Note from Ian: as with last year, quite a few people have asked about donating money towards the good work being done at Mapuordit hospital.
Making a donation to the Sisters who are associated with the hospital would be the best method of achieving this (the order is the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart - OLSH - and they have a base in Kensington, Sydney). The great majority of funds donated to the Sisters for use in Mapuordit hospital will actually be used for that purpose, as there are few of the large administrative deductions that are often associated with the international aid funds.
Australian friends can make tax-deductible donations through the OLSH Overseas Aid website at http://olshoverseasaid.org/
You may either make a 'general purpose' cash donation for use at Mapuordit, leaving Pauline to determine its most effective use, or donate an amount for any of the specific items (eg needed medical equipment and the like) listed in the website under the 'Sudan' page.
At present, overseas friends can make an EFT transfer into Anne's UK account with Lloyds Bank, and we will make an equivalent donation here to OLSH, allocating it however you may wish. Let me know if you want Anne's account details.

Sunset over the compound

Lunch in the childrens' ward

Cleaners dancing at our farewell

Friday 20th August

Well we had a good send off today. There are 3 of us on the move, Ian and I and the young Italian nurse who has also been here for 3 months.

At assembly, after ward allocation, we were all asked to step forward and receive a posy of flowers each, a hospital tea shirt, and E----- and I got some beautiful black and white beads. The beads mean we are Dinkas and we have cows. Quite an honour to be given them as they are highly sought after and not meant for the koajas (white people) to wear. They spoke about us all individually and thanked us for all our work. It was really nice. Of course we then all had to return with a few words.

Our collective theme was peace for them in January 2011 during the referendum for separation from the North. Then all the cleaners performed a dance. This was at 8-30 am!

To follow up the story with the burns dressings, I did manage to contact Prof Fiona Wood (with your help) who very kindly replied to my e mail, and reassured us that we were doing the right thing with the burns wounds, but it would of course without skin grafts take a very long time.

The other exciting news is we have an Australian surgeon coming out to Sudan to fill in for our Director/Surgeon, who has himself to leave for for surgery in Italy. Again, it is with help from you that this connection was set up. He arrives on the 1st of September, the day we arrive home, so unfortunately we will not be here to greet him, but there are others that will.

It would be wonderful if we could set up a network with Mapuordit Hospital, Sudan. In the dry season, the Brothers have a plan to build four more volunteer rooms in the compound with a bathroom attached. This just what they need as conditions are very basic there (as I know!).

If there is anyone out there that would be interested in coming, there is a great need for nurses to train our staff and students, & Dr’s to get experience in tropical medicine. Teachers for the local primary and senior high school. Plumbers, electricians, anyone who knows about solar energy, odd job man, landscape gardeners, anyone really (after all, we even took Ian!). It is expensive to get here, so 3 months is a good stint and it does take at least 3-4 weeks to get over the culture shock.

Thank you for all your words of support and help regarding the website donations. We will see most of you back in Sydney and the UK on our next visit.
Anne

A spot of rain

Thursday 19th August

No wonder the malaria is so bad, there is flooding every where it is like one giant lake. We have now lost 8 children in 5 days all with malaria. It is just so hard for the mothers to get to the hospital through the water so by the time they do reach us it is too late. Tragic.

The worst thing is that the malaria program that was run so well last year by an overseas aid group has folded, lack of funds and a promise that it would be continued by local government!!! They used to distribute nets and give education to the locals. There was always someone in the villages who had an emergency supply of medication until they could get to the hospitals. Apparently this year the local government, practically non-existent, has been unable to do anything, they just have not got the expertise yet to take projects on like this. It will all take time. In the meantime children will continue to die in large numbers....

There is talk that the water will cut the road soon to Rumbek. It is not only the rain here but the water coming down from the Congo. Just hope we can get through on Sunday. Our flight is not until Monday but don’t want to take the risk of leaving the journey until Monday.

HIV/AIDS awareness class

My new bracelet from Sister Pauline

Saturday 14th August

It’s Saturday night in Mapuordit and we are going to have a movie night. Five of us, Dr P, Ian, Pauline, an Italian volunteer and me. It’s a beautiful night, a large crescent moon seems to fill the night sky with Venus sitting by its side, and slowly the Milky Way appears, it’s almost a movie on its own.

We set up all the equipment outside on a small table. A lap top computer and a long extension lead. You have to sit quite close so you can see and hear. Every now and again the screen goes almost like an x ray, so positions of chairs and screen have to be made. No popcorn available, but coffees all round and we all share the last apple (until the next trip to Rumbek), which is cut in to very thin slices.

Tonight’s movie is Muriel’s Wedding, a bit hard for our Italian friends but with sub titles they managed to follow. It was quite surreal sitting outside as an electrical storm in the distance lit up the sky, and the words ‘You’re terrible, Muriel’ were repeated, mixed in with the very noisy frogs and gun shots just outside the compound. A very strange night.

We heard that the gun activity was cattle people who had had too much to drink, but it was a bit close.



Sunday 15th August

Well, one more week to go, then off to Kenya for a 5 day trip to the Masai Mara so really looking forward to that. Life is so tragic here.

Went to the hospital this morning just to do the dressing on the little girl with the burns (takes about 2 hrs), and ended up being there till 3pm. Short day compared to Sister P - she delivered one baby at 7am, then helped with a caesarean at 10am. Unfortunately, the baby had a very large hydrocephalus and died very soon after birth, which I feel was a blessing, as it would have had no chance of survival in these conditions. The mother seemed to take it all in her stride. It was her 5th child.

While all the above was going on, an emergency admission of a 5-6yr old girl with a short history of malaria. As the Dr was examining her she lost consciousness, then stopped breathing. It was all hands on deck. She was quickly intubated and CPR commenced. We got her heart beating but she was unable to breath. After 1hr hand bagging her (giving her lungs O2 via a tube and hand pump), she could still not breathe for herself.

No intensivist or ICU here, so we had to stop. Her little heart stopped beating within 5mins. The Dr on duty tried so hard to save her.

Her mother was understandably distressed and very soon started the wailing which all the other mothers joined her in; I think it is a mark of respect and comfort for the mother. The father is a soldier and was not around, but an uncle soon came with a malay (cloth) to wrap her in. She was carried out and was held by a pillion passenger on the back of a motor bike, to take her back to the village. Just another day in Mapuordit.

Friday 13th August

Got up early this am, could not sleep, thinking of dressings so I thought I would just watch and listen to the sounds of South Sudan. At about 6am still very dark, the first cock crows over in the father’s compound. The flutter of the hens as they do a crash land from their roosts in the trees. Dawn starts to break. Streaks of pink fill the sky as I peep over the tukal (thatched hut) towards the bougainvillea. The ringed doves now start their soft calls along with the hornbill which is quite harsh for this time in the morning.

The compound slowly awakes. I can hear the sisters starting to stir getting ready to go to mass in the small chapel just over the fence. The first children have arrived at the water pump and the clatter starts as the pump stirs in to action.

At 6-45am a clanging sound as someone hits a large piece of metal against the rim of a car wheel hanging in the tree outside. This is to remind people that mass commences in half an hour (South Sudan's way of calling to prayer a bit different to that in the North!). As no one has watches here this is quite handy. Your alarm clock.

This is the best time to see the small birds. A family of red cardinals fly overhead and land in the frangipani next to my room, The male is just so red as the name suggests. The day has begun.

Waiting for Sister Pauline

From the Radio Good News Diocese of Rumbek

TRAINING OF NURSES IMPORTANT FOR SOUTHERN SUDAN, SAYS TRAINER

A registered nurse involved in training Sudanese nurses has said that the training of nurses is important for Southern Sudan, explaining that the changes happening in the country call for nurses with qualifications.

Anne Jackson, an Australian national, is training nurses at the Mapuordit-based Rumbek Nursing School in Lakes State.

She told Good News Radio that Sudan has witnessed changes over the past few years affecting the health sector and would require qualified health workers to deal with health issues. She cited the example of HIV and AIDs, saying that the cases of the epidemic are on the increase.

Mrs. Jackson further said that Rumbek Nursing School is “the first stepping stone” towards capacity building of health workers, adding that if Southern Sudan becomes independent at the referendum, better education opportunities and health services may be provided and that this would call for hard work on the part of Southern Sudanese.

Mrs. Jackson also said that the Mapuordit-based Rumbek Nursing School has adequate equipment with the possibility of adapting and improvising, describing the facility as basic.

She also said that the number of student nurses has increased this year from fourteen at the launching of the school last year to eighteen this year, adding that the students admitted this year manifest a relatively higher level of education than the pioneers.

The student nurses at the Mapuordit-based Rumbek Nursing School go to the “well staffed and busy” Mary Immaculate Hospital Rural for practical lessons.

Mrs. Jackson revealed that the hospital is currently dealing with malaria cases, pneumonia, anaemia, and snake bite injuries, and amputations from accidents, adding that the hospital staff is able to respond to these cases well.

Proud Mum

Children on ward



Mapuordit Cathedral

10th Aug
Well it has been a few weeks since I put pen to paper. No time since Ian came. There has been lots to talk about in the evening, and the days are full in the classroom or on the wards. But I must say the dressing room has a certain attraction to me.

My biggest problem at the moment is how to care for a girl of about 7 years, who fell into the fire (another one), a known epileptic. She has about 30% burns across her chest; stomach, both thighs, through to her buttocks.

She is so good when we do the dressing, but she is in such a mess. We sent Ian off to Rumbek to see if he could purchase a baby bath so we could sit her in it, but not one to be had. Instead we found a large plastic bowl.

So, up to yesterday we were soaking her each morning in salt warm water, so the debriding is happening slowly. After, we are using Silver Sulphadiazine cream with homemade paraffin gauze over it. Tried open dressing, but very hard to keep the flies off her. Each day it takes me about 2 hours and then she is ready for a sleep.

The worry is she may develop contractions as she is very reluctant to move (who can blame her?). Her bed looks like a scene from Florence Nightingale’s day with our one and only very large cast iron bed cradle in place. Just wish we could get Prof Fiona Wood (Australian of the Year 2005 winner for growing skin grafts), to come over and help, that really would be wonderful. Has anyone got her e mail address?

On Tuesday there was a fight in the market which involved a man of about 26yrs being arrowed through the leg (upper thigh). He arrived with the arrow head sticking out about 5 inches, not a pretty sight. Removed yesterday, now daily dressing. An open wound of about 4inches.

I think I must have the most exciting dressing list of anyone I know!

Good news - our student has not got Guinea worm but Larva Migrans. Think it is some other worm, but she is now having treatment and her foot is a lot better. So hope they are all dead and she can get back to sleeping instead of looking out for the head of the worm popping out of her foot!