helen weld public health

Time Like Sand. . .

The sand is really running out of the hourglass now. This time next week I will be exploring Paris and soaking in the reality of being away from Sierra Leone. During this past year I have spent a total of six months here over three different journeys. Despite feeling familiar and “at home” in Bo, Sierra Leone’s “Sweet Salone” slogan will never compete with Maine’s “Vacationland” or Far North Queensland’s “Tropical Wonderland” . It was recently re-ranked from 176 (above Niger) to 177 out of 177 for the UN’s Human Development Index which measures mortality rates and life expectancies etc. It is hard to fathom what people here really have to endure.

Jenny and I went to Taiama for four days this week to work with the V.I.M. team based in Tennessee doing pediatric clinics. We helped them set up a good system for pharmacy dispensing and saw about 450 patients with two other providers. Most of the chief complaints were, “fever, loss of appetite and headache”… Every child received worming medications and vitamins as a baseline treatment. We saw plenty with malnutrition, malaria and skin infections. One baby with a plethora of abscesses around her eyes was especially memorable. She returned the next day for assessment and it was a relief to see the improvement after 24 hours of antibiotic therapy. There were a handful of robust and healthy babies which were a treat to see.

It was good to get “home” to Bo and reunite with Selena and Julia, the staff and the patients. The twins born to our patient Hawa are continuing to do well and are now 10 days old. Hawa wants Selena and Julia to each take one home.

We are on the verge of hiring a new nursing supervisor after completing a series of interviews. Once this happens I will feel that my ‘to do” list for this time here is almost complete.

Easter Sunday afternoon we are planning an excursion for the women to an orphanage run by the sister of one of our drivers. Jenny will bake a chocolate cake in the solar oven and I will make a few batches of brownies for the occasion. We have bags of lollies to hide around and about the orphanage and under the laden mango trees where we will congregate. It should be fun and festive… a good finale for this stint here.

Today was one of those “never a dull moment” days. Upon arrival at the hospital we were greeted with the news that there had been a terrible road accident last evening with 8 fatalities. It was chaotic at the morgue which is next door to our ward with hundreds of wailing mourners. Later in the day there were two other accidents. Bo was in shutdown mode, too, because the Paramount Chief had died, but that is a whole other story….

The generator is off and I will sign off. It will be just a few hours before the rooster with laryngitis begins his pathetic crowing.

Helen with hospital cleaner Elizabeth, a sweet and faithful friend


Helen with new table and bench for new ward extension


Julia & Helen with Hawa and children


Stinky fish in the market

Aminata & Jenny with boy girl twins


Helen listening to young child


Child with periorbital abscesses


Helen with Taiama interpreters Jonathan & Marian


Volunteers Lynne Bosche and Sheila Newton
heading back to California. John, logistician
on left, Joseph, new administrator on right


Helen about as close as she'll get to
a Sierra Leone diamond

'No Place Like Home' van