We covered three states today - Enugu, Ebonyi, and Anambra (in that order).
The stop at Ebonyi was everyone's overwhelming favourite. It was a one room primary healthcare centre, with barely any drugs and a dirty ragged environment. A room next to the 'facility' is rented and occupied by a family.
Yet in this setting, the head nurse, Grace Otubo, delivers at least 5 babies every month. She tells us how in the absence of kerosene lanterns (you can imagine how unaffordable kerosene is to these people), she delivers babies using the light from a mobile phone or a local hurricane lantern or... get this... moonlight!! Even more sad is the fact that this sparse and neglected healthcare centre is the only one that serves people in its local government area - Isielu. The clinic has been reduced to a first-aid & crude maternity service centre. Anyone who suffers a serious illness must go at least 1.5 hours away to get any sort of decent medical attention. We salute Grace's courage in keeping things going despite all odds. Every morning, she puts on her pink overall and marches to work.
When a solar lamp was presented to the clinic, she leapt into the air, and did several jigs around the room. Again, get this.... her joy was purely for the pregnant lady who she expected to deliver of a baby this evening. In her words: 'darkness offers no comfort'
For this reason, our pictures for the day are those of the nurse doing the 'Solar Lamp Dance' and another, of the local lantern she uses when she can afford kerosene. We learnt that the lantern is called 'Mpaneka'. Our driver, Femi, was very amused by this make-shift light that consisted of 2 batteries housed in a rectangular wooden box, with tiny bulbs wired to the battery. The bulbs were then placed around the outer edges of a CD. Neccessity is truly the mother of invention.
Oh, how could we forget. There was this special moment at the Enugu state primary healthcare facility when the oldest man in the village blessed our team and presented us with a gift of N1,000 for bringing solar to the health centre. You will therefore see a picture of the generous 'senior citizen' presenting this gift on behalf of his community, while I knelt in true traditional custom to accept the offering on behalf of Solar Jooce.
We will all go to bed tonight energised that the solar seed is being planted in seemingly forgotten areas, and that hopefully, these seeds will soon mushroom into giant islands of light.
Connectivity:
Internet: GLO internet is quite strong in the 3 eastern states we covered today
Mobile: MTN & Glo work OK. In Nkalagu area (Ebonyi state) both networks faded in and out.
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