The 50th anniversary celebration of Karanda Hospital took place last weekend with lots of festivities! Many of the people instrumental in the formation of the hospital returned, including those from Zimbabwe and overseas. I was honored to live with 2 of the living legends, Sister Lorraine Waite (who is 85 and still speaks Shona fluently) and Ann-Brit Smayzck (nurse-midwife and former matron). Their stories of creatively and bravely caring for patients with fewer resources than exist now were inspiring. They shared of walking miles & miles to villages performing immunization campaigns, building an entire real model nutrition village to teach mothers how to prevent malnutrition in their newborns, which has significantly reduced the number of children with kwashiorkor and marasmus in the area. Stories of flying to remote villages to perform clinics, doing deliveries, episiotomies and D&Cs independently, living in huts initially and of having to close the hospital and evacuate as many patients as possible with 2 days notice during the Zimbabwean independence war. There was no internet, minimal electricity and no running water early on, yet they persevered and have left a legacy of love here at Karanda. True pioneer missionaries, true living legends. It was hard to say goodbye!
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try spending the night in a closed room with a mosquito.”
--African saying
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| Ann-Brit & Lorraine-two inspirational women |
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| Lorraine, known as Sister Waite around Karanda, came to the area before the hospital was built! |
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| Sunset while heading home from hospital |
Someone should write down all their stories and make a book out of it. Have all the funds going to support their organization/hospital.
ReplyDelete...so, no Gap back then? ;0)
ReplyDeleteCoung--good idea! No Gap and no McDonald's either. :)
ReplyDelete