13 January 2007
Days 8 & 9: Kissy Hospital in Freetown
Wow!
We've spent the last two days at Kissy Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Kissy Hospital is a UMC hospital in a busy part of Freetown -- they serve thousands of patients in a year and offer a wide range of in-patient and out-patient services.
One of the great people we met is a young woman named Kadie. (We pronounce it like "caddy" -- her full name is Kadiatu.) Kadie is the person in charge of the nutrition program for new and expecting mothers at Kissy Hospital. Two days each week, she sees more than 50 moms and their young kids -- to make sure the moms are properly educated and the kids are properly fed.
Kadie also oversees the production and distribution of benemix, a nutrient powder that can be made into a porridge that the little ones will eat. Kadie and her assistant Mohammed grind rice, beans, fish, benny seeds (like mustard seeds), palm oil, iodized salt and other ingredients for the benemix using a grinding machine provided by the UMW at Tell City UMC. We got some great pictures of the machine -- and Kadie asked us to thank everyone for their support and assistance. We spent a lot of time with Kadie, learning about her program and what it might take to make it even more effective -- we'll have a full report on our return, but expect lots of opportunities to make a big difference at a relatively small cost!
We also met a young woman named Henrietta, who works at the Kissy Friends program, an HIV/AIDS testing and counseling program. The Friends program provides HIV drugs for anyone who tests positive for the virus, along with food so that the patients may take their drugs appropriately. The stories that Henrietta shared and the HIV/AIDS statistics from Kissy Hospital's annual report tell us that there is a LOT of work to be done on this issue...again, a full report when we get back!
This morning we talked with Ruben, the Hospital administrator, and Dr. Dennis Marke, the medical director. They shared with us their plans for the future -- for building on the hospital's successes and potentially growing through the construction of an emergency unit and a self-contained guest house. While there are a number of decisions to be made and parties to include in the discussion, the vision for Kissy Hospital's future is one of hope and courage, and we are grateful to be affiliated with these medical professionals and their facilities.
This afternoon, a bunch of us are going into the downtown area of Freetown for internet access and shopping. A handful of us are returning on Monday, while the rest will hang out at Kissy Hospital on Monday and then head up to Jaiama (our most remote stop on the trip, I believe) on Tuesday. As far as I can tell, we're back to 100% on the health-o-meter...at least everyone is back to standing upright and walking around! We may have turned the corner on this tummy trouble after all.
We remain full of gratitude for the prayers, support, love, and encouragement from friends and family at home. We remember you in our prayers, too! We'll do our best to keep you posted and updated on our progress...blessings on you until the next post!
We've spent the last two days at Kissy Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Kissy Hospital is a UMC hospital in a busy part of Freetown -- they serve thousands of patients in a year and offer a wide range of in-patient and out-patient services.
One of the great people we met is a young woman named Kadie. (We pronounce it like "caddy" -- her full name is Kadiatu.) Kadie is the person in charge of the nutrition program for new and expecting mothers at Kissy Hospital. Two days each week, she sees more than 50 moms and their young kids -- to make sure the moms are properly educated and the kids are properly fed.
Kadie also oversees the production and distribution of benemix, a nutrient powder that can be made into a porridge that the little ones will eat. Kadie and her assistant Mohammed grind rice, beans, fish, benny seeds (like mustard seeds), palm oil, iodized salt and other ingredients for the benemix using a grinding machine provided by the UMW at Tell City UMC. We got some great pictures of the machine -- and Kadie asked us to thank everyone for their support and assistance. We spent a lot of time with Kadie, learning about her program and what it might take to make it even more effective -- we'll have a full report on our return, but expect lots of opportunities to make a big difference at a relatively small cost!
We also met a young woman named Henrietta, who works at the Kissy Friends program, an HIV/AIDS testing and counseling program. The Friends program provides HIV drugs for anyone who tests positive for the virus, along with food so that the patients may take their drugs appropriately. The stories that Henrietta shared and the HIV/AIDS statistics from Kissy Hospital's annual report tell us that there is a LOT of work to be done on this issue...again, a full report when we get back!
This morning we talked with Ruben, the Hospital administrator, and Dr. Dennis Marke, the medical director. They shared with us their plans for the future -- for building on the hospital's successes and potentially growing through the construction of an emergency unit and a self-contained guest house. While there are a number of decisions to be made and parties to include in the discussion, the vision for Kissy Hospital's future is one of hope and courage, and we are grateful to be affiliated with these medical professionals and their facilities.
This afternoon, a bunch of us are going into the downtown area of Freetown for internet access and shopping. A handful of us are returning on Monday, while the rest will hang out at Kissy Hospital on Monday and then head up to Jaiama (our most remote stop on the trip, I believe) on Tuesday. As far as I can tell, we're back to 100% on the health-o-meter...at least everyone is back to standing upright and walking around! We may have turned the corner on this tummy trouble after all.
We remain full of gratitude for the prayers, support, love, and encouragement from friends and family at home. We remember you in our prayers, too! We'll do our best to keep you posted and updated on our progress...blessings on you until the next post!
