On Tuesday we had another early start and reached Ankpa Clinic by 8.00am. Another 5* breakfast awaited us and we were very much looking forward to going to Ankpapa a small rural community about one hour away into the bush. Father Simeon arrived and the crew from Nigerian TV and the ever present Collins. The nurses of Ankpa were busy getting the 2 small vans ready for the outreach clinic. Every piece of equipment has to be taken to Ankpapa, there is no facility for health care in the actual village. We drove on potholed roads for about 40 minutes and then turned off onto a dirt track. The going was rough and very skilful driving was required by Peter and Amadou We began to see people walking at the side of the track, every one of them greeted us, the visit of the Health Care workers was obviously a very important day for this rural community.
We noticed that part of the track had been widened and around the next bend we were in the village. The settlement was dominated by the Church a rectangular building made of breeze blocks and mud with a tin roof. It was surrounded by mud houses some square, some round with traditional thatched roofs.
The welcome was once again amazing, the whole village was there to meet us, the drums were playing and we were slowly guided into the Church where the Chief and the village Elders were waiting to greet us. The Church was absolutely packed and loads of people were outside leaning in through the windows. There were opening prayers led by Father Simeon, speeches, welcomes and replies, some of the villagers had met us the previous day in Ankpa, one of the dance troops was from Ankpapa and we were treated to more dancing as part of the programme. All the protocol had to be dealt with before we could talk to the mothers who had come to the Clinic.
In Ankpapa we witnessed absolute poverty. Some people were hungry, there was no clean water supply, no infrastructure of any description and the people looked much poorer than those we had seen the previous day. Many had their best clothes on but they told us that they had just 2 sets of clothing and some only had one. The Clinic was a mud room added on to the back of the Church, it contained a wooden bench and one plastic chair. Whilst I and Margaret fulfilled the protocols the girls were able to begin their discussions with the women and the nurses. Tim was busy filming. As Isabella, Katie , Kimi and Megan listened to the stories of the women and held some of their babies it was plain to see that some babies were very weak. This was very upsetting and although we had talked about the strong possibility that we would have to cope with many difficult sights and situations when it actually happens there is no other way to deal with it than to go with the feelings in your heart. Here in this small village we truly realised why we have to continue with this work. The girls spoke to 24 women and girls, all expectant mothers and some aged only 15. The eldest at 35 was having her seventh child. Eight out the 24 women had lost a baby, a frightening statistic and they all knew someone who had died in childbirth. Most deaths were from haemorrhage or sepsis caused by unclean conditions, birthing at home and complications with the placenta. These girls and women were scared; the joy of pregnancy eluded them because of their poverty. They were poorly nourished especially in the dry season; they had no clean water supply and no funds that would allow them to reach a clinic or hospital. I was concerned for the girls, they were desperately trying to hold back their tears, they didn’t want the women to see that they were upset, I pointed out that these women were used to trauma and in fact when the women saw the effect their stories had on Isabella, Katie, Kimi and Megan and their tears flowed freely, a special bond formed between them based on care, concern and mutual respect. Once eyes were dried, the girls set about learning as much as they could about these women. The women opened up, they trusted the girls and two who could speak and understand English became translators and spokespeople for their community. These women knew exactly what they needed; they were brave, articulate and intelligent. Our belief that development will never occur unless women are empowered and can be mothers to their children was confirmed over and over again.
The day ended with another celebration and more titles for us, my favourite being Megan’s “ crusader for justice “ . Kimi was named the favourite daughter of the Chief, Katie the First daughter of the Chief and Isabella the last daughter of the Chief. I was rather chuffed with my title “ One who is Enterprising “ The village presented us with gifts, two live turkeys, four massive yams, half a banana tree and a gallon of palm oil. Holding the turkey was a bit of a surprise, I expected it to wriggle but it was very calm ( I was glad it was ! ), I wondered if it had been subdued in some way as it seemed to have a very slow heart beat but I was assured by Sister Bridget that they are very calm birds. It was hard to accept the gifts but vital that we did and we were content that somehow via Sister Bridget these valuable items would go back into this community via the clinic at Ankpa.
The Chief had prepared a meal for us in his home. The generosity of these people who actually had so little overwhelmed us. We saw the well and realised straight away that the water was unfit for drinking and it provided a breeding ground for mosquitoes. This village needs a water filtration system and if we can sell more packs it will get one.
The visit to Ankpapa had the most fundamental effect on us and it is the memories of this particular place and it’s women and babies that will inspire the girls to continue with this work.
In the evening the brilliant Father Simeon took us to the Staff Club of KOGI State University, to meet his friends who are professors there. Prof. David is a geographer ( a great treat for me to be in his company ) and there was also a lecturer in Sociology and a Prof of Jurisprudence. Peter, Amadou, Tim, Margaret, the girls and I enjoyed a beautiful evening. It was the perfect end to a very emotional day, Katie, Megan, Kimi and Isabella could enjoy being 15 again and chat away with these eminent academics. I am very pleased to report that our girls made a very deep impression on the company. We had a dancing session too and enjoyed the music, ate chips, specially ordered by Father and had a lot of fun.
Elaine