Unpacking And The Set Up

It will come as no surprise to regulars of the OHI blog that the first few days of any trip involve getting lots of gear sorted and boxes unpacked. Tons of gear (literally) is shipped, and there is also plenty of local equipment and supplies stored from previous trips to sort.

Thursday has seen the great unboxing – after an official visit from the Rwandan government to check that all of the shipped consumables met their standards.

Where to store the gear, what will be needed this time, and what can be kept here for next time, and whether we’re all set to start operating are the important questions.

The bulk of the OHI volunteer crew are flying in today (and have hopefully already been picked up from the airport as I write this). A few team meetings will take place this afternoon and this evening, and hopefully the Operating part of Open Heart Interntaional Rwanda 2012 will begin tomorrow.

Screening has continued today (the third day) with the operating list taking shape. I’ll have all the details for you tomorrow – and begin to introduce you to our patients for this year. One of the highlights for the team is seeing patients from previous years for followup – and there have been a couple of those today… Great to be reminded about how these trips change lives!