Highlights of High Season: Part Four

Volunteers and Zakhele pose with a newly-constructed
ramp for one of our disabled home-based care patients.

The large number of medical volunteers throughout July and August have allowed us to visit over 67 home-based patients in need care - a great accomplishment to start off our last installment of our "Highlights of High Season" blog. 

Volunteers over the past two months have began using a simple home recipe for the treatment of diarrhoea called Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS). ORS is made using 8 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt per 1 litre of water. This has reported great success among the HBC patients that have tried it, resulting in symptoms subsiding within a few days.

Volunteers have also begun working in Ezwenelisha clinic on their busiest day (Tuesday) and furthermore have begun giving health talks in the morning on topics such as maternal health before they join our Khula Support Group.

During our visits to Gogo Breast Cancer in July and early August she has been doing well. Gogo's wound has been kept clean, however it is still bleeding when we remove the bandages. Unfortunately our most recent visit to Gogo Breast Cancer found her quite ill so we were unable to dress her wound. Gogo's husband is still looking after her and has been an inspiration to the many volunteers that have passed through. We are still seeing Gogo Breast Cancer weekly and keeping a close eye on her condition.

We have been visiting new home-based care patient Cute Baby Mama for approximately three months now and she is doing fantastic. Our first visit to this frail woman who was lying on a mattress on the floor of her house, she could not muster the energy to sit upright in her bed and had a weak two month old baby boy lying next to her. After our first visit it was suggested that Cute Baby Mama would be a good candidate for our 10 Families programme. As the weeks progressed Cute Baby Mama was seen once a week on home-based care and once a week to be delivered her Epap. This lady has completely transformed. Each week she has gained more and more energy, and has even joined our Ezwenelisha Support Group. And as a direct result of Cute Baby Mama feeling better here young son is looking extremely healthy.

Gogo Fish has not been doing well over the past few weeks, so Nokwethemba and the volunteers have made a concious effort to visit her at least once a week and sometimes twice to bring her to the clinic. On their HBC visits volunteers have been moving Gogo into the shade and trying to make her as comfortable as possible. You will be pleased to hear that Nokwethemba is continuing to insist that she needs to be taken to the clinic where she will most likely be transferred to the hospital and given the professional help she needs.

In other news, Gogo One Leg 1 is feeling good. She has been suffering from a cold the past few weeks causing her to feel some pain however volunteers were able to give paracetamol to help eliminate some of her pain and has reported to be feeling much better. The volunteers even spent two afternoons making a ramp at her home so she can easily move in and out of her residence. 

Sibusisio is also doing well. He has a lot more energy and is now up and walking around. In addition to the food parcels we bring Sibusissio has also received spinach and chilies from our AMREF Garden.

A big thank you too all of our medical volunteers over peak season. Your hard work and constantly wanting to improve the work we do has made a great difference. We would also like to thank those who compiled 'volunteer to volunteer' manuals so that new volunteers can hear it from the people who know the projects best: The volunteers.