ART. It's not what you're thinking.

Today the clinic held their ART(antiretroviral therapy) clinic. Antiretroviral therapy is used to treat HIV positive patients.  Each Wednesday morning they treat about twenty patients. Many of them are young

women with children.  At home, HIV positive women do not breastfeed their babies, but infant formula is not easily found or afforded here, so all of the babies being breastfed are HIV tested monthly. Once they turn positive, their treatment begins.

We were very impressed with the system of care and record keeping in this primitive environment. The documents and data are meticulously kept without a computer, medication doses being calculated for each patient, each month based on their weight. Apparently, it is common for patients to attend a clinic far away from their own village district so as to keep their diagnosis confidential.

Today there were also clinics for Family Planning and a Children Under Five clinic. The scale for the children was hanging outside on the porch and the mom's would tie their sitingi (sp) holding their child to the hook, kind of like weighing vegetables.  A sitingi is a multi-use piece of fabric worn in layers and  used as a skirt, a tablecloth, a sack, a sling for carrying a child or a head wrap.  I'm sure there are other uses I have failed to mention. 

We were suppose to do a village clinic this afternoon, but Ray got tied up in the capital, Lilongwe, taking longer to get supplies than he had planned. So the clinic was moved to tomorrow. We took advanatage of the down time, and Luke and Araceli escorted Grace and I on a walk up the road to the Ngala National Forest. This area is suppose to be protected, but apparently, park rangers are not above being bribed, and Luke says there are swatches where the trees have been recently cut down for firewood.  Most people here have to cook on a wood fire and cutting firewood is illegal because of the extensive problem with deforestation.

On our walk, we were stalked by some of the village children, always so fascinated with white people. Some of them are learning English in school and were greeting us with “Good morning, Madam” and “How are you?”.  I took photos with my camera instead of my phone and now realize that I brought the wrong cable to download them to my computer.  And no, my computer doesn't have a card reader.  It's old, like me.

Casey has contracted a cold and stayed behind to rest. Casey is a very cool kid. She attended Notre Dame for university and is a Peace Corp veteran, having spent two years teaching in Paraguay. So of course she is bilingual English/Spanish, and she seems to be picking up phrases in Chechewe very quickly. I am happy she is here and that I am getting to know her. She is a second year medical student, and I believe is going to be a very good doctor.

Casey Carney, MS II and very cool kiddo!

James, the cook Ray has hired, has really impressed us. Tonight we had fried chicken, mashed potatoes with cream gravy and green beans. It was really good. Last night we had pasta with meat sauce(from scratch - all with fresh veggies)  and it was equally well done. He says he learned to cook from missionaries he has worked for in the past. Pretty cool.

James,  has agreed to work cooking our meals and he has been wonderful.  I might move to Africa if he would let me hire him.