MONGU!!

here is one of my many rashes!! OK just joking, it is an attack from the mosquitos in Livingstone...No Malaria yet.

I can’t even begin to tell you how I feel being in Mongu. It finally feels like a place to call home. We can start to get settled, get to know the area and start to learn Losi, the local language. I already have 4 words down and it has only been 24 hours. Here is your first word to learn….mulumele ( pronounced mooloomelly) which is the local greeting.

As we were driving closer to Mongu I started to get more excited as things started to lose their urban feel. I am trying not to compare….but it was definitely like moving from Accra (Ghana’s capital) to Tamale. You start seeing less development and a trend towards simple living such as ox drawn carts and so forth. However, with a lack of development you also see a trend towards poverty. Children were everywhere walking without shoes and torn shirts. At the same time they smiled more and yelled out mukuwa which means white person. The children stole my heart at once. I will tell you more about this later down the page….

The flood plains in Mongu. The picture just doesn't capture the 50km span that is flooded in the rainy season!

So we get into Mongu, its dark, and we had just watched the most amazing sunset ever. We find living arrangements for Gene and Mubita at the Cheshire House for Physically disabled children (they stayed in the visitors residence), then continued on to Moya O Kenile House which will be our home for the next 6 months. I have to admit, I was frightened at first not know what to expect. The electric fence followed by the voice of Sister Christina was a little worrisome at first. Within the first 30 minutes or so following the introduction I could not have asked for a better place to stay. Sister Christina is Irish and a bucket of fun. She has a sarcastic sense of humour and a very effect take charge personality. The place is spotless and just gorgeous. Jessica and I are staying in the Convent with the Sisters right now (2 of them) and then will move into the guest house later this week when Brian (another Irish man working on building schools and their education system) moves out. The two Irish folks are the funniest people ever!! On top of it all, the sisters have been cooking our meals while we are staying in the convent and it is delicious. Get this….we had spaghetti last night with soya product rather than meat and EVERYONE had a beer. I love Irish nuns!!! They make the best baking as well. I have snooped around and the guest house is great too. It is close to the convent and has a sink in each room. The kitchen comes with 2 pantries and there is a large sitting area. I am sure we will post pictures later.

Lianne, Sister Mary, Jessica, Brian, Sister Cathy, and Cam.....Our favorite Nuns.

So the first few days is filled with networking as usual. It is still intimidating to walk to Lewanika College and know that people`s education relies on you! Here is what we have learned about Mongu so far…. Mongu district has a population of approximately 200 000 people, with on 60 000 living in the town of Mongu. It is part of the Western Province, the least developed province in the Country. Lewanika Nursing School has only 2 tutors (professors) for close to 100 students!!! There is a great demand for nurses as there is world wide, so the ministry has recommended an increase in uptake numbers for new nursing students. However, the demand on the teaching staff is already stretched, proving a need for human resource in all sectors (nurses, students, and staff).

In the health sector, we have learned that HIV/AIDS is the number one killer in this region, followed by TB, malaria, then pneumonia. Interestingly enough, Malaria was the highest on the mortality list 3 years ago until a malaria campaign was introduced. This included introducing a new line of drug (coartem), distribution of mosquito nets, staff training, and introduction of rapid diagnostic test. In addition the HIV/AIDS rate has increased. www.lewanikageneralhospital.org

Here we are meeting with the Permanent Secretary (equivalent to the Premier) of Western Province.

Back to the children....I can’t even tell you how much they bring joy to my day. Every day as we leave the convent, there is a line of 5-8 children waiting to say “hello, how are you” to the truck of white people driving by. This is some of the only English they know as most children in this region cannot afford the school fees. Then there is the Chesire House....This is a place where children with physical disability go after surgery for rehabilitation. I was in the vehicle waiting for Gene and I watched a small child crawl for a couple hundred meters with two casts on his legs. I wanted so badly to pick the child up and carry him to his room, but we were on our way. The home is doing amazing work and had some volunteers there as well. This may be a good opportunity for me to volunteer in the future!

This trip is such a learning experience. I bought some textbooks from the bookstore in Lusaka and have been learning so much about tropical medicine. I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to work abroad to do it. It is so rewarding to work with the people of developing countries as well. It can definitely be trying at time, but in the end teaches you to be a more patient person. I just finished reading this book called “Hope in Hell.” It is about expats working with MSF (Doctors without Borders), it describes many of the feelings that I feel. One point in particular I enjoy is the aspect of how it is difficult to relate to expat work. It is a great read if anyone is interested, I would be glad to hear what you think!!

Lianne