They Are Your People Too

Here in Kampala, we are learning some big lessons in humility.

We are working at Mulago National Referral Hospital, the largest hospital in Uganda. There are over 33,000 births per year at this hospital, an astounding number when you consider that the busiest maternity hospitals in Canada and Europe see only 8,000 births per year. In addition to the volume of work to be done, staff also face a scarcity of equipment and supplies. Our first day here, we attended morning rounds. One of the staff's report was as follows: "There is no water and there are no I.V. cannulas, syringes, or gloves. Otherwise, the ward is fair and full." One resident recounted how a woman had come in to hospital, hemorrhaging after an atempted abortion. Realizing that there were no I.V. cannulae on the ward, the resident sprinted back to his dormitory and rifled through his laundry until he found a spare cannula he had left in a pocket the day before. If not for his resourcefulness, the woman may well have died. Despite the enormous challenges, the morning rounds always end with the statement, "Let's serve and be grateful". Lessons in humility...

Aware of the shortage of supplies in hospitals across Uganda, our group packed with us a number of large suitcases filled with medical supplies and baby blankets and clothes. We returned to our guesthouse one evening with another huge bag of supplies which had been sent ahead to Kampala with a family member. When our friend the housekeeper greeted us, we proudly told her, "We have brought more supplies for your people." She smiled and said, "They are your people too..." More lessons in humility...

In addition to all the big lessons, there is a lot of lightness and joy to be found here. Yesterday on Ward 14, the low-risk labour unit, we spent a better part of the day howling with laughter with the midwives about one thing or another. It started when one of the midwives clutched her stomach and said she felt like pushing a baby out. She began to moan and Angela proceeded to assist her in giving birth to twins (dolls knitted by some of the generous donors in Canada). The women labouring on the ward must have wondered what had gotten into their caregivers with all the raucous laughter that ensued. Our short time here has already brought us so many gifts but perhaps the greatest has been the friendships with the midwives that we've formed. We are so lucky to be here, so privileged to be able to work with these women, so fortunate to be able to assist at these births.

Let us serve and be grateful.