G Vs The World: Baby Georgia!

So, yesterday we got up at 4.30 am to get on the ferry to go to musas village (Aljamdu). When we got to the north bank we visted the maternity sections of two health centers for the Gambian Maternity Foundation. We talked with people working at these places about the constraints on the maternity. They are lacking consistent power (often carrying out delieveries with only candle light or torches), they are lacking proper delievery beds and many essential drugs. Really eye opening to see these places as i was already in shock after seeing the Edward Frances Teaching Hodpital but the small health centres have so little resources in comparison.

After this we went to Musas village... I HAD SUCH A GOOD TIME! I took sweets for the kids and loads of toys (skipping ropes, yoyos, chalk, pencils and bouncy balls). They went crazy for it! We had a lovely lunch and i caught up with some friends who have been around musas house.

Afterwards we went to a naming cermony which was mental. It had most of the women and babies in the village there. There was a plastic container and two sticks used for a drum and some women had whistles which they used with the drumming. There were two women who seemed to be leading the event. They stood in a circle and a handful of women would dance in the middle. They loved to drag me in and get me to dance (and i loved to dance with them!). They just seemed so happy and let themselves go. I have never seen anything like it. They also put on a skirt that had beads and bottle tops on it so it jingled when you danced and a wooden hat with beads that had the same effect. Great fun!!

After this I was told that the village leader was naming their daughter after me!!! What an honour!! Her name is Georgia Jammeh and she is beauitful! This was the mothers first baby to survive child birth (shes had 8 babies die in childbirth). After visting the health centres that is closest by and seeing how far away it is and the state of the 'road' (i use that word loosely). I'm almost certain this mother could of had less babies die if the facilities were better and easier to get to. I pray that the work of the Gambian Maternity Foundation and other charitable organisations will help so that there is less infant mortalities. Right now the situation is not good enough and Gambian babies and mothers are dying when simple improvements could help so much.