Gentle Hands Orphanage - my new place of work

For those that don't know .... I have moved from Sydney to Manila to be part of a unique creation. A medical facility within an orphanage. To provide care and treatment to the poor.

A vision that was born from the heart of Charity Graff, the Executive Director of Gentle Hands. A woman whose strength of character and commitment leaves me utterly speechless and feeling a mere mortal. A typical day in the life of Charity will leave you exhausted simply reading about it. Carrying the burden of responsibility for almost 70 children and 30 staff members, she organises adoption processes, negotiates foster care, visits the poor communities (and plays the keyboard, sings, delivers food, organises crafts and checks on their health), blogs, responds to emails, raises funds, attends meetings, visits jails to interview and minister to the parents who have abandoned their children, delivers kittens (not literally), designs the new building, shops for hardware, tends to illnesses (of which are ever present); bathes, clothes, and feeds the little ones most recently abandoned that live upstairs with her, and is a mother to six of her own. Once that is done she starts on all the 'other stuff'... and, as I leave Gentle Hands for the day, she is folding the laundry and tidying away the strewn toys. Then the night shift starts.....and not a day goes by that she doesn't look calm, cool and collected (and wearing make up!). 

And this is without the impending medical facility....which is purely semantics anyway since she already accepts the sick and the dying, irrespective of age and room at the inn, that present at her door, or get referred from the hospital, or are found on a rubbish dump, or......!

I need to go and lie down!!!!!!

You could say that my mental state at present is one of absolute denial about my own responsibilities here. Ignorance really is bliss :) As a paediatric intensive care nurse, I am slightly outside my scope of practice! Gulp!!!

So, moving on, the medical wing is still in its infancy....you may have to use your imagination a little!! I certainly do :)

Entrance to the medical wing - the 'nurses station'

The lab and pharmacy room

The 6 bedded ward