My First Trip to Malony

Thursdays we send a small team out to the village of Malony where we set up a mobile clinic. We have a container there that serves as a room, but the rain has prevented us from reaching it. So, we now set up under a tree about half way to the actual village. Last week, I got to go for the first time. I loved it. The drive there takes about 45-60 minutes. Half of it is on a good road and the rest is off-roading through a field. Our driver, Dabu, does a great job at preventing us from getting stuck. Malony is in a cattle camp area. There are lots of cows and sheep around. Many of the kids cover themselves in ash from burned cow dung to prevent mosquito bites. It's a very poor area, but filled with neat people.

When we first got there, there were no patients. Once we started setting up, they began to come. By the end of the day, we had seen 67 patients. Considering we weren't able to make it all the way to the village, I was happy with that. Those people wouldn't have been able to receive treatment at all if we had been there. We have three areas: triage and registration, doctor consultation and pharmacy. I helped with registration. Most of the cases we saw were minor. Anything requiring more attention, we referred them to the clinic. One man didn't have the two pounds we ask them to pay for their registration book (That is the only fee we charge. It's a very nomimal amount. We do that so they will have value in their book and keep it. Otherwise they will throw it away and we will have no information about their prior treatment.). So he asked if we would accept a chicken in exchange for four books for his wife and children. I paused for a second and said... sure why not? So we came home with a rooster!

It was a beautiful day. There was a slight breeze and it wasn't too hot. As we were sitting at the table and I was looking around at the landscape and seeing all the animals walking around, I felt like I got a glimpse of what it might have been like for a shephard in Bible times. It was one of those surreal moments I have every now and then.

It looks like I will be going every Thursday, which I am thrilled about.



(This is on the real road)



(This is when we start off roading. Some parts are good...)



(Some parts are not!)



(Sometimes, you hit a road block)



(This is doctor consultation area)



(This is the pharmacy area)



(In this shot you can see all three areas)



(Maybe I should have been breaking up this fight instead of taking pictures! I was told they were just playing around.)



(We had to send these little guys home. They all came to see the doctor, but didn't have a parent with them. Fortunately, they came after lunch with their mother.)