A Partnership in Caring Society’s Carolyn Rideout and Maria VanVonderen will be presenting the 2017 mission by Carolyn and Lynn MacDonald to Rwanda and Uganda. Join us for a Learning Lunch at the Antigonish Community library on Wednesday September 20th from 12 to 1 pm.
We received this update from from A Partnership in Caring volunteer Carolyn Rideout in Rwanda:
Every year here in Rwanda we plan a visit to Kabuga, the residence for senior sisters who are in some way infirm and require nursing care and assistance. It’s always a very uplifting experience.
The sisters remember us each year and are so happy to renew our acquaintance. One sister reminds me every year that her mother’s name was Carolyn.
With staff at Kabuga
This year Lynn decided to acquire some exercise balls to encourage sisters and staff to exercise the upper body by throwing and catching the balls. It was lots of fun and some of the sisters really got into the game. Lots of laughs from everyone. I decided to bring the sisters a jigsaw puzzle, a totally foreign concept. The sisters were quite interested to hear that some of the sisters of St. Martha enjoy jigsaws in their spare time. These puzzles are good for visual and spatial exercise.
Exercise time at Kabuga
In past years the Marthas have generously contributed wheelchairs and walkers to the sisters at Kabuga. I bring each year Tylenol for Arthritis for the sisters, some of which is generously donated by Lawton’s and Haliburton’s pharmacies in Antigonish. It’s always a long day, about a 4 hour trip, including picking up and dropping off sisters on the way. One of the sisters, Sr. Athanase, took the opportunity to visit a young married woman who had just had her first child, a beautiful girl, one month old. The mother had been adopted by a sister who was the midwife who caught her at birth, shortly after which her mother died. The sisters raised her, educated her, and were celebrating her first child with her, a beautiful outcome to a tragic beginning.
Senior Sisters Residence at Kabuga
Another side trip on the Kabuga jaunt was a stop in Kigali, the capital city, to acquire a piece of equipment called a doppler for the health center at SAVE. On our visit there on Thursday there was a young woman patient, 5 months pregnant, a victim of spousal abuse. It was impossible to tell whether or not there was a fetal heart rate audible. The old piece of equipment they were using to try to hear the fetal heart was right out of the middle ages and was simply useless.
There is truly never a dull moment in Rwanda!
We received this update from A Partnership in Caring Volunteer Lynn MacDonald in Rwanda:
Carolyn Rideout and I visited SAVE, to see the health clinic which we support through A Partnership in Caring. The clinic is a very busy place with many patients needing attention.
We were told of a young woman of unfortunate circumstances, she is 5 months pregnant, has two small children at home and is a victim of spousal abuse. After this recent beating from her husband, she could not feel the baby move. She has health insurance, but could not afford the fee for transport. Unfortunately, the 1986 clinic ambulance (purchased second hand) usually breaks down and is unreliable for transport. Sr Immaculee, the nurse manager, informed us that she needed to send her to a district hospital for fetal monitoring, as they had none. We agreed to pay for her transport and will purchase a fetal heart monitor for the clinic. I was able to examine her, and although unable to hear a fetal heartbeat, could feel movement so we were feeling hopeful. It is a sad situation.
A Partnership in Caring volunteer Lynn MacDonald examining a patient in Maternity
We also found another child with obvious developmental delay, who is being cared for by his grandmother, so we plan to have him assessed at a local rehab hospital, the same institution we sent another young patient to a year ago.
Patients at Health Centre SAVE
The small boy you see me with is 4 years old, so small for his age, we are told malnourishment is a big problem here in this rural area. So we leave with many thoughts on other ways we can help and hopefully improve the lives of those here in rural southern Rwanda.
A Partnership in Caring volunteer Lynn MacDonald with young boy at Health Centre at SAVE
We received this update from A Partnership in Caring volunteer Lynn MacDonald in Rwanda:
Carolyn Rideout and I toured Butare University Teaching Hospital yesterday morning, and we were pleased to see the pipes being laid for running water. To have running water in the hospital is a huge step forward for sanitation and infection control. Also patients who require it are being fed two meals per day, they still have families camped outside providing food for their loved ones, but it sounds like within the next year the hospital will be able to provide meals to all patients. We feel APIC has a small part to play in this provision, as we have promoted nutrition as being such an important measure over the years.
Running water being installed at Butare University Teaching Hospital
So many new improvements have slowly come to this hospital. They have a long way to go, but we feel they now have adequate supports. APIC may now direct our efforts to smaller grass roots projects that make a more direct impact on the welfare of Rwandans.
Palliative care is still a challenge at the hospital and we have made it known that we are willing to provide ongoing support in that field should it be requested. A note of thanks to Nasson Gafirimbi, Director of Nursing at the hospital, and Dr. Jules Ndoli, Medical Director at the hospital for their friendship and support over the years.
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We received this update from A Partnership in Caring volunteer Carolyn Rideout in Rwanda
Today Lynn MacDonald and I made our yearly visit to ADAR, a residence for physically and mentally handicapped children and adults. There are 30 residents ranging in age from 4 to 54. It is always a rewarding and emotional experience to renew our acquaintance with Josepha, the foundress and manager of the facility, and, of course, with the residents.
Little David, who is pictured with Lynn, has learned to walk over the past year, thanks in large part to a blind massage therapist who lives and works at the residence. David is now 4 years old, very bright and affectionate. His mother is dead and his father is ‘away’.
Lynn MacDonald with David at ADAR
The little girl in the wheelchair is always so excited and laughing and clapping with the music.
Jared, age 15 or thereabouts, continue to be well cared for. He spent many years living with the pigs before being brought to ADAR. He will never walk, but he now has a new wheelchair thanks to our friend Gaye Gould in Mississauga who raised money last year for 5 new wheelchairs. Gaye also accompanied us to Rwanda.
APIC tries to raise $3000 USD to support ADAR. We have been able to buy them a secure medication cabinet and we try to fill it every year with needed medications. One of the most pressing medication needs is anti-epileptic medication. Perhaps in part because of the availability of medication, no resident has died over the past 2 years.
Medications for ADAR provided by A Partnership in Caring
The foundress of ADAR, Josepha, is an amazing and dedicated woman. We call her the ‘Jean Vanier’ of Rwanda. The residents love to sing and dance for visitors. There is a garden on the premises and several cows and chickens. Staffing is a challenge, finding and keeping good people is a struggle. But, visiting ADAR is proof that God is alive and well in Rwanda.
A Partnership in Caring volunteers Lynn MacDonald and Carolyn Rideout with Josepha at ADAR
We received this update from A Partnership in Caring Volunteer Lynn MacDonald in Rwanda:
On our way back from Kampala, Uganda, we stopped off at Tubahumurize, a women’s cooperative to pick up our order of beautiful crafts. We were greeted by founder Jeanne Mwiriliza, who was kind enough to share with us information on this wonderful grass roots organization.
A Partnership in Caring Carolyn Rideout and Sr. Laurentin at Association Tubahumurize
Tubahumurize serves socially and economically marginalized women living in Rwanda, regardless of their age, ethnicity, nationality, or religion.
Women working at Tubahumurize in Kigali
In particular: genocide survivors; victims of gender-based violence and oppression; women living with HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses; single mothers, grandmothers and orphan girls heading up households; and widows.
Procuring crafts for sale in Canada at Tubahumurize
We received this update from A Partnership in Caring Volunteer Lynn MacDonald following their recent visit to Uganda:
Carolyn and I have spent 4 days with Hospice Africa in Kampala Uganda. Hospice Africa was founded by Dr Anne Merriman, a British/Irish physician who has spent most of her life in different parts of Africa. Almost 25 years ago, she developed a formulary to reconstitute oral powder morphine, and make it affordable to resource poor countries. She also brought the Hospice movement to Uganda, and other African countries through education initiatives. She was kind enough to offer her hospitality and we spent our time studying how Hospice works in a resource poor country.
Volunteers with APIC’s Lynn MacDonald at day program Hospice Africa.
There are many obstacles to providing home care, immense poverty, poor roads, poor sanitation, over population, and a great deal of pollution. We visited mostly impoverished patients in slum conditions, with open sewage, piles of garbage everywhere. But no one is turned away, the service and morphine is provided free of charge. There is a huge incidence of HIV/AIDS and its many concurrent diseases and complications, many cancers, TB, Malaria, Cholera and on and on. It was an overwhelming time for us.
Dr. Ludo giving morphine to a patient in a pain crisis
We could only bear witness to the suffering. Very grateful to Dr Merriman and the staff at Hospice Africa Uganda for this opportunity. Their website is www.hospiceafrica.or.ug
Hospice Africa Uganda
From A Partnership in Caring Volunteer Carolyn Rideout in Rwanda:
A view of the countryside on the way to Musanze. The picture really doesn’t do it justice. The road is comparable to the Cabot Trail with many more hairpin turns.
Near Musanze, Rwanda
The market in Musanze; everything your heart desires and then some.
Musanze Market
Musanze Market
When it rains it pours in Rwanda, and everything stops until it is over.
From A Partnership in Caring volunteer Lynn MacDonald in Rwanda:
This silver haired lady is the powerhouse behind PREFER, which means poverty reduction and family empowerment. Cathy Emmerson is a wonderful, inspirational woman who is doing great things in northwestern Rwanda.
We had the privilege to spend a few days with her and see firsthand her operation. She walks the walk, and believes in giving a hand up rather than a hand out.
We received this updated from A Partnership in Caring volunteer Carolyn Rideout in Rwanda:
Here we are in Musanze, in the northwest of the country spending a couple of days with Cathy Emmerson. Cathy has been in Rwanda since 2003 and she runs an organization called PREFER. Check out the website which can be found by following this link: http://www.prefercanada.org/preschool .
PREFER pre-school
Cathy is from BC and is now a dual citizen of Canada and Rwanda. Cathy is in charge of and has organized a preschool here in Musanze where many young children get a head start in education.They also get one meal a day at 10 am.
Classroom at PREFER
There are a couple of women visiting from Australia here with us. We all took a trip together to the local market this morning and then had lunch. Cathy has supporters all over the world and they have done amazing work, building houses for the poor, helping students who seem to have the ability through school and even through Masters programs. This is an incredibly beautiful part of Rwanda, with rain forest, volcanic moutains, and of course, it is the home of the endangered mountain gorillas. The weather is cool with lots of rain. The photo is at the local market, with myself, Lynn Macdonald, and Marg, one of the visitors from Australia.
Market at Musanze