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More Words from Uganda
by Ken Magee, April 22, 2007

Dear Family and Friends,

Our e-mail connections became very sparse during the latter part of my stay in Uganda. Otto's laptop, that we used, gave up the ghost, and we found the local Gulu internet cafe to be slower than slow. In about an hour's time I was able to
receive only five messages and didn't have time to send any at that speed. The keyboard had many of its letters wiped out and much of what was yet available was in Arabic. So now I'll try to catch up a bit.

As you know, our role turned out to be quite a bit different than we'd imagined. The refugee camps we visited, with their tiny
health clinics serving about 75,000 people, were very simple to say the least. They had been started by the Anglican Diocese of Northern Uganda who in turn asked Medical Assistance Programs, International, (MAP) to help them, who in turn together have asked MTI (Medical Teams International) for their input. They asked us to come, evaluate and make recommendations for the future.

We visited the several camps, mostly far out in the bush, manned (and womanned) by what Uganda calls "Nursing Assistants." They are good folks but with only about three months of medical training. In visiting the clinics we got to ask them what their hopes and wishes are, to observe while working with them in seeing patients, and to recommend a course of action for the future which includes much upgrading of training. Thankfully we had taken with us much good training material that will be used.

They are implementing the hiring and use of a full-time very experienced nurse to help in this training and an administrator to help in much needed communication and other aspects of their organization. We are sure that they will progress beyond mostly just giving everyone a shot of penicillin and/or treatment for Malaria.

The three of us, Lou Ingrisano, Otto Gonzales and myself, (An Emergency Room Nurse, Physicians Assistant and MD) really
were an excellent combination to tackle the needed job. We'd all had lots of overseas experience and the different backgrounds were just perfect. (Thank you, Kristin Homan of MTI, for putting us together.)

There of course was lots of laughing and kidding as well as most serious talk. We stayed at the Gulu Sheraton and Otto placed a sign over the front door "SHERATON" so there would be no mistake. The "running water" ended up meaning "legs running after the water" and our toilets ended up being NOT the hole-in-the-floor type but truly the western raised kind. (Though serviced by 5 gallon cans). We occasionally had a bit of electricity - totally unpredictable. A propane hot plate added elegance. Termites loved Lou's Pepto-Bismol tabs.

Sitting on our spacious 6x6 front porch we had a neat tin roof to keep off the sun and HEAVY rain. From there we could talk not only with numerous passing people but goats, fat-tailed sheep, cattle, chickens and guinea hens. There was no concern about getting the lawn mowed. Sometimes there was even excitement - as when a bull, being pursued by his owners with sticks and a lasso on the end of a long pole, dashed through our fence, made of small limbs, right past us, and thankfully didn't turn into the open front door of the Sheraton.

I must tell you about Agnes. A 20 year old lady, she had lived in the bush for years when the LRA was wreaking havoc. One night while fleeing with her parents and siblings to hide in the jungle, her older brother got separated and was captured by the LRA. They have not heard of him since. Generally such young folks were given the option of joining the LRA or of having ears and lips cut off or of being beaten and hacked to death. Agnes was taken under the wing of the Bishop of N. Uganda and his wife about three years ago. She had gone on with her schooling and while we were there was accepted into the teachers' program at Gulu.

She is a superb house-cleaner, cook and washer of clothes full of red dust. We found her reluctant to eat with us, but she finally consented and seemed to enjoy being there. We surely appreciated Agnes.

I have more to say of the heros and heroines we met, of the challenges and privileges we encountered, and of the numerous "God Sightings," but must stop for now.

May all be well with each of you,
Ken.

Links to all of Ken's letters from Uganda:

Letter from Uganda 1 - by Ken Magee - March 25, 2007

Letter from Uganda 2 - by Ken Magee - March 31, 2007

Letter from Uganda 3 - by Ken Magee - April 1, 2007

Letter from Uganda 4 - by Ken Magee - April 9, 2007

Forgiveness - More Words from Uganda - by Ken Magee - April 15, 2007

More Words from Uganda - by Ken Magee - April 22, 2007

Ugandan Child - by Ken Magee - April 25, 2007

Final Thoughts on Uganda - by Ken Magee - May 12, 2007