We love the kids and their great smiles!

We are here looking at the 32 borehole/well project that is underway.

Gorgeous flowers

Aren't these beautiful?  I saw them growing wild beside a road.  Clarence says they are flowers of a bush used for hedges. 

Neonatal Resuscitation Training

This week we have had a team here from the USA to teach the Neonatal Resuscitation.  We have Ike and Gloria Ferguson (short term specialists), who organize the whole project, and we had Dr. Groberg (a brother to the Elder Groberg from the DVD, Another Side of Heaven), Dr. JoAnne ??, (was head of nursing at BYU)  and Heather, who is a nurse.  They have done a great job.

 Monday was a day of training the facilitators who are helping with the training the rest of the week.  

Tuesday and Wednesday was the training for the Doctors and it was a little more intense.  It was interesting because some of them, if not most, did not know about these methods of saving newborns.   Babies are delivered and if they don't breathe they are set aside as 'still births'.  With this training and the equipment that is given to them they will be able to save many many babies.   They will also take the training equipment, that we give them, and go out and train others in their areas. They also receive the tools/instruments to use on the babies.  We hope from this initial training that many more will benefit.   We were a little disappointed that more Doctors did not come but I guess that is usual as they tend to be pretty busy.

Thursday and Friday is the HBB (Help Babies Breathe) training for the nurses and midwives.  We were prepared for 60 participants but quickly  made up packets for 10 more.  That was already stretching the limit so when a few more showed up we had to take their names and phone numbers, etc. and promise that training would be shared with them later.  They did show up quite late too so the training was well under way.   The nurses training will continue tomorrow.  It has all been quite  success really and everyone is pretty happy about it.  The participants are all given certificates at the end if they pass the test.

We give them a morning snack and a big lunch.  Some of these people came from several hours away.  One Dr. traveled for 12 hours to get here.

It's been a good week.   The first 3 photos are of the Doctor's training and the last one is the nurses today.   We are mostly just there to help wherever we are needed.

Lunch Today

We went to the Movenpik Hotel today for their lunch buffet with some of the other couples -- it was Sister Watson's birthday.

A fun thing happened.  There was a group sitting at the tables down from us and one stood up and started singing an Opera song.  Another fellow stood up and sang a reply and then the others joined in.  They were REALLY good singers.   We talked to them after and they belong an International Church choir of some sort and they do hire out.   They are performing somewhere in May and will let us know when and where.  We would love to go listen to them. 

They finished they dinner and left, but came back in a couple of minutes later and stood around our table (of 6 couples) and sang Happy Birthday to Sister Watson.  They were so good it brought tears to our eyes. 

I usually always have either my camera or I-pad with me and didn't have either one today when this happened.  I would love to have recorded them.  O well....

Ga West Hospital Project

Today we went to the Ga Hospital for the 'hand-over' ceremony (or called commissioning here in Ghana).    This Hospital had the lab building that was built for them 2 years ago and has sat empty because they can't afford to set it up.  They had some lab equipment that they were using in a very small space off to one side.  Latter-day Saint Charities had the table, desks, work counters, and cabinets built and installed for them, and we bought office chairs.  We bought them a new up-to-date 'hematology (blood) analyzer.  

They were VERY grateful for the help and are thrilled to be able to make use of the new lab.  There is a large room and three smaller rooms that now are set up.  We were really pleased with how it all turned out. 

It is always so fun to be able to help.  This will be a big help for many many people in the area.  It is a busy little hospital. 

Random photos

Our favorite is still the children!!!  

The 3rd picture is a huge mosque that is being built here.  I doubt it will be done during our stay but it is interesting watching the progress. 

Visit to James Town fishing village

This is part of Accra -- a very poor slum area.  There are many street children down there and much poverty.  We have helped an organization that tries to educate the street children in the area.  We were with several other couples that day and a fellow was guiding us through the area.  Some of the people there did not appreciate us walking through.