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Love from the Wongs
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We have moved to the capital city of Kigali and are now partnered with Africa New Life Ministries to provide dental care and training at the newest hospital called Dream Medical Center! Pictured above are the construction photos of the new addition from July of 2018 to today. The top level will house private patient rooms for the hospital, the lowest level will be the future home of pharmacy, sterilization and physiotherapy, and the middle level is the future dental clinic! This is a panoramic view of the previous concrete slab floor upon which the dental clinic was built upon (Taken Spring of 2018). Construction in Africa is incredibly different from that in North America. First, drywall and gypsum is not common, so walls are typically made from brick and mortar. I've learned a thing or two overseeing the build regarding electrical, plumbing and structural work! Africans are incredibly adept in making on the fly scaffolding! I can't watch while they are 2-3 stories up on wooden structures while they paint or chip away at brick and plaster! A view of the rear elevation (and the awesome scaffolding!) The clinic is designed for 4 operatories, a dedicated x-ray room for 3D panoramic imaging, a dental laboratory and sterilization area, 2 bathrooms and a waiting area. Can't beat the view of the hills of Kigali while getting your teeth cleaned! One peculiar building technique here: they finish all the walls nicely, then smash them up again to put in the plumbing. I've witnessed a wall plastered and demolished 3 consecutive times from glitches in communication. Lesson learned: If the construction workers nod their heads, it doesn't necessarily mean they understand the request!
The original estimate for the finishing date of the build was December 2018. Looks like it'll be in April 2019 before we start operations! Here is a newly constructed boardwalk at one of our favorite Rwandan establishments within driving distance from Kibogora. It looks lovely... ... but the saddest thing of all is that all this work is going to crumble within a year... because it rests on a bed of sand (well... on a flat stone sitting on a bed of sand). I thought I would take some photos of it in its glory, and then in a few months I will snap some photos of it buckling, cracking, bending...
Not only is it sitting on sand, but the water level has been at an all time low, and at normal levels the water would be covering the foundational stones, of which are not dug into the ground but simply sitting on top. I may not be an engineer or builder but I can tell something is going to give in this structure. As the song goes, "Don't build your house upon the sandy land. Don't build it too near to shore... well it might look kinda nice, but you'll have to build it twice, so you'll have to build your house once more..." Sad thing is, they already built this once before, one year ago, and that whole boardwalk is no more. Funny thing is, the owner of the establishment is an engineer. I think I'll use these pictures in a sermon one day... Pam and Roger were counselors of the University of Western Ontario's Asian Christian Fellowship from 1999-2011, of which I was a part of from 1999-2006. It was a privilege to have them visit us here while enroute to see their son in Uganda. They have been a huge part of my faith journey, encouraging us to walk by faith, love the Word and submitting to the Holy Spirit. Roger delivered the sermon during our wedding ceremony. What coincidence they were here to give Priscilla and I a chance to celebrate our 10 year anniversary in Kigali! Canadian Thanksgiving in Rwanda? Who says you can't make pumpkin pie abroad?
Igitenge is the word for fabric. This fabric is synonymous with Rwanda village culture. With it babies are slung, women adorn their heads, formal dresses are made, bodies are wrapped to be warm... They are beautifully designed and each is so unique.... except for one thing: on the bottom of each are written these same 3 words: MADE IN CHINA. (bow head in embarrassment).
China has not only made its way into Africa through its fabric, but also through all its merchandise. I know China makes good quality stuff, but we can attest to the fact that they produce terrible quality items. There is a store in Kigali that is Chinese run, with the most terribly made items on the planet. Imagine Dollarama on steriods, and not costing a dollar but 10 dollars for the same item back in North America. We purchased 5 plug adapters that have all failed, toys that break the moment the box opens (or cheap plastic bag, or even are missing entire parts and sections)... But my favorite sight is seeing a Rwandan wearing a traditional Chinese dress/shirt, or clothing with Chinese calligraphy, or even better. a classic cone shaped rice hat. In some ways they are my Chinese than me! Many patients come with a painful tooth, demanding its removal. Little do they know there are several other teeth that are close to becoming painful, or have gone beyond the point of pain (nerve dies inside tooth) and there is an infection brewing soon to erupt. One of the challenges we have is educating patients the need to address teeth that will soon cause problems before they become BIG problems. This gentleman showed up a few months ago with several teeth requiring treatment but only consented to the extraction of the painful one. We advised him to return before the painless teeth become problematic. He showed up this past week with a huge swelling of his cheek and eyelid. These infections can cause damage to the eye, and in some rare cases travel up to an area of the brain and cause death.
I see about two patients a week who come in with faces like this. Thankfully we have been able to treat them before they cause severe complications or death. Praise God! This poor lady came into the clinic with a referral for a "tumor" of her lower left jaw. When she arrived she was dripping pus from that bubble hanging from the large mass. An xray revealed a large area of destroyed bone. The picture inside her mouth shows a complete loss of the gum in the area, and the white part is the bone open into the oral cavity. This was a severe case of osteomyelitis, or infection of the bone. Let's just say that for a first patient Monday morning, it was a bit more than I was expecting!
YES! Finally got a photo of a Blue Jays Shirt. Many Rwandans wear shirts not knowing their origin or meaning. Some of them wear clothing littered in profanity, likely without their knowledge. But... whenever I see a Tim Horton's or Toronto team jersey, I pause and sing the national anthem :)
A year ago a team from our church brought a prized commodity that can't be purchased here in Rwanda. DAWN DISH SOAP - because all other dish detergents for purchase in this country can't do squat when it comes to kids and bubbles.
Adolescent caries (or child cavities) are becoming an epidemic here. A combination of factors, mainly excessive exposure to candy, juice that is 100% artificial, and a lack of education and initiative by parents to maintain their children's teeth are the reasons for this condition. Even children of nurses in the hospital are bringing their kids in only to get them extracted. Doesn't make for pleasant first visits for these kids, many of who are getting 4 teeth removed as a first visit with more appointments to come. I have grown accustomed to the unpleasant shrills and cries, as 50% of our patients are under the age of 14.
However, the title of my post is referring to last Tuesday, where on a 3 year old I removed 20 teeth. 20 teeth. A child only has 20 teeth. The record up to that point was 17 teeth. But last Tuesday I didn't feel like getting a reward or anything for that matter. Even if I was in North America and the child had access to more services, or perhaps assistance programs to help with the cost of treatment, or maintenance of teeth... perhaps... but here, that was what I was left to do for this child. And trying to educate the mother was close to impossible, she had no motivation whatsoever to do anything more for her child's condition, except to have the child stop the crying and complaining. When I inform the parents to stop the juice, the candies, and the biscuits and tell them to feed the kid water and healthy vegetables, they look back at me with blank stares. If they only can make $2 CAD and a sugar filled juice bottle is 30 cents and acts like a lunch with the sugar kick and keeps the kids happy, or a 15 cent lollipop will keep them quiet for 30 minutes while they are trying to work and take care of the other 4-5 children in the family, what other options do they have? A carton of real juice is $2.50. Parents would rather give them tea with sugar. I remember being up on the Native Reservations in Northern Ontario, Canada, facing the same problem. However the financial poverty here leaves parents with few healthy choices for their children. Things aren't going to change here, and small strides for improvement are all we can do, such as giving recommendations and getting children excited in brushing their teeth, even if they can't afford toothpaste. I've even learned that a stick of sugarcane once chewed can be an excellent brush. Just let someone else chew that cane first! |
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MAILING ADDRESS FOR CARE PACKAGES Dream Medical Center Att: Dr Jesse Wong- Dental Phone: 0783721308 Box 3351 Kigali, Rwanda Archives
May 2021
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