Kakrui

13/3/2008

I'm pooped. 3-hour climb to the Kakrui hills south of Vatunau this morning. Visiting homes with our volunteer Community Health Educators, five girls and one guy who've attended weekly health workshops for the last two years, and helped me run the clinic for these past five months.
We meet 6 am. Posters, flipcharts, stethoscope, a few meds. As usual, I'm the only dude geared up in boots, backpack and bottle of water. Our CHEs would bounce up Everest in their slippers and pyjamas.

The three-hour trek takes us along the river bed,

through the jungle path



and up the hills

A major adventure for me, but I'm episodically greeted by giggling kids heading the other way, daily walk to school. We arrive at the Kakrui cluster of houses, welcomed with smiles and cassava.

Brunch is followed by the main business of visiting homes. The CHEs teach basic health: nutrition, hygiene, mosquito avoidance, home treatment of children's diarrhea...

The main health problems here are still best addressed through simple education on prevention and improving living conditions. I count the time spent training and supervising our CHEs as my real legacy here in Timor - these guys will remain on the frontlines of the war against disease long after my Panadols are forgotten.

-raj