I’m just at home (place we are staying at) sitting with my daughter this whole afternoon. This morning she had to get some teeth filled. As she is young and proved unable to sit in a dentist’s chair, we had to take her to a hospital to put her to sleep and have her teeth filled there. Unlike medical services in Maralal, the services here in Nairobi were so efficient and professional. I had no worries. Or only the few normal worries as a mother seeing her child helpless and worked on by medical people. In Kenya, the dentists are not allowed to use gas or any sort of general anesthesia in their office. So they have to book an operating theater at a hospital and do the work there on children and such that can’t be done with just a local pain killer. The theater personal at the hospital were very nice and so friendly. It was a refreshing change from the district government set-ups. Of course, the expense was also a lot more, which puts it out of reach of many people here. Two different people I know who heard of my daughter’s tooth problems said their children also had trouble like that. But they could not afford to do anything about it so their child just had to survive the best they could. That makes me sad to hear. Poor kids. But what can I do?

So, I am now watching over my daughter as she recovers. She is doing well, just very sleepy. Has been sleeping all afternoon. She woke up and ate a bit and now she is sleeping again. But almost back to her old self. She will be okay tomorrow and we will attend the last day of ICASA. I was able to attend some very good sessions and visit all the booths at the conference so far this week. It has been really interesting to meet the different people involved in this conference. Though it has been a little overwhelming. So much to see and learn about the issues surrounding AIDS in Africa. On one level it almost seemed like a business fair. Everyone pushing their ideas of how to deal with it and promoting their products for treating it, for preventing it for, for caring for it. Though there are a lot of people here also who have a real heart for the problem. In the plenary session yesterday, the issues of human rights for HIV positive and AIDS sufferers and access to treatment were discussed. Very enlightening. But also a bit depressing in a way. There is so far to go in this world before everyone is given the right to live in the best way that we can. So many issues. Issues between East and West. Issues of the have’s and have not’s. Issues of stigma and discrimination. Issues of funds and where they come from. Issues of simple supply and demand, availability and willingness to use. Issues of understanding and awareness.

I have gathered a ton of information at this conference. I am just starting to be involved in the HIV/AIDS issue in terms of wanting to raise awareness and promote good health practices within the communities I work with. So this whole conference for me is basically an introduction into this sector and I am attending as a way to learn and start to build a network with useful organizations and sources of information. It certainly has been interesting.