This morning we went shopping with the two Vickis (Babies and Home Supervisors), Annie (the boss) and Patrick to source items we need for our curriculum roll out. Chiembe market in is downtown Kampala is a great place to source cheap products. However, its not a great place to be if you are white-skinned. We ditched all personal possessions for the trip except for a discretely hidden camera, phone and some money in my cargo pockets. We had tall Vicki in front leading and the way and short Vicki and Patrick behind, keeping a close eye on us. We wound our way into the underbelly of downtown Kampala, through narrow, crowded alleyways, into warehouses and markets which were multilayered. The whole place was an assault on the nose. Exhaust fumes, Red, Ugandan clay dust, urine and other smells I don't even want to guess at. I have a new understanding of the herding instinct - the desire to stay in the middle of the pack, keep up with the leader and not stop for a minute, least you be singled out and plucked off.
Everywhere we went, we could hear the cries go up Mzungu! Mzungu!...that's us...White foreigners. We were the star attraction and all the more conspicuous because of our number - about 13 in total with guides as well. It wasn't long before we decided to split into 2 groups. I went on the fabric expedition, sourcing different fabrics to make various items for the homes. This turned out to be a good choice. After a crazy walk to the fabric markets, the fabric shops themselves weren't quite so busy. We had time and space to try and source our fabrics, bargain for prices, make rapid calculations about how much of each to buy. We did quite well and I felt useful, able to draw on my knowledge from my own early childhood Centre, to contribute to the decision making process. We then chopped our way back through the madness to the safety of our cars, which were parked by the church. Phew what an experience!
Once back at the babies home, we walked to Soho and had lunch . Nice but pricey and I had to kiss my first two selections goodbye as they didn't have them available. Settled for a chicken tandoori wrap and a passion fruit juice for a relatively hefty 28,000 - just over NZD $10. After lunch we waddled back to the home. Some of the girls then went to purchase millet and rice to take to a group of children being held because their orphanage had shut down. A bit of a shambles by all accounts.
Another group of us jumped in the car to go and visit the local Mulago hospital. OH. MY. GOD. I've never seen anything like it. We had to negotiate security first and got a 'guided' tour by the Public Relations department, through the maternity ward. We handed out knitted jerseys to two rooms which were jam packed full of freshly birthed mothers...In total about 60 women, hanging around in corridors, sitting on blankets on concrete, semi-outdoors, having just given birth, babies at their sides...many of them multiples. We thought that was bad enough, but the next two rooms were even more packed, maybe 60 women in each room, a few lucky enough to have beds, but most of them lying under and beside, in the corridors, on the dirty floor with their babies...amidst pools of water, wet dust, blood and other unidentifiable substances which I'd rather not speculate about.
We were then shown into the Special Care Unit, where the preemies are. OH. MY. GOD. Incubators as far as the eye could see, arranged like a Maze with a narrow track running through. We were asked to take our jandals off because "the babies don't like dust". However it seems they are okay with every other substance known to man. We had to pick our way carefully, barefoot, amongst the used syringes and various substances as we viewed the babies and surveyed the overall operation of the unit. I counted four nurses and easily 30+ preemies. Some stacked into incubators together - incubators which were often not even working. Some, desperately fragile and tiny, freshly born, on a two layered metal trolley, some just lying wrapped on plastic deck chairs. Thankfully, I was able to take photos of the carnage, which I will post when I am able.
Here I was able to deliver the crocheted bonnets, mittens and boottees knitted by Linda's daughter. They will be put to such good use here. Wow, just an amazing sight. I'm told by a lady in the room who, is not even a nurse, but is handling babies, that they often die en masse in their incubators and are left undiscovered for hours on end, because the nurses are so busy. Apparently, the rate of births per day is 60 to 100, many of these are twins, triplets and quads. Overwhelming.
Then it was back to the babies home to paint empty formula tins, to make into drums; down to Oasis for a very expensive Suubi shop 155k! (about NZD $75); then home again, dragging said shopping up the hill. I'm done in, but I still have to sort tea and pack. Thankfully, I don't get picked up until 10am. So I have some time up my sleeve. Phew.
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