Brandon Twp.-A recent trip to Africa has changed Catherine McGhee’s life.
She spent nearly two weeks in early February in the impoverished nation of Mauritania, assisting in several births, holding dying and malnourished children, and receiving multiple marriage proposals- all at the tender age of 12.
‘I see the big picture now,? says McGhee, who is homeschooled. ‘I’ve learned so much.?
McGhee decided she wanted to go to Africa after her mother, Elizabeth McGhee, returned from Kenya- sharing stories of mission work she had done there. Her opportunity came when she heard her aunt, the CEO of Mercy and Truth Medical Missions and a certified nurse practitioner and midwife, was going to Africa. McGhee saved $2,500 for the trip through auctioning off 4-H animals she had raised as well as working at a local Christmas tree farm.
In January, she went to Kansas City to prepare for the trip by helping out at Mercy and Truth medical and birthing centers, doing whatever needed to be done- vacuuming, cleaning up equipment, standing by during pelvic exams and births.
‘I was the number one gopher,? smiles McGhee. ‘I did all the grunt work.?
Prior to the trip, McGhee also was vaccinated against yellow fever and hepatitis and received a tetanus shot. Finally, on Feb. 1, they were ready to go. They flew from Kansas City to Cleveland to New York to Senegal and finally to Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania. The landscape was a surprise to her.
‘I expected trees and grass, but Mauritania is the Sahara Desert…an endless ocean of sand,? says McGhee. ‘There are very few trees and they’re short. When we would see them, we almost worshipped them- we were like, ‘There’s life!??
They were given a welcoming party in which Mauritanians played bongos for rhythm and during which, McGhee recalls, ?65-year-olds were breakdancing.?
They ate their first dinner, fish and fries, at a Mexican restaurant. McGhee learned it is customary to eat with the right hand, since the left hand is used to wipe with, in lieu of toilet paper. McGhee says the Mauritanians do wash their hands prior to eating, but in general, the country is very dirty, with disease common. McGhee brought her own toilet paper, but instead of toilets, there were holes in the ground. Instead of showers, she used buckets of water to clean with.
McGhee stayed with her aunt and a host family in their cement house. This is safer than staying at a hotel, she explains, because there is less likelihood of being robbed or kidnapped. They slept on foam mats and bought a rug and blankets to keep warm during the 60-degree nights, cold after 90-100 degree days.
McGhee and her aunt had brought with them from America medications, vitamins and supplies. They began working in a nutrition and medical clinic, seeing about 400 people, checking their blood pressure and handing out vitamins and medication. McGhee would weigh and measure children, regular patients who came daily for nutrition. She mixed dry milk with water to give them, and gave vitamins and measured their progress. The vitamins ran out after only a few days.
‘The kids are skinny and many are dying from lack of nutrition,? McGhee says as she shows a photo of a boy with a large belly and explaining it is full of worms and parasites. ‘I saw this boy and I was crying- a lot. I realized how lucky we are, having food and medical help, but in the desert they can’t afford vegetables or vitamins for their children or themselves. It was very sad.?
While in Mauritania, McGhee ate a lot of couscous, an African dish of wheat germ cooked with water and whatever animal parts are available, including lamb’s tongue, heart, lungs and intestines, since Mauritanians can’t afford to waste any part of an animal.
‘The tongue was good and the intestine tasted like beef jerky,? says McGhee. ‘I’m used to eating weird stuff.?
Still, after a week of eating nothing else, she was tired of it and her aunt broke out some military meals-ready-to-eat that she had brought.
After several days at the medical clinic, McGhee moved on to a maternity clinic with her aunt. At the clinic, women were expected to wait until right before giving birth to come in and were expected to bring their own supplies, including bedding, diapers, etc.
‘Dogs here are treated better than humans there,? she says.
When a baby was born, McGhee would clean out the child’s mouth and nose using an aspirator. One mother gave birth to triplets and McGhee became attached to the smallest and only girl. She also recalls helping with a footling breech birth, where the baby came feet first.
‘In their culture, they don’t give the baby to the mom after birth,? she said. ‘We take the baby and bathe it and the mother-in-law has to approve of the child before the mother ever sees it. So I had to give that baby to the mother-in-law.?
The mother of that child was 16-years-old, common in Mauritania where girls can have marriages arranged when they are 10 and then marry a few years later when they are 13. While in the country, McGhee herself received marriage proposals.
‘I got so sick of it,? McGhee says. ‘It was weird. The first time I was like, ‘Excuse me?? He spoke English and asked where my father was. I said, ‘America,? and he was like, ‘Oh.??
Islam is the official state religion of Mauritania, and the government limits freedom of religion. McGhee and her aunt, both Christians, were allowed into the country because they were offering humanitarian aid, but were told they could not have their own religious services. They attended secret ‘underground? church services, McGhee’s favorite part of the trip.
‘If they find (a native) practicing Christianity, they torture you,? she says. ‘They would have deported me. We are so blessed in America.?
While in Mauritania, McGhee wore a mulafa, special clothing to cover her body and hair. She also had henna artists decorate her feet and hands with flowers, a common practice for women when they are traveling or getting married. After the decorations were put on, they were dabbed with lemon juice and McGhee’s hands were wrapped with toilet paper and plastic bags tied around her hands and feet. She then had to sit in one position for four hours.
‘My butt got so numb,? she laughs. ‘But I think it’s beautiful and a work of art. It should last a month.?
On Feb. 12, McGhee returned home, a different person.
‘Everyone told me going to Africa would be a life-changing experience, but you don’t realize how much,? she says. ‘It was amazing. I have a grateful heart now… I learned a world view. I’ve been outside America and learned how lucky we are… We have cushions, beds, and pressurized water. We have a garbage system and we use traffic lights and our policement actually help us.?
However, McGhee found it hard to leave Mauritania, particularly the triplet girl she had cuddled so much.
‘It touched my heart a lot,? she says. ‘I just want to kiss those babies.?
McGhee wants to one day own a pediatrics and maternity clinic. In the meantime, she is planning to go back to Africa with her mom in October and is working on a vitamin drive here. She is asking for children’s chewable vitamins, pre-natal vitamins and iron supplements to be dropped off at North Oakland Veterinary Associates and Faith Baptist Church in Waterford and is hoping to have a drop-off box at the Brandon Township Library, 304 South St. Anyone interested in making a monetary, tax-deductible donation can do so by making checks payable to Mercy and Truth Medical Missions, 636 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, KS 66101.