No Need to Stand on Ceremony

It’s been a series of ceremonies.

Last week a team of staff from the main funders of the Hospital’s Maternity and Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit, Aspen Insurance and ISIS, visited. They came from America, London, Singapore and Australia and spent time visiting the wards, meeting the staff and experiencing life in Kiwoko. On their last day we had a farewell meal where there was a bit of excitement when it came to cut the cake.

 

 Also one of the doctors, Mushin, was baptised at our church. He had come from a Muslim family but had become a Christian and baptised when at school. However, his father had destroyed his baptism certificate. Because he wants to be married in church he needed to prove he had been baptised, so repeated the ceremony.

On Sunday the Bishop of Luweero came to hold a combined confirmation and wedding service at our local church. When he was introduced to Irene there seemed to be some friendly rivalry about who has the strongest grip.

 

The wedding was for a couple who had been married traditionally, by local ceremony, several years earlier but now wished to be formally married in church. They took the opportunity of the Bishop’s visit to be wed by him.

 

Irene enjoyed her birthday this week. She woke to find that their was no chance of keeping her age a secret, and made the most of the occasion.

 

On Friday the staff arranged a surprise birthday Bar-B-Que.

 

 

The night included fun and games and lots of food.

 

Our fellowship group gave Irene a large shopping bag as a present

 

And as we started the week with a cake, we can end it with one too.

 

This week’s proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is “When a cock invites a cockroach for a birthday party, he has prepared dinner for himself”.

"It's the way I tell 'em" *

Last Saturday we completed the ‘Kiwoko Chess’.

We had thought is was a 16.5 km 'Chase' (10 mile walk / run) around Kiwoko, but unfortunately there was a printing mistake on the tee-shirts. No matter; we don’t think we would be any better at brain-power than foot-power.

 

There were about 120 people entered in the Chase – half of which were walkers wearing green tee-shirts. To avoid walking in the heat the start was at dawn – just after 7am.

 

 

The race was along the roads and pathways around the hospital, and was a good chance to ‘catch up’ with people – by chatting if not by racing.

 

 

At the end everybody got a prize and a certificate.

 

 As for the results, it’s just that some people are simply faster than others

 

 

This week’s proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is from Nigeria : "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together"



* with compliments to Frank Carson

Build Up for the Big Race

Next weekend we are taking part in the annual Kiwoko Chase – a walking / running race of 7  to 10 miles around the hospital.
 
In preparation he Hospital commissioned the refurbished male ward this week – just in time for Malcolm!!!!

The hospital received a new anaesthetic machine – this was made by a company called Diamedica based near Barnstable in Devon. It is a rugged design intended for easy maintenance in developing countries such as in Africa. The Managing Director, Robert, came this week to ensure the staff are fully trained in using the machine before Irene needs it!!

 

Out on the route urgent supplies are being arranged to keep us going.

 

And even a frog dropped in to see what all the fuss is about.

 

 

Lets just hope we survive to update the blog next week.

 This week’s proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is from USA  “A frog does not run in the daytime in vain””

Stop me and............................

It’s a long and windy road – from Kisiizi and Kiwoko.

Malcolm returned from Kisiizi Hospital by the ‘Kanungu Express’. He had checked the departure time the day before with the driver and so turned up at the bus stop at 5.50 am. The bus arrived at 7.40 am (the driver had forgotten the bus is later on Sundays) and started the 10 ½ journey to Kampala (with no official comfort breaks). In part it was that long as half way there was a hissing sound from the rear tyre and the bus had to stop to repair a puncture.

During this break, when the boot was unloaded to get to the spare tyre, Malcolm saw that 2 of his fellow passengers were a live chicken, and a duck packed in a sack with just its head showing. He assumed this is the best way to carry fresh food safely to Kampala.

 

Always with an eye for business an ice-cream salesman arrived on his motor bike. You know when one is coming as they sound similar music to ice-cream vans in Britain – only there is no limit to how long the music is played.

 

A few days later in Kiwoko Malcolm came across a group of children eagerly waiting by another salesmen for their strawberry ice-cream cones.

Irene was also stopped when she was walking by 2 girls who were pleased to pose to have their photo taken.

This week’s proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is from Kenya  “A frog's large eyes will not stop a cow from drinking water”

Self raising?

You need to know how to take a lady out for a treat.

Last week we tried our first restaurant in Kiwoko. This was little more than a shack with some home made tables which served chicken and chips in the evening. The food was surprisingly good and the chef a bit of a character.

 

At the hospital some of the staff arranged a childrens’ Holiday Club for the weekend. Most of the 200 or so children were from staff families but there were some from the local village.

 

Malcolm returned to Kisiizi Hospital for the week to audit the accounts of the Hospital’s Power Company. A Tourist Guide says that because the hospital has its on hydro-electric scheme it has the most reliable power supply in Uganda. Unfortunately after several weeks of no rain the power had had to be rationed because of the low water levels. However, the rains returned the same weekend as Malcolm.

 

Whilst he was there the hospital formally opened its new block of 8 staff apartments. For this the chairperson and husband of the UK Charity that supports the Hospital came to ‘cut the cake and open the house.

 

This week’s proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is from Uganda  “It takes the whole village to raise a child”

Building Them High.............And Knocking Them Down

Because many young people work and study here there are several weddings a year. This week a midwife in Dr. Corrie's ward got married. Weddings are big events and need someone to bake many cakes. Another medic, Dr Diane is a bit of an expert and baked about a dozen cakes for the wedding – quite a pile!!!! These needed Dr C’s car to get them to the reception.

 The following is a picture of one of the local chemist shops – one way of getting a high score, perhaps?

 

This week the hospital received a team from UPMB (the Uganda Protestant Medical Board) who came to inspect some of the hospital’s services. These are scored and a report issued. This year all areas of the hospital improved with the control of infectious diseases being given 100%!!!.

 

Like most of Uganda we do not enjoy the privilege of mains sewage. Many of the toilets are no more than holes in the ground which require regular emptying – not a pleasant job which most people clearly try to avoid!

 

 

In previous weeks we’ve shown pictures of the traditional wood and mud houses. This week is an example of how they are knocked down.

 

This week’s proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is from Nigeria  “When the frog in front falls into a pit, those behind tread cautiously”

Welcome Back - The Malcolms

After our 3 week break in England we have just arrived back in Kiwoko, exhausted.

 

So a short blog this week.

 

As we walked around the hospital on our first day back we met the staff from the HIV clinic that Irene has been helping. We don’t think they were dancing in pleasur eat her return, but it was good to meet old friends.

 

 

This week’s proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is from Angola  “If you find a tortoise on your roof, just know that someone has placed it there”