Ilula-Friends-2020

I arrived back in Ilula Monday morning. It is great to arrive back in Ilula after a long series of flights, including a 5 hour delay for our first flight which resulted in missed connections and rebooked flights.  But in the end it all worked out.   Our group is a mixture of very experienced volunteers at Ilula, some who are here for the first time, and everything in between.  This is personally my ninth time coming on the trip.  Many thanks to Randy, Gary, and Ken for all their work and commitment making this amazing even happen every year. It is also great to see so many of the staff here who we have come to know and respect over the years including Dr Saga, Dr Sovelo, Dr Benjamin, Tuli, Anna our cook, Frank, and Mr Kikote the hospital administrator, and many others.  We have also made some new friends this year including our wonderful new cook, Immanuel, and social worker, Happy.  They do amazing work with ext...

January 22, 2020 Habari za Asuburi, We woke up to a severe thunderstorm and pouring rain as we did the day before.  The weather can be cool, hot and humid, stormy, rainbows and sunshine all in one day.  No matter what the weather, it was another wonderful day working with the students and medical staff here.  Today Patrick, Marissa, Jill and I met with Happy Maya, the Ilula social worker highlighted in a prior blog.  We had the opportunity to do home visits in Kipaduka village about 30 minutes drive from Ilula.  Kipaduka is spread out, a beautiful farming town and has a population of about 1,700.  Our loaded  four wheel vehicle made its way along a red dirt and very wet bumpy road.  Frist stop in the village was at the pastors house where we were invited in and offered refreshments.  We were asked to sign a guest book, which apparently is a custom whenever visitors come to a village.  We then walked...

23 January I awoke this morning, listening to our rooster crow, and the rain.  Reflecting on the ironies and contrasts that are Africa and Ilula, and what is an undercurrent in discussions. The incredible lushess of this area in the rainy season...green, fragrant, very! damp that will become so very dry, brown and dusty in the dry season in the dry season... The frustration and reality of poverty, limited resources, preventable death, limited/halted education for a people that do and accomplish much and continue to, with broad smiles, palpable joy and gentle,welcoming manner. Passing the farmer carrying a hoe to the field or "encouraging " his cow to pull the single blade plow through the red clay with serious purpose as the crops must sustain them, while smiling with an hakuna matata outlook. So, it has rained and rained...hard at least once a day all.week, last nite at least 3 times.  Usually short, fierce bursts with thunder, lightning, then drizzle, bu...

Healthcare professionals trying to be healthy after sitting too long on an airplane or ...Cheesey yoga: you make the call

Today was a very interesting day at Ilula!  We had morning report this morning and sadly we learned of a young HIV patient that had passed in the night- we had been following her and had hoped for the best.  We also discussed ectopic pregnancy - interestingly, Frank the pharmacist at Ilula must procure Methotrexate at a cost of 10,000 schillings (~$5) for one dose. Not only is it expensive for the hospital but difficult to come by- he must procure it from Dar Es Salaam- over 300 miles away.  To compare, a full course of antibiotics for out-patients is approximately 3,000 schillings (~$2).  Again, we are constantly in awe of the amount of good work that gets done with challenging resources.   Elizabeth and I spent the morning in the Hypertension/Diabetes Clinic too.  This is a combination out-patient clinic that also serves the government benefit patients.  The patients are all walk-in.  The range of disease is from Hypertensive Crisis to chick...

Here  Ilula's new transformer is a picture of the transformer STS paid for as a prerequisite for x ray machine.  Below is a picture of the transformer STS paid for as a prerequisite for x ray machine.  Randy

Happy Maya is the social worker at Ilula. She counsels patients and helps distribute the poor patient funds to deserving patients. Originally from Njombe, she began work at Ilula as a nurse. She also worked in the hospital pharmacy for some time before completing a degree in community development a Happy Maya is the social worker at Ilula. She counsels patients and helps distribute the poor patient funds to deserving patients. Originally from Njombe, she began work at Ilula as a nurse. She also worked in the hospital pharmacy for some time before completing a degree in community development at Iringa University College.