Individual Volunteer Midwife to Camphor Mission

Deb is a midwife from the Detroit Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Here is how she got connected to Liberia!

When Debra and Jeremiah Johnson asked me to come to Kenya for baby #8, I opened my heart to God and said "if I get to Africa, where else would You like me to work?" Immediately, Nancy Eubanks, trainer for the longterm UMVIM program, invited me to the GBGM Ind. Vol. training in Ark. and while I was there, she told me she knew the perfect place, mentioned Kathy and Camphor Mission Station, and God connected us!

I've worked as a midwife now for over 30 years, taught ICEA (Int. Childbirth Ed. Assoc.) Prepared Childbirth classes, graduated from nursing school in '90, worked in several hospitals a total of 12 years, incorporated the Women's Health Clinic in '83, received federal N/P 501(c)3 status in '85, and over the last 6-8 years, have been exploring candidacy for ministry. That door hasn't opened, but this one did. I look forward to sharing with my sister midwives in Camphor the support and skills that I've been practicing here.

We are so excited that Deb will be at Camphor Mission from February until the end of May! Praise God for answered prayers!
Peace

Alabama Honduran Medical Education Network - SEJ

Fourteen years ago a group of twelve from Jasper, Alabama traveled to Limon, Honduras to serve as short-term mission volunteers. Each year following that trip, the team grew exponentially. Eventually the first team broke into many teams. The group incorporated into Alabama Honduran Medical Education Network (AHMEN), serving under the auspices of UMVIM. This year thirteen teams served. They are estimating over 15 teams will be serving in 2012.
 
Each team has a general medical component, as that is the basic tenant from which they operate. However, their reach has expanded to eye care, dental services, sewing and woodworking schools, a refuge home for at-risk teenage girls, many feeding kitchens for orphans and widows, a program to supply shoes to children, the creation of fifteen libraries, the construction of schools and community centers, veterinarian services, and most recently clean-water efforts through bio-sand filtration systems.
 
AHMEN is now collaborating with Servants in Faith and Technology (SIFAT) on an initiative to train community health agents in issues of empowerment, environment and economy. Dr. Byron Morales is directing over fifty community agents who have committed to three years of quarterly workshops. Examples of the types of workshops include: vision testing, clean water and the prevention of parasites, importance of checking blood pressure and maintaining good health practices, and safety of children
(Excerpt from SEJ Newsletter)

Community Health Excerpts from Dickriedes' Mission Report

Rev. Kathy and Dr. Danny Dickriede were able to host two UMVIM teams at the Camphor Mission Station. 

Team 1 consisted of 10 people from Gay Street, Mt. Vernon, Mentor UMC, Main Street Mansfield and one from the Peoria UMC in IGRC.  June 25-July 10, 2011

Clinic:  painted Maternal Child Heath Ward, participated in Traditional Birth Attendant training and taught about a water filter system, delivered a baby and participated in a second complicated delivery, traveled with vaccination team for National Polio vaccination campaign. 5 people donated blood to save the life of a local village woman who underwent surgery at the government hospital after laboring in the village and being carried into the Camphor clinic on a hammock with a ruptured uterus.

 Mission:  whole staff team building workshop, unloaded 20 foot container

 Team 2 consisted of 6 people from Mentor UMC, Solon UMC, and Faith UMC, North Canton.  July 10-July 25, 2011

Clinic:  Tiled the OB and Maternal Health Ward, hung baby scale, visited a newborn baby

Guesthouse:  experimented with solar panels, organized a safe and lock box, secured guesthouse, organized interior and exterior clotheslines

The team also visited LAC, the surrounding villages at Camphor and Jordan’s water wells, Buchanan, Annual Conference devotions with Bishop Innis, experienced a boat ride to the chimpanzees in Marshall, and traveled all over Monrovia; West Point, Waterside, Golden Beach, and more. 

Harrisburg St. John UMC, Farmer to Farmer Ministry  Team 2 visited the area where the Farmer to Farmer Ministry intends to send a 20 foot container of agricultural tools.  The team was able see the St. John UMC and the repairs needed on the church building.  We were able to visit the destroyed hydroelectric dam.  We also met Theo Bass and the community members at their monthly development meeting.

Mentor UMC 20 foot container arrived  When we arrived at Camphor Mission on Sunday, June 26 and met the container still on the semi truck that it arrived on Friday, June 24^th. We were blessed with two strong teams who were able to unload and disperse the donated items to their proper destinations.  Keys were turned over to the 20 foot container that was sent in November 2010. The mission station will manage and distribute the school supplies and over 300 backpacks that are being stored there. 

Lifewater Well  Peoria UMC funded the drilling of a borehole in February 2010.  We found the well dry when we returned in January 2011. Lifewater returned for an inspection and assures us that the borehole will be operational soon.

Pathfinder Vehicle Repair  Nissan Pathfinder has been parked and in need of repair since April.  Car parts were sent on the container.  New battery purchased.  It is an ongoing struggle to manage the vehicle so that it is used for its intended purpose, clinic medical emergencies.  

Maternal Health Ward Tied in plumbing in the bathroom and finished the shower.

Mission to Maua

As most of you are aware, most of my writing for the Health Care Blog has been about medical diseases and treatment.  This time I want to relate a personal experience.  My wife Donna and I served as volunteers this May and June at Maua Methodist hospital in Kenya. We participated under the auspices of the Individual Volunteer Program Area of the UMC Board of Global Ministries.   Maua Hospital was founded by the British Methodist Church in 1928.  The hospital serves a largely rural population of nearly a million in the Kenyan Central Highlands.  As you might imagine, the 280 bed hospital is incredibly busy, with 12,000 admissions, 3000 deliveries, and 100,000 outpatient visits per year.  In addition they support a variety of outreach programs, including dispensaries, and programs for palliative care and for AIDS orphans.  A long-standing School of Nursing, a new intern program and training for clinical officers (like our PAs), provide many opportunities for teaching and training.  With the exception of four long time missionaries, two from the US and two from Britain, all of the medical and nursing staff are Kenyan.

When I decided to go to Maua I was faced with a dilemma.  How can I best help the hospital mission during my two-month stay?    The answer came when the UN and the World Health Organization cited the continued high neonatal mortality in Sub Saharan Africa, a finding that has caused a flurry of articles in major medical journals, and a concerted effort by a number of organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics to address the issue.  I decided to devote my major efforts toward teaching newborn resuscitation skills.  The problem was that I had not done any newborn care for 20 years.  I took several workshops and carefully prepared how I was going to teach.  Using small, hands on sessions, everyone had a chance to practice their skills.  One session bore fruit within a week when 2 interns expertly and successfully resuscitated an apneic premature infant.

            The pediatric ward at Maua was crowded and often chaotic, filled with acute pneumonias, meningitis, malnutrition and malaria, mixed in with conditions that would challenge the expertise of a US tertiary medical center. I was able to serve both as a pediatric consultant, and do a lot of one on one teaching with the interns.  The nursery facility was quite primitive by our standards, and at times their capacity to care for sick newborns and premature infants was exceeded.

My wife Donna has no health care training, but she found her niche by participating in some of the many outreach programs supported by the hospital.  

We were impressed with the ability of the hospital staff to accomplish miracles of care in the face of severe financial constraints, critical shortage of nurses, antiquated equipment, and limited labs.  It was an inspiration and a pleasure to work with them.  I certainly learned a lot about acute care tropical pediatrics.  In turn, I believe that I was able to help them make some improvements in the care of sick newborns.  Donna is prepared to be an advocate for several of Maua Hospital’s outreach programs. Throughout our stay we participated in the many worship opportunities that the hospital provides, and felt guided by the presence of the Spirit in our lives and work.

We can highly recommend Maua in terms of the facility, the provided housing, and the quality of the experience. Their rapidly expanding education program for nurses, interns and clinical officers, and the projected affiliation with an area medical school will provide many opportunities for teaching. The hospital staff is very supportive of volunteer physicians who are willing to teach and consult, particularly in specialty areas.

For more information on Maua, the hospital website is mckmauahospital.org.  We have written a blog about our experience, mission2maua.blogspot.com.  You may contact us for further information at boeroger@cableone.net, or call us at 208 233 5651.

Roger and Donna Boe

            

Senegal Wellness Activities Continue

Excerpts from the Senegal Mission Newsletter:

Dr. Bashir leads wellness visits to villages 

Village Consultations, are most visible. The wellness team brings medicine and clothes as part of the Wellness Team activities.

News Tidbits:

 We have 19 UMC in Senegal now 

 A wellness mission team from Texas visited in May, led by Dr Linda Hearne 

 Dr Bashir continues the community health nurse program, inspired by training from Dr.

        Carol Meynen's teaching team.

Send your help to Advance #12594A with a designation of which goal you want to support. Check payable to “Advance GCFA” sent to Advance GCFA, PO Box 9068 GPO, New York, NY 10087-9068 Thanks for your help!

Community Clean-up at Lake Titicaca Mission in Bolivia

16 June, 2011

Hola y Bendiciones desde el Mision Fronteras a Lago Titicaca!

Hello and Blessings from the Border Mission at Lake Titicaca!

Tuesday, June 14, was a community-wide tidy-up-the-neighborhood day in our section of Copacabana, Bolivia. At least 100 people fanned out through the streets or climbed up the ancient, Incan stone steps to “Intinkala,” known as the Seat of the (regional) Incan empire, or “Asiento del Inca.” The base of the steps leading up to Intinkala is just 15 feet from our front gate. At the top of those steps are several carved stone seats. Historians believe this site was probably a judicial center in Incan times. If you saw the 90-second video we taped for the Annual Conference, the intro showed us perched on those ruins. To see the video, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ4siBzVODs.

Bolivian towns are divided into neighborhoods, or barrios. People in the neighborhood elect a president. Yesterday’s work day started and finished with long, passionate pep talks from our neighborhood president, urging folks to work hard, make  the area clean and tidy, and try harder to keep it that way.

Among the projects we and our neighbors tackled were trash pick-up. Most – but not all – streets in our neighborhood are paved. Sometimes the concrete pavers crack and crumble, leading to enormous, deep potholes. Jeff and I helped clear and level several of these.  We were impressed that the six petite Aymara women on our team wielded pick axes as effectively as the men … and more often! 

Hard physical work is especially tiring here, probably because one burns a lot of oxygen in hard work, and at 2.5 miles above sea level, oxygen is pretty thin. We find that in comparison, we appear to have more strength than local people, but they have a lot more stamina than we do.

One of the day’s projects involved installation of garbage collection stands. At each site, five huge oil-drums hang from a heavy pipe. The drums pivot for easy unloading. We and our neighbors are thrilled with this new system. Up to now, garbage collection has happened rather randomly. A battered, rusty dump truck with totally bare tires, carrying a crew of about 6 people in addition to the driver, would signal its arrival by honking repeatedly.  

During breaks in neighborhood clean-up day, we had opportunities to talk with our new neighbors. Virtually all of them were clearly surprised and pleased that Gringos were helping them. Of course, we cheerfully explained that it’s our neighborhood, too, and we were quite happy to get involved.  Fyi, in photo attachment the salmon-colored house, left side at the end of the street, is ours.

Let us hear from you, please! We miss home, friends, and family!

If you’re tempted to make a trip to Lago Titicaca, shoot us an email. It’s part of our job to help find good airfares, and help plan and facilitate!

Bendiciones,

Deb and Jeff

News from Maua Methodist Hospital, Kenya

 7 June 2011

The first team of the summer arrived Saturday.  Kathie Mann brought a team from Tomball UMC in Tomball, TX which is close to Houston.  There are 11 members and we are so grateful for their coming.  They will work on the staff flats, paint the outside of the Medical Ward and build an AIDS Orphans home.  They have brought us needed medical supplies, a suitcase of sutures, and we are can only thank God for their presence.  Kathie Mann has been coming to MMH along with coordinating, training and overseeing all mission work teams that come to Maua Methodist Hospital since 1999.  Kathie has done so much for the hospital that we could never thank her enough.  The teams have changed the face of MMH and done so much for the community.  We thank God for Kathie and her incredible team from Tomball.

Donna and Dr. Roger Boe

  At the very end of April Dr. Roger Boe and his wife, Donna, came to Maua.  Dr. Boe is a Pediatrician and a friend we met at Individual Volunteer Training in Missouri in 2005.  He has been a great help to the hospital, especially with his ability to do training and education for our Medical Interns, nursing and clinical staff.  His lovely wife comes with so much experience as a state legislator in Idaho, the mayor of Pocatello along with being on numerous Boards and Committee of the Global Missions.  Dr. Boe worked for the Global Ministries at one time and both are committed to mission and caring for the least around the world.  What a joy and blessing they have been to MMH and to Bill and me personally.

About two months ago, Linet Wanja came to my office to share with me the fact that she was 7 months pregnant.  She did not look pregnant at all so it was a surprise.  She was excited about her pregnancy and hoping for a baby girl.  Friday night June 3^rd  at around 6pm Linet delivered a healthy baby boy, 6.2 pounds, who she has named William after Bill.  She has been able to find a close friend/distant relative who is an adult that is willing to take care of her and William.  For this we are praising God as in the past she has had primary school girls that helped her in the evening and night and went to school during the day.

Bill, Linet and William



Precious William

Linet will be on maternity leave for the next three months and then will resume her work here at Maua Methodist Hospital as a Customer Care representative.   She is very well liked at the hospital and has many friends.  She can certainly hold William and is breastfeeding him well.  As a single mom, she definitely needs your prayers as she raises this precious baby boy.

“Sometimes we’re strong, sometimes we’re weak, sometimes we’re hurt and it cuts deep.  We live this life, breath to breath, we’re all the same; we all bleed red.”

Linet has complete faith that God will take care of her son and herself and her two other sons when the orphanage releases them to her in 2013.  Who am I to think I know better when I have been working hard on trusting God more.  One of my favorite scriptures is Proverbs 3: 4 & 5  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, never rely on what you think you know.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight.”  We all live our lives differently but we all bleed red!

In His grip,

"I sought to hear the voice of God

And climbed the topmost steeple.

But God declared: Go down again,

I dwell among my people."

Louis I. Newman THE VOICE OF GOD

Jerri & Bill Savuto

Maua Methodist Hospital

savuto@maf.or.k

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Community Based Health Training Program in 3 Colonias of South Texas

Community Health Promoter 10 week Training Program

The Need:

The Rio Grande Valley has long been known to be one of the four great "pockets of poverty" in the United States; in fact, there is no other place in North America where  human suffering affects every facet of life like it does in the rural  colonia areas.  Poverty and poor  health are partners, and each affects the other in a debilitating way.  It is clear that this is an area where residents can benefit from development of skills and confidence and a place where human suffering, limited health knowledge and poor access to care offer a supreme opportunity for the implementation of a Community Health Education Program.

Background:

A Community Health Training Program for chosen residents of the Texas/Mexican border area near Pharr, Texas, is an outgrowth of the Pharr Community Outreach Project (PCOP), sponsored and supported by the Pharr United methodist Church. The PCOP later spawned the Pharr Literacy Project (PLP).  In 2003 the PCOP received certification to become a "Community of Shalom" with three program areas: Literacy, Health and Wellness, and Faith Outreach. These areas emphasize 4 elements: 1) Make Disciples of Jesus Christ, (2 Strengthen Develop and Renew Christian Congregations (3Alleviate Human Suffering and (4 Seek Justice, Freedom and Peace.

In 2009 the project received a Conference and a GBGM grant that allowed for further program development. By 2010 two project leaders were able to observe an established health promoter training program taught by UMVIM health volunteers working in Panama. 

Preparation and Initiation of Community Health Training:
Upon return from Panama, the project leaders trained other local leaders. By October 15, 2010 twenty health promoter students started the first of four training modules.  The target date for the first class course completion and implementation in each of three Colonias is scheduled for September, 2011.

Evaluation Tools:
Long-term goals with specific measurable objectives for each phase were developed.  They included:

• Weekly data collection and electronic data entry
• correlation of data with results sent to appropriate staff
• Written evaluation of objectives with reports sent to Board and colonia residents
• Mid-year and annual reports sent to Granting Agencies

Opportunities to Help:

To be able to complete the 5 year plan, donations are needed.  Click here to donate on line.
This site is interested in hosting UMVIM Teams. Contact the project website for more information.

A Look at the Bolivia/Peru Mission

This video just in.  It was sent by a newly assigned Individual Volunteer Couple now serving near the Peru/Bolivia border.  They are preparing to welcome all types of teams, including health related teams.
Take a look and learn about this exciting program.

Learn About UM Medical Missionaries in the Congo

New Individual Volunteers in Place: Hope To Host Future Health Teams

English Class- Instituto Americano

Debbie with new Aymaran Peers

Note: To access a blog that outlines health volunteer opportunities, click on blog title, above.

Hola Amigos,

   We have settled pretty much into our house now in Copacabana, Bolivia. I bought a cellular modem from the largest mobile phone provider in Bolivia (Tigo). It has amazing service in the entire country. A prob is that mountains can make service dead or slow ares. Our house is in a bowl (except for lake titicaca on one side) that brings service down to a couple of ticks. good for email, but bad for uploading to websites and skype.

   The boulders and rise of land behind the house is sacred Incan ground, the mountain ridge to one side of the house is a site of one of the last Incan stand-offs with the Spanish. From the front we see the town and the Cathedral which rings its bells at 5:45 every moning as a call to 6 am mass and our wake-up call. the forth direction has a view of Lake Titicaca. Sheep, pigs and cows are herded down our street past our house, and up the stairs through the Incan sacred grounds in the morning on their way to pasture and then in the evneing back again. In our courtyard there are roses and sweetpeas, and geraniums, and poppies. they never go dormant so they are all huge. one rose is about 15 feet tall with a main stem of about 3" diameter. Oh there is an apple tree in our garden that has apples that look unblemished and ready to harvest!

The house is great. 3 bedrooms about 12 x 12 feet each. A decent kitchen. Lr/Dr about 14 x 20. An interior atrium with skylight, and 2 bathrooms. I bought a huge piece of eucalyptus tree and had the guy mill it into 4 planks 8 feet by 12 inches by 1.25 inches thick. I am going to make our table from this. The wood is red and brown with black and yellow accents. Beautiful. Been improvising alot for furnishing. We get wooden fruit crates from the market and stack them under our counters for use as shelving and use the apple tree to hang socks after they've been washed in the basin in the couryard. 

   Been traveling alot....Puno, LaPaz, Huacuyo. Visiting mission work-sites and making plans for when we get settled in
   Copa is an amazing town. Festival capital of Bolivia. Last weekend there was a festival to honor the Virgin of the Lake. The parade of 100s of bands and 1000s of dancers (like Mardi gras on steroids). We have been told to expect this type of festival several time a year. 

   We are taking Castilian (they dont call it spanish) lessons in Copa three days a week. Oh, we are learning some Aymaran too. Kamisaki = hello, how are you. Waliki = good, fine, doing well. Hikisingama = goodbye. Yospagada = thankyou. Karukama = see you tomorrow. Waliki Hootahra = Welcome! Manka = food (very important). We also learned that that Copacabana comes from Aymaran: Kaha Kahuana and means loosely: lake scenic spot. 

   On the request of our friend Moises Condori we are teaching English one day every two weeks to 13 to 16 year old students at the Instituto Americano in LaPaz. It has been an incredibly uplifting expierience. One of the student's big questions is "How much does a Nintendo WII cost in the States?"....young people the same the world over. This expierience has really help accelerate our learning of Spanish.
   We have been lucky with parasites even though we've had many a communitty meal served out of buckets into our bowls in handfuls and eaten with no utensils and then served pop in a plastic cup that is shared by 8 to 10 people. The communities we've toured have grandiose plans for our limited funds, and we are working long hours every day meeting with communitty and church leaders, going over construction plans and reviewing needs and implementation of training sessions for local peoples. Out of neccesity we are learning Spanish fast.  We are becoming known in town so people actually stop and say hi when we are out and about, and business owners are not trying to sell us stuff at tourist prices as often.

   As we are yearning for contact with home, and familiar people, we would love to here from you. Also, consider coming down to work with us. We think you would find it an amazing and rewarding expierience.

Bendiciones y chao,

Debbie and Jeff

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Senegal Mission Changes and Priorities

 Big News!

Community Health Workers in Training

Paul and Kittie Messer are leaving the Senegal Mission after 2.5 years of service to take an appointment in the North Alabama Conference at Camp Sumatanga beginning, June, 2011. The work of the mission  nurtured under Paul's and Joe Bleck's leadership will foster continued growth with new short-term priorities.

SENEGAL PRIORITIES 

By Paul and Joe 

We have identified these four short term goals as top priorities for the Senegal Mission in 2011: 

1) Raise $15,000 to complete purchase of property for Mission Center near Keur Massar, between Dakar and new airport. 

2) $5000 per year for next 5 years to educate and train the next generation of church leadership. 

3) $4000 to complete construction of Thiadiaye UMC 

4) Secure financial support for Wellness Team Village Consultations – cost for a day is $500 for transportation, medicines, food and staff – is the most visible, most productive of our mission projects.  $5000 would be HUGE  help! 

This would have to be on top of our regular support for the Mission Initiative and our outreach ministries already established.  These goals met would be a “very powerful emotional boost” and “give them a sense of progress being made” 

Paul adds. 

" Send your help to Advance # 12594A with a designation of which goal you want to help.  Check payable to “Advance GCFA” 

sent to Advance GCFA, PO Box 9068 GPO, 

New York, New York 10087-9068  Thanks! "

FACEBOOK HIGHLIGHTS! 

Pastor Joseph Bleck does wonders with his 

computer.  Check out the Joseph Bleck 

Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1026970598 and see up to date pictures and videos of what is happening in Senegal! 

As always, contact Tony Fuller, PO Box 301, New London, WI 54961 Ph: 920-982-6526 senegaltony@gmail.com 

Individual Volunteer Couple to Coordinate Bolivian Mission

This spring, we will begin an 18-month assignment as United Methodist Volunteers in Mission serving as site hosts and coordinators at a mission in southern Peru and western Bolivia. We will be coordinating local and US volunteer teams working on construction, sustainable economic development, &/or medical/dental/public health projects. 

The mission, founded in 2009 through a covenant partnership with UMVIM, the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries, and the Methodist bishops of Bolivia and Peru, aims to help meet the needs of local indigenous Aymara and Quechua people, most of who are poor subsistence farmers.

To learn more about this project, how the Methodist Church is uniquely positioned to help, and how you can help, please attend a presentation in Fellowship Hall at First United Methodist Church, Downers Grove, 1032 Maple Ave., DG, 60515:

Sunday Jan. 23, 12:15 – 1 p.m.,

Sunday Jan. 30, 12:15 – 1 p.m.,

or Monday Jan. 31, 7 – 8:15 p.m.

Afterward, we will offer samples of Bolivian and Peruvian food.

We invite you to visit our web site at your leisure. We update it often. We hope to see you, and thank you in advance for your prayers and support!

Jeff and Debbie