Island Paediatric Hospital

On Saturday afternoon I went to Island Paediatric Hospital (no, I didn't spell that wrong). Island Paediatric is a Doctors Without Borders hospital that was built shortly after the civil war "finished." I use the word "finished" loosely. Mostly, the hospital treats malnutrition, HIV, pneumonia, and other related diseases. It is purely a medical facility; meaning no surgeries are done there.

As someone who typically feels very comfortable with children of all ages, it took me a while to figure out how to interact with the children. I sat down next to a very small toddler (whom I presume was being treated for malnutrition and had secondary pneumonia) and talked to him. He was too weak to talk and play. He held a blue colored pencil in one hand and a red balloon in the other. He simply watched the other children draw and play, longing to join them. Most of the other children had more energy and really enjoyed playing. Four children and four Mercy Ships crew, including myself, played catch in the covered courtyard of the hospital while the daily afternoon rain came down. I also colored with some of the children after the game of catch was over. I sketched pictures and the children colored them in (a make-shift coloring book). When we left, the mothers were very gracious to us for playing with their children and the children were sad to see us go.

One thing that I can count on is that the language of play is international. Children, despite their surrounding, will play and celebrate life even in the most tragic of circumstances. I have found this to be true in the US, as well as here in Liberia.