HIV baby

The cow with the crumpled horn....










Friday 25th June

Woke early this am as the cocks were all crowing just outside my bedroom window. I could hear the water pump clanking away, out under the old mahogany tree, so the children were all collecting water to take back to their villages for their porridge (if they are lucky).

Unfortunately, we had no water from our taps at all; different system, and since it has rained for a long time, there was no power left in the solar batteries. Hope fully the sun will get up soon and we will be in business again.

Luckily there was a little hot water in the thermos from yesterday which was enough to make tea with but I was really hoping to wash my hair today, after a week it gets pretty bad!!

A slight lull in the malaria cases, but another week and they will be back up again after the heavy rain - just enough time for the mosquito larvae to breed.

Good news, the little girl who was so sick with cerebral malaria (her sister died on the way here) might be going home tomorrow. She is just starting to walk and say a few words, not sure if she will ever be back where she was, but her parents are just so happy she is alive.

We are still unpacking all the ‘goodies’ that have arrived - it is just so good to see the equipment, thank you everyone again!!

The student nurses will have their first taste of the wards in a couple of weeks so it has all come at a good time.

E--- (Italian volunteer nurse) and I were in the market after work today. We are getting low on onions - this is the only veg you can get in the market - so we lashed out and bought 6 for 3 pounds ($1.50 aussie) and made two ladies very happy (three from each - it was all they had to sell). We also re-stocked up on beans and tomato paste; this diet is not quite what you would call interesting, but we did have one small tin of tuna, I think it was 100gms for 4 of us tonight, bulked up with onions, rice and pasta.

It must have been cow day today, as there were many roaming around, some beautiful horns on them.