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November 2005

Dear friends and family,

Apologies for the delay in reporting back. We could say we’ve been too successful in the early stages of this project to write, or that we’ve been so wonderfully hosted by the local Rotarians, kept up too late, made too many speeches, or simply been too sleep deprived to write….but in fact, all of the above is true!

After a two day journey, we arrived Sunday morning, were met at the airport by a group of Rotarians, checked in to the Parkland Sports Club, and were immediately whisked off to a Hindu temple for a presentation of 195 wheelchairs, partly supported by Rotary, with two PDG’s making speeches (and our team being warmly introduced). That evening the Rotary Utumishi Club (Utumishi means service in Swahili) hosted a wonderful dinner at an Indian restaurant, this time with the DG and two PDG’s and their spouses present. We were very honored.

The next morning as we arrived at the Jaipur Foot Clinic to become familiar with the facility, where lower limbs are provided free of charge, and to set up, we were met by a number of candidates for the prosthetic hand. Our process of evaluation, registration, fitting, and training (with bags of utensils, mugs, writing and painting tools, as well as toys for the children) worked reasonably well. However, we were unsatisfied with the method of strapping the hands on, especially with the inability of the recipients to remove them and put them back on. A new upper armband was invented on our first day – a wonderful collaboration with the Clinic’s technicians, Michael, and Jim. It was nothing short of a miracle when all of the needed materials were in stock at the Clinic, as well as the craftsmen to produce the band! The new armbands were ready for the next day’s work.

Eight LN-4’s were applied on Monday and 23 on Tuesday. All aspects went well. Local Rotaractors were with us each day providing much needed translation and were invaluable in so many ways. Wonderful young people who actually understand being of service! Registration forms were filled for follow up – including a Polaroid photo of the recipient that was glued to the form. Next was the application process – the stockinet “sock” on the stump, sizing the armband, adjusting the straps in the connection to the cuff, and the final threading of the hand. Once the hand was applied, the recipient moved into our training area, and the process was a delight to experience. We were ecstatic with the new fastening system, especially being able to watch a recipient remove the apparatus in one piece and reinstall it without any help.

Thursday was our follow up, and 22 of the 31 recipients returned. It was an unbelievable day to experience. With only two days of using the hand, the ideas, suggestions, and creativity of the users was astonishing. Their amazing stories will be told in our video.

The acceptance of the hand was virtually 100 per cent. The most common suggestion was a request for a larger hand. The hands were designed for adolescent landmine victims without any idea of how many adults would need a hand for entirely different reasons. We were prepared for birth defects, industrial or automobile accidents, but no one imagined the number of people who had been “chopped” with no relation to war.

The typical victim’s hand had been cut off by thieves for no apparent purpose, sometimes by family members. The stories are tragic.

The Dunns stayed at the Parkland Sports Club, and the rest of have been hosted by Rotarians in their homes. One architect, one GP doctor – who runs a clinic in the slum area and charges the patients $2, and one veterinarian. The RC of Utumishi has done an incredible job of organizing nightly meals at Rotarian homes, a van and driver was provided – which we paid for – and one Rotarian, Sam, took the week off to accompany us as needed. Rotarian Abdul Karim arranged a tour of his local project at the Mathare Special Training School for the Physically Challenged. Dave Trump immediately saw needs, and be prepared for a new WCS project for equipment! Later Wednesday afternoon we visited St. Mary’s Mission Hospital. In five years they have seen over 300,000 patients! It is a self-supported facility where every patient must pay something, and they need is unbelievable and will be forever unending.

Nairobi has exploded to a city of over three million people. The destitute from the country seeking some form of relief in the city, refugees fleeing war in their homelands, and the hardcore unemployed have created the largest slum in the world.

The extremes are difficult to comprehend. Poverty as some of us have never seen before, conditions that are difficult for the mind to accept. There are areas that host Sumont will not drive even during the day. The “bad boys” or gangsters can strike at any time of day or night, and one must be aware at all times. Concertina wire, glass shards atop walls, and iron barricades on every opening of buildings are commonplace. Homes have solid gates with an unarmed security person waiting for a horn honk to open.

Yet there is so much beauty, and great wealth is seen. One side of the street is a beautiful mansion, and on the other is a slum. The plantings are gorgeous, and in this equatorial heaven the plant and tree diversity is stunning. Upon arrival at Sumont’s home that borders a forest reserve, monkeys were flying through the trees! The birds abound in their colorful glory, and their calls fill the air. Yet the dangers lurk. Sumont has been robbed twice. One was a virtual military operation in the early hours with an unknown number of thieves, and the family locked themselves in their bathroom as the robbers broke down five doors in the house. When Sumant was leading the GSE team to District 5110 thieves came again, and their security person was murdered. With all of this danger and violence, people still love their city, and continue to adapt to the ever-changing challenges of a city growing out of control.

Our team split as of today. The Dunns and Trumps left for a three-day safari, and upon return will be going to Moshi, Tanzania. We will meet the Dunns again at the Nairobi airport when we return home on the 18th. The Trumps will extend their journey to meet Joan, from the East African inbound GSE team in Mombasa. The rest of us will be flying to Uganda on Saturday, and will be staying in Kampala for the week. The plan to travel to Gulu has been cancelled due to a chain of events. We were going to drive, but another tourist was murdered on the road recently, and the road is now prohibited to (white) tourists. All seats were sold on the limited flights to Gulu, so Kampala it is.

Our fear of not being able to find enough recipients was short lived. We do not have enough hands and have had to turn people away. This validates the need for us to continue the development of the Rotary Prosthetic Hand. We have an incredible team that works well together and in our group process have learned what changes need to be made.

There is much more to share, but once again time is short, and it is time to sign off.

Hopefully, we will be able to communicate from Uganda.

We are all in good health, and as they say here in Kenya, Hakuna Matata, No Problem!

From the entire LN-4 team, we send the love and appreciation we have received to all of you.

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