#4 TBC Team October '10

A final tour around the Maternity Ward is in order. You have seen the steady progress in transformation of the Ward: Here is a view of the double-doorway leading into the labor ward, followed by a look as the paint goes on, looking through those same doors. What a difference a coat of paint makes!

When you look up, the ceiling is open over the ward to allow heat to dissipate.

The lab is of special concern, and there is much to be done. The countertop will be applied, sinks plumbed, tiling installed. Where Kevin is painting, at counter level we'll want to build a small blood-drawing 'station'. The windows and doors will need special attention to prevent dust (and critters) from blowing in freely. Note the fairly-typical gap under this metal door:

James, a Kijabe Hospital lab tech and friend, brought out the laboratory instruments, tested them, and placed them back in safekeeping until the lab is completed. He has returned to his employment at Kijabe Hospital, and we're thankful for his willingness to help in such a practical way. He is squatting next to the under-counter spaces where a few cabinets and open shelves need to be built.

And this young man is excited and happy, watching the excellent forward progress!

Now let me share a painful glimpse into the reality of life in Doro, expressed well in a note today from Grace Womack at our Nutrition Village:

"Yesterday one of my outpatients came very sick and had lost a lot of weight: Vomiting, diarrhea, fever. I told mama she needed to stay with him in the Village. She left the 1-year old (who weighed 11 pounds) with another mom in the Village and walked 2 miles home to bring back her 4-year old to stay with her. When she returned (without the other child), she was crying. Evidently, the father, a man from the North, was drunk and beat & kicked her because she left the baby and was planning to stay in the Village. She tried to reason with him, saying if the baby didn't stay at Doro he might die. Dad said, 'Let him die'!"

"I gave her milk powder and medication with instructions, and told her if she ever wanted to return we would welcome her. Also, I told her to bring the child on Saturday. So disheartening... I know this is nothing new under the sun, but still hard." (Grace Womack, RN)

And, other items of interest to you as you prepare for this adventure... walking distance from the old hospital site is our compound; this picture is from overhead. If you look closely, you will see the solar panels on the tin roof of the dining building. The large building is the storeroom.

The other tents and brown-thatched houses or 'tukuls' you can see are where we live - about 20 people inside the 300 yard perimeter - with small cooking shelters, showers, pit latrines, and every comfort imaginable. No hot tub, yet. But most of the year, that would be easy to arrange...

By early October, the rains will stop falling and 7 months without a drop will follow. However, the floods have been serious this year and the mosquitoes are out in force right now. Bring some DEET and at least one long-sleeve shirt to protect your arms at night. And remember this promise, if the task seems daunting: "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed." 2 Cor 9:8

TBC Doro Team #3

The painting of the interior of the building began about 3 weeks ago. The place looks great! The men are standing in what will become the labor & delivery room. Electric wiring is overhead... some switches, plugs, main box, etc are yet to be completed, and this will be one of our tasks.

Most of the building is open above, to dissipate the heat which is oppressive from late November through May. October is not exactly cool (!), but pleasant. The lab and the operating room have completed ceilings. This shows the work in progress... We'll purchase cornicing this week, and send it as cargo on one of the upcoming flights -- nailing it in place will also happen in October.The 'half wall' in the foreground is between the nurses' station and the small 8-bed ward. We'll want to build a desk with a plyboard top and some cabinets, for the nurses' station. I'll purchase large sheets of plyboard on Monday, and those will also be flown in ahead of us. I may not have much choice, but would appreciate your thoughts about materials needed - thickness of the plyboard, for instance (OK, it's not quite like the plywood you have... but it works). I can purchase hinges and handles here - please advise if a certain type would be best. Now a challenge:

This is a close-up of the un-painted windows to show you a problem which will affect us in the lab (4 windows) and the OR (2 windows). The other 20 or so windows aren't such a problem, if they allow dust or rain to blow in during those two seasons of the year. You can see the light shining through the narrow gap next to the window-latches; and in the other picture, below the hinge (which still is covered with cement plaster). I hope there is some type of easily-attached and durable rubber strip which might provide even a partial seal for these windows. Ideas?? We can purchase various silicone sealants and adhesives in Nairobi. Again, thank you for your ideas.

The next picture is confusing: We're standing in the ward, looking over the half-wall of the nursing station space (which you can't see), and beyond it is a wall with window looking into a small room designed for sick babies. The window shutters are open from the window out of view on the left side. We bought two sheets of perspex transparent plastic, and will want to have a sliding window in the space looking into the 'neonatal ICU' !

This is a great time of the year. The Yabus River is at its highest; the endless dirt which is Sudan's lot for most of the year has been transformed by 3 months of rain, and elephant grass stands 10 feet high all around. You can see the cultivated fields of sorghum and maize near the river. Months of hunger are ending this month, and October is when the 'firstfruits' celebrations take place. All for now. Thanks for your preparations and prayer, that the Lord will make these weeks a life-changing time for all of us in Doro. In Him, Rob

TBC #2 Maternity Building

View of the Maternity Building, with the adjacent buildings - the one in the foreground is shorter but in better shape and is our present Clinic building. The longer one has been for storage, but we've just repaired the inside and painted, and it will be in use by October as a place for our health worker-trainees to learn patient care.

Now we'll move to the inside of the building. I hope you have the architectural plan I sent. Perhaps I only sent that to you, Jon... if that's the case, can you copy to the others? Thanks...
The main part of the building is for maternity patients: a ward, labor, and delivery area. On the far end is the lab; on the near end is the operating 'theatre' (or as we would say, the OR).

First, pictures of the inside after plastering of the red-brick (locally burned brick) walls.

The windows were trucked down from Khartoum, 500 difficult miles to the North. The interior picture is taken from near the main door, close to where Lemam was standing in the earlier post. I am looking to the left inside that entrance, through what will be swinging double doors. The doors were made by the June team from Scotland; nice hinges we brought from the US. The first room is the delivery room which will hold 3 delivery beds: We'll install a wall-mounted sink and plumb that one and another six or seven of those throughout the building. The farther room also will have swinging double doors, and is an operating room. More pics to come... here's Rob with Kevin, making plans.

The building in the background here on our base is a 'kitchen', and the round grass-walled structure to the left is a place for taking a bucket-bath (some people would rather do that, than use the overhead bucket shower). I recommend the overhead bucket, at night under the stars, but 'we aims to please!'

On the weekends, we'll have opportunity to walk or take the quad bikes and motorcycle out to villages - here's a recent picture from Gasmalla, a village 4 miles from Doro with a typical thatch-roof church and a wonderful group of believers.

That's it for now... In Christ, Rob

TBC Team October

Hi men!

I will load a series of pictures, to give you an idea what to expect next month. Kevin MacClennan from Scotland, the engineer helping out this year, completes his 'tour of duty' today, and will be back in Nairobi tomorrow. So... here we go. Rob

Here's a typical canvas 'safari' tent where we'll be sleeping... see the roof of the grass 'tukul' hut back behind. Take my word for it: The tents are better - no mystery creatures crawling around in the thatch at night!! And a picture inside the tent: That is 12-year old son Paul sleeping on the 'string bed' under his mosquito net. We have plenty of those nets, so don't bring one. You can see the wires of the solar light system against the back wall. And the bikes out front? If you like repairing bikes and punctured tires... you're coming to the right place!

Now... the building progress: This pic is from early August. The cement 'patio' where the Uduk man (our best Sudanese worker - Lemam) is standing is now complete. This pic shows the gutter in place... now finished. The plastering of the red-brick wall had started, and if you look closely you can see the smooth plastered wall at the far end -- the door at the far end opens into the lab.