A week in the life of a Child Advocate

This weeks work has seen us traveling all over the Western Province in our bright yellow ‘Save the Children’ tinny. Monday morning we left for Simbo island, a beautiful active volcano, with sharp jagged mountains surrounded by lush green jungle. On arrival we went for a swim in the hot mineral water, where boiling water flows out of the volcanic mountain and into the ocean. This soothed our muscles after a very rough two hour boat trip. After our refreshing dip, we talked with community leaders about the issues which affect children on the island. Some very interesting issues came up, including children swimming across croc infested waters to get to the local school. We stayed a night in the village before heading back to Gizo to prepare for our next trip.

Wednesday we traveled two hours to a very beautiful island called Vella La Vella to visit a village where we have an established Child Club. We were greeted by fuzzy haired, naked kids who eagerly joined in with games and discussions on children’s issues.

Thursday we traveled to a very well established, pro-active village. It was a refreshing change to see a community which has built their own schools, health clinic and churches. However, despite the outward appearance, the same issues of child neglect, abuse and discrimination still exist. It was encouraging though to work with community members who are keen to be involved in advocating for children’s rights in the community.

Friday we made our last trip out to an island called Rendova. We almost didn’t make it though because we hit a reef and badly damaged the propeller. We had to paddle to a nearby island where the skippers managed to repair the damage and we continued on our journey through one of the most beautiful lagoons I have ever seen. Electric blue water and countless tiny islands on every side. The village we visited was quite a contrast to the other places we had seen that week. We were shocked to be greeted by kids covered from head to toe in a horrible itchy fungus. It is a very poor community… no school, no clinic, appauling sanitation and barely standing leaf huts. We held our session in a ‘kindy’ which the community had attempted to build. It had the appearance of an abandoned tin shed which was in disrepair. We were very saddened to hear that the kids have no access to education or adequate health care, and even more saddened to hear that the work which was meant to be done by the field officer was non-existent… the community had no knowledge of child rights (which could clearly be seen). Im sure there will be many more visits to this community in the near future.

At the end of a long, tiring week of eating nothing but rice, noodles and tinned tuna (a standard Solomon diet), Ben and I celebrated with a dinner at the Gizo Yacht Club. Ben ordered the lobster (which is cheaper than a steak) for the very first time in his life. For someone who previously screwed his nose up at the mention of the word fish, he has become quite the seafood connoisseur. The next day the staff celebrated surviving the week with a picnic lunch on a deserted island. It was a great finish to a very tiring, and yet strangely energising week. By the end of the week we had spent over 20 hours in our little boat, bouncing around on rough seas, being drenched at times and sunburnt at other times... I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything though. We sang a lot, laughed a lot, and achieved a lot. Our whirlwind tour of the Western Province has shown us both that we have a lot of work to do, and that we have the potential to make a huge difference in the lives of village children. I am feeling very inspired about the work that lies ahead and hope that on our next tour we will see a difference in the villages that we have been working with.

In Sickness and in Health

The last month has felt a bit like a pre-marriage boot camp. Lately we have both seen each other at our worst as we have spent the last few weeks battling various illnesses. After climbing Kolombangra, Ben contracted some sort of jungle fever. He was very ill for about 10 days. At first we thought it was Malaria, but all tests proved negative. The doctor put it down to some sort of virus, for which there was no cure. So poor Ben endured 10 days of fever, headaches, lethargy and vomiting… and I had to endure 10 days of rubbing his head and back and doting on him like a little child. Just when we thought it was over and we could go back to enjoying our trip, I developed some sort of nasty tropical ear infection. I have never felt so much pain! And then it was Bens turn to rub my back and put up with my whining and crying (yes, there were tears).

We both became very familiar with the Gizo hospital, which is an adventure in itself. It’s a half hour walk to the hospital (which is not nice when you are sick and its boiling hot). On the morning I was sick there was no doctor on duty (it was a Saturday), so the nurse asked me what kind of drugs I thought I needed. They were all out of painkillers so I had to endure the pain for the weekend. As if that wasn’t bad enough, I obviously chose the wrong medication because I was allergic. So I spent the weekend with a terrible earache, stomach cramps and an allergic rash. By the time I got to see a real doctor (which had to wait until Monday), my ear drum had perforated, my face had gone numb and I couldn’t hear out of my ear at all… I was not in my finest form! Thankfully the doctor was able to give me the correct drugs and some painkillers (although it was too late by then… I had reached the numb stage), and two days later I am on the mend.

Whilst it was an experience neither of us are keen to repeat, I am happy to say that while I was sick I really felt like God had sent me an angel. Ben was so good to me and I know that when it comes to say our vows, I will know that he is genuine when he says he will love me ‘in sickness and in health.’