Program updates from Goma
Goma and Congo have been in the news a lot. We're thankful to all the reporters and news teams who are bringing this news to the public. We urge you to read and get informed about the situation, and to let your elected representatives know that you're concerned that peace be a priority.
Remember that this is the Goma that has been flooded with refugees. The latest MONUC report (6 November 07) is that there are about 800,000 displaced persons in North Kivu province, and that about 150,000 have been displaced since September 07. Many of the women who've been healed, many of the residents of villages where there have been Nehemiah committees have had to flee the advances of various military groups. The roads have often been closed to places where HEAL Africa has been working with clinics and community groups. The fact that staff continue to go out to these communities as soon as roads are cleared is a tremendous sign of their commitment and passion to bring peace and hope in the midst of war. Thank you for your support for these men and women!
Judy Anderson
Dr. & Mrs. Jo Lusi were on a month-long break and have just returned to Goma. Here's an update from Lyn.
VVF campaign with Dr Christina De Wind
The whole hospital is taken over by VVF (fistula repair) care! Dr Christina is back (2nd visit this year) and she has already done 52 cases in 3 weeks. Please pray for strength for her: she is sometimes discouraged by the cases referred to her, where other people have tried a repair and failed. They are such difficult cases. Elsewhere, she has fresh cases and can get almost 100% success rates. Please pray for the patients to heal; pray too for the nurses, who are working extremely hard and devotedly.
PMTCT program has started!
We are really excited about the start of PMTCT services (prevention of transmission of HIV from mother to child). Dr William and Ghislain started the services in Nyamilima Binza zone in October in the hospital and 3 out of four health centres. And yesterday Ghislain went to Masisi, where they hope to be able to start in the hospital and two out of four health centres. Just as soon as there was a lull in the fighting, these men were out there, skirting around the battles to get to the places where the programme can start. I admire their courage. Please pray for their safety.
Lumo's house
Ndungo and Prosper took advantage of the lull in the fighting to get up to Maissi to start work on building Lumo's house. She and her mother are going to live in the town, where she will have a little business, and a nearby field for her mother to cultivate.
Family Medicine
Dr Vindu (HIV clinic) and Dr Masoda (Shyira, Rwanda) are in Kinshasa for thier written final exams in Family Medicine. They both wrote to us yesterday, delighted that they have passed. So are we. It's not easy doing exams like those in English! Next week they go to RSA for the oral finals. They still need our prayers.
A new training strategy
South Africawill no longer offer a decentralised program for Family Medicine. This is a setback for the young doctors hoping to specialise. We had a meeting with them all on Wednesday, and they have devised a new approach. We will no longer offer Family Medicine alone as the specialty. We have other specialists working with us (Dr Bitwe - pediatrics, Prof. Tsongo - Medicine, Dr Rogatien - Ob Gyn, Dr Didier - Radiology, Dr Kimona - Surgery, Dr Lusi - orthopedics, Dr Likofata - public health), so each can take a registrar or two and prepare them for specilialisation. While waiting to get a study grant and register in a University outside the country, they will follow the internal academic program within HEAL Africa. The doctors were very happy with the proposal and each one is working to put together his or her own program.
Six project staff are registering for the Masters in Community Based Care for HIV. This is a decentralised program of the University of Wales, supervised by St Paul's Limuru. The staff are Ndungo, Felicien Maisha, Roger Basungeli, Dr William Bonane, Fred Kahunde and Ciza Nakamina; maybe also Richard Malungule. The whole programme is taught in English. Oh !!! Their first semester starts in April. These candidates have no funding yet, so if anyone wants to sponsor one of them, we will be grateful.
We are thankful to the sponsors of Dr Luc Malemo, Dr Justin Paluku and Mr Siva in Makerere, Uganda, starting surgery, gynecology and dentistry respectively. Dr Aldy Tahuhana is registered in Ophthalmology in Kinshasa, and Dr Flory is now in South Africa registered in Ob-Gyn.
I think that's enough for today - it's not the end of the news, but probably the end of your time. God bless you too.
LL
Remember that this is the Goma that has been flooded with refugees. The latest MONUC report (6 November 07) is that there are about 800,000 displaced persons in North Kivu province, and that about 150,000 have been displaced since September 07. Many of the women who've been healed, many of the residents of villages where there have been Nehemiah committees have had to flee the advances of various military groups. The roads have often been closed to places where HEAL Africa has been working with clinics and community groups. The fact that staff continue to go out to these communities as soon as roads are cleared is a tremendous sign of their commitment and passion to bring peace and hope in the midst of war. Thank you for your support for these men and women!
Judy Anderson
Dr. & Mrs. Jo Lusi were on a month-long break and have just returned to Goma. Here's an update from Lyn.
VVF campaign with Dr Christina De Wind
The whole hospital is taken over by VVF (fistula repair) care! Dr Christina is back (2nd visit this year) and she has already done 52 cases in 3 weeks. Please pray for strength for her: she is sometimes discouraged by the cases referred to her, where other people have tried a repair and failed. They are such difficult cases. Elsewhere, she has fresh cases and can get almost 100% success rates. Please pray for the patients to heal; pray too for the nurses, who are working extremely hard and devotedly.
PMTCT program has started!
We are really excited about the start of PMTCT services (prevention of transmission of HIV from mother to child). Dr William and Ghislain started the services in Nyamilima Binza zone in October in the hospital and 3 out of four health centres. And yesterday Ghislain went to Masisi, where they hope to be able to start in the hospital and two out of four health centres. Just as soon as there was a lull in the fighting, these men were out there, skirting around the battles to get to the places where the programme can start. I admire their courage. Please pray for their safety.
Lumo's house
Ndungo and Prosper took advantage of the lull in the fighting to get up to Maissi to start work on building Lumo's house. She and her mother are going to live in the town, where she will have a little business, and a nearby field for her mother to cultivate.
Family Medicine
Dr Vindu (HIV clinic) and Dr Masoda (Shyira, Rwanda) are in Kinshasa for thier written final exams in Family Medicine. They both wrote to us yesterday, delighted that they have passed. So are we. It's not easy doing exams like those in English! Next week they go to RSA for the oral finals. They still need our prayers.
A new training strategy
South Africawill no longer offer a decentralised program for Family Medicine. This is a setback for the young doctors hoping to specialise. We had a meeting with them all on Wednesday, and they have devised a new approach. We will no longer offer Family Medicine alone as the specialty. We have other specialists working with us (Dr Bitwe - pediatrics, Prof. Tsongo - Medicine, Dr Rogatien - Ob Gyn, Dr Didier - Radiology, Dr Kimona - Surgery, Dr Lusi - orthopedics, Dr Likofata - public health), so each can take a registrar or two and prepare them for specilialisation. While waiting to get a study grant and register in a University outside the country, they will follow the internal academic program within HEAL Africa. The doctors were very happy with the proposal and each one is working to put together his or her own program.
Six project staff are registering for the Masters in Community Based Care for HIV. This is a decentralised program of the University of Wales, supervised by St Paul's Limuru. The staff are Ndungo, Felicien Maisha, Roger Basungeli, Dr William Bonane, Fred Kahunde and Ciza Nakamina; maybe also Richard Malungule. The whole programme is taught in English. Oh !!! Their first semester starts in April. These candidates have no funding yet, so if anyone wants to sponsor one of them, we will be grateful.
We are thankful to the sponsors of Dr Luc Malemo, Dr Justin Paluku and Mr Siva in Makerere, Uganda, starting surgery, gynecology and dentistry respectively. Dr Aldy Tahuhana is registered in Ophthalmology in Kinshasa, and Dr Flory is now in South Africa registered in Ob-Gyn.
I think that's enough for today - it's not the end of the news, but probably the end of your time. God bless you too.
LL
posted by The HEAL Africa Team @ 9:37 AM
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