It is examination time for the training schools! For the past few weeks each school in turn has been setting exams prior to graduation. This week it has been the turn of the Clinical Officers Training College. Dr. Corrie, who has taught obstetrics to the final year students at the College was pleased that all her students have passed that subject – which is quite an achievement as she knows it was all above board! (We are told one way students pass exams in Tanzania is by bribing the examiner).
Unfortunately it has been a testing time for Mama Asante. On May 1st we wrote that her niece had died, and that last year her brother had been killed in a car accident. Last Saturday we were told that her sister had just died from Aids. (Two of her other sisters have previously died – one following a caesarean operation and another stabbed by her husband,) On Monday, before dawn we heard the ambulance siren. Later we were told that the family of Mama Asante’s sister in law living in another village had been attacked during the night by someone with a machete, with one child killed and others seriously injured.
Although the village appears relatively peaceful on the surface, we are aware of the underlying risk of violence especially as the food shortage gets more severe and people become more desperate for food. Although Christianity, and to a lesser extent Islam are predominant (most people profess faith and are active in their church), there is still an underlying culture of black magic. Christianity was only really introduced to this part of the country 120 years ago at the time this Mission was founded so the ‘old’ religions continues under the surface. (This is hardly surprising – St Augustine came to England 1,300 years ago but there are still those who follow pagan beliefs). Because most people have had a very poor or no harvest of maize and millet, those who have a reasonable crop are at risk of being attacked on the assumption they have used black magic or simply from jealousy. We are told some of the men were expected to use magic to make it rain – and risk being attacked because they failed.
We are now both busy at work. Irene has joined Malcolm in trying to help sort out the finances of an organisation – but this time the secondary school. Unfortunately it has been discovered that the former cashier had stolen money and falsified many financial records including the fees paid by students. While they wait for a Bursar to be appointed, Julia has been trying to sort out ‘the mess’ and Irene has been helping her. Like the Hospital every day it seems another problem emerges. Irene also continues to work in the Medical filing stores. At last someone has come to work out the cost of putting more shelves into the stores. The existing ones were poorly designed with shelves to far apart wasting space. There is now no available shelf space and unless more are fitted they will be back to storing files on the floor. There is only one person between Irene and more shelves – Malcolm who has to find the money!!!!!
Last year Malcolm got used someone coming in every week reporting that they were owed money by the Hospital, but he thought that was over. In the last month two former members of staff who left more than 18 months ago have come to complain that heir ‘NSSF’ contributions for 2006 and 2007 had not been paid – which was a surprise as we (and NSSF) had believed all contributions had been paid up to May 2007 as a result of settling the Magistrates Court case last year. As the former accountant had stolen the payroll sheets this had been based on limited information. It now appears that the Hospital’s and (therefore NSSF’s) records of payments due were also inaccurate.
Last Sunday we visited as guests of honour (because we have been distributing Hunger Fund to the parishes) St Pauls church in the village The service was lead by a pastor, Abinery Ghinamata, based at the Hospital for the past month as part of his advanced training. He has been helping the chaplain in leading morning prayers, visiting and baptising patients and preaching at churches. Following the service we were invited to a presentation to him of thank-you presents. He will be returning to the Hospital in a week or so as his wife is heavily pregnant.
Chicken economics. We have had about 15 more eggs which means 77 for £43, the average cost is now 55p each – but we need to buy more food.
Update on Stumpy. Although we still hear occasional shots around the village which we assume are dogs being culled due to fears about rabies, Stumpy is still well spending time sleeping in our verandah.
Next week:
- breakfast with Dr Corrie to watch the birds in her garden
- continuing to work on the Finances of the Hospital and school.
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