Blog
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Flight Brings Needed Supplies to the Clinic
October 18, 2010
The anticipation of the flight always seems to make the morning drag on in Duk.
In order to get supplies into the remote area of the Duk Lost Boys Clinic, JDF charters a plane through another non-profit organization, AIM AIR. Beginning its journey in Nairobi, it picks up medicines, personnel, spare parts, and other supplies to keep the Clinic running. The payload for the charters is about 900kg, or just less then one ton, and every inch of it is used and usually items have to be left behind.
A few days prior to the flight landing, the community spent the day diking the dirt airstrip to prevent flood waters from getting into it. Children with old cans scooped out the water on the airstrip, and with some help from above, the sun was out in full force the day of the flight to dry out the rest of the airstrip.
This month’s plane included 450kg (990lbs) of essential medicines, enough for two months, to keep the Clinic running. With careful ordering and support from donors, the Clinic rarely has any major stock-outs, though at the end of the month things can get tight. A few days before, the Clinic had run out of paracetemol (Tylenol in the U.S.), which is key in reducing fevers of people with malaria, among a number of other problems. It was one of the first things unpacked.
Also on the plane were spare parts for the Clinic’s vehicle, which can only be gotten from Nairobi. A church in the U.S. donated a solar cooker, which will reduce the Clinic’s use of firewood in cooking, which can take hours to walk and collect, not to mention the damage to the environment. One of the cooks, a mother from the local village, was thrilled when seeing it.
Inside another box were various seeds for the Clinic’s demonstration garden. After intense flooding destroyed many of the crops in the area, the Clinic will be giving out seeds for mothers to start up small kitchen gardens. The mothers can come to the Clinic and see the demonstration garden, learning about new kinds of fruits and vegetables and planting methods.
The Clinic’s manager and nurse were also on the plane, returning from their annual month-long leave. Both had in fact gone more than a year without taking their vacation since the Clinic had been so busy. There were some small food items which were shipped in, and even toilet paper has to be brought in from Nairobi.
On its way back, the plane made efficient use of the space and opportunity and carried a patient who needed a referral to a bigger hospital in the city. The patient had deep-vein thrombosis, which can be life threatening if the clot goes to the lung or heart. Because of intense, recent flooding, no vehicles have come in or out of the area for several months, making the plane the only option. It’s payload was well-received and badly needed. And thanks to generous supporters, it can keep coming.
