birthing process here is so amazing...no pain medication, no screaming and hollering, the mothers have to walk back to their beds immediately after birth and if no complications arise they can go home within a few hours!! Easy peasy right!? They make it look so simple, but I can only imagine what they have endured throughout the process. I am thrilled to be a part of it and to be able to help deliver the babes, clamp and cut the cords, weigh them and carry out baby assessments. One of my favourite things during a birth was when the midwives were encouraging the mother to keep pushing through by saying "happy, happy, happy" as the baby was on its way. I also have really enjoyed carrying the babes over to the post natal ward to be discharged and all the women outside in the corridors chuckle away as we carry them with big smiles on our faces :D It is such a different atmosphere on the maternity ward and a much happier environment compared to other areas of the hospital that are medical/surgical. I love the sense of community that the mothers here have not only on the maternity floor, but most places we go in Mongu. When one mom leaves her baby unattended it may look as though she has temporarily abandoned the child at the bedside, but the other mothers seem to always be there looking out for one another and their babes. It is a wonderful sight to see, and I had a very joyful week! 

 

-SB

The Children's Ward

Last week I was on the children's ward by myself, and it had its ups and downs. During my shifts on c ward I spent a lot of time with a malnourished 5 year old little boy who had an anastomosis and an ileostomy done. When the week began, the sutures at the bottom of his stomach opened. The next day, the top opened. I was horrified that i could see this little boys intestines as he laid in his hospital bed, but i understood that the surgeon could not close him yet because the sutures would not hold in his fragile skin, and we needed to wait. Also, due to the lack of supplies on the ward, he did not have the the correct ostomy appliance on his stoma, and his skin is completely broken down from fecal matter. On Friday when I went to do his dressing change in the morning when I arrived on the ward, I found his sutures all completely broke open from his chest to his pelvic area, and all of his colon exposed. 

Immediately our team started moving, and just like at home when something serious happens, I could feel the panic in the air. We got our instructor, three doctors were called, two of whom came in to see the patient, and another instructor of ours came to the ward as well. I was so thankful for the support from my peers and instructors who also recognized this young boys condition as an emergency. No one was on Africa time this morning! 

When the doctor eventually made it in to see this patient, my emotions and frustrations took over. If we were in Canada, we would have so many more resources to save this child. TPN would be running, an IV would be running, he would be on a clear fluid diet, and he would have the correct ostomy appliance on his stoma so that his skin around the area wasn't so broken down in the first place. I hate that even though we are doing all that we can for this young boy, it does not feel like enough. Not near enough. At home, there is always a doctor to call, a Wound care nurse to consult, a colleague to ask their opinion... Their is always something more that can be done; a solution waiting to be found. At the end of your shift you can leave feeling like you did everything you possibly could, that you are leaving your patient in trusting hands, and that they will receive the care that they need while you are gone. That is often not the case here, and I did not feel this way. 

My instructors helped me to realize that in Africa, these are the frustrations that we face every day. These are the times that we need to look at what we ARE doing for this child. If I hadn't found him that morning, who knows how long he may have stayed like that for. 

 The doctor came to the conclusion that he could not close the boys stomach because his skin would still not hold, and that we are doing everything we should be for him. He did order more pain medication and F100 (a formula used for malnourished children and babies). 

This week on the pediatrics ward showed me that African children are the strongest, bravest souls on this planet. They face health challenges in their first few years of life greater than some Canadians will ever have to deal with. It breaks my heart that these challenges take away from them getting to be a child... Getting to laugh and play like they should be doing.  Us being on the children's ward give these kids something to smile about, though. This week I played with the children, brought them toys, made them smile, and brought as much laughter to the floor as possible. We give these children hope, and provide them with the best nursing care that we can. That, all on its own, has made my trip to Africa worth it. 

- Rianne Swanson