I have finally been able to work through some barriers with my account security to get to my regular websites and update everyone on my first week. I have decided to separate it into two parts to break up the reading- as you all know, I love to write! Believe it or not I am now at the local internet cafe on my own computer connected via wifi! The country has really advanced over the past three years. Unfortunately, I was silly and forgot my camera to add pictures so for today, I have just one which was saved to my computer. I will plan to post more as able over the next week.
After a very long 27
hours of travel from the time I left my house in Spokane to arriving at the
hostel in Accra, my body was running solely off of anticipation as I never have
been able to sleep well on airplanes. This fact, coupled with my preferred
window seat on every flight, had several benefits however as it allowed me to
watch the gradual sunrise on the way to Amsterdam and see the desolate Saharan
desert in daylight for the first time. I was greeted once again with the hot,
humid air that forms an instant sort of film over your body along with many overwhelming
Ghanaians after customs wishing to give me a ride. My journey to Kpando the
next morning took nearly four hours by tro-tro but like all travel, proved to
be very eventful. I saw monkeys on the side of the road and three cattle
tethered down in the back of a pickup truck, we stopped at one point and
everyone except for myself and two others piled out of the car to relieve
themselves in the bush, and we were swarmed by vendors selling meats as we took
a ferry across Lake Volta which only introduced flies. Surprisingly however
there were no break downs!
Grounds at the host
compound in which I stayed at my last visit have changed a lot. There is an
addition that was built solely for volunteer rooms which is complete with a
bathhouse and toilet as opposed to the vaulted toilet and open shower stall I
used before. There are already 7 people staying there though so I am living
with the directors of the organization in my own round house on their premises.
The accommodation is actually quite nice with a twin size foam mattress,
shelves for my belongings, and desk. I even have an en suite bathroom. Although
we have piped water, the supply can run short, leaving you to rely on the good
old bucket shower. I have a normal toilet too but you can only flush if you
defecate in order to conserve water and depending on location, this can be done
only by pouring a bucket of water into the bowl. Finally, the schedule for light
on is said to be 24 hours without electricity followed by 12 hours of power. Therefore,
careful planning must be made to charge electronics and often times the
evenings are spent by solar lantern. I have been fortunate so far though as it
has only been light off three times.
My first visit back
to HardtHaven Children’s Home was quick but rewarding. It is also in a new
building and there are a handful of new kids. Small Christopher immediately
came to me asking, “Auntie what is your name?” As soon as I said I was there
before he took me around testing my memory of all the children’s names. They
were so surprised and got an instant smile if I named them correctly. Some were
shy when they learned I had been there before and thought I looked much
different after remembering that before I had worn ‘spectacles’. The thing that
really amazed me is when one child said, “Oh auntie, you are the one who drew
us the dog!” then they all came running for a hug. So awesome they would
remember such a small act especially since I only spent such a short time at
the home. The first Sunday of being here was my birthday. I celebrated in
traditional Ghanaian fashion with surprise buckets of water being porn on me
multiple times as a symbol of purification. The best was the final one as it
was the least expected and got me completely soaked. The kids were having a
blast as it is one of the few acceptable times for water to be ‘wasted’.
It has been a mixed
initial experience with my project where actual research has been slow to start
due to Ghanaian time (translator not available, not convenient for staff to be
interviewed, late for meetings, etc) but I have gained a lot of exposure to
different experiences in return. Apparently this time around I have not yet
sensitized my emotions or built that barrier between me and the reality of what
I am seeing. I was nearly brought to tears twice in one day. I have had the
special luxury of going to see extreme cases with Edem (the director) because I
have been here before, I am a nurse so can handle unexpected health conditions,
and due to the delay in my project. I am very grateful as I was hoping to do
some little service on the side.
The first case is a
19 year old girl named Lovia who lives in a village about a 25 minute drive
from Kpando. She is HIV positive and had stopped taking medication because she
was feeling well. That is when the complications arose and she became extremely
ill. She is now immobile and lies on a foam pad on the floor of a concrete
house, completely exposed except for a small piece of cloth covering her
genitalia. She is so severely malnourished that you can see every rib and her
eyes are sunken into her thin face. She stared at me with pleading eyes and
even knew a small amount of English. The worst part is her wound. It extends
from her pelvic region down through her vagina and wraps around to her lower
back. It looks very painful. The only cleaning supplies are antiseptic solution
and antibiotic ointment. UNiTED also purchased some palliative care medication
and nutritional support to make her more comfortable. My skills practice is not
adequate according to Western standards as resources are limited; therefore
although I have gloves I have nothing but my hand to apply the medication with.
I gave her some donated mats to use as a clean surface to lie on between
cleanings. I honestly do not believe she will ever be healed. In fact, I will
be surprised if she lives the month I am here. Maybe I’m being too pessimistic
but I have never seen someone who looked so poorly. She will likely die from a
combination of infection, AIDS, and malnutrition. I also noticed her starting
to cough up mucus more and am concerned about an opportunistic respiratory
infection due to her suppressed immune system. I plan to visit twice weekly if
possible between my committed project. I’m also trying to come up with a
reasonable treatment plan that she will agree to the recommendations. Ideally,
this would include intensive hospital care but I don’t know if it’s feasible.
The last case is
that which came as a referral from Margaret Marquart Catholic Hospital (local
in Kpando). A one year old girl named Happy was brought in with a condition
called Kwashiorkor, which is also a form of malnutrition where the tissues
swell as opposed to the wasting appearance. Her case is so bad that she has the
skin peeling away from her body, appearing as if she were burned. Her eyes are
swollen and her extremities are thin. The girl does not have health insurance
despite the fact I learned it is just GHc 4 annually for babies which is no
joke just over $1. Her treatment will therefore be much more expensive. UNiTED sent
her to the regional hospital in Ho for specialized care. The admitting doctor
also believes she may have Steven Johnson syndrome. It really makes me think of
the very hard decisions Edem must make as these are just two cases of how many
in the community? How should he decide who to help and who to leave behind to
suffer?
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