Nina

Introducing the precious Nina Beatrice Davision; my newest niece. What a joyous blessing it is to have her here safely after all the uncertainty of the last few weeks. She was born on what would have been my father's birthday. Truly perfect timing....just perfect.

"When the world is falling out from under me, I'll be found in you.... still standing" (Brooke Fraser, Shadowfeet).

Today was always bound to be a hard day. It is the end of year 2 and the dreaded beginning of year 3. Shouldn't I be over this by now?

Well.... I am not, it is as real and painful as the weeks post May the 3rd 2007.

It feels as though today everything is crashing around me- a sibling of mine has been suddenly and potentially seriously unwell - and that on top of all today's memories has left me looking like a rabbit in headlights.

Back in Zim with a Bump

My 1st Sunday back in Zim and I manage to twist my ankle falling down a very small step. It turns out that I have a fracture of my 5th Metatarsal head and I am now hopping around earning myself new nicknames; Hopper, Hip Hop, Hop it and even the Easter Bunny.

After being helped onto a sofa following my date with the step I iced my foot and contemplated going to one of Zimbabwe's Emergency Departments. I suddenly became rather anxious, Zim's healthcare system is not nearly as amazing as the good old NHS (can you believe I am saying that)?!

My choices were one of three possible options:
Option 1) Do nothing and self treat at home
Option 2) Go to the private hospital, pay $80 for a poor quality Xray film which I would have to order myself and then pay a lot more money for plastering, which I would also have to do myself. I know this because last time I took a patient to this hospital I ended up having to plaster them myself and they still charged me.
Option 3) Go to the government hospital because I although I gather it barely functions I have heard that the Xray quality is good and it is very cheap....

So, I went for- yes Option 3- The government hospital.

I should have been more prepared for what I saw- I work on the cholera outbreak after all....

When we arrived we struggled to find any Emergency Department as it was all contained within 3 cubicles. There was no triage system and I just hobbled to find someone who looked official. We found a lovely nurse who let me write my own X ray form (being a health care professional counts for something) and told us the radiographer was at home. We were given his phone number to find out if he was available. (Man this is something I wish the NHS would introduce- optional on calls). Crispin wasn't that thrilled at being disturbed on his Sunday evening. He explained that he could not get to the hospital and since the 'ambulance' was not around (? lack of fuel, driver, engine etc etc) we would have to pick him up. (Actually the NHS could really think about this as well- optional on calls with chauffeur service). Izzy and Oria, my trusty companions went to fetch Crispin from the other end of the city, leaving me to sit back and enjoy the ambience with another friend Lynne.

Mainly people just sat waiting. Waiting is something Zimbabwean's are good at. They have waited a long time for any sort of change in their lives. They wait in overnight queues for the bank and shops. They wait for schools to reopen. They wait for a new president. They wait for food. They wait for hope. They are still waiting.
These patients were waiting for Doctors of which there were none. It made me angry- the British government development department (DFID) pay their wages but they obviously have got into bad habits these last few years- or maybe the money is not getting through- absorbed my some higher official no doubt.

When Crispin the radiographer arrived I hopped after him until I realised the X ray department was on the 1st floor. What are the chances of the lift working? Not high....
With Oria's help I hopped up the stairs, one at a time exercising muscles I didn't know I had. I contemplated sitting down and shuffling up, but the smell of dead bodies coming from the basement was so overpowering that I thought perhaps the steps might not be that clean. The fridge departments in most mortuaries in Zim are overloaded and are often not functional. Zim has the lowest the life expectancy in the world (34) so I guess it isn't surprising the mortuaries are overloaded.

I got upstairs, had the xray, swore loadly when I put it on the light box- it's a classic fracture. I manouvered myself back down the stairs and sat waiting on my own while the others went off to pay for the very resonable xray.

As I sat there, this elderly lady who I had seen earlier pleading with a Dr going off shift for help (he forcefully declined, rejecting her cries), walked past me distraught. She looked at me and said 'we have been here all afternoon waiting for help for my son and there is no one to help us, so we have to leave'. I looked at the son, he looked SO ill. There was nothing I could do for him. It is very unfair and unjust. I only have a broken foot and if I were to be really ill I would be out of Zim and in some glitzy western hospital before most people get to see a doctor here. I am in the minority. 1.3 Billion people live without access to basic health care- that is 1 in 5 of the world's population. Something is very wrong with our world.

We left the hospital and I spent the next 2 days trying to track down crutches and a doctor to plaster my foot. I found the crutches (from a friend) and went for the bandage and sturdy shoe option. I'll be running around again in no time .

The adventures of Hot pant, Sweets Cheeks & Trendy Knix, a Propella Shaft and a man named Shane...

I have just returned from a fab time away on hols. We had so much fun, lots of laughter and general South African Luxury. It was really nice to get a break from work. We did a lot of driving on our 10 day break around SA and I spent a lot of money on car parts to bring back to Zim. The car was amazing and did really well ... until our return -30 km's outside of West Nicholson, Zimbabwe...

Picture the scene: It is dark, there is no phone signal and we are in the middle of nowhere with Zimbabwe's bush all around us. Suddenly we heard a loud noise coming from my trusty Landy. We stopped and I had a look- dreading that it might be the fan belt- I have nothing that will substitute. I can't find anything so we cautiously proceed ... another 200 metres when, BAM, suddenly with a loud shattering noise we see a large piece of metal come up through the accelerator pedal and then drop down with a clanging thud onto the road below. Oria gracefully (!) manouvers the car onto the side of the road and we get out and look at what 'fell off' the car. A few metres back we find it- 15cm in length and 5cm thick, of a heavy metal cog- oh yes my Landy's propella shaft has just fallen off my car (this is part of the piece that connects my front and rear wheels together- see picture above)!

We set up camp, displaying various warning triangles and pray the right person will stop. But no, 4 drivers whizz past us ignoring our hand flapping motions.

Then when hope is almost lost, a round bellied Shane appears in a car ladden with goods smuggled from South Africa towing a trailer also filled to brim. He stops, gets out, looks at the part that 'fell off' my car and calmly says 'oh that's your prop shaft'. He then proceeds to get under the landy and muffles 'Yeah, I can get you going again'. This AMAZING guy, it turns out, grew up with Land Rovers. He quietly disconnects my universal joint and my 4x wheel drive so that we can drive the remaining 3 hours to home. Not only does he save us having to sleep in the bush and or possible theft attempts by getting us going again he also follows us all the way home to check we are alright- what a legend!

Zimbabweans can be truly 'Lekker bru'

Below Live footage of the breakdown and rescue...

School Trip

I went out to a rural primary school this last week to pre- test some of our public health material. 8 of us piled into my trusty Landy and headed out into the bush. The school we visited had no roof (it blew off in the rains) and the children sit on the floor. It is absolutely crazy to think that 10 years ago Zimbabwe's school system was the most respected in Africa. Today it is completely in ruins; a whole generation of children have not been educated. It is quite a frightening reality.

As part of one of the projects I run I have written a book on life skills for children from 5-18. We wanted to test out the workbooks for children aged 4-8 in a rural area. The children were sweet but is was so strange. They have not been in school so they have no concept of learning. They have not been conditioned to engage with a teacher. They just sit in silence, looking nervous- it is quite like talking to a brick wall. They don't even really know how to sing songs.

Lots of the questions for this age group in the workbook ask them to draw pictures and colour in. The children we gave the books to, did not know what to do with the pencils. They couldn't understand the idea of colouring in and just looked confused. A few children drew one straight line across the page. Isn't that crazy that children have not learnt to colour in- aged 8? They also really struggled to recognise pictures on a page- they don't have books so they have not every connected a picture to the real life object. I was left pretty stunned and very concerned- the task ahead here is enormous.

Siegfried update

Well sad news my friends; Siegfried will not be travelling with me to the UK with me when I return. I discovered that he is an African Leopard Tortoise and that this species does not hibernate. To attempt to hibernate him will cause him to die! To counter this I would have to build him a UV heated pen and he would need a large pen (since he will grow to be the size of a small dog- they are the 4th largest species in the world). Even I think this is a bit excessive- perhaps this is a hint to leave him in his natural 'African' habitat?!!

While on the school trip last week I came across another little chap happily walking along the road. Once he saw me he rapidly scarpered off and I let him / her be. He is a different species to Siegfried but still very cute. People here eat tortoise-I find this utterly terrible, maybe I should start a rescue centre in my spare time?!

Siegfried

I am pleased to introduce my new pet tortoise Siegfried. I found him walking on the lawn at work and we soon became firm friends! He is about 6cm long and I am guessing he is about 3 years old.... I think these guys can live to 180 so maybe my grandchildren will be around to meet him?!