Our Chief Executive, Geoff is currently travelling in Uganda to check in on our projects and partners, with the first stop at Mildmay Uganda Hospital.
As we streamline our services to better serve our beneficiaries and supporters, we are exploring new ways to share our expertise internationally, so, Geoff is also looking at potential projects that Mildmay could be involved with, such as the work of Medcare. As he travels, he is sending news of his journey back to post on our blog.
Muzungu blog days 1-3
After leaving home in Chipping Norton on Saturday afternoon, followed by the usual two-hop long-haul flight I arrived at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on Sunday afternoon to temperatures of well over 30 degrees Celsius. Thankfully this was just in the airport area (airports tend to be a few degrees hotter with all that concrete and glass), and once I had at last retrieved my bag (always a worrying moment) and left the airport the temperature dropped to a more reasonable 27. They do say that a good night’s sleep will cure many things and so, after an early supper, I went to bed and slept like a baby for ten hours straight through.
I was finally awoken feeling rested and blessed by the usual sound of cocks crowing loudly and the sun already heating up the day. Today is going to be busy and long but I will catch you up with that the next chance I get.
My first meeting was with the leadership team for Mildmay Uganda. Whilst completely independent from Mildmay in the UK we are connected through history, having the same name and so much more (Mildmay Uganda was Mildmay’s first international programme, opening in Kampala in 1998 as a Centre of Excellence for the provision of comprehensive HIV & AIDS prevention, care, treatment and training services).
Mildmay Uganda have gone through some challenging months as their primary grant ended and so they had to make the decision to significantly cut staffing. That said, they are now in a completely different position in terms of sustainability. Most of the income that they generate is through clinical activities that sustain the hospital, but they do still run a few that are entirely free and supported by activities that generate income.
That is not to say that they don’t receive any grant funding, however, this is now focused on a few key areas where there is a need for development, or patients are unable to pay for services.
There are very real opportunities for partnership going forward and so we all agreed to keep the communication going strong.
Geoff met with Mildmay Uganda's new Executive Director, Dr Yvonne, and Director of Finance and Operations, George, before being given a tour of the hospital by Psychosocial Services Manager, Agnes.
Next, I met my driver, Joshua, whom I had not seen for five years, and after a brief detour to Entebbe Airport to pick up Pauline and her husband Geoff, two UK doctors responsible for starting the charity Medcare, we began the five-and-a-half-hour journey to Masaka and the Wellspring Children’s Medical Centre, a paediatric, community health centre situated in the village of Kamutuuza near Masaka, which is run by Medcare. Geoff and I not only share the same name, but we look very similar, so we just knew that it was going to get confusing for the locals, I mean, all white men look the same, don’t they? We arrived just in time for the restaurant and after a late evening meal retired to our rooms for much-needed recuperation.
We then visited a family of three children, the eldest of whom was eleven and who, since her father abandoned them and her mother died of AIDS, is now responsible for her two younger siblings, one aged ten with Cerebral Palsy and the other aged eight. Medcare will now put in place a plan to help support them. We then had one final meeting back at the centre before retiring.
Addendum: Driving in Africa is one of those truly terrifying experiences in life. Driving in Africa at night takes it to a whole new level. Drivers here tend to just use dipped headlights with the main beam reserved for communication with other drivers!
The scariest thing is the dark shapes crossing the road just ahead of the dipped headlights. Normally these are people, and you cannot really see them at all, so a lot of prayers happen when driving in Africa! I don’t think that I have been closer to God than driving on African roads!
Geoff Coleman
Chief Executive Officer
Mzungu, also known as muzungu, mlungu, musungu or musongo, is a Bantu word that means "wanderer" originally pertaining to spirits. The term is currently used in predominantly Swahili speaking nations to refer to foreign people dating back to 18th century. The noun Mzungu or its variants are used in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Comoros, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mayotte, Zambia and in Northern Madagascar (the word changed to "vozongo" in Malagasy, but locals will still understand the word mzungu) dating back to the 18th century.