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Catherine Bullen Foundation - Reports 2009 |
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Catherine Bullen Foundation - Reports 2009 |
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Worlds Apart by Linda Bullen I would like to share with you some experiences from our trip in March 2009 to the Otjimanangombe Primary Healthcare Clinic in eastern Namibia. It was my second visit, and an opportunity to spend almost two weeks working along side Angeline, the resident nurse. There is no doctor on site, but a dentist, doctor and optician visit once a month and the surrounding population are informed of this by word of mouth or on local radio. The clinic is very busy, treating a whole range of medical conditions, immunizations, anti and post natal care, education and health promotion. The day begins at 8 o'clock with the raising of the Namibian flag and the arrival of Gertrude, the cleaner. Our first patient arrives almost immediately in the back of a donkey cart. This is the norm and during the day, others arrive by any means available, mostly on foot, but some on horseback and in pick-up trucks. The school children needing medical assistance walk across from the adjacent school, almost always barefoot, running the gauntlet of hazards such a discarded glass and tin cans. All patients have a 'passport' (medical card) and pay N$4 (about 40p) for a consultation and prescription. It is a great privilege to be able to experience such a completely different healthcare system. Each day brings new challenges, but I found my confidence growing daily, as the patients and visitors to the clinic became more accustomed to my presence. It is wonderful to build such genuine friendships whilst helping to improve health and well-being. This visit was especially rewarding because we were able to make a trip into the bush on an outreach trip. Angeline had made one such trip before but she did not have access to a vehicle to do a follow up. So the offer of our vehicle was well received, and with Roger, my husband driving, a guide, a health worker, Angeline and myself plus a 4x4 full of medication, we set off into the bush. We managed to find six families including the San who live a nomadic life absolutely in the middle of nowhere. The drive was quite an experience for Roger, but the end result was worth it. We were able to immunise the babies and children, weigh them and give medication, antibiotics and multi-vitamins where needed. We also were able to assess and treat adults for chronic conditions such as hypertension and arthritis, distribute contraception, treat chest infections, asthma and bronchitis, and even perform follow up treatment for TB. It was without doubt the most rewarding thing I have had the great privilege to do on my visits to Namibia. To be able to meet those wonderfully resilient families, who have precious little except each other was truly humbling and inspirational. Their welcome and smiling faces was as warm as the African sun and I left knowing in my heart that we had really been able to make a difference.
The conquering of Mt Kilimanjaro by Carla Holroyd Well as many of you already know - I conquered Kilimanjaro and what a truly amazing experience it was! There were 34 in our group plus leaders and helpers and they were all brilliant people. I have to say it was pretty tough probably more mentally than physically. We walked for most of each day through incredibly different terrains and temperatures and knew at the end of it we would be staying in grim, freezing cold huts, with just thermals and a sleeping bag to keep us warm! One of the worst things was that our leader, Henk, made us walk up another hour after we had reached our camp for the night for acclimatisation purposes. We all moaned about this but I think that was definitely what helped to get 33/34 to the top. The food was okay but bearing in mind it all had to be carried by sherpers, I think they did a fantastic job producing any meals at all. The only way I could eat the porridge was to mix it with cocoa powder and strawberry jam! The loos were - well I really don't want to go into that but it was preferable to find a rock. Washing just didn't happen but as we all stunk it didn't really matter. Day 5 'The Summit Night' was a fantastic experience. We set off from the camp at 23.00 and it was absolutely ????? freezing! The group leader and guides made us walk really slowly to give us more chance of reaching the summit and my hands and feet were just about dropping off. I had 7 layers of clothing on top and 4 on my legs plus a flattering balaclava and hat. We all had head torches on and looking back at the people coming up behind us it was quite a magnificent sight. The guides and helpers all kept us going by encouraging us and singing Tanzanian songs and we kept each other going by playing silly word games. The last hour, which was at about 05.30 am, up to Gilman's point (which counts as the summit - 5,685 metres) was extremely difficult. We were climbing rather than trekking at this stage up scree and it was pretty well vertical judging by the lights above us and this was confirmed the next day on our trek down. It was very hard to breathe by this stage and quite a challenge negotiating all the rocks - especially with four layers on my legs and my poles always seemed to be in the way. Many found it virtually impossible but the guides were fantastic in helping them achieve their goals. The jubilation at reaching Gilman's point was short lived as there was another 2 hour trek around the crater to get to the highest point - Uhuru peak - 5,895 metres. The last 2 hours was so, so draining and I really had to push myself both physically and mentally. But wow it was worth it when I got to the top. It was really clear and sunny and the view was out of this world. We were way above the clouds and there was a massive glacier (which from below had looked like a little dusting of snow) with all different shades of blue - I doubt I will ever see anything like that again. It was very emotional - most people were in tears - I guess from sheer exhaustion and the realisation of what they had just achieved. Sharon and I had to struggle with two flags - her Colchester United one and Roger and Linda's Namibian one - which I am ashamed to say I paraded for a small photo shoot upside down!!!! I wasn't upside down - the flag (I think). I would like to say a huge 'thank you' for all the sponsorship which totalled £1,340 plus gift aid to the Catherine Bullen Foundation, not just from me but also from Catherine's parents, Linda and Roger.
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The Catherine Bullen Foundation
