Today marked the completion of our first full week at the hospital. Sadly, it is also our last day at the hospital. Nursing and pharmacy students both had a very busy week ranging from HIV home visits and mobile clinics to nursing check-offs and genocide museums. It has been a challenging week both physically and emotionally.
At the Choeung Ek Genocide Museum, skulls of victims were stored in a pagoda-like monument. Victims included children and adults. I was prepared to see pits where victims were buried in mass graves. However, I was not prepared to see bones that were still scattered on the ground and clothes of victims strewn about the pits. It was hard to fathom and digest the atrocities that occurred here and amazing that the Cambodian people were able to recover.
Our time at the hospital came to an end but we still have a few activities planned for the weekend. On Saturday we will visit a small village outside the city of Phnom Penh. We will donate school supplies to students and food to poor families. The school in the village does not have a functioning bathroom. The current bathroom has been broken for some time, but with the donation from Belmont the school will now have three functioning stalls. The well, which was a source of clean water for the school, has been neglected and required repairs. This well will be functional again thanks to the donation from Belmont.
With everyone pitching in a helping hand, we assembled pouches containing notebooks, pencils, a ruler, and erasures for all 269 students in the village. Thirty five students who have high test scores will receive a very nice shoulder bag. Each student will also receive a pair of shoes and a toothbrush and toothpaste. Some activities we have planned include lessons about the importance of oral hygiene, hand washing, and a free clinic for ill patients.
This will be the first time for us to experience another side of Cambodia; a rural surrounding with a whole new set of healthcare issues. With no hospital or clinic nearby, villagers have to travel long distances to receive care. They are also faced with the financial burden of healthcare. I am truly looking forward to helping the villagers in any way that I can.
Bounchanh