An Inside Look

Last week we (Rylee and Kristen) were placed at the Save a Life Clinic, which supports families with malnourished children. Patients and their caregivers come in weekly for "clinic days" where they are consulted and provided with extra food for the week. Home visits are also completed by the Community health workers (CHWs) to follow up with families on the program. Not only was the view from Save a life impeccable, as it is overlooking the flood plains, but we both made connections with the 'Save a Life' staff that exceeded our expectations. While many of our peers navigated new experiences in the hospital and clinics, we had the opportunity to explore nursing in Zambia from a different perspective. We feel privileged to have worked with locals in their homes, as we were provided with a deeper understanding of their circumstances, challenges, and values. We are grateful to have had this experience as it strengthened our understanding of where people are coming from when they arrive in hospital or at the clinic. On our first day at the clinic, we were surprised to see that many of the toddlers at the clinic had a flat affect and appeared unstimulated. This caused us to reflect on how the Zambian and Lozi culture impacts how parents interact with their children. We were informed that it is common for parents to minimally interact with their children until they are able to verbally communicate. This concept was rather troubling for us as it caused us to consider how this impacts their child's development. Before discussing this with our instructors, we neglected to consider that for many of the families here, playing does not always make the priority list. Many of the parents we met are hardworking farmers, applying the majority of their time and effort to simply provide enough food for their families. On Wednesday I (Kristen) set out to do my first home visit with two CHWs. At first, this situation was somewhat unsettling as it was the first time I had been apart from any of my peers. Being in this situation caused me to trust the CHWs who I was working with and in doing so I formed a bond with them that I didn't expect to occur. The connections we have made here and elsewhere throughout Mongu has created a bittersweet feeling in anticipation of the day that we depart for home, as our new friends will be dearly missed. Our favorite part so far about this practicum is the connections we have made with others, and in doing so, learning about and appreciating their culture and way of life

-Rylee and Kristen