We started the day by driving into theWakisiVillage, traveling deep into the village on nothing more than a dirt walking path. At times it was questionable if there was enough room for the vehicle to make it down the “road”. The surroundings were amazing, with the village just at the edge of the Nile River. The area could not have been more beautiful. When we arrived we were met by a large group of kids eager to greet us and to sing and dance with some welcome songs they had prepared. Most of the songs were upbeat and welcoming; however there was one song that was really sobering. The song’s lyrics were as follows:
“We are the younger generation
We arise from our elders
AIDS AIDS have killed more people everyday
Maybe from your advice we’ll see what shall we do”
After the songs we began the process of beginning our medical clinic. As we started assembling our medical supplies and setting up stations, I realized how big the line was that had gathered. We started with the elders and began assessing their needs. The biggest thing we found was that jiggers had infested the feet of the villagers. Jiggers are small flea like insects that live in dirt; they burrow into your skin and lay eggs. The only way to get them out is to “dig” them out with a strong needle. The process starts by washing and soaking the feet, then the removal process can begin. Once the jiggers have been removed the area is cleansed with iodine and bandaged. Kari and Megan did an amazing job and just jumped right in to help. Luffafa Emanuel (Emma) and Kari set up a jigger removal station and Megan and I had a medical assessment station. I looked up after about an hour or an hour and a half and the line had grown instead of getting smaller. There was a storm rolling in over the river and the hills in the distance. We kept watching as the storm crept closer and closer and the thunder got louder and louder. Finally the storm let lose and we were forced to move inside into a building made of sticks and mud with a tin roof. Once we got inside and set things back up, I realized our numbers had once again grown. I also realized how tough it was to listen to lungs sounds through a stethoscope with rain pounding on the tin rood. We saw many cases of jigger infestation, malaria, respiratory infections, open wounds, parasite infestations, TB and people requesting HIV tests. The worst of the cases was an emaciated old man that was severely malnourished and a woman with severe abdominal ascites, which is fluid in the abdominal area. By far the worst case of the day was a 10 month old baby that had such severe malaria she vomited every time we tried to give her medication. We got her temperature down by bathing her and we will have to return with malaria medication for infants. Amidst all the sickness and despair there was some humor as well. One of the men asked if he could buy Megan for his son. I was able to negotiate for 5 meat goats and one dairy goat. Afterwards, I learned I should have held out for cows…..oh the learning curve. Next time I will be more prepared!
The line began forming for medical care
One of the elders in the village who needed some serious care
Kari at work washing feet and removing jiggers
The rain forced us indoors to continue medical care
The team began working at 10am and we did not stop until 4pm, none of us wanted to stop until we had seen everyone that had been waiting. Finally, we resounded to the fact that we were physically and mentally exhausted and our medications were almost depleted as well. We are planning on going back next week to finish our treatments.
After we had packed up the last of our medical supplies they brought us a dish of posho, beans and roasted maize. It was the first time our team of 4 had stopped for food or rest. I am not normally a big posho fan (see former post “Culture Club” about my opinions of Posho http://www.healingfaithuganda.org/stories-from-uganda/culture-club/) however today I ate a large serving of posho, all my beans and an ear and a half of roasted maize. While we were eating five more people showed up seeking medical care that we had to tell to come back next week.
Dirty and exhausted we loaded back into the van and headed back down the foot path. I was so very proud of Kari and our intern Megan, they jumped right in and began working to remove jiggers. Having Emma there to work by our side was an amazing blessing. It was the most exhausting day physically and mentally since we have arrived in Jinja, but it was one of the most fulfilling days. It was so exciting to see God in action and see the impact of the work being done in the WakisiVillage.
You can see more images from the day on our Healing Faith Facebook page:
*some of the images and medical conditions are a bit graphic*
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