Date                Thursday18 June 2015

Avokh is a small island 2.25nm North west of Uliveo and clinic visits are made by the “dispensary boat” which like the dispensary itself has seen better days.  However the hull is sound, the outboard engine is good and the boatman, Essau, excellent.

The dispensary boat coming to collect us from Caduceus.  I wonder of we can fit a sheet of marine ply in for our next visit?

Elizabeth and Nurse Bambae discussing tactics

The island village of Avokh occupies almost all of the flat land on the small island

Cooking over open fires takes place in the kitchen hut

The Avokh dispensary.  The delivery suite is the door on the left.

Dr Elizabeth in action giving what is known in the island language Bislama as a ‘stickem’

This lady had had a fall 2 months ago.  It was definitely a broken hip but she is not in pain and has dementia.  There is no possibility of repair.  Her supportive extended family will look after her.

Somewhere in there the doctor is carrying out a consultation.  Audience participation is a feature of life here

Lunch was organised by Chief Kaisa and provided by a number of local ladies.  It was taken on the floor of the ‘delivery suite’

Low water meant that we had to wait to return to Uliveo so we took advantage of being able to walk across the reef and mud to the next island of Lambong where the school is situated

Lambong School serving Avokh, Awei and Lambong.  The children from Avokh either walk if the tide is low or come by canoe

Elizabeth in discussion with Headmaster Bill.  The men crossing the mud in the background are carrying bamboo for a house under construction for the Pastor

Canoe – traditional work in progress

When we made the return trip the water was still too low for our boat to go inside the Uliveo reef and we had a very wet white knuckle ride around the outside of the reef before making the shelter of the lagoon.