Jen and Cheri got up early to confer over breakfast with Dr. Heather about sub-Saharan African medical needs. This was our first opportunity to speak with a physician working daily with a population very similar to ours in Kantolomba. We are preparing to open a medical clinic and have very little clarity about where to begin. Obviously there is every medical need and concern in Kantolomba that exists elsewhere in the world, but we can't address all those issues. So, what should be our focus?
Many of the first steps will be handled through education: hand-washing, care of water and water containers, care of bedding (to prevent the spread of worm eggs), sterilization of razor blades used to cut umbilical cords, and ceasing to use unclean razor blades to cut finger nails. We learned that Head and Shoulders shampoo is a good treatment for ringworm and that hydration packets are inexpensive and can be mixed with any liquid if clean water is not available.
As Jen and Cheri met with Dr. Heather, Brian worked on the computers and satellite modem. Alas, we must do a great deal of re-configuring of our computers to prepare them to send blogs inexpensively.
Bryn, Troy, and Tom went to church in the morning, eager to participate in that piece of Zambian culture as well as to hear/record some of the music. Later they met up with Brian and the four of them visited with Godfrey and his family.
Left to right: Tina (Godfrey's mother), Bryn, Brian, Godfrey Sr., Tom
Steve dropped by the guest house and offered to drive us to Kantolomba. Steve is Type A enough to fit into the speediest of cultures and a Sunday seems to leave him looking for things to do. Plus, we think he likes hanging out with us. He's an extraordinarily bright, savvy guy who really wants to continue his education as a civil engineer. We're not sure how much of his schooling he's completed but we do know from the work he's doing for us and the examples we've seen of his work on government buildings that he has a lot of experience. Anyone out there who would like to help him get some more education, in the U.S. or any other English speaking country, please let us know.
At the guesthouse. Heather, Steve, Jen (Brian in the background working on the computers.)
We walked back to the apartment for lunch and found Agness, daughter Karen and son Roland had dropped by. (Agness is the sister of Carol, whose apartment we're staying in and a great friend from our St. Joseph's Guest House days.) Cheri and the kids had a lively game of checkers as the adults visited.
Karen, Roland and Cheri playing checkers.
After lunch, we returned to Kantolomba for a meeting with our Living Compassion team of gals and Dr. Heather. What an extraordinary experience. These women have never had an opportunity to sit with a medical professional, much less a doctor, and talk about specific health issues. We began with general questions such as "What is bronchitis?" and then moved to individual, personal questions about headaches, skin wounds (one young woman showed us a horribly infected open sore about three inches across and an inch deep that she's had for over a year!), a child who has been coughing steadily for five years, a young woman who started menstruation two years ago and has had no periods since, only terrible pain for several days each month, general weakness, and dizziness. Dr. Heather asked probing questions (all translated by Theresa) and took every opportunity to offer information that will be helpful to all.
Dr. Heather addressing the women's medical questions.
One woman stood to ask her question and another began to make fun of her, saying things like, "Sit down, you don't have any teeth." The woman began to cry but asked her question anyway. We committed in that moment to finding a dentist and getting dentures for her. Jen told us later that she often asks in a "joking" sort of way if Living Compassion will "buy me some teeth." We will. We will also get the necessary, simple surgery for the young girl unable to menstruate and treatment for the leg wound.
Lives are being transformed on a daily basis in Kantolomba and this meeting with Dr. Heather took things to a whole new level. Huge grins, laughter, and spontaneous clapping let us know how desperately these people want and need attention to their physical being. Food and clean water remain the first priorities, yes, and now they have a chance to look at aches and pains and frightening symptoms. And to look with someone who knows, understands, and cares! Unbelievable. Powerful beyond telling. A miracle.
Meanwhile, Dave was spending the day with Friday, the mechanic, and his assistants. He arrived early at Friday's flat to find five men around the Living Compassion vehicle, wrestling the engine block in place. They used a metal pole borrowed from a nearby laundry line and an old seatbelt to lift the engine block into the vehicle and maneuver it into place. The mechanics took pity on Dave and let him help a little. An hour was required to align it correctly. After that, it was still a full day's work to mount the cylinder head and add all of the other components.
Friday (left) and his assistants replacing the engine block.
Dave reported what an interesting experience it was to spend those hours with the Zambian mechanics. They were nearly silent all day, speaking Bemba quietly only when necessary. They worked slowly, but steadily, without breaks and without food and water. They approached the job without any of the urgency or frustration that seems common in the west. Talking about this afterwards, we conjectured that they have learned to work in this way because it is sustainable for them. They work all day every day, seven days a week, from early in the morning until late at night. Their lives consist almost completely of work--but they work at a pace and with a rhythm that allows them to enjoy the work that they do. While the men worked, Friday's son, Brighton, worked with a friend to construct a complex toy truck out of some old wire. "He is like the father," Friday said, and smiled.
Friday's children and friends creating a wire toy car.
The mechanics finished the job with an hour of daylight to spare. All that remained was to start the motor. Dave watched excitedly, hoping he would soon be driving the car home. It would not start. Friday fiddled here and there, adjusting things, trying various tricks to make it go, but it would not. The battery ran out of juice and the day ran out of light at the same time. No option remained but to give up for the day. Friday promised to take the battery to his workplace in the morning (on his motor-scooter) to charge it. "It shows all the signs of starting," he said. "There is just not enough compression. It will start tomorrow." Disappointed, but not defeated, Dave took a taxi back to the flat.
We all reconvened at the apartment to report on our day and Tracey guided us through another stellar meal, sharing stories of our day as we cooked and ate.
We used dinner time as a chance to ask Heather more questions