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Judy Chambers
Uganda – January 2009
Hi All!
It is always such a joy to travel!
Our plane came into Seattle from Tokyo...three hours late! That same plane (imagine that...it was traveling more than half way around the world!) left shortly after that and we arrived in Amsterdam...after our connection to Kampala had left, so...
We had a choice to spend the night in Amsterdam and take the same flight the next day, or reschedule on Air Kenya...remember June?
We chose the Air Kenya, figuring we could leave directly from the airport and head for our first work station...missing only sleep and not work days...
They had 8 hours to get our luggage from the old plane to the new one, and I kept checking to make sure they would do it...
But we arrived in Kampala with 3 of 23 pieces of luggage! ...remind me never to fly Air Kenya again...no matter how promising it looks!
We did get all but two of those pieces the next day, so we headed for Gulu and the prison camp out at Koch Goma.
We only got to work three days there, but managed to get lots done for the people! I think the dentists saw close to 100 people and each patient at Koch Goma had 3-4 procedures done for them, so that added up to a lot of dentistry! I taught tooth brushing to about 250...along with sterilizing instruments...
The people who are left here are the poorest of the poor and have no where to go if they left the camp, so they stay.
The midwife, Santa, is an awesome lady! She has started a prenatal class and had 22 pregnant ladies in there the day I taught tooth brushing and oral health for babies...it was really fun! And they had just had a 7-month preemie when we got there, so I gave her some of those fleece buntings...they were having a hard time keeping the baby warm and had to sending him into Gulu for more care, although he was healthy...just tiny! So awesome!
The solar panel lights seem to be working, but I bought some new light bulbs for them
Echo Glen donated 150 T-Shirts to the people there and the people loved them...fought to get them...kinda hard not to have enough for each person...
Hi again!
Sorry about the abrupt departure...the power went out and the computer tech was yelling, "Push Send! Push Send!" ...so I did...
Since I talked with you last, we have been in Murchison Falls and communed with giraffes, duikers, oribis, and lots more antelope on the roads. We took a boat trip and saw crocodiles, elephants, cape buffalo ( and some mixed with forest buffalo)...and lots of hippos!
Murchison Falls is a powerful cataract on the Nile River (I can't remember if it's the Blue or the White...). It boils through a narrow break in the rocks! Awesome!
We are at Mweya, now and have seen an amazing lion...first male I've seen here in Uganda! And he just laid there and let us watch. I think he was babysitting...the mom was out hunting. Although by the looks of his belly, she had already had some success... There was a guide in another car that said that couple had babies, so...I decided he was watching the kids, since he didn't leave that bush! :-)
During the days here, we have been down in the salt mine crater at Lake Katwe, doing dentistry for the people there and delivering gifts. Today we finished up seeing all the people who were in pain or had abscesses! It was an amazing accomplishment!
I taught more tooth brushing lessons...and some flossing too... :-) Lots of fun!
I gave them the rest of the Echo Glen T-Shirts, and those from 1st Place School...the people here were extremely grateful! We also had a better handle on mob control, so it went much better! I think I got enough good pictures for good presentations! :-
Dr Linda Cirtaut and her office brought more waders...some for the women too. We will see how they work for the ladies...hopefully super! If they work, it will help cut down on uterine failure and birth defects!
They also brought more capes, designed by Ginny (our oldest team member at 86!). This year they put some pockets in the back so the men who load the big salt bundles can add padding...great idea!
One young man, who has done some interpreting for us in the past, asked about getting a scholarship to dental school (or perhaps nursing school), so I told him to write up a request about how he would like to get educated to help his people...I'm desperately trying to think of his name...long day...it'll come!
This is such a lovely group of people; it is hard to leave...
But tomorrow we head to Bwindi and the Impenetrable Rain Forest, the Silverback Gorillas, and the Batwa Pygmies!
I hope this finds each of you well and happy!
Love,
Judy,
Hi All!
We just left Bwindi and The Impenetrable Forest with the Mountain Gorillas and the Batwa Pygmies!
We got to visit only two Pygmy villages, along with working in the hospitals at Kihihi and Buhoma. These people are so incredibly poor in material things, but soooo rich in cultural life, it is enriching to be with them!
We worked on about 200+ people, doing 3-5 procedures per mouth! Can you imagine loosing 5 teeth at one time? Yikes! I had 4 pulled once and was in bed for a week! They all went back to work...at surviving!
I think I was able to teach tooth brushing (and sticking) to about 800 people over the few work days we had! They are so receptive and were excited to learn a new way of using the sticks they have been using for centuries. They also remembered at least some of the things I taught last time I was there! How cool is that!?! :-)
...now if they would only do it at least twice a day...sigh... ;-)
So many of the children long to go to school...it is heartbreaking not to be able to help them all! But with people like Scott and Carol Kellerman, who are sponsoring over 1000 children in school, there is hope! You have to be careful in sponsoring these children, because some unscrupulous people take the fees and build themselves houses (I can't call them homes), etc...shameful! ...but a way of life here in Uganda...
And ahhhh...the animals! So many wonderfully beautiful, graceful creatures it's awesome to see! We went through Lake Mburo on the way back to Kampala and saw Vervet Monkeys, Baboons, Wart Hogs (so ugly they're cute), Bush Bucks, Water Bucks, Topis, Impala, Hippos, and Zebras! ...Lots of them! And lots more!
Love,
Judy
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