Hospital Tours and an Immunization Blitz!

Yet another full week has come and gone. The Sede group, now known as “The Geckos”, started bright and early Monday morning with a first aid lesson for the local community leaders. The purpose of these classes is to mobilize the Mucombeze community by training the leaders in health promotion, prevention, and basic first aid. Nursing school has taught us that one of the most effective ways to have a lasting impact in a community is to partner with the people and empower them to be effectors of their own changes toward health and wellness. The team’s hope for these classes is to accomplish this aim, if only to a small degree.

LeeAnne, Lark and April

teaching First Aid class to

community leaders

Additionally, the Geckos spent time with Ernesto and Celestino, the local soccaristas (health care workers), at the health post assessing patients and providing health teaching. Soccaristas receive a two week basic health training course before being stationed.

Hence, there is a great deal of education they can benefit from, especially regarding prevention, but also a great deal that we can and have been learning from these two men.

April and LeeAnne in health clinic with Ernesto

Further, the Geckos had a unique opportunity to meet and teach both the women and their husbands in the small community of Pina. It was an unusual case where the men took time out of their work day to receive information on basic illness prevention and pregnancy issues. The intent was to emphasize that health depends on the whole families’ efforts. A great discussion with questions ensued.

This week the Zuze team, now known as “The Bush Babies”, taught the school children about safety in their homes, neighborhoods and on the highway.

The children were especially interested in learning about snakes and crocodiles, as this is a daily reality. Several poisonous snakes live here including the black and green mamba, spitting cobra, and puff adder… We’re definitely not in Kansas anymore!

A challenge that has been forefront for the team is making the lesson plans practical and applicable in light of the scarce resources available to the students – men, women, and children.

For example, part of the focus of their first aid class has been concerned with the “Common Signs of Sickness” - diarrhea, fever and cough. When teaching about treatment for diarrhea, the team shared an oral rehydration drink “recipe” by simply adding certain proportions of sugar and salt to the water. However, they quickly learned that salt, being a precious commodity, would be much more likely used for preparing sadsa (maize-flour and water, the local staple food), and that sugar was a near unheard-of luxury. As such, they had to tweak their “recipe” to include supplies locally available and affordable. For every teaching about prevention and treatment, they had to ensure that their “pupils” understood the rationale, so when substitutions were/are necessary, they know what to use. For example, interestingly enough, ashes can be used in lieu of soap. They are a clean exfoliant because all of the organic material has been burned off.

One of the group highlights of the week was a tour of the local hospitals. Senhor Paz, the health director for Vanduzi, graciously took us on an informative tour of the health clinic. Of particular note, the extensive organization and programming surrounding the HIV/AIDS program was impressive. Beyond the “arms” of the program which spanned from prevention, diagnosis, counseling, and long-term treatment, the emphasis on reducing the stigma surrounding the disease paralleled Canada’s own attempts to decrease the misconceptions about mental health issues. It has been in operation since 2006 and continues to grow as word spreads. Not only was this a learning experience about how the health clinic operates but now the team has a clearer picture of where patients are sent for referrals from the local health post. The group then continued on to Manica to tour the district hospital. Because it is a bigger centre, they have greater access to medications. However, the center is quite burdened in that there is a much greater volume of patients, and like Vanduzi, a vast shortage of medical and nursing staff to meet the overwhelming demands.

Another highlight of the week was an immunization blitz , a ‘brigada movel’ or mobile brigade, for the women, infants and children in the Mucombeze Interior. After Joanne inquired about the possiblity of our nursing team participating in a brigada movel in Mucombeze Interior (an area with no previous access to immunizations), the director and two community health nurses from Vanduzi Health Centre graciously organized and oversaw the event, after SAMM agreed to provide them transportation to the site.

It was well attended, with hundreds of vaccinations of Tetanus, DPT, Polio, Vitamin A and BCG (for tuberculosis) administered. The students, under Joanne’s leadership and expertise, helped weigh and assess babies, determine what immunizations were indicated for each person, and inoculate (often malnourished) infants, and children. This was an eye-opening time for everyone.

The team was greatly encouraged by the tangible impact this will have on a community that would not have otherwise had

this opportunity. Part of the funds that the team has raised will provide transportation for local nurses to follow through with the immunization program in Mucombeze Interior, which will require two more "brigadas moveis" over the next two months to complete the primary series for many infants and children.