Jammin With Janet

Work was very eventful today. We billed and registered an unusually high volume of patients. In addition, I got my chance to meet with the head of the hospital - Dr. Jarred. The goal of the meeting was to figure out a way I can help the hospital once I get home. Here is what happened..

Jarred and I made a list of nearly 50 things the hospital is in dire need of. This ranged from paint jobs to office supplies to blood pressure machines. The sheer volume of the hospital's needs really didn't surprise me. If you look around for even 2 seconds, that much will become very clear to you very quickly. What surprised me was how incredibly cheap each item they were asking for was. Pens, index cards, bedsheets, masks, gloves and pregnancy packs were all items almost any American could easily provide without even the smallest of sacrifices. If you added up all of these items, about 5,000 dollars would significantly improve the quality and efficiency of care in this health center. It is truly remarkable.

I told Jarred that if people donate to this cause, they will inevitably need to see some form of accountability. They want to know their dollars are spent towards the items they want to buy for the center. He understood completely, and so we devised a rough, tentative plan. I will send him donations specifying exactly what these donors want to contribute and for what specific items. After he sends me a receipt proving he bought these items, I will then move on to more items and more donors. I cannot provide additional donations until I see that previous ones have gone towards rehabilitating the hospital. He said this process would be rather easy, and he welcomed it as a good way for me to measure the progress as well.

Aside from renovations within the health center itself, I told Jarred that specific donations would go towards covering the treatment costs for the slum of Soweto. As I mentioned before this cost would be rather marginal, as it only costs the equivalent of an American quarter to treat each person.

The tricky part about all this is creating a way by which people can easily donate and simultaneously see the results of their donations. People will be a lot more willing to donate if they know and see how much of an impact their donation will be.

With all of this in mind, I think creating an interactive website is the best bet. The health center can be visually drawn out on a web page. People can then see how bare the center is, and they can then click on "upgrades" to make it better. The best part about all of this is that none of these items entail donating even a moderate amount of money. We are talking 3 or 4 dollars at a time, sometimes more, sometimes less, to improve this place drastically. The entire plan is currently in its earliest stages, but I am definitely leaning towards an interactive-type website to get this thing running.

At the end of my work day Janet and I closed the windows and doors and began "jamming." This involves Janet singing Kikuyu folk songs as I drum with my hand and ruler on the hard, flat table. Janet composes songs for her Sunday school children, and she brags that she usually wins all of the awards that go to the top composers. She sang me two songs today. One was called "God Loves a Cheerful Giver" and the other was "What a Friend we Have in Jesus." Janet would raise her hands in the air and shake her head as she sang these songs. She was so passionate about them! I think Janet is religious.

Today Janet looked upwards and asked me who is taller, me or her. She wanted me to reach something for her. It was the first time, and hopefully the last, that a 4 foot 9 Kikuyu woman wondered if she was taller than me. I am slowly but surely getting a reputation for being a small man.

Thanks again for reading! For the record I am feeling a lot better! I still ate 2 avocados today, but I have been drinking plenty of water. Both Kevin and I are super excited for the Indian Ocean this Friday! Below is a link to the place we are staying for 3 nights...


http://www.bamburiresort.com/

The title picture is that of an acacia tree - my favorite kind of tree in Africa. I absolutely love these trees, and take pictures of them whenever I am lucky enough to spot one.


TOMMY