A story by Kudra Ricketts

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I flew the short distance from Vila to Malekula by plane. We arrived at the tiny brick building with no furniture which was the airport. The runway was a grass paddock. I drove by truck with my dad and the two midwives Kelly and Carrie until we reached Banam Bay. There we were met by the friendly crew of the Alvei. (The ship we were staying on.)

Once we were settled in, I went with the Project MARC team to a village called Burbar where they had put in a water tank. (We had come late and the rest of the Project MARC team had already started some work.) By then it was late afternoon so we walked back to the ship in the dark. The next day we went to some more villages and built guttering and water tanks. Seamus went to the small town in North Malekula to get more supplies for the next day. That day we caught a huge fish which we had for dinner. Yum!

On Saturday a local family came aboard the Alvei for lunch. We saw dugongs and dolphins and I got very sunburnt. The next day was Sunday. I helped Carrie and Kelly to tell the locals about using condoms and pregnancy and what medical supplies should be used. In Burbar (where we were having the talk) the people were pretty savvy. They had some helpful ways of dealing with pregnancy. One woman said that when babies were facing the wrong way in the womb, they would roll around in the surf and the baby would turn the right way around.

I have lived in Vanutatu for 4 years so I translated what Kelly and Carrie were telling the locals (in English) into the local tongue (Bislama). And translated their questions into English so that Carrie and Kelly could give them answers.

The next day we gave the talk again in Asurohk. They were not as prepared as the people of Burbar. The local midwife showed us her kit and told us what they did for women giving birth. The kit was very out of order. They had no gloves and the midwife was delivering babies with her bare hands. The plastic sheet was used continuously and was ripped and bloodstained. Other equipment was old and often dirty so much that it couldn’t be used. We asked about the young girls and whether they were using condoms and/or having sex. The women said that no, the girls didn’t use condoms and also that they were having sex but didn’t know that that’s what it was. So Carrie and Kelly gave out condoms and showed how to use them (after our quest of hunting out a banana) and gave out pamphlets and booklets about the subject. We had to teach them that it was not okay to use the condoms, then wash them and use them again.

The day after that, (our last day) we gave a talk at ‘the clinic’ which is where people go with cuts and illnesses. We helped the local nurse who was confused about what to use for what. The next day we made our way back to the teeny-tiny airport. It was good. We helped a lot of people.

Kudra Ricketts, Australia, September 2009

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Photos

Kudra Ricketts
Our chief translator in September.

Gallant steed
The Air Vanautu inter island flights are quite and adventure.

1st Day in Burbar
Salu-salu thank you and welcome.

First workshop
This one was in Burbar

The team
Midwives Carrie and Kelly in Burbar.

Burbar Thank you
Here's a group shot with Roslynn the Aid Post worker in Burbar.

Asirohk
Women's meeting

Asirohk Supplies
The midwife supplies provided left much to be desired.

Comments

[Marty O'Bryan]

Thank You for Sharing
Hello, Kudra, Thank you for sharing your experiences with all of us. I pray that your description of the conditions for midwifery will generate more financial support for the medical projects. Peace, Marty O'Bryan (Seamus' mom)

[Kelly]

Kudra! Love this story, it is beautifully written. You did such a wonderful job when you joined us for our workshops. We couldn't have done them without you! Kelly x

[Darcie]

Great post Kudra! Hope to hear about more of your adventures soon. A Post-Christmas OZ post perhaps?

[Cheryl Malloy]

Great work Kudra
This work is so important in Vanuatu. Well done Kudra. I am sure your translation skills were a huge help in getting the information to these local communities. Evan and Kat and the crew from Alvei do some fabulous work. I hope you get the opportunity to work with them again, it sounds like you really enjoyed it.