Caring for the Babies

A few weeks ago I hired a van ( there were too many to fit in the back of the pickup ) in order to transport a group of moms and babies to the Chambishi Clinic for inoculations. What fun it was for them to travel in such style and comfort ( instead of walking for hours )! One of the moms brought her 3 year old daughter ( that's her in pink in my arms in the attached photo ) for consultation and we found out that she is suffering from malnutrition. Clinic staff appealed to me, in the form of an official letter, to assist this child, if possible. I'm so very grateful that due to the generosity of you contributors to Part of the (im)Possible, I am able to supply nutritious food to this little one. Her family lives deep in the bush, over an hours walk from where the road into Mbayi ends, so it's a bit of a challenge, but one of the grade 7 boys in our school has agreed to carry the supplies in for me.

Some really great news is - since accomplishing step 1 (see report Sept.9) of our quest to build a clinic, Mbayi is now officially part of the catchment area of the Chambishi Government Clinic ( we're even indicated on their map! ) which means we qualify for outreach. Staff from the clinic will now regularly travel into Mbayi to weigh babies, give inoculations, dispense medication when necessary and also provide HIV/AIDS testing and counseling. A great step forward for Mbayi!!!!