So if you define poverty as the relative lack of material things then it is clear that the Sierra Leonian people we are engaging and building relationships with here are poor compared to us Americans. But if you have a more holistic definition of poverty that not only includes a lack of material things but also a broken relationship with self, others and God then it is not so clear who is truly poor.
It is said here that it is difficult for a Sierra Leonian to be lonely. Suicide rates are very low in this country. People here work together in the fields, play together and live in close proximity to each other. Little children seem to be always running around playing with each other, older folks sit under the mango trees talking and watching the world go by. Minivans built for 8 can have over 20 people packed inside and motor bikes often carry 3-4 people. Today in Tefeya our clinic was hosted by several village churches and the pastors worked together helping us translate, checking patients in and praying for the sick. Muslims and Christians alike were welcomed. I see a richness in the relationships of these people with each other and a dependency on God that is quite challenging to me and makes me question some basic assumptions about poverty.
Enough about philosophy... Today our clinic in Tefeya was challenging again. Lots of really sick patients and difficult cases. In fact I told Phebian that one test of our success here should be that if we visit Tefeya five years from now we have a clinic like the one in Jaima yesterday which was mostly filled with folks who had chronic diseases such as arthritis and hypertension. The very first person I met today was a young mother of 7 who 8 months ago had a hypertensive stroke leaving her paralyzed on the right side . She walks by dragging her right leg and using a homemade walking stick. No cane, walker or motorized wheelchair here. 5 months ago she stopped taking her BP medication and today her blood pressure was 190/110!
Another challenging question that is not easy to answer is how do we prioritize what we focus on when we have limited resources in a land with seemingly unlimited need? For instance there seems to be a real need for an ambulance for our clinic to serve the outlying villages, especially once the clinic is completed and Phebian is delivering babies. The one ambulance in all of Kono is often broken and families first have to buy the fuel needed before the ambulance is dispatched Just this week alone we have used our Toyota twice to transport really sick patients to the hospital who if left in the village likely would have died. But the $20,000 needed to buy a vehicle could instead go to hire community health workers, give them each a motor bike and a cell phone and have them work in the villages screening everyone for high blood pressure, making sure that those with dangerously high BP are taking their meds and leading educational classes on how to prevent a stroke. This intervention could also save countless lives. How does one choose?
We visited the construction site again this evening as the sun was setting. It is a beautiful and peaceful setting nestled on a mountain away from the bustling streets of Koidu. One of the design elements of the clinic that I especially like is the presence of many large windows giving one unlimited views of the mountains and also letting in lots of natural light.
Our team is doing well. Phebian as usual is taking excellent care of us. We are eating lots of fish, rice, pineapples and bananas. Our guest house is owned by the Wellbody clinic (this clinic does great work) and several of their American staff also stay here which is giving us a great opportunity to build a relationship and learn from each other.
I do miss all of you at Jericho Road and especially Joyce, Tommy and Peter (Michel you are away at school anyhow so I do not miss you more than usual). It has been a real privilege to share this experience with Stephanie! I am sure we will not soon forget. She is doing great and is a natural for this work.
Continue to keep our team and this mission in your prayers.
Myron
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