One thing I found welcoming right off the start is when you drive by the people on Tanna Island, they all wave at you! After a week long stay, I returned home and felt like I too wanted to wave at people driving by, but in NA that would just be weird... too bad!
When I arrived at the hospital to do a tour with Dr. Rob Sealey, I was astonished how basic and small the hospital was. People on the Island of Tanna only go to the hospital if they are so sick that they may die or if the kustom healers can't cure them. We went through the Pic-a-nini (children), men's, women's ward and the ER. It didn't seem like there were visiting hours, family and friends would come to the hospital and stay with their loved ones until they got better. Even if that meant months... Dr. Sealey told me stories about when they would do surgeries the families of the sick person would lay under the ER table and hold their hand during surgery! There love for family and community was strongly felt at the hospital. When the doctors make their rounds, sometimes it was hard to tell who was in for treatment as family member would sleep on the floor, or even in the beds (floors are more comfortable for the people of Tanna Island cause that's what they are use to).
As we were walking around the hospital, I was struck by the beautiful children, and the happiness in their families eyes. They were so giving, at one point a child offered his piece of watermelon to Dr. Sealey! I got the feeling that they would literally give the clothes off their backs if you asked them for it. No one had a sense of 'MINE' as children and adults commonly do in our part of the world.
My purpose of going to the hospital was to capture a photo story of what the Victoria Doctors are doing and why it's so important that more Doctors keep volunteering their time (without pay might I add) and take on responsibility of the hospital and the patients for an extended period of time. If I can recall, it's anywhere from 6-9 months per trip. Here's a few shots from my visit: (click on image to see full size)
