Feeding people...

During one of our clinics, a dear friend of mine and a doctor from the US accomplished some really incredible things. He realize, correctly, that there were many reasons people would come to these clinics, but probably 90% of the patients fell into just a few categories. He also realized that many more people would show up than could be seen in traditional US family practice.

So he came up with a triage plan that could be taught to lay people in the community. This way most people could be recorded, diagnosed and treated without having to “see” the Dr. This was a tremendous success. Treating several thousand people in as little as 12 hours with just two MD’s and two RN’s.

With this improvement came the need for volunteers. We made sure all of them knew that there would be no payment, but all of them and their immediate families would be treated. Further, we would provide the food. A lot of food, as it turns out. The women in the picture are preparing Cassava bread.

You remember the Cassava flour that they were pounding that very first visit? Well this is what they used it for. They would boil it until it became a thick, sticky glob. Each person would cut off chunks. Hopefully they would have something to eat with it. We always provided beans, which would also be boiled… for hours…

Notice the cooking style. This far north in Uganda, there was little or no access to “mafuta” or fuel. Usually, charcoal or kerosene is used in more urban communities. But here these items were very expensive. Cooking would often be done with as little heat as possible. I always cringed at having meat cooked in the bush, since it would often be nearly raw.

The logs they are using serve two functions. First, they hold up the pot, allowing air to circulate. Second, they are used to vary the amount of heat applied. By moving a stick in or out of the fire, they could increase the heat.

The really big downside to this is the loss of heat. Much more fuel (wood) would be used than needed if it was on some sort of stove. This brings up yet another development that many people have been trying to bring to developing nations. Efficient cooking stoves.