Ordinary hero: Maria from Burkina Faso

Today's story is from Maria, an Italian doctress who has taken part to our project in Burkina Faso

"You feel Africa immediately, since you get off the plane: the heat makes our jackets, vests, wool and heavy shoes ridicolous. I'm prepared for a long wait at passport control, but it turns out to be rather informal, with a final exchange of phone numbers, in which I end giving the customs officer - Daniel - my only contact number here in Burkina. Then I am overwhelmed by the circus of  "hunting the baggage". I curse myself for not having purchased a case of anotherr color, instead of a big black trolley, absolutely the same as everyone else, and I resign to run from one side to another of the delivery point as luggages are unloaded by hand, dragging behind a deadly heavy red suitcase, making my way among the crowd of people who is doing exactly the same. Recovered my "loot" [=baggage] (clothes + food + many other little things, much less important), I start the not so easy task of trying to recall the face of father Henry, the person who is supposed to wait for me at the ariport. But the father has decided to play me a trick and hiding to enjoy the scene: he finally comes out only when the taxi drivers offers are becoming overwhelming.
The rest of the trip is a rush through the outskirts of the city and then along a road through the bush. The first section is illuminated: in every lamp post there is a guy who studies. At the second village we turn left and leave the asphalt for the dirt. The aim is to spot the barrages (paved fords more or less improvised on a serie of dry rivers), before they make you hood off the road. My companion seems to know them by hearth, and  we manage to arrive at the hospital at 00.30 - Burkina Faso time. The perfume of the acacias in flower is something undescribable when I finally reach my room I'm tired, I'm hot, but I'm happy." (translation by Marco F.)

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Health pool has begun!

Rainbow for Africa just started the next "health pool" which can be found here in the right part of the page.

How does it work?

Simple enough: since most of Rainbow for Africa's staff is made by health personnel and our mission includes promotion of health in general, we will weekly discuss about a selected health topic which may be useful to everybody.

The style will be completely informal, allowing everybody to "ask every question you wish you would have asked to your doctor but you didn't dare to".

Topic of the week: "holidays at tropics". Summer is approaching, who is going to the tropics?

Burkina Faso slowly returns to calm

In the previous days Burkina Faso's presidential guard ran riot in the capital Ouagadougou, claiming for their payment and food allowances.

We had direct contact in the previous days with our collegues in Burkina Faso who assured that situation is slowly returning to calm.

Rainbow for Africa has then decided to continue organizing its next mission, scheduled for october: three anesthesiologists from Rainbow for Africa will work alongside with their local collegues, performing classes as well aimed at improving each other's professional skills.

We say "each other" since whoever has ever gone to Africa can witness that though going there believing to help, everybody comes back home with the feeling of having learnt much more than having taught.

...do you agree? let us know, comment!!