Return to Kalukembe 2023

 As 2023 draws to a close, we gladly bring a new update to our blog friends! We have arrived in Angola and, though still in process of unpacking and fixing our home, we are back at work in the hospital and with projects. As our local colleagues say, we are on our feet! We'd like to share some images with you below to celebrate with us the opportunity we have to be back and rejoin the work at Kalukembe mission hospital. 

A public health education visitor came to Kalukembe for almost 2 months. Ms. Lia Vega challenged our local colleagues to consider and act in ways to holistically improve their communities through Community Health Evangelism (CHE) program. L to R at the ceremony for their departure: Daniel, Priscila, Dr. Damião (medical director of hospital), Lia Vega (CHE program leader for Lusophone countries), Rebecca Bontrager (community health missionary and colleague from Rio da Huila). 

Moving back to work, some changes have been made. Plans to expand the small Emergency room triage are underway; my office has been removed in order to grow much needed triage and resuscitation space. Space is now tight on Children's ward--yet another reason to pray malaria does not hit our communities heavily this year! 

I am always encouraged after being away if there is a small project which we participated in before still ongoing after returning. In the case above, our sterilization team is still producing hypochlorous acid for the hospital for use in wound care. We don't quite have the capacity for use as disinfectant replacing bleach, but already this has been a big return on investment. The less dependent we are on fickle medical material supplies, the better! Even Americans know the value of this (remember our radiation contrast shortage last year?)! 

We are very blessed by the presence of Anna E. at both our home and hospital. Anna is applying to medical school and helping us part time with tutoring our kids and the rest of the time working on not just a Hepatitis B seroprevalence study but also looking at our hospital's practice of maternal and prenatal screening as well as neonatal vaccination. There is much we are learning and we are eager to implement changes to our practices at the hospital. I need to remember that change requires buy-in and good supportive evidence provided in ways to build others up! Ok, if that's vague enough, watch this space. Just to give you a sense of the importance of this investigation, though, is that no one knows Hep B seroprevalence in Angola, but estimates are that greater than 10% have this chronic, preventable infection. Our preliminary data is bearing this out, too.

At home, we are reuniting with friends; playing soccer and introducing baseball; chasing lizards; bringing in more pets; starting Zeke's a chicken/egg business venture; and celebrating Naomi's 9th birthday! She made her own birthday cake, even the icing! She loves celebrations and takes initiative in organizing them. Happy birthday to our beautiful young lady!