Arriving in Kabinda, I was faced with a shocking sight. Of course, I came primarily to cure ophthalmic patients; our arrival had been advertised all over the place. However, entering the hospital I was once again confronted by the prevalent depth of misery. My first impression was that I had happened upon a camp site. Everywhere in the hospital courtyard small groups of families were settled on mats, sheets, etc. The 40 bed children's ward housed 150 patients! Of these, 80% were suffering of kwashiorkor. The children often live with their parents and siblings in the hospital for several weeks, possibly months. The nutritional program provided by our community is a huge attraction for families starving in the villages. It takes 3-4 weeks for a child to recover from kwashiorkor.

UNICEF helps us with special formulas and medicine. A big problem though is that it is very cold here at this time of year. There is a lot of rain and overnight the temperature drops to 16-18 degrees. Everything is very wet, and the children sit around shivering all day.
Our appeal that we had published here, according to which we were collecting money for procuring blankets, proved to be very successful as several of our supporters have come to our help, and their purchase is now in progress! We thank you for your timely assistance, since a warm blanket can be a lifesaver for children whose constitution is weakened by kwashiorkor.

Richard