On Monday I went with the assistant manager of Forever Angels to take one of the children to an appointment. One of the mamas (the Tanzanian women who work at the baby home) and her son came with us too. On the way to the appointment and even when we got there I didn't know what the appointment was for. We arrived at Bugando Children's Clinic. From the waiting room it was just like any GP or A&E waiting room back home. We were given a number and had to wait to be called. I then found out that it was a HIV clinic, which meant that all the children around me were HIV positive. You would never have known it as they all looked happy and healthy and were running around everywhere! However after we had been there a while a young girl, probably about 18, arrived on the back of a motorbike and carried in a girl and laid her on the bench next to me. The girl was probably no more than 14 years old and it was clear she was very unwell - she couldn't sit up and could hardly keep her eyes open. It was awful to see and I couldn't believe that such a young girl was so ill. The assistant manager then told me that a few years ago the Mama who was with us was in the same situation. She was only 14 years old and her son was 4 months old. She was suffering from both HIV and TB and her son was extremely malnourished as she was unable to breast feed him. Amy found them and took her son in and when the Mama was a bit older gave her a job at the baby home. 3 years ago she was able to take her son home and he is now 6 and attends school and they are both on medication and doing well. I hope that the girl I saw today can make a similar recovery.
Eventually we were called in to see the nurse who took some obs (weigh, height, blood pressure etc) and counted the medication each child had left to ensure t was being taken properly. This is really important as if the HIV medication is taken even a couple of hours late the body begins to build resistance to it and it is not longer effective. Since there is only 1 type of HIV medication available in Tanzania it is really important people do not allow this to happen.
We then waited again and were called to see the doctor who did a quick physical examination and checked if there were any problems. We then went to the pharmacy to get the medication and tablets, which were counted by hand!!
It was an extremely humbling experience and a bit of a reality check. You see all the TV adverts and campaigns back home but when I was say there today I couldn't believe that all the children sat around me had HIV - and this was only a few hours, on one day, in one clinic so it is a minute percentage of all the children in Tanzania who are HIV positive, not to mention the adults. And there will be so many who don't have access to a clinic like this or to medication. I was really impressed by the clinic. Although the process was a bit slow it was efficient and what they do is clearly working! They are very good at ensuring that medication is taken properly and parents understand the importance of this, with counsellors available for them to talk to if needed.
I also have so much admiration for the Mama who was with us. Having heard her story and seen pictures of her and her son 6 years ago it is amazing how far she has come. She now has a job and her son attends school and they are both doing really well. She is younger than me and it seems crazy that this is the kind of reality so many young girls out here face.
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We took some of the children swimming on Sunday which was lots of fun! The water was pretty freezing and most of then cried at first but they enjoyed it in the end! One of the little girls was terrified at the beginning and wouldn't go near the water, but by the end I was teaching her to swim on her back and couldn't get her out of the pool!
Here are some pictures from the trip:
Yesterday we took some of the big toddlers to the beach (which is man made as its by Lake Victoria). It was really beautiful and there was a great playground which the kids loved! The journey was interesting as there was 21 of us (11 adults and 10 children) in a car which was supposed to seat 8 people! This is pretty common in Tanzania!
And also some photos of some of the incredibly cute children at Forever Angels
Ready for bed in his Winnie the Pooh onesie!
Tho little girl is nearly 1 but is absolutely tiny and one of the cutest babies ever!
One of the boys with cerebral palsy - we took him swimming yesterday and he absolutely loved it!
My walk to work early in the morning!
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