Bahai Beach 43

Bahai Beach 43

Car Crashes.

February 15th, 2007

Our third car (for 27 staffs) has been taken back to Abeche. There is some mechanical defect. En route yesterday the replacement vehicle had a car accident. Luckily our driver is ok and the car is more or less intact, but for some days more we are half stranded. Security limits are movements by foot and absence of cars the driving to and fro to the camp.

A sharp reminder that car accidents are dangerous here was when a vehicle toppled yesterday near the camp. It is said that one man died.

In the camp as every day there is good news and bad news. Amongst the good news is the arrival of treatment for the ringworm. The quality will allow us to start treating the severe cases. The less severe cases will have to be treated with a lotion. Our health center is flooded with cases.

The sad news was the death of a 1-month old child in the health center. Upon arrival it was clear that conventional treatment had taken place. With a knife about 50 small carvings were scratched into the baby. On arrival the child was in a very bad shape and despite or firm efforts it died nearly immediately of the blood infection. I talked about this practice with Adam and Zahara. In the past they said cases like this were very common but nowadays they were becoming more rare. Yet today proved that the health message about scarification may well be repeated as to avoid other needless loss of life.

Over the last days the wind has picked up again and it is freezing cold again at night. In the camp a distribution of blankets is taking place for the vulnerable. Just imagine how cold it must be in the more or less open desert. Even the cats are crawling back indoors every night after a period of sleeping outdoors. As always at night they have found the one person who is tapping away in the middle of the night to share some heat.

My chickens are getting fed up with their diet of rice and spaghetti. I have requested a chef cook for them from N’Djamena but unfortunately we are bound to a maximum number of people in the compound. The next two days will be long hard days of work, but on Sunday I go in hiding again. Time to ponder, relax and, well not visit the market after all after the bombardment it has been off limit. Perhaps we can challenge the boys from UNHCR or ACTED for a game of footy. We shall see….

My buddy Sancho Pancho is booked to come to Bahai for about three weeks and I am happy about that. Wise cracking at night time. A smile in the desert.

In a way it is a sad week as well. Sospeter the logistician is moving on. Soon he wil be in Congo looking for diamonds with another NGO. I wish him all the best. I am sure we will do very well.

For now my mind is void.

More later in the week,

Namaskar,

Ashis