For those of you that have been in closer contact with us or have been following On Call Africa fortunes over the past 2 years – you will know that our time here has been plagued with vehicle problems. May saw us spend as more time with garages and mechanics, than we did with clinics and patients. The nature of rural healthcare will mean that until Africa gets a new road infrastructure, getting to and from clinics will always be a challenge.
Matty & I have gained a huge insight into the running of a charity during our time in Zambia and whilst we have learnt a lot and enjoyed the ‘bigger picture’ stuff, we found ourselves getting a bit claustrophobic in the OCA office. Matty’s frustration levels reached a stage where she agreed to join me and go to a local bar to watch Sudan v Zambia at football. I think it is fair to say that most of the best OCA Africa ideas are found in the pub – and it was there that we met our new international partners and friends.
We agreed to meet with a Belgian friend of ours. She had an American couch surfer was staying with her. He had been motorcycling from Cape Town to Uganda and had met some Dutch girls who were travelling the same way. It was the Dutch girls who had a Landrover.
Sabine & Puk are the ‘Women on Wheels’ (WOW). Fulfilling a life time ambition to travel from Cape Town to Amsterdam they have put together a purpose built vehicle. (wow-arica.org) In many ways it is identical to our Landrover – apart from all of the broken/shaky bits are new/shiny. Fortunately for us the women on wheels were more concerned with the plight of rural Africans with no healthcare than the wellbeing of their shiny vehicle and after just a few minutes of us complaining about our car – had they offered to escort us on clinic. Not only were they willing to transport us from site – to-site, but both had an interest in healthcare and wanted to be as involved as they could.
So approx 48 hours after meeting Sabine, Puk & Anthony, we were crammed into the back of their Landrover/motorhome. We didn’t really know much about our new companions. They seemed normal enough – but we were a bit concerned about how they’d cope with the bush – and what they’d make of our make-shift clinic.
They were incredible. The problem with having just 2 of us is that there is a lot to do when you run a clinic. To see and treat the patients – takes at least two doctors. Everything else, from registering the patients, managing the queue, moving the furniture and running the lab also needs doing. From dawn until dusk they laboured for On Call Africa. Within an hour, they could speak more Tongan than we could (the Dutch girls – obviously the American has similar language skills to us!) Within a couple of hours, they were doing Malaria tests, counselling patients for HIV testing and anything else we asked of them. Towards to the end of the day, they were running short of activities – so they re-built one of the villagers’ wheel chair – so that it would run faster!
The most valuable part of their input was their desire to help with the education of the school kids. The head teacher had approached us on our arrival and asked if we could do some education on sexual health as there had been some ‘problems’. With almost no idea what this meant and only a vague idea of what might be culturally appropriate for a sex education lesson for rural Zambian teenagers –we spent our first evening preparing a lesson. Matty and the WOW took the girls whilst Anthony & I had a man –to- man chat with a class full of boys.
One of the great things about African school is that a lot of kids take a long time to complete it. You can drop out for a year or two and return for a bit more when it’s convinient. Consequently, we stood up in front of a class ranging from 12 year olds through to kids that were about 35! Either way, it went well. Despite a small mishap with a condom demonstration that involved a very over ripe banana disintegrating during condom application – which may have sent a confusing message to the impressionable younger members. The kids engaged well and we were quietly surprised at how little people knew about HIV and other STI’s. The questions flowed and the take up for HIV testing was encouraging. If we’re going to stop HIV spreading; knowing whether or not you have it – is a good place to start.
The great thing about this week’s clinics was the international collaboration that got us there. Despite the different nationalities, religious views, language barriers and cultural divides – we all wanted the same thing. We were complete strangers – but we had all landed in the same continent (which obviously has some desperate problems), and we all wanted to do what we could to help.
I doubt On Call Africa has all the solutions to all of Zambia’s’ problems, and I’m sure that some poor teenagers are now a bit terrified of condoms – but if we are going to improve things –then this attitude of collaboration, trust and friendship is a good place to start. Too often, charities get caught up in the logistics of making their projects measurable or writing policies to make them attractive to donors. This week we just joined forces with some complete strangers with a common goal – and got on with it!
So – we must end this blog with a heartfelt – ‘Thank you’ to Sabine, Puk, Anthony (and ‘Willem’ – their trusty landrover.) Without whom , On Call Africa wouldn’t have been possible this month.
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