Almost final touches

Ebrima was in Penyem yesterday and took some photos. The tiling in the shower and toilet stalls is a really nice touch, and the sink for the delivery room has been installed. The outer compound fence (used to keep roaming animals out of the house!) is almost complete as well now.

September and October update

Lots of progress in September and October! The inside and outside are painted, the outdoor toilet and shower rooms are done, the doors are fixed and the tiling is done. It looks beautiful and everyone involved is really excited!! Here are a bunch of photos that capture the progress.

End of September visit

Gift (a camera of course!) for our incredible project manager from my mom and me

Traffic on the way back...



Mid-October visit - painted!!

Ebrima with his wife Amie and son Musa

My jeep post trip

We're going to have a busy month coming up to try to get everything finished. We need to get the windows finished, the ceiling finished, meet with the regional health team, get the clean birth kits together and have made. And plan for the grand opening!! Thanks to everyone who has been supporting this project so far.

Early August visit with Kathryn and Mark

Kathryn's husband Mark came to join us in the Gambia for his holiday. He's just finishing up his year of articling at a law firm in Canada, and managed to meet everyone important in Gambian ministry of justice and courts system!

We three spent the night in Penyem with Ebrima on their last weekend in the Gambia. Kathryn and I cooked with Ebrima's lovely sister Jainaba, and then we all walked over to check out the house. It's so exciting to see the progress on each visit, and I'm continually amazed by the work everyone is putting into it.

Early July visit with Kathryn

My incredible friend Kathryn who is in her first year of medical school in Canada came to the Gambia for five weeks to do a clinical placement at the MRC (http://www.mrc.gm/) where Ebrima and I work. She wasn't new to Africa, having spent a year in Ghana working with Engineers Without Borders Canada (http://www.ewb.ca/).

We met Musa and Amie, Ebrima's wife, in Brikama and went to Penyem with them. I tried not to take it personally that Ebrima's son, Musa, didn't start screaming when Kathryn held him like he normally does with me...! It was fun showing Kathryn the birthing house, and also for me to see all of the progress in the few short weeks since my last visit.