Back at the school, it took only two days to dig out and level the ground for the foundation of the new health clinic, in spite of very rocky, uneven terrain. Why did it only take two days? Because of the huge bonus we offered to get the job done in record time! And once the blocks were molded and the rocks and sand were carried up from the river, the foundation was poured and work on the walls put forth in earnest! Malachi and Nate were in charge of buying supplies, supervising the work and paying salaries. George, a civil engineer, was responsible for the technical drawings and calculations!
Michele, the team nurse, worked with Kevin and Sean to set up medical files on the children – gathering and recording basic information such as - how each child’s height and weight compared to the norm for his age, which immunizations the children had had and which they needed, common illnesses in their families, etc. With these statistics Michele hopes to come up with some recommendations that will improve the general health of the whole community.
Along with screening the kids, Michele taught classes to the Fulani and village women on hygiene, nutrition and childbirth, especially advising the Fulani women to begin using latrines and to keep their little ones in diapers for the sake of camp cleanliness.
And as if this wasn’t enough, Michele saw a steady stream of patients as well, treating such ailments as ear infections, boils, toothaches – a woman who believed desperately that she was pregnant but wasn’t, and another who appeared to be in her ninth month of pregnancy and was lactating, but also wasn’t!
When two of Jibree’s sons became seriously ill with fever, all of us were very concerned. Jibree had lost his older son Abdullahi in November from an undiagnosed illness. We needed to do everything possible to make sure these next two boys recovered.
Michele began treating the boys for malaria, but the fevers persisted. So, two days later when she heard that Jibree had taken his sons to hospital, Michele was very relieved, certain that there the boys would receive the care they needed.
“Which hospital did he take them to?” I asked.
“Oh, the one right here in …..!” Michele answered. “I’m going over there now, to see their lab results and discuss their treatment with the doctor.”
On her way over Michele phoned her husband….whose comment was, “Why do we need to build a clinic at …. if they already have a hospital?”
“Well, I don’t know,” Michele answered. She would soon find out.
Well, when Michele arrived at the little mud hut furnished only with a wooden bed, a bench and pail of water – no lab or lab results, no doctor or nurse, no treatment plan, her professionalism and medical training, even more, her heart of love and compassion, sprang into high gear.
I watched in wonder as there in that dark room, seemingly oblivious to the scantily-clad Fulani crowding around her and the sweat pouring off her face, Michele pulled out her Blackberry and proceeded to phone a friend! After calmly discussing the boys’ treatment with a pediatrician in Wenatchee, Wa, Michele administered the recommended drugs, and we all rejoiced in the boys quick recovery and return to school.
Soon after returning to Wenatchee, Michele wrote these words:
“I learned so much in …….about the power of God…of prayer, the focus of helping others in ways of which I never thought myself capable. I have served people my whole career, but I feel like it was all just practice for what we accomplished there at ….”
When Chief came over to thank Michele for treating his nephews and his wife, we took the opportunity of speaking to him about latrines for the sake of his families’ health.
‘We know you want what is good for us,” Chief answered, “so anything you advise us to do – we will do!’ Michele looked over and caught my eye. Afterwards we discovered we’d both had the same reaction to Chief’s statement.
“Chief! We advise you to follow Jesus! That is what would be ultimately good for you!” But we kept quiet, knowing better than to put him on the spot in front of the team. For how long though, I wondered, are we to keep quiet