Gang Rape.

Ahhhh...sometimes it's so much easier to share about life outside of work...away from the difficult decisions and depressing news. Although it's easier to tell you all about the fun, easy, exciting news of street corner shops selling dog's heads, our increasing adventures with local rats, pool side/gym boys with hot bods, or power outages...I really do need to involve you in the tough spots.

The clinic is always a challenge. I've only been a nurse for a short time and if I didn't have Nurse Ruth here to guide my little mind I probably would sit down and explode. period.

Seeing how we diagnose, treat, medicate, refer, and CURE things without a doctor I am learning things that I've never learnt at school...oh, U of M...

Yet there are other aspects beyond what to do when a patient comes in with what you thought was an infected ingrown hair and returns 3 days later with a ghastly edematous neck and an abcess the size of Manhattan! Yes. Or a girl that tried to abort her baby but it continued to grow even though it was poinsoned. (How do I explain that the baby may have been affected?)

There are things of an emotional, spiritual and psychological nature that demand our attention. Such as a new pridicament, if you'd call it that, that I was welcomed into later last night. Boss Ruth asked if Nurse Ruth and I if we would by any means bend the rules on abortion? There is a girl that just started with us. She is from the provinces (they use this word to explain anyone who lives outside of PP) and is new to town with no relatives around...and she was gang raped by NINE men and is now pregnant. Alone. Pregnant. Raped. Traumatized.

Well...this unfortunetly is not a book that you may be reading, or a movie or a dream...this is REALITY. And I am faced with it and I am amongst the ones that have to provide an answer. How the hell can this happen to a poor soul? Nurse Ruth and I had a phone tele conference and both decided that we could not think that aborting this baby would solve her problems. She will be forever scarred by this happening and although it is her decision still, she won't take away the pain by taking away the baby. I am shocked by my view on this actually. At home, I would've hands down given into abortion. I would've seen it as torture to the mom. BUT...there are tons of options here.

We, at the clinic have decided to pay for the births (30.00), so if it is finances that are the problem we would supplement. Also, there are other places like Place of Rescue that she could turn to where they would provide a place to live, give birth and leave the baby in a safe place.
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We've also lost a girl to the sex-trade again. Her mother sold three of this girl's older sisters to be brothel workers and now her. We went to her home to see if we could find her but she is no where to be found. We saw her walking down the street when we were in our tuk tuk's on the way to the AFESIP clinic. She had matured in a blink of an eye. Changed. She was full of hate for us and didn't even acknowledge our waves and greetings. She was hardened.

They use drugs and alcohol in the beginnings to get them hooked. Then it's as if they are in a jail with no walls. They are psychologically trapped.

If you really wish to know how Kimberly's Cambodian Adventure's are going...I honestly have to share ALL of it. The dirty and the joyful.
When you pray for me. Pray for them as well. They need it more then I do.

Love Kimmy Alice.