February | 2015 | Lionel Mugema

The long-awaited Medical Camp finally happened.

It was a success.

The target was achieved.

But wait, there is more….. Let us back track. The idea was born late last year. This Medical Camp was originally scheduled for November 2014. However, a lot of other programs came in the way. We had to postpone to 2015. The Medical camp is the first activity of #Team4040 in 2015. It took so long to organise. I can not say much on this because Doris was the in-charge. All I know is that she did a terrific job. She without a doubt deserves recognition for taking on this up hill task and delivering to the letter. We argued about everything during the meetings – the budget, the volunteers, the partners, the venue (even!). But in the end, Doris made the final call.

The lady behind it all

Among the volunteers (medical) we had, International Medical Foundation, Makerere University Medical School, The Medical Concierge Group, and a few individual medical personnel. We also had Reach A Hand Uganda lend a hand. Saturday, 7th February 2015 will always be a memorable day not only for #Team4040 or our medical and non-medical volunteers but for the residents of Kibuli-Kikubamutwe.

Queues despite the blazing sunshine

The venue was St. John Baptist Primary School.By 10:00 am, we were set. The residents of the community started trickling. Massive confusion as this was our first time to do this. However, we got the hang of it and soon all was smooth. The HIV/AIDS testing point was the busiest corner of the day. When Viola (RAHU) started the sex education; all ears and eyes turned to her. The doctors were forgotten. The people had all sorts of questions and the team from RAHU was well equipped with answers. As the sun increased in intensity so did the queues. Entertainment was provided by the International Medical Foundation Drama Club. A club made up of the youth residing in the area with a powerful message for the community. The traffic grew in number that at 4:30 pm, registration of new patients had to close. At the end of the day, over 500 community members accessed free medical services. About 7,000 male condoms and 250 female condoms were distributed by RAHU I can not end this post without saying a HUGE THANK YOU to our volunteers both medical and non-medical. Special thanks to Reach A Hand Uganda, International Medical Foundation, The Medical Concierge Group, Makerere University Medical School and of course, Dr. John-Mark who was the man behind the scenes. Doris, thank you for putting everything together. The 40 Days over 40 Smiles Foundation who birthed the idea, thank you. The future is birght!