KIBOGORA News December 2014 Hospital News I am happy to report that the roof is now on the new paediatric ward and completion by February is looking more realistic. The internal walls are being coated with cement and the concrete has been poured for the floor. The next job is to install all the fittings and fixtures. The space inside looks huge compared to the old building. This time there should be enough power sockets to avoid the use of extension cables and more sinks and toilets which should make life a lot better for patients and staff. The tents are still being used for the male internal medicine patients but with completion of the new ward looking as if the target date of the end of February is achievable the male patients should be back in a proper ward soon. To see the builders clambering up scaffolding made of Eucalyptus trees or walking over the roof maybe 40ft up does take your breath away but I am happy to say there has been nothing more serious than a bashed finger suffered by any of the workers during the construction. In August a team from England came to the hospital and part of their brief was to organise a Kids Club for the children in the hospital. Two long term male patients who are paralysed, John and Felicien, have been in and out of the hospital for years and are well known to the staff became involved in the Kids Clubs. Over the two weeks the team was there the men had a great time getting out of their room each day, helping with the singing and memorisation of scripture and having something to look forward to. At the end of the two weeks the team arranged to take them to the hospital canteen for a Fanta (soda) and a sweet roll. Page 1 of 4Page 2 of 42 In the 2-4 years they’ve been hospitalised this was the men’s first ever visit to the canteen which is just a few hundred yards outside the hospital gates and they had a great time! But, of course, all good things come to an end, and they had to be rolled back down the hill to the hospital, the end of a great two weeks in these men’s lives. John is about to return to his community and into a specially adapted house which can cater for his needs and give wheel chair access. The house is part of the Hospital Care in the Community project and was built with funds from the UK based Kibogora Initiative. He will be visited by hospital staff to ensure he is being well cared for. Unfortunately Felicien will have to stay at the hospital for a little longer until funds are available to build a house suitable for his needs. We hope to have Felicien into a suitable house by the spring. Regan and Stephanie Land and their family have been living at Kibogora since April. Stephanie is dividing her time between the hospital, schooling their children and helping to manage the visitors coming to the mission compound. Regan has been installing and maintaining equipment at the hospital and supervising the building maintenance at the mission. While the “Better Together” team were at Kibogora in November he gave a very well thought out presentation on how the site could be developed to give room for future growth. It was refreshing to get some new ideas. Page 2 of 4Page 3 of 43 Earlier this year Anne Yerger, Julie’s mother, visited Kibogora and wrote a short report of her impressions. Touching the Lives of Four Widows As I inched my way down the steep dirt trail, I saw an elderly lady hobbling out of her mud brick house to greet me. I’d been told that Veronica, 89, is too poor to provide for herself. Of her 15 children, twelve have died, and the other three are too poor to help her. She’s part of the Care Programme for the Elderly at Kibogora Hospital which has repaired her leaky roof, pays her health insurance, and provides the clothes she wears. The social worker comes once a month to check on her health, encourage good hygiene, and bring a small bag of food. I was privileged to hug Veronica, letting her know she is loved and cared for in the name of Jesus. Waving good-bye, I continued down the trail to visit 78 year old Elizabet. The Care Programme is also helping her and has provided a goat which has since produced a kid. The programme is repairing her crumbling walls and building a new kitchen. A couple of weeks later, Consolee the social worker and I walked along a narrow trail to visit Immaculée, 92. Of her fifteen children, eleven have died, and the other four who live far away are too poor to visit. She is blessed with good neighbours who bring her water and help with a bit of food. The Care Programme for the Elderly provides her health insurance and clothes plus plans to build a new house for her as her present one is inadequate. Several weeks later I sat on a chair borrowed from a neighbour as Consolée and Félicité, the hospital occupational therapist, talked with Seraphine, a 78 year old widow. The rent on her damaged house is paid for by a caring friend. She has no mattress, sheets, blanket, chair, table, or kitchen building. The Care Programme is looking for a better house for her and will pay the rent. Félicité is teaching her to make baskets as a source of income
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 13:32:23 +0000
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