This week some of the health problems we learn about in our classes back at Rice hit a little too close to home for me.  I got to experience some of the healthcare here firsthand when I got a little stomach bug.  I saw one of the doctors at St. Gabriel’s who helped me get the medicines I needed.  Healthcare in Malawi is free, and since I was the patient for the day that meant all the medication was free for me as well.  The most exciting part is that now I have my very own Malawian Health Passport!

I was feeling better today, just in time because we got to go out into the villages with Alex from the hospital to see the HSA Backpacks.  We went to four different villages and saw how the backpacks were being used, and asked the volunteers lots of questions about how we could improve them and how they liked them.  Interestingly enough, one of the things the volunteers like the most about the backpacks is that they give them an identity.  The volunteers like that when they are carrying the backpacks they feel empowered.  Going off of the same idea, they asked if we could make them badges or nametags that said they were Community Health Volunteers from St. Gabriel’s Hospital.  That way people would know who the volunteers were and what they were doing.  I think we are going to try to make up a few of these badges while we are here so that we can leave the volunteers with at least some immediate action so they know their concerns are being heard.

With the Community volunteers

We don’t have anything in store for the weekend yet but I’m sure we will venture into Namitete, likely via bike taxi (wish me luck).  Then next week we begin our travels around Malawi with the CPAP team.