Fway??

I was up before 6am despite my ears to work at the Nutrition center. Plus, a volunteer is here from a neighboring village to plant moringas. While dodging various demands (Alhouss wants garden help, Bébé too as soon as they saw the fencing for the trees; Fadi wants a live fence and Ablo is still maneuvering his way out of responsibility), I kept up with the cases at the Nutrition center. With the additional two moderates, one whose mom honestly said she doesn’t sleep under the net they got at the CSCOM, I was busy trying to get the twins to eat. And convincing the kwash he can’t eat! He was practically sticking his hand into the bita pot—but he needs to level out his salt before he can go off the rehab mik F75. One of the twins refuses F75, plumpy nut and bita. So I proposed an SNG, but the doctor refused to place it (does he even know how?) This is why I want to go to nursing school—so I don’t feel so damn helpless. When I debriefed with the matron who stayed the night, she said the kids drank their respective milks. But the cups were still on the tray the way I left them the evening before, when usually the mothers collect them in a bucket in their room with the kids...

Checked in on the tree planting and saw Aliou about bricks to protect them from goats; then, went off to the school to teach. Naturally, there was the teacher’s strike and the students weren’t coming. Back at the hospital I met a Moor who wanted me to look at his sick kid. An old man stopped me to look at his wife with a cavity. At about the same moment, I was telling a Bella man through a translator in Songhoy to bring his kid on Monday for weighing and vaccinations, the ACF film crew came to speak to me about HIV/AIDS…speaking to me in French. The Moor was switching from French to English (he’s a guide and even works with PCVs in Mauritania) and it turns out the Bella guy actually speaks English. Fway?? All this with my plugged up ears. I did the consult with the Moor’s kid, ran off to get my keys, prepped the milk and tried to convince the mother of the twins to stick it out this time even if it seems her son doesn’t like any of the rehab foods—eventually he will get used to one of them and we can get him better. I baby-sat for the nurse’s son while she went to deliver a baby. Finally I got away for lunch—you make yourself available and people take advantage! 

During lunch, we listened to entertaining stories of witchcraft. Back at the hospital, the mothers told me the matron who said she had made the milk actually hadn’t—so I was right to be suspicious. Even telling the Sage Femme Maîtresse I don’t think will make a difference. We made the evening’s bita and milk and I explained the preparations to this evening’s nurse. Went to check up on the Moor family—they had bought the meds I recommended, so I explained dosages and went over to Bébé’s to explain my troubles. She was very tired and outright told me she was ready to quit. We’re finally getting children into the program and the maternity staff is just neglecting them. I appreciate those who do help—but don’t they know I find out when they lie about work they haven’t actually done? Good work will be rewarded. There is a concept of tiyaabu here—kind of like karma. But I don’t know what has killed it at the hopsital. I feel if you are in the health profession, you should want to help people.