Visits to the Doctor

• Adoy's Profile
• About this blog
• Entry from Mwanza

Trip Start Nov 2008 Trip End Dec 2008

  Mwanza, Tanzania
Wednesday, November 19, 2008

There are several things that you want to be able to give every child. Love, a full tummy and health.

I'm constantly working hard of providing all the love and compassion that I can, fortunately being with these amazing kids makes it easy. Every day I walk into Hands of Mercy the young kids come running up, trying to jump up to be the first to get a cuddle. Luckily for them cuddles is an international language and though I may still struggle with my Swahili and say things in English they don't understand, they know what a hug means: i love and care about you.

Food is a little more challenging. Usually there is only enough money for two meals a day, lunch and dinner, consisting of rice or uguali (a maize dish) with beans or spinach, sometimes porridge for breakfast. Food is expensive and I am entirely grateful for the donations that mean the kids can continue to eat for the rest of the month. I have helped to start a new volunteer initiative were the volunteers cook one dinner a week for all the kids. This week we are cooking eggs with tomato and capsicum and rice and carrot and cucumber on the side. Its 25,000 shillings (approx $30) worth of food but will go a long way. 

Health...something lacking. Seeing one of the older boys wheezing and crying pulled at some heart strings. Last week I took Dennis (aged 18) and Neema (aged 9) to the Doctor in the city. Sadly the expensive of visits to the doctor and medication means that the children very rarely get any medical attention or standard health checks.  Dennis had some fluid in his lungs making it impossible for him to breathe when playing his favourite game, soccer, and and eye infection. Neema has been suffering from some type of skin infection/worm which made her embarrassed and shy around some of the other kids. Both are now on several different types of medication and Dennis is already improving. Unfortunately this was only 2 kids out of 50 that I was able to help. With the arrival of a few new volunteers we have decided that next week we will take all the children to the doctor for checks that we ordinarily wouldn't think our children, nieces, nephews and grandchildren need: polio, TB, Aids, HIV, malaria and the list goes on.  A typical doctors visit cost anywhere from $2 to $5, and medication usually $10 or more. 

I continue to love it here more and more!!

Mwanza hotels Slideshow Share

Post your own travel photos for friends and family Pictures

Cassava	Dennis	Dinner Time	Healthy Dinner
Sasi and I