Posho for Peter......

I am just back from a couple of days Kampala. Thank you for your concern for me after the tree accident in my last blog. I am fine, except some scratches en a bruised shoulder. It was time again for Sarah's check up in Ugandan heart centre. We had to wait for more than 5,5 hours, so we didn't make it back that same day, we drove half way, slept in a guesthouse and drove the last part today. The outcome of Sarah is not so well, she needs an operation.

While we (Simon, Sarah, Helen and me) were in Kampala, two new children were brought to Amecet. It is so nice to have Mobile phones, you can still be in touch when they need you! So in the middle of a traffic jam in Kampala I was talking with Amecet how to handle things and what to ask the family.

The first child, Janet is 11 days old. Very small, she weighs 2,8 kg. Her mother died 8 days after the delivery. She was only 18 years old! At the burial were problems because the dowry was not paid. They felt it was not safe for the baby to be there and that is why they came to ask if we please could help for 2 months, until things were sorted out. Janet is a cute, alert little baby. We tested her on malaria, she came out positive. We are treating her for malaria.

This is Peter, eating his Posho and beans. He is 3 years and 7 months old and he weighs almost 9 kg. His story is a drama; We know his mother since he was a little baby, she always came for milk money and later for porridge flour and sugar. His mother is mentally handicapped and she was sometimes abit confused. But she always looked after Peter, but lately she was very confused. We met her in the feeding centre in the Hospital where we come every week to bring porridge flour and sugar. Peter's hair was very light, from malnutrition and the mother was worse then ever. It is risky to take a child like that in Amecet, the mother may walk away and you never find a relative for Peter. We tried to ask her for her relatives, we knew she had them. She didn't want to talk and then the hospital discharged them and the mother got wild. She was sitting in the middle of a busy road, wanting a car to knock them, she even tried to strangle Peter. This was all happening, while we were in Kampala, suddenly there were relatives and over the phone we interviewed them and so came Peter in Amecet. He has malaria and he wants to eat. He is walking around and is very happy. The mother is with relatives and doesn't know that Peter is in Amecet. The sister of the mother will care for Peter after Amecet. We advised the family to let the mother being checked in the mental hospital. This afternoon, we tested Peter for HIV and he is negative!!!!