Berega and Beyond

Monday….

Monday morning our bus set off to Berega at 8 and we were joined by Kishumu, Epsilon and Mama Kilatu. Mama Kilatu is our liaison with the Morogoro Diocese. She is invaluable to the team and takes care of arranging all the required government documentation with the ministry of health and immigration so that once we enter the country, all of the proper permits are in place.

Berega is about 2 hours away and our route took us up into higher elevation, allowing for panoramic views of the stunning scenery. As we neared our destination, our bus turned off of the highway at the town of Berega and began rumbling over a rutted dirt road. The Mkundi river is a very shallow and wide river that is the final landmark before Berega infants’ home. The rains last fall were very heavy, and the river flooded, doing serious damage to the only bridge. Our driver navigated the remnants of the bridge as the team held our collective breath, knowing that if the bridge collapsed, the drop would not kill us.

As we turned in to Kristen and Tisho’s house, Ethan came running to greet us, jumping into Pati’s arms, who just happened to be the first one he met. Everyone was favored with his rowdy greetings, but he saved the most exuberant welcome for his friend, Megan.

The babies were in the arms of their Bintis as they came out to greet us and we were treated to a lovely song, their young voices lifted up in praise to God for His many blessings. Mama Kilatu offered up a prayer before the babies were laid down for their naps.

Terry was excited to introduce us to the new dairy goat and cow, explaining to all of us the merits of each and why they were chosen for purchase. There was a second goat that Tisho purchased before Terry’s arrival, but on his advice it has been ear marked for the stew pot for the next big celebration.

Tisho’s goal is to make the infants’ home self-sufficient. To that end, they have found two more dairy cows that will be purchased this week and the current cow and goat will be bred once they have matured a bit. An important part of this plan is the fence that will allow for safe and theft-free grazing for the animals during the day. This fence is a marvel. The uprights are made of poured concrete and each one weighs about 160 pounds. They have five forms and were able to make 15 posts each day. This is done up near Kristen and Tisho’s residence so four men heft each finished post, carrying it to the site where it will be embedded 2 feet deep. Then chain link is manually stretched with a hammer and pliers between each post. Eventually, more cement will be poured at the base of the fence to secure the bottom.

After a lovely meal prepared by Kristen, we said our farewells and headed back down to Morogoro. Megan and Bethany remained in Berega and we look forward to hearing their stories when they join us again on Friday.

 Tuesday…

Our work began again on Tuesday. Although we had left word with the guard at the front gate that our schedule was full, we saw 50 or 60 people waiting for us as our daladala rounded the last turn to Mazimbu. One of our senior translators, Epsilon, showed why he excels in that position as he diplomatically explained to the crowd that the team is still caring for patients registered the prior week but that no new patients would be seen.

Doug and Chris were busy all day with six procedures. Chris, especially, received Doug’s highest praise—“He is the hardest worker.”—because Chris is not only assisting with every case but is also cleaning and wrapping the instruments for each procedure.

Eileen was kept busy dispensing reading glasses and sun glasses from the pharmacy. She has an eye chart that each person reads to help determine the strength that will work best. She even has different styles so each person gets to choose their favorite frame. They leave with smiles, often adding “I love you” to their farewell.

Dr. Swai, the Mazimbu gynecologist, began seeing our patients on Tuesday. His list of 25-30 women resulted in 4 surgeries scheduled so far. Our arrangement with the hospital is that Dr. Swai will perform his surgeries after we leave, but the team will still bear the expense of their procedures. There will undoubtedly be more cases added to the list once all of his lab and ultrasound results have been reviewed.

Wednesday will be a bit easier for us with only four cases scheduled. This is still a very full day but we hope to be finished with our work by 6 pm and are planning to have dinner at the Arc Hotel restaurant, sitting under the stars.