Child’s Play

The team could not have thought of a better way to start off our exciting journey to Uganda than spending the day playing with some of the most spirited children in Masindi.  This morning after a gracious breakfast, half of the team departed to visit a local orphanage that is home to as many as 100 children. As we pulled into the orphanage, the van was almost instantaneously surrounded by about 30 smiling children welcoming us to their home.  Each team member was quickly embraced by several children before they could even step completely out of the van.  After playing for a while, the team was serenaded with song and dance by many of the kids.  The children, who have so little by traditional American standards, display a kindness and hope that we should all aspire to in life.  After an exciting “playtime” period, the providers set out to begin providing healthcare to many of the children who were acutely ill.  It was refreshing though how healthy many of the children were after having all received well-child check ups by our December team.  Still, we were able to identify 2 young kids who were showing signs of early asthma and the fact that we will be able to provide them with albuterol inhalers will not only slow the progression of their disease but will also allow them to hopefully lead a relatively normal and symptom free childhood.

While one half of the time visited the orphanage, the other half was able to visit the local Masindi Hospital, which provides the second best level of care in the country after the main hospital in the capital, Kampala.  We had the chance to tour the facilities and talk with several of the hardworking staff.  They shared with us many of the obstacles that they must try to overcome when providing care for an ailing patient.  The team was also able to walk through several of the hospital wards and visit the “theater”, or operating room.  It was an important experience for our team because it helps highlight how significant our contribution to the people of Masindi can be.  In the afternoon, the two groups swapped places so everyone got to share in these unique experiences.

Tonight, we had a delicious dinner and heard touching testimonials from 3 team members: Sandy, Rachel and myself.  Michael also discussed some of the different diagnosis and treatments that we expect to see before the entire team joined together to count and bag several thousand pills.  So as we prepare for a long first day of clinic tomorrow, we are thankful for the opportunity we have to be here and look forward to helping and sharing with the people of Masindi.

Please stay tuned for more updates!

Brian Blaker