A multi-media account of my travels through life
Part of our team was charged with entertaining and educating the children while their mothers waited for medical care. It was not an easy task. Just lining them up for the walk to the playground was a chore. But the team always approached their work with love and the children seemed to respond. ☙
There were so many children in Uganda. As I mentioned is a previous blog (A Tear for Uganda), half of the population was under the age of 15. Everywhere you turned there were young eyes focused on you. Most were desperate to have their picture taken and all seemed to know that pictures could be retrieved instantly on the digital camera’s LCD screen. But some, like this young girl, were more shy and introspective. Whatever was she thinking? ☙
The t-shirt says it all. ☙
One of the beautiful children we cared for during our medical mission. You can’t help but notice how many young people there are in Uganda. In 2008, 50% of the population was 15 years of age or younger. The nearly two decades of war took a terrible toll on the country, destroying the broad swarth of middle-age, middle-class citizens that a country depends upon for economic growth. What war didn’t take, HIV did. The virus claimed many lives before the government initiated an aggressive anti-HIV program that proved very successful, slashing infection rates from 15% to 6%. While these statistics have been challenged the infected Ugandans whom we saw were greatly compliant patients. Each had a small notebook with their complete medical history including current medications and opportunistic diseases. Sadly the HIV infection rate is again on the rise in Uganda. ☙
Often when I describe the people of Uganda whom we treated during our 2008 medical mission I will use the term “regal” and it this picture that personifies that description. This beautiful family is almost royal in their carriage and their confidence. The mother is proud, and rightly so. Her children are clean, polite, seemingly intelligent. All of them have a gentleness that seems surreal in a country so ravaged by war and disease.☙
Recently I saw an acquaintance whom I had not seen in more than a decade. He had heard about my medical missions from mutual friends and was particularly interested in my trip to Uganda. When I told him how much I loved Uganda he asked why and the answer was quick in coming. “The people. They are noble and good.” Ugandans have a regal bearing that is hard to explain but I feel that several of my pictures captured their spirit. So, for this week of Alice’s WanderLand blogs we will travel to Uganda. Our mission was in Gulu, which is the largest city in Northern Uganda. We saw mainly women and children, most of whom were HIV+ or had AIDS. In four days the fifteen member team would see close to 2,000 individuals. For most it was a routine visit to a medical clinic. Pills were provided to fight intestinal parasites, vitamins were given for the children. But for some this trip to see Western doctors was an opportunity for help. In some cases the result was successful…in others it was far too late. It was a experience I will never forget. ☙
Watching the BBC’s “Planet Earth” tonight got my memories stirred-up so I’ve dipped into the archives for a picture from my 2008 trip to Uganda, Africa. I was part of a medical mission team and it was a truly wonderful experience. At the end of our week of work we traveled to a resort preserve and went on safari. This is one of the best shots I got that day. I just love the eyelashes. Now, tell me true, did you ever think an elephant could have such gorgeous lashes? ☙
Alice's WanderLand 