Nursing Kindergarten

Between us we have over 60 years of nursing experience, mostly in paediatrics, and suddenly we feel like we know nothing. 

For instance, how do you feed a group of one-year-olds?  Well here, one spoon and a bowl feeds eight. 

And what about washing them up?  One bucket and one washcloth fits all.  It goes against everything we know about infection control. 

We have heard it said here that "the babies are sick and we don't know why".  We feel we might know at least part of the reason but we understand we must build trust and relationships before suggestions will be accepted.  Also, the language barrier and level of education are a couple of hurdles we face. 

We expect to have an opportunity to provide some formal education before we leave so pray we'll have a wise and sensitive approach to these hard-working women. 

The Sounds of Kampala

It seems Kampala is never quiet and the sounds we hear are as varied as you can imagine. 

Of course in the babies home there are the sounds of children laughing, crying and repeated greetings of " 'ello" (which are accompanied by a leg hug or hopeful outstretched arms.)

The sounds around our guesthouse consist of the chatter of other guests, music from the boys' (young men working at or near Sanyu) quarters, some type of chirping beetle, the squawk of ibis' (birds), clucking of chickens and the crowing  of roosters. 

And then there are the other sounds from beyond the fence and gate--moving traffic, the incessant beep-beep of the bodas, the blaring horns of other vehicles, the Muslim call to prayer from a nearby mosque several times a day, frequent ambulance sirens, and the drone of a preacher (or somebody in some non-English language) making his message known over a loud-speaker somewhere in the vicinity. 

Talk about auditory over-stimulation. 

So now it's time for me to put in the ear plugs (Cheryl relies on her iPod) and enjoy a quiet nights sleep. 

Goings On

Cheryl remains under the weather with a rotten head cold. She's working on some educational ideas to increase the awareness of the need to reduce safety risks (especially choking hazards) for infection control measures like hand washing and a separate spoon for each child at feeding time.  We're a bit overwhelmed by some of the practises. 

I went on an outing this afternoon with Connie Jarslberg to a hospital in Kampala associated with a local university where she is on faculty with the nursing program. She is a friend of Laura and Ruth.  What an eye-opening tour.  And what an experience watching her navigate her way in the chaotic Kampala traffic.   

First Week in Uganda

Yesterday got off to a rough start with a message that my sister in NB had been diagnosed with meningitis.  Also Cheryl woke up with a sore throat and fever and spent most of the day in bed. Thankfully both seem to be on the mend. 

Enough about the negative stuff. We want to give you a glimpse into what things are like for us here in Uganda. 

Cheryl has stayed away from the babies home the past two days. I've spent the mornings hanging laundry to dry,  organizing clothes and sorting beans (discarding stones, twigs and bad beans).  Evenings are spent helping to feed the babies their supper or bottles, get them bathed and settled for the night. 

Navigating our neighbourhood is quite an adventure. Travelling from Saint John, NB to Kampala, Uganda was a cinch compared to getting across the street in front of our guesthouse. Picture a busy street in Toronto with no lines to mark lanes, no traffic lights and cars, bodas (motorcycle taxis), taxi vans and buses all driving on the wrong (left-for the most part) side of the road fighting to get where they want to be. We ventured out with Jodi, another guest here on Saturday. As we stood on the side of the street, dazed by the chaos, Eric, Jodi's regular boda driver came along. He very kindly got off his boda, held up his hand to stop traffic and escorted us to the other side while we followed him like ducklings. After making our way back up the hill from the coffee shop we were in the same predicament, when what to our wondering eyes should appear once again - Eric!  God provides for our every need. 

Last night as we began to settle down for the night the power went out. The generator provided light but with no power to the plugs our beloved fan was out of service. With 30+ temps our room gets very hot and it felt like a bad end to a somewhat rough day. But when I opened up my Bible, I read these words which I had under lined. They remined us we are exactly where God wants us to be.

"I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:9 & 10). 

It was a great reassurance t both of us. 

Reposted From January 18

There's WiFi tonight after a 2-day hiatus. The last couple of days have been a bit of an emotional roller coaster but we have been reminded that this is where God wants us to be and we feel we have had some impact on the baby care for the long-term already. 

The kids are precious, as you can imagine. Some are sick with infections and some are recovering from malaria but they seem to be feeling better today. 
Pictures of the babies will have to wait as administration prefers to wait until they get to know us better. 
We've been spending our time playing with, feeding, helping at bath time, washing dishes & helping with laundry. 
Today was a great day. Laura A. Bonney & Ruth Haynes picked us up to go to church with them. Wonderful lively African music and worship. We went to their home to be served a feast, enjoy their beautiful grounds and had a great visit. 
Soon settling down so we'll be ready for a 7:30 start in the morning.

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Departue Day

 

 

 

Kenya Kingston, the Crazy Ugandan Giraffe is anxious to get this adventure under way. 

 

 

Departure day has arrived.  It's time to soon zip up these bags and pray they are all within airline limits and that they'll arrive in Kampala with us tomorrow night.

 

 

Thank you all so much for your many expressions of support, including much of the contents of this luggage which will help meet some needs of precious children and their caregivers in Uganda.

 

 

Your prayers and words of encouragement for us are appreciated more than you can imagine.  Please continue to remember us and we'll do our best to keep you updated on this journey that God has prepared for us.

 

 



Packing

 

 

T-minus six days...and one week from tonight we hope to be beginning the jetlag recovery process in a guesthouse in Kampala by getting some sleep after more that 20 hours of travel. 

Today we did some packing of items that have been donated that we will have the joy of delivering once we arrive in Africa.  And as we packed, we also prayed and laughed and cried.  We have a feeling there'll be a whole lot more of that going on over the next few weeks.

We hope you will pray, laugh and cry right along with us on this amazing adventure.