The Week Uganda Stole My Heart

As many of you know I have had a goal since I graduated from school to try to go on a medical mission trip every year. So this year I decided it was time to go to Africa and I signed up for a trip to Uganda with International Medical Relief. At first I will admit I was a little nervous because I had heard Africa was kinda crazy and I had a friend who got Malaria twice while there, not to mention the fact that my mother and a few others just might have been freaking out a little. ;)  Nevertheless the day finally came and I found myself hoping on a plane with my friend Meagan. I was so excited that she was coming with me and was going to be able to experience the awesomeness of these medical trips that I so love to do! We flew to DC, stayed the night with my dear friend Nicki, joined our medical team, and finally after an eternity of traveling including a layover in Ethiopia made it to Uganda!

When we got there we all jumped in a small bus that we would learn to become very “familiar” with and traveled to Jinji which was our base for duration of the trip. The next 5 days consisted of us going to various villages 2-3 hrs away in different locations to set up our medical clinic. Most of which were places where the people had never seen white people or ever had any medical care. Our team consisted of 7 providers, 1 dentist,  number of nurses and a few other helpers making it about 22ish of us in total plus some Ugandans who worked as translators and such.

 

On our first day of clinic we had the opportunity to go to a local school. The first thing that amazed me was the children and how happy they were to see and be involved with us. They LOVED getting their picture taken and would all want to see what they looked like when we were done. That day was crazy getting everything setup for the first time but it ended in success as we saw a total of 600+ patients! We also had the unique opportunity to treat a number of people who were albino. Apparently in many parts of Africa albino people are outcasts, looked down upon, and in some cultures are actually enslaved or abused. However, a number of them were invited to our clinic and we had nearly 50 people come from where they were in essence “hiding” to receive medical care. While there, they were able to meet each other and I think one of the most touching things was that the children were able to meet others like them and learn that they were not alone. The children also loved seeing our white skin. From this we are hoping that they will be able to establish connections to possibly sent up a community with each other which would be so amazing.

The next day we hopped in our lovely bus and drove and drove and drove on this bumpy dirt road through the beautiful countryside of sugar cane fields to get to our next clinical spot.  Along the way I got a nice “dust tan” from the red dirt and went past a number of communities where children would pop up from everywhere excited and waving to us and saying “jambo” which means “hello”. They were so precious!

 

After 3 hrs of driving and feeling this place didn’t even exist we finally got to our clinical spot and were greeted by hundreds of kids who ran to our bus. It was so completely

overwhelming and hard to hold back tears to see soo many of them so excited to see us.  When we arrived there was a meeting going on about jiggers and a number of important people from the UN were actually there. Apparently Jiggers are a flee type mite that would get into peoples feet because they didn’t wear shoes and burrow into their skin. They would then lay eggs and hatch larva inside their feet. It was a horrible thing and we were able to observe some of the people getting those larva removed. It made me so sad to think that something so horrific could be prevented if they just simply had shoes, something I think we all definitely take for granted here. It was a good clinic day though and we had a little down time so I got a chance to play with some of the kids which was so fun!  It’s amazing how they found so much joy in something as simple as bubbles, cameras, and stickers.

The next 4 days consisted of similar experiences with each village having its own unique spirit about it. One community we went to had a little church where a number of

people were in there playing music and singing when we came. As we walked into the little church the spirit felt in there was so amazingly strong, to see them singing praises to God and welcoming us with fun beats and joy was so sweet. I could feel the love our Heavenly Father for them, it truly was such a touching experience. At another villages we also had the opportunity to have a meal in someone’s home that was a hut, as I sat in there it was really humbling to know that this was where they lived and and how simple their lives were.

Throughout the week in clinic I saw a ton of children. The interesting thing about Uganda is that approx 60% of the population is 14 years old and younger so there was lots of kids everywhere. One of the most common problems was malnutrition and a protein deficiency called Kwashiorkor that caused them to have pretty sig abdominal distension. Apparently most of these children would eat a corn type mush and often most of them only ate about 1 meal a day. There was also lots of rashes, fungal infections, dehydration, diarrhea, and respiratory illnesses. Most all the children got antiparasite meds and vitamins, and we tried to educate them on nutrition but it was a really difficult as they did not have much access to additional food. One baby was having diarrhea and when I talked to her mom I found she had to work so they were feeding the baby cows milk because that was all they had. I wanted sooo much to just get her some formula but that was of course impossible there so what else can you do?

I had another little girl that was deaf and she was completely terrified of me! I tried to lur her in with a sucker but she suddenly screamed and ran out, it definitely caused some scene in the clinic but I can only imagine how she felt not understanding what was going on and seeing some crazy white person wanting to touch her, I think I’d probably run too, lol! I also had a kid who randomly had giant butterfly fly into his eyes and his eyes were really red, watery and swollen. Not knowing what the heck kind of things those butterflies did to eyes I irrigated them and gave him antibiotic eye drops, hopefully he is seeing ok, crazy butterflies?!?

In addition to those crazy kids, I also saw 2 little boys that just about ripped my heart out. They came in by themselves and when I asked about their mom they said something to the fact that she was not there or they didn’t have one, it was hard to understand via translation. But they came in for some rashes and when I looked at them their skin was soo dry and dirty that it was cracking and becoming infected. I wanted soooo much to just be able to put them in a bath and clean them but all I had were wet wipes so I cleaned them as best as I could and put on some antibiotic ointment. I think what touched me the most however, was how brave the older brother who was maybe 8-9 years old was and what care and concern he had for his little brother. I think this was one of the first times in my life that I really REALLY wish I could have just taken them home with me, but as I couldn't I was in total amazement by their courage, strength, and diligence to persevere. They really taught me a lot and even though I could only do a small service for them they will forever be my heroes.

While we were in clinic we also had a member of our team who had the opportunity to go over to a very poor island to go help fix a well that has been broken for a number of years. Apparently because of this they were drinking polluted water and living in horrible conditions. However, a miracle happened that day and he was able to fix it and change the lives of the hundreds of people on that island. It really blows my mind to think that nobody ever took the time to help these people before now but what an amazing day that was for them and we all were soo happy!

 

Overall the trip was an amazing and life changing experience for me. We ended up seeing 2000+ patients and treating 250+ people in dental. I got the chance become friends and work with our amazing medical team who was full of some of the most kindest good people I have ever met. They were such a great example to me and inspire me to be better.

I also came to better understand and love the people of Uganda.  I have been a lot of places and experienced many things but these people probably live the hardest life I have ever seen and have nothing when it comes to worldly things. Yet somehow through it all they seem to be the most happiest. Their spirits radiate a kind of amazing light I cannot describe and its so striking the joy and faith they have that seems to come from within. They taught me that regardless of what you have and the trials you face in life that you can still find happiness and that happiness truly is a choice.

The other thing I felt so strong through this experience is the amazing amount of love that God has for his children there. That regardless of what we may think or understand he has not forgotten them and that he looks over, knows their circumstances, and cares for each one of them. I also I don’t think it was until the end of the trip that I realized that one of the ways he had shown them that love was by sending us to be his representatives and his hands to give them comfort and care. What a humbling experience that was and I feel so extremely grateful that I have been blessed with the skills and opportunity to be able to go and that he trusted us enough to allow us to help them and learn from them. I think through this experience I have gained an even greater appreciation of the power of the atonement and the knowledge that although they may have nothing now someday they will have everything the Father has and that brings me such great joy.  As I reflect on this Christmas season I am so grateful for my Savior and I know that he loves, cares for, and will save ALL of his children. I am also grateful that he has helped me to gain that love for amazing people of Uganda who will forever be in my heart.