November 21st is World Hello Day.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
World Hello Day...
Friday, November 20, 2009
Universal Children's Day...
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Yeah! It’s Children’s Day. A day set aside to celebrate children and promote their welfare!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
World Toilet Day...
19 November is World Toilet Day – yes, I know it sounds funny but it is true. World Toilet Day is a day to celebrate the importance of sanitation and raise awareness for the 2.5 billion people (nearly half of the world's population) who don't have access to toilets and proper sanitation.
- 2.5 billion people worldwide are without access to proper sanitation, which risks their health, strips their dignity, and kills 1.8 million people, mostly children, a year.
- Diarrheal diseases kill five times as many children in the developing world as HIV/AIDS. That's 5,000 children DYING EVERY SINGLE DAY.
- Not only that, but the disease kills more children than either malaria or AIDS, stunts growth, and forces millions - adults and children alike - to spend weeks at a time off work or school, which hits both a country's economy and its citizens' chances of a better future.
- Lack of sanitation is the world's biggest cause of infection.
- One gram of feces can contain 10 million viruses, one million bacteria, 1,000 parasite cysts and 100 parasite eggs.
- Safe disposal of children's feces leads to a reduction of nearly 40% in childhood diarrhea.
Enough reasons to focus on the importance of proper sanitation…
Monday, November 16, 2009
Devastated father...
There is a man in Freetown who I have known for sometime, since November 2006 to be exact. I’ll call him Kargbo. The day I met him was the day he came to the clinic with a one-month old boy. The child was not his own; it was his brother’s child but due to a severe cleft lip and palate deformity, the child had been disowned by his family. In Sierra Leone children with such deformities are shunned. The mother is blamed and told it is because of things she did during her pregnancy, like stepping over a gutter or going to the river at night, etc. And many believe that the child is bewitched, a ‘devil-child’ as they say. Kargbo, however, was convinced that this was not a devil-child but a ‘mortal man’ like every other child and decided to travel to Freetown with the child to find help.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Facebook in Africa...
Facebook. What would I have done without it? Well, I suppose for the first 2 years in Sierra Leone I did not even know about facebook but once I discovered it, I was hooked. No, honestly, as much as it can be a time waster, it is definitely an excellent way to stay in touch with friends and family, especially when so far away. One of the fun attributes is of course the status updates, which were sometimes a little out of the ordinary when I lived in Salone…
Had 2 interviews with national doctors today - 1 went very well, the other was okay. Let's just say that spending 1/4 of your interview on your cell phone does not give a very good impression.
Is ready to start treating children after sorting out some ‘line’ issues with parents outside the gate.
Had a sad start to the week. [One of the patients died while waiting in line outside the gate]
Does not like sneaking out at midnight with a flashlight, cell phone and panic button to explore strange noises on our compound. Don’t we have guards?
Swam in the ocean, lazied around in the lagoon and hiked through the jungle today.
Just got back from an almost 12 hour clinic day- 46 patients today- many very sick ones today!
Loves that we have electricity on a Saturday. How long will it last?
Finally got the red dust washed out of her hair after a road trip upcountry
Just finished making a giant paper Christmas tree to take out to an orphanage tomorrow...
Had a glorious shower- excellent water pressure for a change - I didn't have to kneel down to wash my hair!
Loved talking to her niece for her 4th b-day but was sad when her 1st question was “are you coming for my birthday from Africa too?” & I had to tell her “no”.
Had an exciting day: 65+ patients, 1 snake & a fumigated office due to almost exploding car!!!
Sent a 3 year old weighing 7.9kg to the feeding center today...
Is celebrating Friday with fine dark chocolate with an intense taste of mint
Is upset that a child she referred to children's hospital yesterday died because they couldn't see the doctor cause they did not have money at hand to register!