This article is dedicated with love and admiration to Marie Fair. The girls were the final recipients of Marie’s prize for travel. When Marie discovered that her prize was being awarded to Isabella, Katie, Kimi and Megan she tripled it to £150. Her generosity paid for all of the Mass Offerings and funded the “morning off” on the final Saturday of our visit, it also paid for all additional expenses in the Hotel and at the Retreat Centre ( drinks, air conditioning and buckets of hot water ) and for the gifts of appreciation for the girls’ families and for Tim, Margaret, Amadu and Peter.
Another early start had us on the road at 7.00am, we were used to the journey by now and we were looking forward to another 5* breakfast at the convent. Moses was there to open the gates for us, he seemed to have a sixth sense connected to our arrival time. Moses is 12 and his sister Rachel features on our invitation to our Celebration evening. We thought Rachel was about 4 years old but she is actually 8. Their parents died of Aids and they are looked after by their Aunty who lives in a small mud house opposite the Clinic. Everyone there loves Moses and Rachel and in the short time that we were there we loved them too. Moses asked us to bring him to England because in England he could go to school and learn to read.
Moses
welcomes us again to Ankpa Clinic
Our task today was to see the Mother and Baby Clinic in action. The focus was on ante natal care. It was great to meet the expectant mums and to follow their progress through the Clinic. Samples were taken and analysed in the very basic laboratory, blood pressure was monitored and the nurses listened to the heartbeat of the unborn child. We were able to listen to the babies too and this was definitely one of the many highlights of the day. In Sister Bridget’s office we were able to look at statistics about every aspect of health concerning the Mums and babies who attended the Clinic. It was clear how the work carried there reduced mortality and improved the life chances of all in every area from nutrition to the eradication of disease.
Sister Bridget, Katie,
Peter Nanle and Kimi peruse the statistics.
The money raised
through the Packs for Mums and Babies goes directly to Clinics like
Ankpa as it is channelled directly into CAFOD’s funds for primary
health care for Mums and Babies and those left to cope with the
destructive force of HIV/Aids, children like Moses and Rachel.
Elaine
Next page - Ankpa Part B
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