30/5-09 at 12.00 by: linda
A sad visit , or was it ?
Monday started at 8am and I met Beatrice to start the long drive, to hopefully collect the two surviving triplets and to take them to the orphanage. I was not looking forward to this at all. I knew it was the only thing we could do as the alternative would certainly end with both babies dying in the village.
When we arrived the grandmother was at the ‘garden’. This is the term Malawians use for the fields where the maize and ground nuts were growing. A message was sent and we waited on a mat outside her hut. The chief was there as was the triplet’s father and an uncle. The grandmother arrived with one baby on her back and another woman was carrying the second baby. Two children appeared with the feeding cups which were absolutely filthy which contained milk. The grandmother explained firstly to us all about her hospital experience and the death of Chisomo. We listened and sympathised and were left not knowing the true story of what actually happened because of course the hospital staff had given a different story.
Beatrice then broached the subject of the babies going into the orphanage and this idea was accepted very quickly. The grandmother admitted she was not coping and the look of the state of the babies, the hut and she herself, proved this without any doubt. One of the babies was looking ill and going down the same way as Chisomo. The men present were all accepting and were very happy we had come to take the babies away. I felt so sad for this grandmother. Through no fault of her own, she had done her best for her three grandchildren and it had come to this. It was very difficult to know how she was feeling as her face gave nothing away. The babies were now 5 months old and I am sure the grandmother felt some sort of bond. Beatrice said she was happy they were going- she certainly didn’t look happy to me. There was no goodbyes, no affection, but this is never shown normally even to children with mothers. You never see children being kissed or cuddled and yet they are an affectionate nation.
After the forms had been read, signed by the fathers thumb print and a letter from the chief we went on our way. One baby was in my basket and Beatrice sat in the back with the other on her knee. I knew these babies were never going to go back to the village. I wondered if they would ever know they had had a sister. Who would tell them when they were older, if they were lucky enough to reach adulthood? So many dilemmas, so many questions!
Mother Superior greeted us warmly and the babies were taken away for a much needed bath and change of clothes. It was a relief they were in safe hands and the responsibility was now away from Beatrice and I. Beatrice can easily visit, as Thoko’s feeding station is close by and Beatrice will be coming once a month to collect the money for Kauma feeding station which the nuns will be given through my contact.
I visited the babies on Wednesday and they were fine. Apart from both of them having an eye infection they were, dry, warm and being fed. On Thursday they were being taken up to the central hospital to be checked over and to have their HIV stasis determined. All new babies/ children who are admitted to the orphanage have a medical once over check at the hospital.
On Tuesday, I met the carpenter we were going to use to make some rocking chairs for the two new hospitals , Kangaroo rooms. I am also going to take him to Kauma next week to measure up for a birthing bench for Mrs Msumba, the Traditional Birthing Attendant. I have been promising her ever since I arrived but had never found a good carpenter until now. By the way Mrs Msumba is also one of the volunteers at the feeding station.
I found some lovely material for the curtains in the Kangaroo rooms and took my tailor, Duncan to both hospitals to measure up. He really enjoyed the outing and is a very reliable, talented gentleman.
Then I visited the Wellness Centre, which MUMs Recipes has contributed £25,000. It will be opened very soon. It is in beautiful grounds and I could imagine nurses walking around the peaceful rose garden sitting on benches, with the sun shining. The centre will be run like an out patient clinic for nurses and health workers who have HIV. There will be counselling, treatment, professional development programmes, nurses and midwives union support, all sorts of areas to support nurses and their families. Hopefully I will see this opened in the next three weeks before I come home. Also I have from The Friends of MUMs, a quilt hanging called ‘From Scotland with love’. One of three is going to be hung in the reception area and again I hope I will get a chance to see it mounted before I leave. This is Malawi so I won’t hold my breath!
My Mum went home on Thursday after being here for nearly 5 weeks. We are home in 3 weeks so it was not a sad goodbye.
I took Iain to the feeding station in Kauma. This was my weekly visit and Iain’s first time meeting all the women volunteers and the 100 children on the programme. As always there were far more than 100 children being fed. After the children were all weighed, this was one month since the programme started, and the phala was distributed, we all sat down and had a chat or debrief to use a very ‘in’ term from home. I explained that they would have to find somewhere near so that a shelter for the rainey season could be built. The phala and the children would have to be under shelter for the programme to continue in the very intensely wet weather. I left them with this in mind. They were going to ask the chief where it could go and I would like to think that the women could almost build the shelter themselves. They are a very motivated and willing group. We will of course support them but the more they do themselves the better.
We also visited the twins Janet and Jennifer and to see the progress of the new roof. The roof is finished but mud bricks have to be made to fill in the gaps. The grandmother was going to do this but it would have taken her a long time and so we paid 3,000 kwatcha (£12) for a young lad to make 1000 bricks and fit them in the house now. When we arrived yesterday all the bricks were made using top soil and water and a mould to shape them.
They were drying in the sun to be used today we hope. Janet had diarrhoea and was not her usual self so granny was gong to take her to the clinic, hopefully it is nothing too serious.
Beatrice visited Oscar this week and here we have another problem. The aunt did not take him to hospital last week to have his hydrocephalus seen too. In fact the family won’t admit there is a problem. The aunt does not want to stay in the hospital and unfortunately in Malawi all children need to have an adult to stay with them when they are inpatients.
So what do we do? Next week we will make a few phone calls and find out where we go from here.
When we arrived the grandmother was at the ‘garden’. This is the term Malawians use for the fields where the maize and ground nuts were growing. A message was sent and we waited on a mat outside her hut. The chief was there as was the triplet’s father and an uncle. The grandmother arrived with one baby on her back and another woman was carrying the second baby. Two children appeared with the feeding cups which were absolutely filthy which contained milk. The grandmother explained firstly to us all about her hospital experience and the death of Chisomo. We listened and sympathised and were left not knowing the true story of what actually happened because of course the hospital staff had given a different story.
Beatrice then broached the subject of the babies going into the orphanage and this idea was accepted very quickly. The grandmother admitted she was not coping and the look of the state of the babies, the hut and she herself, proved this without any doubt. One of the babies was looking ill and going down the same way as Chisomo. The men present were all accepting and were very happy we had come to take the babies away. I felt so sad for this grandmother. Through no fault of her own, she had done her best for her three grandchildren and it had come to this. It was very difficult to know how she was feeling as her face gave nothing away. The babies were now 5 months old and I am sure the grandmother felt some sort of bond. Beatrice said she was happy they were going- she certainly didn’t look happy to me. There was no goodbyes, no affection, but this is never shown normally even to children with mothers. You never see children being kissed or cuddled and yet they are an affectionate nation.
After the forms had been read, signed by the fathers thumb print and a letter from the chief we went on our way. One baby was in my basket and Beatrice sat in the back with the other on her knee. I knew these babies were never going to go back to the village. I wondered if they would ever know they had had a sister. Who would tell them when they were older, if they were lucky enough to reach adulthood? So many dilemmas, so many questions!
Mother Superior greeted us warmly and the babies were taken away for a much needed bath and change of clothes. It was a relief they were in safe hands and the responsibility was now away from Beatrice and I. Beatrice can easily visit, as Thoko’s feeding station is close by and Beatrice will be coming once a month to collect the money for Kauma feeding station which the nuns will be given through my contact.
I visited the babies on Wednesday and they were fine. Apart from both of them having an eye infection they were, dry, warm and being fed. On Thursday they were being taken up to the central hospital to be checked over and to have their HIV stasis determined. All new babies/ children who are admitted to the orphanage have a medical once over check at the hospital.
On Tuesday, I met the carpenter we were going to use to make some rocking chairs for the two new hospitals , Kangaroo rooms. I am also going to take him to Kauma next week to measure up for a birthing bench for Mrs Msumba, the Traditional Birthing Attendant. I have been promising her ever since I arrived but had never found a good carpenter until now. By the way Mrs Msumba is also one of the volunteers at the feeding station.
I found some lovely material for the curtains in the Kangaroo rooms and took my tailor, Duncan to both hospitals to measure up. He really enjoyed the outing and is a very reliable, talented gentleman.
Then I visited the Wellness Centre, which MUMs Recipes has contributed £25,000. It will be opened very soon. It is in beautiful grounds and I could imagine nurses walking around the peaceful rose garden sitting on benches, with the sun shining. The centre will be run like an out patient clinic for nurses and health workers who have HIV. There will be counselling, treatment, professional development programmes, nurses and midwives union support, all sorts of areas to support nurses and their families. Hopefully I will see this opened in the next three weeks before I come home. Also I have from The Friends of MUMs, a quilt hanging called ‘From Scotland with love’. One of three is going to be hung in the reception area and again I hope I will get a chance to see it mounted before I leave. This is Malawi so I won’t hold my breath!
My Mum went home on Thursday after being here for nearly 5 weeks. We are home in 3 weeks so it was not a sad goodbye.
I took Iain to the feeding station in Kauma. This was my weekly visit and Iain’s first time meeting all the women volunteers and the 100 children on the programme. As always there were far more than 100 children being fed. After the children were all weighed, this was one month since the programme started, and the phala was distributed, we all sat down and had a chat or debrief to use a very ‘in’ term from home. I explained that they would have to find somewhere near so that a shelter for the rainey season could be built. The phala and the children would have to be under shelter for the programme to continue in the very intensely wet weather. I left them with this in mind. They were going to ask the chief where it could go and I would like to think that the women could almost build the shelter themselves. They are a very motivated and willing group. We will of course support them but the more they do themselves the better.
We also visited the twins Janet and Jennifer and to see the progress of the new roof. The roof is finished but mud bricks have to be made to fill in the gaps. The grandmother was going to do this but it would have taken her a long time and so we paid 3,000 kwatcha (£12) for a young lad to make 1000 bricks and fit them in the house now. When we arrived yesterday all the bricks were made using top soil and water and a mould to shape them.
They were drying in the sun to be used today we hope. Janet had diarrhoea and was not her usual self so granny was gong to take her to the clinic, hopefully it is nothing too serious.
Beatrice visited Oscar this week and here we have another problem. The aunt did not take him to hospital last week to have his hydrocephalus seen too. In fact the family won’t admit there is a problem. The aunt does not want to stay in the hospital and unfortunately in Malawi all children need to have an adult to stay with them when they are inpatients.
So what do we do? Next week we will make a few phone calls and find out where we go from here.
No comments registered