In Katombi!

Hello from Katombi!

We are spending a few days with Margie, who is a nurse that lives out in the bush. She does clinics from her home and travels doing literacy classes, children's clinics, sewing classes, Bible classes, etc. Her house has a thatched roof, outdoor toilet/shower, and an outdoor kitchen with a fire and a wood-stove. There is no running water which makes brushing teeth more difficult :)

Today we watched her see patients in her backyard. Some brought news of an entire village that burnt down, so this afternoon, she had us sorting through parcels and making care packages for them, which will be delivered tomorrow. FYI: if you send clothes for Africa, little boys need clothes too. Also, most people here are much smaller than most people at home, so don't just pack extra-large clothes. Also, it does get cold here, especially at night. It's not cold compared to home, but it might be 40 degrees colder at night than during the day, so it feels cold, and their houses are not heated. So, send warm things. Also tomorrow, we're going to a local school for a children's clinic - nothing super fancy, just weighing the kids and giving them deworming medicine and schistosomaisis medicine. Schistosomaisis is an endemic disease here that people get from the water - bathing in the river. It tends to be chronic and eventually leads to lots of GI bleeding, so they try to periodically prophylactically treat the kids. We've also been informed that we will be taking drugs for that (and for worms) before we leave. Fun, fun.

Margie has three donkeys and a donkey cart, so naturally, we asked for a ride and have been promised one before we leave. Mostly, the donkeys carry water and firewood. People use ox-carts a whole lot around here, and we've been wanting to ride in one, but a donkey-cart will have to do...for now. One of the dogs that lives with us back at Loloma had puppies-8 of which were living, so we're trying to figure out how to smuggle them through security on the flight home. She had them deep within a bouganvillia bush, which is surprisingly hard to get through.

In two weeks and two days, we'll be back in the states. Which is weird...this summer has gone by very quickly. Along the way, we're going to go see Victoria Falls, Lusaka, and London. Later!

Love,
Ali and Carolyn