Days 6 and 7

Were back again!
Sorry we could not post anything yesterday - there was no access to the internet!

For those of you who have seen the news, we just want to start by saying that we are ok and safe. There are riots all around Kampala today. People are protesting because of the sudden rise in the cost of living (sound familiar?) The prison that we visited on Day 5 (Tuesday) - Kasangati, is in the centre of the worst riots. The police there were using tear gas to try and separate the rioters but ended up resorting to shooting to kill. Fortunately we are no-where near this today. We did drive through an area today, on our way to another prison, where the traders were all out on the streets and shouting, there was a huge police presence and we were perfectly safe. On the way back it had all dispersed.

So then, thank you for all the messages of concern we have received. Its good to know that everyone is thinking and praying for us.
Please especially pray for our mosquito bites - the latest count is Christopher 57 and Catherine 11. Daphne hasn't counted hers but has plenty. Not only are they a bit itchy, they are also slightly unsightly. I have one on my neck (is there such a thing as vampire mosquitos?) Anyway the mosquitos around here are now all lazily full of our blood!

Two of Christpher's bites!

Our trip to Gulu, on Tuesday, was long (6 hours)! We past through some incredibly isolated areas. Villages of mud huts and outside cooking fires. We didn't see a brick building for approximately 4 hours.

We stayed at the Acholi Inn in Gulu town which was nice, if a bit basic. To Christopher's delight, it had the noisiest air conditioning I have ever come across!
Gulu is a developing town in northern Uganda. Until 3 years ago it was an inhospitable area with rebels, making it out of reach to most visitors. People still live in mud built huts and most of the roads are unmade. However, there is now a hospital and a police station, the national bank of uganda and several petrol stations. There is very little work available but people use their initiative to try and make a living. There are many street vendors who sell almost anything you can imagine: pineapples, tomatoes, flip flops, ground nuts, brooms, fly spray, hair rollers and beds!!! I really admire their get up and go - I could not imagine Christopher (or myself for that matter) getting out of bed in the morning to go and sell fly spray and hair rollers from the back of a bicycle - awesome!

Gulu Town

On Wednesday morning we had a lovely open air breakfast - flies everywhere (should have bought the fly spray after all!!), but you get used to them and at least they don't bite. It was stifling hot (even at 9 in the morning and, yes, I had to take my cardigan off!) Then we went off to visit the Health Centre III at Gulu Prison. This health centre is just outside of the prison gates and the building was paid for by the African Prisons Project (APP). They see both prisoners and the public, mainly people with malaria and HIV but also dysentery, malnutrition and TB. We spent some time with the doctor from the Red Cross and with the prison doctor and the medical staff, met a family whose little girl was being tested for malaria and toured the on-site laboratory. The biggest problem here is access to drugs and equipment - basically there isn't any. The doctors were very encouraged to hear about our work and were almost in tears with gratitude for our support, advice and help. There was really very little that we could practically, do, only being there for a day and it felt hard leaving them. These are people with such pride in their work, we can learn so much from their attitude.

Gulu Health Centre III

Drugs cupboard!

On visiting inside the individual women's and mens prisons it was encouraging to see much going on in the way of support for the prisoners, whatever their needs. We spent some time with the HIV / Aids welfare team who were undertaking a routine testing that day on approximately 70 prisoners known to have the virus. We also met the psychiatric nurse and social worker who, as you can imagine are kept very busy. It was also amazing to witness a group counselling sessions and many individual counselling sessions taking place. How amazing that all these things can take place in such awful places, yet sometimes we struggle to make them work effectively in our own.
The wards in Gulu Prison are kept as spotlessly as everywhere else. The prisoners take great pride in the cleanliness of the areas they are responsible for, whether it be the wards, the clinics, the dispensaries, the classrooms or the meal preparation area (I cannot give it the grand title of kitchen as it is literally a hut with a clay, log fired oven).
I think though, that one of the most incredible experiences was being allowed to visit in the mens dormitories (cells), before the men were let out for the day. We visited two - 156 men in one and 189 in the other. All sleep on top of folded blankets in long rows. It must be so uncomfortable. Goodness knows what they must have thought to see two white women and one very gobsmacked white boy appear to wake them up for the day, however, it was the poor man in the shower  I felt sorry for - I cannot begin to imagine the shock he got when I suddenly popped round the corner!
The smell, from the toilets, was awful but I don't think I shall say anymore about that!
And so, after the most amazing, privileged day, we headed back to Kampala - 6 hours and one flat tire away!


Gulu Prison

Last night, we had the most intense storm. Roaring wind, torrential rain, enormous rumbles and claps of thunder, streaks of lightening, which went on for about 3 hours. It completely freaked all the local animals, so with dogs barking, roosters crowing, thunder banging, rain slashing, wind howling and lightening cracking needless to say, we didn't get much sleep. Poor Christopher was actually found awake in the night which is a very rare occurrence! This morning, though, it was fresh and lovely.

Today, we have been to Kitali Prison. This is a very rural prison and yet again, has no amenities. Water is obtained from a pump outside of the prison grounds. There is no drainage from the toilets meaning disease spreads very quickly amongst the inmates. Our training here was a bit more difficult as most prisoners are only here for up to 3 months and usually only experience minor ailments such as toothache, headache etc. There is a small clinic just outside of the prison gate run by nursing staff. I was horrified to see that their levels of infection control were a bit to be desired. On one window sill, in the antenatal / HIV examination room there was a lovely syringe, needle attached and still full of what looked like separated blood (goodness knows how long it had been there) AND sitting neatly astride it was a nicely full mosquito! I just wish I could have taken a photograph, would have been a great training tool!

We are now having a few hours break - sitting on the balcony looking at the amazing view and updating you all on our progress so far. At times it has been difficult to undertake what we are actually here to do (the training) but we have managed to achieve a huge amount already, in other ways. We have had doors opened to us that were previously not an option. We are much more aware now of the healthcare needs in the rural prisons, which are very different to those at the main Luzira complex in Kampala and, indeed are different from prison to prison.
This afternoon Daphne and I will start to compile a report on what we have discovered so far and try to come up with an action plan to further support these rural areas.

Take care.

With love to you all.

xx