What's does 33 C + 88% humidity = ? 10 wet and squishy nurses and four interpreters! Sound like fun? This morning we journeyed in 2 vans in a north-westerly direction from Phnom Penh for 1.5hrs to Oudong village. Having never been to this village it was a welcome surprise when our destination was a Children's Kindergarten for 3, 4 & 5 year olds called Bright Education. Just to get things into context, the children attend school from 0700 - 1630 for $5 month for study & food, $3 month for those who have difficulty paying and free for orphans. The salary for the teachers is $150 US a month & $120 for a teachers aide.
We were greeted by a sea of excited, happy smiling faces!
The morning clinic ran smoothly with three nursing stations set-up inside the school house, along with our interpreter's Socheat, Buntha an English graduate from the University of Cambodia, Sibimol a 3rd Yr Nursing Student and Kith Sorphany who are a part of the team for the next week. Our beautiful hosts set up electric fans galore to soothe the melting nurses! The most common presentation of the day was pterygium; damage to the eye caused by the reflection off the water in the rice fields causing vision problems. We quickly ran out of donated glasses and wished we had more!
We were treated to a sumptuous lunch of rice, egg noodles, fried chicken, green vegetables, and ice cold water which was much appreciated! With full bellies and the heat, an afternoon siesta would have been welcome but we cheerfully embarked on and continued into the afternoon. In the afternoon we gifted the children with toothbrushes, toothpaste, vit c, scabies soap, and a worming tablet! They were all so gracious and beautifully mannered. Caz gave a fabulous tooth brushing demonstration to the children who through the interpreter conveyed how proud and happy we were to see them all at school being educated!
With THANKS for the many donations of money, toothbrushes, toothpaste and glasses we were able to run this pop-up clinic and provide support and care to over 300 people!
Our road trips are intriguing, where east meets west; the road side is dotted with ramshackled timber huts with rusty iron roofs, years of scattered rubbish, electrical wire precariously hanging, and farmers in their fields tending their crops surrounded by industry.
It's been a pleasure to meet such beautiful people and we look forward to the adventures to come...........!!!!
