Larissa's In Service and Imbalenhle Public Health Clinic

     Today was Larissa's day to shine as she presented an inservice on play therapy to 50 occupational therapists and related professionals who came from 6 locations as far away as 2 hours.  Her presentation focused on many activities to help stimulate children and was fabulous.  The audience was captivated and took notes feverishly.  Many props were distributed which we had brought along with us.  Larissa also distributed one page fact and contact sheets and had the people (only 2 males) give her wish lists of what they needed to better perform their jobs.  Meg Redfern, a Rotarian here, also attended and will be heading up a volunteer group to help continue Larissa's work.  Jamil and I were helpers and took pictures.
     This morning Jamil and I visited Imbalenhle Public Health Clinic.  This clinic serves an enormous amount of patients in a peri-urban impoverished area.  We had some of the most pleasantly surprising experiences at this institution.  The clinic among many services takes care of 6000HIV/AIDS patients and adds 70 new patients per day.  It is open 24/7 with few doctors and a wonderful staff of nurses.  The head nurse, Mrs. Banase, is the administrator of the clinic and a truly remarkable and inspiring individual.  She has been a nurse for 12 years and is the youngest nurse in the clinic.  She is an incredible manager of people and you can see the admiration and respect with which she is received by staff and patients alike.  By the way she is the youngest nurse in the clinic and came there straight from training because she wanted to make a difference at the grass roots level.  The nurses are friendly, professional and some have been in nurswing as much as 40 years.  They have a maternity ward for uncomplicated deliveries, an operating theater prepared to do tubal ligations and circumcisions, great anti-natal and counselling services, and an in credible attitude to deal with the overwhelming tasks.  The clinic could use a little more equipment, and some refurbishing and we will try to help with that when we return.  It is individuals like Mrs. Banase who give hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and hope for the medical system in South Africa.
Marty