Open up your eyes and see like me

Close your eyes for a moment. 

Think about the last time you were in a hospital.

Think about the colors around you. 

Think about the lights. 

Think about the smells. 

Think about the noises. 

Think about the people.

Now open your eyes and take a look at the images kids in western Kenya see when they think about a hospital visit.

parking lot

Parking Lot

hospital laundry out to dry

shared sink

shared bathroom

All the parents getting lunch

Pharmacy

These are just some of the images seen in the pediatric unit.  Certainly not how I might have pictured the hospital when I closed my eyes.

The smell is not something which I can even begin to describe.

The noise is what you might expect when you have four kids and four parents in a 10' x 10' cube.

The lights are not always on and it is very dark.  The dark helps hide the dirt.

A new project which I am working on while I'm here is helping the peds hematology oncology team from Riley develop some promotional/fundraising materials.  Power is intermittent but when it is on I am trying to put together something to send to schools asking kids to consider helping out, similar to the recent pillow pet fundraiser for Riley oncology. The costs for staying in the hospital and receiving treatment is very small, around $10/day, which includes sharing a bed with your parent as well as food and medicine.

As a part of another post soon, I'll post pictures of all the kids on the ward.