Cote D'Ivoire

by Zeona Jooste (South Africa)

A leap into the unknown Cote D'Ivoire

Never have I imagined finding myself I'm such a beautiful place, that's rich in soil and experiencences that one needs my time for to explore. December I travelled to Abidjan in Cote D'Ivoire, when I landed, my driver awaited,tooke toy Hotel in Assuming. There I stayed at AkwaBeach, beautiful indeed I went on the lagoon, magnificent experience, crossed over to their beach where I witnessed fisherman catching fish so close to the shore in the beautiful warm waters...i decided to have fish and atchike from a restaurant on the beach and it was beautiful. After 3days I travelled to Yamoussoukro where I visited the tallest Basilica in the world. On my way there we travelled and stopped at several villages and smaller towns... There I found that they eat bushmeat,monkeys,and the weirdest of animals.To my surprise, I was astonished with the living conditions in the remote areas, young girls and boys dressed in adult T-shirts and not having clothes, sanitary needs definitely lacking...i asked my driver to take me to the nearest town and I went to buy toiletries, and basic food items.Their gratitude stretched beyond... On my way back to Abidjan,i saw a bus overturned and some seriously injured patients, then my medical instincts kicked in, I triaged some of the patients and assisted the fire department staff as we waited hours for an ambulance to arrive. I was shocked with the response... Healthcare is a very big problem. One ambulance for more than 40 people, what is happening in this city and their healthcare system. They have minimal resources and sometimes cannot attend therefore some patients die... I was heartbroken and the driver tolde that this is the norm, I was shattered and wished I had medical equipment with me to just asses them and do more... I'm now planning to go their again as I'm raising some funds to go to the villages where I will provide basic needs for as many people as I can. I fell in love with the city, I'm thinking of relocating and opening up a clinic where I can hire perhaps a registered nurse, a midwife and perhaps a doctor so we can aid in healthcare and provide a mobile healthcare service. It is such a beautiful city with it's surroundings and it's also devided as some of the older people are more accustomed to older beliefs. The system of education for some is just another sad part... Some of the kids in villages don't even attend schools bit get taught by elders in the villages to read and write.. I want to assist with reading materials and basic schooling items. I end off by saying, it was the best country I've chosen to go to by far and I'm looking forward to learning soich more than even just culture, but their foods, religion etc. The countries politics have also caused a split and while I was there, there were lots of police and militants guarding the presidential place in Assinie. Recently about close to end of January, people were evicted that stayed in close proximity of the airport in Abidjan... The government stated it'll provide them with new land and housing materials. The videos that were aired on Aljazeera had me in tears .it was like no other. Their homes were destroyed and it was painful to watch them watch what they have build, destroyed with everything in it. There was no mercy showed towards them. It felt like my hands were tied. Here in South Africa, we are so fortunate to have a lot of things free especially one of it being healthcare. We tend to complain a lot about service delivery and everything under the moon but believe me you, if you've travelled not just to Ivory Coast bit other countries and you see how they live in poverty with very little option, your heart will break, your eyes will open and you'll definitely value everything so much more. I cannot wait to go back and visit and do what my heart desires. Itbfeels like my new destiny. Nextbi want to travel to Ghana after my trip to Ivory Coast. West Africa is so beautiful indeed it is!