Meanwhile on the Nile... Nurses from South Sudan Tell Their Story

The nursing staff in St. Theresa hospital in Nzara, South Sudan continue to keep in touch with me and tell me what an amazing impact I had on them. But what I want to tell you is how impactful they are to me and how inspirational their stories are. Richard, Bonface, Moses, Angela, David, Simon... to name a few. They go to work and take care of their patients no matter what is going on in their lives, or what has happened in their country. They think only of how they can better the lives and health of their community. Most of the nurses, in fact most of the staff of the hospital have faced challenges from the aftermath of war and economic crisis in their country of South Sudan. Many of their loved ones live far away or have left the country as refugees and it is up to them to support them. Paying for school fees, or basic medical care is a major challenge. Richard wants his kids to go to school and be able to support themselves and live out their dreams. He has five children, and they live in Uganda with their mother, where they fled as refugees. Richard is granted one month in a year to go and visit them. Bonface would have died of rabies as a child, if it wasn't for his father who was able to take him to a hospital 45 minutes away and secure the Anti rabies medications for him. Sadly, Bonface saw many of his schoolfriends die of rabies because they did not have access to life saving treatment the way he did.

Despite so many traumatic experiences these two nurses always had a smile and a welcome greeting for me when I entered the wards. They gave me time and the respect and sat down with me to share their stories, knowledge, hopes, and dreams.