First day at work

Today we went to the small nursing college and hospital in Manzini where we'll be working. It was very eye opening. They are really working so hard to create a top notch school given the limitations inherent here. They need so much, just in the way of books, never mind technical equipment. But they are constructing an airy and really quite roomy space and the place was filled with students. Right next to the college is the hospital. Again, It is difficult to imagine people working as hard as these providers do with so little. Patients bring their own blankets and many of the beds where patients were lying had no linens on them at all. The infrastructure is decrepit. There are lines of people standing, sitting, lying on the ground waiting for an opportunity to be seen. We walked thru all of the wards and they even have a private section for people who are willing to pay, but these sections are just as broken down as the public sections. The only difference is perhaps, a bit more privacy. It looks like Linda (pictured with me above), Betty and I will be split up according to our areas of expertise. Linda will be mentoring nurses on the medical ward, Betty will be mentoring nurses in Labor and Delivery, and I will be mentoring nurses in the antiretroviral clinic. We should be placed tomorrow. I'm excited and nervous and really ready to get started.