Fiwila

21 JUNE 2008

The weather is now getting colder for any volunteer to leave their homes at 04.00hrs. To make it easier for us we arranged for the Dr Banda and Dentist from Lufwanyama Mr. Albert Sapalo to spend a night at Royal Hotel in Ndola.

The team on this trip comprised of: Mr. Bowen, Ms Chitambo and a Times of Zambia reporter. Medical Team: Dr P Banda, Mr. A Sapalo – Dentist, Ms C Tumbama and Ms M Nsamba.

At 06.00 hrs we picked up Ms Charity Tumbama and Mr. Mary Nsamba. The Times of Zambia reporter we arranged to meet him at the Royal Hotel at 06.30hrs. At 06.45hrs we were on our way to Fiwila Mission. We arrived at Fiwila at 10.00 hrs with the road now in a much better condition.

We first donated food at the orphanage and then proceeded to the Mission station hospital.

Dr Banda assisted by Ms Tumbama attended to 50 patients and the Dentist Mr. Albert Sapalo was assisted by Ms Mary Nsamba. Dental patients were 31. Total patients attended to was 81.

We left Fiwila at 18.45hrs and dropped off the Dentist in Luanshya, Dr Banda in Kitwe and lastly Ms Tumbama and Ms Nsamba, before finally arriving at our homes at 22.30hrs.

Report compiled by: Nellie Chitambo

16 August 2008

The following MMA personnel put on hold their personal needs and offered their services to travel to Fiwila by road. The road journey has significantly improved in terms of comfort and time take since the road had been graded.
Medical: Dr Kita, Dr Mbayo, Sister R Zulu, Mr. Manyepa, Mr. Kamanga, Mr. Sapalo and Sister Nsamba
A total of 50 patients were attended to. The trip was a success since we managed to attend to all
patients and left Fiwila at 17.00 hrs.

Prepared by N Chitambo.

29-30 NOVEMBER 2008

Medical Team: Dr Nasir (Dentist) from Chingola, Sr D Malama from Ndola, Sr K Chiwanda – from Ndola, Mr Mukubesa – Optician from Kitwe, Ms C Nambela – Dental Assistant from Kitwe, Mr. J Kapai – Lab Technologist from Mufulira. Driver: Ms Chitambo – from Ndola.

The trip was not boring since I had to listen to the jokes being told by the group we arrived at Fiwila before 10.00hrs and the team worked through out and finished the clinic at 18.00hrs and we spent a night at Fiwila. On 30 November 2008 at 08.00 hrs we left Fiwila with a Cataract patient.

MEDICAL
A total of 23 patients were treated.

DENTAL:
A total of 37 patients were attended to.

OPTICAL
A total of 21 patients were attended to of which one was brought out for cataract operation.

The patient Mrs. Mary Mayaya Mbulo was very happy to come out for an operation. She was joking with the Optician, she promised to give one of her grandchildren to the Optician as a second wife BUT he has to wait until she finds a good looking one for him!

The patient came to the centre for treatment and none of her relatives escorted her. She was on her own and we had to let one of her relatives know.

We managed to find her son at one of the commercial farms and we informed him that his mother is going with us to Kitwe for operation. She thanked us for letting her inform her son about the good news.

RESULT OF THE CATARACT OPERATION

Mrs. Mbulo was operated on Tuesday 2 December 2008. On 3 December 2008, Mr. Mukubesa telephoned me and I spoke to the patients who could see for the first time in seven years!

She was over the moon, she had seen the man who brought her out. Now she would be able to wear shoes. Before the operation her feet were the best guide she had to feel her way around her house.
The same day 3 December 2008 I arranged transport to bring her to the workshop. I took her to the Diocese in Ndola and found a vehicle from Mkushi.

It is difficult to explain the joy on her face, when she watched television for the first time. On 4 Dec 2008 she was taken to Fiwila and found a vehicle going to her village. What a happy ending for Mrs. Mbulo

Report prepared by Nellie Chitambo

NEW!!!

24-25 JANUARY 2009

The following braved the rain weather to go and meet new friends called patients.
Medical Team: Sister D Malama, Ms C Tumbama, Ms P Mulenga, Ms C Nambela, Mr. E Chonde and Mr. Manyepa. Drivers: Mr. Tommy Van Rooyen and Ms Chitambo.

The 4x4 had a flat battery and a new one was donated, hence the late start off which was 09.45hrs and the road to Fiwila due to heavy rains was not good for driving. We arrived at 14.10hrs. Our patients were waiting for us. We could see big smiles on Dental patients upon seeing Mr. Chonde.

MEDICAL: Screening of patients started at 14.20hrs and 62 patients were screened.
PROBLEM ENCOUNTERED: The Centre only had Pen-V and Doxycline drugs for antibiotics.
We feel it should have more antibiotics to combat different types of infections, e.g. Ciprobit, Claxacilline, Ampicillin, Ampiclax, Septrin, Flagyl, Amoxyl and Calpo.
The above drugs should be in syrups as well for babies.
Other drugs needed as well, Ant hypertensive, eye ointments, calamine lotion, Diabetic drugs e.g. insulin and daonil.

- A Glaucometer with gluco stripes, to test for sugar levels in a known diabetic or suspected diabetic patient.

- For Asthmatic patients – Amminophylin tablets/ ventolin tablets

FOLLOW UP CARE: About seven patients were referred to Mkushi General Hospital for management.

LABORATORY REPORT: Twelve patients were seen, one for urinalysis and urine microscopy. Eleven were for Malaria of which nine were negative and only two were positive.
RECOMMENDATIONS: We need to have a glaucometer, for blood sugar estimation, Heremo Cure for Haemoglobin estimation and strips for pregnancy test are needed.

OPTICAL (OPHTHALMIC)
We screened about 21 patients. All received treatment and we had all the drugs needed. One I & C was done.
CONSTRAINTS: Spectacles, the ones we carried mostly were cylinders. Most clients needed reading glasses. The ones in the box are with very high powers.
RECOMMENDATION: We need reading glasses ranging from +1.00 to +3.00.

Prepared by Ms P Mulenga.

4 APRIL TO 5 APRIL 2009

On this trip two special guests wanted to visit Fiwila – one of them was Mwenya Musonda (‘Esther’ is now new first name, but we know her as Mwenya the HIV rescued orphan) and her new house mother Charity Choobe. Mwenya’s mother – Charity, did not want her beautiful daughter to go alone. She made sure Mwenya got her ARV medicine at the right time during the visit.

The Medical team comprised of the following: Sr K Chiwanda, Sr Malama, Sr Ruth Mwape, dentist Mr. E Chonda – all from Ndola, Sr Ruth Zulu from Mufulira, Sr Jane Kaliembe from Chingola. On this trip I failed to find a volunteer doctor, they were all busy.

Drivers: Mr. Tommy Van-Rooyen and Ms N Chitambo both from Ndola.

We left Ndola at 09.30 hrs and arrived at Fiwila 12.30hrs. We found a lot of patients. Medical – 68 patients, Optical - 32, Dental 36 patients. A total of 136 patients were treated.

Sr Zulu of Mufulira did VCT Activities on 26 children at the Orphanage. She counselled and tested them of which one was positive with HIV. This time it is a boy, double orphaned. We pray that he would be accepted at Grace Academy where Mwenya Musonda is now.

The HIV positive boy is Matsauso Phiri who came from Chipata in Eastern Province. He was born in 1996 and he is in grade six. According to the records at the Orphanage he had been at Fiwila since 2002 and has never had his status checked; it is likely he was born positive. He is fortunate I approached Sr Zulu to do tests on all the children just in case. Sister Ella will do the CD4 count for him and then advise whether he should start ARVs or not.

Mwenya was happy to hand over the few clothes to she left behind to her friends and when they offered her a room and reed mat at the orphanage to sleep on she politely told them that she was a visitor and she is going to sleep where all visitors are going to spend the night!

Mwenya’s transformation within six months was impressive to all who knew her before. Her new mother is proud of her; she introduced herself as Charity – Mwenya’s mother. Mwenya could not believe that we could share the room together. In the morning she had a medication and she appreciates that she left Fiwila at the right time. On Sunday she visited her former home and said a tearful bye-bye to her friends.

Mwenya was crying on the way back, she told me she was missing her brother who is being kept by a relative just near the Mission. It is a pity I never knew she had a brother. I tried to calm her down but she was lost in her own world, very difficult to put yourself in her shoes. In the end I asked Sr Chiwanda to tell Mwenya about a three year Ndola double orphaned girl was looked after by her aunt – sister to her late mother.

Sr Chiwanda told Mwenya that the little girl was kept in the chicken run by her aunt and that is where the Catholic Sisters found her. Poor little girl could not even say a word because of the traumatic state she had to endure ever since she lost both parents. After hearing this story I asked Mwenya if she still thought her brother is worse off compared to the three year old girl. Mwenya replied that the little endured a lot compared to her brother and her self.

The three year girl who was eventually rescued by the Catholic Sisters and is now in good caring hands, loved and treated as a human being. Mwenya started to talk about her new place and how she plays soccer and looks forward to go to school. Mwenya told me about her visit to Protea Hotel, Nsobe camp and a Lusaka Cinema. It was nice to see her smile and listen to her good times. We arrived back in Ndola at 16.45hrs

Report by: Ms Nellie Chitambo

FIWILA