How to refresh hope

On Sunday, two trains (a passenger train and a cargo train) crashed head on about 30km from our lion lodge. It is estimated that 89 people are dead. Five rail cars burned and it took them 8 hours to put out the flames.

Another volunteer (Kathryn-from Seattle) and I went to the hospital with two of our managers to offer any help they might need. Upon arrival at the hospital, we were met with a sea of hundreds of family members waiting outside the gate to see if their loved ones were okay.

The hospital was complete and utter chaos, but with an underlying type of organization that it seems would only work in an African hospital. Soon after our arrival, a helicopter came in. We rushed out with gurneys and wheelchairs and I helped a man with an injured leg out of the chopper and then pushed him into the hospital. Next came people in ambulances and again with the wheelchair, this time to help a gentleman with broken ribs, named Luciano. It was frenzied work.

When the second chopper came in, I grabbed a blanket and again rushed to the scene. It wasn't until I was within about 10 feet of the helicopter that I heard someone say "they are bodies". I was absolutely crestfallen. The hope that had ballooned as we all ran towards the chopper, seeped out of me. I put my, now useless, blanket over one of the bodies and went back to the hospital.

For the remainder of the day, we helped by giving food and water to everyone in the hospital. We started with the crash victims, then moved on to the regular wards. There were two women in the female ward who will stay with me for the rest of my life. We didn't speak at all, but there was so much strength coming from the eyes of their emaciated frames that I couldn't help but be awed.

Our last stop with the food was the maternity ward and we were able to go into the premature room where a baby girl the size of my hand was sleeping in her mother's arms. She didn't have to hang out in an impersonal incubator, just in a very warm room with her mom. It was beautiful. The mother asked us to think of a name for her and we came up with Precious. And when Precious woke up and opened her eyes, it seemed all the tragedy of the day had been washed away and hope was back.

Love you all,

Jen