helping people heal themselves: "I love this clinic like I love my own heart"

"I love this clinic like I love my own heart."- Anna
She is our lead janitor and community leader. Her friend Madeline in the back was admitted due to an infected wound. These women light up my life.

Immaculate, a TB patient, was discharged! We drove her to her house and she was aglow after being here for about 3 weeks. It's rewarding to see people healed.

..............
A visit to Melino's house was incredibly beautiful. I road in the back of the truck during the 2 hour voyage up the mountain into Vyanda. Breathtaking. The wind in my face, driving through evergreen trees, fog, eucalyptus trees, and vast open fields. We arrived to his house which reminded me of a New England bed & breakfast- a quaint stone house surrounded by avocado trees, eucalyptus trees, rolling green hills, and corn hanging around the outside of the house drying. Melino's prized possession is his cows! He LOVES them. I wanted to snap a picture of one little guy licking Melino's face (apparently it's their thing).

Mama Melino (that's one way to address mother's here) was adorable. She gave us fresh milk which I had never had- delicious! Milk is a big deal here, it's cherished.

......

When supplies are limited or unavailable- we make do with what we have.
Melino teaching his mom how to use a makeshift spacer for her asthma medication.

In addition to all the warmth, peace, and joy that was felt I was able to take a picture of a baby goat, kitten, and puppy all playing together! I mean, I basically died from cuteness.
..........
In Other News:
The clinic has been bustling with some very high acuity patients. Heart failure, TB, malaria, life threatening high blood pressure in a 17 year old, malnutrition and more.

This woman Yvonne has heart failure which causes her abdomen to fill with fluid because her heart isn't strong enough to pump the blood effectively. This is terribly uncomfortable, impairs her mobility, and causes her to have trouble breathing. Helen and I did a home visit and determined that she needed to come into the clinic. Her house is situated farm back from the dirt road so we had to carry her to the ambulance which was waiting in the road.

The power of community...

......................................................................................

When she arrived we decided that in addition to medication she needed a peracentesis to drain the fluid from her abdomen. I did the procedure which was pretty cool- something I wouldn't be able to do in the U.S. (even though it's fairly straightforward).
........
Lots of TB floating around here.

Rainy Season!
April or Ndamukiza means "greet them for me" because it rains so much that people cannot visit each other.

.................
We have introduced the Family Planning Beads! They are a HIT! The women love them. Hilarie has taken this project to her heart and is doing an incredible job educating the women. Family planning is tricky here because most people's religious beliefs forbid the use of contraception. The women love natural family planning and want to use the beads and educate others...this has the potential to change the future of Burundi! Farmer Will and I have been teaching women in tandem about nutrition and family planning.
Smaller, healthier families means more opportunities for growth, development, and poverty eradication. I'm VERY excited about this project! Look at our logo below.