February 4, 2008 - Home again!

February 2, 2009 - Methodist Church in Yaounde

February 1, 2009 - Distributing leftover meds at Mbanga Hospital, Kassafro

After the students finished in Cameroon there were leftover medications and medical supplies. The students had hoped to visit the HIV/AIDS residential program, Kassafro, in Penja, but there simply was not enough time for this visit. I sorted the meds and supplies to give to 4 programs: Kassafro, Miang Health Center, Mangamba Health Center, and the Souza Hospital. Then Ruth, Joe, Carol and I made a final trip to distribute them. We also stopped at Kotto Up to deliver some food bags to WEH members.

January 23-31, 2009 - Marche de Flor for gifts - "Mon Fils"

None of us could go home without buying African souvenirs. I've already bought LOTS of bright cotton fabrics and had dresses made for me and shirts for Joe. The Marche de Fleurs is the perfect place to find all those other things: batik pictures and tablecloths, carvings and statuary, jewelry, games, and fresh flowers galore - and there were little outdoor cafes where we could get charcoaled fish with plantain and rice, or beans and rice, or spicy grilled chicken skewers, peanuts, and other things we couldn't recognize - all of it street food - No! no! Carol and I settled for a beer and comforted ourselves with hopes that we'd bartered well for our purchases.
I really do appreciate Ruth's help bartering for 20 carved ebony elephants. David, it smells like something died in the box that I got for such a great price - no wonder that guy sold it cheap! The batik tablecloths are wonderful, and Carol and I are totally absorbed with the board game - too bad we don't have endless money to play with.

January 28, 2009 - Kakki Chief visit at Titi-Manyka home - wants Vocational Center; dtr seropositive; dtr to become WEH soldier

The Traditional Chief of Kakki surprised Ruth and David last night. When they arrived at his village to deliver some food bags, the villagers were seated and welcomed them with a traditional village call of welcome. The Chief spoke at length about how important WEH is to his village. He spoke of the planned Vocational Center and invited WEH to build on land that he would donate for that purpose.

Today he visited the Titi-Manyaka home with his daughter, a young woman who has AIDS and who has just volunteered to work as a WEH volunteer in Kakki which is their village. She hopes that by working for WEH, there may be some help with her health expenses - in Cameroon the AIDS medications are provided free by the government, but all labs and other related expenses are not covered. They wondered if WEH could help her in exchange for her volunteer services with WEH.

January, 6-7, 12-14, 21-21 - Njittcha Hotel, Mbanga

We stayed in the Njitcha Hotel in Mbanga several nights so's not to have to make the long trip to and from Douala each day since we were working in villages in the Mbanga area.

It is situated right next door to the Mbanga Hospital which made it convenient when one of the students came down sick with severe nausea and vomiting - could it be malaria? something she ate? the hotel food? We had several nights without electricity, the water was variable, and once the hotel was completely without water and electricity for 24 hours - YUK.

The last morning there was the morning after 24 hours without power and water. We were astonished when the manager brought a basket with cakes that his wife baked for us that morning and then asked us all to meet at the front porch because he had a photographer waiting!

January 16-17, 2009 - Limbe, Buea

After working hard the past two weeks, we've decided that we deserve a treat - we hoped to see 13,000' Mt. Cameroon. The students are going to be in Limbe to play in the ocean and a special meal as guests of a Cameroonian family. Ruth arranged a driver and off we went, traveling northwesterly headed for Limbe and some beachtime.


We crossed the ------------ River which divides the Anglophone and Francophone regions of Cameroon.

The Weltys had encouraged me to meet with the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Board HIV/AIDS Program staff in Mutengene, and I was more than eager for this opportunity. We drove into the CBCHB compound and were warmly greeted by the gateman, Virgil, who knew Ruth from Alucam! He toured us around and lamented that since it was Saturday, none of the regular staff were there. We plan to return for a good visit and to spend a night in the very accommodating guest house.



As we traveled along we saw things that by now seem familiar and ordinary: partially built concrete houses that have grown dark with mildew while they wait for their owners to complete them, home furniture-building industries, curious and beautiful trees, flowers in bloom, snarled traffic including LOTS of overloaded little motorcycle taxis, cornfields growing up the slopes, and little shops lining the roadsides.

We arrived at the Atlantic Hotel and checked in with time to enjoy a Cameroonian buffet lunch - friend plantain, greens, couscous with meat and vegetables, rice, and fresh pineapple slices.

This amazing big old tree is on the hotel grounds. Our room was on the 3rd floor looking toward it and by morning we couldn't resist a visit with it.
















One of the best things this weekend was the impromptu breakfast meeting with the Friends of WEH members who were together in Cameroon. We examined our mission to be supportive to WEH, and talked and talked about the Vocational Center that we will build- what rooms will be there for what purposes, and what the development sequence might be. Carol will meet with an architect before leaving Cameroon. We hope for benefactors who will donate the land.

On the way to the beach we passed offshore oil facilities. Then we drove around the lava flow from Mt. Cameroon that blocked the road a few years ago, and suddenly! there was the black sand beach! We swam and played for a long afternoon in the warm water - what a great time!

On Sunday we all enjoyed a lavish Cameroon meal as guests of the family of David ---, whose wife Mary lives near Portland and is friends with one of the nursing students. Always a nurse practitioner, I was approached by a family member, "Would you do a gynecology consultation with my niece?" I met with the young woman who showed me her health record booklet and described her problem, "Can you help me, doctor?" Well! I definitely could not accomplish what she needed - she had a very complex problem that would need surgical intervention and hormonal adjustments. I could only encourage her to have the labwork done that her gynecologist had ordered and to work closely with him. I sympathized about the probable financial burden as well as the personal discomfort that she is experiencing, and I wished her well. As I left the room I was approached by another family member who wanted a consultation. The bus was loaded and waiting, "Barbara! are you coming?" Hurriedly I discussed the second woman's concerns, found her problems were also complex, referred her to her gynecologist and wished her well.

The bus took us through narrow winding streets, into the countryside, and up the lower slopes of Mt. Cameroon to see the Cameroon Tea Estates. Then the road curved downward and we passed through Buea's historic government office district, and through the University of Cameroon-Buea Campus. Very tired by then, it was good indeed to head homeward to Douala and Chez Titi.

January 14, 2009 - Manbanga Chief's visit at Titi-Manyaka home; sceptre for David

The Traditional Chief of Mangamba which is Raphael's village, paid a call at the Titi-Manyaka home this morning. He thanked the students for doing health assessments and providing medications for his people.

We all crowded into the little TV room to be introduced to him one-by-one. Then there were some flowery speeches by the Chief, by David representing Linfield, Sherry spoke for Linfield, and Ruth spoke. Then the Chief gave David a gift: a scepter that symbolizes the Chief's power. He told David that when he has this with him, he will have power as if he were the chief. David promised to take it with him wherever he goes in Abo-Land.

January 14, 2009 - Bekoko and Mujuka schools

January 13, 2009 - Mbanga Mayor's Office, Kotto Up school

January 12-13, 2009 - Commodity Foods for WEH