January 3^rd of 2016 Dlo Geri spent the morning volunteering at the orphanage for the disabled children here at the Asile. I think I can speak for the majority of the team when I say the initial shock factor of walking into the room was something we were not at all prepared for. These children were in bad condition, left by their parents and fortunately taken in by the Brothers to be cared for. However, the Brothers are limited with help so these children embrace any attention and affection. The children quickly began to warm up to us, and we each teamed up with a few of them to play. They were hugging us, holding our hands, and playing with us, just enjoying our presence. Once the initial shock factor had left us, we all really enjoyed our time. However, I will say it was a lot of work and renewed my respect for people who do this day in and day out. Afterwards, the team prepared for a community meeting that was being held at the hospital site. Dr. Maklin, the coordinator of the hospital project, had arranged it so that all communities that would be serviced by the hospital were present for the meeting. The meeting was a success. Francesca, the team’s translator, did an amazing job at representing the team, explaining our involvement with the hospital project, and answering any questions the congregation had. We also had Oscar there to help, who was our secondary translator for the project (and ended up being a very valuable team member with the well work) who grew up at the Asile. The team was also able to give out surveys to community members, collecting over 70 surveys. These surveys help to collect cultural, geographical, political, and other basic information. Dr. Maklin then gave a tour of the soon-to-be hospital grounds, explaining what purpose each room would serve. Afterwards, the team played with some local children. They loved our cell phones, but more specifically taking pictures! We were able to take some great photos with the kids (see below). Just like the previous day, our evening concluded with a team meeting where we discussed the day and went over our itinerary for the following day.

View of the hospital site.

Close up view of the hospital. Construction is well underway!

More views of the hospital construction.

Community members at the meeting, which was held at the hospital site. 

Francesca (on mic) representing Dlo Geri at the community meeting!

Dlo Geri team with Dr. Maklin (center) and Oscar (second from left).

Nimah (far left), Nicole (me, front and center), Francesca (back left), Evan (back right), and Shivangi (far right) taking a selfie with some community children. They loved taking pictures with our phones. 

- Nicole