By Maya Kostov

Juniors Clara Moffitt, Bree Van Dahm, and Hannah Mastumoto had the opportunity to go to Africa on a medical mission trip at the Mully Children’s Family orphanage in Kenya this spring break! Clara and Hannah’s parents went on the trip as well. Dr. Moffitt is an ObGyn and the orphanage was looking to provide ObGyn care due to the high rates of cervical cancer in Kenya because of sex trafficking, plural marriage, and general misinformation.

Clara decided to join him to get some medical exposure, but what really drew her to the opportunity were the issues faced by women. As an involved member of the UNF Girl Up, Clara decided to learn about these issues first hand.

Hannah’s parents were major coordinators of the trip this year, as Dr. Matsumoto has done several trips to Ghana for medical service. Clara’s family tagged along because of the need for an ObGyn. Bree tagged along because she has always wanted to go somewhere like Africa for a medical mission because she has only done them in Mexico and wanted to experience something new!

At the orphanage, Hannah, Clara, and Bree spent most of their time working in the clinic in various specialties such as dentistry, optometry and triage. They got to experience various specialties and get to know the people waiting to be seen by doctors.

The clinic days usually started at 9 a.m. and lasted until 8:30 p.m., with a break for lunch. Hannah and Bree worked in ophthalmology testing for reading glasses, distance glasses, dilating eyes, and checking eye pressures. Clara spent her time in the pharmacy packaging pills and prescriptions for the patients and assisting her father with screenings for cervical cancer.

Sometimes during dinner time, different groups of kids at the orphanage would perform for them! They had an incredible choir and this karate routine they did.

The progression of the coronavirus was definitely something they never thought would happen. Clara remarks, “We had very limited wi-fi and internet access so it was like one day there was 20 confirmed cases and then my brother’s school got cancelled and then one day one of us received a text asking how we would get back with the ban on travel from Europe! It was crazy!”

There were no confirmed cases when they were there, but the bigger worry was how to get home. Clara and Mrs. Moffitt flew back early for the All-State Choir Competition (which was later cancelled) but made it past just before the travel ban through Europe was announced.

Bree explains, “We had many conversations about if we should come home early or stay in Africa a little bit longer and what to do about our flights that were being cancelled. Everything ended up working out with our travels back home. It was still very surprising and scary coming home to almost a different world than it was when we left.”

Kenya shut down its borders a couple days after Dr. Moffitt, Bree, and Hannah and her family left. They did have to book new flights that avoided Europe and get screened at JFK Airport. Clara says, “United flights from Africa that avoided Europe were actually $9,000! They didn’t take that flight though.” There was a great deal of washing hands, wiping down seats, and wearing masks during their trip back. When they returned, they decided to self-quarantine for two weeks; that was before it was mandatory for everyone.

Regardless of the threatening virus, Hannah, Bree, and Clara most definitely do not regret going. Bree mentions that “It was honestly one of the best times of my life and I wish we could’ve stayed longer. It was so much fun and we met so many people who we made such strong connections with.”

Clara considers this to have been “one of the most perspective-changing experiences” she has ever had. This has ultimately taught them that there are so many people in the world and many people face serious challenges every day. To be able to help them even a little bit has to be very gratifying.  Clara also points out that “It was so refreshing to be unplugged and surrounded by people trying to save lives and to focus all of my attention on love and service. It was truly an unparalleled feeling.” This experience has helped Clara gain some insight on her future and what she might want to do with it.

Like any memorable trip, Clara and Bree shared some highlights from the trip they will never forget. In the mornings, Bree, Clara, and Hannah would receive motivational instructions from their leaders to start the day! Also as mentioned previously, Clara helped with the screenings for cervical cancer, and she learned to recognize the scans for mutated cells. But, there was an instrument called a Thermocoagulator that could kill these cells and save the lives of these women. That is mind-blowing.

Also, Clara spent some time talking to the people waiting to be treated. One day the people asked her to sing for them. She sang and in return they sang her a song in Swahili. Clara explains, “I got to make a connection with these incredible people through music. It was amazing.” Clara saw a variety of patients during her time there. She was in awe seeing all the parents who walked hours on end just to receive medical help for their children.

Clara also mentioned how much hope these children have. She says, “These children may have been rescued from slums or abusive parents and have surely experienced so much sorrow beyond anything I can understand, yet they are so kind and compassionate and have so much gratitude.”

Clara, Bree and Hannah also got to attend class at the orphanage. During class, the students could choose a volunteer to talk to for a few minutes. A little girl talked with Clara about all her dreams for the future! Clara recalls that as she was getting ready to leave, “the girl that grabbed my hand said, ‘When you go back to America please tell all of your friends there that I love them and we love them so much and we all hope you come back.’”

This was an unbelievable trip for the three of them and they will probably never forget the experiences they had and the friendships they made. Bree’s favorite part was making friends with all the translators. She says, “I met so many people there that were genuinely so funny that Hannah and I became such good friends with.” Bree, Hannah and Clara consider this one of the most moving experiences of their lives.