Hut by the sea or 5 star resort!!!

I used to jokingly say, ‘Paradise’ for me is living in a hut by the sea. But on deeper inspection, is it? I always thought the closer I am to the sea the more blissful my life would be, but without the cursory mosquito net, plumbing and electricity the closeness to the sea is minor joy, if any.
Can you imagine getting up in the morning and having to use the space behind the bush (or if it’s ‘developed’, a hole in the ground) as the first place to visit? To get a proper bath may mean walking (even 1/8th of a mile) to the nearest stream. To have some breakfast, you need to lug the water back in a container, catch a proper fire and get it boiled (properly for 5 minutes or more). If not, that hole in the ground will be your best friend for the next few days. You need to get some of that water cooled (in a clean container and properly covered) for drinking later.






Then, ignoring the need for grooming and deodorant, (who am I trying to impress anyway?), the next task is figuring out breakfast. The easiest choice is vegetarian (just eating fruits and drinking water) but a treat would be to have some fish and cassava cake (bammy). Fishing is not my strongest point (unless I beg the fish to jump in the net), then there is the scaling and gutting – I missed that class....The bammy making is no joke as – I’ll need to find and dig the cassava, then grate, wash, squeeze, dry and press into the cake......maybe I should just stick to fruits.

Having a drink of coconut water would be perfect at this point, but then that’s another class I missed.... climbing the tree, and opening the nut. I usually left the climbing to experts and the opening of the nut (by machete) to the men of the household. So, I guess plain water will have to do (when it’s cooled). Is this paradise or major hard work?

The option, for some, is a 5 (or even 2) star beach resort. Here, by the snap of a finger, a meal is served (and this can be without even leaving your room). The task of grooming can be left for others to do. I do so appreciate a good professional hair wash and style; waxing and threading....first impressions and all.A warm bath (or just a shower) is expected and a visit to the toilet may be akin to a luxury tour in some resorts. Now, that’s more like paradise........

I’m happy I have a choice, and can change my mind about that hut by the sea.
But think of the millions of souls living in developing countries without this option? For them the hut by the sea is their reality. Some are even worse off, as their hut may be in a slum in a city surrounded by thousands of other huts vying for very limited natural resources (water, electricity and fire wood). Their reality is only a mere thought for me ( I can choose to think like this in my spare time or dismiss it and think of something more pleasant).
We are blessed in so many ways and don’t even know it.
To be reminded though, try living in a hut by the sea......

NEWSLETTER for March '09

The year started with a review and planning meeting of the entire senior staff of the hospital and the Nursing School and acknowledged the progress that both institutions have made. It also recognised there is still more to be done to bring the institution up to the high standards attained before the war. In line with improving standards at the hospital, the Conference Office has helped us with the recruitment of two additional doctors, one who started at the beginning of March, the second to join us at the beginning of September after he completes his houseman ship in Freetown. We therefore have three doctors working full time, as Dr Hopkins, who last year did six month’s charity work, has joined us this year for another six-months.

With regards to general administration of the hospital – our drug supply situation has improved considerably even though it is not at the level we would like. We presently purchase our stock on the open market which puts a big dent in the hospital’s income – which wasn’t much to start with. The supply of drugs from the district medical stores is patchy and does not always cover the most essential drugs required for the commonest ailments such as malaria, worm infestations etc. We were blessed to receive a consignment of essential drugs (and other materials) for the treatment of haemorrhages in pregnant women and other maternal emergencies from a UK-based charity. These drugs are very important in the hospital’s desire to reduce death among pregnant women. We are very grateful to Hope for Grace Kodindo Charity for their donations.


The hospital in February extended the medical outreach services to cover four villages. This is another key step in the hospital’s strategy of delivering good quality and affordable medical services to a greater percentage of the community. One of the key objectives is to develop a system that would enable, through the outreach programme, to identify cases that need early medical intervention. The programme would therefore supplement other core activities of the hospital such as the immunization programme and the ante-natal clinic whereby the outreach team would follow-up on pregnant women who miss their appointments or may require regular monitoring to ensure safer birth.

The challenges of generating funds to run the hospital are a daily pre-occupation for us at Nixon considering that we operate in an economically deprived area and are always exploring new avenues for generating extra income for the hospital.



Nursing School
Joanna is currently very busy with the second years as they begin their obstetrics module. This year is particularly challenging because the set has over 50 students. The class requires twice the time needed for preparation of teaching aids, and working out placements and duty rota. Happily the progress of the students is positive which makes all the hard work well worth it. The next challenge for Joanna would be to find enough Peripheral Health Units in the villages that would be prepared to accept these students for their four-week obstetrics placements at the beginning of May.


On the family front, Joelle has started attending pre-school and seems to be enjoying herself. There have been a couple of times when she picked up stomach bugs either from the water at the school or the food they give the children. Otherwise she is enjoying school and this has made a tremendous difference as it enables us to focus our mornings on our responsibilities at the hospital and nursing school.
We are looking forward to our furlough in October when we should be able to spend sometime in the UK . It is then we also hope to catch up with family and friends.


Prayer Points.

For continued progress of the hospital and God direction in the plans we have for the hospital.
For strength and wisdom for Joanna as she prepares these new batch of students towards their state examinations.
For protection and strength for Joelle at her school and from the constant illness that have been plaguing her.
Lastly, for God’s will to be done in our lives as we strive to do our best for both the hospital and Nursing school.

Normal, or is it?

It takes leaving all that is familiar and living in a different world to help to make the comparison of the haves and the have nots. We've been in rural eastern Sierra Leone for over a year now and it really has grown on us. The days are long, hot and many times 'busy' but the bliss of not having to run for the train, bus or tube; to not have to worry about the people (esp. young ones with vicious looking dogs) or even the worry of what to buy ( latest shoes, clothing or even cd). It can be liberating .....


Then we are reminded of how western we are when we have to light the generator and be subjected to its noise just to get some very cool water or when we spend the equivalent of £2 on a stick of ice cream which needs to be hurriedly eaten before it all ends up on the floor. It begs the question, which is the 'normal' life?
Is it the one where we can access the limited scarce resources at the touch of a button, have the option of 200 varieties of cereal in the 20 or more different neighbourhood supermarkets or corner shops; have the luxury of discarding mountains of food because it has passed the sell by date; your child needing to join a play group or nursery to get some form of socialization; getting grey hairs just trying to keep up with the maddening pace?
Or is it the normal life to eat what is grown ( even if its the same thing everyday); pinch the fuel supply because you may not have the money to get another share for a while; waking up to the singing of the birds and the crowing of the cockerel in the cool of the morning; the option of little
( and not so little) friends to play with Little J at seemingly all hours of the day ?
What do you think?


It seems we have enough time ( sometimes) to ponder on this...... we need to enjoy it, I guess. It won't last long as we are getting ready to go back to the UK for our furlough. We miss our friends tremendously, and all of what's been happening to many ( births; marriages; new jobs in new countries; ending University and becoming working adults). We have a lot to catch up on and we look forward to this when we get back. In the meantime, the friends and happenings here, although more subdued, make for a merry, sane life ( with the occasional hair pulling days).

We thank all who have been praying continuously for us during our journey and we ask you to continue to stand in the gap for us. We hope to complete some projects here – as a personal
( friends and family) labour of love for Nixon Hospital, and that should keep us busy enough until the end of the year. Our blogspot should have updates as soon as we get them.