ARC manages a camp, Terrain Acra, built on 15 acres of open land owned by a plastic and metal factory in central PaP. The land had been used to dispose wastes, plastic, metals, acids and other unknowns. The owners allowed about 9-10,000people to erect tents and shacks for 1 year. Pigs, goats ,seep and a bull also live there . Last week a registration process found 24-25,00 in and around the camp. The factory is preparing to reopen soon and manufacture galvanized roofing, discharging the wastes, including hydrochloric acid into the area. The residents and ARC would like to move elsewhere and negotiations are hoped to start soon.

The clinic in the camp has one large tent for regristration, emergencies and wound care. Consultations and pharmacy is in another tent abour 8 by 20 meters. As you see on the photo there are plastic dividers making an exam area. mostly without a door flap. It is staffed by 7 physicians, 13 nurses and 3 pharmacy techs. We have no lab except for blood sugars and malaria tests. We do send out some simple tests. Of course we have no x ray , also no electricity. The temperature in the tent at mid day with about 35 people is over 100 degrees F. The tent will be repositioned tomorrow in order to improve airflow.

The most common illnesses are colds, diarrhea, hypertension, anxiety, arthritis, skin infections and abdominal pain. We have simple charts, no educational materials , no vaginal speculums, one plastic container for handwashing and basic medicines. We lack several classes of hypertension meds, have no psych meds and no steroid creams. We obtain drugs from a branch of the World Health Org. for a low price but must jump thru several hoops to obtain it.
I have seen many people with BP over 200/110 who have run out of meds.

Last week ARC received notice of approval of a 4.4 million dollars for transitional(1-3 yrs) housing. They have 1 by 4 inch frames, plywood sides, concrete floor and a metal roof. The grant will build 2500 houses for an average of five people each. This should help to move people from camps back to their properties and give them protection from rain and storms.