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This little girl is not only suffering from malnutrition but also from a hydrocephalus, an accumulation of water in the brain. The cause of malnutrition in her case is most probably rejection by her family because of the disability. Children with hydrocephalus can be operated in Mbale (50 km from Kumi). If it is recognised early enough, these children can grow up like healthy children. But very often they are coming far too late and once the brain is damaged by the high pressure, severe disability will persist even after operation. Claire was also operated in Mbale and afterwards transferred to our Nutrition Unit for rehabilitation. But only some days after they came to us, her mother delivered another baby and decided to go back home with both children - against the advice of our doctors. When we did a follow-up some months later, we found out that Claire was still alive, but in a very poor condition. We tried to convince the mother to come back with us, but she refused.

Elefaphants   (19.03.2006)

This movie I took in the Queen Elisabeth Nationalpark. It is an area of nearly  2000 km² , the home for a huge number of different animal species. We went there for a 3-days safari tour. Most impressive for me was to watch the elephant herds moving in the free nature.

African town  (19.03.2006)

This is how a more or less typical small african town looks like here in Uganda. The rooms in the front are used as salerooms and the ones in the back for living.

Claire   (19.03.2006)

Short video clips from Uganda

Katakwi   (19.03.2006)

My colleague Tina took this clip from a "bodaboda", a bicycle taxi, when we went to visit a IDP (internaly displaced people) camp. In the beginning you can see some of the huts of one camp, then a bit of the landscape there. You can see how dry the area is. Can you recognise the person sitting on the second bodaboda? .

Catholic choir   (19.03.2006)

The recording is from a confirmation in the catholic church in Kumi. It was a big event and even the bishop came for the celebration. Most of all I liked the lively choir.

Lunchtime  (19.03.2006)

This is how it look when our mothers are taking lunch in the nutrition unit. They are sitting with their children on the floor. Everyone is using the right hand - after washing it properly. It is amazing how capable even very small children are of kneading the "atapa" or "posho" and dipping it into the soup. The staff is not eating together with the patients, but we are sitting together with them to see how the children are eating and to advise the mother if necessary.

Dancing children (19.03.2006)

Dancing is something that must be in the blood of the people here. Sometimes I think that children are first learning how to dance and than how to walk . This movie is showing a traditional marriage, which usually end with a night full of music and dance.

This boy came with a typical kwashiorkor. The first clip was taken right after admission. He was completly apathetic and miserable and he had severe oedema in his feet and hands.

Okwalinga on admission   (19.03.2006)

Okwalinga after rehabilitation  (19.03.2006)

This second clip I took just 2 weeks later. He responed very fast to the nutritional therapy. His oedema have disappeared and you can see a big change in his whole behaviour.