Saturday, September 12, 2009

kids kids kids

Deafening ear infections, disfiguring eye infections, mumps, hookworms, unspecified diarrhea, ringworm, colds that turn to pneumonia. Malaria. Things that could be prevented with a few simple enough if we cared enough interventions...soap, shoes, clean water, vaccines, antibiotics, a net and insect repellent. If I had been born here, I would have died 30 + times throughout my childhood. I would not have lived to see age 2. It's one thing to read statistics. It's something entirely different walking door to door seeing sick child after sick child after sick child and knowing that the nearest clinic is at least two hours away...

I'm still learning a lot every day. I changed my plane ticket again yesterday, so I am leaving on Tuesday instead of Friday. The team is sad about it, but I know they can do the interviews now just as well without me. They'll send me the data. I was hoping to stay until I got approval, but my meeting with the chairman was a waste of time. I'll refrain from posting about it on the internet, but if you'd like to hear me get on a soapbox please inquire within....

2 comments:

  1. Inquiring within...
    I wonder if people do care, but aren't sure what to do. I have a feeling one eye-witness, like you, could persuade a lot of people to do a little more about the situation, and collectively produce real change.

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  2. when's the soapbox speech? i'll be in the front row. can't wait to talk to you when you get back!

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