Wrapping Up the Journey

We are in Tanzania after spending 4 days in Kenya. We wanted to see Mount Kilimanjaro up close and personal but the rains were too much. It is lifting now and we have one more chance to see it well before flying out of here. Back to Nairobi Kenya this afternoon and then a turn around to Johannesburg South Africa and home on Monday evening! I am ready to get back home, see my family, and get back to work. School resumes for me in one month so I have time to unwind and sort through some of these several hundred photos and movies.

We had an amazing experience in Kenya but my best and most meaningful experiences were in Congo. Please remember our brothers and sisters in Congo and pray for the Congolese as they work to rebuild their amazing and beautiful country.
Melody Ball

Nairobi Kenya

We arrived in Nairobi, Kenya to experience some of the amazing culture and wildlife for a few days. We will go to a national reserve tomorrow and then visit the Masai villages. On Friday, we will take a hot air balloon tour of the migrating animals. The animals have started their migratory pattern now and we are expecting to see some wonderful creatures. This photograph was taken once we left the Nairobi airport. Some herdsmen were guiding their cattle across the busy highway. There was also a large herd of goats but I was not able to get that photograph. After our experiences here in Kenya, we are going south into Tanzania to see Mount Kilimanjaro.

The Happy Camper

This was a remarkable day and despite being tired and dirty, I enjoyed every minute of this experience in the amazing country of the Democratic Republic of Congo. I am leaving the Congo tomorrow morning to join the others.

Kodak Moment With The Farmer

We are pictured here with the farmer who is in the front with his machete.

Makoki

The Congo Bush Experience

There was a problem at the airport in Lubumbashi and I remained in Congo for three days while the rest of the team made their way to South Africa. On Sunday, I went to explore the bush for the day. Our driver brought us here and dropped us off with water, a stove, cassova, machetes, hoes, and axes. This is amazing; another adventure for me here in Congo! I am ergonomically challenged as I carry more than I think I can handle through the bush. I am here with my dear friend Idah, two students from the University, and a soldier in Joseph Kabila's army but he is a land man for the day. We walked until we found a tall termite hill protected by the shade. It became the camp. We hiked along the river. From across the river, a small puff of smoke whispered through the trees toward the awakening sky. A fly landed on my leg. No doubt the black fly is the carrier of river blindness. We saw a man cultivating lettuce and cabbage in the distance. The students showed me the cannibus growing among the vegetables of the farmer's garden. Idah handed me something to eat which looked like a small brain with two hemispheres in a neat little bowl. This sweet fruit is called makoki in the Kiluba language. It is delicious and seedy. The farmer tried to convince me that my woven bracelet on my wrist is really meant for a man. I asked him to trade me some bijoux for it but he puckers his lips instead. He must have thought that I said 'bisous' which means kisses in french. Without anything in return, I gave him the bracelet. We made our way back to camp. The others rested momentarily before picking up the hoes. Our vantage point on the hill is going to be transformed into a shelter.

Careflight of the Congo

Here is a photograph of the mother and her child being helped into the airplane.

The Village of Nyembo

Gaston arrived in Kamina as planned on Wednesday. To the team's delight, we were told that we would be going to the village of Nyembo. Gaston needed to pick up a mother and her sick two month-old child and take them to the hospital in Lubumbashi. Nyembo is 130 kilometers to the east of Kamina and has a clinic/hospital. I heard about Nyembo several years ago and had hoped to go there someday. Amazingly, Gaston was able to fit everything into the airplane but we wondered how we would fit two additional people into the airplane. Gaston's ability to negotiate space amazed us. Gaston left the extra plane seat in Kamina. Once in Nyembo, I would sit on the Dayton's suitcase and use it as an airplane seat with another case as the backrest. I would still be able to use the seatbelt. As we neared the village, the countryside became mountainous with several bodies of water. I wondered if the landing strip was just as narrow as the landing strip in the village of Kabongo and it was! When we arrived, we were surrounded by a sea of children. Gaston flew the plane directly from the dirt airstrip into a hanger across from the clinic. The people were so beautiful and friendly. The children escorted us to the clinic and we received a grand tour of the facility.

Congolese Women Turned to American Women

These are the two Congolese women who gave us a good trading experience. They are now proud to be American women!

Trading for African Treasures!

I spent some of the morning gathering bids with Fabrice from local contractors to complete the Kamina Vision Clinic building project. Earlier in the morning, two women brought African treasures to the guest house to sell. Shown above is a small sample of what I was fortunate to buy from the women. The women were so engaging. Cynthia and I offered some of our US clothing to the women. They were so excited and proudly modeled their new clothes. I think that we have made some new friends in the village and some new trading partners!

Teaching Opportunities!

The team from US and Congo taught basic vision screening concepts to three new healthcare workers on Monday. Training additional workers is part of the strategy needed to sustain the vision project. We taught basic anatomy and physiology of the eye, how to perform a visual acuity assessment using the Snellen Chart, how to perform spherical equivalents, pulling glasses from a quarter diopter system, and measuring pupillary distance. The photograph above shows Mr. Bavon teaching workers how to obtain a pupillary distance on a patient. All of the healthcare workers participated in the teaching program. This week we met a man who traveled 600 miles from Kalemie, a large village located at the banks of Lake Tanganika. He reported that the people in Kalemie had heard about the Kamina Vision Initiative and requested that we come to Kalemie in the future to help begin a new clinic. At the end of our training, I told the healthcare workers about vision needs that were identified in other villages. The healthcare workers clapped and expressed enthusiasm at the prospect of teaching others in Congo about ways to improve vision. It sounds like we have some exciting work ahead of us!

Church in Congo

On Sunday, the team visited separate churches around the village. I visited the Cinquante Trois, a church at the furthermost edge of the village where huts seemed to sit against the edge of tall trees. We had a spiritual time together with engaged singing, dance, and a message from the President of the Women's Group. I have a wonderful video to share when I get back to the US.

Clinic Day

On Friday, the team saw patients at the Kamina Vision Clinic. There were about 25 people to be seen and it was a busy day. That evening, the team went to eat at Bishop Ntambo's home and enjoyed traditional African cuisine with the added honor of having sauteed termites!

Drums of Congo

This is Mr. Ngongo playing a traditional song on the Congolese drum.

Meet our Helpers

We are well taken care of because of Papa Hubert and Maman Cela shown in this photograph. Papa Hubert lives in the village of Nyembo which is about 130 kilometers to the east of Kamina. He came to Kamina to cook and care for the team. Because of Papa Hubert, we have been eating wonderful dishes with beans, spaghetti, viande (beef), bukari, linga linga, potatoes, fresh bananas and pineapples. Maman Cela lives in Kamina and works tirelessly from 6 am until sometimes 10 pm. It is Maman Cela's voice I first hear when I arrive at the guest house and we enjoy making the African undulations together! We also have private African dance lessons in the evenings whenever possible. Maman Cela and Papa Hubert are an amazing team and I feel like they are my family.

Congo Mornings

This is the world seen from our eyes when we walk to the clinic in the morning.

Bicycle Riding in Kamina

I knew that you would want to see our entourage of bicycle riders so here we are . . .

Kamina Vision Clinic

I am typing this on a french keyboard and am quite challenged but will do my best. We had another amazing day here in Kamina on Wednesday. We went to work with the Village Healthcare Workers in the clinic and saw about 15 people. I was humbled to see how Mr. Bavon, Maman Bwalya, Pastor, and Lisette expertly cared for patients with various vision needs. A sixteen year old girl and her mother arrived from the military base 20 miles away to be seen. Ilunga Solange has been blind from cataracts for several years and will have surgery to remove the cataracts in December.  The photo of Ilunga and her mother is shown above. As a result of the presence of the Kamina Vision Clinic, Ilunga's condition was able to be identified. She will have surgery and will be able to experience a new meaning to life.

The Vision Clinic

On Tuesday morning, Dr. Dayton left to teach at the Lupandilo School of Nursing. The rest of the team met with the Village Healthcare Workers to discuss details of the progress and future needs of the Kamina Vision Clinic. We then visited the physical building site and saw that only the flooring, ceiling, and paint was needed to complete the project. We met again in the afternoon with a larger group of Village Healthcare Workers. On our way to the meeting, an elderly woman stopped me to ask for 100 franc which is only equivalent to .20 cents. I had a 500 franc bill and gave it to her. She fell to her knees and said a prayer in the street. I felt uncomfortable and bent down to be with her because I feel like I should be there at her feet and not likewise. An interesting thing happened. She stood up, turned her head, and spit several times on the ground. I was told that she gave me a special blessing by this action. I discussed the event further with my friend, Arthur Mpoyo, and he reminded me of the story of Abraham in the Bible and how he spit on the hands of his son Isaac to give him a blessing.

Arrival in Kamina, DRC

Gaston Nkulu, our pilot, carefully weighed team members, eyeglasses, and baggage to calculate each kilogram for a safe journey. The plane was loaded from top to bottom. We were happy to be able to take all of the anticipated supplies. We flew 400 kilometers and arrived in Kamina in record time. An amazing welcome was organized for our arrival with local song, dance, and African hospitality! Our afternoon consisted of meeting with the Village Healthcare Workers to organize the itinerary for the stay. In the night, we saw a large fire illuminating the sky. We enlisted one of the guest house workers and walked to the place of the fire. The locals were burning grass as is the custom in the dry season before the rains. Much like America, the grass is burned to stimulate the growth of new grass.

The University Hospital Eye Clinic

Today, we assembled with the Lubumbashi Doyen Lions Club and the Mampala Lions Club at the University Eye Clinic, part of the Lubumbashi University Hospital. We presented the hospital and clinic leaders with a large quantity of eye medications that have been donated by Alcon Laboratories in Fort Worth, Texas. The medications were graciously accepted by Dr. Chenge, the leading doctor at the University Hospital. The medications will be distributed by the doctors at the eye clinic to those in need. One objective of our mission is to discuss the possibility of adding services that can enhance the vision program in Kamina based on current vision needs. Recently, the Lubumbashi University Eye Clinic launched a mobile surgical unit that provides cataract surgery in certain regions of the Congo. During the presentation, I requested this group of specialized doctors to consider Kamina as a location in which to perform cataract surgery in the future. Dr. Chenge accepted the request and vowed to place Kamina on the radar for the mobile team to perform surgery.

Arrival in Lubumbashi, Congo

Nous sommes arrivés! We arrived in Congo on Friday and were greeted by our dear friends from the Lubumbashi Doyen Lions Club, Dr. Mande, and members of the UMC. A smokey haze covered the city from the dust and fires being swept up by the wind. It is the dry season here as was in South Africa. The temperature is 70 degrees F as compared to 45 degrees in South Africa. Our party took us to Dr. Mande's residence (family shown above) where we will stay until our departure to the village of Kamina on Monday morning. We reacquainted ourselves with the Mande family and the Doyen Lions Club. Dr. and Mrs. Dayton, new members of the Hamilton Lions Club, extended the hand of good will from the Hamilton Lions Club to the Lubumbashi Doyen Lions Club by giving a monetary gift to assist those with need in the community. We met and made plans with Gaston, our pilot, to fly us to Kamina in the Wings of the Morning at the beginning of next week. We also made plans to visit the Lubumbashi University Hospital tomorrow morning and make a presentation to the Eye Clinic.

Arrival in Johannesburg, South Africa

We arrived safely in Johannesburg this evening. Our flight was direct and took only 16 hours. Can you believe being in the air for 16 hours straight? The team consists of Cynthia Tozer, Dr. and Mrs. Lucille Dayton, and myself. We are staying at the Dove's Nest in Joburg for one night then leaving for the Tambo International Airport at 5:30 in the morning to make our flight to the Congo. It was dark when we arrived so there are not any interesting photographs unless you want to see customs at the airport. I will be in touch as much as possible in the next few days and try to post some photographs of our arrival in the Congo. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers.

Mission Focus

The mission will focus on the following:

1. Bring additional supplies to Kamina for basic vision needs (shipment of 1400 pairs of eyeglasses to Kitwe prior to arrival).

2. Work with the Village Healthcare Workers in the clinic to organize the eyeglasses into diopters.

3. Teach Village Healthcare Workers how to operate the Tonometer (screen for Glaucoma).

4. Evaluate the current operation of the Kamina Vision Clinic and assess ways to increase the number of eye care workers to sustain the project.

5. Organize clinic documents and future orders for additional eyeglasses.

6. Gather quantitative data on the prevalence of existing eye conditions and diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, and refractive errors of vision.

7. Gather qualitative data from those who have had direct contact with the clinic.

8. Collaborate with the Lubumbashi Doyen Lions Club to expand clinic services to include a Mobile Surgical Team.