Life at Another Hope

I have finally made it back to the computer. I was left the computer this evening to work on things for our nursing project, unfortunately all the other volunteers had planned to go out tonight and that left andrea and i the only caretakers of all 34 children. We had 8(ish) little ones to bathe, dress, feed, entertain, brush teeth, and put to bed. Exhausting! Especially when they're all wild with pent-up energy and need a good, long run. The space here is not very large and there are no toys for them to play with, so they spend a lot of time picking up rubbish from the ground and either eating it or using it as a toy. It's a constant attempt at conflict resolution between children who are often beating on each other, which is nearly impossible as there is really no system of discipline here. I'm constantly dragging kids off to the "naughty corner," which is not enforced by many here. I think I'm the strongest of disciplinarians here (though those of you who know me well know I'm always like that).

Tomorrow we're doing a teaching on teeth brushing and then one on basic hygiene and hand washing next week. We have SO much to do for this project we're working on. We've thus far only managed to organize the medicine cupboard and catalog what we have. We still have to make a medication guide for all the drugs, develop a charting system and medication administration system, work on cleanliness, menus, child development (ie: toys and such things), and probably lots of other things we haven't even thought of yet.

I got an e-mail today from Judy (who is currently working at Amani and was there last year when I was there) asking if I would consider bringing one of the children from Amani (Monica) back to the states with me when I fly. She's in the process of being adopted, but her family cannot afford the cost of tickets to and from Uganda for them and Monica. I will be talking with Judy this weekend and probably hearing from the family soon. We shall see. I'd be really excited to get to do that, but it would also be a long grueling trip. It would consist of 9 hours on a night flight from Uganda to London, 12 hours in London, and another 10 hour flight back to San Francisco. With a 2 year-old. Who is blind.

If any of you are interested in contributing to this home, there are a lot of things we need to help get our new health care system in place. Here is a list of the things I can think of now:
- bath towels
- clothes for children 3 - 19 yrs.
- toys
- Sheets and blankets
- Chewable vitamins
- Medical supplies (band-aids, gauze, medicine cups, and lots more!)
If anyone feels like donating anything, you can let me know and I can help you figure out how to get it here. I also might be sending a package of stuff over upon my return.