Judy's Notes from Uganda, 2006

Hi all!

Wow! It's really been a busy few days...I've worked from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.! The clinic for the hotel staff has been going strong! We will only be able to see about a third of the staff, but hopefully the ones we didn't see this year will be first on the list when we do this next time! Of course the ones who need the most help either didn't get in or were very last...sigh...

We went out to a school of 500 children, mostly orphans, yesterday. On the way, we got lost and had the most amazing experience. The drivers thought we were at the school we were looking for, so we all piled out of the car. The ditch running down the side of the building and down the street smelled putridly germy! (People were using it as a urinal -- we saw later.) But the beautiful children inside the gate pulled us in! As we got directions from the head master to the place we were supposed to go, the children charmed us!!!

So we asked if we could give some quick lessons about tooth care and they said Yes! Christine, a dentist with us, looked in all their mouths and found only three with tooth problems. We learned that the children are all AIDS orphans and some of them have AIDS...and the location is an emotional support center for the children! What a wonderful idea!

The school we finally got to was also amazing -- 500 children from 7a.m. to 5 p.m.! They all get breakfast, but only those who can afford it get lunch (about $.50)...maybe we can set up something here? I don't know...