RIP Ramatu

I have some sad news - Ramatu, the girl we found abandoned in Kissy way back in 2008 passed away earlier this year.

 

She moved to a new home in September 2013, and did seem to be doing better - but while I was on a break in the UK in April she took a turn for the worse and died.

 

She had such a sad, sad life.....she was abandoned by her mother because of her epilepsy, then she was diagnosed with sickle cell. Many people were scared of her because of her seizures.

For the past few years she has been unable to walk and her speech was quite slurred so she had difficulty making herself understood.

She had to leave school because she just wasn't well enough to attend.

 

She loved biscuits and cherryade.......I miss her.....

 

Rest in perfect peace Ramatu xx

 

 

This photo was the last time I saw Ramatu

 

Ramatu April 2012

Ramatu has had a good month, she has had very few fits and is continuing to get stronger. Her speech is also getting better. When we visited with the last team she joined in with the singing and the last few times I have visited days she seems to be mingling more with the other children. She still isn't well enough to go back to school, but she seems much happier recently than she has for a long time.

Ramatu

This is Ramatu, the girl with epilepsy who was abandoned in Kissy back in 2008. As well as the epilepsy she has also been diagnosed with Sickle Cell.

She has had a difficult year and has been hospitalised a couple of times, but at the moment she is doing quite well - she is hoping that she will be able to get strong enough to return to school.



Ramatu - March 2012



Ramatu - What a Difference!

Ramatu - Looking Great!

I popped in to see how Ramatu is doing yesterday and it was like seeing a completely different girl! As I approached the house she was sitting outside in a wheelchair and as I got closer I could see straightaway that she was much better than when I saw her last week - she had a great big smile on her face!!

The change to her epilepsy medication means that her fits are under control again - both Ramatu and Melrose (the lady who runs the home) told me that she hadn't had a fit for 3 days. Her sores are healing up nicely and her strength is coming back.

Me with Ramatu

Max, my friend who runs the Epilepsy Association for Sierra Leone, is going to monitor Ramatu and also contact a Sickle Cell Society to find out how she can be helped in that area and also to make sure that any treatment won't react badly with her epilepsy treatment

I'm thrilled that she is so much better and so thankful to Melrose for taking such good care of her.

Ramatu even told me yesterday that she wants to go back to school!!

Ramatu - Not Good News.......

Ramatu

I went to see Ramatu in the New Year and got a shock to see that she was really poorly and weak. I was there just over and hour and she had three fits while I was there. She had a lot of sores from where she's fallen during her fits and she's lost a lot of weight.

I contacted my friend Max at the Epilepsy Association of Sierra Leone who arranged for her to have some blood tests and also to review her medication. When the results came though she had tested positive for Sickle Cell.

Her epilepsy medication has been changed and Max is going to montior her, once her fits have been reduced then we are going to contact a Sickle Cell association to address that issue.

It is so sad to see her in such a bad way again, just a couple of months ago she was in school and now she doesn't even have the strength to sit up unassisted.

Speechless

I was left speechless today.....something that doesn't happen very often. I visited the Mahaniam home for disabled children in Grafton to drop off some rice and let them know that I'm back in the country. A familiar looking girl in a school uniform appeared in the doorway and very slowly made her way towards me. I had to do a double take - it was Ramatu and she was walking!! She has joined the school in class 3 (3rd year primary school). She is looking so well - she was able to walk from the doorway to me very precariously unassisted!! Then after saying hello she walked back to school with the help of a pair of crutches.

I was so suprised - I had to keep looking at her to make sure it really was her!! The progress she has made since March is amazing and I'm so proud of her for the strength and determination she has shown - she's an amazing girl.

Ramatu 2009

Things have changed a lot for Ramatu this year. When I arrived in Freetown in March I went to see Max who runs the Epilepsy Association for Sierra Leone, he told me that Ramatu's family had stopped feeding her again and that she was in a bad way. He knew of a home for disabled children in Grafton called Mahanaim that he thought might be suitable for Ramatu. I went with Max to meet the Melrose, the lady who runs the home and between us we arranged for Ramatu to go to live there.

The photo above on the left was taken a couple of days after Ramatu arrived at Mahanaim in March, the one above on the right was taken in in June after she'd been there around 3 months.

The first time I saw Ramatu this year was a couple of days after she was taken to live at Mahanaim - she was very underweight and malnousrished.

She settled in there quicky - this photo was taken a week or so after she arrived.......that day was the first time I'd ever seen her smile!!

These photos of Ramatu wearing a scarf were taken in April. Week after week I was able to see her slowly improve. After about a month she started talking - she has a very quiet voice (it hasn't been used much during the years she was kept locked in a room on her own) but she can make herself understand......she calls me Alice! She has put on weight and is now able to stand and can even walk a little with a frame. Ramatu's best friend is another girl who lives in the home called Mariama who has polio and has been in the home since she orphaned as a baby in the war. Mariama helps Ramatu with washing and dressing - they get on really well and are always together!!

Since Ramatu moved into Mahanaim her mother hasn't been in contact or visited at all - it seems her family have washed their hands of her.

More Goodbyes

I've been saying goodbye again - this time to a volunteer team. Most of the 3rd team left yesterday, although 5 of the team of 12 went on to a pastors conference in Lumley where they will be until next Wednesday. As always I was sad to see the team leave and it seems really quiet here now with just me and Becky here.

We spent today at King Georges doing office work and sorting through the aid left by the team. I had promised to give one of the boys (Lamin) computer lessons which we started today - he'd never used a computer before, but he's picking it up really quickly so I don't think it'll be long before he gets the hang of it. By the end of the lesson he was getting used to the keyboard, had setup an email account and had sent his first ever email.

Yesterday morning I took the team to visit Mahanaim before they left - I think everyone enjoyed the visit and the kids there love the attention they get when we visit. Ramatu is continuing to improve each time I see her. The picture here of Ramatu taken the first time I saw her stand. She is so much happier now, she has friends at Mahanaim and is taken care of and gets food every day - I'm hoping that eveuntually she'll be able to go to school. Sadly Ramatu's mother hasn't been in touch or been to see her since she went to the home over 6 weeks ago. Becky and I are planning to go to Church with the children from Mahanaim tomorrow.
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We have a few days work to prepare for the next team who arrive on 22nd May, and then Becky and I are going to take a couple of days off - we've not decided yet whether to go to the beach or to head off into the provinces.

Quick update

My time online is very limited so unfortunately this is going to have to be a very short update.

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The girl who was burnt with boiling water whose picture I posted in my last update is doing well and her burns are healing very well......much better than I'd expected.

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Ramatu is so much happier in her new home....a place called Mahanaim. I spent some time with her today and she was laughing and talking, playing with the other children. She was even able to stand up! There has been a massive improvement in her over the last couple of weeks. I'm hopeful that when she is stronger she'll be able to go to school. Her mother hasn't been in touch at all since she was taken to the home.

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Abu is doing well, although he always seems to be in some sort of trouble or other. He got to know one of the team members in the first team well and was really upset when he left.

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We are around halfway through the second team at the moment, we have a nice mix of people in the team and I'm enjoying getting to know them. Yesterday we went to church and spent the afternoon at Bureh beach. Today half the team worked on site at Grafton while the rest of us visited Mahanaim, we are planning to show the Jesus film somewhere near Shell Junction.

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Settling into Life in Freetown

I've been in Sierra Leone now for just over three weeks.

The first few days were spent preparing for the first team, then a week after I arrived we went back over to the airport to pick the first team up.The trip didn't get off to a good start when we couldn't get their luggage to the hotel until the day after they arrived, but apart from that it was a good trip
I enjoyed getting to know everyone on the frst team and I've missed them since the returned to the UK last Wednesday.

While the team was here a young girl was bought to us who had been badly burnt by boiling water - we were able to get her taken to hospital and get treatment for the burns and I'm hoping to get an update on her from her Mum during the week. The girls name is Margaret and she is around three or maybe four years old.

I have some good news about Ramatu - she's now living at a home for disabled children called Mahanaim in Grafton. I've been able to pop in to see her a few times and she is much happier there.

Getting Organised / News from SL

With only 12 days to go until I fly out to Sierra Leone most of my time is taken up getting organised for the trip. I think I am almost on top of everything now.....except that I still have some shopping to do for clothes for me and first aid for kit we use for the teams.

What with my own stuff that I'm taking, and the things I have to take over for the teams, and bits and pieces that friends have asked me to take over for people they know over there.....I'm getting very close to my 40kg baggage allowance!! I think I'll have to enlist Bob to help me with my packing as I tend to get quite stressed about it!

The Weightwatchers free trial went well - I lost half a stone! I'm still on the chunky side, but very pleased to have lost some of it. I should be able to lose a couple more pounds before I go. The online version of Weightwatchers is really easy to use and it was easy to stick to and lose weight with.......if I were staying in the UK (and if I had a paid job!) I'd probably have kept up the subsciption and become a paying member.

Recent News from Sierra Leone

Ramatu:

I have recently heard from the EASL (Epilepsy Association for Sierra Leone) who told me that Ramatu is slowly getting stronger, but she is still unable to stand unaided. Her mother is starting to take some responsibility for her and is trying to earn money for food for Ramatu. As soon as I have the opportunity I will go to visit her so I can see for myself how she is doing. I'm praying that there will be an improvement on her condition from when I saw her in December.

Abu:

Abu's school uniforms were ruined....completely unreapairable, so he's having 2 new uniforms made for him. There is a chance that he might be able to go to live with the teacer who looks out for him.......where he's living at the moment there isn't enough room for him and the people he lives with don't want him. When I get over there the teacher will show me where he intends for Abu to live and if it's suitable we'll get that arranged as quickly as possible - if it works out I think this will be for the best for Abu.

Also posted at minklemar.com

Ramatu Update - December 2008

This is an update about Ramatu, the epileptic girl we found in laying in the street in May 2008. You can read about how I first met her here: Ramatu

I was able to see Ramatu again the day before I left Sierra Leone in December. I had visited the EASL (Epilepsy Assocation of Sierra Leone) the day before on the off chance of being able to see Max who had helped me with Ramatu back in May........Max was at a conference in town, but changed his plans to arrange to meet with me.

We headed into town, then went off in foot around the East End Police area of Freetown. It was about a 20 minute walk through a market, down alleyways, then a steep climb down between the houses until we found the room where Ramatu was.

The room was very dark (these photos were all taken with flash, sorry for the bad quality of the pics!). Ramatu was sitting on bare concrete on her own just inside the door. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw her - she was even more skinny that the last time I'd seen her! Because she was too weak to stand on her own she wasn't being given food in the hope that would prevent her from soiling on the floor.

Word soon got around that a stranger was in town and all the neighbours came to see what I was there for......and someone sent for Ramatu's mother. This was the woman who was with Ramatu when I found her back in June, and although we'd presumed she was Ramatu's mother she went told us later that she was het aunt - during this visit she did admit to being her mother though. Since I went back in June one of Ramatu's step-siblings had died and her step-father blamed Ramatu for that and had been trying to prevent her mother from seeing her.

She had been being given her medication and she was fitting a lot less than the last time I saw her.......only one fit in the 4 or so hours I was with her compared to 5 or so back in June. In some ways it's good that she did have a fit while we were there because it gave Max the opportunity to show the neighbours how to take care of her when she fits and they were also able to see that Max and I weren't afraid of her or of catching anything from her.

While I was there Ramatu asked me for a biscuit so we sent one of the onlookers off for some crackers and a drink for her. She was able to eat and drink a little.

Rather than leave money for food this time around we had a bag of rice delivered to the house. We also arranged for a mattress for Ramatu - we're hoping that whoever shares the mattess with her will assist her to the toilet if she needs to go on the night. I was also able to arrange for her medication until April along with vitamins. Max is also going to keep an eye on the situation.

I was very shocked by the condition of Ramatu she is so underwight and malnourished. She is very weak and still unable to stand without assistance. She was being left to sleep on a bare concrete floor. I couldn't believe my ears when I was told that she wasn't being given food in case of her messing the floor.

I spoke to Max last week - he has been to check on Ramatu recenty and told me that her mother is taking better care of har and is also selling some things in order to be able to get food for Ramatu. Max is going to keep me updated with her progress.

Thank you so much to the people whose kind donations allowed me to be able to buy a mattress for Ramatu as well as food and continuing medication

Also posted at www.minklemar.com

Happy New Year (I know it's a bit late!!)

I'm sorry I've not posted for so long. I tried to add another update while I was in Sierra Leone, but the server was down at the internet cafe the day I tried and I just didn't get the chance to log on again. I ended up staying on in Freetown a bit longer than planned as our vehicle broke down while the second team were there and so I stayed on to ensure it was fixed and tie up some loose ends. It was good that I was able to have a few extra days there as it gave me the chance to track down Ramatu (that's going to be a long story so I'll post about that another time).

I came back to the UK on 6th December and the following weekend Bob and I moved to a new flat in Southsea (which I am loving!). By the time we started to settle in Christmas had arrived - we had a quiet Christmas at home, just the two of us which was lovely. My Dad come to stay for a week over new year and he went back home this past Sunday - so I'm only just now catching up on everything.

I loved being in Sierra Leone again - it was hard work and very tiring, but I loved it! I lost my voice completely at one point - but glad to say it's back to normal again now! I enjoyed both of the teams of volunteers who came out during November - they started work on the new City of Rest site at Grafton and also cleaned and painted and the current City of Rest in town. The City of Rest is for people with drug, alcohol or mental health problems and it was good to be able to spend some more time there and get to know some of the residents.

One day a boy I'd not met before turned up and showed me his belly.....he's been bitten by a dog, so we got him to hospital and paid for rabies and tetanus jabs for him. About a week later he came again and he was burning up, crying and saying his head hurt. I was concerned that it was something to do with the dog bite and thought maybe we hadn't got him treatment in time, we got him back to the hospital again who diagnosed typhoid. By the time I left he was well on the road to recovery. Poor thing was really sick there for a while.

I had a really upsetting time with Abu - he got badly beaten by his uncle with a stick.......so badly that we had to take him to hospital. He had an open wound on his head and a big swelling on his leg (I thought it might be broken, but it turned out not to be). Everyone was shocked by just how badly he'd been beaten. A few days later I found out that Abu was sleeping in the street - I guess because he was too scared to go home. Abu's teacher spoke to the family and the uncle came and apologised and has promised never to beat Abu again and Abu has agreed to sleep in the house. I really don't know that to do for him for the best but for now Abu's teacher is keeping an eye on him while I'm not there, and when I go back I'm going to look into finding somewhere else for him to live.....if that's what he wants. When I left he asked me to put him in my pocket and take him with me......

I hope everyone is having a happy, healthy new year and look forward to hearing what you've all been up to.

also posted at www.minklemar.com

This is just a quick update to say that everything is going well. It's almost time for the first team to leave, the time has just flown by.

I've got a bit of a cold and I've lost my voice and I'm really tired, but apart from that I'm fine and happy here.

I spent a lovely morning a couple of days ago with a few of the St George Foundation children. I took three of the team there while the rest worked making blocks at the City Of Rest site. We made balloon animals and sang and chatted with them. It was a lovely morning.

Tomorrow we are going to church then spending the afternoon at Dove International followed by a team farewell meal at a restaurant in the west.

The time in between teams will be very busy this time as we have the second team arriving on Friday - but I'm hoping to be able to take an afternoon off to try to find out how Ramatu is.

Almost there

I just have a few things left to do before I leave for Sierra Leone on Monday, but I'm almost ready to go. As I'll be staying at the 5/10 I need to get a kettle so I can start each day in my usual way with a cup of camomile tea - otherwise I might be unbearable for the people there with me!

Last weekend I went to the team orientation day that Mission Direct hold for volunteers who go on short term mission trips. It was a good to be able to meet some of the people that will be coming out on the teams while I'm in Sierra Leone. It was also a chance to have a good chat with Brian, the other member of the MD in country staff team......Brian and I will be based in Freetown hosting the teams of volunteers. My passport was returned to me complete with a shiny new visa and I was also given my flight ticket - it's just about sunk in that I really am going!

I intend to fully make the most of the time I have in Sierra Leone - we only have three days in between hosting teams of volunteers so I won't have much time off, but there are a few people I'd like to look up and spend time with if I get the chance. I especially want to find Ramatu (the girl with epilepsy Maureen and I found lying in the street) - I've thought about Ramatu a lot since I came back to the UK, but so far I've been unable to get any news of her.

If you want to stay in touch with me while I'm away you can email me, I will make an effort to pick up my emails at least once a week. If you want my to call or text me drop me an email and I'll send my SL number to you (I've kept the same number as before). It'd be great to hear from friends while I'm away.

I'd better get to the shops and finish my last minute shopping!

Also posted at minklemar.com

Ramatu's Story

On the day our penultimate team of volunteers left Andy and Heidi took them to the airport while Maureen and I stayed behind to clean the team house at King George to get it ready for the final team of volunteers who would be arriving just 4 days later. We had decided to go for a meal at the 5-10 Hotel, so once we'd finished clearing up we set off to walking around to the 5-10 - looking forward to a relaxing evening doing nothing.

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In the same road as the King George VI home is a convent, I don't know much about it, but there are always queues of people outside on Mondays and Fridays, they run some kind of medical clinic there........anyway, as Maureen and I were passing the convent one of the kids who was walking with us pointed out someone laying in the gateway of the convent. We went over to have a closer look and there was a girl lying there, she had open sores on her arms, legs and head, there were flies buzzing all around her and she wasn't moving - we thought she was dead. No one else seemed to be taking any notice of her, and as we stood decided what we should do she had a seizure.......at least that let us know she was alive. When she came around we tried talking to her, but all we could get out of her was her name 'Ramatu'

We decided we'd get her to hospital, the closest one was the UMC in Kissy. We went back to King George to see if we could borrow a wheelchair to take her to the hospital. We asked our friend Amanda who is the head teacher at the school in the King George compound to come with us in case we needed someone to translate...........we were also lucky that a man who helps look after the King George residents, Abdul, was there and he agreed to come with us too. We made our way back to the girl (without a wheelchair, we'd decided it'd be better to get a taxi). When we got back a lady came forward who seemed to be the girls mother, she told us Ramatu was 12, had been ill for 5 to 7 years and she couldn't walk. The gateman at the convent explained to Amanda that they couldn't take the girl in, and she should come back the next morning. We attracted quite a large crowd who gathered round trying to see what the apoto's were up to.

We sent someone off to find a taxi for us and all bundled in......Ramatu's mother in the front (heavily pregnant) with the girl on her knee, me Maureen, Amanda and Abdul in the back. Luckily it was only a 5 minute drive. I'd been to the hospital a couple of weeks before visiting someone so I knew the layout and we went straight into admissions. We settled Ramatu in a wheelchair while her mother checked her in........just then she had another fit - I was standing to her right and that's the way she fell so I instinctively caught her head......before that day I'd never seen anyone have a fit and this was my second one in as many hours - I was scared and praying, and I was also vaguely aware she had a big open sore on her head and my hand was touching it - luckily my time in Sierra Leone had knocked a lot of the squeamishness out of me. A doctor came to talk to us to let us know that they couldn't admit her to the hospital, he suggested that we take her to the Epilepsy Association of Sierra Leone which is in Rokupa.

We hailed another taxi and all piled in again and went off to find the Epilepsy Association. Luckily for us when we got there Mr Max Bangura who runs the association and is the main man in Sierra Leone as far as epilepsy issues are concerned was there. He assessed Ramatu and told us that with medication she could improve. As well as the epilepsy Ramatu was very underweight, which was what was making her so weak. Her mother was scared as when she had seizures she thought it was due to demonic possession.....she was scared to touch her - in fact the only time we saw her touch her in all the time we were with her was when they sat in the front of the taxi together. Maureen and I arranged for medication and food for Ramatu until the end of the year. The field officer for the Epilepsy Association will be visiting and checking on her progress. As the medical office at the association was closed for the day the only medical supplies available where what I had in my backpack, so Adbul and I cleaned and dressed her woulds as best as we could. During the time we were at the association Ramatu had another two fits........this gave Max the opportunity to show Ramatu's mother (and us) how best to deal with someone who is having a fit, and to explain to the mother that it wasn't contagious or the effects of possession. Ramatu had her first dose of the medication while we were there as well as something to eat. Max explained to us that is was likely that Ramatu was going to be abandoned outside the convent until we showed up.

By the time we left she'd definitely perked up a bit - although she still couldn't stand unsupported, she could sit up and made some effort to communication......she asked Maureen to give her 1 bloc (100 leones)! As we made to leave it was decided that Adbul would take Ramatu and her mother back to where they were staying and Maureen, Amanda and I would go our separate ways. As we were trying to flag taxi's down I was standing with Ramatu giving her a cuddle (and holding her up) when she had another fit. This was a busy time of day on the main road into Freetown so created a lot of attention. In the 3 or 4 hours we were with Ramatu she had 5 fits - with that and the malnutrition it's no wonder she was so weak. It was such an intense time when we were with her that we didn't really have time to stop and think about how desperate the situation was for the girl or how awfully sad it was - while we were with her I held it together quite well......but as soon as Maureen and I were alone in the taxi it hit me. Ever since then I've not been able to get her out of my mind.

I've emailed Mr Bangora asking for an update on Ramatu, when I hear from him I'll post the details.

(Maureen and I went to the 5-10 for a meal a bit later than planned, but neither of us could find anything we fancied on the menu so we ended up going to out usual haunt.....The NP.)

Also posted at minklemar.com