I won't be able to ever visit this charity because it is in a part of Nigeria where white expats must have a really good reason to travel, because of the compelling security risks there. The charity has suffered from the exodus of expats from the area, as they were a helpful source of donations and support for the organization. Some of the expats who were living in the Port Harcourt area and then were evacuated up here to Lagos have become great supporters of the charity, raising awareness about their work and trying to raise funds to help support the clinic. Because of their efforts and their trust and confidence in the work done there, we chose The Fistula Clinic to be our designated recipient. We just located someone traveling to the Delta this week who will deliver the check to the charity. Below are some pictures of the charity that I have received from those who have had closer contact with the Clinic.
The Fistula Clinic has nuns who are also doctors who perform surgeries on some of the more simple cases. They also pay for doctors to come from the UK to perform surgeries on some of the more complicated cases. They said that generally the surgery can be performed for about 50,000 naira (about $340).
The Small World committee restricts the use of their funds to capital expenses -- something that can be documented and the improvement can be seen, so there is less opportunity for corruption. So the funds we raised can't be used for salaries or surgeries directly. But the nuns are happy to use the funds to purchase and install solar panels, so the clinic can have a reliable source of power. The fuel for their generator is expensive and the panels will help them have lights and power (always a plus when performing surgery!) without high continuing expenses. Their preliminary estimates show that there may also be some funds left over to provide some operating theater lighting.
1 comment:
This is wonderful. It also reminds me that even though I am sometimes disgusted with the care given here, at least it's something, that many would be grateful for. I'm glad you can participate in helping them. What sweet, precious women!
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