Hands & Feet

Hi! Its Emily Cauwels, 

Emily Vakulskas, 

Savannah Kiffmeyer

On Wednesday we were lucky enough to volunteer at the Wound Clinic with our leader, Raena. We stayed behind from the Apparent Project and La Pharre in order to attend. We were dropped off at the Home for the Sick and Dying Babies, and climbed into the back of another tap tap and made our way deeper into town. We were suddenly stopped and told that we were going to get out and walk the rest of the way. Unfortunately we were planted right in the middle of the most chaotic market place we have ever seen.  We hurried between food stands, raw meat, trash, and a lot of people starring. We finally reached the Wound Clinic!! It included a small alley and a small building. There were about 40-50 people sitting on the benches along the walls of the clinic waiting for our arrival. We were rushed into the small building, which contained two medical beds and all the supplies that they used to treat the wounds. We put on our aprons and were given buckets with the supplies to replace the wound dressings, and were sent out to begin helping after one short demonstration.

At the Wound Clinic, we saw all sorts of wounds, big and small. Most of the wounds we saw were on their ankles and calves. This was an eye-opening experience because their medical resources were scarce. We knew that these were temporary fixes and that many of the patients continually seek out help from the Wound Clinic for the same wounds. Many of the wounds we saw were in need of additional medical care, such as pain medications, stiches and surgery which the Wound Clinic could not preform. It was heartbreaking to send them away only after cleaning the wounds and applying ointment and bandages because we knew that the wounds would continue to get worse without proper medical attention. For example, one lady came in with an extensive wound on her arm. She had been cut by a saw all the way down to the bone, which was visible. All they could do for her was clean and wrap the wound. They also made a sling for her out of gauze. They did not have pain medication or stitches to properly address the wound. It was definitely not easy to hear her scream as they cleaned all the way to her bone. This experience made us realize how blessed we are to have such high-quality medical care back home. We are so grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to directly help the people that were at the Wound Clinic.