An asthmatic boy
A pregnant mommy who received a "good bill of health"
The front of the house where we had our clinic.
Today we worked with our friend Mateo, who has a ministry at the city dump. This is a community that has built homes on the trash from the dump. Currently the city throws it's trash on the land at the top of their community. Here is where people who can't afford to live anywhere else come. There are some people there that came from the area we work who could no longer afford the meager rent there, so moved to the dump. Our friend asked us to bring a mobile clinic there for two days. Today was an invitation only clinic. He spoke with the families of the people he works with. We saw almost 60 people. The primary things I saw there were severe malnutrition, infestation of gastric worms, "granos" which are basically severely infected areas from bug bites - they get bit by a mosquito, ant, etc, then they scratch it with their filthy nails, and they get infected. Some have required antibiotics, others just require a good washing with betadine, application of antibiotic cream, and band-aids. Saw a family of 7 - mother of 22 with 6 children, the eldest was 8. One woman who was bi-polar and an alcoholic, a child with a fractured femur who had sever diarrhea, etc. Just lots of sick people. A HUGE amount of meds were handed out at the clinic. This is one of the reasons we are only able to offer one mobile clinic a week in our ministry area - becasue of the cost of putting on the clinics. They are anywhere from $200 - $300 dollars a week. We probably doubled that amount at our clinic today. But it was such an overwhelming need, we were happy to be able to help those that NEVER go to the hospital or have medications, or vitamins.
We prayed with all the patients, and are excited to go back next week for another clinic there.
One the garbage trucks get there, part of the responsibilities of the children, and some of the women is to sort through the garbage collecting items that may be useful for the house - or to refurbish and sell - or to supplement their kitchen.
1 comment:
You don't only need more money. You need more people!
Don't wear yourself out. One of the hard things to cope with surrounded by need is that I can't do everything. I have to walk by some and not respond. I always found that difficult. And difficult to also then not get hard from walking by. I struggle with that at times.
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