Team Uganda

Every day so far has started with the masses piling in to the eating area, half asleep, puffy eyed but beaming with a sense of adventure and hungry to love and care for people. Our spiritual leader is Clara and it’s only been a few days but I look forward to her morning prayer and her “challenge of the day”.

Today’s challenge was – finding your identity.
This seems like it should be so easy, but the fact is, it rarely is, right? I can only speak about mine and two others experiences today and how our jobs were so greatly influenced by teamwork.

I’m a nurse by trade, but was asked to be a pharmacy distributor (DUN DUN DUUUUUN!!!). Let me tell you – it was a challenge! You don’t get a chance to place faces to names, shake their hands, or see them smile when they know they’re being cared for. You work tirelessly double and triple checking the meds they were prescribed making sure the dose is correct and that instructions are easily understood. Then it’s handed off to a runner who greets the client, instructs them and bids them farewell. Pharmacy is the last to finish up at the end of the day when the sun is setting and the last to clean up. This truly is the most selfless act of blind, unconditional love! To give your very first and best effort to people who don’t even know you’re there.

Today, I was a pharmacist (or at least helped out as best I could) and I am so grateful. Grateful for teamwork. For strength. For kindness. Today I learned identity was more about who I am. But who we are as The December One World Health Team. We are a tiny but mighty group of some of the sharpest, selfless people. Individually we are great. But together we are even greater!

+Roz Schlumpf, Registered Nurse