A thunder storm in the night knocked out our power from 2 am and we awoke to a drizzly morning. After boiling a pan on the stove to make coffee (essential), we headed out to 1000 Hills Community Helpers for their General Clinic day.
We had the pleasure of delivering the dressings and other medical supplies that had been donated by Bidford Pharmacy (open boxes of dressings are often returned to pharmacies in the UK but they cannot re-dispense them so they are often wasted). Many thanks to Bidford Pharmacy for their donation, Karen was so delighted and she immediately opened the bag and extracted two dressings that she needed to dress an abscess on a patient's neck. The medical supplies are largely donated and the clinic will use what they have and adapt it accordingly. They are also very resourceful and will split bandages into thirds, using one third per patient. Medicines are also dispensed sparingly, patients are given a small amount of medication or ointment (maybe three days worth). This is for two reasons, firstly scarcity as medicines are expensive and the budget is limited, but also so that they can monitor the patient closely. If the patient returns after three days of home treatment they can assess whether the medication is being effective, if the patient is taking it correctly or if further intervention is needed.
The clinic is staffed largely by a volunteer workforce, some are retired from the medical profession and give their time and expertise one or two days a week and others are employed in the health service and volunteer their time and skills on their days off.
There are so many jobs to do and so many patients to see - there were about 50 patients inside the clinic waiting area at 8:30 am and at least twice that waiting outside on the veranda - that every volunteer is cherished and their contribution greatly valued. The system works like clockwork, patients come in with their card, their record is retrieved from the filing cabinet, they move to the next desk for their obs (blood pressure, pulse, temperature, breathing) and then are triaged to be seen by the Sister or Doctor as required. TB screening also takes place at this point, if a patient comes with a cough they are asked a number of questions about the duration of the cough, exposure to others suffering from TB, history of TB etc and if they are suspected of having TB they are immediately referred for a sputum test.
The smooth running of the clinic is in many ways down to one man, Modise (photo above). He was born in Botswana and came to the community as a teenager when his parents died and he came to find his Grandmother. He asked for work in the 1000 Hills Community Helpers but there was no paid work. However, he was offered some gardening work which he accepted. One day, he noticed that the windows of the clinic needed cleaning, so he asked if he could clean them.
Through the windows he saw the boxes of dressings and medical supplies were jumbled and in disarray; he asked if he could go in and sort things out. His offer was accepted and he arranged everything in an orderly manner and labelled the shelves. From there his place in the clinic was assured, he moved into the records office and worked his organisational magic there too and now he is in charge of the card room which houses patient records for all the clinics.
However, the team are not complacent and they are keen to hear patient feedback and find ways to improve their service, there is a suggestion box and a feedback form that patients can complete. These are reviewed weekly and suggestions taken on board where possible. Unfortunately there are many requests for the clinic to be opened on a Saturday and Sunday, as it is difficult for people who are employed to attend the General Clinic on a Thursday, but this is currently impossible.
After lunch we headed into Victoria Street Market in Durban, this is where one of our main beadwork suppliers has an outlet. We were delighted to find some new designs and look forward to including these in our beadwork sales - check out the chickens!!! We also have the favourites, elephants and giraffes galore! We bought a selection of key rings, some animals and also some letters which we hope will go well at the Stratford upon Avon River Festival in July (fingers crossed we get a stall allocated!), We also needed to replenish our stock of necklaces and we went in search of the stall that has supplied us in the past... sadly we found it was boarded up, but we came across an alternative outlet and have some beautiful necklaces. We tried hard to get items that would co-ordinate with the colour palette for Spring / Summer 2019 … but couldn't resist some of the vibrant colours that are always so popular as well! We were given an amazing demonstration of how one necklace can be worn 6 different ways... we've some video footage that we will post once we've worked out how to do it! LOL!
Our next visit was to the Crisis Baby Home, HOLAH (House of Love and Hope), Holah take in abandoned babies found by the police and social services and provide them with a loving home until suitable "forever families" can be found. Often these children have special needs or disabilities which mean that there are challenges in being able to place them with families. Holah will provide the child with love and shelter for as long as it takes, they are wonderful people who seek to give these children all the support and assistance they are able to offer.
In order to respect their privacy, we do not share identifiable photographs of these beautiful children on social media. I would love to describe in words the experience I had at HOLAH today. On arrival we were met with L (aged 5), who proudly showed me her journal from school, this recorded her homework and reports from her lessons. She is a delightful child who is still looking for her forever family and her laughter when she is tickled is deliciously infectious. B, aged 3 was delighted with the wonderful knitted toys we presented to the children, immediately holding them close to his chest and kissing them tenderly.
Little baby L sat beautifully on her gorgeous knitted and crocheted blanket, surrounded by the delightful knitted toys so lovingly donated by our wonderful supporters. Little M came over to me and held on so tightly, his smile could light up a room and his bright eyes sought mine as he enjoyed a game of "round and round the garden". Some of these children have been born with Cerebral Palsy, others have physical disabilities; in a country where life is already hard the challenge of bringing up a child who will need extra support is just too much. For others, the challenge of a child full stop is too much...and this is why the service HOLAH provides is so vital and the demand does not diminish.
Today has been so thought provoking. We can't solve everything, but we can make a difference. For one person needing a dressing for an abscess, for one small boy with tonsillitis, for one child who needs those special parents who will see the promise not the problem. Night night.
We had the pleasure of delivering the dressings and other medical supplies that had been donated by Bidford Pharmacy (open boxes of dressings are often returned to pharmacies in the UK but they cannot re-dispense them so they are often wasted). Many thanks to Bidford Pharmacy for their donation, Karen was so delighted and she immediately opened the bag and extracted two dressings that she needed to dress an abscess on a patient's neck. The medical supplies are largely donated and the clinic will use what they have and adapt it accordingly. They are also very resourceful and will split bandages into thirds, using one third per patient. Medicines are also dispensed sparingly, patients are given a small amount of medication or ointment (maybe three days worth). This is for two reasons, firstly scarcity as medicines are expensive and the budget is limited, but also so that they can monitor the patient closely. If the patient returns after three days of home treatment they can assess whether the medication is being effective, if the patient is taking it correctly or if further intervention is needed.
The clinic is staffed largely by a volunteer workforce, some are retired from the medical profession and give their time and expertise one or two days a week and others are employed in the health service and volunteer their time and skills on their days off. 
There are so many jobs to do and so many patients to see - there were about 50 patients inside the clinic waiting area at 8:30 am and at least twice that waiting outside on the veranda - that every volunteer is cherished and their contribution greatly valued. The system works like clockwork, patients come in with their card, their record is retrieved from the filing cabinet, they move to the next desk for their obs (blood pressure, pulse, temperature, breathing) and then are triaged to be seen by the Sister or Doctor as required. TB screening also takes place at this point, if a patient comes with a cough they are asked a number of questions about the duration of the cough, exposure to others suffering from TB, history of TB etc and if they are suspected of having TB they are immediately referred for a sputum test.The smooth running of the clinic is in many ways down to one man, Modise (photo above). He was born in Botswana and came to the community as a teenager when his parents died and he came to find his Grandmother. He asked for work in the 1000 Hills Community Helpers but there was no paid work. However, he was offered some gardening work which he accepted. One day, he noticed that the windows of the clinic needed cleaning, so he asked if he could clean them.
Through the windows he saw the boxes of dressings and medical supplies were jumbled and in disarray; he asked if he could go in and sort things out. His offer was accepted and he arranged everything in an orderly manner and labelled the shelves. From there his place in the clinic was assured, he moved into the records office and worked his organisational magic there too and now he is in charge of the card room which houses patient records for all the clinics. 
However, the team are not complacent and they are keen to hear patient feedback and find ways to improve their service, there is a suggestion box and a feedback form that patients can complete. These are reviewed weekly and suggestions taken on board where possible. Unfortunately there are many requests for the clinic to be opened on a Saturday and Sunday, as it is difficult for people who are employed to attend the General Clinic on a Thursday, but this is currently impossible.
After lunch we headed into Victoria Street Market in Durban, this is where one of our main beadwork suppliers has an outlet. We were delighted to find some new designs and look forward to including these in our beadwork sales - check out the chickens!!! We also have the favourites, elephants and giraffes galore! We bought a selection of key rings, some animals and also some letters which we hope will go well at the Stratford upon Avon River Festival in July (fingers crossed we get a stall allocated!), We also needed to replenish our stock of necklaces and we went in search of the stall that has supplied us in the past... sadly we found it was boarded up, but we came across an alternative outlet and have some beautiful necklaces. We tried hard to get items that would co-ordinate with the colour palette for Spring / Summer 2019 … but couldn't resist some of the vibrant colours that are always so popular as well! We were given an amazing demonstration of how one necklace can be worn 6 different ways... we've some video footage that we will post once we've worked out how to do it! LOL!Our next visit was to the Crisis Baby Home, HOLAH (House of Love and Hope), Holah take in abandoned babies found by the police and social services and provide them with a loving home until suitable "forever families" can be found. Often these children have special needs or disabilities which mean that there are challenges in being able to place them with families. Holah will provide the child with love and shelter for as long as it takes, they are wonderful people who seek to give these children all the support and assistance they are able to offer.
In order to respect their privacy, we do not share identifiable photographs of these beautiful children on social media. I would love to describe in words the experience I had at HOLAH today. On arrival we were met with L (aged 5), who proudly showed me her journal from school, this recorded her homework and reports from her lessons. She is a delightful child who is still looking for her forever family and her laughter when she is tickled is deliciously infectious. B, aged 3 was delighted with the wonderful knitted toys we presented to the children, immediately holding them close to his chest and kissing them tenderly. 
Today has been so thought provoking. We can't solve everything, but we can make a difference. For one person needing a dressing for an abscess, for one small boy with tonsillitis, for one child who needs those special parents who will see the promise not the problem. Night night.
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