HIV Care and Nutrition Program (UKUN)

Week 9 was busy again with home visits and another trip to Muhimbili Hospital with Hamisi. Girls did some final touches to the new office and the opening party was set for next week Wednesday. We did posters and put them up at the weekend around Bagamoyo town.

Abdallah appears a changed boy already. The girls gave him coloring pens and paper and he is drawing every day at the office. He draws pictures of himself working and as a big strong man and he says it is him next year! He is still thin but he is slowly building around his waist. We will weigh him soon. He looks much happier and smiles a lot. My sister is donating him 15 euros per month for his food. However unfortunately the hospital still does not have his injections and keep saying ‘come tomorrow’. We have started a food diary on him, which is kept in the office where he writes all the meals he has and snacks.

Tarek informed us that we have a volunteer coming in the summer called William from the US. I feel very happy about that and I will overlap with him at least few days before I go to Zanzibar.

We had a great but really long trip to Dar to Muhimbili Hospital this week.  We left in the morning 6am. We saw the surgical consultant with Hamisi. He explained that all his problems are due to the side- effects to his medications 'Atripla' the second line ARV treatment. He has breast enlargement, tremor and weakness of arms and legs now. It was all noted at 2008 and stopped. Then his CD4 dropped and he was started on them again and the Dr explained that there was no 3rd line treatment so it was a must to continue this. Now his CD4 hadn't been done for a long time and they said if it was high he could maybe stop this drug.

 Hamisi said he was more than ready for the surgery, which would be double mastectomy (removal of both breasts). He will lose one breast totally and on the smaller one they can safe his nipple. Next he had CD4 and haemoglobin checked. Those results will be ready by his next appointment and will determine if he will be fit for this surgery.  After that he had X-ray done. Unfortunately they lost his X-ray request card and we waited there over three hours! By the time we got the pictures the doctor he had gone home. They gave Hamisi a new appointment to go back in two weeks time 16/5. Debbie has offered to sponsor again for the car, which is fantastic news. If he is fit for the surgery he will go on waiting list in Muhimbili. It will be only for the cosmetic purposes they said. As he has no cancer (which is good!) he will has to wait longer of course and he said maybe more than 3 months. The surgery is free. If it is done private he can get it within a week and it costs anything between 1.5-4.5 million shillings. It will be good to put him on a waiting list and while we are waiting we can try to raise the money for the private surgery. 

 We had a new lock fitted to the office because there wasn’t one. This cost 50 000Tsh and was taken from my sponsor money. Girls moved all the furniture to the new office with the help from Abdallah and Charles. The office looks fantastic, we are so proud of ourselves!

We showered Mr Captain three times this week and visited Amina three times for physio. Now Amina is able to get up independently without help from anyone; great progress. She is so motivated and happy for our visits. Next week we will finally have the office opening party and volunteer Hannah arrives, who has a vast experience of running projects in Uganda previously. I am hoping she will help us to sort out UKUN’s financial situation and structure.

 Week 9 was busy again with home visits and another trip to Muhimbili Hospital with Hamisi. Girls did some final touches to the new office and the opening party was set for next week Wednesday. We did posters and put them up at the weekend around Bagamoyo town.

Abdallah appears a changed boy already. The girls gave him coloring pens and paper and he is drawing every day at the office. He draws pictures of himself working and as a big strong man and he says it is him next year! He is still thin but he is slowly building around his waist. We will weigh him soon. He looks much happier and smiles a lot. My sister is donating him 15 euros per month for his food. However unfortunately the hospital still does not have his injections and keep saying ‘come tomorrow’. We have started a food diary on him, which is kept in the office where he writes all the meals he has and snacks.

Tarek informed us that we have a volunteer coming in the summer called William from the US. I feel very happy about that and I will overlap with him at least few days before I go to Zanzibar.

We had a great but really long trip to Dar to Muhimbili Hospital this week.  We left in the morning 6am. We saw the surgical consultant with Hamisi. He explained that all his problems are due to the side- effects to his medications 'Atripla' the second line ARV treatment. He has breast enlargement, tremor and weakness of arms and legs now. It was all noted at 2008 and stopped. Then his CD4 dropped and he was started on them again and the Dr explained that there was no 3rd line treatment so it was a must to continue this. Now his CD4 hadn't been done for a long time and they said if it was high he could maybe stop this drug.

 Hamisi said he was more than ready for the surgery, which would be double mastectomy (removal of both breasts). He will lose one breast totally and on the smaller one they can safe his nipple. Next he had CD4 and haemoglobin checked. Those results will be ready by his next appointment and will determine if he will be fit for this surgery.  After that he had X-ray done. Unfortunately they lost his X-ray request card and we waited there over three hours! By the time we got the pictures the doctor he had gone home. They gave Hamisi a new appointment to go back in two weeks time 16/5. Debbie has offered to sponsor again for the car, which is fantastic news. If he is fit for the surgery he will go on waiting list in Muhimbili. It will be only for the cosmetic purposes they said. As he has no cancer (which is good!) he will has to wait longer of course and he said maybe more than 3 months. The surgery is free. If it is done private he can get it within a week and it costs anything between 1.5-4.5 million shillings. It will be good to put him on a waiting list and while we are waiting we can try to raise the money for the private surgery. 

 We had a new lock fitted to the office because there wasn’t one. This cost 50 000Tsh ($30USD) and was taken from my sponsor money. Girls moved all the furniture to the new office with the help from Abdallah and Charles. The office looks fantastic, we are so proud of ourselves!

We showered Mr Captain three times this week and visited Amina three times for physio. Now Amina is able to get up independently without help from anyone; great progress. She is so motivated and happy for our visits. Next week we will finally have the office opening party and volunteer Hannah arrives, who has a vast experience of running projects in Uganda previously. I am hoping she will help us to sort out UKUN’s financial situation and structure.