A Breakthrough!

So sorry dear bloggers that it has been some time since I updated my blog I'm not sure where the time goes
Since my last post much has happened particularly on the work front hence the title of this blog. Up until now CMA has been very reluctant to tell me what it expects of me and how I can best help the senior team here.
Trying to analyse the reasons for this and find ways of overcoming the blocks has been exercising much of my ageing grey matter and occupying a lot of my thoughts and I have come to the conclusion that I have to ignore my in built paranoia and look at things from the perspective of these women in CMA
All are busy full time midwives working in local hospitals and clinics and now that I have visited a few more of these institutions I can well see their difficulties which include poor facilities and equipment far too many students to train and very poor pay (The head midwife in one hospital told me that her pay was less than $100 per month about £75)many like this lady are the sole breadwinners and therefore take on private patients as well as their government jobs
Most of the exec team and a few more experienced midwives from Phnom Penh undertake supervision and teaching visits to midwives and clinics in referal hospitals all over Cambodia there are 24 Provinces in total and CMA went to 8 last year and intend to go to the remaining 16 in 2011 This is a massive undertaking given that there is no infrastructure support to help them organise these trips which they fund themselves and then get back (eventually ) from the MoH so to have someone like me come along with loads of bright ideas there is no which they have no capacity to take on its no wonder they have given me a wide berth (excuse the pun!) but following a seminal meeting things are taking a turn for the better and I am to accompany the teams on their provincial visits and that will enable me to do some work with the branch leaders.
I have also got agreement to work with branch leaders on rewriting the constitution for CMA in return I have agreed to do a funding proposal to send to our health development partner NGO's and any one else I can think of to ask if they are able to support CMA financially over the next few years.
In addition through making contact with midwives working for WHO I went to work [yes bloggers you read it correctly actually do hands on work] in a clinic run by a christian charity in one of the poor districts of PP It is held mainly for ANC and a baby clinic but they also seemed to get a collection of other conditions turning up including a lady with a sprained ankle and a nail in a foot so despite my limited indeed rusty clinical skills I was able to take B?P's test urine and generally help the staff there. I have to say  it is the most useful I have felt since arriving in Cambodia and therefore want to return on a regular basis and they want me to go back too!!!!!
So am busy updating my clinical skills
They rely totally on donations of equipment to stock the clinic they always need clinical gloves syringes needles hand gel common medicines used in pregnancy and for new babies and so on so I may well be calling in a few favours from all my old pals working in NHS hospitals.
they also need baby and toddler clothes many of the babies and children coming to the clinic had no clothes on it was very sad to see but the place was so happy and cheerful despite the hardship and conditions it was wonderful to be a part of.
The clinic is free to the patients who use it and the charity also can help the very poor meet hospital expenses when they have their babies it also gives contraceptive advice so all in all a very comprehensive service.
Socially I gave a dinner party for four /five if you include John who turned up just in time for pudding not easy though when you only have 4 plates but it went well and every one seemed to enjoy it Gilly and Sam were the guests of honour as they had to come down from Kratie as Gilly had fallen and managed to break two fingers including one with a dislocation too so poor her I hope she is on the mend.
My social secretary Chris is on holiday at the moment with her family so my social calendar is a bit quiet i have had a couple of meals out with friends and got a busy weekend planned as I am going to a TED event on Saturday so that will be something to tell you all about next week
Take care all
Lea howee
Kath  

Me and My Big Mouth



Sunset over PP on Christmas Day magical!

 Well dear bloggers I tempted providence in my last blog and was not let down since bragging about how to stay safe and well in Phnom Penh I have had
 3 very nasty mossie bites on my leg it seems the little bugg....s can read as well as spot rich pickings at 50 paces....
I broke a tooth and have had to have some very expensive dental work done....
Had a tummy bug the details of which you would not wish me to share.....
and now to cap it all off have got the worst cold I've had for years with violent sneezing fit to blow my head off and a very tight chest so just hoping that doesn't progress into any thing worse so a great way to start the New Year and a lesson in how not to brag in future.
Well since we last spoke the weather here has been a little cooler on the whole it has been very pleasant especially walking down by the river where there has been a breeze most times temperatures I would say averaging 28oC we have not had any rain since the 16th of December and its unlikely now to see any more before Sept The temperatures will start rising after February and I've been told to brace myself as once April comes the temp will rocket into high 30's I can feel a trip to Ratank kiri coming on by then.
We have just had two more public holidays the one we shared for New Year and last Friday January 7th was "Victory Over Genocide Day " This was the day that the notorious Khmer Rouge regime was overthrown In the papers reports about this event seem very divided should the date be celebrated or not ? as there is a view that it just marked the invasion of Cambodia by yet another country Viet Nam. but no one disputes that to be rid of the KR and putting an end to the genocide was a great step forward for Cambodia.
Since December when we had CMA's annual conference not much has been happening on the work front write ups have been completed on the event and I am waiting for our President to organise an exec meeting so that we can agree how to take members views forward into the future. Since then I have attended a few interesting meetings one called the 'Quality Improvement Working Group' Now where have I heard that before ?that meeting was in K'mai so I struggled a bit there although the power point presentations were in English so that was OK and another involving NGO's in health which was extremely interesting as they were talking about things like workforce planning and strengthening education I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!!!!!  somethings just come back to haunt a body
I do wish sometimes though that I had trained to be a plumber I would be far more use to this country is it too late to train do you think?
At the weekend going to have my hair done always a very stressful experience here last time my hair was coloured I asked for light brown and got vivid almost fluorescent red!!!! they had to pick me up off the floor Carmen my hairdresser at home would have had a dicky fit but its all part of the fun
Next week I'll tell you about Cambodian food Oh  on the subject of food I managed to find some weighing scales in a chemist last week I have lost about 22llbs!!! beats weight watchers any day
Kath


Here are some fellow volunteers at the Khmer Surin for Christmas Lunch

 





Christmas morning at Chris's house just before opening my presents thanks again to my old SHA buddies and Denise / Vicky whose parcels made it through

Dressed to the nines Anna Chris and myself setting off in our tuk tuk for Christmas lunch

 PS Thought that I would post some pictures of Christmas here in PP