Adventures in Akot

It was pre-natal day in the clinic and during rounds, Caroline went with Francis, one of the staff nurses to being 5 hours of seeing expectant mothers. For the first time they used the portable ultrasound monitor that was donated by an anonymous St. James’s member.

Ann and I sat on the benches with some of the patients under the magnificent mahogany tree. This area functions as the waiting room for outpatients. One woman had twin boys, about two months old. One of the boys had diarrhea. In Sudan, babies are carried in goatskins with the fur facing out. They are usually nude, but frequently have beaded necklaces and cow horn bracelets. The mother’s dress was very dirty she had some soiled pieces of cloth, which she used to wipe off the babies. With hand signals, she asked me for some clothes. I was planning to leave most of my clothes behind anyway, so I just reduced my wardrobe at the beginning of the visit for a very good cause. She also wanted soap, and our priest Ann had an extra bottle of camp soap, which she shared.

We later gathered at the “inpatient family reception area” which is under a lulu tree outside the ward. In Sudan, a patient is accompanied by some family members and others also frequently visit. We gave little cars to the children which were great fun to roll along the smooth sidewalk which connects the buildings. Also popular were inflatable balls, Mardi Gras necklaces and balloons. The laugher and simple pleasures from these small toys is incredible!

We are transfixed by the rich and magnificent bird life. Read is not a lover of starlings, but the African starling is dramatically beautiful with an iridescent blue back, red breast and long tail. We see many hornbills, which have an almost toucan-like orange bill and black and white body with lively spots. On our evening stroll we saw many more birds and also young boys who asked us for kora which means ball. Word of toys gets out very quickly!

The night sky is dazzling in Sudan. Clarke showed me Scorpio with the very familiar curled tail of the scorpion, which we see very often here. He also showed me the Southern Cross, a constellation which is never visible in the Northern Hemisphere. How appropriate to have that over us as we make our contributions to the people of New Sudan.