Wound managment at Precious Vision

My first day of teaching a full class in Precious Vision Care centre was as challenging and overwhelming as I expected it to be. What I did not expect was to have one of the children present me with a rather swollen foot and limping around the classroom. My lack of medical experience, coupled with the new environment here in Mombasa, made it impossible for me to diagnose, let alone attempt to treat Emmanuel’s foot.

Libby and Eri treating Emmanuel's foot

Luckily, Libby, a fellow volunteer with twenty years of experience in a hospital, came out to Precious to take a look at Emmanuel’s wound. She cleaned the infected wound thoroughly and dressed it properly, giving Emmanuel clear instructions to keep his foot dry and clean. Keeping yourself clean or dry is next to impossible in Shauri Yako village during the rainy season, but we hoped for the best. And Emmanuel was exactly that. He took excellent care of his foot, came back every day to have the dressing changed and helped Libby to relieve the swelling. Within four days, his foot was almost back to its normal size and he was walking again. I saw a completely different child in the classroom, answering questions and volunteering for all tasks. Up until this point, he hadn’t even found the strength to speak during lessons.

A very happy Emmanuel

So, that makes for two happy volunteer teachers and a very enthusiastic eleven year-old. Libby has taken it upon herself to initiate a wound management plan in both schools, Precious and Olives, and hopefully, Emmanuel will be one of the older kids that can learn and assist in ongoing care-giving. The only challenge for now, is to keep him off the football field for another couple of days until his foot heels completely.

by Eri and Libby, GVI volunteers

Wound managment at Precious Vision