Second week at Effia Nkwanta and Nzulezo Stilt Village

This week has gone so fast! It has been my second week on the paediatric ward at the hospital. Today there were 3 critically ill children all rushed in from A+E, all 3 with cerebral malaria with convulsions and i honestly didn't think they were going to survive the morning but they were still there when I left to go home. I have come across a few cases of where parents use 'herbal remedies' or go to 'medical healers' to cure their children of coughs, colds etc and end up having to bring their child to hospital as a result of this, for example one mother gave her child an enema of ginger, another child had very strange cuts all over from a 'healer' and another child had been given garlic to stop him convulsing...

There are also quite a few children who come in with infections and is is discovered through blood tests that they have HIV, it is heartbreaking when the parents are told. I am starting to learn a lot about malaria, TB, typhoid, and sickle cell disease, all of which are so common here in children. The consultant, Dr Eghan has really taken me under his wing and teaching me so much. Basic things are in such short supply here but they really do improvise, for example plastic tubing for tourniquets to take blood, folded cardboard boxes for splints etc.

Last weekend me and 4 other students from the house traveled 3 hours West along the coast to the most secluded village called Beyin, where we stayed at a beautiful beach resort. It was so nice to sit in the sun and relax and admire the picture perfect beach! On the Saturday we visited Nzulezo Village, which is a village literally build on stilts in the middle of this HUGE lake, it was amazing! Took an hour canoe ride to get there, in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Was such an experience to see though, so hard to think people actually lived in these wooden huts on the water. It was a really good weekend and although had a slightly hairy journey back on sunday evening (our tro tro didn't turn up so we ended up getting a lift from this very strange but obviously hugely rich lebanese man, from the resort to a nearby town (30 mins drive along the WORST road ever) then a tro tro from there back to our house which went so fast it was terrifying. Never been so pleased to see our house!

Hope you are all having a good week.
Lots of love from ella xx