Our Christmas here was pretty nice indeed. A couple days before Christmas Harper and I made cookies to hand out to various people at the hospital, and it was almost like home except we could only do one pan of cookies at a time so the process was twice as slow. That and we didn't have cookie cutters, so they were just balls of cookies, but they still tasted delicious.
Christmas Eve there was a fair bit of cooking going on again, and it was stuff that could be made in advance, like little hot dogs rolled in dough and mince pies. The turkey that was walking around Maji for a couple days also met it's fate and was sitting in a pot ready to be cooked the next day.
Christmas dawned and we went to the early service at Arche Chruch. It was in Swahili and I understood about 4% of the words which was a bit disappointing. Lyn was sitting next to me though and she summarized very well what was going on. There were a lot of singing groups and various choirs (I think 6 in all) and a guest speaker who was "the best we've heard in the Congo" (claimed by a couple people) who was succinct and to the point and did not repeat himself or beat around the bush.
Breakfast was on the table after church but the people were scattered, so I grabbed a bowl of granola like stuff and walked around the garden thinking and enjoying God's beautiful creation. Throughout the day help was offered in the kitchen and the cooking came in spurts. Lunch was down by the lake and featured a potato salad with canned crab meat (which was delicious) and potato chips. There's a new store in town that might deserve a post to itself later, but we got some potato chips there and they tasted particularly delightful with the potato/crab concoction.
I was going to go swimming when I found out lunch was ready, and by the time we had finished eating, it was cloudy so I decided to put it off. Spending an afternoon relaxing and doing nothing in particular was a great Christmas day. Finally I just gave in and went swimming even though it was cloudy. The water was really warm and now I can say I've swam at Christmas time. When I was in the Philippines it was warm enough, but the opportunity didn't present itself.
Christmas dinner came around and there was another muzungu present as well as her Congolese husband. Besides them, it was Joe, Lyn, Harper, and I and lots of delicious food. There was the turkey, stuffing inside the turkey, some prune stuffing, and some apple stuffing (instead of making lots of one kind we opted to just make a little of a couple kinds), mashed potatoes, green beans and carrots and cauliflower, rice, a peanut sauce for the rice, a bread sauce for the turkey, sausages cooked with the turkey, gravy, wine, passion fruit juice, and water. Other liquids were available as well, but we never called into use the beer or sodas. After that mass of food was gratefully picked over by all inhabitants of the table, we moved inside for tea and desert. Sweet mince pies, a stellon (I don't know how to spell it, but grandma Schowalter makes them every year and they are delicious), various kinds of chocolate, tea, hot chocolate, and the little hot dog things wrapped in pastry. It was a rather good second course eating, drinking, and talking.
The night ended with a huge lineup of dishes in the kitchen for the mamas the next day (I might have felt bad, but some of the cookies Harper and I made went to them, so I figured we were even) and 6 rather full people heading off to various stages of bed readiness. I was awake for a while talking to Megan online and listening to some Mannheim Steamroller Christmas music Matt sent me in an e-mail. All in all, it was a pretty darn good Christmas given the circumstances of being away from home.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
HEAL Africa's support system
HEAL Africa has a network of councellors in the villages in North Kivu and the other areas where HEAL works. These councellors are well known in their communities and supported by churches and mosques and other public authorities so when rapes occur, people know where to go to get help. The councellors know what to do, provide psychological help, and also are able to refer victims of rape to HEAL for treatment. It is through these councellors that they also obtain PEP drugs for the victims to prevent the spread of AIDS to the victims. It is really to the credit of HEAL and the progress they have made that these victims have any resources at all.
It is through these councellors that we learned two nights ago 38 people, including nine boys were raped in a single village on the other side of the volcano in one night. The FDLR was responsible, and because of the councellors, HEAL is able to provide PEP drugs to these victims within the 72 hours necessary for the drug to be effective in the prevention of HIV. In this land of horrors where 38 people are raped in a single village in a single night, there is resistance to the evil.
It is through these councellors that we learned two nights ago 38 people, including nine boys were raped in a single village on the other side of the volcano in one night. The FDLR was responsible, and because of the councellors, HEAL is able to provide PEP drugs to these victims within the 72 hours necessary for the drug to be effective in the prevention of HIV. In this land of horrors where 38 people are raped in a single village in a single night, there is resistance to the evil.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Ben
Living in a backwards, underdeveloped city in a war-zone does have it's perks. Lyn and her daughter Nadine went to Botembo today to visit Joe who is doing surgery there for a couple weeks. Nadine came after he left and will leave before he's back so they went to visit him. The only other native English speaker at HEAL then is Harper who would be the obvious choice, but since she was in the hospital with malaria (she'll be all right but it was pretty serious and could use your prayers for healing), I volunteered to tag along with Ben Affleck as he visited the hospital and saw what HEAL was doing to make sure he would understand everything that was happening.
It turns out I really wouldn't have been necessary because there was a representative from UNICEF as well as Virgine from HEAL who is the director of the hospital and her English is really well. Then again, it's Ben Affleck - why would I not want to tag along?
It was actually really cool. He seemed genuinely interested in what HEAL was doing as well as the situation in Goma and the surrounding areas as relating to the war. Granted he was an actor and would be the person to make me think that and then just not care at all, but I'd like to think he was really interested. He also talked to two Congolese soldiers who talked about their experience in the army, their wounds, and what they would do when they were better. They said the rebels aren't that strong, but organization and morale in the Congolese army is even lower. They haven't been paid in forever, and the government isn't doing anything for them now that they are hurt. Basically, it's not a very good situation.
The one guy was shot in the chest and the bullet entered on the right side of his body and punctured a lung and exited sort of the middle of his chest. His wallet was in his shirt pocket and the bullet went through one layer of the two-fold wallet and lodged in the other side of it. The bullet was completely in tact and just lost enough momentum that it was stopped on it's way out. It was crazy. He was from the complete other side of the country, and his platoon marched across the country during the rainy season to join the fighting here. It was a very interesting conversation.
After touring the hospital (where Ben stopped in and said hi to Harper) we went over to where the women stay in the transit housing by the Jubilee center and went into the Healing Arts part of the house. This is where women staying at the house learn to sew, knit, or make other hand crafts. Ben got a couple things and was looking for some Congolese money that wasn't in too bad of shape. HA. Like such a thing exists. The one bill I showed him was worth 10 cents and was taped in two different places. He was in luck though because I just so happened to have a rather new looking 200 frank note. He was looking at it, and asked how much it was worth. It's worth 40 cents and he was looking for something to give me in return and he and his personal assistant didn't have any single dollars. He pulls out this Kenyan bill for 200 Kenyan shillings. That was the best part of the day as he and his assistant tried to figure out how much it was worth. Eventually he just said "I don't know what it's worth, but I know it's more that this, so you're coming out ahead." I thought it was cool anyways, and turns out it's worth about $3.20, so for sure I came out ahead. Thanks Ben.
He had to go then as his assistant pointed out very discretely (really, she was a good assistant). We left Healing Arts and talked for a bit. He was wondering what a guy like myself was doing here, and was wondering what I thought of things in Goma since I'd been here for a couple months now. I took this opportunity to get a picture with him since it wasn't super awkward because we had a legit conversation. His assistant took it and then they had to go (and now the picture is in the HEAL Africa album as proof). I believe I'm the only one to get a picture with him in it except for the two soldiers, and I got Ben Affleck's 200 shilling bill from Kenya. What more could one really ask for? Autographs are so overrated (unless he would have signed the bill he gave me, but oh well).
It turns out I really wouldn't have been necessary because there was a representative from UNICEF as well as Virgine from HEAL who is the director of the hospital and her English is really well. Then again, it's Ben Affleck - why would I not want to tag along?
It was actually really cool. He seemed genuinely interested in what HEAL was doing as well as the situation in Goma and the surrounding areas as relating to the war. Granted he was an actor and would be the person to make me think that and then just not care at all, but I'd like to think he was really interested. He also talked to two Congolese soldiers who talked about their experience in the army, their wounds, and what they would do when they were better. They said the rebels aren't that strong, but organization and morale in the Congolese army is even lower. They haven't been paid in forever, and the government isn't doing anything for them now that they are hurt. Basically, it's not a very good situation.
The one guy was shot in the chest and the bullet entered on the right side of his body and punctured a lung and exited sort of the middle of his chest. His wallet was in his shirt pocket and the bullet went through one layer of the two-fold wallet and lodged in the other side of it. The bullet was completely in tact and just lost enough momentum that it was stopped on it's way out. It was crazy. He was from the complete other side of the country, and his platoon marched across the country during the rainy season to join the fighting here. It was a very interesting conversation.
After touring the hospital (where Ben stopped in and said hi to Harper) we went over to where the women stay in the transit housing by the Jubilee center and went into the Healing Arts part of the house. This is where women staying at the house learn to sew, knit, or make other hand crafts. Ben got a couple things and was looking for some Congolese money that wasn't in too bad of shape. HA. Like such a thing exists. The one bill I showed him was worth 10 cents and was taped in two different places. He was in luck though because I just so happened to have a rather new looking 200 frank note. He was looking at it, and asked how much it was worth. It's worth 40 cents and he was looking for something to give me in return and he and his personal assistant didn't have any single dollars. He pulls out this Kenyan bill for 200 Kenyan shillings. That was the best part of the day as he and his assistant tried to figure out how much it was worth. Eventually he just said "I don't know what it's worth, but I know it's more that this, so you're coming out ahead." I thought it was cool anyways, and turns out it's worth about $3.20, so for sure I came out ahead. Thanks Ben.
He had to go then as his assistant pointed out very discretely (really, she was a good assistant). We left Healing Arts and talked for a bit. He was wondering what a guy like myself was doing here, and was wondering what I thought of things in Goma since I'd been here for a couple months now. I took this opportunity to get a picture with him since it wasn't super awkward because we had a legit conversation. His assistant took it and then they had to go (and now the picture is in the HEAL Africa album as proof). I believe I'm the only one to get a picture with him in it except for the two soldiers, and I got Ben Affleck's 200 shilling bill from Kenya. What more could one really ask for? Autographs are so overrated (unless he would have signed the bill he gave me, but oh well).
Making porridge
The hospital uses a porridge product that is a combination of corn, sorghum, and soybeans as an energy food. It is fairly healthy and tastes sort of like oatmeal. Or at least, it should have corn, sorghum, and soybeans. Sometimes they make substitutions depending on availability. They used to buy all of the porridge, but decided recently to start producing their own. Their is a program at HEAL to provide grants to women at the hospital and in HEAL programs to start businesses. A field is being purchased now and some of the women's money will go towards working in the field and buying tools and things if they decide they want to do that for their project. The mill we visited on Friday was another option in this operation. Here the grains are brought to be ground (much like a small animal feed mill) and packaged. I uploaded some pictures of the bags of porridge mix (it looks like flower and you cook it like oatmeal) in the HEAL Africa album.
The whole goal of the program is to produce locally things that would normally have to be bought and imported or donated by other organizations. The field is not ready quite yet, but the milling operation got a jump start due to a very interesting happening. The women at the hospital get food from different organizations, and one organization that has been giving food for a long time has always gave beans which is fine. The last shipment of food had lentils in it instead and many of the women at the hospital can't eat them because they bother their stomach. After talking to the organization providing the food it was realized that they were not interested in changing back to the original formula but would continue to provide the lentils because that's what they could get easiest. So there is food available, it's just that people can't eat it and the organization doesn't care. So HEAL stepped up and got the milling facility up and running as soon as possible to provide alternate nutrition for people who can't handle the lentils and provide income generating opportunities to women in HEAL programs.
The whole goal of the program is to produce locally things that would normally have to be bought and imported or donated by other organizations. The field is not ready quite yet, but the milling operation got a jump start due to a very interesting happening. The women at the hospital get food from different organizations, and one organization that has been giving food for a long time has always gave beans which is fine. The last shipment of food had lentils in it instead and many of the women at the hospital can't eat them because they bother their stomach. After talking to the organization providing the food it was realized that they were not interested in changing back to the original formula but would continue to provide the lentils because that's what they could get easiest. So there is food available, it's just that people can't eat it and the organization doesn't care. So HEAL stepped up and got the milling facility up and running as soon as possible to provide alternate nutrition for people who can't handle the lentils and provide income generating opportunities to women in HEAL programs.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Chickens in Goma's Past
Two days ago while at Mawe Hai I saw something that I thought was a perfect statement about Goma and the surrounding areas. I asked Wilfrieda where the workers were cutting the leguminous plants from that we were using to help make compost, and it was in the property next to Mawe Hai. We kept walking after seeing the leguminous plants (Leucena just growing all over in one spot) and I saw something I could hardly believe.
There were three buildings with metal roofs, concrete foundations and partial sides, and the rest was at one point chicken wire. These large buildings were used to house chickens before the first war in this area (in recent history) sometime after 1994. There were hundreds of chickens in each of these houses and during the war, the army came and took everything. Now there are pigs in one half of one building. I thought that was pretty cool and was happy Wilfrieda showed me that, but then we kept going.
Down a road a bit and through basically a jungle, we came upon more houses. There were probably 10 of them descending the hill along with the road on the left and on the right side of the road at the bottom. Some of the buildings at the bottom were housing chickens once again and in the distance I could see some more buildings that looked like quarters for workers to live (but I could be dead wrong). I didn't get many pictures because there were workers around and most people here don't like pictures very much, but I got some and put them in the Mawe Hai album.
To me this is a perfect illustration of what the Congo was and could be before the war. Now it's devastated and is reduced to 20 percent (or less) of what it used to be all because the army wasn't being paid at the time. I was really happy to have seen it, but it also made me think about the lost potential in this area and the incredible harm that has been done.
There were three buildings with metal roofs, concrete foundations and partial sides, and the rest was at one point chicken wire. These large buildings were used to house chickens before the first war in this area (in recent history) sometime after 1994. There were hundreds of chickens in each of these houses and during the war, the army came and took everything. Now there are pigs in one half of one building. I thought that was pretty cool and was happy Wilfrieda showed me that, but then we kept going.
Down a road a bit and through basically a jungle, we came upon more houses. There were probably 10 of them descending the hill along with the road on the left and on the right side of the road at the bottom. Some of the buildings at the bottom were housing chickens once again and in the distance I could see some more buildings that looked like quarters for workers to live (but I could be dead wrong). I didn't get many pictures because there were workers around and most people here don't like pictures very much, but I got some and put them in the Mawe Hai album.
To me this is a perfect illustration of what the Congo was and could be before the war. Now it's devastated and is reduced to 20 percent (or less) of what it used to be all because the army wasn't being paid at the time. I was really happy to have seen it, but it also made me think about the lost potential in this area and the incredible harm that has been done.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Goma is safe, nowhere else is
After what appeared to be be some rather major Congolese army victories against Nkunda, all ground gained has been lost. The rebels have overtaken all previous positions, sent more civilians fleeing the areas, and left the Congolese army in complete disarray.
Sake is about 30km west of Goma (Mawe Hai is on the way) and that is where the UN says the rebels stop. They have 4,500 blue helmets defending Sake and Goma alone and this is their position:
"The situation is unchanged in Sake. Monuc is controlling the town," said Major Prem Tiwari, the UN mission's military spokesperson in Nord-Kivu province."We have reinforced our positions. We won't let this town fall into the hands of Nkunda's troops."
Since Sake is before Goma, and they have been quoted saying Goma is even more important than Sake, Goma is safe. Other places though are completely in chaos almost. The road to Mawe Hai was croweded with people walking into the city with whatever they could carry or could walk on it's own (goats). It actually took a lot of concentration to drive and was kind of frustrating, not to mention completely horrible that these people are displaced in their own country. We met a worker coming into Mawe as we were leaving and he was from Sake. He said the Congolese army was urging people to leave the city as shelling the surrounding areas with artillery is an option, and that might cause Nkunda to return fire. It's not good.
But given some of the reports I've heard recently, I'm surprised the Congolese army could unify enough to tell the civilians that. Mushake (I think that's the city that was talked about) is a city and was one of Nkunda's key positions. It was taken by the Congolese army last week, and the rebels took it back. There was a foreign journalist there who later visited HEAL Africa and said when the rebels came over the hills the Congolese army soldiers fled, often dropping their weapons and running. They were all young soldiers with no training and there were no officers anywhere.
Yesterday on the way back from Mawe Hai into the city there were still people everywhere on the roads walking into Goma. About every minute or two a motorcycle would drive by with a driver and a soldier or two heading towards Sake. Sometimes there would be a soldier or a couple soldiers walking towards Sake. It seems that it is their responsibility to get to the fighting and there appears to be no organization. If it wasn't for the UN, I strongly believer the Congolese army wouldn't have a chance.
So far though I have not heard of the UN actively fighting in any of the offensives of the government, so the Congolese army might not have a chance anyways. Things change in a couple hours here sometimes, but now it doesn't look very good. The Congo needs prayers for peace.
Sake is about 30km west of Goma (Mawe Hai is on the way) and that is where the UN says the rebels stop. They have 4,500 blue helmets defending Sake and Goma alone and this is their position:
"The situation is unchanged in Sake. Monuc is controlling the town," said Major Prem Tiwari, the UN mission's military spokesperson in Nord-Kivu province."We have reinforced our positions. We won't let this town fall into the hands of Nkunda's troops."
Since Sake is before Goma, and they have been quoted saying Goma is even more important than Sake, Goma is safe. Other places though are completely in chaos almost. The road to Mawe Hai was croweded with people walking into the city with whatever they could carry or could walk on it's own (goats). It actually took a lot of concentration to drive and was kind of frustrating, not to mention completely horrible that these people are displaced in their own country. We met a worker coming into Mawe as we were leaving and he was from Sake. He said the Congolese army was urging people to leave the city as shelling the surrounding areas with artillery is an option, and that might cause Nkunda to return fire. It's not good.
But given some of the reports I've heard recently, I'm surprised the Congolese army could unify enough to tell the civilians that. Mushake (I think that's the city that was talked about) is a city and was one of Nkunda's key positions. It was taken by the Congolese army last week, and the rebels took it back. There was a foreign journalist there who later visited HEAL Africa and said when the rebels came over the hills the Congolese army soldiers fled, often dropping their weapons and running. They were all young soldiers with no training and there were no officers anywhere.
Yesterday on the way back from Mawe Hai into the city there were still people everywhere on the roads walking into Goma. About every minute or two a motorcycle would drive by with a driver and a soldier or two heading towards Sake. Sometimes there would be a soldier or a couple soldiers walking towards Sake. It seems that it is their responsibility to get to the fighting and there appears to be no organization. If it wasn't for the UN, I strongly believer the Congolese army wouldn't have a chance.
So far though I have not heard of the UN actively fighting in any of the offensives of the government, so the Congolese army might not have a chance anyways. Things change in a couple hours here sometimes, but now it doesn't look very good. The Congo needs prayers for peace.
Friday, December 7, 2007
The Riot I almost drove into
Monday I went into the hospital and talked to Dr. Vindu and did some computer stuff and I got my car. Well, I should say Harper Got my car and I've been driving the Suzuki. I'm waiting to go to Mawe Hai with someone the first time with the stick shift just in case something happens. I'm pretty confident, especially since I've only ever stopped like 3 times on the way there, but just in case I've been driving the Suzuki. If I ever go into the hospital in the morning again I might drive there too, but I'll worry about that later.
Tuesday Melisa left with her parents and they used the car right away in the morning so I headed to Mawe Hai around 10 am or so. I'm driving along and having a grand old time avoiding the pot holes (it's kind of like a video game) and I get onto the main street and I'm a driving for maybe 4 minutes and something happens that has never happened to me before (and may or may not be coincidence) - every other car on the road except for me pulled off the road.
It was the middle of the morning so there wasn't that much traffic, but there was enough that when I was the only one on the road I began to think "oh crap, what's up?" I thought maybe a military convoy was coming and I somehow missed the signal, or someone important, or I didn't know what. I was looking side to side, and behind me, and was watching for cars ahead.
Then I saw what made me turn around. People were running on the side of the road towards Mawe Hai (the same way I was going) and maybe 500 meters ahead of me the street was full of people and more people were running there every minute. It took about 15 seconds of curiosity before I decided I should probably turn around, and by this time I'm still the only car on the road and now a lot of people are running past me. I turned around in an intersection and the police there were on walkie talkies and looking and shouting at the huge crowd. The thing the was interesting though was the soldiers also on the corner doing nothing, but until night when they pillage the houses themselves, they don't usually do anything in the city.
I finally made it out to Mawe Hai on Wednesday and this time Wilfrieda was with me. I started telling her what happened and we stopped at a shop along the way that was a friend of hers. Here's what happened.
The night before there were some robbers in the houses off the main road and they ended up killing a woman. I was fortunate enough to be driving down the road shortly after the people found the robber and were going to administer a bit of justice of the people. I'm not sure how they were planning on doing it, but he was going to die. The police showed up sometime and tried to take him into custody but the people refused. They ended up shooting into the air to try and get rid of the crowd. I'm not sure what happened to the robber and I don't know what part I was lucky enough to chance upon this, but I'm pretty darn glad I turned around. Coincidentally or not, I saw one other car on the road while I was driving back to the turn off from the main road to Maji. That was probably worse on my mind even than the people in the middle of the road.
Tuesday Melisa left with her parents and they used the car right away in the morning so I headed to Mawe Hai around 10 am or so. I'm driving along and having a grand old time avoiding the pot holes (it's kind of like a video game) and I get onto the main street and I'm a driving for maybe 4 minutes and something happens that has never happened to me before (and may or may not be coincidence) - every other car on the road except for me pulled off the road.
It was the middle of the morning so there wasn't that much traffic, but there was enough that when I was the only one on the road I began to think "oh crap, what's up?" I thought maybe a military convoy was coming and I somehow missed the signal, or someone important, or I didn't know what. I was looking side to side, and behind me, and was watching for cars ahead.
Then I saw what made me turn around. People were running on the side of the road towards Mawe Hai (the same way I was going) and maybe 500 meters ahead of me the street was full of people and more people were running there every minute. It took about 15 seconds of curiosity before I decided I should probably turn around, and by this time I'm still the only car on the road and now a lot of people are running past me. I turned around in an intersection and the police there were on walkie talkies and looking and shouting at the huge crowd. The thing the was interesting though was the soldiers also on the corner doing nothing, but until night when they pillage the houses themselves, they don't usually do anything in the city.
I finally made it out to Mawe Hai on Wednesday and this time Wilfrieda was with me. I started telling her what happened and we stopped at a shop along the way that was a friend of hers. Here's what happened.
The night before there were some robbers in the houses off the main road and they ended up killing a woman. I was fortunate enough to be driving down the road shortly after the people found the robber and were going to administer a bit of justice of the people. I'm not sure how they were planning on doing it, but he was going to die. The police showed up sometime and tried to take him into custody but the people refused. They ended up shooting into the air to try and get rid of the crowd. I'm not sure what happened to the robber and I don't know what part I was lucky enough to chance upon this, but I'm pretty darn glad I turned around. Coincidentally or not, I saw one other car on the road while I was driving back to the turn off from the main road to Maji. That was probably worse on my mind even than the people in the middle of the road.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Interesting things
Well, we recently got done eating dinner where I found out HEAL Africa is going to be the official hospital for US citizens as supported by the embassy in Kinshasa and the consulate office that will be in Goma sometime soon. There is a guy who has been in the Congo for like 13 years in medical missions and the US embassy sent him to assess the various hospitals in Goma and except for the UN hospital which refused to be accepted, HEAL won hands down.
The UN hospital is only for UN staff and soldiers. They have specialists galore and more equipment than they know what to do with. Whenever anyone goes there no patients are there and the people are usually watching cricket (I believe it's staffed mainly by Indians). They sometimes come over to HEAL and do surgeries because they get bored, and now once a week specialists from the UN hospital will be lecturing at HEAL and anyone from hospitals in the surrounding area can come.
That was one interesting piece of news, the other is a doctor in Uganda. He is a graduate from Harvard medical school and while there wrote a paper about doing shunts with lasers. At Harvard he was kind of neglected and the FDA said no. He came to Africa with a laser used to remove tattoo scars or something like that, and has done almost 400 surgeries with it and over 90% successful. I heard this from the same guy checking out the local hospitals and he said he sent a kid there from where he was working at the time and the post operation measures were to make sure the ace bandage around his head was tight and that was it. It's not approved in the US but here it's working great and Joe is excited about maybe doing it at HEAL.
The one major problem with it is the equipment. HEAL would need a laser and an MRI. Well, half of that is solved as because HEAL is now the official hospital of the US Embassy, they will be provided with an MRI machine, or it is more of a priority, or something. The guy just said that problem was being taken care of.
The UN hospital is only for UN staff and soldiers. They have specialists galore and more equipment than they know what to do with. Whenever anyone goes there no patients are there and the people are usually watching cricket (I believe it's staffed mainly by Indians). They sometimes come over to HEAL and do surgeries because they get bored, and now once a week specialists from the UN hospital will be lecturing at HEAL and anyone from hospitals in the surrounding area can come.
That was one interesting piece of news, the other is a doctor in Uganda. He is a graduate from Harvard medical school and while there wrote a paper about doing shunts with lasers. At Harvard he was kind of neglected and the FDA said no. He came to Africa with a laser used to remove tattoo scars or something like that, and has done almost 400 surgeries with it and over 90% successful. I heard this from the same guy checking out the local hospitals and he said he sent a kid there from where he was working at the time and the post operation measures were to make sure the ace bandage around his head was tight and that was it. It's not approved in the US but here it's working great and Joe is excited about maybe doing it at HEAL.
The one major problem with it is the equipment. HEAL would need a laser and an MRI. Well, half of that is solved as because HEAL is now the official hospital of the US Embassy, they will be provided with an MRI machine, or it is more of a priority, or something. The guy just said that problem was being taken care of.
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