Toward the end of our last day in camp, the waterworks flowed freely. So many children have passed through our hands; now we can only hope they don't fall through the cracks. We've been told that the data we've collected will be closely analyzed. Our patient information forms are proving to be the best random sampling of the status of childhood health in this area that has ever been done - yet another very positive result of our being here.
No one was eager to see the last patient leave, but we had to close early to pack up our gear. The international team members exchanged small gifts with their Kenyan counterparts and hugged each other tightly, no longer reluctant to weep openly. Hundreds of photos were snapped in a final attempt to capture our time in this place. Personal supplies were sorted and crated for shipping home (more than 22 cases for the optical team alone) and excess supplies from grant funds prepared for transport and distribution to other local clinics.
When the final crates and boxes were locked and stowed, the Mukuru crew gathered for a huge group photo with some of our new Kenyan friends. Trying to edit out the "red eye" in this photo would be impossible; there are too many to count and the red eyes are all real.
As the international team members boarded the buses for the final time, the leaders of the Kenyan continent called me aside. "Will you please do one more thing for us?" they asked. Then leading me to the center of the courtyard, they showed me a freshly dug hole in the ground. Beside it sat a small tree, waiting for a new home. "We'd like you to plant this tree," they said, "to commemorate your visit. When you plant a tree in a place, it means you must return." So I knelt in the dirt in my scrub pants and gently planted the little tree and watered it in.
Some day, our little tree will see a new clinic rise here because 73 people from 10 countries put Service Above Self and traveled here to Make Dreams Real. Well done, my friends, well done!
No one was eager to see the last patient leave, but we had to close early to pack up our gear. The international team members exchanged small gifts with their Kenyan counterparts and hugged each other tightly, no longer reluctant to weep openly. Hundreds of photos were snapped in a final attempt to capture our time in this place. Personal supplies were sorted and crated for shipping home (more than 22 cases for the optical team alone) and excess supplies from grant funds prepared for transport and distribution to other local clinics.
When the final crates and boxes were locked and stowed, the Mukuru crew gathered for a huge group photo with some of our new Kenyan friends. Trying to edit out the "red eye" in this photo would be impossible; there are too many to count and the red eyes are all real.
As the international team members boarded the buses for the final time, the leaders of the Kenyan continent called me aside. "Will you please do one more thing for us?" they asked. Then leading me to the center of the courtyard, they showed me a freshly dug hole in the ground. Beside it sat a small tree, waiting for a new home. "We'd like you to plant this tree," they said, "to commemorate your visit. When you plant a tree in a place, it means you must return." So I knelt in the dirt in my scrub pants and gently planted the little tree and watered it in.
Some day, our little tree will see a new clinic rise here because 73 people from 10 countries put Service Above Self and traveled here to Make Dreams Real. Well done, my friends, well done!
2 comments:
Well done and thanks to you and your Rotary colleagues. Your daily log has given a great insight into your experiences. Hurry back to Marietta Metro. We miss you!
Well done everyone, may the little tree flourish and prosper like your very big hearts!
Amazing!
Teresa Dawson Rotary Club of Parkwood, Australia
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