House is Burning

“House is burning. House is burning. Look there. Look there. Fire fire! Fire fire! Bring the water. Bring the water.”

This may be a nursery rhyme to us but to the residents of Masiphumele it is also a reminder of the horrific fire that left some 1500 people homeless only 5 or 6 months ago. The healthcare project usually covers nutrition, germs, common illnesses etc. but this week we have been requested to also do some fire safety including emergency action plans. It has been so good to see the staff at iThemba educare making the most of our presence and making sure that we help them with their priorities.

Our priority, as ever, is to be as useful as possible and to empower the staff we work with, and I have no doubt that we are doing that here. Seeing the carers take on the information that we have for them, engage with it, ask questions, and finally pass that information on to the children, has given me a deep sense of fulfillment. We are here to help those who want to help themselves and I can only wish that there were more nurseries with the passion and will to improve to equal that of iThemba.

Nick Herrick - Medical Coordinator

House is Burning