Uganda adventure: Day 5

Once again, I fall asleep sometime between the second and third cock’s crowing but before my eyes detect early dawn. I unwisely hit “off” instead of “snooze” when the cell phone alarm sounds, so I waken in a panic, realizing only 10 minutes remain before Rose is scheduled to come by with 13 yr-old Kato for our trip to Entebbe. Splashing water on my face, I choose to forsake the shower in favour of a quick coffee and a few bites of Victoria’s excellent scrambled eggs – perhaps this choice will buy me a little more personal space on the minivan taxi. Thankfully, Rose is a few minutes late arriving, allowing me time to remember sunscreen and antimalarial meds. Alicia rises before I leave, in time to join Richard on his chores.

boda boda stand near BKU

cute child at her home along the road

Richard immunizes a chick

The taxi ride is fairly short and only costs us 1000 UGS (1 US$ = 2500 Uganda Shillings). It is punctuated by a brief confrontation between a disembarking passenger and the conductor, settled only after the driver comes around for support, bolstered by shouts of advice from the other impatient riders. On our walk to the clinic, Rose explains the situation. Protocol dictates that riders may pay on disembarking provided they have exact change. Otherwise, one is expected to pass larger bills forward (often via one or 2 other hands) so the conductor can make change between stops, and not delay the taxi unnecessarily at the roadside. Apparently this scoundrel had large and small bills, but insisted on paying with a large bill at his stop. Furthermore, he demanded he be given his change before he would hand over the large bill. The event was interesting but not threatening.

Entebbe is much smaller and notably more sedate than Kampala. Nestled on the shore of Lake Victoria, its’ choice as capital during the British Empire is apparent in the many colonial style buildings vying for a glimpse of the water. I enjoyed my first sighting of a football pitch, abandoned on this weekday morning, and sporting goals without netting and more dirt than grass. We pass a couple of nice hotels on our walk to the clinic. The guidebook states Kampala also has some posh neighbourhoods and fine hotels, but we did not visit those areas on our brief sojourn to the larger city.

Construction on a classy hotel in Entebbe. My friend Barry would be cringing at the scaffolding in use.

TASO is the acronym for The Aids Support Organization. Their clinic is close to the lakeshore, and near the zoo entrance. The campus is much more compact than the facility we visited with Isaiah, but the staff at the children’s clinic all greet Kato with friendliness and obvious recognition. The main room is moderately large, with desks for the counselors and doctor, and a central TV set with muted cartoons that hold the rapt attention of several patients. We go through to the covered deck in back, and I am glad for the steady breeze on this morning which seems hotter than others. The heat in this part of Uganda is reminiscent of Ontario on a July day: mid-30’s with moderate humidity. Ugandans often ask me how I like their weather, and are surprised when I tell them our part of Canada gets just as hot in the summer months.

Kato's little friend and her mom

TASO paediatric outpatient clinic, Entebbe

A young girl of about 6 who is full of smiles and skipping rather than walking climbs on a tricycle and rides around the deck. Rose and Kato know her and the mom, and Rose asks if I would take the girl’s picture. She is fascinated to see the images on my camera back, and mom asks if I can give her a picture. Alas, they do not have email, but I promise myself to send some prints to Victoria for Rose to take with her on their next clinic excursion.

The counselor takes Kato aside and spends 25 minutes or so in private conversation. She advises Rose that the time has come to start educating this boy about his diagnosis. The label probably does not have much meaning to him at this time, and he understands that he has some illness that requires medication and monitoring, but that is about the extent of his knowledge. Information will be given in bits and pieces over the next few years, allowing him time between clinic visits to absorb the details and formulate questions. He is fortunate in having Rose available to consult between trips to Entebbe.

While we wait, Rose speaks to one of the other moms who says her child of 7 can no longer attend school. They live on an island community in Lake Victoria and the sole teacher on the island left in December. They cannot afford the daily boat transportation to the nearest school, and cannot afford boarding school. Apparently school transportation is not free although public school education is funded.

The counselor asks Rose for Victoria’s telephone number. She describes a boy of 16, a patient of their clinic, who is living alone in Entebbe, trying to find work to pay his rent and survive. Victoria says she gets calls about sad situations almost daily and wishes she could help everyone. She apparently asked the counselor to have a report prepared by social work and probation services, and she will then consider the next step.

After the counselor’s session, Kato sees the doctor who advises us his disease continues well-controlled and he should stay on his Septra for maintenance. She does not have an otoscope (ear light) available but notes the history of hearing loss and treated ear infection back in September. She suggests he may have a chronic infection, and that a course of antibiotic & ear drops might help. I indicated we plan to obtain an otoscope Monday, and perhaps we’ll hold off starting treatment until then.

Kato (left) and his twin Wassawa

I reflect on poor Kato’s plight. If his hearing loss is not caused by some readily treatable condition (ear wax or persistent infection), he may need surgery or hearing aids – treatments which BKU may not be able to afford. Ongoing hearing impairment will result in poor school performance and social isolation, compounding his hurdle in realizing the implications of his HIV diagnosis and the capriciousness of life that he should be affected while his twin brother is spared. Gloomy thoughts for a sunny Thursday morning.

I respond to the greeting from another muzumbu, the first I have seen walking the streets anywhere, on our way to the supermarket where I am pleased to find Heinz ketchup and soya sauce. The Ugandan ketchup is thinner and has a more savory flavour. I do enjoy it, but Heinz just seems right for certain dishes. I grab a couple of bottles of water for Alicia, a treat for Kato, and a couple of heavier rubber soccer balls.

Alicia has no appetite for lunch, but tells me she was also in Entebbe with Richard this morning, picking up supplies at the hardware store, and visiting the bank. She still hasn’t found courage to actually milk one of the ornery cows, but she’s enthusiastically helping with all other aspects of the care of the animals, including gathering eggs from the chickens.

Gloria

BKU rooster

Do not be fooled by Arnold's charm

Neighbourhood schoolgirls

Elizabeth, who is Elijah Obama’s older sister, arrives from boarding school to request attention for her toothache. Rose is at lunch in her room attached to the little ones’ dorm, so Elijah enjoys a rare visit with his older sister while we wait. There is an obvious cavity in the girl’s bicuspid, and unfortunately the adjacent premolar has already been extracted. She is given antibiotics and Ibuprofen, and we will need to arrange a dentist appointment. Extraction of this tooth will leave quite a large defect in this girl’s upper palate, but restoration and probable root canal will stain the BKU budget significantly. More tough choices for Victoria to weigh.

Arnold spent most of the afternoon with me in his football shirt, and fell asleep in my arms at bedtime

"Auntie", the little ones' matron

In the afternoon, Rose hand-prints some notices about Saturday’s vaccination clinic, and we have variable success gluing these to BKU building bricks and the occasional hydro pole. Victoria posted some notices about the community earlier in the day, and Rose plans to produce more tomorrow.

There is a young family housed on a plot near the little ones’ dorm, with about 4 kids between 5 and 12 playing about. I have waved a couple of times in the past, and today they run out and let me take their photos. They are thrilled with the results, and enthusiastically greet this muzumbu every time I subsequently pass by.

the neighbour kids pose

Alicia & I are able to visit Susan by Skype. The connection is better today and she is able to meet many of the kids and get a little tour of the grounds. We do miss her!

After dinner, I’m thrilled to see some boys are playing football on the patch of ground between the big house where we sleep and the clinic building. I have posted a video at:
http://youtu.be/N9kLs9SLIp8

I am standing on the main path with the big house to my left, the clinic to the right, and the piggery behind the soccer pitch. I cannot believe how quickly they scamper across the hard grass on bare feet.

I have also posted a short video of the kids singing at the church service on our first day in Uganda, which seems like ages ago:
http://youtu.be/knAQ0RGt5lI

Vincent

At the end of the video, I focus on brief close-ups of Esther and Elijah Obama.
These URLs may need to be copied and pasted into your browser, but I have tried them, and they do work.

Some random pictures from the day: