Sorry for the delay in sending out an update, time seems to have really flown by these past few weeks and hard to believe we’ve only got just over two weeks left here at the hospital in Kapsowar. It has been a special time out here this past month and we feel like we’re really starting to feel so much more at home here now. There is a good community where we live and has been great to share so much of our experiences of life out here with the other doctors, students and new friends over meals and Chai (tea) in our house, which has become a bit of a base for the short-term volunteers and elective students.

Day to day life is a real mixture. Naomi divides her time between the wards, out-patients and theatre, spending much of the day with either of the two Kenyan doctors based at the hospital and has been able to assist in several C-Sections this past couple of weeks. I’ve also had some great opportunities to get into theatre too and get a birds eye view of some of the more tough surgery here though life for me is generally a mixture of finishing up my university work, doing some filming/hospital website, generally repairing computer equipment for the medical staff and the local church and doing a little bit of teaching for a couple of local boys in the afternoons.

The hospital sees a wide variety of patients with anything from snake bites to severe 70% (4th degree) burns. Though it has been sad to follow a couple of patients this past fortnight through a number of surgeries who haven’t made it through because of the severity of their injuries. And it’s difficult sometimes not to wonder too whether or not with more advanced medicine, equipment and sometimes even the availability of blood some patients might have made it if they were being treated back home. But the work of the hospital is so valuable to this community, they say it serves over 1/4 million people, it’s hard to believe there is only one full-time surgeon here.

We’ve managed to have some spectacular adventures at the weekends too and being on the edge of The Great Rift valley sets an impressive backdrop to most of the exploring we do. On Saturday we found ourselves on the valley floor, having descended 5,000 feet on foot from the hospital searching for some crocodiles. Unfortunately the rainy season hasn’t really materialised yet, which is a bit worrying generally and possibly the reason that we were unable to track down the reptiles. Very few of our little expedition group on Saturday will probably forget the climb back up last night (in the dark)!

So that’s us. I think we’re both already feeling a bit sad that we’ll be leaving soon, though the prospect of a safari during the migration when we head back through Nairobi on our way home is pretty exciting.

Much love to you all.
Luke & Naomi

It is their first time in Africa. Please be praying for them during their time there.