Rapha Health Centre Update

We at Fields of Life would like to share with you Fiona Ross's latest update on the progress of the work at Rapha.  Once you have read Fiona's letter, please take a moment to read about Michael, Ryan and Aonghus's 3 Peaks fundraising challenge to support the Centre's work in Uganda in the Events Section. . . It is now a year since we started the community outreach and are able to assess the way it has progressed. At first we weren’t sure of an acceptance in the villages and had to meet with Local Councillors to see if they were agreeable. After hearing what services we offered and a lot of talking it was considered worthwhile. Then it was a case of gathering mobilisers to go and inform the people, arrange suitable dates to visit each village. These mobilisers had to be paid for their services but some were worth a lot more than what they were paid. This all seems to have taken a long time but we had to make sure we weren’t imposing on the work of other dispensaries. We had decided to offer antenatal care, child immunisation, family planning, health education and a mothers HIV/AIDS clinic at Rapha. It took a lot of organisation on our part and then we needed drugs, vaccines, stationary, weighing scales and a place to store all our equipment.

At last the day dawned for our first clinic. We were all excited but feared that no one would turn up. We were not disappointed, a crowd had gathered old and young, everyone looking for tablets, potions and lotions with magical powers!

Ladies who had never had any antenatal care and children who had never been immunised, up to 5 years old and we still get them. The ladies wanted to hear about family planning, most of them wanted tubal ligation and we don’t blame them. We have this arranged for them in June, when they will have it done at Gombe Hospital. With the first day over we were exhausted but happy, its been like that mostly since. We had to change our venues in a few areas, and move into buildings e.g. churches, schools, and people’s homes. We still hold some clinics under trees. One day we were busy with the work when we heard a great commotion coming towards us. Seems we chose the wrong tree as it was one which they hung slaughtered animals on. A slaughtered cow was being dragged towards us – we moved quickly but the smell followed! We never used the tree again.

Now we are more organised and know what each village expects of us, how much vaccines to take etc. We organise the seating arrangements for the patients and take their names and weights in order, then they are called. Otherwise it can be chaos and we can’t get moving for people.

There have been many challenges. The work is demanding, the roads horrendous in rainy season and not having enough staff to help us. There is a lot of writing to be done; everything has to be recorded for statistics and accountability for the hospital and local government.

The HIV/AIDS clinic is going well. It is held at Rapha every 4th Friday of the month. Many people come, young and old. We have a team from Gombe hospital come to help us and bring all the required drugs. The people come from long distances and are very tired; they come early in the morning to get first in the queue. It is not unusual to see them lying on the grass sleeping, while they wait in turn.

We run a huge antenatal and immunisation clinic at Rapha every Thursday. This caters for the people in our locality and is very well attended. It takes at least 4 staff to run the clinic nonstop. It is a Muslim area so we can show them God’s love in our work.

God has greatly blessed our work in the maternity ward; we see them in the villages snd invite them to Rapha to have safe deliveries. If we have any doubts about them and suspect any complication we transport them to Nkozi hospital where they can have caesarean sections. Nkozi hospital is run by the Roman Catholic church. It is a very clean hospital and the staff always treat us kindly.

The new price for a normal delivery has been lowered from the 1st April this year owing to a donor from N. Ireland, this we appreciate very much as do the mothers. So far this month we have delivered 32 babies, quite a difference from 2006 when only one baby was delivered in Rapha in May. We have gone way over our target and have still a month’s work to do. The increased work load means that we need more midwives; two are being interviewed this weekend.

Without your generosity we could not function. You make our work possible. We thank God for you, and know that He will reward you, however we sincerely thank you.

When we came to Rapha to see if an outreach was required and possible for us to do. Our reply to Jim McAnlis was that we needed 3 ‘F’s – Faith, Funds and Fitness. He said that we could have all three – and so we have!

We know that we do not do this work on our own. God has made it all possible for without Him we can do nothing. Many people are praying for our work and we are grateful to them. To you all we say ‘well done – keep up the good work’, and we will endeavour to keep up the 3 ‘F’s.

God bless each of you.

Fiona Ross

‘Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.’

Psalm 127v1.