Today we woke up and went on a sunrise walk through the village. It was so nice. Here I wake up early naturally, a blessing I am so grateful for because at home it is a real struggle for me to wake up! I saw many skinny dogs and a few families walking to the market with huge baskets on their heads. I saw matatus (the minibus taxis) packed with people headed to the market. The birds sing all day here, from sun up to sun down. It's beautiful. :) I am surrounded by mountains here in Bududa, and the landscape is so breathtaking. I stop several times a day and just take it all in--what a miracle and blessing it is to be here.
At the clinic today, Marie Stopes (an ugandan medical group) came to provide tubal ligations and other extended forms of birth control to the women in this area. Guys, there are so many babies everywhere. And so many pregnant women. But these children are not usually well-taken care of, and so the more babies the mothers have, the more her other children suffer. It's very sad to see. Some babies sit in the dirt all day, with their 5 year old sibling as their caretaker. In this village, most wear the same filthy clothes for many days without bathing or changing them. It breaks my heart.
Anyways, Marie Stopes offers on-site tubal ligations using local anesthesia, and birth control injections into the upper arm. I began to feel ill today, so I couldn't watch these procedures; I felt like I would pass out just watching! Only A few women got their tubes tied, but about 60 received extended forms of birth control. It was good to see an Ugandan health organization making a difference in the poverty cycle, because many health programs here are NGOs. Sustainability is the goal!
The rest of the day I laid in a bed at the clinic and felt very ill. All of the staff were so kind and rushed to help me. I felt very spoiled, they were all so kind.
After a few hours of resting, I was able to walk home. In the afternoon/evening hours (when we walk home each day from clinic ) it always pours down rain! It makes the dirt roads very slippery and difficult to maneuver, but I like it.
I've been very ill since, but I suppose it is important to rest. I'm here in Mbale, the closest city to my village. I took a minibus taxi (called a matatu) into town last night, and it was a tough 2 hour drive. I do enjoy living like the locals though, or as much as I can as a mzungu. They crammed about 24 people including babies into that small bus! It was quite an adventure.
Thank you everyone for your prayers on my behalf, it means a lot to me. I hope everyone at home is safe despite the fires, you too are in my prayers!
Views of the town from the matatu:
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