Hospital Update

I know two posts in one day is a little excessive, but just wanted to post a few photos from my visit to Mbale hospital this morning.

This is David, the little boy that got pushed into a fire bin about 3 weeks ago. I know it looks nasty, but this is actually an improvement from when I first met him. You can see the skin is starting to grow back over his stomach, but the groin area is still a bit of a mess. He's off antibiotics but is on some pain killers and his mum has to clean his skin with a special liquid. I went to the pharmacy with one of the locals and got some more of both for him, plus some boiled eggs and bananas to eat.

We spoke to David's mother and she told us that the father works some distance away, but returns to Mbale regularly. Since he found out about David's accident, he has not returned home. She has been in the hospital with David for 3 weeks now and cannot return home (and earn an income) until his body has recovered further. They don't know how long that will take.

Poor kid. I am hoping to track his process as he gets better, so I will keep you updated.

Today I was actually visitng the malnutrition ward, we were just swinging by the surgical ward to visit David. It was quite an intense experience. I had a good chat with the head nurse there about how many people visit the ward to get a packet of a special peanut paste containing milk powder and vitamins for their undernourished kids. Since June last year, they have had over 400 clients visit the ward, with the most extreme cases being admitted to the malnutrition ward. The ward currently has 13 children living there, and can squeeze in up to 21. Some children in the ward look chubby but they are actually horribly malnourished; their small bodies swollen with fluid. The ones who look emaciated are more visually disturbing, but are actually on their way to recovery.

This little boy is actually five years old. Five. I couldn't believe it. He was smaller than my two year old nephew.

I can't remember the name of the condition, but basically this kid's head is full of fluid. He is "lucky" in that he can hold his head up - sadly, not all kids with this problem can do that.

This was hard to look at. This child was two or three years old I think and was the skinnest child I have ever seen in person. I've seen lots of photos like this before but when the child is right in front of you and you can hear his cries of pain, you just feel so helpless. There were flies all over him and he was just lying on a mat outside, covered with a thin piece of material.

The nurse told us they had run out of sugar in the ward - they are normally given 5kgs to last a month if I remember that correctly. They add the sugar to milk and porridge or whatever else they are feeding the children in the different stages of their malnutrition. Sugar obviously adds calories which these kids desperately need. I went and bought 2kgs of sugar for them, which will hopefully tie them over until the next lot comes.

I left feeling sad about these kids and angry about the amount of food that is wasted all over the world every single day while kids are literally starving to death. I thought about all the stupid things we waste our money on and how often we buy things we don't need or even like that much, just for the sake of having it. It's overwhelming to think how much money is in the world and how pathetically small a portion of that filters into the places that need it the most. Places like Mbale where a few dollars can mean the difference between life and death. I know I've said it before and I'm not trying to make everyone feel bad, but it's the reality here.

If anyone out there wants to donate specifically to the hospital ministry, my bank details are at the bottom of my blog - if you give any amount and write 'hospital' in the reference box, I will make sure that the entire amount goes straight to the people here that need it the most. I can even give you the name and situation details of the person it helps, so you know exactly where your money is going and what impact it is having. Even $10 can do amazing things over here. Please consider giving and together we really can make a difference!

Thank you :)