COMPLETE - T F I O n l i n e

The Mulago Project
By Nyx Martinez, Philippines
Uganda has imprinted on my
heart so many fond memories—of
places, people, and experiences that
I would never trade. If every day of
living there were to be written in a
book, there would be too many tales
to tell.
One of the chapters of that
book might be called, “The Mulago
Project.”
Mulago Hospital is the main
government hospital in Kampala.
Its huge compound and maze of
wards are historical grounds. My first
visit to Mulago was shortly after the
opening of my art exhibition at the
Kampala Sheraton Hotel in aid of
the Ik tribe. I’d been telephoned by a
couple of American women doctors
from Health Volunteers Overseas.
They were stationed at Mulago and
tended to the children in the pediatric
ward.
They asked if I could come down
to the hospital and see how the conditions
could be improved, perhaps
through simple murals for the children.
They didn’t have enough funds
to actually hire a painter for this job,
but when I told them I was a fulltime
volunteer and would be willing
to do it free of charge for the children
(provided they could sponsor
the paints and materials), they were
overjoyed.
That same week, I and my coworker,
Tina, visited the pediatric
ward with the doctors. It was as I’d
expected—the air was putrid, and as
many cribs as could be squeezed into
the ward lined the rooms. It was a big
ward, stretching all the way down a
long, dark walk. Parents and caretakers of the sick children
lay on mats on the floor in between the cribs. Some huddled
over their babies, trying to quiet their screams. The piercing
cries coming from the little bodies who were attached to IV
drips soon blended into one big noise.
We were introduced to Sister Caroline, the head nurse
in charge of Firm A. She greeted us with a very warm hug.
Later, the doctors explained to me that this dear woman had
been praying for two years for someone to come and brighten
up the ward with artwork, and when she’d heard we were going
to do it, she was speechless.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said gratefully, still hugging
Tina and me. “There are no words.”
Thus began the Mulago Project. It was to be a once-aweek
adventure, which went on for some months. There
were so many walls to paint, and as many hands make light
work, I called up different friends who had been interested in
doing some hands-on volunteer work. The calls usually went
as follows:
“Hi, ever painted before”
“Um … like, what kind of painting”
“We’re painting murals at the kids’ ward in Mulago this
Thursday! Wanna help out”
“Well, I’ve never picked up a paintbrush in my life!”
“Oh that’s okay—it’s easy! Meet us at Firm A on
Thursday. It’ll be fun!”
Volunteers at Mulago with Sister Caroline
❪❪ Outreach Focus ❫❫
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