Day 11

Remember when we didn’t think there was such a thing as a relaxing day at Chidamoyo? Well, it turns out there is! Since our CI’s have left and we cannot assess and treat patients without them, we have had a more laidback schedule today. Brian, Sam, and Ben followed Dr. Mudzingwa on the daily hospital rounds in the morning, learning about the medical interventions for the different diagnoses in the hospital (ranging from traumatic injuries to infectious disease). The rest of the students followed Mr. Kamukha in the morning, serving as his therapy aides as he worked with his typical caseload. We all did consult with one of the physicians at Chidamoyo, Dr. Moyo, to give him recommendations to ease his acute back pain after he injured it performing a surgery. Side fact: “moyo” means “heart” in Shona—such a lovely name for such a caring man.

Our highlight of the day was visiting Mr. Miga’s home near Chidamoyo. He welcomed us into his home, fed us with dried fruits that grow locally, and introduced us to his wife and one of his 16 grandchildren. His wife works for the Zimbabwe Family Planning Council, which promotes family planning and counseling women door-to-door on the use of safe contraception. We all thought that the pair made quite the power couple!

~The GROW Zimbabwe Team~