Under the African skies, we had an open air clinic with its own makeshift pharmacy, on the grounds of King Goodwill’s Enyokenyi Palace.

Registration for the open air clinic on the grounds of King Goodwill’s Enyokenyi Palace (© Robert Sterling/2007-04-12)

“We started seeing patients at around 10:30am in the morning. We got there at around 8am and it took us about two and a half hours to set up from nothing to having a functional clinic set up,” said Dr Forrester.

The medical team left the hotel at 7am in the morning and many didn’t get back until after 7pm at night.

“Today we started off with two doctors but we were later joined by two other doctors when the demand became great,” said Dr. Forrester. “Today’s medical camp was staffed entirely by Canadian volunteers assisted by local interpreters.”

It was an exhilarating rollercoaster ride of a day jammed packed with many activities and mixed with joy and sadness.

“There were children coming in that are already HIV, as well as people with cancers that are not being treated,” said ICU nurse Karen Bennet.

“They don’t have as much as we have but they are not unhappy,” Bennett said.
“It’s so crazy how the world is so different. There’s poverty here and there’s riches elsewhere. To whom much is given, much is expected. We’ve been given much therefore much is expected of us.”

“We in the western world are certainly privileged,” said Pastor Innes Howe who looked after the prayer and counseling area. “There was a barefooted thirteen year old girl that came with a three year old child.”

“Most adults came with more than one child,” said mission coordinator Pastor Stowell Theodore. “They seemed to be caring for children who were orphans.
There is no orphanage in this part of South Africa.”

In addition to providing medical services, the team organized games, stories, balloons and face painting for the children. Also school uniforms were handed out, clothes & shoes were given to the elderly and the “Save A Tooth” toothbrush/toothpaste packages were distributed.

In addition to providing medical services, the team organized games, stories, balloons and face painting for the children (© Gerald Paul/2007-04-12)

The highlight of the day for many of the team members was having lunch with the King of the Zulus, His Majesty Goodwill Zwelithini and taking pictures with him afterwards. “Before we met him we were briefed on how to behave in his presence,” said Pastor Innes. “We were told don’t speak unless you are spoken to and don’t to take pictures of him and the Queen. But by the end of the luncheon he was relaxed and before you knew it we got the freedom we are accustomed to and more. He took pictures with members of the team.”

Not all 72 of us were there at the palace grounds. Some medical team members went back to Benedictine Hospital to continue the work they started yesterday. Dr Matthew Weekes and his assistant Taynia Wright were kept busy with the endless line of patients at the hospital needing urgent dental care. “We saw about 25 patients,” said Dr Weekes. “We saw a few people that had AIDS and we did the best we could for them.”

“The [resident] dentist there is very tired, he’s over worked. The number of patients he’s seeing is too many for him,” said Dr. Weekes. “He seems to be physically exhausted at this time.”

Dental assistant Taynia Wright with the resident dentist at Benedictine Hospital, Nongoma, South Africa. (© Eunice Oluoch/2007-04-12)