Erin and myself (Amanda) spent the last week working with the heartwarming staff at the Save A Life Centre. Many of you may already know from previous blog posts, that the Save A Life Centre works to improve the health status of malnourished children in the area. Every Tuesday and Wednesday children and their parents arrive at the centre (usually on foot) from their village to take part in the feeding program. This program is a 6 month commitment that consists of a weekly weight of the child; provision of food specific to the child's growth and developmental needs; a bible lesson, health education session (this week we taught about exclusive breastfeeding), followed by micro-business training for the parent; and play therapy for the children. During this time, the clinic is open for any child who is sick and needs to be seen by their highly skilled doctors on site.
On our very first day we saw many mothers and a few kukus (grandmothers) come in with their children - something we expected to see. Often times grandparents here will take care of their grandchildren if the mother is too young, in school or has passed. This being said, the majority of the participants consist of mothers and their children. However, on Wednesday, it was really encouraging to see a few dads coming in with their children to participate in the education.
Every Monday, Thursday, and Friday the staff at the centre visit the homes of some of the children in the program to check in. On Thursday, we paired up with one of the workers from the centre to visit four children on the feeding program. We would be walking through the villages to reach the homes and on this particular day, the grey clouds covering the sky threatened rain. Wanting to be prepared for any situation, we grabbed our rain coats and stuffed as much medical supplies into the pockets as possible. Then we set out on foot to the first home.
The rain began to fall but the cool air was a nice break for us as the heat can become overwhelming here! I don't know how long we had walked for, but we marvelled at how the worker knew exactly where to go. There were so many homes and trails that it was easy to feel turned around.
The rain steadily became heavier and we all knew that in a few seconds, it would begin to pour - the type of rain that soaked you to the core. Holding the hood of our rain coats to our heads, we ran.
Fortunately, it was only a short distance away to the first home and we were welcomed with open arms into a grass hut. The three of us arrived at their doorstep, dripping water just as the rain thundered down, quickly forming pools across our now sandy feet. Although the mother and child we were hoping to visit were not home, the other members of the household patiently waited with us for the rain to cease. As these visits are supposed to remain a surprise, we were told that they can often miss the members of the program but will try again the next day. These women can walk a long ways I tell ya.
We visited two more homes in the area before walking back to the centre. The sun had come out on our way home, drying our soaked coats and skirts. Phew!
With this is mind, the Save A Life Centre and the staff (that we have all grown to majorly love) put their hearts and souls into this program. For women and families that are struggling to feed their children, this program gives nourishment, both physically and mentally. To say we will be sad to say our goodbyes to this team would be an understatement.
Erin and Amanda
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