(EDITOR'S NOTE: Katherine Cox, a graduate of Abilene High School, is a senior at Davidson College in North Carolina. Interested in women's reproductive health issues, she is participating in a medical mission in Mwandi, Zambia. She is the daughter of Bart and Jackie Cox.)

(From an e-mail to family and friends on Saturday, July 22, 2006)

Yesterday on rounds was the first time I got emotional over a patient. There was this man who had both tuberculosis and pneumonia. When Mr. Timbu had us listen to his chest you could hear the crackling as he struggled to breath. I have never witnessed someone who had such a hard time performing one of the body's most basic tasks. Yet again I realized how much I take for granted. What is involuntary for me is a constant painful struggle for him. They were going to put him on antibiotics by IV which I hope will help.

We also went to the Orphans and Vulnerable Children's Center (OVC) yesterday. The children were so cute. We cut out animals and let them practice their motor skills by gluing the pieces on certain parts of the paper. For instance, the frog went near the pond and the hen went by the barn. I was pretty impressed by the 4 year olds ability to understand English and right from left.

We then all danced in a big circle to songs we remembered from childhood like Ring around the Rosie and the Hookie Pookie. The kids were so cute as they jumped up and down and sang along with us. It was easy to forget that they were any different from a typical preschooler in the states. However, afterward it really hit me what a hard life some of these kids have. To be able to come to the center they must have lost at least one parent (usually to HIV which effects about 33% of the population here) or be in a vulnerable position where their parents do not feed them. So here were these cute kids dancing like any other 4 year old except their lives are completely different outside of the classroom. Next week the administrator of the center is determined to give the children their first shower (of their entire life!).

Today we went to the Outpatient Clinic to finish up the painting that we started last week. The back room was disgusting. Cobwebs, spiders, and dust filled the air and covered the disorganized medical records. We started by moving everything out and scrubbing the walls. There was so much dust that we were sneezing through our masks. We then split up into teams so that some people scrapped off chipped paint, while others began to trim. I went outside and painted the wooden signs which will identify each room. There was a laboratory (said with an English accent), an eye room, a pharmacy, and an X-ray (which they use daily to diagnose tuberculosis).

Then this afternoon we met with one of the HIV/AIDS support groups. Only 4 of the 10 members came, but they were so open and honest. They spoke of the trouble of "exposing" oneself as HIV positive because of the stigma associated with the disease. If you are found positive, then you are sometimes ostracized from family and friends who believe you have been promiscuous. The reason they organized into the support group was because the Church Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ) had promised them funds fro projects to support their families. However, they have yet to receive any of this aid for their many project proposals. They are all too weak to do the traditional jobs such as fishing, so in one proposal they asked for a small grain mill (which probably costs less than 100 dollars) so that they could grind corn into mill and thus raise money for their families and AIDS education. It is hard to see them so frustrated at their lack of funds when they seem so dedicated to the group. Even though they haven't received money, I can tell that the support group idea is working because there is a real camaraderie among the members. When one is sick they will go visit him and when another has questions about her ARV side effects she can talk to members of the group who have been through the treatment. It is hopeful to see how well the members have responded to the new ARV drugs which have just been available to this area for less than a year. In the past if one was diagnosed with the disease, there was basically no reason to hope. Now they have medications which will improve not only the length of their life, but the quality. Most of the group has started the ARVs in the past year and have already grown so much stronger. They seemed very interested about getting in contact with an AIDS support group back in the states so they can continue to find materials and encouragement.

Well, I hope you are all doing well. I finished up "Mountains beyond Mountains" and have moved on to reading "The Poisonwood Bible." So far it is also incredible, so I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good fiction book about missionaries in pre-colonial Congo.