Hello, from the Yala Yala birth center!

I thought I would take advantage of the calm before the storm and send you a Proof of Life post. 😁 As hopeful as I was to catch up on sleep in Entebbe, and in spite of my travel exhaustion, I was unable to sleep Thursday night. My brain refused to believe I was not in the US, so I eventually gave up, organized my luggage and prepared for the road trip ahead. Frank and his brother, Andre arrived shortly after 6am, we loaded up the car and hit the road. I spent most of the trip catnapping in the back seat, while they drove like a bat out of hell. Needless to say, we made very good time! I realized that I had spent the last few years flying up north and had not driven since they closed the main road to fix the bridge over the Nile. The bridge repair is complete, it was nice to cross the river again and the baboons were out, monitoring the traffic. 

We arrived at the birth center shortly after 1pm and everyone came down to my hut to welcome me with hugs and greetings. It is so nice being back here! I took a nap but forced myself to wake up so I would sleep at night. I managed to get quite a bit unpacked before I hit the wall, so I walked up to the dining area, had a little dinner, then tucked in for the night. I slept until 3am but stayed in bed until 6am. I feel like a different person! The birds and roosters were chatting away, and I watched the sun come up through my window. 

Another hut is being built, for Harriet, the new clinical midwife manager. We met at the conference in Nairobi and she is a go-getter! She will be in this group of POCUS students, and I am really looking forward to having her in class. She is smart as a whip, and a lovely person. 

They have expanded electricity to the dining and cooking area and have purchased a refrigerator. This will make life much easier for Zilla and the kitchen crew. 

Much like in the US, inflation is out of hand here, with an increase in gas prices and products in general. Frank runs a travel company and he is really struggling, because of the loss of travelers due to the Ebola outbreak, and the increase of gas prices. There have been no new cases of Ebola in Uganda, but travelers are concerned with the challenges of getting back into their country, after visiting.

I'm starting to organize supplies for class and get ready for Monday. The classroom will get cleaned today and I can begin the set-up. 

It's 9:15am and already 80 degrees. Today, I will take it a little bit easy, sorting the knitting and teaching supplies at a leisurely pace. Max and the midwife students will arrive tomorrow, and I will get the classroom ready and test out the equipment. In my downtime, I am hoping to focus on my business, connecting with potential clients and following up with an organization in Zanzibar. I will also be working on a Fetal Heart lecture for future teaching and for Max. 

Some of you asked about donations before I left. MHI is always in need, everything from hut building and maintenance, ambulance maintenance (they need to replace the front windshield due to a stray rock), medications for mothers, and facility upgrades. The birth center is doing so well in the community, that they have recently hired a new much needed midwife, which means additional salaries. You can always designate where you want your donation to go but know that every little bit truly helps!

https://motherhealth.org/

My IT friend Allan, set up Wi-fi at the birth center and will be adding boosters this week, which means I will have more consistent internet in my hut. This will make it much easier to work remotely and keep in touch. Well, back to work for me! Thanks for joining me and as always, thanks for your support. 💗

Much love, Jo/MB