Orphans Under One Roof

Joining 20 others from Mercy Ships, we visited the God is Love Orphanage in Kaporo.  This is one house that has taken in about 22 orphans.  They range from babies to teens.  Michael and his wife Mikaila have a heart for these kids and their home is open to them.  The home has one large room, so that we could come and put on a program for the children.  This included games, a Bible Story, singing and a craft.

One of our Mercy Ship women is working to create a web page for the orphanage. Although it's not complete as I write this, here is a link to the page for further background.
God Is Love Orphanage

I was told this was typical of houses in the area (although perhaps on the large size since it holds so many people). It's nicer than most houses in Conakry. When they moved in, there were no windows or doors, so Michael added these to the house. Off the large room is a hallway which leads to a couple of bedrooms containing bunk beds for the kids. There are no shelves, closets or dresser to put anything.  There are no sheets on the beds, just mattresses, but their is a good roof and windows with screens.

There was a gas refrigerator in the garage area, but it wasn't working.
They have a water supply, that they treat to purify it (I believe with chlorine).  A neighbor has dug a well, so hopefully they can connect to a closer water supply.
Outside the living area, is a back door.  About one meter away is another small building which has the pastor's study.  Around the corner is a small room for the kitchen and beyond that an outhouse.
The kitchen has places on the ground where they can build three charcoal fires for cooking.

While the children's program was taking place the men were meeting with Michael and another pastor who was also one of our drivers.  After our time together, we walked down the street to the markets and bought some food.  There is one local shop that the team goes to each week for food supplies, then down the street to buy 30 loaves of bread.

We brought the supplies back to the orphanage.  From what I observed, most of the diet is white bread and mayonnaise supplemented on occasion with a little meat or fish.

One of the girls is suffering from sickle cell anemia.  In this part of the world, life expectancy is not long for most people with sickle cell anemia.  There are some local treatments, but health care is not very available.  There is not a good blood supply.

When one sees these needs, and develops relationships with people living in these conditions, how do you respond?  I find that I have more questions than answers.  As I was pondering these questions, I read the account of Jesus feeding the 5000.  He told His followers "You give them something to eat."
I don't think Jesus worried about creating an unhealthy dependency on those He fed.  He simply met the need.

In the West, we easily suffer from compassion fatigue.  We can all site examples of giving to a charity and nothing ever seems to change.  Governments around the world have pumped billions of dollars into Africa - most doesn't get to where the needs are, and nothing really changes. Is it helpful or hopeless?
On a local level, a lot of good can be done to give hope and healing to people.  To impact lives positively for many years requires discernment and compassion.  For those seeking to follow Jesus, it requires prayer, listening, and a little courage to reach out.

One week after our outing, two land rovers of people from this ship arranged to meet Michael, his family and the orphans at a park with a playground for the kids.  This is something the kids had asked about.  The night before we had a sandwich making party.  Debbie and I specialized in Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, while others made cheese or mayonnaise sandwiches.  Others made some cupcakes and others brought some other snacks.

We met at the Jardin du 02 Octobre.  The park was built commemorating the independence from France in 1958.  It's a lovely place.  The entrance fee is about $0.75 per person.  It's the cleanest place I've seen with lots of shade trees, and lots of playground equipment for the kids to climb and play on.

Some of our group at the park

Here's an example of one of the slides.  It is made of concrete with a smooth polished stone slide.  It's indestructible, does not get hot and gives a place for lots of kids to have fun.  There is a bit of a Disney theme throughout the park.

This slide was a lot of fun for kids to go down together, but the landing took a sharp turnup.  This is why they are made for the young.

The kids really enjoyed going on a ride like this.  We heard lots of laughter and saw a lot of smiles.

Here I am with my friend Pastor Michael.  Michael is from Sierra Leone.  We had some great conversations.  Not only does he pastor a church, but he started a school which now has over 300 students and of course cares for over 20 orphans.







Finally we had to leave for the day.  Those from Mercy ships fit nicely into two Land Rovers, while Michael had 25 people in his van.  In Africa, there's always room for one more.

Notice the nice traveling clothes!  They had to act a little goofy for this picture.

We had a wonderful day, brought some joy into many lives, deepened friendships both on the ship and off ship, and left grateful to have this special day in Conakry, Guinea.









Chuck

CT is Dead

One of the medical diagnostic tools aboard the Africa Mercy is the CT Scanner.
This device was probably the first to serve West Africa and is extremely helpful in preparing
for surgeries (especially large facial tumors).
Unfortunately, the CT scanner has not been operational for several months. After many attempts  to replace parts, the scanner could not be repaired. Unlike in the West where you can call on an equipment specialist to come and troubleshoot the problem, this cannot happen in Guinea.  This last week, efforts stopped on trying to get it fixed, so that resources can be used keep other equipment running.
Outside the door is this memorial:

Plans are to replace this unit with a new one when the ship goes into repair dock this summer.
We hope the newer model will serve many people well for many years.


Chuck

The other side of the needle

Surgeries here really do change lives.  Even something as simple as hernia surgery can make a significant difference in a man's ability to work and support his family.
For those with large facial tumors, surgery can be life saving.  We don't see tumors like this in developed countries, because they are removed when they are still small.  In West Africa, people with tumors are seen as cursed.  They are isolated.  If the tumor gets very large, the person will suffocate.
We had two memorable surgeries this week.

Laura and Hasanoutu

Laura was part of the team that went upcountry in November.  Hasanoutu was having trouble breathing because of her large facial tumor.  They made arrangements for Hasanoutu to come to the ship.  When she didn't show up as planned, Laura thought that she had died.  But she came in January!

I drew Laura's blood during Hasanoutu's surgery.  We had already used some blood that was drawn before and banked.  But often, they want blood that is freshly drawn because it is better for the clotting factors.  So Laura asked if she could take her own unit of blood into the OR.  And she did.

Dr Gary and Binta

Binta is a 14 yr old with a large facial tumor.  She had her surgery on Thursday.  We also used some banked blood during her surgery.  I was one of the donors who was screened and crossmatched before her surgery.  So instead of drawing a crew member, I got to be the donor this time.

Wednesday, the night before surgery

Debbie

He's still growing

You may remember this picture from November.

These are the twins.  One has a cleft lip and palate.  Babies with a cleft lip have a hard time nursing, if they can nurse at all.  So this little guy has been in the infant feeding program.

He's doing pretty well!  The infant feeding program takes place in the outpatient tent that is on the dock.

I

In the outpatient tent

Jess, our nutritionist

Weigh in

He still has a little ways to go.  His surgery is scheduled for mid-February.

Debbie

A New Years Surprise

I wanted to title this posting Surprised by Joy, but that would be borrowing the title from C.S. Lewis' autobiography, and as hard as that is, I will not be writing about one of my favorite authors.
On January 2nd, I made a quick trip to the wards to check the medical supply status.  As I normally do, I greet the patients with a "good morning" or "Bonjour."  I'm fairly restricted to two languages even though most of the patients speak Susu or Fulani.


After I checked the inventory, I picked up a few needed supplies.  When I came back, the ward erupted in applause!  I thought I was in the wrong place or missed something, but they were just wishing me a happy new years and sharing their joy with me.  Yes, I was surprised, but also marveled at the grace of God being lived out every day for these dear women.

What is amazing is that B Ward is home to VVF patients. One would not normally think of a VVF ward as a happy place, but it truly is.

Last year I read a book entitled The Hospital By The River  by Dr Catherine Hamlin.  It's an amazing story and I recommend it you.

 Dr Catherine Hamlin and her late husband started this hospital dedicated to caring for women with obstetric fistulas.  They researched and developed the initial surgical procedures.  Dr. Hamlin still runs the Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia today.
 Mercy Ships doctors also train local surgeons in current VVF procedures.
For those who would like a shorter version of this condition see the link below.

Mercy Ship VVF Link




The birth of a child should be joyful. But for many women in developing nations, it’s  the beginning of a downward spiral into pain, loneliness and poverty. For those without access to routine medical or surgical care during and after delivery, chronic medical issues such as incontinence can lead to spousal abandonment and community ostracism. These medical problems – vesicovaginal fistulas and rectovaginal fistulas  – are relatively unknown in western countries where cesarean sections are widely available. They occur during prolonged or difficult labors, and they can have devastating physical, emotional and spiritual consequences.

Mercy Ships doctors, nurses and other caring volunteers provide a holistic approach to treatment. In addition to medical treatment, they are showered with love, acceptance and head-to-toe healing.

 

Ward B is where the women recovering from VVF surgeries stay.  They are in B Ward for 2-3 weeks following surgery.  In that time they developed into a nice happy community.  Most of these women have tragic backgrounds and have been outcasts in their villages.   In B ward they share stories, laughter and joy.  It's not uncommon to see the whole ward up, out of bed and dancing down the halls with drums and singing!  (This is not your typical hospital).  Not all surgeries are successful.  Some of the women here have had VVF surgeries in the past, and still have no healing. There are some very difficult conditions, and many heart breaking stories.

To see the transformation that takes place while they are on the Mercy Ship is wonderful.  This really is a great example of bringing hope and healing to the worlds forgotten poor.  They experience caring community life.  Something they desperately need and long for.  They learn to share their joy with others.  Even clapping for the supply guy.

Mercy Ships has a special way of  celebrating their return to society:  They hold a ceremony and give each woman a new dress that symbolizes her beauty. The women also leave the ship with follow-up instructions and knowledge to take back to other women in their communities.   

A few weeks ago there was a dress ceremony in B ward.  There were lots of drums, singing, dancing and stories (with multiple translations) taking place.  Since a picture is worth a 1000 words, here are a few thousand words to describe hope and healing.

I hope we can all find more ways to surprise others with joy, hope and love.

Chuck

When Charity Destroys Dignity

  One of the interesting books I recently read Glenn J. Schwartz is called When Charity Destroys Dignity; Overcoming Unhealthy Dependency in the Christian Movement.  (published in 2007)

It is a fascinating book that certainly has its critics.  For me, it poses more questions than answers, but raises the issues of helping   churches to be self-reliant.  Schwartz describes the  problem where well meaning churches or other organizations provide compassionate aid and end up producing a dependency on the wealthy west. This is illustrated throughout Africa.  (Schwartz's experience is in South, Eastern and Central Africa.)  This dependency destroys personal dignity and robs people of developing into responsible leaders who experience the joy of giving, creating change and solving their own problems.

His thesis is that giving to the missionary cause, though essential to the expansion of the church, can create unhealthy dependency.

We in the west, have a tendency to solve problems our own way using money and resources that are not sustainable by those we are trying to help.  Sometimes, compassionate response does more harm than good because it does not consider long term sustainability.
Certainly there are times when relief aid is urgently needed (such as a hurricane or earth quake) where  people will die without intervention.  There  is need for compassionate aid.

Consider what happens when we give a grant to someone we consider needy.  " Here is free money to help you.  You are too poor to solve your own problems."  In that process we destroy dignity and responsible hope.  Would it not be much better to provide a small loan with expected repayment.  "Here is a loan, develop a business  or project plan to deal with these issues you face.  We expect repayment so that these funds can be used by others to help them do the same thing."

Whether you agree with Glenn Swartz or not, the book raises some good questions about our response to the poor and how to solve problems without creating unsustainable dependency.

There are lots of references and suggestions for short term mission as well as a plea for significant cross cultural training.  Fortunately there are plenty of good examples to learn from.

Chuck

Yaya's Story

Yaya on Dr Frank's lap

It took some doing to get Yaya on the ship for surgery.  He didn't believe that he could really be healed.
Yaya's grandmother takes care of him and brought him to the ship at the urging of Mercy ship staff.
Dr. Frank did the surgery, and Yaya was put in a body cast.

Yaya is one determined seven year old!  It wasn't long before he was getting around any way he could!
He was recasted many times.  Each time, the casts got smaller and more manageable.

Yaya helping remove a cast

Yaya and his bike

It was a common sight to see Yaya riding the bike  up and down the halls of the hospital.  Because of the casts, he couldn't ride with the legs on the pedals, so he used his hands!

Yaya liked to help in the hospital.  He counted out supplies in Susu, French and English and helped deliver them to the wards.  He's a fast learner, and always is smiling!

The good news is that after many weeks, Yaya went home with his grandmother, and is now able to walk.  The hospital staff misses him, but we rejoice that Yaya has been healed.

Debbie