Lesotho

Lumela everyone! After a long day on the road yesterday, we finally reached Ramabanta! This morning we got to visit the clinic where they treat patients from all over. It is common for people to walk 4 to 5 hours, despite the weather or the distance. In fact there were 2 mothers who walked 5 hours with their babies on their backs in the hail and rain, just to have an appointment that lasted all of 10 minutes. It was very interesting to see how different the clinic operated from those back home. During the consultations, we got to see how the nurses assessed patients and what treatment plans they put in place. They did not have many resources, which affects the care they receive, but the nurses do as much as they can with what they have. This experience expanded my perspective and opened my eyes to the extent of struggle these people face daily. The people here are truly remarkable, exhibiting physical and mental strength that is truthfully unmatched. In the midst of their struggle, they continue to work and create a community and environment that is welcoming and beautiful. I am so excited for the rest of the trip and all the great experiences to come, see y'all soon!
-Natalie Cappa

Today had the chance to tour the out patient clinic in Ramabanta and visit to the soup kitchen. During these experiences we had many different interactions with the kids. There are unfortunately no English words strong enough to describe the pure joy and gratitude this community holds while also having to worry about where and how they will get their next meal. Older children like Neleli, whose name means star, are often left to take care of their younger siblings while their parents go off to south Africa for work. While there is an obvious language barrier Neleli and I are more similar than either one of us expected. We started as two complete strangers and ended our short yet meaningful visit strong! Instead of getting up to dance the "cha cha" slide with the other kids we bonded over coloring and listenig to music. I loved seeing Neleli light up as we scrolled through my Spotify play list. Her favorite song being "It's Ok" by Romderful.

PS - hiiii family
Jayla Thompson

Lindsay Here! I am a '08 graduate of Witt who initially attended this trip in '06. I have a different perspective as I am now a Nurse Practitioner. While attending the clinic today in Ramabanta a few things stood out for me. First, the nurses who work the clinic perform all the tasks. There are no doctors. These are trained nurses that attended school for 4 years. The nurses perform everything from treating common colds, performing wound care, sutures, STI/HIV treatment, mental health treatment and even delivering babies. New mothers stay in the hospital for one day after delivery prior to discharge and then are expected to walk home the 4-5 hours with their new infant in tow. The nurses complete the assessments as well as order the prescription medications. Unfortunately, due to the limited resources the assessments are also limited. An assessment consisted of taking the temperature of a child and for an adult the blood pressure and temperature. No listening to lungs, checking the ears, or checking weights of children to dose medication. We provided the nurses a stethoscope today as they did not have one, which was part of they reason for not assessing lung due to not having equipment. Prescriptions were prescribed and filled onsite at the pharmacy. The pharmacy carried all the most common medications you would use in the US including amoxicillin, ibuprofen, z-pak, etc. Overall, the nurses do everything they can to help but recently had suffered from several cuts. The clinic is free to patients as well as the medications—The medications are supplied by the Lesotho government. Due to recent cuts with from the US eliminating USAID, the clinic lost 8 nurses which dramatically affects the patients who are seen. On an average day the clinic sees about 20 patients in clinic. They also complete outreach in the community to help teach village workers how to deliver babies for those unable to make the 4-5 hour journey in emergencies. The clinic has someone on-call 24 hours a day.
-Lindsay Mackey